HeartCry missionary Francisco and his family are serving Christ in the eastern part of his native country, Timor Leste. Francisco is temporarily pastoring the church where he first came to know the Lord. This church was initially planted by a brother who is a very gifted evangelist. He traveled frequently from village to village telling others about the Gospel, and he saw many people come to faith in Christ. Francisco was one person who came to know the Lord through his ministry. Francisco, then, after sensing God’s call on his life, moved away for several years in order to get theological education in Indonesia. Since returning last year to his native place, the church has given him the responsibility to lead, teach, and organize the church until moving back to the capital city some time later this year. Even though the church is Baptist, there was very little about the church that reflected Baptist convictions. So, Francisco has been laboring for the last 5 months to lay a much stronger biblical foundation. After teaching through material on what it means to be Baptist, he’s been teaching the 1689 Baptist Confession during Sunday school, along with preaching in the church’s services. Francisco also states that he and his family are trying to be good examples to the church about how to live according the Bible, and how to be unified as the body of Christ.

Along with evangelism that regularly takes place in Francisco’s village, his church also has three evangelistic posts where church members regularly visit to minister and preach the Gospel. Francisco has been traveling every week to these places and has seen some fruit. This month he baptized two women who heard the Gospel and responded in faith. Francisco reports, “Praise the Lord! I shared the Gospel with Mrs. Lucia, and the Holy Spirit worked in her. Before she was Catholic, but has now repented and given herself to be baptized and become a church member. We ask you to pray for her so that she will more and more love the Lord Jesus and grow in the truth of God’s word. I also shared the good news with Mrs. Adiana at one of the evangelistic posts. Through God’s Spirit, her heart was opened and she responded to God’s word with faith. Now, her and her whole family have a desire to grow in the Lord Jesus.” Francisco also reports that there are several other people who’ve been evangelized and believe in Christ, but are still being prepared for baptism. Before coming to faith in Christ, they believed many animistic beliefs and superstitions along with their Catholicism. Please pray that God would renew these people and transform their minds through his word.