“For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren” (Heb 2:11). The author of Hebrews closes the second chapter with the beautiful line—made more powerful because it is addressed to professing Christians who are contemplating abandoning their own brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering—Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers. A few weeks ago as I was teaching this passage, I reminded our church that Jesus is with us (Matt 28:20) and will never leave us. When Paul attempted to destroy the church, Jesus stopped him in his tracks, saying, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5). Exalted Son for sure, but also the Pioneer of our faith, who has already passed through difficulties and now walks through the fire with us.

Fall is starting to arrive in Antofagasta, which doesn’t make a big difference in the temperature, but it is a little cooler in the evenings and the mornings, and the daytime sun feels good. We are keeping busy with ministry in our church, with regular Bible studies with two couples and with many other chances to disciple, learn, listen, and speak. We pray for wisdom and grace whenever we open our mouths. Our church continues to look for another place to meet, but we have been met with obstacles (procedural, not personal). Please pray with us that God would provide a place for us to meet each week with minimal distractions. Our church also is moving toward formal membership, and Mark has had the opportunity along with David and Andrés to meet with many who are interested in membership. It has been a blessing to hear their testimonies of how God has changed their hearts and lives. Our church hosted a “Pro-Life Conference” with a missionary family from Iquique, and we heard biblical teaching on the value of life made in God’s image. David and Mark traveled to Coquimbo for a quarterly pastors’ meeting, and Mark also made a trip to Coquimbo to help work on mission business.

This week, we are hosting David and Bethany and their son Isaiah, a young couple from the United States, who are spending eleven days with us, seeing what God is doing here and being a blessing to us. We hope they will return encouraged and excited about how Jesus is building his church in Antofagasta.

This is our April 2019 email update. You can sign up to receive our updates in your inbox here. You can download a printable PDF here.