Thank you for praying for us. We are convinced that God has protected us from sickness and harm, and we are just as convinced that this is a result of your prayers for us. We cannot begin to tell you how much your prayers mean to us.
While 2021 had its difficulties and challenges, it was also a year full of opportunity. Emily and I had the privilege of being part of a total of 28 conferences, including 9 Pastors’ and Workers’ Conferences and 16 Missions Conferences. We were in one Family Conference, and I spoke in a Men’s Conference, as well as several virtual meetings. We were in a total of 56 churches. We are praying that this year will be just as productive as last year, with a few more days at home.
It is obvious that this pandemic has affected all of us in varying degrees. We had to limit some of our church’s programs, but we are thankful that we have been able to resume most of them, especially the Sunday school, children’s services, and Bus Ministry. On December 19, we had a big day with 200 salvations! Praise the Lord! It was so encouraging to see so many of our people involved in the activities, visiting, soul winning, promotions, etc.
One area where we were never limited was in our weekly soul-winning programs. The government, at times, limited how many people could attend a public service, and for a few weeks, no churches were operating. But we were able to go soul winning throughout the entire time. One thing I discovered is that everyone knows someone who died of (or with) COVID. This made them even more inclined to hear about salvation and eternal life.
On a recent Thursday night, Emily and I went soul winning with the group here at Mount Hebron Baptist Church. Praise the Lord, 110 of our church members took part in the program! I took 10-year-old Javier, our music director’s son, with me. We witnessed to a couple, Francisco and his wife Lilia, and both prayed and trusted Christ as their Saviour. While Javier and I were visiting, Javier’s mom, Esther, and Emily passed out tracts. Emily was able to witness to a young lady for the first time in Spanish.
We are excited about the start of the semester in the Bible institute. We are thankful that we have been able to remain open, with a full class schedule. Please pray for these young people. They are serious about being prepared for God to use them in His service. They are all involved in some aspect of the ministry. They are receiving not only classroom teaching, but also practical training at the same time. This is one of the strengths of our institute.
We are looking forward to hosting our annual Pastors’ and Christian Workers’ Fires of Evangelism Conference February 21-24. Last year, we had to limit the attendance and programs. This year, we will be back to full strength, the Lord willing. Please pray for God to work in the hearts of His people as they are challenged for faithfulness in reaching souls with the Gospel.
Please pray as we continue to work on recovering ministry property that is under litigation. We are encouraged about the prospects of a favorable solution. Thank you again for your faithful support of this ministry.
Yours for souls,
Tommy and Emily Ashcraft