December, as usual, has been very busy thus far. Between preparing for the many church Christmas activities and outreaches along with personal preparation for Christmas, it is hard to believe we have already come to December 16. We began our language classes at the beginning of the month. Our tutor comes three times a week to our apartment to work  with us. These have been greatly beneficial to us as we see even more now from using the Spanish that we know that we have much to learn.

On Sunday, December 6, Tim was accompanied by two men from the United States to a new church plant in the city. The church quickly filled as the ushers had to bring out more chairs twice! One of the Americans who was raised in Argentina in a missionary family preached, and God used him to give a wonderful gospel message in Spanish to the church. Praise the Lord that four people responded in placing their faith in Jesus Christ! On Sunday December 13, Tim was able to preach through a translator for the morning service at New Life Baptist.

Work immediately intensified that week as we were finishing the final things for the annual National Pastor’s Christmas Banquet. The church members and school families brought in many things for food boxes to give in thanksgiving to these servants of God all around the country. Over thirty pastors were present at the banquet. We enjoyed meeting these men and some of their families. We presented each of them with a box of food and supplies, Bibles for their ministries, and a monetary donation for their personal Christmas. The following day, the ladies of the church had their annual Christmas Party. Stephanie enjoyed spending time with the ladies as well as the devotion shared by a pastor’s wife in the city.

Please continue to pray as there are more outreaches this month. On Friday, we will visit two of the orphanages in the city to minister to the children. On Sunday, we will have a special Christmas service and offering for the new building. The Monday after Christmas, we will travel to La Romana to visit some of the sugar cane villages…there is much to do! On a personal note, please pray for our family’s health as we continue to adjust to living here; we have all faced a little sickness since we arrived. We hope that you have a Merry Christmas! We are so thankful that “when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons“. God orchestrated the birth of His Son, knowing that He was born to die for the sins of the world! What great love that God has shown us!