3
Ways to view our Christmas Letter and 2005
Report:
1) Read
the report on this page below. |
|
2) Click
here to open the report. (It is a large 1.9
MB file and requires Flash to
view.)
|
 |
3) Click
on each of the following images to see the three
pages of the report.
|
|
|
|
JPEG - 397 KB |
JPEG
- 461 KB |
JPEG
- 455 KB |
|
Jonathan and Angela Stone
Christmas Letter and 2005 Report - December
31, 2005
Our Year in Guatemala
What an amazing year! God
has blessed us in so many ways. He provided a vehicle on
our
first day
in
Guatemala,
a church
on the first Sunday, and a house within a couple of weeks.
Language
School
The language school had an excellent program. Angela developed
close friendships with her teachers and can now communicate
very well in Spanish.
Holy Week
The small city we lived in this year is a very religious
place. During Holy Week thousands of people flocked
to Antigua to participate in the processions. Many
families stayed up all night on Thursday to make sawdust
carpets for Good Friday. Many people believe carrying
a shrine will pay for their sins. They need to hear
the message of certain hope in Christ alone. We handed
out thousands of tracts that week with our church.
Public
School Conferences
Jon’s parents, David and Evelyn, visited in
September. Evelyn spoke on STD’s and abstinence
in several public schools each day. An evangelist presented
the gospel and we counseled those who expressed a desire
to be reconciled with God. Over 1,000 young people
heard the gospel and 296 made professions of faith!
Medical Clinic
During most of the year Angela volunteered at a local
clinic. It was a great opportunity to practice medicine
in Latin America and work on Spanish medical vocabulary.
Hurricane
Relief
Back in October Hurricane Stan hit Guatemala with
torrential rainfall. |
We thank God...
- for the house, car, church, and many good
friends He provided.
- for the people who came to know the Lord and were baptized.
- that Angela mastered conversational Spanish.
- for the opportunity for seminary studies in Spanish.
- for giving us a safe transition to Guatemala then Peru.
Please pray...
- for the new believers we had only begun to
disciple in Guatemala.
- for Carmen’s health – she needs heart surgery.
- that we would soon find a house and appliances/furnishings.
- for the Land Cruiser project and medical ministries.
- for wisdom and direction in planning a new church plant. |
|
Many areas were flooded. A river near Antigua
overflowed its banks and dumped up to 3 feet of mud in
several residential areas.
Our church spent several days digging the mud out of people’s homes.
Eric’s wall collapsed during the same storm. God provided funds to rebuild
the wall and install water filters for a number of families. |
Church
Jon
taught the men’s Sunday school class and preached
regularly at church. Mynor and Eric accepted the Lord in
class one day. In the following three months Eric’s
wife, Carmen, and two of his children, Junior and Elisa,
became believers. On December 26 Mynor, Eric, Junior, and
Elisa were all baptized along with a dozen other believers.
Praise the Lord!
Please pray for Carmen. She has been suffering
from congestive heart failure and needs a valve replacement.
Pray that God
would provide a way for her to have this very expensive
surgery. Our pastor there has begun to help them with the
process
of applying for government medical
assistance. Thank
You!
What a privilege it is to watch God
at work around us. We truly appreciate each of you
who have prayed and given to
make this year possible. We are humbled to think of the
sacrifice and commitment so many have made so we can pursue
God’s
leading in our lives. It is an honor to represent you on
the mission field. Merry Christmas!
2006 In Peru
It’s hard to believe. After years of planning,
praying, and working toward this goal we are finally in Peru!
Orientation
During
our first few months we will visit the ministries of the
other missionaries in the Coastal Peru Field Council
of ABWE. We look forward to being a part of this great team.
Please pray for us as we settle into a new house and do the
paperwork for our residency papers, drivers licenses, etc.
Seminary
Brothers
and sisters from churches around Lima take evening courses
in our Bible college program. Jon will be developing
and teaching a first year Greek course with a fellow missionary.
Church Planting
It’s a joy to be reunited with our
church family in Peru. We had originally planned to work
with the church in
Las Viñas this first year. However, the time has come
for Peruvians to take full leadership in the church. For
this reason David and Evelyn agree that we should not step
back into leadership there. It’s time to plant a new
church!
Ronald and María Funegra have been close friends
and coworkers in ministry since they came to know the Lord
in
our Bible studies in 1995. They have grown with the church
over the last 10 years. They have both studied at our seminary
and Ronald has served in leadership at another church during
the last year. Now we believe God has brought us together
to start a new church. We plan to join Ronald, María,
Dave, and Evelyn to plant a new church somewhere in Lima.
During the next 6-12 months we will research the options
and ask God to lead us to the right location. Medical Ministries
For some time Angela has planned for a
ministry at our pregnancy care center. She will soon be involved
as a nurse. The New
Life Prenatal Center volunteers regularly give conferences
in schools around the city and frequently hold mobile medical
clinics as an evangelistic outreach.
Since it may take a year for us to begin the new church plant,
we believe God is giving us an opportunity to develop medical
ministries. We have been involved with mobile medical clinics
in the past. Free medical care is a huge attraction for thousands
of people. Every person who receives care also hears a personal
presentation of the gospel. We have seen hundreds of people
come to know the Lord in one or two weeks. During this year
we plan to hold evangelistic medical clinics at least once
a month. This will be a significant contribution to the ministries
of over a dozen Baptist church plants in Peru.
All we want
for Christmas …
We take the mobile clinics into poor,
often remote areas. Transportation is usually a problem.
City cars can’t
handle the terrain and are limited on space. While car shopping
we found the perfect vehicle for mobile clinics. This 2002
Land Cruiser will get us into places others can’t and
won’t go. This model is frequently converted for ambulance
use in remote areas. It has plenty of space to haul supplies
and people. When we shared the news that we needed to raise
money for our “ambulance” several people and
churches gave generously. Dave and Evelyn decided this would
be a valuable tool for the ministry and provided the funds
to bring it home. We still need to raise about $4,500 to
cover the cost of the vehicle and equip it for medical clinics.
If 25 people give $20, 5 give $50, 4 give $100, 2 give $250,
1 gives $500 and 5 churches take offerings for $100, 2 give
$250, 1 gives $500, and 1 gives $1,000 … we’ll
have our ambulance!
Might God use you and your church to reach part of this goal?
Please help us complete the puzzle above so we can take the
gospel to needy people through medical evangelism. (Please
send funs to ABWE and designate for Jonathan Stone - O&P.) Mobile
Clinic in January
We are planning the first mobile clinic
at the end of January. Please pray. Jon will be preaching
several evangelistic messages
and planning nightly services for young people.
You’re
invited!
Please join us in prayer this year. Your prayers
and support are what makes it all possible! As always,
we would love
to have you visit. If you are a medical professional please
consider joining us for a mobile clinic. Happy New Year!
May God be honored in us in 2006.
|
