When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder…

Dear Partners,

We hope you all had a blessed Easter Sunday! Our Lord is Risen!!! The hope that truth brings us is unlike anything in the world, isn’t it? And our desire is to take the hope purchased on Good Friday and consummated on Easter Sunday to those that don’t yet know here in Lautaro, and through them, to the rest of this region, and to ends of the earth!

Today there is a nationwide census being carried out throughout all of Chile. Government employees are going house to house filling out a questionnaire about every person in that residence. The last census was taken five years ago, so it will be interesting to see what has changed between then and now!

However, for some reason, this time there is no question in the census regarding religious affiliations or beliefs whatsoever! It seems strange to not want to take note of that in a country where both animistic and catholic(-ish) beliefs have been strong for centuries, but apparently knowing those numbers is not a priority for the current government. But we know that our belief systems are not secondary to God, but rather much more important than details like where we were born or how many years of school we finished: Our entire eternity rests on whether or not we accept the Passover Lamb’s sacrifice in place of our sins and give our lives to His will. And when the "roll is called up yonder", I’ll be there… and so will you… and so will many more that are coming to Him through His Spirit’s work being carried out through His Church around the world!

(New background at the front of the church meeting room)

In our last, short prayer update we mentioned that there are several new friends we would be sharing about soon, so we wanted to tell you a little bit about some of them today:

• Óscar and Mónica: Mónica is Pastor Miguel’s youngest sister, and she and her boyfriend Óscar just moved to Lautaro from Santiago a few months ago with their baby girl. Óscar is from Colombia and the only evangelicals he knew there were basically sect-like in their way of life, so this is a first for him to see Jesus followers who are actually serving the community and yet still striving to live by Jesus’ standards. We’ve had them over for dinner as a couple, and Gus has been able to share with Óscar personally many times: They’ve worked side-by-side at the jobsites on multiple occasions and now Gus is also teaching him drums once a week and has been using that time together as an opportunity to share more about God’s truth with Óscar.

• Ricardo and Fabiola: this young couple just moved into the little apartment next door to us. Her family lives in the countryside and has attended the church here several times, while Ricardo is from Brazil. They have both heard the gospel, but are not currently living according to Jesus’ way. Ricardo started coming to our new home group on Friday nights, and has been encouraged in that setting. Fabiola is resistant right now, but Ricardo hopes that she will want to join in too in the near future.

• Violeta and Daniela: both of these women have been attending the Bible study that I (Karissa) have been teaching the past few weeks. Violeta the mother of one of the ladies from church (Tita) and Daniela is Tita’s coworker and good friend. Violeta was a Catholic (into saint worship and no real relationship with God) but has seen through Tita’s example that she needs something different in her life. And Daniela says she has never believed in anything, but knows that something needs to change in her life. I have had good conversations with both of them after our Bible study times and good talks with Tita as she encourages them to continue seeking the Truth.

So, we had wanted to tell you about those friends last week, but ended up postponing our more detailed update until this week... Well, on Easter Sunday, Óscar, Ricardo, Violeta and Daniela all raised their hands saying that they had prayed to accept His forgiveness and give their lives to Jesus!! We know that this is not the “end” but rather a first step in a whole new direction for each of these friends, so we ask for your prayers for each of them, for us and for the rest of the church as we encourage them in their new growth! We are thankful for what God is doing in each area of ministry in the church right now, and pray that He would continue to lead us all in the direction He wants us to go.

(Easter Sunday Service, with over 90 people in attendance!)

This week, please pray for:

• Gus’ adoptive family, the Kallestads and specifically his dad, as Doug’s brother Steve passed away on Monday, after an unexpected heart attack/stroke last Thursday. This sudden loss has shocked the family; Uncle Steve’s immediate family members are not believers. Please pray that God would use Doug and Kyle (Gus’ brother) to shine His peace, hope, love and truth in the midst of this tragedy.

• Spontaneous Trip: Gus is traveling to Ecuador this Friday for 10 days! It was a last-minute decision, but he will be attending our mission organization’s board meetings there and communicating how ministry is going here in southern Chile. Please pray for a safe trip for him as well as a good week and a half for the kids and myself here at home, as we continue with homeschool assignments, as I lead two home-group meetings in Gus’ absence and continue teaching the weekly women’s Bible study.  Pray for grace and energy, and for opportunities for both Gus and I to share the hope of Jesus with those God has put around us!

• Financial needs, as we continue raising money for the "new to us" used car we are purchasing as well as continue paying off the credit debt from 3 years ago. We are so grateful for the faithful support of those who give on a monthly basis as well as the generosity of the one-time gifts to help with special needs!

“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow…. Because He lives, all fear is gone…. Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.”

That is the truth: His death AND resurrection changed everything! Our deepest desire is that our lives would help draw others to this resurrected Lord who changes lives and fills them with Eternal Hope! Thank you for being a foundational part of this missions work. God bless you!

In His Love,

Gus, Karissa, Jeremy, Elizabeth, Cristina & Diego