Dear Friends and Prayer Partners.
Thank you very much for your prayers and support. This past month, we had the privilege of baptizing four individuals. Each baptism was a testament to the transformative power of the Gospel, and I am excited to share their stories as they reflect the diverse ways in which God is working through his word here in Ecuador.
The first to get baptized was a 14-year-old young man who recently accepted Christ. His cousins invited him to church, and he has been coming to services and youth meetings for several months. In February, I had the opportunity to sit down with him and ask him about his salvation. He had never trusted Christ, but after hearing the Gospel, he decided to trust Christ as his Savior! Another young man in the church has been doing discipleship with him and he wanted to take the next step of getting baptized. We are so excited for him and ask for your prayers for his continued growth.
There was also an older lady in her late 70s who got baptized. Her son brought her to church, and she had never been baptized. At first, I was worried about baptizing her because she was in feeble health and could barely walk. However, over the past six months, she has repeatedly requested to take that step of faith. Seeing her willingness to follow through on this commandment was a joy, although physically challenging for her.
A girl of 14 years old also took this step of faith this past month. We had done discipleship with her and her family about six months ago, and at that time, when we had a discussion about baptism, she told us she wanted to wait until she was 15 or 16 years old to get baptized. We showed her from the Bible that baptism is the first step of faith and is something we see happening after salvation. At the time, she didn’t agree. However, she told us last month that she was ready to take that step of faith and get baptized. We are very excited to see how God worked in her life!
The last woman to get baptized was a Venezuelan lady who first visited our church almost two years ago. She came every month or so, but a few months ago, my wife had the opportunity to study the Bible with her through our discipleship. Through studying the Bible, she realized that she should be baptized. We are very excited that she decided to obey God’s word and took that step of faith.
My wife and I both had a chance to travel this past month. I had the chance to travel to Peru and preach at a family conference, and my wife was able to attend her brother’s wedding in the states. We are grateful for safe travels and blessings during these trips.
Once again, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering prayers and support. As we step into the month of May, I kindly ask for your continued prayers for the upcoming events and endeavors here in Ecuador.
Thank you very much for your support and prayers!
God Bless, The Blooms