Update from Octavio AlvarezGreetings Bright Hope World and Riccarton Community Church,
How are you? It is a great joy to be able to greet you and our desire is that you are well. We are, by the grace of God, well and we continue in the Lord’s work. We are very content with the ministries that are running and with the collaboration of the believers here in Villamontes.
As you will remember, when you (BHW's Sth America partnership facilitators) last visited us, we had been involved in a new church plant. The work commenced on 4 January 2015 in a suburb of Villamontes called Bilbao Riojas. This past January the work has completed 5 years and the church that is now functioning in Bilbao Riojas is called the 4th of January.
The new church has about 100 people, including adults, young people and children. We run what we call happy hours for the children as well as Sunday school. The happy hours are run outside of Sunday activities where the kids can hear Bible stories, sing songs and generally be exposed to the Gospel. We are running a youth group and there are womens groups as well (photo below left).
Evangelism is a top priority along with teaching/discipleship, prayer and the Lord’s Supper. These are the ministries of the church here. Fabian is the latest young person to be added to God’s kingdom, he is assisting us in the church.
I am currently working as the pastor in the church and we are hoping to appoint elders soon.
We have been able to initiate two other outreaches, one is in another suburb of Villamontes called San Antonio and the other is in a village called Machareti, some 50 kms from Villamontes.
We are very grateful for your faithful support, may God continue to bless each one who supports us and is helping us in the Lord’s work here in the Villamontes area. (Photos below show us on the way to visiting rural believers, helped by a mule, to carry literature and food)
Justina’s health is much the same. She still suffers from the illness that she had when you last visited, an allergy to the dust that surrounds Villamontes. We would ask that you continue to pray for her.
We thank you for the support that you continue to send to us, we receive it as if from the Lord. Thank you also for your care and help. May God bless you always, dear brothers and sisters.
Please receive our loving greetings, for you, Bright Hope World and Riccarton Community Church.
Your fellow believers in Christ,
Octavio and Justina