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December 2015 Prayer Letter Update
Dear Praying Friends,
First of all, I apologize for the delay in getting updates to you. Our September letter did not go out, so I am sending it along with this one. It has honestly been the most blessed period in all of our years of ministry.
Church EXPLOSION!
Don’t worry. We’re talking about the good kind — an explosion in growth! Since being in the new building, our attendance is now nearly 100. This is in addition to the many we see in our outreach ministry in the north part of the city! People are finding joy in the Lord and his Word. We are regularly seeing people saved and baptized. Colombia is experiencing a great movement toward the Gospel, but we need more laborers. There is much to do!
In September, we finished our series on the Gospel of John. To conclude, 7 of our men helped me by each preaching a mini-sermon on the “I Am” statements of Christ in John. It was a sweet night of reflecting on the sufficiency of Christ, and more exciting still to see him work in new preachers of the Gospel. This is why we are here — to train men! Pray for these & others as they develop the calling God has placed on their lives.
Click for a printable PDF of this letter (with pictures).
In December, we will conduct a special Christmas program again in a poor area of town where we have a weekly outreach ministry. We did this last year and it was a huge success! We’ll prepare a special gift and meal for each of the 200 children who attend and then preach to the families and community. For about $5 per child, we will include a toy, toiletry items, a gospel-centered kids book, and a personalized letter. This is the area of our next church plant, Lord willing.
We have also just started a bus route to this area on Sundays to bring families in until we can get a church officially started there. Pray for an increase in our monthly support to provide for this new ministry. Also, pray for funds to purchase a personal vehicle. This has become an urgent need.
Residents At Last!
It was quite a struggle to get our new visas, as the laws changed multiple times this year, extra certifications were requested, documents were lost internationally, and we paid much more than anticipated, but the Lord is faithful in providing each part of this need and allowing us to finalize everything just in time. Thanks especially to Community Baptist in NC and Calvary Baptist in OH for the special offerings. We are now permanent residents of Colombia!
Christmas Trip
Thanks to our sending church & family, we will be back in the States for one month over Christmas. This will be the first time we’ve been back since two years ago when we arrived in Colombia. We thank God for a full schedule including a couple new churches who wish to join our team of financial supporters. This is an answer to prayer!
We will also participate in an amazing missions retreat called the Our Generation Summit in Pigeon Forge, TN from December 31 through January 2. Why don’t you come join us? Time is short. Contact me for information.
Prayer Requests
- More lost souls to be saved, baptized and discipled
- Continued growth in our church — Iglesia Bíblica Bautista El Faro
- Christmas program for needy children in our outreach ministry
- Christmas traveling to Georgia and Ohio
- Our people who will be leading the church in our short absence
- Church Youth/Singles ministry camp in January
- URGENT: Purchase of a vehicle for family and ministry
We wish you a very Merry Christmas! Thanks for standing with us & supporting the Lord’s work in Colombia.
Aaron & Aubrie Vance
(with Amira, Anabel & Aris!)
September 2015 Prayer Letter Update
Dear Praying Friends,
What a joy it is to report to you that God’s work in Colombia is bursting in growth!
Ministry Milestones
Our church, Iglesia Bíblica Bautista El Faro celebrated its first anniversary on July 19th. After our first year, we have had an average attendance of about 50 but on the anniversary we had a big day with a record attendance of 140 people! Each week we’ve seen new visitors. Many have repented and believed the Gospel for salvation and we praise God that many others are in the initial and advanced stages of discipleship. We praise God for this growth.
In August, God opened the door for us to move our church to a new location just on the other side of the block from where we were. The timing of this can only be attributed to God! Because of the growth we’ve seen, it was difficult to fit into the first building, then just one week after we left the old location the entire road closed down for a construction project. We thank the Lord for many of our men who have pitched in to paint, knock out walls, put up new walls, and get things ready for services. We now have over double the seating capacity! With the rise of the value of the US dollar lately we were able to do much more than we could have just a couple of months ago. Still, there is much to be done. During the construction one of my key men, Eduardo, fell off a ladder and broke his leg. Pray for a quick recovery!
Click to see a printable PDF version of this letter (with pictures).
Family News
Our two-year religious visas will be expiring in October. Since our youngest daughter was born in Colombia and has dual citizenship we can now apply for residency. This will be a slightly higher up-front expense than reapplying for the temporary visa, but much better in the long run. Pray that everything goes smoothly. [Update: we got them!] Please also pray that we would be able to purchase a family/ministry vehicle soon.
Fruit Bearing Fruit
A dear friend, Rafael Gomez, is a pastor and missionary in Barranquilla Colombia (on the northern coast). He and his church invited me to preach their third anniversary and first missions conference at the end of August. They are excited about getting involved in supporting other missionaries to reach the world while reaching their Jerusalem. Would you pray for them? Will you pray about coming to Colombia to plant solid bible-believing churches?
Prayer Requests
- More lost souls to be saved and discipled
- Men who are heading into full-time ministry
- Eduardo’s recovery
- Resident visa application and trip to Bogota
- Vehicle for family and ministry
Thank you all for your faithful prayers and financial support! Lives are being changed because of your investment!
For King Jesus,
Aaron & Aubrie Vance
(with Amira, Anabel & Aris!)
God Blessed More Than We Expected! — Church’s First Anniversary Report
We have been amazed at what the Lord has done in the past year in and through our first church plant, Iglesia Bíblica Bautista El Faro (Lighthouse Bible Baptist Church) in Bucaramanga, Colombia. People have been saved, believers have grown through discipleship, leaders have emerged and begun to be developed, and the church has grown.
For our anniversary, we expected a good crowd, but we were blown away by how many people came. By our most accurate count, 140 people gathered together to celebrate what God has done in our first year! Many visitors came for the first time, the gospel was preached, professions of faith were made, believers were strengthened, and King Jesus was lifted high!
Following are a few pictures of our special service and a video we showed highlighting our first year.
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- What a group!
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- Happy about what God has done
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- Preaching the Word
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- We are out of space! (In fact, they told me about 30 adults and 22 kids were outside this room)
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- Lifting high the name of Jesus
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- One of our men always stands out front and passes out tracts before and after the service
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- Kids having fun in their service
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- Say cheese!
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- One of our members had a special cake made with photos from all last year.
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- Grill team working hard
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- Ready to pass out a tasty meal
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- Yum!
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Please pray for us in the days ahead. As you can see, we have run out of space, but praise the Lord, we were able to rent another larger building just around the block. Construction work is underway to adapt the building to our needs and get it ready for move in by the end of the month. Our people are very excited and all are pitching in to see Christ’s church expand and his Name lifted high.
The church has given sacrificially toward the many expenses of moving, but there are a few major things we would still like to purchase and we only lack the funds, namely a permanent baptistry and kitchen installations. If you would like to give a one-time gift toward these needs, you can send a check marked for us to our mission agency, Macedonia, or you can give online here. If you plan to give toward a specific need, write us a note to make sure it goes toward the right project.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support. God has blessed, and much fruit has been added to your account. Great days are ahead!
June 2015 Prayer Letter Update
June 30, 2015
Dear Praying Friends,
It is a challenge to squeeze into a few words the phenomenal things that have happened here in Bucaramanga, Colombia over the last two months, but let’s give it a try!
Ministry Blessings
Our first church plant has grown so much that we are at capacity in our current facility! With this growing attendance, we are seeking God’s will for our next step. Please pray for wisdom. July 19th marks our church’s first anniversary. It’s amazing what the Lord has done in this first year. On that day, Lord willing, we will also officially and legally organize the church, which will give us much more liberty to do even more and sponsor more church plants.
Just this month, we have about 10 new young people (15-25) who are not only coming but getting involved and earnestly seeking to know God’s Word and to serve him with their lives. As I have mentioned in previous letters, there are several others who are continuing to grow as leaders and desire to be in the ministry. Pray as we plan to officially open a Bible Institute soon. This is why we are here!
Our children’s ministry has also taken off, with 150-200 each week now. It’s a blessing to see these participating in lessons, memorizing scripture, trusting in Jesus, and learning Bible principles which will guide them throughout life. Many of our leaders from the church are even teaching their own groups of children now! To me, that is the greatest success of this ministry.
*Click to see a printable PDF of this letter (with pictures!)*
Hard To Say Goodbye
We’ve enjoyed visits from several in the last few months. My mother-in-law came for Aris’ birth, and my parents and brother came in May for their first time! Also, we had a young man with us in March who is considering a life of missions. If you or a group would like to come for a short-term or extended trip, let me know and we can work something out.
Family Matters
Our 4-month-old, Aris Lily, is beautiful and growing fast! She was recently diagnosed with bilateral hydronephrosis. Thankfully it is the lowest grade of this disease. They will do an ultrasound on her kidneys every few months and hopefully it will resolve on its own without surgery. On another note, Aubrie and I took her to the U.S. embassy in April and she is now both a citizen of Colombia and the U.S.
As a matter of prayer, our family will need to either renew our religious visas or apply for residency within the next few months (we can do this now since one of our children is Colombian!). Either way, we are looking at an expense of about $1500 – $2500. Any financial help toward this need would be a great blessing.
Plans and Prayers
As mentioned earlier, we are in need of a new building soon. Pray with us about this project. Another desire of ours is to have a bus or van to be able to bring many to church who otherwise wouldn’t be able to come. We already have a driver. We also are still in desperate need of a personal vehicle. Will you pray with us for these needs? Will you prayerfully consider making a donation? You can give online or send a check to MWBM, Inc. (PO Box 519, Braselton, GA 30517), and mark it Aaron Vance – Vehicle.
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Thanks again for your prayers & support. Only eternity will tell the full result of the investment you have made into God’s work here in Colombia. We love you all!
Aaron & Aubrie Vance (with Amira, Anabel & Aris!)
Click to see a printable PDF of this letter (With pictures!)
March 2015 Prayer Letter Update
March 11, 2015
Dear Praying Friends,
What a month it has been! Please rejoice with us in what the Jesus has been doing in Colombia, South America.
Young Lives Surrendered to God
Several weeks ago I was invited to preach a youth camp with over 100 teens from churches all over the country. Two of our own young men joined me on the trip across Colombia, and God did a mighty work in many lives. We thank Him for many who repented and believed on Him for salvation, as well as dozens who gave their lives to be used of God.
*Click to see printable pdf of this prayer letter (With pictures!)*
English as Evangelism
In January, we began free English classes as a community outreach. The response has been phenomenal! With help from other believers already attending our weekly English service, we’ve been able to offer a good class structure as well as cast a net for the Gospel’s sake. It’s been amazing seeing the steady flow of truth-seeking people into our church who in turn have discovered a family.
New Address
Praise God, we finally were able to rent a new apartment. It was a long process, but God’s timing and plans are better than our own. Here is our new mailing address:
Calle 91 #22-104 APTO 804 | Bucaramanga – Santander | COLOMBIA
She’s Here!
The newest Vance princess, Aris Lily, was born on February 24th. We praise the Lord for a smooth delivery and a healthy baby. We joked that she would look Colombian since she’d be born here, and were surprised to see her born with darker hair, skin and eyes than our other girls! Yes, this one takes after her mom. 🙂
Prayer Points
- Our growing church, Iglesia Bíblica Bautista El Faro
- Outreach ministries — Kids ministry, English classes, evangelism, discipleship, etc.
- Future plans for a church plant on the outskirts of town where we’ve been working with around 150 children and their families on Saturdays.
- Vehicle for family and ministry. Thank you to those who have given already!! If you would like to give toward this desperate need, you can send a check to: MWBM, Inc., PO Box 519, Braselton, GA 30517, marked “A. Vance – Vehicle” or give online here.
Again, we want to extend a warm thank you to each of you who have been so faithful in supporting us with your prayers and financial support. Your gifts become an investment in eternity, and God is already adding lasting fruit to your account!
For Christ the King,
Aaron & Aubrie Vance
(with Amira, Anabel & Aris!)
Click to see printable pdf of this prayer letter (With pictures!)
The Vance Family 