WE'VE MOVED!

In order to consolidate our ministry blogs, we've moved this blog over to http://ibamissions.wordpress.com/

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Thank you,

James and Amy

February Prayer Letter

Summer Stats

Statistically, attendance and giving numbers should be down during the summer. However, we finished January with a healthy attendance average of 35 and an all-time high total in giving!

As our attendance grows, so does our need for children’s classes. Amy has been teaching junior church since we began. She is doing teacher training with two ladies who are willing to teach junior church once a month, but we desperately need a teacher for the preschoolers. Please pray for this need!

Praise the Lord for two new families now involved in the church. One of the couples, Adrian and Sara, first visited just before Christmas. After the service, James counseled with them, and Adrian put his trust in Christ. They are now attending faithfully and have expressed their desire to join the church!

Summer Camp

Pictured below are the kids from IBI who attended summer camp the last week of January. They all had a wonderful time and made many new Christian friends. Two received a “camper-of-the-week” award! Four of the nine were able to go only because of your generous giving. Thank you! Pray the decisions made will bring about a lasting change in each of their lives.

Countdown to Launch!

The countdown continues, with 6 weeks left until Charter Sunday, March 21, 2010! We have a different church in the area signed up to help each night of the campaign. This month we are focusing on advertising. We will be handing out church information packets house-to-house during the six weeks prior to “launch,” hanging posters in local businesses and making an announcement on the radio. We have 8,000 flyers to distribute, so please pray for our people to get excited to pass this important landmark in the history of the church and to see new growth.

Furlough 2010/2011

We are planning a furlough late October 2010 through mid-February 2011. Our goal is always to visit about half of our supporters, as well as a few new ones. Praise the Lord that He has already provided a pastor whom we know and respect, Walter and Jackie Schmidt, to take our place while we are away from the ministry here. Please pray for God to provide an interpreter for the Schmidts.

January Prayer Letter

December Outreach

December 20 was our monthly evangelistic outreach. We try to do something a little different each month. Since it fell close to Christmas, we put together a program of music and Scriptures called "From the Manger to the Cross," telling the story of Jesus' birth, death, burial, and resurrection. Several played instruments, sang, or read Scripture. There was a total of 51 present, including our children's piano teacher, Marina. Please pray for her salvation. Click here to see the video.

We collected the Christmas love offering, which will go toward fixing the floors in the church to make them uniform. Praise the Lord, our little church gave above and beyond our expectations! We look forward to completing this project very soon!

Countdown to Launch

The countdown continues, with 10 weeks left until Charter Sunday! This month we are focusing on the organization and preparation— printing flyers and posters as well as scheduling other churches to help with child care, preparing refreshments, and counseling during the campaign. In February, we will begin literature distribution. Our plan is to hand out church information packets house-to-house during the six weeks prior to “launch.” Please pray for our people to get excited to pass this important landmark in the history of the church and to see new growth.

Prayer Requests

· Finish building renovations

· Preparations for Charter Sunday

· Summer camp January 25-30

· Permanent pastor for the Pilar Centro church

Praises

· 51 at our December outreach

· Adrian accepted Christ December 20

· Christmas love offering

Looking Ahead

1/25-1/30 – Summer Camps

February – begin publically promoting Charter Sunday

March 17-21 – Evangelistic Campaign and Charter Sunday

December Outreach

We've been through a tough few weeks lately with Satan trying to oppose us on every side. However, GOD received the victory and glory today!

This morning a sweet family (Adrian, Sarah, and their two little girls) visited the church for the first time. They attend another church, but after the wife began listening to BBN radio (Bible Broadcasting Network), she realized that they needed to find a church with similar doctrine and teaching. After the service, James sat down with the couple and realized the husband had never trusted Christ. After thoroughly explaining the Gospel to him, Adrian placed his trust in Christ!

This evening was our monthly evangelistic outreach. We try to do something a little different each month. Since it fell close to Christmas we put together a program of music and Scriptures called "From the Manger to the Cross," telling the story of Jesus' birth, death, burial and resurrection. Several played instruments, sang, or read Scripture. There was a total of 51 present, including our children's piano teacher, Marina. Please pray for her salvation.

We collected the Christmas love offering today, which will go toward fixing the floors in the church to make them uniform and installing the air conditioning. Praise the Lord our little church gave above and beyond our expectations! We look forward to completing these projects very soon!

December Prayer Letter

Tear Down That Wall!

With increasing attendance and new visitors every week, we couldn’t wait any longer to expand our auditorium. (A great problem to have, for sure!) We worked four full days to tear down the wall between the auditorium and the garage, giving us about 215 more square feet of usable space. Please pray for our church people to continue to give of their time and resources to cover the expenses of this work as well as finish the floors. We will take up a special Christmas offering for the project. Click here to see pictures of the renovations.

Countdown to Launch

Congratulations to the six candidates who completed the second round of new members’ class! These, as well as the group who completed the last session, will be able to sign the church constitution when we formally organize Iglesia Bautista Independiente March 21, 2010. Our first baptism service will follow two weeks later on Easter Sunday. There are currently eight baptism candidates for that date! There is much to do to get ready for this charter day—canvassing, advertising, and organizing.

Summer Camp

Last month we asked prayer for the children and teens who will be attending summer camp in January. We would like to offer a 50% scholarship to those who attend church faithfully. The cost for children’s camp is $32 and teen camp is $70 per camper. There are 4 children and 4 to 6 teens who are planning on going. Please pray that God will provide the funds to help send these kids to camp. If God would use you, your family, or your Sunday school class, please let us know.

Ministering to People

Services and activities are exciting and noteworthy, as well as easy to take pictures of. But most often the most intense and life-changing ministry takes place with people in private counseling situations, home visits, discipleship classes, and phone calls at all hours of the day and night. As God brings more and more people across our path, we have more of these types of opportunities to minister. Praise the Lord for His Word which has the answer to every need! Please pray for wisdom in each of these situations.

Christmas Greetings

“For unto us a child is born… and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6).

Thinking of counseling, we are reminded of Christ as “The Counsellor” as described in Isaiah 9:6. Our small sacrifice of service to Him in Argentina is nothing compared to His ultimate sacrifice on a cruel cross to pay for our sins. May we preach this Gospel to ourselves and to others daily!

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and financial support this past year. As times are tough for many, we realize your financial commitment is even more of a sacrifice than ever. Our prayer is that the Lord will find us faithful with the resources He has entrusted us with.

Prayer Requests

· Finish building renovations

· Preparations for Charter Sunday

· Summer camp in January

· Permanent pastor for the Pilar Centro church

Praises

· Work done to expand auditorium

· Six completed new members’ class

· New visitors every week!

· Wisdom from God’s Word to minister to people

· God’s work here in Pilar during 2009

Looking Ahead

· 12/11 – Youth Picnic

· 12/20 – Evangelistic Outreach

· 1/25-1/30 – Summer Camps

· February – begin publically promoting Charter Sunday

Update 11.22.09

Today was another great day at IBI Pilar Centro! It was a full house, with seven first time visitors! When James was acknowledging the visitors at the end of the service, one stood up and said he had never been to a church where the preaching and even the prayer seemed so “spiritual” and so profound. To God be the glory!

We were planning on waiting until January to knock down the wall between the auditorium and the garage, but it can’t wait. (Certainly a good problem to have!) So, we will be at the church most of this week to try to get the majority done before next Sunday’s service. Please pray that the work will go smoothly, with no surprises, and that we will have all the help we need.

Thank you for your prayers on our behalf. We have had a string of visitors and church people alike with all kinds of problems looking for help and counsel – marriages on the brink of divorce, couples living in adultery, a young guy addicted to drugs, an alleged child abuser, economic problems, and health issues. Praise the Lord God has given us His Word, which is sufficient for all our problems!

November Prayer Letter

Mother’s Day

The third Sunday of October is Mother’s Day in Argentina. It was a special time at IBI Pilar Centro as James preached on the Titus 2:3-5 woman and her role in the church. Our focus has been on the importance of teaching others, and this was a great day to carry that theme through. Pray that these women will be faithful “teachers of good things.”

Countdown to Launch

We kicked off our second round of new members’ class October 25 with eight in attendance. Those who complete this class, as well as the group who completed the last session, will be able to sign the church constitution when we formally organize Iglesia Bautista Independiente March 21, 2010. Our first baptism service will follow two weeks later on Easter Sunday. How exciting!

There is much to do to get ready for this charter day—more building renovations, canvassing, advertising, and organizing. We will take up a special Christmas offering at the church in order to fund the next stage of building renovations. We need to close in the garage, knock down the wall between the garage and auditorium, and make the floor between the three areas uniform.

God Provides!

God provided in three special ways recently. He used an individual to send us a large gift last month, which helped us get caught up from being under-supported for so long. The same person has also committed to take us on for support for $150 per month.

Also, we received a box of 3,700 tracts from the Faithful Witness Tract Society, a ministry of one of our supporting churches.

When a labor union came to the jobsite looking for a bribe, James told them he was a Christian and a pastor and did not give bribes. So, they made false accusations and filed a complaint with the ministry of labor. The Lord used a good friend’s lawyer to study the laws cited in the complaint and write a letter of response to defend his case. James is now in the clear! To God be the glory (1 Pet. 4:17). Praise the Lord for His provision in all three of these ways!

Summer Camp

Here, south of the equator, summer camp is just around the corner in January. Many of us can look back at important spiritual decisions we made at a Christian camp. James was saved just after coming back from the WILDS and then later called to the ministry at the same camp. We potentially have four teen and four junior campers going. Please pray for the Lord to begin softening their hearts even now.

Looking Ahead

· 10/25 – 11/29 – New members’ class (six weeks)

· 11/8 – Evangelistic Outreach

· 12/12 – Youth Picnic

· January – Building Renovations

· 1/25-30 – Summer Camps

October Prayer Letter

Highs and Lows
Life, as well as ministry, is full of highs and lows. It was exciting to see our attendance peak to 54 one Sunday this month. It is extremely rewarding to visit with new converts who are studying God’s Word and seeing Him work in their lives. It’s thrilling to see our church people remain faithful. However, sometimes our attendance isn’t that great; those we thought had strong potential get caught up in the things of this world; and the church got robbed for the third time. In it all and through it all, God is faithful!

Planning for the Future
We have been thinking, praying, discussing, and seeking counsel concerning the next step for this church plant in Pilar Centro. This Sunday had a church-wide picnic with a special meeting afterward to discuss church membership and when to constitute the church. Everyone there responded and indicated they would like to take their level of commitment to the next level. Please pray for follow-through as we organize service groups and study groups. We are working toward constituting the church on March 21, 2010 and the first baptism will be two weeks later on Easter Sunday.

A Special Visit
We enjoyed a two-week visit with James’ parents and sister. They helped with the house construction (laying block) as well as projects at the church building (welding security bars and raising a wall). It was wonderful to show them our home and church in Pilar for the first time. Their time with us was a blessing, though it’s always hard to say goodbye to family!

Construction Progress
Praise the Lord that the house construction is coming along! Almost all the exterior walls are up, and the foundation will be poured soon. God has blessed us with good workers and great prices on materials. Please pray this project will continue to go smoothly and quickly and that we will be a strong testimony in all the details.


Prayer Requests
· Protection from theft
· Salvation of P.’s wife
· Currently lack $500 per month in support
· Permanent pastor for the Pilar Centro church

Praises
· Permanent residency attained!
· Increased Sunday service attendance
· Visit with James’ family
· Discipleship classes

Looking Ahead
10/11 – Evangelistic outreach
10/18 – Mother’s Day in Argentina
10/25 – New member’s class (six weeks)

Sunday update

Wow! What a great worship service at IBI Pilar Centro today! You could almost call it “international day” since there were families from six different countries – Argentina, United States, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, and Bolivia.

There were FIVE new visitors today. Of course, we are happy to see all visitors, but one was a special answer to prayer because we’ve been praying for Carlos to come to church. One month ago, his wife and daughter came to church for the first time and got saved. Two weeks later, another daughter got saved. His wife, Edit, is being discipled and is growing in the Lord by leaps and bounds in this short time. We were overjoyed to see Carlos, Edit, and their three daughters show up at church this morning! After the service one of the men pulled Carlos aside to counsel him and he put his trust in Christ! Afterward he said, “I’ve always believed in God, but after I saw the change in my wife I knew I needed the kind of faith she has.” To God be the glory!

We not only rejoice in another soul saved, but also in that all four of these converts were counseled by our church people. They have been through intense evangelism training and are prepared to do exactly what every believer should be doing –- leading the lost to Christ! Praise the Lord for their faithfulness!

One important prayer request – we have an appointment this week to visit another recent convert and his wife. Please pray for his wife’s salvation. Thank you.

September Prayer Letter

Ministry of Music

The ministry in Pilar was privileged to benefit from a summer missions team from Maranatha Baptist Bible College as they visited several churches in Buenos Aires. They held three concerts in Pilar: one in a music school where our children attend, one in a private school where one of our church members teaches, and one in our church. We estimate among those three concerts about 400 people heard the Gospel and God-honoring music and testimonies. Pray that the seed would be watered that was planted in their hearts and that we would be able to follow up with those who visited the church.

Pilar Centro

With the three concerts and all their preparation, children’s day, a church work day, as well as the regular services, August proved to be a very busy month for us and our church people. We thank the Lord for the faithful families who sacrificed their time to help with these activities. Our goal is that our church calendar will not be full of activities for the sake of activities—but opportunities to evangelize the lost and disciple the saved.

The Lord has increased our numbers on Sunday mornings to an average of 33 instead of 23. Many visitors have come, and two new families are attending regularly.

Andrea Love, our summer intern, will be greatly missed. She helped in so many areas, including playing the piano. Our kids will be taking turns playing special music, but they have a while to go before they can accompany congregational music.

Nine people are now involved in small-group or one-on-one discipleship classes. Please pray for two new converts and that their spouses will come to know Christ as well.

A Place to Call Home

For the past 11½ years, we have moved eight different times in order to prepare for the mission field and, ultimately, to minister in this city. Now God has brought us to a place where we could spend five lifetimes planting churches and probably never reach every soul in Pilar and its surrounding communities. We prayed that God would enable us to build our own house in order to establish a permanent presence here and avoid paying more rent. The Lord has answered that prayer with a private loan.

The property is purchased; the plans are approved; and the construction has begun. Please pray that the building process will go quickly and smoothly and that our new house will bring honor and glory to our great God.

Prayer Requests

• Follow up on visitors
• Salvation of ESL students
• Current support – 95%
• Permanent pastor for the Pilar Centro church

Praises

• Ministry of MBBC mission team
• Increased Sunday service attendance
• Ministry of Andrea Love during the past eight weeks
• Discipleship classes

Looking Ahead

• 9/3 – Lauren’s 9th birthday
• 9/12-9/27 – James’ parents here to visit their grandchildren (and help with the house construction while they’re at it!)
• 9/13 – FOUR-year anniversary in Argentina
• 9/13 – Evangelistic outreach
• 10/4 – New members’ class (six weeks)
• 10/6-10/8 – Annual Fundamentalism Conference
• 10/12 ­– Break down the next wall to give more auditorium seating