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Acts 1:8   “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”   

We started the new year  2016  holding  Acts 1:8, that we might have a direction to live a life of raising his disciples as Jesus’ witnesses, receiving the Holy Spirit fully through prayers and meditation on the words.

1. The Summer Bible Conference.

  We had the summer Bible conference with co-workers from Buenos Aires in January, like we do every year. Shepherdess Maria and Shepherdess Gabriela served the first main lecture gracefully- deeply meditating on and understanding Genesis 2. Brother Iván wrote his life testimony, based on a gospel of the cross. He was not able to perform his school-work due to lack of power of concentration, and was weak spiritually. Despite this he decided to accept Jesus and attend the Sunday worship service.  

  On the last day of the conference, M. Isaac Cho delivered a message on the meaning of baptism, and baptized Brother Iván, Sister Estefany, and Brother Bryan. Alberto and Diego, two brothers of Shepherdess Gabriela, and Brother Oscar from Bolivia, participated in the conference and had good fellowship with us.

2. A discipleship training.

  Shepherdess Gabriela, who had been sent out as a short-term missionary from Bolivia, trained for fishing and praying personally for last nine months while living in common life with us. After last summer Bible conference, she went back to her country. Thank God that He might help her to meet the Lord by herself, here through Daily Bread and personal prayers every day despite the difficulties in that country. 

  We also thank God that He might let her be a good co-worker for the worship and gospel work, and be a good friend for even Shepherdess Maria, too. Even though it used to be tired and hard for Shepherdess Maria to work for a hospital as a resident, she has kept the core of faith well, and fought a spiritual fight well. Central-South America is usually the same Spanish range that here can help one another, and train shepherds on the level of leader to need a train.  

3. The Sunday Worship Message.

  We had kept studying the Matthew gospel since last year, and we ended it, when the first semester ended. Straight after, we began to study the book of Acts. Thank God that He granted us a faithful and gracious message through the Matthew gospel in the first semester, the book of Acts in the second semester every week.

4. One to One Bible Study.

  We steadily visited campuses. In particular we kept visiting Brother Alejandro’s house. Although it took us about one and half an hour by car, or three hours or so by train and bus, for us to go there, in other words, even if we had to spend one day for us to get there and back, we did not spare ourselves; for at least he did not reject the Bible study. 

  He was a son, who suffered from his indoor history with strong evil spirits, health problem, material problems, and so on. He had so much unbelief that the word to seemed to bounce off a road paved with asphalt. However, the Lord’s words have been accepted into his heart little by little, so that God has also helped his mother and two sisters to accept Jesus, through his good influence. Although he was often interrupted by evil spirits, and irregular in participation, he has been pretty steadily able to share Daily Bread with us, and to study the Bible.  

  Brother Iván, sisters, such as Nadia, Diana, Salome studied the Bible one to one, through the Matthew gospel, the book of Acts, every week. Brother Martin, co-worker of Maria, steadily studied the Genesis with M. Isaac Cho. After M. Juan Carlos and M. Joselyn arrived in August, the work for fishing in the second semester began to be active. 

  Through fishing of the first week, M. Juan invited Brother Miguel, and he has been continually studying the Bible with the brother one to one till now. M. Joselyn also invited Sister Estefany in the early second semester, and has been raising her well. She has nearly finished a 12 steps Bible study for beginners. We have been preaching the gospel to sheep, to meet through fishing.

5. M. Juan and Joslyn’ s house.  

  We have been praying for inviting a native missionary house, since last year. God has sent us M. Juan Carlos and M. Joselyn’s house from Venezuela, hearing our prayers. Although the family accepted God’s calling as a missionary, they had to keep praying for if La Plata was their mission field or not. They say that M. Juan prayed to God like Gideon(Judges 6), “If La Plata is my mission field, may it rains here!” It is said that  in La Plata, drought had been continuing for some months, but on that day, it suddenly rained. And accepting John 4:38 as a key verse of his mission, he has been sent out to the fields to be ripe for harvest, as a reaper. Thank God for sending us good missionaries with youth, passions, and faith.

6. A marriage between Martin and Maria.

  God has sent us Brother Martin, who is suitable for Maria, hearing our long prayers for Maria’s marriage. He let the Lord’s many precious servants come to the wedding ceremony of Martin-Maria, and bless them. The Lord may use this family preciously for a gospel work of Argentina, and further the world mission work.     

7.  Argentine Missionaries’ United Prayer Meeting.    

  We have been holding the united prayer meeting for a gospel work of Argentina and the world mission work once per month. We have three chapters and ten missionaries, as a new missionary house came here in August this year(M. Isaac Cho).