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June News from Chile
Dear Friends,
Just a quick note to say thank you for your prayers these past months, which has been vary hectic. We praise the Lord for a team from Duanesburg that visited us. With their happy attitudes, as they served through both practical skills, teaching Bible clubs to teachers and parents while their pastor taught on homiletics. During services he rocked the congregation with his skills as a percussionist preacher!
John Dolan's arrival in late March to start work with our university students ahs made a big difference here. He is working closely with and discipling a young couple in our church who have vision to work with this group. John's skills at adapting into the culture and making friends with both students and professors alike, as well as experimenting home cooking as the congregation seeks to mother him have been a pleasure to watch, and we are grateful to have him on our team for this year.
Another couple paid a visit to our region recently, and we have just heard that they have been approved by MTW to start support raising in order to come and work here full-time in church planting with us. Please be in prayer for Greg and Marilyn Senter and their two daughters, Stacey and Keri as they begin to make the rounds in the US. Greg has a German mom, and is fluent in German, and will fit in so well in this very German area of southern Chile. That, along with his administrative skills make us very excited by this prospect.
We were very blessed to be able to have a wonderful time with our children and friends during May when we went to the US for our son, Lionel's graduation from Covenant College, and his wedding later that weekend to Stephanie Young. Johan and Stephanie's dad, Steve, shared a beautiful service together as they officiated the marriage of their children, and we rejoice at the addition of this sweet young lady to our family (no pun intended). Stephanie has recuperated well from her surgery in April, and seems to have no sequelae at this stage. Please remember this young couple as they begin their new life together - she continues to study veterinary medicine at UGA in Athens, and Lionel starts Medical School in the fall in Augusta, Ga.
Pray for our two ministerial candidates as they try to balance church and ministry responsibilities with full time studies, and family life. We enjoy working together with these young couples and enjoy the interaction as we plan and pray and work together here for the extension of God's kingdom.
Praise for the growth we are seeing in some new converts. We are all feeling the need for more action with regards to evangelistic efforts reaching out into the community - pray for us as we prepare to embark on several new projects in August. Last night we had our first Praise Evening- it started at 10 p.m. and finished at 2 am, and everyone was complaining at the end that we finished too soon. is that encouraging, or what! It was great to see a number of first time visitors coming in to the meeting.
Thank you for praying and standing with us - we are in a battle here, and need to see God doing great things in this region of the world.
Greetings in His service,
Johan and Stephanie van der Westhuizen
- June 25, 2003
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