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2 Tim 4: 2a: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season…”

Thank and praise God the Father who is alive and is the Sovereign of all history.  We are going to share God’s grace together, looking back on the work performed by the Lord Jesus among Ecuador UBF in 2014. May God let us have a direction to make the most of preaching the word in 2014, based on 2 Tim 4: 2a. In fact, our home had a variety of real problems, but we decided to obey this word.

The Lord helped us to have the gospel faith through Romans and Mark’s Gospel, and to have 10-15 SWS attendants and 5-10 teams of 1:1 Bible study, on an average last year. He raised three shepherdesses --Luisa, Lady, Lisbeth-- as messengers in Easter Bible conference with 20 attendants. Though attendants were not more than what we prayed for, we hoped for three shepherdesses who have been growing faithfully.

However, after the conference, an affair took place, that one shepherdess, who had even delivered a message at the conference, indulged in carnal pleasure and became pregnant with one brother with whom she got acquainted in the past. Another shepherdess repented of her romantic feelings toward one brother, whom she invited to Bible study, and promised marriage to him, and then she rebelled, asking why the UBF Church condemns instead of blessing it like other churches.

A distrust and doubt about marriage by faith was increasing, sin problems of disbelief and disobedience spread in secret among brothers and sisters. When we could not work together from our hearts, we were not able to keep up GBS nor Saturday meeting on the campus, on the pretext of being busy; we could barely keep a heart of our faith, by achieving a fishing meeting with shepherdess Luisa every week.

In addition, a water purifier business which M. André had started for self-support made no progress, and a shop at which M. Ana Kim had been working for 6 years was closed by its owner for disposing of his business; so our material problems became more difficult.  M. André traveled to the country for self-support almost every week, so he was exhausted mentally and physically due to long distance travel.  The second generation who arrived at puberty could not easily open their hearts to God, and became used to a formal and obligatory religious life. 

But God is faithful. Many hardships helped us to fix our hearts and eyes upon the Lord and to rely on the Lord. No matter what the real problems were, when we obeyed 2 Tim 4: 2a: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season…,” the word and the mission became our strength and direction in spite of any difficulties.

The Lord helped us to study the Word with shepherdesses of Sarah team every week and to pray for them to grow into mothers of faith with an evident spiritual sense of value, so that he might let them learn how to work together with the second generation through a family prayer meeting in the evening every day.   

The second generation, Joo Wang Kim (19) entered Dept. of Civil Engineering, ESPOL College and Ester Kim (18) passed a first exam for the first grade, Medical Faculty, Guayaquil University in 2015, so that the Lord might prepare them to be future co-workers in God’s redemptive history.

Though we did not serve many new sheep during the last one year, the Lord helped us to preach the gospel constantly on the campus, and even shepherdesses who misunderstood us renewed their hearts again and restored their 1 to 1 relationship.  Shepherds, shepherdesses, and the second generation were willing to prepare programs and make an environment for Christmas worship service, so that they might worship the Baby Jesus with joy.

During the last one year, in spite of sins and transgressions of our home, God has been faithful and doing the gospel work for his glory. First of all, we thank the Lord who has been raising and keeping our faith, so that he could use us for serving his flock of sheep. May God use our home for raising one Abraham, 12 disciples, and establishing house churches among Ecuador UBF, during the year of 2015. We give all glory and praise to the God of mercy and grace! Amen!

2015 Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 4: 6 “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” Sub Key Verse: Psalm 1: 2 “…but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night…”

2015 Prayer Topics:

1. To raise one Abraham and 12 disciples (above all, for spiritual growth of shepherdesses Luisa, Lisbeth and Pauleth, and for raising brothers as shepherds).
2.  To meditate on the Bible, go fishing and have one to one Bible study regularly, and so to shine the light of the gospel on the souls of Guayaquil University.
3.  For shepherdesses Luisa, Lisbeth to marry by faith and to establish house churches.
4.  To get a Bible center near Guayaquil University.
5.  For each of our second generation missionaries (Joo Wang, Ester, and André) to meet the Lord Jesus personally and to be used as co-workers
6.  For self-support and M. Ana’s health and material independence and for missionaries’ good health.

By ANDRÉ & ANA KIM