Apr 20, 2022 Hope Does Not DisappointÑChile

I will share Jesus
In any way I can,
In all the places I can,
Anytime I can,
To all the people I can,
As long as I can.

This spinoff of John Wesley’s famous quote, Do all the good you can, would probably be his charge for believers today. Sharing Jesus is also the passion of our international partners in Chile. They started a project to plant a new church by getting involved in their community and making friends.

Praise God for this amazing report from the Villa Alegre Center of Influence in Chile! Villa Alegre is Spanish for joyous town, and we believe there is great joy in Heaven for this community.

Pastor David Soto, President of the Central Chile Mission summarizes the past years’ worth of outreach and service to Villa Alegre:

At the beginning of the Villa Alegre project, we were very limitedÑno more than 5 people at any gathering. But we continued to press forward with visits however people felt comfortable. Later, when restrictions were lifted, we started having in-person visits at the Center of Influence.

In July, our few church members helped us repair our building so we could finally start using it to its full potential.

In August, we creatively held free veterinary checkups, showing care and concern for pets and their owners. We did follow-up visits with invitations to other activities at the Center. From those who attended, we started a small group study using the materials, What does the Bible really say? Praise God, many of those who accepted our invitations are still studying with us today!

September is a special month for Chile, because of Fiestas Patrias, Chile’s Independence Day. We took advantage of the holiday to give out food baskets and surveys. These activities gave us insights to what future activities would be meaningful to the community. I praise God for the energy and joy of our church members, which is essential for outreach.

In October, we started our Eight Natural Remedies workshops. All the people we connected with from months prior really engaged when we gave these presentations. We also invited them to the Center once a week to visit with us, to talk, to study the Bible, and to laugh with us. Also, praise God that we finally had the finances for audio and video equipment, which further supported the Center’s outreach.

In November we held presentations of different Biblical themes. Towards the end, we included talks about the three angels’ messages. It was great to see the church members so involved, as well as the district pastor who gave evening devotionals. About 25 people attended nightly. About 18 were people from other denominations, but still attended regularly. At the end, we had a graduation ceremony for all the attendees.

By God’s grace, we now have a group of about 20 that meets regularly at the Center, and several have shared their desire to fully give their lives to Jesus. One significant individual is Juan Len, who decided to renew his covenant with God, supporting the Center, and in his words, be who God called me to be.

Praise God, our plan to plant a church is no longer a dream but a reality! We will continue to reach out, and God will connect us with the people who are ready to receive Him. We thank everyone for all their help to reach souls for Christ in Villa Alegre.

Please pray God would continue to grow this precious group in Chile. Pray especially that every person contacted would be drawn closer to Jesus Christ.

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5