New Life in Christ
By: Matt Postiff
June 13, 2019
Pastor Ricardo Daglio reports from the church in Villa Regina, Argentina that the Lord is doing wonderful things there. He expresses that there is a need of more gospel workers, but they are waiting on the Lord to provide. “We could start a new church if we had a place to meet in the city of General Roca.”
Would you join Pastor Daglio in praying for this, and in rejoicing with him and the church about the following report.
Coco is a brother in the Lord, he is 42 years old. He started attending more than a year and a half ago. He struggled with depression and his brother (a member of our church at that time, and now of the Bariloche church), always spoke to him about the Lord. Coco and Erica were not married at the time. They began to attend on Sundays and during the week I visited them in their home in Chichinales, 15 kms away from Villa Regina.
Months later, Coco and Erica confessed that they had put their faith in Christ. Their growth was immediately evident by their thirst to learn, their impeccable attendance, and their enthusiasm to speak to others about Christ.
Halfway through last year they wanted to be baptized, but before that, they decided to get married. In the simple wedding that took place, Coco along with his wife expressed that the reason for formalizing the marriage was because of what the Gospel did in their lives. Then came baptism. Then the beginning of CCB classes in the church where Coco and Erica attend every Saturday. Now they are members of the church.
A few days ago I went to see Coco at the farm where he works, he has been a pruner since he was 14 years old. The speed at which he works is impressive. In his work, he is alone for many hours and takes the opportunity to listen to messages and Bible studies. He told me later in the evening when I went to visit him at his home with his wife:
“Pastor, I am doing the MacArthur reading plan with Erica, the one mentioned in Foundations Message 1. We read 30 times in a row 1 John, 30 times in a row Philippians; and now we are reading 30 times the book of Romans; 30 days chapters 1-8 and 30 days chapters 9-16. It is fabulous, encouraging and exhorting to see God’s work and how dispensable we are in ministry. To God be the glory.”
Cutting a Straight Line
By: Matt Postiff
June 5, 2019
Dear Praying Friends,
As a teenager, I (Dave) lived in Tennessee. There were many fields of cotton and soybeans where we lived. I was always impressed with the straight lines in which these crops were planted (this was before GPS guided machinery but somewhat later than mule drawn plows and planters). I asked my dad how the farmers made such straight rows. He said that the farmer would keep his eye on a spot at the other end of the field and just go toward it. That is a good illustration for ministry as well.
Paul uses a term in 2 Tim 2:15 to describe a how a servant of the Lord is to handle the Word of God. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.(2 Tim 2:15 NKJV) The word has the idea of “cutting along a straight line.” This is how Paul describes the work of pastors and teachers.
Our ministry here in Argentina is to help young men and women to prepare for full time ministry. For those men preparing for the pastorate, missions, or church planting, it is vital that they learn first how to accurately handle the Word of God. The curriculum of our future Bible College reflects a priority of knowing the Bible, studying the original languages and learning how to interpret and apply Scripture truth. We want to help them to “cut a straight line” with the Word of God so that they accurately and powerfully pass, from one generation to the next, God’s revelation to mankind.
Our ministry is moving along steadily. We enjoy participating in the ministry here in Chivilcoy and fellowshipping with the saints. We continue to build relationships and practice our Spanish with others in our congregation and people that we meet in our neighborhood and shops. Though challenging at times, it is a great blessing to be doing this work and preparing for the future ministry in Argentina.
We certainly miss our children in the States, but we stay in touch with them through the marvels of technology that allow us to have face-to-face conversations with them in real time.
Thank you for your interest in and prayers for the future School of Ministry here in Chivilcoy, Argentina.
Faithfully and Gratefully Yours,
Dave, Patti and Mike
Returning to Chile: Update
By: Matt Postiff
May 30, 2019
Missionary appointee Emily Freeland is in Ontario, Canada. She reports this month about her visit to Calvary Baptist in Goderich:
Midway through my third-grade year, my dad took a job as an associate pastor in the lakeside town of Goderich. It was a year of changes for our family – a new house, a new church, a new town, and the start of homeschooling. Calvary Baptist was the church were I was baptized at the age of thirteen and where I first began to be involved in children’s ministry. We left in 2006 when my family moved to New Life Camp, but it still has a very special place in my heart!
In elementary school, one of the highlights of my year was CBC’s annual missions conference. At age nine, it was my first real introduction to the idea of missions: crossing language and cultural barriers to share the good news of the gospel. Hearing the testimonies of missionaries serving all over the world, the idea of missions seemed like such an adventure, and the seed was planted. My ideas about how I would be involved in cross-cultural ministry were fairly nebulous then, but they began to take shape during my time at Bible school and later at Western University. God kept leading through open doors, and I joined the GMSA last summer with the goal of returning to full-time ministry in Chile next year.
During my update at Calvary Baptist, I shared how God has been at work since I was a PK devouring missionary biographies in the church library, and how He has been leading through open doors towards ministry with the GMSA. I love talking about the work that God is doing in Chile, being reminded of His past provision and guidance and looking forward to returning to Chile in the near future as He continues to lead and provide.
Praises:
- continued opportunities to share the ministry of the GMSA here in Ontario
- God’s provision of a part-time hospital nursing job close to home
- university student loan finally paid off!
Prayers:
- summer ministry and staffing at New Life Camp
- balancing ministry and deputation responsibilities with nursing shift work
- safety travelling and continued opportunities to share in churches
Antofagasta Update in Pictures
By: Matt Postiff
May 13, 2019
Missionaries David and Kristi Flinck sent in a recent report via photos.
You Can Lead a Horse to Water
By: Matt Postiff
May 13, 2019
In Chile there’s a proverb about “starting out like an English horse” (that is, with vim, vigor, and style) and “ending up like a Chilean horse” (that is—ahem—lame and sluggish. I didn’t make it up!)
We even philosophize about how our national soccer team “played better than ever, but lost the same as always.” SIGH…
That is not how we hope to finish 2019, but Punta Mira Bible Center is out of the gate of the year at a brisk canter, at least. By mid-March most of our regular ministry activities are well underway, including Sunday school with a full complement of classes, the women’s group, men’s classes, the couples’ club, and Counter Current (kids’ club) soon to follow.
Honestly, we aren’t sure how we could accommodate more ministries in the building or within the time slots available. With 12 ladies at this morning’s Bible study, some were sitting on the stairs. Sunday morning attendance is around 65-70 people.
However, we’re convinced the Christian life isn’t all about numbers or activities, for any of us. We don’t just want to start the year well, we want to finish well—and we want to model godly lives, habits, and thought patterns in the meantime. Some of the mistaken attitudes we see and hear convince us of the crucial importance of communicating to our people how to think critically and biblically in this world. Please pray for growth, maturity, faithfulness, and thirst for the Word. Isn’t there an English saying that “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him think—oops, drink!”
Canadian Board Meeting
By: Matt Postiff
May 13, 2019
At the end of April, the Canadian board of GMSA met for business and fellowship. Here are some snippets from General Director Tom Gibbons’ report on the meeting:
We want to give thanks to the Lord for encouraging ministry Sunday in Ontario as well as an excellent Canadian Board meeting on Monday. Many visitors were present, mostly those who have served on building teams in the Southern Cone. Faith Baptist Church of Mount Forest, Ontario graciously hosted the meeting and served a delicious luncheon to all present. Dan and Liz Thompson were with us and were to be a few days in the area before continuing their road trip on to Washington State. Thank you for your prayers!
Pictured below you will see the UK Council and the entire group of friends who joined in fellowship.
Gibbons Reporting from Northern Ireland
By: Matt Postiff
May 13, 2019
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
May 9 was the annual GMSA fellowship meeting in Portadown, Northern Ireland. UK Council members and friends of the Mission were in attendance for the BBQ and meeting which followed. We are thankful for Marcella Wilson and Sharon Acheson, who both gave testimony about their time in Chile at the January 2019 conference. Their husbands, who are both council members, were our speakers. Participants in last years GMSA work team also shared. An estimated 130 to 140 were in attendance for the event. There were churches represented that had never been, and we were blessed by the testimonies of those who’ve been to Chile and Argentina in the last year. Please pray for another GMSA building team coming together for Camp Pirque in Chile.
We have been blessed by the love for missions and the knowledge of the GMSA we’ve seen in the churches we’ve been in. Yesterday (Sunday) morning we were in Lurgan Baptist where former council member Gordon Wells and his wife Margaret attend. Some may remember the name Dorothy Foster, who served with GMSA in Chile until 1973. Dorothy was from Lurgan Baptist. In the evening we were in Rathfriland Baptist Church where Ian Wilson pastors. Thank you for your prayers.
Please remember Raul and Jane Villalba holding down the fort in Fort Lauderdale.
Vallette Update: Faithful Co-Workers
By: Matt Postiff
May 13, 2019
Often, we are project oriented, showing the progress on the new building, a snazzy World Cup worthy soccer field, etc. This time we would like to tell you about a family with whom we work very closely: Ivan & Nikol.
Several years ago, Ivan and Nikol met during a youth camp at Pirque. As they completed their studies and their relationship grew, they continued to pray about serving the Lord full time at camp Pirque near Santiago, Chile. They were married in 2008. While waiting for God’s direction and timing, they served faithfully in a new church plant with the Rea family.
In 2012 they went to serve full time at camp in Lican Ray along with their daughter Anais. They served with missionaries Dan & Liz Thompson. While living at camp, they saw first hand what full-time camp ministry looked like. In 2014, the doors were opened to return to Santiago and work at Pirque. Ivan also began to work on a degree in Biblical studies at the Bible Institute in Santiago.
A modular home was put together for them and with Anais, they moved to Pirque in 2014. Ivan commuted to the Bible Institute by bus and metro for the first two years. They also returned to the church where they had previously served and continued to serve faithfully. Ivan completed Bible Institute in 2018.
One of our prayer requests in heading to Chile almost four years ago was that we would “click” with our co-workers. Ivan and Nikol were already living at camp. We would live in the city about 45 minutes away. How would this work? We were confident that God was leading us to work at Pirque. God worked out all these details. We certainly “clicked,” and find it a joy to work with Ivan & Nikol. Talents and gifts balance, personalities balance, and the desire to see lives change and the camp move forward by God’s grace binds us together. We are thankful for Ivan & Nikol’s influence in the lives of our children as well.
Ivan & Nikol and their growing family have been invited to visit a camp in Canada for several weeks beginning the end of July 2019. What a great opportunity for them! We are excited for them.
Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support.
Serving Him,
Dan & Becca Vallette