~ Separated to the work in Colombia, South America ~
Henry and Grace Sullivan
Nuquí, Chocó, Colombia
Dear family in Christ,
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. 2 Pe 1:2
Since February we have been continuing with the Bible classes at the school. It has been fun to see the kids’ interest including some who, in the beginning, went out of their way to show how disinterested and bored they were but now are engaged in the discussion. I guess they realized their Creator is interesting after all.
On Mother’s Day, May 11, we had a baptism for “J” the man who tutors the group of kids with whom we have the Bible class at the school. He has been a believer for a number of years but not been baptized due to some uncertainties in his understanding of the Word and lack of connection with a congregation that he trusts. He had been seeking the Lord more earnestly and came to believe that in order to experience fully what God has for him he needs to be baptized. We meet regularly and it has been encouraging to see his confidence in the Lord continue to grow.
Currently I have three indigenous young men working with me on the house project, which has advanced significantly. The progress is great but the best part is the relationships that develop through it. We got together a few weeks ago one Sunday afternoon to read the Bible together. It has not worked out again since but I am hopeful that we can again.
Visas are an ongoing problem. My last application was denied and as we found out through other missionary friends we are certainly not alone in this. There are many missionaries leaving Colombia right now including some who have been here for many years as they were also denied their visas. There was a massive overhaul of the visa system in 2022 that changed the classification of many of the visas. That change laid the groundwork for what appears to now be a change in the ministry of foreign affairs’ interpretation of how the visas apply. With these changes, we no longer have a clear path to a Visa. This is a rather abrupt change for us as it means that we have the month of June to get ourselves out of the country. We do not believe that our work here is done just that the way we go about it will change as we are not able to continuously live here in country. We are asking the Lord to show us clearly what He has in mind for our involvement in the future and are excited at the possibilities as that becomes clearer.
Please continue to pray:
For strength and health as we are preparing to leave here.
For solutions to the many complications produced by the sudden change of plans.
For clear direction for future ministry here.
- Henry, for: Henry, Grace, David, Noah, Joseph and Julia