way down south
Ricky shares Christ with an Israeli trekker at 15,000 ft.
Greetings, dear Bride of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am still trying to recuperate and adjust to this hot humidity in North Carolina after spending five weeks way down south in the middle of the austral winter. One afternoon, Ricky Springer and I were slogging along a deserted highway at 15,000 ft. on the Chile/Bolivia border in the face of snow flurries and an icy wind. Three days later, we were sweating it out on the tarmac in Miami, Florida. Such swift and drastic changes in climate and temperature are hard on the body. What truly proved foolish on my part was trying to run three miles in 90-degree, 100% humidity weather as soon as I returned home. Ugh . . . anyway, sorry for the long delay in posting what are undoubtedly answers to the prayers of many concerning this latest missionary journey.
So, over a five-week period (June 19th-July 22nd) and by God's grace, we preached Christ in five South American countries (Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Chile, and Bolivia). Many heard the Word of God; and Christian brethren were encouraged in the work of bold evangelism. For Brother Ricky, this entire endeavor was bittersweet, as it concluded eight months of labor in the Southern Hemisphere, much of which was spent basing out of Bariloche, Argentina as he focused upon taking the Gospel to Israeli backpackers who are known to frequent Patagonia AND training other believers in the work of Jewish evangelism . . . evangelism and discipleship, one without the other is most certainly out of balance. For now, Ricky Springer is back in the United States, in the process of relocating his base to North Carolina and making preparation to again take the Gospel to utmost corners of the globe. Please continue to pray for this faithful FPGM missionary.
On the map of South America displayed to the right, the black dots represent the areas we most recently targeted with the Gospel from June 19th-July 22nd. The red dots represent places FPGM and Ricky Springer targeted from November, 2012 to June of 2013, beginning with our joint ventures in Santiago, Mendoza, Aconcagua, and Pucon just after Thanksgiving. The blue dots represent other areas where FPGM has proclaimed Christ going back to 2006. As you can see, South America is a place that is and will continue to be as dear as South Asia to our hearts and ministry. We praise God for the opportunities and open doors He has given to us in that part of the world and look forward to more in the future. Praise God also for the liberty and freedom to preach the Gospel in South America these days, a freedom that puts to shame the so-called "unbridled freedom to preach" we supposedly have here in the United States.
Spanish Preaching in a Plaza in Quito, Ecuador
A unique aspect of Latin American culture is the role of the town plaza as a place for gathering and public speaking on any number of subjects. From the big cities to small Andean villages, it seems every municipality boasts at least one elaborate plaza, and these places are perfect for the public proclamation of the Gospel and the distribution of Gospel tracts. During our 5-week stint in South America, we had the privilege of plaza preaching in at least eleven towns and cities. We also found many other interesting places to lift up our voices like trumpets: a Catholic shrine atop Cerro San Cristobal in Lima; from the high tower of a Gothic cathedral in Quito; in front of the Santuario Las Lajas in Columbia (i.e. a shrine to the Virgin Mary); in a huge Catholic cemetery in Tulcan, Ecuador; in front of a stinky fish market in San Juan de Lurigancho; outside a Catholic cathedral as people were leaving mass; and along a 15,000 ft. high highway on the Chile-Bolivia frontier. Praise God for all these opportunities and for all the Spanish Gospel tracts that were disseminated.
The video clip below demonstrates some plaza preaching. This particular open-air message was preached on a Sunday morning immediately after we had hitchhiked out of a remote corner of Peru at the end of a 60-mile trek high in the Andes, a preaching circuit that spanned 7 days and involved 18,500 total feet of elevation gain (more on this later). We had no idea where our rides, 2 trucks hauling copper, were taking us seeing as we caught them along a private mining road. Thus, we landed in the village of Huayllaca, inevitably found a plaza, and then took the opportunity (i.e. far from our own church fellowships on the Lord's Day) to preach the glorious Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Interestingly, the adjacent cathedral boasted large statues of the authors of the Four Gospels. I therefore urged the crowd to consider, not who these men were, but what they recorded concerning Jesus Christ and His salvation. With an old American friend and dear brother translating (for ministry security reasons, we'll call him "the Sage"), I preached from each of the four Gospels. At the beginning, you can see a woman beckoning people to "come hear the Word of God." Many took tracts after we finished, and a local brother; greatly encouraged, fed us lunch at his restaurant before we caught the bus back to Huaraz. 'Twas a glorious Lord's Day.
plaza preaching in the andes
When William Carey, the great Baptist missionary to India, published his well-known An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens in 1792, he outlined and refuted a number of excuses that typical Christians would use as to why they could not or would not be willing to go into a foreign mission field with the Gospel. Sadly, the first excuse he listed yet remains commonplace in the churches today--It's just too far. I find Carey's ensuing rebuke most interesting, and it should sting with greater venom more than two hundred years later:
FIRST, As to their distance from us, whatever objections might have been made on that account before the invention of the mariner’s compass, nothing can be alleged for it, with any colour of plausibility in the present age. Men can now sail with as much certainty through the Great South Sea, as they can through the Mediterranean, or any lesser Sea. Yea, and providence seems in a manner to invite us to the trial, as there are to our knowledge trading companies, whose commerce lies in many of the places where these barbarians dwell.
The Mariner's Compass
With the invention of the mariner's compass and the creation of merchant trade routes, a man in Carey's day could pretty much get anywhere in the world in less than six months. For the father of modern missions, this translated: Shame on those Christians who would use time and distance as an excuse to stay home from taking the Gospel to all nations. I actually found myself thinking about this while I was in South America, particularly about how much less of an excuse we believers have today. Consider for a moment: I left my home on a Monday evening to drive the twelve hours to Miami International Airport. Early Wednesday morning, I was in Lima, Peru. By Thursday evening, Ricky, the Sage, and I were preaching in the plazas of the Andean hub of Huaraz; and by midday on Saturday, we were in a far off Andean village, the trailhead for a trek into the remote Cordillera Huayhuash, a massif of sick 20,000 ft. peaks in the Peruvian Andes. Before a full week had transpired from the time I drove out of my driveway in Vale, NC, we were two days into an eight-day trek and had slogged close to twenty-five miles, having crossed three high mountain passes. Now, consider the opportunities to share the Gospel during this one week in 2013: Nepali cooks in an Indian restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida; the masses, both locals and foreign tourists, on the streets of Lima, a city of 7.6 million people; the people of Huaraz and Lllamac, two out-of-the-way Andean towns; trekkers from at least six different Western countries; and a whole slough of Israeli backpackers. All in a week's time! Two hundred years ago, a Christian missionary could pretty much arrive anywhere in the world in less than six months, thanks to the invention of the mariner's compass. For William Carey, one who truly lived what he preached, this meant no excuse for the Christian homebody. Today, you can arrive anywhere in the world in little more than a week, many unreached places in less than 24 hours. And yet, I frequently hear excuses, excuses, excuses, like the droning mantras pouring out of Buddhist monasteries: You can't travel that far from home . . . It's just too far for you to take your family . . . Aren't there plenty of lost people here to whom you can witness? I wonder what William Carey would say if he could pen his inquiry in 2013. More importantly, I wonder what Jesus Christ will say to those who claimed to know Him and yet completely ignored His Great Commission: fashioning it a good suggestion, while not only declining to go to the heathen, but also refusing to support those who do. GO into all the world and preach the Gospel . . . if you cannot go, for whatever reason, GIVE that others can . . . if you cannot go and you cannot give, PRAY that the Lord will send laborers into the harvest. But, if you are like me, you can GO, you can GIVE, you can PRAY . . . DO ALL THREE. We here at Full Proof Gospel Ministries will continue to go to remote corners like the Cordillera Huayhuash in Peru. And, in fact, WE SURE COULD USE YOUR HELP!
As concerns our preaching circuit in the Cordillera Huayhuash, I penned these words preemptively in my last blog post:
[In Lima, Peru], I will rendezvous with Ricky and Dylan, and we will immediately head up to Huarez to make preparations for an 8-10 day trek at high altitudes in the Huayhuash Range of the Central Andes. This slog is known as one of the best treks in the entire world, and for some reason, Israeli backpackers flock to it this time of year. Our desire is to follow them, utilizing the unique environment (i.e. far from the typical distraction of hustle and bustle) and the hours of downtime in evening camps to communicate Yeshua Ha’Messiach to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.
Andean locals receive Gospel tracts in Spanish.
By God's grace and provision, TELL THEM WE HAVE DONE SO! Recently, while I was importing waypoints to my computer from my handheld GPS device, I noticed that during this 8-day preaching circuit that completely circumnavigated the Huayhuash massif in a counterclockwise direction (something advised against), we walked more than 60 miles, climbed 8 high passes in the Andes above 15,000 ft., summited one 16,000 ft. peak in search of missing burros, and slogged 18,500 ft. of total elevation gain. People from at least eight foreign countries heard the Word of God as did many locals and droves of Israeli backpackers, one of which was lost in the dark and stumbled into our camp cold and alone. As Ricky later remembered:
One very religious Jewish man was miraculously lead to our campsite late one night where we went through a multitude of Scripture proving that Jesus is the Christ. The next morning, the last thing I heard the man say before he departed was, "I´ll search the Scriptures in Hebrew to see if Yeshua really is the Messiah." Glory to God.
Please pray for Obed; this truly was a divine appointment . . . and trust me, there were many others. So much transpired for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ during those eight days, so I could write volumes. Rather, however, I complied a little two-part visual documentary of this Andean Preaching Circuit. I trust you will be encouraged and edified by these videos posted below. Frankly, in the 18th Century missionary spirit of William Carey, this is the type of stuff that Full Proof Gospel Ministries is going to continue doing--no spot, no corner is too far!
cordillera huayhuash, part 1
cordillera huayhuash, part 2
Following 8 long days of publicly proclaiming Christ in the Andean backcountry, Ricky, the Sage, and I returned to Huaraz for much-needed showers and more plaza preaching. I loved that town. Anyway, from there, it was a long bus ride back to Lima where we bade a sad farewell to the Sage who returned to his family on the Patagonian mission field. Please pray for this brother. His work is difficult, yet needful; and he is the real deal when it comes to the Great Commission. It is always a pleasure for us to partner with him.
TJ preaches, Edher translates, Ricky distributes in a Lima street market
Anyway, Ricky and I spent the next week preaching all over Lima, a city of 7.6 million people. Thanks to TJ and Pamela Lindsey of Heart of Christ Ministries (www.hofcm.org) who opened their home to us, drove us all over the city, and came alongside us in the work. Interestingly, I met TJ, a former Mormon from Utah turned solid and bold bible-believing missionary to Peru, on Facebook. We had never met face-to-face and knew very little about each other when we rendezvoused in Lima. Despite all the negative ramifications of Facebook, if used properly and with careful stewardship, it can be a great tool for connecting solid Bible-believing brethren during these dark and troublesome times. Thanks also to Brother Edher Cavero who translated for us all week as we preached in a plethora of Lima venues. Both TJ and Edher attend a church fellowship that exists as a result of Paul Washer's missionary work in Peru. We had the privilege of worshipping in New Testament simplicity with these brethren one Sunday, and on our last evening in Peru, some men from the church joined Ricky, TJ, Edher, and me in Plaza San Martin for preaching and tract distribution. It was great. It has always been our position at FPGM that encouraging or discipling the brethren unto boldness for the Gospel is just as important as preaching the Gospel to the lost. The two go hand in hand. It has given me great joy to read about how TJ, Edher, and some of the brothers from the church continue to preach at Plaza San Martin in Lima, weeks after Ricky and I have come home.
Heart of Christ Ministries
As for Heart of Christ Ministries, Brother TJ and his wife are doing a good work with poverty-stricken barrio children on the outskirts of Lima--going to those that no one else will. Several times a week, they gather neighborhood kids in an old abandoned church building and teach them the Scriptures, faithfully proclaiming the Gospel. This always come first before the crafts, games, and fellowship. What a blessing it was for us to share and spend time with these young ones who came to know Ricky as the Oso Peligroso (i.e. Spanish for "dangerous bear"). We were sad to ultimately bid the children farewell as they clamored for hugs. Please pray for this very solid and important ministry in Lima as well as for the brothers who aim to continue going out to preach Christ on the streets. Praise God for His faithful remnant around the world. And praise God that He gives me the opportunity to meet them, and even sometimes uses Facebook to make the appointment :)
Brother Jon Lane preaches in a Lima fish market.
After a full week of preaching in the streets all over Lima, including atop Cerro San Cristobal, a Catholic shrine; in Parque del Amor (a customary make-out park right on the ocean) where I preached on true biblical love; outside the Presidential Palace where the police shut us down; and in the heart of a stinky fish market . . . Jon Lane, a pastor-friend from South Dakota flew down to join us for about ten days. Jon and I met "randomly" in a podunk South Dakota town many years ago as I rode my bicycle across America. We have shared many adventures for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ around the globe since (Nepal, Romania, Moldova, Bangladesh, and Bhutan). It's always a blessing to have this brother join me on the front lines.
Christ was preached from this tower in Quito.
Anyway, our time together was a whirlwind of activity--preaching, preaching, and more preaching. We started out with a day of public proclamation in Lima. Thanks again to Brothers TJ and Edher for joining us. Then, it was a long bus ride sandwiched between two flights that put us in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. There, we preached in some of the major plazas, outside a Catholic mass, down in the whitey club district, and from atop the tower of a huge Gothic cathedral. It was interesting to see people listening as I preached from the tower, some in the park far below and some from the adjacent towers. The acoustics were awesome. Proof that it could be heard and understood from far below is that the cathedral gateman climbed all the way to the top (a long, rickety, and hair-raising climb) to tell me that I wasn't allowed to preach about "religion" in the church because it could offend some of the tourists. I replied in Spanish, "You mean, I cannot preach about Jesus in a church?" Initially, this man was hostile. But, as we descended the long flights of stairs, I kept hammering home the Gospel. In the end, his heart softened; and he took a Gospel tract.
Plaques at Las Lajas praising Mary and not God, wicked.
From Quito, Ricky, Jon, and I rented a small car and drove six hours up winding mountain roads to the northern border town of Tulcan. It was nice because gasoline in Ecuador was only $1.48 per gallon. In Tulcan, a shady place off the gringo trail, we preached in a couple plazas and from atop a wall inside a huge and bizarre Catholic cemetery with greenery clipped into the shapes of all sorts of weird indigenous idols. As in Quito, many tracts went out, and our supply was nearly exhausted. From Tulcan, we crossed the river and walked into Columbia with the aim of distributing tracts at a nearby Catholic shrine where people supposedly get "healed" by the Virgin Mary. At the Santuario de Las Lajas which spans a narrow canyon, it is claimed that the Virgin Mary appeared in the rocks some years ago. A Gothic-style cathedral was then built over these rocks, and people now flock there from all over South America to receive a blessing from the Virgin. Anyway, the rocks and cliffs are covered with plaques, all of them thanking Mary, not God or Jesus Christ, for all sorts of things (life, money, success, healing, etc.). It's quite wicked. Like Paul at Athens, my spirit was stirred. So, I preached against this wickedness right out front Beside me, people were lighting candles and praying over them. It looked exactly like a scene from any number of Hindu temples in Nepal or India. So, I preached the same message I have preached many times in front of the Hindu and Buddhist shrines--Only Jesus Christ can free you from the bondage of manmade religion. Some folks stopped to listen, including a couple of police officers from a distance. No one attempted to silence us, and the Word went out. Many, many Gospel tracts were distributed in that place. Before leaving Columbia, we also preached in the main plaza in the border town of Ipiales. From there, it was a long drive back to Quito for another day of preaching in the capital; next it was a flight back to Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, where we had just enough time for some tracting along the riverfront; and then, we had to catch a six-hour bus back to Northern Peru.
Back in Peru, we did some late-night tracting around Tumbes, Peru's northernmost town, and then bussed another 4 hours over to Piura. After a day of preaching and tracting in Piura, which included me translating into Spanish for Jon (my first official work as a Spanish translator) and us distributing Gospel tracts to a whole mess of people in a large Catholic parade, we hopped a flight back to Lima and then a late-night taxi to TJ's apartment. Fortunately, we managed just a few hours of rest before Jon flew back to the States and Ricky and I flew down to Tacna, Peru's southernmost town. I imagine Mr. Lane slept for several days upon his return to the quiet South Dakota prairie. Warning, if you ever join Full Proof Gospel Ministries on a mission trip, you better rest up beforehand. We don't waste any time, and we preach Christ in as many places as possible :)
I really could write and praise God for so much more in terms of these South American preaching circuits. Where would I begin, and where would I end? Below, I complied two short video collages that will give you an idea of what these busy days looked like--one concerning Peru and the other from Ecuador and Columbia. I pray these will encourage you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, to handle the Gospel boldly in your own backyard. The days are short; we have no other option.
a south american preaching circuit - PERU
a south american preaching circuit - ECUADOR & COLOMBIA
Sharing Christ with truck drivers waiting to enter Bolivia
After Jon Lane returned home, Ricky and I utilized our last four days way down south to target northern Chile and the Bolivian frontier high up in the Atacama desert. Down there, we went from sea level to 15,000 ft. in just 24 hours! Talk about shortness of breath and dizzy spells. After hiking across a canyon to the Andean village of Putre: we camped behind an abandoned building, gave out a bunch of tracts, and then hitchhiked the next morning up to the Bolivian border. Normally, Americans have to pay $135 to obtain a visa for Bolivia. I had one already, but Ricky did not. Amazingly, after we told the immigration official that were were missionaries and only wanted to preach the Gospel just over the Bolivian border in Tambo for a couple of hours, he allowed Ricky to enter without paying for a visa. This man was super-friendly and even took a Gospel tract--'twas quite the opposite of what you get from US immigrations at any of our ports of entry. In Tambo, Bolivia, it was cold and blowing snow. We tracted the avenues all the way to the end of town; and upon walking back to Chile, Ricky and I gave Gospel tracts to every single truck driver in a bottleneck of more than 100 big rigs waiting to get through customs into Bolivia. Needless to say, it was a long and cold walk at a very high altitude. The terminus was an empty road in the middle of nowhere with 5 km to the actual Chilean border and another 5km to the immigration station. Herds of wild alpaca and vicuna dotted the desert landscape. Eventually, the Lord answered our prayers and provided us a ride, not only back to Chilean immigration, but all the way back to the oceanside city of Arica (about 200 km). It was a father and daughter who offered us the lift. Interestingly, at Chilean immigration, we freely distributed tracts to all the border officials; and they all seemed grateful. Can you imagine this scene in the United States at the Miami International Airport or perhaps at JFK in New York City?
Walking across the desert back into Southern Peru
Back in Arica, Chile we preached Christ in the streets and then took a very cold winter's swim in the Pacific Ocean. There's a reason why the beaches were pretty much empty that particular sunny day. Later, a taxi dropped us off at Chilean immigrations, and we walked the mile or so back into Peru. A 40km taxi ride had us back in Tacna, Peru's southernmost town. The next morning, we preached in the Plaza de Armas during some sort of pre-Independence Day parade and celebration. This was somewhat special because it meant that Full Proof Gospel Ministries had literally preached Christ at the four corners of the huge country of Peru--the easternmost point of civilization (Desaguadero back in 2010), the northern and westernmost points of civilization in Tumbes (with Jon Lane the week before), and finally, the southernmost point of civilization in Tacna. And, of course, there have been many places in between. I have always loved geography, and I love thinking about stuff like this. God is good.
That afternoon, Ricky and I flew back to Lima and immediately met TJ, Edher, and some brothers from their church for one final evangelism outing together in Plaza San Martin. This was followed by three hours of sleep and a jaunt back to the airport early the next morning. Soon, we were wiping sweat from our brows as we tried to sleep in my vehicle at a highway rest area on the Georgia line. The long drive from Miami back to North Carolina gave us ample opportunity to reminisce about all that the Lord had done way down south. Below, I posted short video collage from the preaching circuit in Chile and Bolivia. Enjoy, and to God alone be the praise.
a south american preaching circuit - CHILE & BOLIVIA
Praise the Lord for the quality time I have had with my family these past couple of weeks and for the rest I am presently finding in North Carolina. Pray for Ricky as he is in the process of moving to North Carolina and thereby relocating his missionary base. We are praying about sending him to Southern Africa or back to Nepal by the end of the year. Also, the fall semester is almost upon us. That means another season of college campus preaching for Full Proof Gospel Ministries. Brother James Roy from Bangladesh will be arriving here in North Carolina on September 23rd. Do you remember how we petitioned your prayers that he would obtain a visa after initially being rejected? Well, the Lord heard; and it has all come together. James just arrived in the United States a few days ago and is visiting his mother in New York City. After spending time with a few other churches in various places, he will be coming to us for a month. Needless to say, that month is going to be a whirlwind as Ricky and I attempt to show James the ministry adventure of a lifetime and allow him to be a missionary right here in the United States (something badly needed) apart from the threat of real persecution that comes from the labor of the Gospel in his own Muslim country of Bangladesh. Our plan is to target more than 25 college campuses from Northern Michigan to Southern California and give this brother every opportunity to proclaim Christ to this wicked and adulterous generation. Please start praying for this right now. If the Lord should lay it upon your heart to help us with covering all of James' expenses, or with the inevitable fuel costs of such an endeavor (about $1500 just for gas), or perhaps with Brother Ricky's support, or for our ongoing work with Project Jagerna in Nepal, or just for our general ministry, we would count it a blessing; and such provision would meet real needs. Recently, our customary committed monthly support has dwindled; and the work in South America was much more expensive than we had anticipated. And folks, these missionary journeys are not vacations where we stay in fancy hotels or eat expensive food. We seek out homes for lodging, stay in dumpy hostels most of the time, travel by bus, and eat cheap on the streets. We travel and labor as cheap as possible so we can preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and freely distribute His Word as much as possible in as many places as possible. Thus, having the saints to hold the ropes through prayer and financial support is needful and coveted. But praise Jesus, we serve a mighty God who never guides where He does not provide. For more information about how you can help us at Full Proof Gospel Ministries, click HERE.
Let me conclude by asking you to lift up in specific prayer a few divine appointments that come to mind from this latest South America preaching circuit. Let's cry out to the Lord on behalf of these folks that HE put into our paths:
Reading the Scriptures to Senfronia
Please pray for Senfronia, an elderly woman who lives in a stone house high up in Peru's Cordillera Huayhuash. She cannot read, so we spent time reading the Scriptures to her and proclaiming the Gospel. This precious grandmother was overcome with conviction as she heard the truth. We left the Bible with her, trusting that the Lord would send others along to read the Words of life to her. Later, after meeting some Christian brothers in a nearby village, we made sure they were made aware of the situation. Pray for Senfronia.
Please pray for Obed, the Israeli who stumbled alone into our camp after dark. After mulling over the Scriptures together for many hours, he departed from us maintaining: "I will search the Scriptures to see if this Jesus really be the Messiah of Israel." May the Lord open Obed's eyes to the truth.
Please lift up Nathan, another Israeli traveler. We shared a room with him in a hostel, met him again high up in the mountains, and even rendezvoused a third time back in town. Knowing very little about the Bible, he took a Hebrew New Testament and seemed very intrigued about three Gentiles who loved him and his people so much. Pray for Nathan; the Lord was doing something in his heart.
This man begged us for a Bible
Please pray for a farmer we met high up in the Andes. His name escapes me. He begged us for a Bible, but our supply had run out. We made arrangements for some locals to have one brought up to him a few weeks later. Pray that he received it.
Pray for Jose, a taxi driver from Quito, Ecuador. This man asked a lot of questions and gladly received a Bible at our hands. We used him to drive us on a couple of occasions, and when he finally dropped us off at the airport, he hugged us as if he had known us for years. Jose needs Jesus; please pray for him.
Ricky, the Sage, and Rudir at the end of our trek
We covet your prayers for Rudir Espinoza, our mule driver on the Cordillera Huayhuash Trek. Apparently, his brother is a believer; and Rudir recognized a need for the Lord in his life. We gave him a Bible, and he heard the Gospel many, many times as we shared Christ in Spanish all along our preaching circuit. May the Lord grant unto him true repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It was who Rudir assured us that he would get the Bible to the farmer mentioned above.
John Garcia had served a prison sentence in California and was then deported from the United States several years ago. His family still lives here. Since, he ran into a lot of trouble in Columbia, his home country, and is now trying to settle in Ecuador. We ran into John as we distributed tracts late one night in Tulcan, Ecuador. He was so excited to be able to speak English again and to talk with us about the things of the Lord. Right there on the street corner, we exhorted him from the Scriptures and prayed for him. Shortly after returning to the United States, John sent me this message:
Just thought I would write to tell you thank you for stopping me that cold night to talk to me, keeping in mind that it was out Creator´s work reminding me that I´m not alone. Well since that night, lots of things have happened. I'm happy to say that I have been blessed in a way that would leave any man speechless. God´s work is unbelievable, which is why there are so many people that say they know His work but in reality don't. I feel so fortunate to be one of the few to actually feel his work and see it in my life. It´s too soon to let you know the details, as you know God has the perfect time for everything, just know that He is working in my life. I am okay and working at a local English Academy, so far things are looking good for me. I will never forget you guys.
The effectual fervent prayers of the righteous truly avail much (James 5:16). Thank you.
For the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ,
The Boyd Family & Full Proof Gospel Ministries