After his incredible rescue from drowning by means of a huge fish, Jonah pens a beautiful psalm of thanksgiving, praising God for hearing and answering his prayer as he went down for the last time (Jon 2:2–9). I imagine that this story was part of his message to the Ninevites, reminding them that their idols never once answered their prayers. He concludes his psalm with this message to idolaters everywhere: “They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord” (Jon 2:8–9). Jonah reminds us, “If you worship idols, you have no hope of being heard; I, on the other hand, am thanking God for hearing and answering because my God saves!”
This past month God heard our prayers and responded in several unexpected ways. Mark spent a week in Santiago at Camp Pirque attending a pastors’ seminar on biblical counseling. It was a good time of fellowship and instruction. That same week, we received news that Bekah’s aunt passed away. We thank the Lord that she was able to travel to the States to attend the funeral and be with her family for about a week. Last week, the Chile field council members traveled to Antofagasta to sign the papers to sell a property the mission owns in Santiago. This sale has been a longstanding prayer request, and the path has been littered with obstacles, so we are praising God for his goodness. This past weekend, our church hosted nine students from the Bible institute in Temuco. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the students and introducing them to Antofagasta and especially to our church family. We are thankful to see how God is at work in the training of young people to serve Chilean churches and advance the gospel to unreached cities. This past Lord’s Day, our church witnessed the baptism of a young woman as she identified as a disciple of Jesus. Pray for Tamara as she continues to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Lord willing, we plan to spend Thanksgiving with the Flincks in Arica.
We appreciate your prayers for us—our God hears us and he answers our prayers!
- Thank God with us for his grace in answering our prayers.
- Thank God with us for his grace in safety in travel this past month.
- Thank God with us for his grace in the life of Tamara, who was baptized this past Lord’s Day.
- Pray to God with us for his grace to be faithful in prayer.
- Pray to God with us for his grace in the lives of Jesus’ disciples here in Antofagasta to faithfully make more disciples.
- Pray to God with us for his grace in wisdom for future ministry.
This is our November 2024 email update. You can sign up to receive our updates in your inbox here. You can download a printable PDF here.
Comments are closed