Lima. November 2-5 I participated in the Annual Conference for CEPABIP. I went with my two sons, Noé Isaí (Noah Isaiah) and Segundo Andrés (Segundo Andrew).
I decided that I would go with them last year and I am happy that God made the journey possible. I wanted my sons to be able to experience this type of spiritual retreat because it is very beneficial to their spiritual growth. My sons and I listened together to the Word of God and we were challenged by it. I give glory to God for His great blessing!
In the CEPABIP conferences we seek to instruct, encourage, challenge and strengthen the pastors in their spiritual, marriage, family, ministry, and theological lives. In order to meet these objectives, we seek preachers that are able to help us. This year the invited preachers were: Luis Carballosa, Bob Evans, and Moisés Zumaeta.
Dr. Carballosa presented to us classes about expository interpretation of the Bible. Missionary Bob Evans encouraged us by speaking to us about how the church can involve itself to a greater extent in missionary work. Moisés Zumaeta warned us not to fall into errors in Bible interpretation. The 3 speakers were a great blessing for all of us who attended.
We held the conferences at the BCM (Bible Centered Ministries) Camp in Lima. The buildings were comfortable and the friendliness and service of the BCM staff was wonderful. It was a blessing to share this time with the missionaries and students of this mission. May God bless our brothers of BCM. You can see some photos of the week in my Flickr album:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/33023607@N03/albums/72157661032273056
Requena. As is my custom for the past 8 years, I went to Requena to preach and teach God’s Word. God has given me this ministry with various pastors, leaders, and churches in this city.
Thanks to the support of the Mission Alas del Rey (Wings of the King) I was able to go to Requena. They support the work of preparing servants in Requena with their prayers and offerings. (In the photo, Bethesda Baptist Church praises Jesus Christ in their service.)
In Requena we have a training center that we call ABCDE Requena. ABCDE (in Spanish) stands for: Christian Bible Learning for Discipleship and Evangelism. Missionary Steve Ross started the center; he is now in the presence of our Savior.
ABCDE Requena trains pastors, missionaries, and leaders of various churches in the city and surrounding area. The need for training is urgent in this area of Peru and we are very thankful to Alas del Rey (Wings of the King) for their support in the training that we do there. (In the photo are various students of ABCDE Requena. Their interest in learning the Word of God is admirable.)
This time I went to teach Spiritual Life. I also taught two workshops: “What the church should do with a believer that sins” and “`Biblical truths about marriage and sexual relationships.” I enjoyed and learned with the other believers while I was teaching these Biblical themes.
I went alone. My traveling companion, Elias Huamán, stayed in Iquitos. There he also taught Spiritual Life to the believers of Maranatha Baptist Church. In Iquitos they are studying the same Biblical courses that we teach in Requena. He had between 18 and 20 students each day. In my class in Requena I had 17 students, 14 men and 3 ladies.
During this trip I had the privilege to give to 2 students their certificate of completion of studies. The 2 students are Jairo and Damasio. Both have strived and have studied with me and other professors for the past 3 1/2 years.
These two studies had finished studying the 10 basic courses. They are: Bible Interpretation, Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, Preaching and Pastoral Ministry, Bible Doctrine, Spiritual Life, Church Administration, Teaching Methods, Church History, and Missions, Evangelism, and Discipleship.
The materials that we use in these courses are from the Training Center for Pastors and Leaders. (In the photo, Manuel Guevera, president of ABCDE Requena, is giving his certificate of completion of studies to Jairo, a faithful student for many years.)
As well, during this trip God gave me the blessing to baptize two believers. I baptized Ruth, a 20-year-old young lady. In spite of an illness that keeps her from walking she is very available to serve Jesus and do His will. The other believer I baptized is Rafael and is part of Faith Baptist Church in Requena. God encouraged me with the testimonies of Ruth and Rafael. May God greatly bless and guard them faithfully in their Christian walk!
God willing, there is a 17-year-old teen, named Yamir, who wants to study in the Baptist Seminary of Peru in Trujillo. His parents are in favor of this decision. If there is no problem, it is very possible that he will come in March 2016 to start his training to serve God. For some time I have wanted to see that the young people of Requena dedicate themselves to the ministry. If this young man does that, I will be very joyful.
God has blessed me much in my travels to the jungle. If He permits me, I will keep going to help my brothers in Christ from this area. (In the photo I am with Rafael and Ruth after I baptized them.)
At times I get tired of going as far away as Requena, but when I see the needs there and the sacrifices that several students make to come to my classes, I am motivated and say with conviction: “I will go again.” And certainly, I will keep going to Requena until God shows me that I should not continue. Thank you so much for reading this update and praying for the work!
You can see photos of my trip here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/33023607@N03/albums/7215766…
Here are several videos of my trip: