October 2018 Report

FEBU Pastors’ Program. In our last letter we were preparing for the visit of our pastor, Mark Minnick, who spent a week with us in late July. He visited our church in Pando and taught Romans for FEBU’s pastors’ program. He focused on the doctrinal section of the book, chapters 1-11, which tend to be the most challenging (and most controversial). His teaching was very well received by pastors, students, and lay people who attended the week of classes. FEBU has two more classes planned in this original five-year cycle: two blocks of Systematic Theology scheduled for November 2018 and July 2019. Please pray for wisdom concerning plans for next steps in 2019.

Second semester began the first week of August. JM is teaching Introduction to Music (Thursday mornings in FEBU) and OT Poetic Books (Monday mornings in FEBU and Wednesday nights in the EMU Bible Institute). D is teaching Spanish grammar in three venues: Bible Institute students meet one night per week in person; several others are following online; and FEBU students are using the online video format. Beginning this month JM is helping to facilitate an online Bible study course, which includes live video sessions with a pastor in Honduras.

Two mornings a week FEBU students attend a “chapel” service that consists of 30 to 45 minutes of singing and preaching. This semester some of FEBU’s first graduates have returned to preach in chapel. We ask you to pray for all our graduates, other former students, and current students. Among these there are both evident victories and bitter struggles. The need for both groups—and for our own hearts—is He “who is able to establish us according to the gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ” (Rom. 16:25). Please pray for wisdom in our ongoing relationships with current and former students and that we would accurately represent Christ to them.

The sometimes-subtle and often-blatant warfare against the biblical family in Uruguay and Argentina is disheartening; and it is tempting to think that the task of raising and educating godly children is impossible. Iglesia Bíblica Comunidad, a new work being started in Carmelo, on the river that divides the two countries, has as one of its core values “the family.” Last December Mariano had asked us both to prepare several sessions (held last month), for men and women, on the theme of family and current cultural issues, the second such conference the church has held. Please pray for the success of the Gospel in Carmelo.

Campamento Emanuel and Iglesia Bíblica Maranatha. Several times a year Camp Emmanuel meets with representatives of local churches to review previous camps and to prepare for the upcoming camp season. For now JM is representing our church, Iglesia Bíblica Maranatha, in these meetings. Our teen- and college-aged group has benefited greatly from the camp ministry over the years, and they continue to be enthusiastic about attending and supporting the camp. Twice this year they have participated in work days; and last month three of them spent a Saturday in the first phase of camp training, in preparation for possibly serving as summer staff. The next phase of training is in January. The camp theme this year will be “the church.” Please pray for those preparing.

We regularly find ourselves assessing which of many opportunities God would have us prioritize. We continue to believe that our role here—and the purpose for which you have sent us—is the training of current and future Uruguayan leaders and church members—in cooperation with their local churches—to follow and serve the Lord Christ in this culture. Please pray for wisdom to know how best to leverage resources of time and energy.

Thank you for praying for us!

July 2018 Report

Thank you for praying! We returned to Montevideo on July 6 and are in the process of returning to the routine of life here while preparing for a new semester that begins on Monday, July 30.

March through June. During our four-month absence we visited almost all of our North American supporting churches and most of our individual supporters. We regret not being able to see a few of you. Though the trip was not especially restful on the physical level, we are very thankful for the encouragement of the Lord’s people and the gracious reception we were given in every place. Many of you opened your homes or shared your time and resources, making yourselves vulnerable and us very grateful for your love. We have indeed experienced Jesus’ generous promise to those who follow Him: family, houses, and lands…not to mention eternal life in the age to come! And we know that neither these beautiful lands, nor the persecutions Jesus also foretold (not experienced in your homes!), are worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed in us on that great day.

During our travel JM taught an online Homiletics (sermon preparation) course to 9 FEBU students in Uruguay, following a regular weekend pattern of receiving student assignments by email and sending them written and video material via internet. The experience was positive; but we look forward to being in the classroom in person!

Iglesia Bíblica Maranatha (Maranatha Bible Church). We are thankful for Matías and Bethany Acevedo’s ministry with our church for 10 weeks during our absence. In addition to his preaching and teaching, he and others in the church organized evangelistic and service efforts in the neighborhood; and the timing of his visit allowed him to baptize five believers in late May, an event we were able to watch via Skype from Fairbanks, AK. In late June, following the Acevedos’ return to the U.S., we all met in Kentucky for two nights and a day, allowing our families to get to know each other better and to glean from the experiences of these months. Please pray for the Lord’s leading and provision, both for the Acevedos and for this little church plant in Pando.

FEBU Block Course (July 23-27). We look forward to a visit from our pastor, Dr. Mark Minnick. While he is with us he will teach a block course on Romans as part of the twice-yearly FEBU program for pastors. The class will be held at Iglesia Templo Calvario in Montevideo. Please pray for a good group of pastors, leaders, students, and laymen to attend. We’re very excited about this opportunity and greatly appreciate our church’s generosity in sending him. Translation and printing of the written material has been one of our first main tasks upon arrival.

Thank you! Once again, we appreciate all of you and the opportunity to spend the past four months with many. We were refreshed by dear friends and committed churches in the far north and west, by the unconditional support of our parents in SC and FL, and by your kindness and fellowship everywhere in between. Our being able to attend part of the Whetstone Conference in our home church was a special blessing for us. Thank you!

The Uruguay we returned to seems less safe than ever. Robberies and murder are increasing in this place that for so long has been known for its tranquility. More dangerous is the bent of our own hearts. We know the enemy and the flesh are unrelenting in their warfare. Please pray for the Lord’s protection for us, for our children, and for our students—in realms both seen and unseen.

“In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer” (Romans 8).

April 2018 Report

Greetings from North America! We arrived in Miami, FL, on the morning of March 7 and have spent the past weeks visiting family, friends, and churches in Florida and South Carolina.

Thank you for your continued prayers for the training programs in Uruguay. The FEBU school year began with meetings on Saturday, March 3, and classes the following Monday. We’re thankful for new students from Argentina and Uruguay. The FEBU library and classes were moved from Avenida Garibaldi (Templo Calvario and the MEU library/office area below our home) to a nearby church in the Parque Batlle neighborhood of Montevideo. Most classes are now offered on weekday mornings. There are 23 FEBU students enrolled this first semester: 16 part-time and 7 full-time. JM is teaching an online Homiletics course to 9 of these. Please pray for their ability to understand and for grace for both teacher and students to keep up with the course load. Classes in the MEU Bible Institute also began on Monday, March 5, with 23 students: 8 in Montevideo and 15 others in 3 local-church locations in the interior.

Iglesia Bíblica Maranatha (Maranatha Bible Church). Toward the end of last year we were contacted by Matías, the brother of one of our FEBU students. Matías grew up in Templo Calvario in Montevideo but is currently living in the U.S., preparing to return to serve long-term in Uruguay. He expressed interest in the ministry in Pando, and by the end of our conversation we had discussed the possibility of his helping the church this year during part of our four-month absence. He, Bethany, and their three young children arrived in Uruguay on March 23 and will remain until May 31. Matías’s special interest is the discipleship of the teens and college-aged youth. They are living in nearby Totoral del Sauce, and his presence and availability during the week—together with his training and his already-evident love for this group—seem to be exactly what is needed at this time. He will also be helping Daniel with a large share of the preaching and teaching. Thank you for praying!

April through June. In mid-April we will drive west to report to churches in Iowa and Utah. On May 1 we will fly from Salt Lake City to Anchorage to visit our half dozen (or so) churches in Alaska for 6 weeks. We will return via Colorado. Here are several requests for prayer during this time:

• Please pray for safety in travel and encouraging meetings with ministry partners and friends.

• Our travel spans the first semester of the Uruguayan academic year. Please pray for efficiency (and focus!) for E and DJ as they (road-) school. Please pray for the Bible students in Uruguay, especially for growth in their ability to interpret accurately and to preach and teach faithfully.

• We are spending time with our parents during these months. Thank you for praying for their health and for their ministry in their churches in Jacksonville, FL, and Greenville, SC.

• We’re thankful for EMU International, our mission agency, for its service to local churches and missionaries by handling office responsibilities and supplying administration. EMU recently asked that we communicate the need for an increase in our monthly support. Though not the purpose of our current trip, we do want to clearly offer this information to anyone interested. God has consistently supplied!

January 2018 Report

Happy New Year! Five years ago we were preparing for a final move to Uruguay. We’re grateful for the network of churches and individual partners who have supported and encouraged us over these years. Beginning in March we hope to present a five-year report to these churches and to see as many other friends and family as possible. This has been a period of transition, learning, and—by God’s grace—much opportunity. Our report is summarized below, along with a brief update in key areas. Thank you for your continued prayers!

Instituto Bíblico F.V. Dabold. EMU’s Bible institute has trained many pastors and leaders over the decades since the 1940’s. The program offers classes both in Montevideo and interior Uruguay. JM has taught an average of one class per year in the Bible institute since our arrival, and we anticipate continued involvement in 2018.

Facultad de Estudios Bíblicos del Uruguay (FEBU) (College of Biblical Studies of Uruguay). By the time we arrived in 2013, a project was underway to provide a college-level program to train servants for local churches in Uruguay. Classes began in 2014, and we were privileged to participate in the early stages of this effort. Our work with FEBU has been the focus of our energy during these years: We’ve taught music, hermeneutics, homiletics, apologetics, and grammar and writing (skills that most students have not had prior opportunity to develop). Administration and counseling (student discipleship) have also taken large amounts of time.

At the end of 2017 FEBU’s first graduates completed a four-year program focused on Bible-study tools, theology and pastoral training, and practical ministry. Please continue to pray fervently for FEBU’s ongoing development in these and other areas. JM is preparing to teach Homiletics I (beginning in March, this time online while we travel).

Campamento Emanuel. Each summer (January and February in Uruguay) we have served in EMU’s camp in Guazuvirá on the coast. Opportunities have included staff training, preaching, music, counseling, and supervising an informal camp for some of the EMU workers’ children. In January (2018) JM will teach counseling sessions and workshops to new and returning staff during several days of staff training.

Iglesia Bíblica Maranatha (Maranatha Bible Church). This is our local church in the city of Pando. In June 2015 Don and Pat Garwood returned to the U.S. due to difficulties with his health. (Don is D’s father.) JM is now responsible for most of the weekly preaching. Daniel and Viviana (D’s brother and sister-in-law) are a great help, but there is need for a full-time pastor to lead in evangelism, discipleship, and vision for the future.

We don’t view the development of institutions as God’s primary purpose; such ministries are tools, means to an end. Often that end is not only the students that so captivate our attention, energy, and affection: God’s goal is our own transformation into Christlikeness, that the Son be preeminent among many, many brothers and sisters (Rom. 8:28-30). We know that this—our own sanctification—is a work in progress. But we are just as confident that God will complete that work. We look forward to the great day when we will be completely changed, because we will see Him as He is!

We expect our involvement in all of these ministries to continue for the foreseeable future upon our return to Uruguay, scheduled for July 6. We anticipate seeing many of you soon: March (Southeast U.S.); April (Midwest and Mountain States); May (Alaska); and June (Alaska and Southeast U.S.).