Furlough time is now over and we have returned to the work in Paraguay. We were blessed with an uneventful return trip home and walked into a house that wasn’t a complete disaster (like last year’s mold problem). I hadn’t been back more than a couple of days when it was already time to get back to work. We feel so honored to have this privilege of working in Paraguay. We hope this month’s report brings you a little encouragement from our little corner of the world. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support.
Andrea and I were blessed to get to visit with so many good brethren during our furlough this year! We always love getting to visit and we appreciate the many friendships that have developed over the years. This year I had the privilege of getting to visit my alma mater, Southwest School of Bible Studies in Austin, TX. We also went to visit our brethren at Brown Trail School of Preaching in Ft. Worth, TX.
Developments at the Avenida Sacramento church of Christ
Trent Kennedy and his family have been in Paraguay now for several weeks and have adjusted quite well to South American culture. They have been very active in their time here! Trent has begun teaching classes in the Asuncion Bible Academy, preached one Sunday, and has helped in home Bible studies. He and his wife, Lisa, have picked up several students and have been teaching English using the Bible. We are excited to have them here and they are doing such a great job. You can follow their experiences on their blog at: beingwhatiwanttobe.blogspot.com
We were so excited to return to Paraguay to find the church just as busy as ever! They have carried out continued studies, made several new decisions, and are developing new plans. A missionary’s job is to work himself out of a job. That is what is happening in Paraguay! These brethren are growing in every way: in spiritual maturity, in leadership, and in numbers. Our goal is to develop a church that is self-supporting, self- governing, and self- propagating. The church in Paraguay is arriving at that very goal! Praise God!
Developments at the Asuncion Bible Academy
Brother Gary Fallis from the Bear Valley Bible Institute came to Paraguay to teach “The Godhead” in the Academy. He brought his wife, Sarah, with him who also took the opportunity to teach some classes to our ladies of the congregation. We greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication to the Lord’s Kingdom that the Fallis’ provide.
This quarter had the students participating in a special workshop and study on baptism as part of the curriculum. They learned the fundamental principles of baptism and also how to physically administer a baptism. The ladies also watched and asked questions in order to understand the mechanics of a baptism.
Andrea and I had the opportunity to meet up with Luis Camacho, our BVBID Stateside Coordinator for the Academy, while we were home on furlough. We were able to finalize more plans for the Academy and develop a few new ones. We always enjoy our time with Luis and are grateful for his service to the Academy.
Our local missionary, evangelist, Academy teacher, and beloved Panamanian, Eliezer Perez, has announced that he and one of our sisters in Christ, Raquel Franco, are engaged to be married! Eliezer has returned to Panama for a few weeks in order to get all his legal documents in order so he can apply for permanent residency in Paraguay. The couple hope to be married by the end of this year. He has also completed his initial two year agreement with the church, so a new agreement will be put in place upon his return.
God bless
Troy and Andrea Spradlin
To read the Spradlin’s report with pictures, please click here.