Below is the latest update from our missionaries in Honduras, Evan & Carmen Williams…
Dear Supporting Pastors;
We have several things we wanted to share with you in this up date, which we trust will give you reason to praise the Lord with us for His care.
Synopsis:
1). Our application for legal registration has been received. 2). God blesses us once more with another Gift towards our property Project and We plan to meet once more with the owner to seek a final deal. 3). A Young girl comes to Christ. 4). Five souls take the step of obedience in Baptism.
Church Matters:
What a joy it is to be able to inform you that the authorities have received our application for independent legal registration as a religious entity. You may remember that the new law, passed recently by the President, was requiring all new churches to join the Conflaternidad Evangélica in order to be registered legally in the country. We had heard that he had backed down on that and so had made our request under the old law. The receptionist refused to receive our papers stating that we had to comply with the new law and register with the Conflaternidad first. We pull back and took time to pray over this while we made inquiries. A believer, who has just recently started to attend our church, asked me what the problem was and when I told him he put me in touch with a friend of his, a believer who works in the legal office where we had tried to register. After meeting with this dear brother in the Lord he told us that the receptionist did not know what he was taking about and that while the President had tried to pass this new law it had been refereed to the Supreme Court and had not yet come into effect but that we needed to move if we wanted independent registration. He then saw to it that our application was properly received and is now in process. He assured us that even if the President gets his law through it does not have effect on any application that has received.
Praise God with us for this answer to our prayers but also pray that the Supreme Court will overturn this law as effectively it will form a State Evangelical Church, headed up by individuals who are not happy with Independents. Pray also for the future of Independent Church plants should this law be passed.
Property Project:
This news of our registration means that we will shortly be able to buy property in our own name and as such has encouraged our Church Family in their giving to this fund. God has also moved in the hearts of others. Recently e received further gifts from supporting churches in Europe totaling €6,000.00 / $8500.00. How we praise God for all of this and thank all those concerned.
Now that our registration has been submitted we have asked the owner of the property to meet with representatives from our church to talk over with him his last offer, where he said that he might be willing to consider with us a payment plan whereby the Church could pay him for the property with periodical installments. Pray with us that he might be willing to consider one that would help us reach our goal without even having to approach a bank for a mortgage. Based upon this meeting we will then be taking a recommendation back to our church family for their final direction, as the guy is now pushing for a definite response. Pray that God would overrule in all of this.
Children’s Ministry:
We once again rejoice that God has saved yet another child for His glory. She had been in our children’s meeting where she had heard the Gospel and while she did not come out for the Lord then she went home and thought about her relationship with Christ, eventually going to her mum and dad, members of our church, to seek the saviour. What a joy to see God’s hand of blessing once more.
Baptisms:
What a joy we had, Sunday week ago, to Biblically Baptize five souls who wanted to give public testimony to their Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray with us that these new members in our church that they might grow in Grace and in their understanding of God’s word.
Well as you can see God continues to show His hand of blessing upon this ministry. We rejoice in what He is doing in and through us and remember that it has all been possible because of your faithful support and prayers, which, through His Grace, keeps us here. May God bless our partnership for the Gospel in this place. God bless.
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Yours in Him.
Evan and Carmen Williams
Sending Church = River Valley Baptist
Mission Board = BIMI
Apartado de Correos
P.O. Box 30116
Zona Toncontin
Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.
Republica de Honduras C.A.