The New Argentine Pope

 We were taken by surprise along with most of the world when Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected to be the new pope on March 13. Since then many people have asked if an Argentine pope would be a help in spreading the Gospel in Argentina. We always hope and pray that doors would be opened for the Lord’s work, but this is not one of them.

The Argentine people are already enslaved by the Catholic religion,  giving them a false sense of security based on the good works they do. They are also a proud people, and stand tall on their strong Catholic heritage passed on through deep family traditions. Now the typical Argentine is deceived into believing they are safe under the umbrella of Catholicism and Pope Francis. This creates even more of an obstacle for sharing the message of the Gospel, that Jesus is the only hope of salvation. Our burden for the Argentine people has deepened, and our resolve to get there has only intensified. Please pray with us for the Gospel to have free course through the work of current missionaries there, and for our own deputation journey to be done quickly and effectively. There are still over 36 million people who do not know Christ, and no pope will save them!

Deputation Update

 We are excited to report that our deputation journey is going well. The last few months have been extremely busy, with just about every church service time booked. After nine months of deputation, traveling to and/or through thirty-one different states and over thirty thousand miles, our support level is just over thirty percent of what we need. This is on track with our goal of being on the field by August of next year.

We praise the Lord for the blessing of coming alongside many churches to help encourage them during their mission conferences. Not only has God provided more ministry supporters, but also valuable prayer partners. Also, through the much appreciated generosity of a couple New Mexico churches, Temple Baptist in Hobbs  and Faith Baptist in Artesia, we have enough funds raised for four airline tickets! It is incredible to see God’s faithfulness in providing for those future needs.

With the Fords, new ministry partners at Temple Baptist Church in Hobbs, NM.

Immanuel Baptist Church Mission Conference in Monticello, KY

School Field Trip

 We have been blessed in so many ways these past few months, individually, and as a family. One of the fun things we were able to do thanks to Crosspointe Baptist Church in Cincinnatti, OH, was go to the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum in Kentucky! It was a wonderful place to visit. We made it a field trip for the kids’ homeschool (Hands-on is the best way to learn!) Everything was top-notch quality, and it was great   to be able to point things out to our children that we’ve been telling them over the years, and explain to them how Creation and the Biblical worldview DOES fit in with science. It was probably more exciting for us adults to see it all, but I know many of the things stuck in our children’s minds as well. We would recommend it to anyone wanting to help reinforce the biblical worldview in the hearts and minds of their children. It was a great help to us!

The Family at the Creation Museum in KY.

While we were there, we purchased a Creation DVD, and the other day when our children were playing with the children next door (who are not saved), Natalie asked if she could show them the video that “proves Creation is real.” I was so happy that she’s thinking of her friends’ souls and wanting them to see the truth. We pray our kids will catch our burden to reaching the lost with the Gospel also.

The kids enjoyed learning about Creation, dinosaurs and Noah’s Ark!

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support!

Click to download the PDF: Prayer Letter- Mar Apr 2013