CT News February 2024

February 2024

Dear praying family!

Yes, we have plenty of prayer requests embedded in colorful pictures here! 

As we completed teaching in the book of Acts recently, I saw several P’s connected to the life of our dear brother, the apostle Paul. His commitment to the Person of the Lord Jesus as His Savior led Him to stubbornly grab a hold of His Promises at whatever the cost. This evidently resulted in adding real Purpose to his life which marked the obedient path to fulfilling the Plan of God with the Gospel to the world! Those P’s in sequence ought to still resonate in the lives of the saints till the day of His return. Oh, come Lord Jesus… and find us embracing Your person, Your promises, Your purposes, and Your plan!

Abiding in the Lord’s Gospel Plan this February meant depending on Him for His protection. Our state became the epicenter of criminal activity in the nation. A national report divulged the deadly understanding between the traditional gangs in our city and the international Tren de Aragua. The more lucrative crimes (kidnapping and extortion) stayed with the locals while the rest were foreign led. Precisely two blocks from our house on a night when we conduct our home bible study, an assault took place at gunpoint. We were already building up steam to resume our regular studies and had to reconsider if we should wait until the authorities tackle the problem more effectively. We were also hesitating whether we should be sharing this in hopes of not discouraging others from coming to serve. Though we don’t want to be constrained by what evil men do, we also want to be wise and sensitive to navigate this life with spiritual discernment. That’s why we decided to resume our home Bible study and share with anyone that our city, though experiencing a spike of crime activity, remains open to hear the Gospel from any one willing and courageous to step in faith. Doing God’s Gospel Plan can be dangerous, but we are resting safely in His arms!

Aligning ourselves to God’s Gospel Plan this February was also a steamy affair this summer season in Trujillo. We confess that there were nights and days that we longed for AC in the likes of the Israelites longing for meat while in the desert. Four more fans were added to our house to complete nearly a dozen units circulating warm air during our ministry activities. Going into other people’s homes was no different—in fact, it felt much hotter. We rejoiced over the opportunities we were handed to go to a couple of homes in our neighborhood to present the Gospel using the excuse of wedding anniversaries. Two older couples wanted their friends and relatives to know their love story with the Lord Jesus that brought to them newness of life using their wedding anniversary as a springboard. In one of those stories, the wife brought back to everyone’s attention the days she was the chief officer of a week-long and yearly celebration honoring the town’s patron saint. She’d conclude by saying, “I was so wrong … and my husband was an atheist.” It was pure grace coming out of their lips that made several uncomfortable as they still thrive on this seasonal event.

We had plenty more ways to submit to the Lord’s Gospel Plan here in Trujillo in February… we direct you to see and read about them in our pictorial report!

Prayer & Praise

· For the Lord providing all needed teaching staff to start the new school year at the Elliot School and having needed facility renovations completed just in time.

· For the Lord to provide a full-time teacher for Hogar de Esperanza.

· For the team from Liberty Evangelical Free, Williston, ND, coming to serve with us an entire week in March.

· For the many young souls that were presented the Gospel story during VBS.

· For safety and protection as our authorities are still seemingly passive to tackle the increase in crime activity in our city.

· For Dani’s precise diagnosis of his condition. Right now we are told that he might have Jacobsen syndrome which affects 10 in 1 million.

· For our (Hogar de Esperanza’s) legal cases to be tried in court. We are still waiting for the dates to be set.

· For our daughter Abigail completing her 3^rd year at Lancaster Bible College.

Coming up

· March 10-16, team from Williston, ND, serving at Hogar de Esperanza, the Elliot School, Centro Biblico Trujillo, and encouraging us at home .

· March 28-30, congregational retreat to unite families in the assembly. “Jesus Saves” is our theme!

· March 31, Resurrection message, your prayers are much appreciated!

Love in Him,

Pablo & Sarah CT