We are starting a church in Argentina. There is much to do in starting the church. Faith Baptist Church really doesn’t exist yet, but it will, and it will very soon! At this time we are looking for a place to hold services. That means we are looking for a building to rent. The area we will be starting the church in is over an hour away from our home and we do not know anyone in the area yet. That means I go along with some Argentine friends and we go from real estate office to real estate office explaining what we are looking for. We have spent days in the area looking for somewhere. We have asked God to guide us. What exactly are we looking for?

• We are looking for a building we can rent. We obviously want it to be cheap.
• We want the building to be in a residential area.
• We don’t need a huge building, but we do need a room that would be large enough to hold services in (this is challenging). The homes here are made of concrete, which makes tearing down walls difficult.

All of these factors make finding a building a little more difficult. It means we have to think “outside of the box”. We have already seen many different houses, salons, and the like. As for now, there is one building we are seriously considering! We will take the remainder of this week to continue looking at places to hold services and we should be making a decision soon.

The amazing thing is that the cities we are looking in are all cities that are wide open! We don’t know of any churches that are preaching the Gospel in these cities. They are on the Southern border of Buenos Aires and are full of people! My mind goes to Matthew 9:37-38, when Jesus told His disciples “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” Also in John 4:35, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.“

This is just the beginning. There is much more to do from preparing the building, inviting people to the church, to witnessing to the community, baptizing new believers, discipling, and training men! What do we do from there? That is for another post! Check back for updates and continue to pray for us.

2017 – A Special Announcement

We are in a new year and with this new year come new beginnings. We have many great things scheduled for 2017. We will be telling you more about the different things planned for this year as the year continues. One thing we are very excited about is that we will be starting the first church in our ministry here in Argentina! Faith Baptist Church will officially launch in March 2017! We have gone through language school and have been practicing the language faithfully. We are now at the place where we can converse and I can preach, teach, and explain the Bible. We are now looking for a building to rent to hold services. From there we will continue forward. Please pray for us as we continue on in faith.

Serving Together,

Patrick, Leslie, Lily, Piper, and Ivy Henry

 

Prayer Requests for the Church Plant

• We are now searching for a building where we can have services.

• The inaugural service will be in March 2017.

• We are looking in Southern Buenos Aires, primarily in Lanús and Lomas de Zamora.

Everyone wants to start the year off right. This is a new year and with the new year can come new goals that we set for ourselves. Health goals are always a big one. Perhaps goals in our work. Whatever goals you may set for 2017, I encourage you to consider the One, True God. What does God desire for my life in 2017? That is a great question. Some things we know, others we may not. For instance, I firmly believe God’s will for every soul is to believe on Jesus. Some don’t believe this… but I do. I think there is Scripture that leads me to believe this (1 Timothy 2:3-4 is a good example). But God’s will does not end in our salvation, it begins with our salvation. God also desires us to advance the Gospel. God desires us to be students of His Word. We see an excellent example in Jesus who often quoted and referred to the Old Testament Scriptures. If it was important for Jesus, it should be important to us. God’s will is for us to help others. In context to the local church, I am referring to discipleship (2 Timothy 2:2). God desires us to help others as we live out the Christian life. I am a firm believer that every Christian should disciple and be discipled. It is not a “calling”, it is a “command”. There are many other areas that can be addressed (like raising our children for Jesus among many other areas), but I think you get the point. Out of our goals and resolutions for 2017, please consider most of all, “What does God desire for my life in 2017?” It may just change your year, and I believe it will change it for the better.

What are some of our goals? I have several. Some goals are ministry goals (more coming up about this on this Friday’s update), others concern my family. Lily (my oldest daughter, 10 years old) and I are reading through the Bible together this year. She is reading in English and I am reading in Spanish (it will be a “first” for us both). We have already had some sweet discussions about what we are reading. I am excited about this. Obviously, becoming more fluent in Spanish is a big one. Really, most (if not all) of my goals revolve around glorifying Jesus. I am trying to practice what I preach.

Whatever goals you have, I encourage you to consider what God’s desires are for your life. Life is really not about us. It is all about Jesus. Enjoy and make the most of 2017!

We are in the last week of 2016. This is the time where we look back and reflect on the year. 2016 has brought a lot of changes. There are so many things to be thankful to God for. For example, we started 2016 off living in the United States and we end this year living in Argentina. We completed deputation in 2 years and have now completed language school! We started 2016 off barely able to speak Spanish and we end the year almost fluent. There are so many things I am thinking back on through this year. Here are just a few tings that come to my mind as I look back on 2016…

• God has been faithful! I know this is obvious and it is a beautiful thing to see first hand in your own life. Every step we have taken God has proven Himself. I believe God will be faithful through 2017 as we step out even more!
• Worrying about things was a waste. I worry at times…and when I worry, I worry a lot! Worry hurts the “worrier”. It takes away any happiness or contentment. It keeps you from enjoying the “here and now”. It obviously hurts your faith in God as well! I look back on the worries I have had in 2016 and I think, “Why did I worry?” If I will just remember that God is in control and that I am His servant, everything will be okay. There is no use in worrying. It really doesn’t change anything and if it does, it doesn’t change anything for the better!
• 2016 has been a foundational year. This year has been a foundation for our ministry here in Argentina. We moved down to Argentina, we have learned (and are still learning) Spanish. We are continuing on. While it has been foundational for future ministry, it has not been easy. It is difficult to be the different one. It is even more difficult to be the different one and not being able to understand anyone. It may not have been easy, but it has been very enjoyable! For a long time I could not understand almost anyone. The man who picked me up at the airport says we spoke more with our hands than with words that day. Even so, we have had a blast! I have preached and have messed up everything I was trying to say. People have laughed at me for saying something incorrectly, and I have responded by laughing with them! We have enjoyed this time so much and I think this kind of attitude has helped us grow.

There are many other things that could be said. These are just a few things that come to my mind as I think about 2016. So what about 2017? When we look back on this year, it is natural to think about what you would like to do in the coming year. That is for another blog post and it will be coming soon…