The Power of the Word and Wounded Souls

Solutions for poorly trained church leaders, as well as reflections on suffering children, blessed efforts, and new contacts.

There’s great economic hardship in Argentina. The past year ended with 94.8% inflation. We’re seeing evidence of this in a decrease in literature sales (much smaller) this year. Although life in Argentina is certainly marked by one of the greatest crises in the nation’s history, its World Cup title was a welcome—albeit brief—escape.

A Solution for Inadequate Schooling
In Argentina’s northwesternmost province of Jujuy, many churches have leaders who have never attended Bible school, nor have they received a good education more generally. When the instruction and practical application provided to a church is poor, it has a negative impact. So, the board of directors of a Bible school decided to establish a special program for church leadership. Classes are held every Friday evening by Zoom, and an on-site intensive course is taught in person on the last Saturday of the month.

I was asked to teach Evangelism and Discipleship, followed by a two-hour Q&A period. We were amazed that around 50 church leaders took part in the new program. Additionally, there was a one-week teaching seminar at a local Bible school, where I expaneded on the teachings of Christ and the Holy Spirit for about 8 hours each day.

We were also invited to the Word of Life missions conference. We presented Midnight Call’s literature there, and had exchanges with many missionaries and young people about the call to worldwide missions. It did us good to talk to other brothers and sisters in the faith who are experiencing the same struggles, but who also share the same vision.

A Terrible Fate
Every year, we close our Sunday school with a beautiful celebration. Around 60 children, who are taught the Word throughout the year, give a performance. Parents, of course, are also invited. Most of these children come from a nearby slum. We experience many happy things, such as decisions for Jesus, but also some that cause us profound sadness.

My wife Carina and our children Michael and Damaris, are among the children’s teachers. They learned from a 12-year-old that her mother had sold the girl’s body to men in the family and neighborhood, beginning when she was nine years old. This finally came to light when she had to be brought to the hospital after being raped. Although her case is pending in the court system, the girl was returned to her mother. The family hasn’t allowed us any contact with her since.

The Suffering of Girls
In January, we preached the Word at a youth camp in the north of the country. An intern from Breckerfeld Bible school had come, freeing us both to go. Those were truly blessed days with the 150 youth there.

In the course of providing pastoral care, we learned that six girls in a room of twelve had been sexually abused in either their childhood or teens. Only God’s intervention and His Word can bring true comfort and heal their wounded souls. There were many other issues that were burdening the young people. By God’s grace, several of them also made decisions for Jesus.

In the Amazon
The Swiss ministry Indicamino invited us to a missions conference near the Amazon in Peru in late February and early March. Their work is primarily with the indigenous people of Peru’s lowlands. Their mission station, Indicamino’s oldest and largest, is located on a massive tributary of the Amazon River. Their mission field is the entire Peruvian Amazon region—an area about ten times the size of Switzerland! Around 3 million people live there, at least 300,000 of whom are indigenous people from 55 different ethnic groups.

Indicamino holds a conference for their employees each year. This year, I was able to share the Word several times a day. The fellowship with other missionaries was truly blessed, and we were able to make new friends there. Since I love the tropics, this was a nice change from the concrete jungle of Buenos Aires.

Great Help
Erich and Jutta Schäfer came out of retirement to join us for the three summer months. They enjoyed being with their children and grandchildren (Daniel Schäfer and family) again. They used this time for numerous evangelistic outreaches. They also got to work immediately, reprinting almost a million tracts that we had run out of. We are so grateful to them for their service.

Midnight Call - 09/2023