Dear Friends in Christ,
“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens,
and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6
Camargo: The “Iglesia Bíblica Bautista” is having an “Every Creature Campaign”, to get a John and Romans booklet into every home in this city of 60,000. In preparation for the campaign, six others wanted to fast with me a different day of the week, every week until Easter. We are asking God for His power, for each scripture portion and people to be saved, for spiritual maturity and ultimately for God to be glorified by our church. We have presented the gospel to many people and several have made professions of faith. Ramiro came to church one Sunday, got saved on Tuesday, came back to church on Thursday and brought his 3 kids the following Sunday. Praise the Lord! Pray the kids will be saved soon. Lorenzo (64) went on a drinking binge, somehow also drank a quart of an agricultural poison and died. A week later 81 year old Joaquin died. We knew both families; one wanted me to preach at the funeral home before a mass, and the other wanted me to preach the funeral, Connie also sang. Many heard the gospel and the plan of salvation. Pray that we will see fruit from those who heard and who made professions of faith. Connie gave the kids a test on what they had learned from another section in the book of John. They all did well and 4 got 100% plus extra points for Bible verses they had memorized. She will finish the study in the next few weeks and we look forward to seeing spiritual growth in the kids.
Building: We have been praying the Lord would give us a building or land to build on, to not pay rent longer than necessary and to give the church more permanence. Land in a decent location is pretty expensive, from $3.50 – $4.50 USD per square foot. A party hall measuring 66’ by 164’, with a 14’ ceiling has been for sale for a while, and they just lowered the price to $60,000 USD, (about $5.50 a square foot) barely more than the land alone. It is on a corner lot, centrally located, on a well known street, which seems perfect. It is a lot bigger than we need now but would give us a lot of room to grow and could even house a pastor’s residence in the other end. If we can get the church in it, they could put up sheet rock dividers and windows and fix it up inside, as they are able. Please pray for God’s will on this property. The first $5,000 dollars has been promised; would you pray about helping with this need?
Family: Connie’s strict diet, food supplements and prayer, seem to be improving her white blood cell count. Please pray that the she would continue to feel well and that she would have more energy. Clark Avery Martin was born to Kyle, our daughter Bethany and two year old Gary, on January 1st. He was the first baby of the New Year at the hospital in Parsons KS! Our tenth grandbaby! Amen!
Praise: Church fasting and praying; People saved; Opportunities to present the Gospel, Grandbaby
Prayer: Every Creature Campaign; Souls saved, baptisms, church attendance; Ramiro’s kids; Church building; Connie’s health
In His Service,
