In both Matthew 13 and Luke 8, Jesus tells a parable of a sower to communicate what happens with different people when they hear the gospel of the kingdom of God. He then gives the meaning afterwards:
“When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it.” (Matthew 13:19-23)
We have seen growth in some kids who, like the seeds that fell on the good soil, received the word, understood it, and there is gospel fruit in their life. Unfortunately, others who seemed to have initially received it with joy, for one reason or another, have wandered away from the faith or greatly struggled to cultivate their love for God. We continue to labor, minister, and pray for these kids with the hope that they will join the redemptive kingdom of Jesus Christ. The encouragement we receive from this parable is that we can sow seeds, but we are ultimately not responsible for their growth.
These past few months have had successes and challenges in various aspects of our life and mission, both ups and downs. Your continued support and prayers strengthen and encourage us.
Being foreign missionaries, as we are all missionaries whether local to our native country or foreign, we did have a sobering moment recently. I (Christopher) was leading a Bible study on the Last Supper (or the “Holy Dinner” as it is said in Spanish) and Jesus’ last words in the upper room from John 13-17. I began the teaching by asking each of the kids, “If tonight was your last night, what would you do?” During the group discipleship, we received messages from fellow leaders that the gang wars in La Carpio had intensified and there had been a few injuries and deaths, including bystanders caught in the crossfire. The timing deeply impacted us, as the biblical truth of an uncertain future and unknown tomorrow is often ignored by us. Tomorrow is not promised, and before leaving La Carpio that night, we found ourselves in prayer, petitioning to the Lord for protection.
This same night, as we were leaving La Carpio, I (Christopher) felt the Holy Spirit leading me to evangelize to a young drug addict that we have seen quite a bit as of recent. I had previously felt the Holy Spirit leading me to evangelize to him, and I had not done so, and I did not want to miss out on a second chance. I also was reminded of our first week back in Costa Rica, when the Lord had shown me a vision of a man I had never met at Walmart. It was specific, and when we went to Walmart, I saw the man there, exactly as he was in the vision the Holy Spirit had shown me. But I did not say anything to him. I left Walmart, disobedient to the Father, and did not want to repeat that sin or miss out on another God-honoring opportunity.
I thank God that His patience and grace far surpasses my disobedience. I evangelized to the young man, and he became emotional, saying that his mother had asked him to put a stop to his lifestyle that very day. He responded well, and I hope he comes to surrender to Jesus as Christ and Lord. Another blessing from that interaction is that there were two men around him who overheard us, one of whom told me he would like to speak to me personally when he sees us again. We pray that the Lord brings them to salvation.
This past weekend, we had another young, married, Christian couple from La Carpio stay the night with us, and we got to spend intentional time with them, which was crucial. We enjoyed our time, and more than anything, we hope to continue to minister to and disciple them as their marriage is on the brink of destruction. Please pray for this couple, that they may live out marriage as the Lord desires for all married couples (Ephesians 5).
While much of this blogpost content is heavier, we hope God uses this to minister to your heart and faith as well. A highlight from this month is that as a collaboration of different ministries, we got to meet with almost all of the other ministry leaders, as seen in the selfie picture above. It was an edifying time, as we spent most of the day building unity, getting to know one another, and strengthening existing friendships. Another very positive experience we had this 3rd month was going back to the USA for a week for my (Christopher) brother’s HS graduation. We are excited for him, as he is going to spend 2 weeks with us in Costa Rica before heading off to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago to pursue a BA in Biblical Preaching! Truly, it is one of the biggest blessings and greatest joys in my life to have my younger brother also pursue vocational ministry as a response to the Lord’s calling in his life, as we get to share similar experiences together.
Stories:
- One of the young ladies I (Hannah) have been discipling had an interaction with a couple of nonbelievers. When she found out that they were not followers of Jesus her instant response was, “I need to share my testimony with them!” She then began sharing with them her testimony. We have been discussing evangelism and the power of a testimony recently and the importance of putting the Word into practice. This is one of the beauties of discipleship, where we get to see faith in action through the sharing of what God has been up to in someone’s life as a means of evangelism, praise God!
- I (Hannah) recently began meeting with another girl who shared parts of her life story and upbringing with me. I am grateful God is opening doors to bring hope and light to the darkest of moments that she has gone through. We are going to be studying Lamentations together to see in the Scriptures those who have wept and lamented years ago due to tragedies in their lives, and how this young girl can mourn, grieve, and express her sorrows in a healthy and biblical way. Being able to trust and lean on God amidst difficulties as well as a community of believers in Christ is such a gift. Please keep her in your prayers.
God bless
The Pinedos
PRAISE REPORTS:
- Young lady sharing her testimony
- A teenage girl opened up about her past and life and will learn to how process her own story and emotions
- Formative and intentional time with another married couple
PRAYER POINTS:
- Safety for us and our team amidst gang violence in the area
- That the young married couple would experience a renewed marriage by striving to live out marriage biblically
- Financial provision to purchase a car
- Continued boldness in evangelism