Saturday, October 24, 2009
Report for September and October, 2009
You will not find anyone who believes in global warming here in Santiago. As we move into the spring, we have had several cool fronts come in, bringing cool temperatures and rain. Generally, Santiago begins to warm up in October. I am still wearing sweaters and taking my coat with me, just in case. I am ready for some of that warm weather to come along.
Frequently, I see signs that the congregation in Villa Los Andes Del Sur is functioning as it should. One of the families from the congregation, Beto and Pilar and their children, Tomás and Javiera, along with Pilar’s brother, Ivan, her sister, Salomé, and her niece, Daniela, went to Cuba. While there, they had the opportunity to visit with a student from the Bible Correspondence Course, Blanca. Blanca is an elderly lady in her seventies. She is a retired teacher. She had been at one time a member of the Communist Party, which she quit at some point in her life to become an evangelical. When she quit, the Commies rescinded her privileges. Today, she lives in abject poverty. The apartment she lives in is smaller than my bedroom. She lacks the basic necessities. Fortunately, Beto and Pilar were able to carry her some things like toothpaste and other amenities. As you can imagine, she needs our prayers. It has been four or five years since Beto and Pilar had visited her. Blanca told them that she prayed every day that they would be able to return and visit with them again. When Beto and Pilar arrived at her apartment, she was not at home. They inquired with a neighbor, who said she was in a house about a block away. As it turns out, Blanca was teaching the Bible Correspondence lessons that I had sent her to her neighbors. She evidently teaches in different houses every day. The good thing is that I was able to send her a complete package of lessons with Beto and Pilar. Blanca has not been baptized yet, but we are working on that. You can imagine the difficulty that we have when the visits are five years apart.
Pilar has been good about inviting her family and friends. Several of her friends are participating in Bible studies. Last Sunday, her brother, Ivan, was baptized. Photos of the baptism can be found here. http://harry1976.blogspot.com/
Beto and Pilar are not the only ones involved in mission work outside Chile. At the end of October, one of the Chilean ministers, Pedro Sanchez, will begin a preaching trip to Colombia.
Beto and Pilar are not the only ones involved in mission work outside Chile. One of the Chilean ministers, Sergio Plaza, (who is extremely poorly paid) was invited to preach and teach in a small town in Peru. Sergio spent a month preaching and teaching there. He preached to 600 people. Evidently there is a desire to become members of the Church of Christ among the indigenous people of Peru. Unfortunately, their knowledge of the Bible is minimal, which is where Sergio comes in. He is an excellent teacher of the Word. Sergio reported 20 baptisms in the town where he was. I am sorry but I do not know the name of the town. He later spent some time in Lima where he had the opportunity to teach.
Just so you know it, Beto and Pilar are not the only ones who are involved in mission work outside Chile. Nine ladies from three congregations in Santiago attended a ladies conference in Peru. One lady from each congregation gave a presentation. They were: my ex-secretary and Milton’s wife, Jacqueline, from the congregation in Los Nogales; my housekeeper, Liza, from Villa Los Andes del Sur; and my dentist, Maria Inez, from the congregation in Domeyko. From what Liza tells me, it was quite an adventure. Four of the ladies were older and needed some help getting around in their visit to Lima. Liza, the good-hearted woman that she is, helped these ladies, who according to her were as adept at getting into trouble as Lucille Ball or the Three Stooges. She kept me laughing with her stories about the trip. I view the participation in these activities as necessary for two reasons. The understanding of the Bible is not good in many of these areas, and it is necessary that our brothers in Christ receive good teaching. Fortunately, our Chilean brothers and sisters are quite knowledgeable and able to teach. This is a product of insisting on good teaching. Second, participating in these activities helps our Chilean brothers to be concerned about world missions. I strongly support the Chileans participating in these activities.
Our young people from the congregation in Villa Los Andes Del Sur are planning a mission trip of their own. They have been working at saving up money for the trip. Unfortunately, at this moment in time, they do not know where they will go. We are looking at possibilities.
One of my favorite Chileans, Francisca, was baptized. She has been participating with us for some time. Francisca is a social work major at one of the universities here in Santiago. She is a lovely young woman.
Liza and her husband, Felo, have been working to bring their families to Christ. As you know, we go to Rancagua every Sunday afternoon to conduct worship services at the home of Liza’s sister. You may recall that we baptized five members of that family earlier in the year. Through the years, Liza has talked to me about her family and Felo’s family. Since both families were strong Pentecostals, they worried about how to reach them. In both cases, I said that we should pray that God will open their heart. As you can see, God has been answering our prayers. Recently, due to an extremely grave illness of Felo’s brother, several of his family members have begun to study the Bible. So far they have been amazed by what they did not know about the Scriptures. As is true with many people, they did not realize what they did not know. This family also needs your prayers.
As you know, I continue with my studies. The classes have good participation. The Chileans are learning a lot. They would probably surprise you with what they know, much of which you may not know. I always begin my classes by asking for a brief review of what we have said previously. Last Wednesday night, Belén, a high school girl, gave the summary of what we had studied in Mark. She was able to say that the central idea of Mark is “Who is Jesus?” She showed us that in Mark 8, Jesus asks the question “Who do men say that I am?” He then asks the same question to his disciples. Peter responds that Jesus is the Son of the living God. Belén explained to us that in the first part of Mark, before these questions in Mark 8, the question is “Who is Jesus?” After Mark 8, Mark answers the question by showing that Jesus is the one who will die on the cross, be buried, and be raised on the third day. This demonstrates clearly that Mark is a gospel, and definitely belongs in the New Testament. I think it is outstanding that a high school girl has this level of knowledge about the Word.
Pedro Sanchez and I went to Iquique to study with the church there. Since I had a bad cold, I let Pedro do all of the teaching. I started out teaching on the Thursday night, but was hacking so much that I finally gave up. However, Pedro did a good job.
Claudio, a member of Domeyko, reported to me that his daughter was baptized. He mentioned that to me when we were at Domeyko baptizing Ivan. Another lady was also baptized.
The church in Los Nogales is planning to renovate the kitchen where the lunches are being prepared. They are also planning to build a second floor, evidently.
Thanks to the out of control spending the government has been doing, the dollar has been taking a nosedive. It is currently worth about 531 pesos to the dollar. This means we are going to be poor until it gets better. In spite of the economic situation, I am thankful for your support. May God bless you.
In Christ,
Harry R. Hamilton
Frequently, I see signs that the congregation in Villa Los Andes Del Sur is functioning as it should. One of the families from the congregation, Beto and Pilar and their children, Tomás and Javiera, along with Pilar’s brother, Ivan, her sister, Salomé, and her niece, Daniela, went to Cuba. While there, they had the opportunity to visit with a student from the Bible Correspondence Course, Blanca. Blanca is an elderly lady in her seventies. She is a retired teacher. She had been at one time a member of the Communist Party, which she quit at some point in her life to become an evangelical. When she quit, the Commies rescinded her privileges. Today, she lives in abject poverty. The apartment she lives in is smaller than my bedroom. She lacks the basic necessities. Fortunately, Beto and Pilar were able to carry her some things like toothpaste and other amenities. As you can imagine, she needs our prayers. It has been four or five years since Beto and Pilar had visited her. Blanca told them that she prayed every day that they would be able to return and visit with them again. When Beto and Pilar arrived at her apartment, she was not at home. They inquired with a neighbor, who said she was in a house about a block away. As it turns out, Blanca was teaching the Bible Correspondence lessons that I had sent her to her neighbors. She evidently teaches in different houses every day. The good thing is that I was able to send her a complete package of lessons with Beto and Pilar. Blanca has not been baptized yet, but we are working on that. You can imagine the difficulty that we have when the visits are five years apart.
Pilar has been good about inviting her family and friends. Several of her friends are participating in Bible studies. Last Sunday, her brother, Ivan, was baptized. Photos of the baptism can be found here. http://harry1976.blogspot.com/
Beto and Pilar are not the only ones involved in mission work outside Chile. At the end of October, one of the Chilean ministers, Pedro Sanchez, will begin a preaching trip to Colombia.
Beto and Pilar are not the only ones involved in mission work outside Chile. One of the Chilean ministers, Sergio Plaza, (who is extremely poorly paid) was invited to preach and teach in a small town in Peru. Sergio spent a month preaching and teaching there. He preached to 600 people. Evidently there is a desire to become members of the Church of Christ among the indigenous people of Peru. Unfortunately, their knowledge of the Bible is minimal, which is where Sergio comes in. He is an excellent teacher of the Word. Sergio reported 20 baptisms in the town where he was. I am sorry but I do not know the name of the town. He later spent some time in Lima where he had the opportunity to teach.
Just so you know it, Beto and Pilar are not the only ones who are involved in mission work outside Chile. Nine ladies from three congregations in Santiago attended a ladies conference in Peru. One lady from each congregation gave a presentation. They were: my ex-secretary and Milton’s wife, Jacqueline, from the congregation in Los Nogales; my housekeeper, Liza, from Villa Los Andes del Sur; and my dentist, Maria Inez, from the congregation in Domeyko. From what Liza tells me, it was quite an adventure. Four of the ladies were older and needed some help getting around in their visit to Lima. Liza, the good-hearted woman that she is, helped these ladies, who according to her were as adept at getting into trouble as Lucille Ball or the Three Stooges. She kept me laughing with her stories about the trip. I view the participation in these activities as necessary for two reasons. The understanding of the Bible is not good in many of these areas, and it is necessary that our brothers in Christ receive good teaching. Fortunately, our Chilean brothers and sisters are quite knowledgeable and able to teach. This is a product of insisting on good teaching. Second, participating in these activities helps our Chilean brothers to be concerned about world missions. I strongly support the Chileans participating in these activities.
Our young people from the congregation in Villa Los Andes Del Sur are planning a mission trip of their own. They have been working at saving up money for the trip. Unfortunately, at this moment in time, they do not know where they will go. We are looking at possibilities.
One of my favorite Chileans, Francisca, was baptized. She has been participating with us for some time. Francisca is a social work major at one of the universities here in Santiago. She is a lovely young woman.
Liza and her husband, Felo, have been working to bring their families to Christ. As you know, we go to Rancagua every Sunday afternoon to conduct worship services at the home of Liza’s sister. You may recall that we baptized five members of that family earlier in the year. Through the years, Liza has talked to me about her family and Felo’s family. Since both families were strong Pentecostals, they worried about how to reach them. In both cases, I said that we should pray that God will open their heart. As you can see, God has been answering our prayers. Recently, due to an extremely grave illness of Felo’s brother, several of his family members have begun to study the Bible. So far they have been amazed by what they did not know about the Scriptures. As is true with many people, they did not realize what they did not know. This family also needs your prayers.
As you know, I continue with my studies. The classes have good participation. The Chileans are learning a lot. They would probably surprise you with what they know, much of which you may not know. I always begin my classes by asking for a brief review of what we have said previously. Last Wednesday night, Belén, a high school girl, gave the summary of what we had studied in Mark. She was able to say that the central idea of Mark is “Who is Jesus?” She showed us that in Mark 8, Jesus asks the question “Who do men say that I am?” He then asks the same question to his disciples. Peter responds that Jesus is the Son of the living God. Belén explained to us that in the first part of Mark, before these questions in Mark 8, the question is “Who is Jesus?” After Mark 8, Mark answers the question by showing that Jesus is the one who will die on the cross, be buried, and be raised on the third day. This demonstrates clearly that Mark is a gospel, and definitely belongs in the New Testament. I think it is outstanding that a high school girl has this level of knowledge about the Word.
Pedro Sanchez and I went to Iquique to study with the church there. Since I had a bad cold, I let Pedro do all of the teaching. I started out teaching on the Thursday night, but was hacking so much that I finally gave up. However, Pedro did a good job.
Claudio, a member of Domeyko, reported to me that his daughter was baptized. He mentioned that to me when we were at Domeyko baptizing Ivan. Another lady was also baptized.
The church in Los Nogales is planning to renovate the kitchen where the lunches are being prepared. They are also planning to build a second floor, evidently.
Thanks to the out of control spending the government has been doing, the dollar has been taking a nosedive. It is currently worth about 531 pesos to the dollar. This means we are going to be poor until it gets better. In spite of the economic situation, I am thankful for your support. May God bless you.
In Christ,
Harry R. Hamilton
Saturday, September 19, 2009
La Iglesia de Cristo en Villa Los Andes Del Sur
Here we have some fotos from a dinner we had with the church.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Report from Chile
Greetings from Chile. I hope that all of you are doing well.
I have been busy with the various activities. On Sunday mornings, I am teaching Galatians in the Bible class. The congregation has understood the book better, because we talked last year about the promises that God made to Abraham in Genesis 12 and 17. I explained that one understands the Bible through ideas. The four promises that God makes to Abraham flow throughout the entire Bible, giving structure to the Bible. These four promises are the Promised Land, the great nation, the covenant, and blessings and curses. In Galatians, Paul helps us understand how God blesses the nations through the Gospel. God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ.
Last Sunday morning in Bible class, Viviana raised her hand to make a comment. Viviana has been participating in our activities, with her two children. All are studying the Bible. She is a widow who lost her husband about four years ago. Her husband was a politician and an agnostic. Viviana said that she and her children stayed up until three am on Saturday talking about faith. She said that they all realized that their late father was wrong about faith. One could actually learn about God and come to faith. Her words were an inspiration to all of us. Her daughter, Nina, is a young lady who has been caught up in some kind of Buddhist teaching through yoga, or who knows what. She came to me and asked about Christianity, and how she could know whether it was the true religion. I talked to her about Buddhism and explained why Buddhism could not be a true religion. Then I explained to her why Christianity is the true religion that comes from God. Since then, she has been studying the Bible with renewed enthusiasm. Viviana’s comments show us the growth that her entire family has.
While I have been teaching the adults, Sergio Plaza has been working with the young people, along with Liza and Felo. Most of these kids are either in their later teens or their early twenties. Génesis is the youngest of the group at fifteen. Paulina has invited her friend Fernanda, who is a sweet young lady. I let both of them, along with Romina, come over and eat lunch at my house whenever they want. Rodrigo and Francisca (his girlfriend) come over quite frequently, and we study the Bible together. Francisca is also a sweet young lady. Daniel and Elsa (his girlfriend) also participate in the young people’s class. Elsa has a difficult home life because of problems between her parents. She has been faithful in coming to church since the first time she has come. The participants in the class are Paulina, Daniel, Rodrigo, Francisca, Romina, Elsa, Nina, Juan, Luis, Belén, Génesis, Israel, Nicolás, Tomás, and Javiera. The young people who are not Christians (7) are studying the Bible to be saved. Here in Chile, when we teach the Bible, we work hard on teaching conviction and conversion. We want them to be committed Christians. I am proud of the way that our young people are growing spiritually. The teaching for commitment pays off. Liza told me that she overheard Rodrigo talking to his cousin about our church. The cousin asked if we used instrumental music. Rodrigo assured him that we most definitely do not. The cousin, who plays the guitar in church, asked Rodrigo why not. Rodrigo asked him, “When you play, do you like the attention that your playing gets you?” The cousin admitted that he liked it. Rodrigo told him, “That is where the problem is, because we look for what God likes, not what we like. The worship service should be oriented toward God, not ourselves.” The cousin admitted that Rodrigo was right.
The young people decided that they wanted to do a mission trip next summer. So, for all of this year, they have been working to save up money for the trip. We hope to go to Iquique where there are a number of young people. If that does not work out, we will go to another location.
On Sunday evenings, I go to Rancagua. This congregation is getting started. So far, we have baptized five people here, all family members of Liza. Liza’s nephews, Franco and Jonathan, have been participating with our young people, along with Jenny. They are really wonderful young people.
We have had some difficulty with Liza’s family. Liza’s father denounced her, claiming that she was a religious fanatic. She shed some tears over this. I am a bit surprised that he did not denounce me, since I am obviously the one that is the religious fanatic. Now consider this gentleman’s family. His daughter Elizabeth and her husband Felo are members of the church, as are their three children. His daughter Fabiola and her husband Roberto are members of the church, as are their four children: his granddaughter Marlene and her husband Alan, his grandson Roberto and his wife Catalina (his two great-grandchildren attend church) and two grandsons more, Eric and Daniel. His daughter Ya-ya and her husband Eduardo are members of the church, as are his two grandsons, Jonathan and Franco, and Franco’s future wife, Jenny. Another son and his wife along with their children attend the service. It is easier to count the people in this family who are not Christians or attending church: one son and his family in Rancagua, and another daughter and her family in Spain.
The great thing about this little church is that they work. They invite people and they talk about the Bible to people. A couple of Sundays ago, they came to Santiago for a lunch with the congregation in Villa Los Andes Del Sur. Jenny and Ya-ya really worked with the ladies of the congregation in preparing lunch. It was great.
I changed my minister’s meetings on Monday to the early afternoon. This is motivated mainly by the need to exercise and go on a diet. Since I am trying to lose weight, I decided I needed to be more disciplined in getting my exercise and also in cutting back on eating. Another thing is that the supermarket that I go to has a discount day on Mondays and I needed to get over there to take advantage of that. So I moved the class to the afternoon. Currently, we are studying Acts.
I also made a change on Monday nights. I had taught everything that I could to the men of the congregation about preaching, at least for the time being. Beto asked me if I would consider teaching a class in his home. I told him I would, so I changed the Monday class to Beto’s home. His wife, Pilar, invited several neighbors over, so we have been studying basic themes with them.
On Tuesdays, I have been going to Los Andes. We are studying Mark. The participation has been smaller since they moved out to the country, so we are working with that.
On Wednesdays, I teach a class on Mark at Angel and Doris’s house. In spite of the cold winter nights, the participation has been good. Their living room has been filled with about twenty-five people participating.
On Thursdays, I teach 1 John in my home. I have about twenty people who participate in that.
On Fridays, I have been alternating between having a meeting with the ladies in my home, and having the young people over. Last week, I had the young people over for homemade pizza. It was great. (Goodbye diet). Tonight, the ladies of the congregation will be here, perhaps for more pizza. (It is tough being a missionary.)
On Saturdays, we have several different activities, usually special activities, depending on the weekend.
Twelve people were baptized in Maipú. These are people that Pedro Sánchez met in Valparaiso. The Lord has blessed us as always. Thank you for your support.
Harry Hamilton
I have been busy with the various activities. On Sunday mornings, I am teaching Galatians in the Bible class. The congregation has understood the book better, because we talked last year about the promises that God made to Abraham in Genesis 12 and 17. I explained that one understands the Bible through ideas. The four promises that God makes to Abraham flow throughout the entire Bible, giving structure to the Bible. These four promises are the Promised Land, the great nation, the covenant, and blessings and curses. In Galatians, Paul helps us understand how God blesses the nations through the Gospel. God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ.
Last Sunday morning in Bible class, Viviana raised her hand to make a comment. Viviana has been participating in our activities, with her two children. All are studying the Bible. She is a widow who lost her husband about four years ago. Her husband was a politician and an agnostic. Viviana said that she and her children stayed up until three am on Saturday talking about faith. She said that they all realized that their late father was wrong about faith. One could actually learn about God and come to faith. Her words were an inspiration to all of us. Her daughter, Nina, is a young lady who has been caught up in some kind of Buddhist teaching through yoga, or who knows what. She came to me and asked about Christianity, and how she could know whether it was the true religion. I talked to her about Buddhism and explained why Buddhism could not be a true religion. Then I explained to her why Christianity is the true religion that comes from God. Since then, she has been studying the Bible with renewed enthusiasm. Viviana’s comments show us the growth that her entire family has.
While I have been teaching the adults, Sergio Plaza has been working with the young people, along with Liza and Felo. Most of these kids are either in their later teens or their early twenties. Génesis is the youngest of the group at fifteen. Paulina has invited her friend Fernanda, who is a sweet young lady. I let both of them, along with Romina, come over and eat lunch at my house whenever they want. Rodrigo and Francisca (his girlfriend) come over quite frequently, and we study the Bible together. Francisca is also a sweet young lady. Daniel and Elsa (his girlfriend) also participate in the young people’s class. Elsa has a difficult home life because of problems between her parents. She has been faithful in coming to church since the first time she has come. The participants in the class are Paulina, Daniel, Rodrigo, Francisca, Romina, Elsa, Nina, Juan, Luis, Belén, Génesis, Israel, Nicolás, Tomás, and Javiera. The young people who are not Christians (7) are studying the Bible to be saved. Here in Chile, when we teach the Bible, we work hard on teaching conviction and conversion. We want them to be committed Christians. I am proud of the way that our young people are growing spiritually. The teaching for commitment pays off. Liza told me that she overheard Rodrigo talking to his cousin about our church. The cousin asked if we used instrumental music. Rodrigo assured him that we most definitely do not. The cousin, who plays the guitar in church, asked Rodrigo why not. Rodrigo asked him, “When you play, do you like the attention that your playing gets you?” The cousin admitted that he liked it. Rodrigo told him, “That is where the problem is, because we look for what God likes, not what we like. The worship service should be oriented toward God, not ourselves.” The cousin admitted that Rodrigo was right.
The young people decided that they wanted to do a mission trip next summer. So, for all of this year, they have been working to save up money for the trip. We hope to go to Iquique where there are a number of young people. If that does not work out, we will go to another location.
On Sunday evenings, I go to Rancagua. This congregation is getting started. So far, we have baptized five people here, all family members of Liza. Liza’s nephews, Franco and Jonathan, have been participating with our young people, along with Jenny. They are really wonderful young people.
We have had some difficulty with Liza’s family. Liza’s father denounced her, claiming that she was a religious fanatic. She shed some tears over this. I am a bit surprised that he did not denounce me, since I am obviously the one that is the religious fanatic. Now consider this gentleman’s family. His daughter Elizabeth and her husband Felo are members of the church, as are their three children. His daughter Fabiola and her husband Roberto are members of the church, as are their four children: his granddaughter Marlene and her husband Alan, his grandson Roberto and his wife Catalina (his two great-grandchildren attend church) and two grandsons more, Eric and Daniel. His daughter Ya-ya and her husband Eduardo are members of the church, as are his two grandsons, Jonathan and Franco, and Franco’s future wife, Jenny. Another son and his wife along with their children attend the service. It is easier to count the people in this family who are not Christians or attending church: one son and his family in Rancagua, and another daughter and her family in Spain.
The great thing about this little church is that they work. They invite people and they talk about the Bible to people. A couple of Sundays ago, they came to Santiago for a lunch with the congregation in Villa Los Andes Del Sur. Jenny and Ya-ya really worked with the ladies of the congregation in preparing lunch. It was great.
I changed my minister’s meetings on Monday to the early afternoon. This is motivated mainly by the need to exercise and go on a diet. Since I am trying to lose weight, I decided I needed to be more disciplined in getting my exercise and also in cutting back on eating. Another thing is that the supermarket that I go to has a discount day on Mondays and I needed to get over there to take advantage of that. So I moved the class to the afternoon. Currently, we are studying Acts.
I also made a change on Monday nights. I had taught everything that I could to the men of the congregation about preaching, at least for the time being. Beto asked me if I would consider teaching a class in his home. I told him I would, so I changed the Monday class to Beto’s home. His wife, Pilar, invited several neighbors over, so we have been studying basic themes with them.
On Tuesdays, I have been going to Los Andes. We are studying Mark. The participation has been smaller since they moved out to the country, so we are working with that.
On Wednesdays, I teach a class on Mark at Angel and Doris’s house. In spite of the cold winter nights, the participation has been good. Their living room has been filled with about twenty-five people participating.
On Thursdays, I teach 1 John in my home. I have about twenty people who participate in that.
On Fridays, I have been alternating between having a meeting with the ladies in my home, and having the young people over. Last week, I had the young people over for homemade pizza. It was great. (Goodbye diet). Tonight, the ladies of the congregation will be here, perhaps for more pizza. (It is tough being a missionary.)
On Saturdays, we have several different activities, usually special activities, depending on the weekend.
Twelve people were baptized in Maipú. These are people that Pedro Sánchez met in Valparaiso. The Lord has blessed us as always. Thank you for your support.
Harry Hamilton
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