Braunings’ By-Lines

THE FRUIT OF PENTECOST CONTINUES

We see the continuation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that began at Pentecost, here in the Dominican Republic through the church growth ministries of which we are a part. Here’s an example from a few weeks ago: a team from our local church, Los Angeles Christian Reformed Church, joined Pajarito CRC in San Jose de Caei for a "Sister Church" evangelism project. I (Steve) was paired with Griselis, 11 years old, and Yiri, a brand new Christian, to go to Yiri’s house to present the Gospel to her parents. Even before we left, Griselis was hesitant, even though she had completed the training two weeks before. Yiri had not participated in the training.

During the short walk, Griselis said that she didn’t feel able to present the Gospel. So I figured that it was all going to be up to me.

When we got to Yiri's house, her parents weren't there so I presented the Gospel to Yiri with a view to model the presentation and to encourage herin her security of salvation, to which she was very open. Griselis listened attentively. When Yiri's parents showed up, I hinted to Griselis about starting out the presentation, and to my surprise, she took the lead and never let up! For the next hour, she very capably went though the presentation, with some reliance on the training pamphlet and some prompting on my part. It was such a thrill to observe her grow in confidence and even boldness, presenting to Gospel to a total of four adults, most of them at least four times her age!

Although none of them prayed to receive Christ's forgiveness and salvation, seeds were planted and Griselis was encouraged as a witness of Christ. Through the visits of four evangelism teams, 19 people heard a presentation of the Gospel and two people expressed faith and prayed to receive forgiveness and eternal life.

We have had similar experiences in other churches where the “Sister Church” evangelism has been implemented. People have been excited about learning to present the Gospel in an effective, Biblical and compelling way. The results have been exciting too: in the Los Angeles church, 11 people have received Christ, and three of those have been baptized. In two CRC’s in Los Mameyes, eighteen people received Christ. A total of 77 people have been trained and have participated in presenting the Gospel.

.Chichi being baptized by Pastors Domingo and Gutierrez

This is one of the ways that the Lord is moving in His church, mobilizing believers to be witnesses of His grace and bringing new believers into His family.

Join us in praise and thanksgiving for these results. Also, we request your prayers for this and other ministries, such as church development, construction, education, and diaconal ministry.

A Brief Family Update:

Sandra continues teaching fourth grade; Hannah and Mark are both playing soccer with their school teams; Rebecca is heading to New Jersey for the summer to look for a job; and Jesse will stay at Dordt College to work. We are thrilled that he and Katy Waymire have announced their engagement! We are looking forward to a June 2009 wedding!

Thanks to all and may the Lord bless!