First and Foremost, Thank you!

Dear Ricardo and Beth,

There is snow on the ground and the Kentucky temperatures are well below freezing, Jonathan just go word that school will be closed tomorrow. Juliana is hoping for a similar report. As we cuddle before the fireplace, we are warmed by your generosity! Last month we told you that we needed $26,000 in new gifts to finish the year. You responded by meeting the need! We are happy to report that we finished the year in the black. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Please Pray for Ecuador

Violence broke out in Ecuador last week. A criminal organization (aka drug traffickers) took over a television station during a live broadcast, prison riots broke out, there were killings in the streets, attacks at universities, and insecurity captured the nation. The President declared a state of war. Our mission district leader, Pastora Mariana Mafla says, "The situation is chaos in the capital city of Quito and the situation is even worse on the coast, in Esmeraldas. I ask for your prayers and support for our churches."

Please pray with us for God's peace to reign in Ecuador, pray for the protection of our brothers and sisters there, and pray that the Free Methodist Church can bring light to the darkness! Also pray for Pastora Marianna and Ricardo as they meet tomorrow to determine whether or not to postpone the Annual Meeting in Ecuador that is scheduled to take place February 26 - 28.

Leadership Transition

During the Peru Annual Meeting this weekend, Ricardo will be installing a new Mission District Leader, Pastor Ali León. Ali and his wife Jenmira, are Venezuelan immigrants to Peru. They have both been heavily involved in community church planting (CCP). Alí pastors a church in Lima and has served as the CCP coach for Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Peru. Please pray for Pastor Ali as he steps into this new role.

Travel Plans

The picture at the top of this message was taken at the airport in Panama when we were traveling to Kentucky. We now realize that Kentucky may not be the ideal base for winter travel. Hopefully Ricardo and Beth will be able to fly out of Louisville on Thursday morning en route to Lima, Peru. After the Annual meeting, we will travel into the Peruvian portion of the Amazon jungle to see first hand the ministry taking place in Iquitos.

If the Annual Meeting in Ecuador is not postponed, we will go from Peru to Quito, Ecuador where we will spend some time with missionaries JR & Becky Crouse before the Annual meeting. Beth will return to Kentucky and Ricardo will travel on to Paraguay for the Annual meeting February 2 - 4. Then we will meet back in Medellín, Colombia on February 5 to host the Latin American Leadership Summit.

Again, we want to thank you for your support of our ministry! Your generosity is a huge encouragement to us. What we do and what the Free Methodist Church in Latin America does is an extension of your ministry. We deeply appreciate your prayers and your financial investment in our ministry!

We will keep you informed as things progress.

We pray that God will continue to guide you and provide for you in 2024. May His peace reign in your hearts, minds, homes and churches!

Blessings,

Ricardo, Beth, Juliana and Jonathan

PS. December 27th we celebrated our 10th anniversary of living in Medellín, Colombia. We are thankful for all that God has shown and taught us in that time. We also enjoyed having the kids back in the city with us for the holidays!

Give Here