Christmas Ministry in Travesia

On Sunday afternoon, December 12, after the church service in Manta, a ministry team from the church went to the village of Travesia where they serve each weekend. I was first to arrive at the cabin where the children gather. There were already more than 30 kids waiting. We all played games and sang songs. The crowd continued to grow after this photo was taken. The ministry team had prepared 30 packages of clothing for village families and had 200 bags of Christmas candy ready to distribute. They also gave a delicious meal to all who attended. I am very proud of the attitude and actions of service displayed by the people from our church who have made a commitment to this ministry.

Latest Addition: Grandson

On Friday, December 7, our first grandchild Ioan Michael Lewis was born to our daughter Amanda and son-in-law Mike in Uijongbu, S. Korea. We are so grateful for the blessing of this precious baby boy being added to our family. Just over 24 years ago, Joy and I experienced the wonder of Amanda's birth--our first child. What a sense of awesome responsibility and overwhelming emotion we felt! It is hard to believe that sweet little girl is now a mommy, and Joy and I are grandparents. Time does indeed fly, but its passing brings some worthwhile rewards. Rejoice and give thanks to God with us!

Believer's Baptism

The lady in pink is named Olfa. Here she is with her daughter and granddaughter. Olfa became a believer through a mass evangelism campaign sometime in the past, but she was not directed to a church that would teach her the Bible in a practical way so that she could grow as a Christ-follower. She got sucked into a crazy, money-grabbing religious cult that is very prevalent in South America. The first time she went to one of their services, they dunked her and started siphoning off her funds. After a few months of that her family encouraged her to seek out a real church. She came into contact with us through a local Christian radio station. They asked me to give her a visit. That was several months ago. Several weeks ago she mentioned that she would like to be baptized on purpose. This past Sunday, Olfa gave testimony of her faith in Christ. She understood why she was being baptized and gave a beautiful statement in words and actions of the joy of her new spiritual journey with the Lord.

On Sunday I started a new series of messages on intellectual and philosophical objections to Christianity. I am enjoying the preparation time studying apologetics. I hope that it is a blessing to the congregation and visitors as well. Please be praying with me about the series.