Mission Newsletter: Bob and Jan Young
December 2008

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"Esperanza Eterna"
Eternal Hope Newsletter

December, 2008

A Ministry of Bob and Jan Young
c/o Church of Christ
PO Box 1004
McAlester, OK 74502-1004

Website: www.bobyoungresources.com
Email: bro.bobyoung@yahoo.com


A summary of 2008 activities reveals an extremely busy schedule. I am thankful to the Lord for the opportunities he gives, to the McAlester church and its leaders and members for their generosity in allowing me time away, and to the brothers and sisters who support our work both in prayer and financially. I am thankful for the opportunity to be involved in evangelism, the growth and strengthening of the church, and mission work around the world. I am grateful that I can respond to the requests I receive to help in missions, evangelism, and church development.

In 2008, I presented a special series on the book of Revelation, conducted one gospel meeting, spoke at several churches in mission emphasis Sundays and as a guest speaker, served as the resource person at a men's retreat, was a keynote speaker and class teacher at the OVU lectureship, and helped with the Quest program at Oklahoma Christian. In addition, I helped several congregations in retreats, consultations, and leadership development. During the summer, I served as an evaluator for the mission work at Predisan and was involved in three campaigns--two in Honduras and one in Guatemala. This report will provide detail of recent trips to Mexico and Ecuador. Next month I will travel to Honduras for the annual board meeting and graduation at Baxter Institute.

In October, I traveled with a group from the McAlester church to Leon, Mexico to visit the work we sponsor and support there. (The group is pictured on the left.) I participated in three different small group Bible studies and was privileged to teach the adult Bible class and preach on Sunday. The group was also involved in some construction and painting projects. A special story developed during our visit in Leon. Let me tell you about Enrique.

Last month Enrique was baptized. His story is not particularly unique or unusual. He attended services at the Leon South congregation on the Sunday we were there. After services, I greeted him and we chatted and studied during lunch. After lunch, I passed his contact information on to our missionary who continued the study during the next week. Enrique was baptized the next Sunday. Incidentally, a more recent mission report from Leon told of the baptisms of two more new sisters in Christ.

I am grateful for the opportunity to visit mission points. In addition to the Bible studies, fellowship, small groups, construction, and teaching and preaching, I appreciate even more the opportunity to pray, to reflect, to visit with missionaries about how we can more effectively take the gospel to the world, and to encourage those on the field.

In early November, Jan and I spent 12 days in Ecuador for the Pan-American Lectureship and a post-lectureship tour of new church plants. It was a special blessing to return to Quito because it was our trip to Quito twelve years ago that really lit our fire and opened our eyes to the open doors in mission work across Latin America. To speak on the lectureship again was a special blessing--especially since I was asked to tell my story as an example of the impact of the Pan-American Lectureship.

We are amazed at the doors God continues to open. In the Houston airport, we met an Ecuadorean couple and their two children. They were moving from New Jersey to Houston. They wanted to know if we knew about any Hispanic church in Houston. I gave them contact information for David Esparza, a Baxter graduate who is now working in Houston. A similar thing occurred on our return trip as we were leaving Quito--a young lady sought information and we supplied contacts with the local missionaries in Quito.

On Sunday (the first official day of the lectureship), we worshiped with the Quito North congregation and witnessed four baptisms at the conclusion of the service. During the week, Jan and I along with Bob and Ridglae Stephens from Vienna, West Virginia met with the Quichua brothers whom we had helped to purchase a building 12 years ago. What a delight to renew acquaintances with people of faith.

On Wednesday, Jan and I went to Ibarra to spend time with Juan Jose Flores (a former student and Baxter graduate) and his family. Here we are (pictured at left) with Mauricio (Juan Jose's brother-in law, who is also a Baxter graduate) and his daughter, Astrid, along with Calvin Henry. We are on one of the high points overlooking Ibarra, a city of 150,000.

The church building (pictured on the right) is directly across the street from a sizeable recreational park in a very good location in the city. The building is three stories tall, with the assembly area on the ground floor, classes on the second floor, and plans for a clinic and other possibilities on the unfinished third floor. We were amazed during our trip at the number of densely populated areas of 100,000 plus in the country of Ecuador. Indeed, untold millions are untold around the world.

Much more could be written about the things we saw and the way God is opening doors and blessing his people. I had the privilege of preaching in Portoviejo on Sunday afternoon--I presented a lesson on 2 Timothy which focused on the blessings we have in Christ--words of Paul toward the end of his life as he encouraged the young man Timothy. We desire also to encourage people in every place to continue faithfully. We shared laughter and joy with brothers and sisters from very different backgrounds. We helped with new contacts among those who were visiting. We visited a church barely one year old that already has 60+ members, a result of teaching and preaching, and a harvest of 21 baptisms so far this year.

Thank you for your prayers and concern. Thank you for your heart for missions and evangelism. Thank you for your generosity in helping us follow our God and our heart as we strengthen the cause of Christ around the world. I believe these kinds of efforts pay great dividends at home as well, and the opportunity to connect with people around the world makes us more aware of the great blessing of being part of the worldwide family of God.

We invite you to join us in God's purpose of sharing "Eternal Hope". We would like to visit your congregation and share more of what God is doing. Every person or congregation who participates receives regular reports and updates concerning the work being done. There is always more work to be done--invitations to be accepted, trips to be made, and needs to be met for the churches we work with. Checks may be made payable to Main and Oklahoma Church of Christ and marked for "Bob and Jan Young Missions". Checks may be sent to PO Box 1004, McAlester, OK 74502.

A reminder that you can keep us with us through my blog at www.bobyoungresources.com/blog. As always, we are thankful for your continuing interest and support in what God is doing through us in the kingdom.

Que Dios le bendiga (may God bless you),
Bob and Jan


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