July 27, 2006
I write this on the eve of the Central Venezuelan Youth Camp. I will be
attending the camp as a counselor and am excited that at least two of our
East Caracas young people are able to go. The pictures from that trip will
come next week, but in the meantime, there are plenty of new pictures and
things to be praying and rejoicing about ( www.MichelleMissions.com).
Last Saturday, I took Evelyn and Greilys, two sisters, to San Felipe for a
Ladies' Day on Purity. The lessons and activities were well-received and it
was a special time getting to know Evelyn and Greilys better. Evelyn lives
and worships in East Caracas, while her sister, Greilys, lives in the city of
Carora. Greilys is in town visiting her sister during summer vacation, as
she did last year. During last year's visit, we began to study the Bible
with her. After returning to Carora (about five hours from Caracas), we
contacted Christians in a nearby city so that they could visit and work on
the follow-up. In early June, Greilys and her mother were both baptized and
the church began in Carora. I will be taking Evelyn and a few other women
with me in late September to encourage the young church there and conduct a
Ladies' Day. Please pray for this new congregation in Carora.
Besides the normal activities in East Caracas, we were able to take advantage
of the World Cup final game, an event that attracts international attention.
Since the final game fell on a Sunday, we borrowed a video projector and
projected the image on the wall of Luis and Fabiola's apartment. A shared
potluck lunch made it a truly festive occasion for visitors and members
alike. The ladies had a good time at my house the day before preparing the
meal and sharing in our monthly Bible study. I was so proud of Mercedes that
day. She is the mother of the "twin towers" as we affectionately call
them.
Her boys have grown a lot in leadership and our prayers continue that they
will become future elders in the East Caracas congregation (they're currently
20 and 21 years old). Mercedes has been a Christian for about 13 years, but
realized that she was stagnant in her growth and wasn't reaching out to
others. We began to study the Bible together weekly for her personal growth
and to better prepare her to share the good news with others. The Saturday
that the ladies came over to prepare the potluck meal, she led her first
small group ladies' Bible study! May God continue to bless the church and
its members with growth.
This past Sunday, we were also able to celebrate our accomplishments in the
Evangelistic English Classes. The Beginning Level class graduated on Sunday
and will move on to the Advanced Level after a one-month break from the
classes. There are so many church activities coming up this month that will
demand our time, so we decided to focus on those events and give the students
the same month's summer vacation that the traditional schools have. We'll
start back up at the end of August and the Advanced Class is scheduled to
graduate from the highest level of classes in December. This has continued
to be a blessing to the focus on evangelism. I've been able to study with
three of the ladies consistently and two of them came to church and the World
Cup potluck. Please pray that God will continue to use us to shine in that
ministry and in others.
Please also be in prayer for the youth camp this weekend, my upcoming trip
to
Bogota to support the church there and update my visa, and the East Caracas
campaign we will be taking into the Amazon August 17-24. We will be able to
work with the children in four different tribes and participate in an
Area-Wide Church Service at which we expect over 400 men, women and children
in attendance. There is a lot to prepare for in order to insure that the
Amazon trip is a blessing to everyone. There will be some special challenges
because of the long drive (16-20hrs); the way the tribes live; etc, but we
are excited to face the challenges. Your prayers are appreciated. The
Venezuelan Amazon, I'm told, is beautiful and her people are even more so.
Be assured that I will take many pictures and send them to you as soon as we
return. There are still many new ones on the site (www.MichelleMissions.com)
at this time, so don't forget to check them out.
I have two additional prayer requests to mention:
1.) Jonathan Hanegan, a recent graduate of Oklahoma Christian University, will
be joining us in the work in East Caracas starting August 14. He has made a
two year commitment to the ministry here and we're excited that he will be
arriving soon.
2.) Sr. Dostoievsky, who was baptized in June, has continued to deteriorate
physically. He has diabetes in addition to other complications. He is
basically in multi-system failure and the doctors are only trying to make him
comfortable. The prognosis is not good, but we rejoice that when he departs
this earth, he will go to be with our Lord. Please pray for his final days
and for strength for his family and friends.
Thanks, as always, for your prayers and support.
In Him and for Him,
M.
www.MichelleMissions.com
Donations and monthly contributions can be sent to:
South Baton Rouge Church of Christ
8725 Jefferson Hwy
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
US Contact:
9836 Keenan St.
Highlands Ranch, CO 80130
Venezuela Contact:
720-249-4266 (Denver phone number that rings in Caracas)
mjgoff@gmail.com