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“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:11
MEXICO – What a precious promise we have as we share God’s Word, that it will accomplish that for which God sends it forth. For a few years now, we have been using a revised version of the “Firm Foundation” Bible study, which gives a good foundation for understanding the message of the Bible. The first phase of this study starts in Genesis and covers key stories that help us understand the importance and the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. It ends with the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Pray for God’s anointing and for wisdom for Pete as he leads the studies with adults and for Cathy as she teaches the children.
For some time now, we have been going through this study with Alex and Juana. At times our meetings have been somewhat sporadic. Sometimes we have wondered whether we are accomplishing anything with them, not knowing whether they are growing spiritually. It has been a bit like a roller coaster with them; some days we leave feeling encouraged and other days we wonder whether we are wasting our time.
However, the last time that we met with them God showed us that our labor has not been in vain. After a recent study Alex shared his desire to have copies of all the studies and a copy of the pictures that go with the studies. He wants to have all the material so that he can share it with others when there is opportunity. That is our goal – to have local believers sharing God’s Word with others!
We could hardly contain our excitement about the possibilities and Alex was obviously excited as well! Alex shared that if he forgets to read the Bible with his family before bedtime his son Jesus reminds him that they need to do that. Pray that God would protect Alex and Juana and their children, that the enemy would not be able to disrupt what God is doing in that family.
In April Cathy started a children’s Bible class. It started with two children, then another two children joined, and slowly the group grew. We were delighted when two other cousins joined the group and we are hoping that their parents will soon join the adult Bible study. They seem somewhat open but, again, they are probably concerned about what others will say. Two sisters showed up at the children’s Bible class once, and we are hoping that they will start attending regularly. If all the children show up, then we have a group of ten attending, which is plenty for the limited space. It would be wonderful to reach more children, but at this point our goal is to get this group grounded in the Word. Please pray that God would do a beautiful work in each of the children. Two children have given their lives to the Lord but as far as we know the rest of the children haven’t made that decision yet. Half of the children are not from Christian families.
A few months ago, our neighbor, pastor Joseph, asked Pete to start a men’s Bible study. Pete first shared a six-week Bible study (Christianity Explained) and pastor Joseph was so excited about what he was learning through the study that he wants to use it to start small groups as a form of evangelism. God has given him a vision of a new way of doing “church,” reaching out to people by meeting in homes. Pray that God would prepare the hearts of those He wants to reach through these meetings.
Home church: Aylmer EMMC, Ontario
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This article was originally published in The Recorder Vol 60 No 5