“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matt 24:35). In Jesus’ discourse on the mount of Olives, he responds to his disciples’ questions about his second coming at the end of the age. He reminds his disciples that although the physical universe will be shaken and destroyed, his words are always trustworthy. They will never pass away. Although the literal universe will be coming to an end just before he returns, Jesus’ disciples can trust his words.

This past month we were excited to host the Flincks visiting from Arica. Our church family was very excited to see them again and catch up on what God has been doing in Arica over the past three months. We celebrated Christmas and the New Year with different families from our church, and once again, we thank God for our church “family away from our family.” In January, Mark traveled to the south of Chile for the annual pastors’ meeting, where he had the opportunity to preach to the pastors and leaders from all over Chile.

This week we travel to Payusandú, Uruguay for our annual missionary conference. It’s an enjoyable week of catching up with our coworkers, meetings, and encouragement. Lord willing, we will stay an additional week at the camp there to help out as we are able. We appreciate your prayers for travel mercies as well as physical health and stamina.

Please pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ here in Antofagasta. Many are going through periods of testing and difficulty, where they are challenged to trust Jesus’ eternal words over their own feelings of fear and confusion. Pray for us, as we too work through periods of uncertainty and frustration, that we would believe Jesus’ words and live according to them. We appreciate your prayers for us.

This is our January 2024 email update. You can sign up to receive our updates in your inbox here. You can download a printable PDF here.