The psalmist cries out to God for help in Psalm 57:1, “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.” The beautiful image of chicks hiding under their mother’s wings reminds us that God is our refuge. We quickly run to many other things for refuge—our ingenuity, our savings, our plans—but the only true refuge is God. He is the only one who can truly protect and care for us.
This past month we got back to our normal ministry here in Antofagasta: visits, Bible studies, hospitality, and shepherding. Mark has been teaching about the Old Testament covenants, and our church finished a series of lessons in Proverbs on Wednesdays. We have had the opportunity to connect with some of our supporting churches during their missionary conferences. The sticky days of summer have given way to cooler nights and more comfortable mornings. The kids have all gone back to school and the universities and Bible institute are starting the fall semester.
We appreciate your prayers for our church family here in Antofagasta as God works in their lives. We have been encouraging our brothers and sisters often of late that God ordains every circumstance in our lives for his glory and for our good—that we would be more like Jesus (Rom 8:28–29).
The coming months promise to bring opportunities for ministry. Lord willing, we will travel to Alto Hospicio the second weekend in April, about 300 miles north of us. This is a small church in a difficult area that doesn’t have a pastor. Mark has been meeting with the elders of the church weekly via Zoom for the past year, encouraging and advising them as they seek to shepherd the flock God has given them. We hope to be a blessing to this struggling church and its leaders. Later in the month, Mark is speaking at a weekend men’s retreat in Santiago and then doing a one-day seminar on church leadership for a larger church in the south. We appreciate your prayers for us. We want to trust God and find our refuge in him every day.
- Thank God with us for his grace in giving us many opportunities to point others to trust in Jesus.
- Thank God with us for his grace in wisdom as we speak of him.
- Thank God with us for his grace in the advance of the gospel here and in the church plant in Arica.
- Pray to God with us for his grace to find our refuge in God despite difficulties and opposition.
- Pray to God with us for his grace in the lives of our brothers and sisters here in Antofagasta.
- Pray to God with us for his grace in wisdom for future ministry.
This is our March 2025 email update. You can sign up to receive our updates in your inbox here. You can download a printable PDF here.
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