News > Latin America

1. Mothers from Caracas UBF had a sweet celebration on the day.

Like every second Sunday of May, each year, UBF ministry in Caracas honored our mothers on the day. A special Bible message was preached, based on Ezekiel 37, “The Valley of Dry Bones.” It was a timely word for encouraging us to preach God’s word, spreading hope in the middle of the times that we’re living.

After Sunday Worship Service, mothers, sons and all brethren shared and enjoyed a delicious candy buffet table: rice with milk, quesillo (Venezuelan flan), passion fruit flan, fruits salad and jelly, were some of the colors and tastes that were served. All these desserts were prepared with great love by all fellowships of our ministry.

Without a doubt, it was a special Sunday to worship God and to celebrate with all the mothers of our church their fundamental and unique role that  they have in  our families and our ministry. We pray that God may rise up many women as women of noble character that guide and instruct their children with God’s word in love and sacrifice. Also, we pray that our church may be full of mothers of faith and pray for our nation. Amen.

Happy Mother’s Day!

2. Jesus Christ’s soldiers get ready to attack with God’s Word on two fronts: university and military.

Demonstrations in Caracas, Venezuela (April- May 2017)

“We are living a crucial time in Venezuela. We are in a spiritual battle,” with these words, P. Gustavo Prato began his speech during which he informed us about the direction of our ministry in this hard time that our country is having.

In order to face the violent incidents that are happening in Venezuela during the last 60 days of demonstrations in the streets, in which more than 80 people have died, including tens of college students, our ministry has risen up with God’s authority to bring God’s Word to college students, demonstrators and members of the National Guard (GNB) and police (PNB).

Young students are in the front of demonstration getting tough repression from State security forces

Like when God talked to Ezekiel in the middle of a vision in which He take him to a valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37), and commanded him: “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!”; by His word, the Lord has commanded to our ministry to prophesy God’s word to the dry bones that lie on our country Venezuela.

With this direction, P. Gustavo Prato mentioned, during a members meeting on May 14th,  his desire and conviction of preach in the demonstration, particularly to the members of the Bolivarian National Guard(GNB) and the Bolivarian National Police(PNB). The Christ’s soldiers firmly answer to this God’s call and defy by faith going and proclaiming God’s Word  amidst these  challenging times.

Since Monday May 15th, it began the intensive period of daily evangelism on College Campuses and streets of Caracas.

We pray that during the next previous months to our Summer Conference 2017, 4,000 college students and 1,000 members of security forces of our country  may  hear  God’s word. We also pray that many Venezuelans may hear and receive God’s word on their hearts and experience how just God’s word can bring life to each and our country.

3. Soldiers stood firmly during a night of spiritual war.

Since 9 pm, Christ’s soldiers began to get together in the “Strategic Operation Centre”, Caracas UBF centre, to strength their spirit in a night of spiritual war. The prayer night was titled “Get Ready to Fight,” based on the word, 1 Chronicles 12:38:

"All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king.”

Until 6 am, Christ’s soldiers keep awake fighting spiritually through prayer and God’s Word.

Prayers, Bible messages, songs, also games and group dynamics, were part of this meeting, to which assisted around 30 persons.

4. Training and special discipline to soldiers on the battlefield.

Every soldier that wants to achieve victory in the middle of a battle requires: discipline, training, preparation  and special equipment. On the spiritual battlefield, the soldiers also requires their spiritual weapons. That’s why, during this special time, our ministry is preparing an army through spiritual discipline activities.

<Personal training>

Daily bread: Every morning, God’s word is the essential food to be strengthened. Because of this, since 6 am, everyday at church, brethren get together to share the daily bread.

Prayer and Fast: Prayer is the breathing for each Christian. A soldier that does not communicate with his Commander in Chief, our God, will not have success. Therefore, through personal and group prayer, we encourage our brethren to keep a life of constant prayer. Each Monday, Thursday and Friday, we have prayer meetings since 6:30 pm. Also, each Saturday, since 9 am, we have fast and prayer times in order to strengthen our spirit.

<Bible Studies>

God’s Word is the sword for the spiritual soldiers. In this sense, each Tuesday at 6:30 pm, it is carried out a Bible study for fellowship leaders, and each Wednesday at the same hour, all disciples get together in several groups in order to study the Bible, pray and share Bible testimony.

5. More than 250 college students and 200 militaries heard God’s Word in 15 days.

God’s word has the power to rise them from the spiritual death, and this work will be fruitful(It is important to notice that due to security reasons we don’t go to the demonstrations, instead of this we go to the temporary bases where they are located, safe and relaxed, so they can pay attention to God’s word).

At the same time, most of our brethren go to the campuses to preach the Word of God to college students at the UCV, USB and IPC. Approximately during 3 hours, from 9 am to 12 m, the Word of God is preached every day. Later, brethren have lunch together with delicious foods prepared by a team of coworkers from our ministry. After gathering strength, they go back to campuses and to the streets of Caracas to continue Evangelism work from 2 pm to 4:30 pm.

Group Bible study at USB

Fishing and Bible studies at UCV and  IPC

Below is a summary of the number of persons to  which  we have  preached during last three weeks:

Week 1: College students: 114; Soldiers  and policemen: 80; Civilian demonstrators: 15.

Week 2: College students: 88; Soldiers and policemen: 146; Civilian demonstrators: 2; High school  students: 40; Students under  arrest: 4.

Week 3: College students: 80; Soldiers and policemen: 7.

We preach with the hope that our people, both young and State security forces, will receive the light of Christ’s Gospel.

Praise be to God for His evangelization work in our country and in our brethren, which have risen up with spiritual courage and faith. We believe that His word will bring life to the dry bones, lied on Venezuela.

6. Jesus’ soldiers in UBF Mérida are active on the college front at ULA.

From the Andean region of our country, the Christ’ soldiers in UBF Mérida get ready in the evangelism mission at the Universidad de Los Andes (ULA). Each week, brethren go to ULA campus to preach and to have Bible studies.

UBF ministry in Mérida has resolved, as a goal in God, to preach the Gospel to 50 young college students each week, during the previous months to their Summer Bible Conference, which will be held from August 18th  to 20,th 2017.

Brethren have been working on this mission during last two weeks. Below, there is a summary of  the evangelism work done in Mérida;

Week 1: It was preached the Word to 56 college students, of which 35 shared their phone numbers and/or emails. Also, it was held a group Bible study in the Faculty of Humanities, to which 8 students attended.

Week 2: 13 students that were fished shared their phone numbers.

Group Bible study at ULA

7. Students under arrest also heard God’s Word.

During this time of demonstrations in Venezuela, students are not just on campuses but also on the streets of Caracas protesting and, in jail under arrest, due to exercising their right to protest. In this context, UBF ministry has gone to this battlefront, and so students that are suffering being under arrest, can also hear the Word that makes them really free.

Some brethren visited a detention center located in Guarenas, a small city near to Caracas, at 30 minutes away. In this place, four students were under arrest, which are classmates of a brother of our church. Brethren shared with them God’s word, inspiring them hope and courage. By God’s grace, some days later,  they were released. Now, we pray that they may continue studying the Bible and knowing the truth that can make them free.

We pray that our brethren may also visit and spread the word of God in other detention centers that keep under arrest, at least, 400 young students captured during last demonstrations in Venezuela.

Studying the Bible in a detention center(Brother from UBF is the first on the left).                            

8. Prayer Topics:

• That during these hard times, we may turn our hearts to God’s word, receiving and giving the words, doing daily bread, fasting and praying.

• That our Lord may rises up our brethren as powerful shepherds and Bible teachers.

• That God may bless Sunday Bible messages through P. Gustavo Prato.

• May God bless all activities of post discipleship program and training to help our brethren to keep growing spiritually.

• May God bless our Summer Bible Conference (September 7 to 10).

• To  keep us sending Missionaries to Latin  America  and the world.