February 2010

a couple guys from the youth group help clean and repair the roof

Sister Patricia with some of the sweet children

the Aruba prison in the distance

Greetings and Love to you all!

Our gospel meeting is getting closer! We are scheduled to begin the nightly meetings beginning the 21st of March. The group from Freed Hardeman will arrive the day before and will be housed with different members of the congregation. we hope that the experience will be encouraging to everyone involved as well as a victory for the Lord's kingdom! Brother Ralph Gilmore will be the speaker for the meeting and his team from Tennessee will be pairing up with us to engage in daily studies and door knocking in the San Nicolas area.

We continue to conduct studies with searching souls. Whether studying with people at the prison, at the church's building or in homes, we are encouraged with the responses to the gospel message, as well as the evangelistic spirit of the brethren.

Mondays have become busy! We enter into the prison in the mornings (the authorities have allowed us to re enter for our weekly sessions with the inmates). After the prison we head over to the Senior Citizens Home for a weekly hour of encouragement and evangelism. in the evenings we have an hour or two of singing at the building.

Currently we are studying the book of Romans on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, Thursdays have seen the start of "Men's Bible Class" and right now we are learning how to be stronger and more evangelistic leaders through the book of 1Timothy.

Saturdays are usually the days for working around the building or youth activities. I really believe that the congregation is settling into a quite a busy and productive weekly routine and feel so blessed with being part of the work.

We have recently received news of more baptisms at Carapachaima in Trinidad (we are so encouraged that the evangelistic attitude of the brethren still flourishes!)

Certainly our work with the church in Trinidad and with the School of Preaching has proven to be a rewarding experience, and we trust that wherever the Lord allows us continuance, that the harvest will be great! More news on our situation with Trinidad as we receive it...God's will be done and His purpose served!

Our thanks to you all for your continued love, prayers and support!

January 2010

Dearest Brethren and Family,



Greetings from Aruba!



Just wanted to update everybody on the latest developments in our little corner.



We had a wonderful end of year fellowship with about eighty in attendance. While most of the country was "partying in" the new year, the brethren hear were singing and praying it in!



In March we are planning to have a gospel meeting. A team from Freed Hardeman will be here to help in the evangelism effort. Hopefully we will have many studies and prospects lined up even before their arrival. The meeting will last for one week with 'door knocking' during the day and preaching at night. Please pray that the Lord lead us to receptive and hungry hearts.



For the past three nights we have enjoyed a special set of Bible lessons with travelling preacher, Bob Buchannen (of Kentucky). Brethren from both congregations have been in attendance. He will also be conducting a youth camp at the Tamarind congregation over the weekend, as well as another three night study with the Papiamento speaking brethren.



We will be continuing our song leading and singing sessions at the beginning of February. This time we will hopefully have brethren from both congregations present. During these classes we learn new songs as well as how to sight read the notes...



The prison ministry has stalled a bit. Not because of a lack of effort on our part, but because the prison system has decided to rethink and restructure how to do things. This may have nothing to do with it, but this decision comes right on the heels of the national denomination's session loss of about a dozen men to our Bible class (which met at the same hour). It's very frustrating because i believe there were quite a few men interested in giving their lives to Christ. Please continue to pray for our efforts.



On a final (and different note), I have been invited to conduct a three day/session song leading clinic at the annual Carribean Lectureships being held in Trinidad this July. What a pleasure it will be to fellowship and check in with the brethren there as well as so many others from the other islands.



Our love, prayers, and appreciation are with you all!



God bless and keep you,



Tim, Mary, and Christian