“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

John 8:36

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thank you for your steadfast prayers. Knowing that you pray for me brings much comfort to my heart. 

The Lord gave me an opportunity to share the Gospel with a new man who has been searching for God. He previously became a member at a church that professes to be Christian but is not correctly teaching the Bible. In this church there is a heavy focus on tithing and what God can do for people. This man has been through a lot in his life. Because of all of his hardship, he has been tithing most of his wages to his church thinking that God will give him blessings. He is the main provider for his family, including his parents. Even though his parents have been telling him this thinking is not correct, he is very stubborn. He continues to give his money and neglect the needs of his family. He believes that if he gives more to God, God will bless him and give more to him.

My heart was filled with compassion for this man, and I shared the Gospel with him. I told him that God does not require any money from him, but instead wants a relationship with him. The man listened. Because he feels a loyalty to his church and pastor, he said he would think about my words. His parents shared with me that he is in despair. Because he gives so much of his money away, he sometimes doesn’t have enough money to have food to eat or provide for the family. This man has been carrying around a great burden. He is trying to pay God, when God is the One who has paid it all for him. God wants this man to give Him all his burdens, so that he can be completely free in Christ. I am praying for more opportunities to meet with this man and to share what God’s Word truly says.

For the past few months, I have been visiting a family that recently moved to an area that is about 30 minutes from my home. They were in this area only temporarily because they work in construction. They were only here to work on a construction project. This family had a great heart to allow me to come into their home and teach them the Word of God. During this time, I was able to witness how God was opening their eyes to His truth. They even began to invite others to join them for Bible study. It brings me joy to hear them ask questions and to see their curiosity about who God is. I learned that their construction project was over and that they would be moving back to their town. I was sad to see them go, and they were sad as well. They shared with me that they will miss our gatherings together and that they hope that we will be able to meet again.

It was a great blessing for me that they knew the family that moved in after them. They are also here for a construction project. Because the first family shared about me with them, they were also excited to meet with me and start to study the Bible. I am thankful to see how God is moving in these hearts. I pray that the first family will remain steadfast, and that this new family will have a great desire for the Lord as well.

At the end of June, I had the great privilege and honor to visit the village of one of my former students. I was invited to share at a three-day conference there. I taught some essential Christian doctrine, such as: “What is sin?” “How sin entered the earth.” and “How sin separates us from God”. I also shared about why Jesus was born, His death and resurrection, fellowship with God in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, and the Holy Spirit and how He resides in us. I was blessed to see the people come and sit very eagerly to hear about the Word of God. After each day of teaching, we went door to door and ask the people how we could pray for them.

Many shared their struggles and hardships. As we prayed with them, we also shared with them about the Living Hope we have in Jesus Christ. We also invited them to attend our conference teachings. We took the time to love on them with God’s love and have fellowship with them. To travel to this area from my house took me 15 hours by train and 2 hours by bus. I was completely blessed to have been given the opportunity to serve the Lord in this way. I am asking the Lord for more and more opportunities to share with people in this way. My heart is humbled to know that God uses us to increase His Kingdom.

I continue to see God moving and I know that it is because of the faithful prayers of all of you, God’s saints. Thank you for your faithfulness and commitment to move the Gospel forward. 

In Christ,

Pastor 7*

*Names and faces have been changed or omitted for security reasons.