We’re grateful for the opportunity to serve in Chile!
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Dear friends,

We are so grateful for your partnership in the gospel. Your prayers, encouragement, and contributions give us the opportunity to serve others here in South America. The last few months and weeks have been a mixture of lamenting and rejoicing.

Two weeks ago, we were celebrating that a new baby was about to be born. On Sunday April 8, our friends Cristian and Lena saw their daughter Gabriella Grace (Gigi) come into this world. Gigi was also the granddaughter of our teammates (John and Cathy Rug), and the newest member of our church community. Due to complications during childbirth, however, she then passed away early Tuesday in the middle of the night. And as a church community and a mission team, we have mourned. It was the first time this young church plant had been touched by death, and for many in the church it was their first up-close experience with loss. The grief has been heavy.

We have mourned a good bit these past weeks. We’ve lost Gigi, dear people from our churches in Tuscaloosa and Augusta, and the first person we saw come to faith in Guadalajara: Don Luis, among others. We are sad for losses here and yet grateful for a saving, covenant Lord who is faithful in all his ways.This reality of death also highlights the importance of gospel ministry and mission work. As Peter said to Jesus in John 6:68, “You have the words of eternal life.” Please continue to pray that the significance of these words would reach the lost.

In the midst of lamentation, there have also been many reasons to rejoice. A few things we’ve seen:

  • Gigi’s parents continue to give glory to God, even in the midst of their pain. Their testimony in the funeral, in the church community, and even among the medical professionals shows that there truly is something different and beautiful that knowing Christ does for us. 
  • March is the beginning of both the school year and ‘ministry year’ in Chile, much like September in the USA. This year there has been a sudden surge in new families coming to church. Several of these families are not professing Christians. They are seeking answers, and several seem to be drawing near to Christ.
  • In February, I had the opportunity to go to Medellin, Colombia to participate in an assessment event for potential church planters. We approved nine couples who are in the process of starting new churches! And we also got to see how God is at work in this city that just a few years ago was crippled by the terror of drug violence. 
  • We passed the one-year anniversary of our arrival in Chile. We are feeling more at home, more useful, and more in love with the people.

It has been a lot, and God has proven himself faithful every step of the way!
Upcoming Activities: Conference Speaking & Travels
Amy and I have the opportunity to share what God has been teaching us with others in conference settings. The last weekend of April, Amy has the chance to speak at our church’s women’s conference. They’ll be looking at “Tu lugar en la historia sin fin” (Your part in the never-ending story). The third weekend of May, I will be engaging with men from various churches in our area on the subject of being men conformed to the image of Christ. And then again in June, I get to share with university students in Bogotá, Colombia at their Reformed University summer conference.

We’ve enjoyed a bit of a break from my travel schedule, but now that is picking up again. Over the next several months, I will be on the go quite a bit. This week, Lord willing, I will be in the USA for meetings and to recruit new missionaries at our West Coast Missions Conference. From there I head to Cusco, Perú for some training with the team there and to assess some potential new leaders. In June there will be travel to Colombia for the RUF retreat and then on the Atlanta for our denomination’s ‘General Assembly’. Amy and I have been meeting with two of our interns for premarital counseling, and in July we plan to go to their wedding in Cali, Colombia. Amy also has a trip to Tennessee for Mary Beth’s high school graduation in May. It’s going to be a busy fall and winter for us (spring and summer for you)!
Our Bible study group, the city of Medellin, the ministry couple we’re meeting with for premarital counseling, the beauty of the Chilean parrilla, and newly approved church planting couples.
We continue to pray for you: giving thanks for you and for your commitment to the spread of the gospel. Please let us know how we can be praying more specifically for you!

Que Dios los bendiga abundantemente.

With love,

Steve & Amy
steveamyrobertson.org
Click here to support the Robertsons financially.
Our Bible Study kickoff fellowship meal: Chilean tacos!
Praise & Continuing Prayer:

Seminario Biblíco Reformado: In March our team in Arequipa, Perú launched a new seminary. They weren’t sure how many students they’d get (praying for a minimum of five), and up to the last days of enrollment they didn’t know what was going to happen. What happened what they didn’t have enough space for al the students. They now have a ‘wait list’ for students wanting to get into the next round of classes. More importantly, some of the current students are showing tremendous leaps in understanding. They are devouring their study material and seeing how biblical understanding impacts day to day life. Please pray for these students and for our mission team in Arequipa!

Visa renewals, updated: In our last prayer letter we requested prayer about our visa situation. A few months later we are still in visa limbo. The immigration system is so inundated that this is ‘normal’ for the moment. Still, laws have been changing swiftly under a new administration, and we would feel much more settled to have this resolved.

Parakaleo: Amy continues to serve church planters’ wives through this ministry. She, along with a fellow missionary and other Chilean leaders, has been able to equip and encourage two groups of pastors’ wives. Please pray for this ministry and for the wives, whose involvement is so critical in church planting. 

Conference speaking: Please pray for Amy and me as we prepare and as we give these conferences. Pray that we would speak truth with love, humility, and understanding.

Loving people from afar: Chile is really, really far away. For perspective, many of you reading this are closer to northern South America than we are. (Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and even the southern tip of Lake Erie are all closer Bogotá, Colombia than we are). Distance, differences in time zones, and complicated flight schedules all make it harder for us to be in touch and to be engaged in loved ones’ lives. Pray for us to be able to do that well.

Our deepest need, always, is Christ himself. Pray for us to grow in our love for him and our commitment to him.
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