There is NEVER a dull moment in the mission field and we love that about this work! When God is working in people’s lives is it always exciting to see what develops. This month was no exception as we witnessed three precious souls being added to the kingdom and four faithful brethren being united in holy matrimony. We pray you are encouraged and will rejoice with us in this month’s edition of our Paraguay Mission report!
Developments at Sacramento Avenue
Baptism! Mabel Gonzalez is the sister-in-law to our sister in Christ, Jazmin Penayo. She had been teaching her the Gospel for several months and Mabel had been visiting our worship services. She has come to a better understanding of what it means to be saved, so on Sunday the 2 of February she asked to be immersed for the remission of her sins. We praise God for her decision!
The men have made several great advances toward the maturation of the congregation. They are now publishing their budget on a monthly basis, have almost completely reorganized their ministry groups, and are making decisions regarding future church plants. We pray you might recognize the significance of these recent developments as they represent progress towards our ultimate goal of having a Paraguayan church that is self-governing, self- propagating, and self-sufficient. We’re getting closer!
Developments at Ñemby Congregation
The brethren at Ñemby have been working on installing a bathroom in their meeting facility. It is coming along slowly, but looking good! They had also taken a short break from their weekly study, but have now resumed with a rotation between the different members homes. The attendance has remained rather steady but the brethren would like to see more growth in the congregation. We pray their enthusiasm will carry them to reach out to the many lost souls in the area.
Asunción Bible Academy Update
The students have finished their first complete year of studies!
What a marvelous achievement! They are currently on their month break between the two years of study and will begin classes again on March 10th. Please pray for another successful year and our potential students for the next class.
Ramón Paredes preached his first public sermon this past month in Ñemby. This was quite a milestone for him and for the school! Everyone is commenting on being very pleased with the fruit they see being produced through the Academy!
Bear Valley Bible institute of Denver has named our brother Luis Camacho as the “Stateside Field Coordinator” for ABA. We are very excited to now have brother Camacho so closely connected and working with the school.
Evangelistic Contacts / Bible Studies / Activities
Andrea is staying very busy with all her studies. She continues with Oscar Parodi, Adriana Rodriguez, Jazmin Santander, Dina Aycock, and Sandra Duarte.
Our weekly study with Rolando Duarte continues to go well. He faithfully attends every opportunity to study and is taking lots of notes. We are introducing him to Jesus through a study of Matthew.
The twice-a-week study that I have with my Taekwondo instructor, Christian Jourdain, is going great! His questions are very good and he is demonstrating a good understanding of the Word!
Our brethren, Ramon Paredes and Elvira Dominguez were joined together in holy matrimony on February 8th. Brother Pedro Vera lead the wedding ceremony, which was held at the church building. We pray they have a very long, happy, and successful marriage.
Enrique Albera and Leti Alfonso were also married on February the 15th at the Lake Ypacarai Yacht Club. I had the privilege of guiding them in their wedding vows. It was a beautiful wedding and we pray God blesses them with a strong and lasting marriage.
I was blessed with an opportunity to participate in a Special Mission Trip to El Salvador/Honduras this past month. I traveled with a group of nine people from Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, and Oklahoma to translate, teach, and preach in a Medical Clinic and Gospel Meeting campaign. On Sunday, Feb 2nd, I was given the opportunity to preach at three different locations in two different countries with six different congregations being represented among them! Then, I translated for the medical clinics in the mornings followed by preaching in the evenings at a different location each night. All the meetings were well attended, it felt like an old-time revival! We also were able to visit a prison where we were allowed to preach to the inmates, one of which, Luis, was baptized that same day! Another young lady, Rosemary, was also baptized during the campaign. In addition, I was able to encourage and offer some practical advice for the brethren there regarding a new Bible Institute they are planning to start up soon. I greatly appreciate and want to thank all of the supporters that made the trip possible. It was an incredible experience that produced fruit for God’s kingdom!
Other news and upcoming activities
Annual Church Camp/Retreat (April)
Wedding of Gina Vera and Bryan Davis on March 8th
We will be returning to the USA on April 24th for our Annual Furlough and Reporting trip. We are looking forward to seeing you all!
Personal Activities
The Annual Team Retreat was held this past month in Caacupé, about an hour outside Asuncion. We enjoyed some relaxing time together and nice meals, as well as, held a planning meeting for future team plans. We have a great team and some great plans for the future! We pray God will bless our efforts.
Andrea and I finally took a little time for ourselves and went on a two day, “get out of town” vacation to a hotel resort overlooking Lake Ypacarai. We had the whole place to ourselves and it was a much needed, restful time.
Andrea has been very active this past month in “Las Amigas” for several of their upcoming events. The best part is, many great, new contacts have been made through these activities.
Pam Bertoni is one of the first American friends Andrea made in Paraguay through Las Amigas. She has been battling ovarian cancer the last two years and has been the recipient of many new, experimental treatments. We ask that you please add her to your pray list.
Personal study
I am currently reading / have read:
The 360° Leader by John Maxwell
The Church of Christ: A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today by Everett Ferguson
I have been studying and preparing for the next quarter ́s classes of ABA: “Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther”
I have been studying (debating) with a Jehovah’s Witness regarding their “bible” and the “Kingdom of God.”
Preaching/teaching opportunities
I preached for the Ñemby congregation on the subject of “Christ Fulfilling the Law.”
I preached at Avenida Sacramento about “Reflecting Christ” in everything that we are and do.
The subjects for the Honduras/El Salvador campaign were: “Every Christian’s Responsibility,” “The Characteristics of a Mature Christian,” “YOU are Acts Chapter 29,” “The Sum of Thy Word is Truth,” and “The Kingdom of God”
Please pray for Andrea’s friend, Pam, who has ovarian cancer week Bible class in La Palma, El Salvador via Skype.
Troy and Andrea Spradlin
To see Troy’s report with pictures, please click here.