It is critical that I go and visit Negritas to encourage the believers at this time. Among the people that are regularly involved in my ministry in Oregon (that do not know Jesus) there is a widely held belief that while it is possible to be a believer here in the US and live the Christian life, it is impossible to do it in their home town. The reason this is a widely held belief is because some people have gone back to their home town who appeared to be believers and subsequently completely reverted to there old way of life. Just this last year of the people we sent back, one of them could not stand the pressure of friends and family and he stopped attending church and reading the Bible. The non-Christians there told our people that it would just be a matter of time before they all would fail as well. Also another person who returned earlier went to Lupe, the leader of our church in Negritas, and told him flat out that he would fail, that it is impossible to live for Jesus there, and to give it up before he made a complete fool of himself.
The believers have been subject to open criticism and rejection from almost every possible source. A month ago the local Catholic priest began an attack against our church and its leaders. Since that time 3 evangelistic home Bible studies have been put on hold because of this pressure.
If the work in Negritas fails my ministry in
- Please pray for the believers in Negritas.
- Pray for Lupe and Leti as they lead Bible Studies and the church.
- Pray that we can register the Ford Explorer I took to Lupe last August in Lupe's name. This is not a done deal. Pray!
- Pray for Bible Studies to start up again and for more Bible studies to start as well.
