In Revelation 19, we encounter the second revelation of Jesus Christ in the book (the first is the vision John saw in chapter 1). “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war” (Rev 19:11). Our collective disinterest in eschatology seems to be directly related to how comfortable we are in this earthly existence. The persecuted church throughout history has always clung to the hope of Jesus’ second coming to “judge and make war.” As we watch our comfortable lives slipping away, we find the arrival of the King ever more attractive. The beauty of Jesus’ second coming is that he is neither elected after running a winsome campaign nor does he take over a kingdom we have “built” or “expanded”; rather, in David’s words in Psalm 110:2, he comes and rules “in the midst of his enemies.” He comes to the Antichrist’s kingdom, destroys his armies with a word, captures the Beast and False Prophet alive, and proves he is indeed the “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

We are thankful for the privilege of serving the one called Faithful and True here in Antofagasta, although soon after our last prayer letter, the city was locked back down again by the ministry of health. Today marks three weeks confined to our apartment, although we are able to go down and walk and run in the parking lot where we can enjoy some winter sunshine. We continue regular video meetings with our church family using the Zoom application, doing Bible studies with couples from our church, and trying to find ways to encourage others as we are able. It is frustrating and we appreciate your prayers for patience and perseverance.

We are thankful for God’s grace in the safe arrival of Joaquín, the second son of our teammates, pastor Andrés and his wife, Cle. Joaquín decided to come quickly on June 29, in the middle of the lock down. Andrés messaged us as we were finishing up lunch around 2:00 pm and asked us to come up and watch their one-year-old, Agustín, while they went to the hospital. They headed to the clinic and Joaquín was born at 3:45! This was a blessing because Andrés was able to be with Cle for the birth (they had told him that due to the virus restrictions, he would not be permitted to accompany his wife). Cle was able to come home the following Thursday, and mother and baby are doing well. I know they would appreciate your prayers as they transition to life as a family of four.

Our church has been working with an architect during these weeks of lock down, and he has drawn up some beautiful plans that enable us to pass the necessary building inspections by the city, adjust the building for more effective ministry, and try to be a good testimony in the neighborhood. We appreciate your prayers as we work through this process as a church family, that God would be glorified and the church unified and edified.

This is our July 2020 email update. You can sign up to receive our updates in your inbox here. You can download a printable PDF here.