Protests in Cali, Colombia (photo from El Comercio of Peru)

How fast things can change
May 21, 2021

The last month has been a roller coaster in ministry and life here in Colombia. Today marks day 24 of protests that have rocked the country, and Colombia is still in the middle of a third wave of covid, which resulted in a partial lockdown and virtual church for a month here in Santa Marta. Cali and Bogotá have been the two hardest hit cities with protests and violence. A scarcity of food and gasoline has affected Cali.

Please pray that God would overrule in this situation and glorify himself through these difficulties.

On a positive note, we’ve been able to get back to Sunday services as a church, and Lord willing we will start our next Bible institute class on the 1^st of June.

I will be traveling to Bogotá on Monday to teach a course at the seminary in Tenjo for the first time since January of 2020.

Download prayer letter as PDF

THE BLESSING OF DEACONS

Rosalía, our oldest member, receiving deacon care

We have three deacons in training. It’s been wonderful to see them develop in the Lord’s service. Last week Rodolfo helped to take 8 boxes of groceries to different people in need. We’ve been meeting once a week with the deacons to talk about their lives, pray, and discuss God’s Word. Please keep praying for Rafael, Rodolfo and Miguel.

CULTURE

Santa Marta had a curfew of 6:00 p.m. for a month and half due to covid, and we had a month-long lockdown on weekends. Small business owners are hurting, as their profits have fallen. These were some of the factors that led to protests here in Santa Marta, and sadly, some properties were vandalized and grocery stores looted.

Kids’ Corner

Eliana has decided to attend Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, Iowa, this fall. Thanks for praying for her! She will have family nearby, so that’s encouraging for us as parents. Holly will be taking her to Iowa in July.

A SIDE PROJECT FINISHED

I wanted to thank God for allowing me to finish a mid-range project I was working on for www.stepbible.org (an excellent free resource for Bible study). I was able to review and revise their translation of a Greek-Spanish lexicon for the website. I enjoyed working with the team connected to Tyndale House in Cambridge and am hoping they can implement this lexicon for Spanish speakers soon. I always point my students to this site, since it’s powerful and free (new.stepbible.org currently has a better interface). Their goal is to provide developing nations with free Bible study tools, so if you have other contacts who may be able to use their site, please pass it along.