Category Archives: Prayer Requests
God Worked! Inauguration Service Report
Once again, I have been absolutely amazed. God continues to put his blessing on our ministry in Colombia. Many of you prayed much for our first service at Iglesia Bíblica Bautista El Faro in Bucaramanga. Following is a report of what God did.
- Around 40 thousand invites & tracts total were distributed
- 25 people attended the English Service on Sunday July 13th
- 39 or 40 people attended the Spanish Service that followed
- I was able to start a series in John, wherein I shared the first several verses and the thought, God Came to Us! He brought us eternity, he brought us light, and he brought us life. What an amazing truth! All we must do is receive him.
- 5 people informed us that they repented and trusted Christ alone to be saved!
- Most everybody said they’d be back and bring a friend!
- Many people came because they received an invite in the street or in their home, several came that were personal contacts of mine, some through our Facebook Page and some through the website.
- The visiting group from our sending church, Lighthouse Baptist in Dawsonville, has been such a blessing. They have helped paint and repair many areas of the church building, pass out thousands of invites and tracts the past week, and helped with a few things during the service. We thank God for their presence and help. Pray for my pastor, Charles Blackstock, who will be preaching our midweek service tonight (Tuesday).
- Sunday evening we participated in a special service across town at a sister church with Panamanian missionary, José Morales. They had a wonderful attendance with many visitors. My pastor preached, I interpreted, and the Holy Spirit did a special work.
Thank you all for your prayers and financial support. We have gotten off to a great start! With the funeral that the Lord allowed us to host last Wednesday, as well as this inauguration, we have seen dozens of people profess faith in Christ in the first week of our church! GOD IS GOOD!
Please continue to pray for us. We are just getting started! Pray that some of the young men that have already shown interest would allow God to move in their hearts and lives, and that He would call some to the ministry and let us train and equip them. This is what it’s all about!
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2
Here are a few pictures from a wonderful day.
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- Literature distribution!
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- Jason painting over some graffiti that was on the front of the church. It turned out great!
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- Will 4 helping get our lyric and verse projection set up.
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- Getting to know one another.
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- A new use for offering baskets!
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- Singing praises to our God
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- Miss Stephanie singing a wonderful special to prepare people’s hearts to hear from God’s Word
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- Sharing from God’s precious word.
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- Bro. Victor mingling with a few Colombian men that came to our service.
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- Thank God for this group. They’ve been a blessing!
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- Pastor Blackstock preaching to the church on the other side of town on Sunday night.
Pray for the inauguration of our first church in Colombia!
Well friends, the time is finally here! Sunday, July 13, 2014 is the official inauguration service of our church in Bucaramanga Colombia.
Countless hours of prayer, finances, preparation and literature distribution has been invested into seeing not only many seats filled in a service, but also Christ exalted and his Word expounded. We pray for many people to hear the Gospel, repent and believe on Him who is our hope.
Would you pray with us?
Keep up with the latest at http://www.bemagnified.org and http://www.luzparasuvida.com
God bless!
Urgent Prayers Are Needed For A Special Opportunity Today!
Hey friends,
Just a quick update to let you know a little of what’s going on in the days before our church’s inauguration. We’re excited about what God is going to do on Sunday the 13th.
We have had another big opportunity dropped on our doorstep. I received a call two days ago from a Colombian lady living in the USA. Her mom, who also lived with her in the US, came back to Colombia to visit family. She arrived Sunday in Bucaramanga, where we live and minister, and that day had a massive heart attack and brain aneurism. Sadly, this dear lady passed away early yesterday morning. Her daughter, the one who called me, found our information online and asked if we could do the funeral at our church. Both the lady who died and her daughter are believers, but nearly all of the family here in Colombia is not. The dying wish of this lady was that the Gospel would be preached to her family at her funeral.
Today, Wednesday, at 3 PM Colombian time, 2 PM Eastern Standard Time in the US, I will be preaching this funeral. This will be the first service officially held at our new church building. The family expects around 50-80 people to attend, almost all of which would be family.
Pray as I preach the Gospel, honor the deceased, comfort the family and encourage these dear people to place their focus, their faith and their life in Christ. He gives hope. He gives peace. He gives life.
“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Romans 15:13
Thanks and God bless you all!
– Aaron & family
PS – Also be praying for my pastor and a group from our church that is already on their way here for a visit. We will pick them up from the airport immediately after the funeral.
March – April 2014 Prayer Letter
Dear Prayer Partners,
6 Months There, Now 6 Here…
Ten years ago I spent 6 months in Peru, South America for missions training and hands-on preparation. It was an amazing time in my life that God used to teach me and mold me into who I am today.* Well, 6 months have now gone by since our family arrived in Bucaramanga Colombia for long-term church-planting ministry. It feels like just a short while, but at the same time it feels like we’ve been here all our lives! In other words, it feels like home.
God has been working mightily lately. The past couple months we have seen blessings with both ministry and with our own family. In March we enjoyed a visit from my Mother in law, our first from the USA! In April I was able to travel to Chile for a very helpful Latin America church planters conference with many other missionaries. Aubrie and I also celebrated our fifth anniversary in April. Our children are growing and adapting well to life here. God has been good to this family!
HUGE NEWS…
We just signed this week on a building to rent for our first church in Colombia! This is a blessing as it takes us one step forward in our ministry goals. Within a few weeks, in June Lord willing, we will hold our kickoff service. Please pray that as we share the Gospel, God would work in many hearts and build His church. He is worthy!!
Special Projects…
Several have asked me to share special financial needs as they come along. In the coming weeks I’ll be buying 80 chairs, basic sound equipment, 20,000 pieces of literature, nursery supplies and much more as we get ready for the first service. If you would like to help offset these expenses, we have set up PayPal on our website for secure online giving through Macedonia World Baptist Missions, or you can send a check to MWBM at the address below with our name in the memo. Thanks for your help!
We had been saving funds for a vehicle but will use this money to go ahead with the church plant and wait for God’s timing on our own transpiration. We have been using public transportation here and will keep doing so until we have the funds for a car.
We express our heartfelt thanks to those of you that support us regularly with your prayers and financial support. God is already adding fruit to your account and we are most grateful that you have chosen to hold the rope for us! How can we be praying for you?
Prayer Requests…
- Church kickoff within a few weeks
- More people saved, baptized and discipled
- Young men that I can begin to pour my life into
Servants Of Our Great King,
Aaron Vance & Family
“Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” 1 Corinthians 4:1-2
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*PS – if you or a young person you know is interested in missions, I highly recommend they check out the Our Generation Training Center!
Click to see a printable PDF copy of our letter (with pictures!)
Prayer Letter for January-February 2014
Dear Prayer Partners,
Ministry Update
Hello again from beautiful Bucaramanga, Colombia! The Lord has opened many doors for us since our last letter. We have seen people trust Christ as well as new discipleship and home Bible studies started, including one in our own home. As we establish these contacts, we plan to officially open a church within the next couple months. It is exciting to be a part of God’s work. Consider coming to join us!
I returned this week from an evangelistic campaign on the other side of Colombia where I was able to preach several times in small villages in open-air meetings and from house to house. Many attended, with over 30 trusting in Christ for salvation, and we were also able to encourage new believers. These campaigns were in preparation for church plants by the Colombian national pastor who invited me. Though I spent dozens of hours in buses, taxis, motorcycles, riverboats and on foot, this trip was a tremendous blessing! The culture, accent, and the weather is much different on the Coast than here in the mountains where we live. Thankfully, the Gospel message works the same!
Family Happenings
February kicks off the school year here in Colombia, so our girls began attending a nearby preschool in the mornings. They are learning well and have fun playing with the other children. Meanwhile, Aubrie is meeting with a personal tutor at the same time to improve her Spanish. I’m proud of how they are all coming along in the language and culture! When explaining to Amira she would be wearing a uniform like all the other children, she exclaimed, “Oh Yeah! Everybody likes Unicorns!” She still gets excited about wearing her unicorn each day. Ha…
Colombian Culture Corner
Many everyday words in Colombia are very vulgar and offensive in other Spanish-speaking countries. Coming from pastoring the Spanish ministry in GA with people from many different countries, it has been an adjustment using these words. It’s all part of learning the culture. We just have to be careful for the words that work the other way around! 🙂
Prayer Requests
- New converts, discipleship groups & Bible studies
- Wisdom as we choose a location for the church
- Financial support — We could use several more partners as we launch the church
- That God would continue to glorify himself in us!
Love In Christ Jesus,
Aaron Vance & Family
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” 1 Timothy 2:3-6
P.S. – Our new field address is: Carrera 51 #50-103 Bucaramanga, Santander Colombia You can also call us any time on a US number that rings on my cell here: 678-696-0082 or email us: aaronlvance@gmail.com
Click to see a printable PDF of our letter (with pictures!)
The Vance Family 