DeWitt Family

It was bound to happen to us eventually.  We have joined the millions who have gone before us.  They have blazed a trail for us to follow.  They scratched and clawed their way to survival and have lived to tell their story.  They are our great cloud of witnesses.  What has happened?  We have a teenager.  Zac turned 13!  Despite the fact that we are way too young to have a teenager and despite all my years as a youth pastor, it is different when the beast inhabits your own cave.  As a youth pastor I often said, “Everyday with a teenager is a new adventure.”  Now I am in my own “B” movie living the adventure.  Please pray for our new life change.  And for patience.  And for wisdom.  And for our Man vs. Wild next 7 years.

The work at Iglesia Bautista Getsemani is going well though the host of challenges is enough to make any courageous person shake at the knees.  We are trying to redefine our identity and break years of tradition in preaching style, teaching methods, and evangelistic techniques.  Sometimes I think they just look at me like a crazy gringo with crazy ideas.  Yesterday we began working on our first friend day Sunday morning.  It is a Sunday morning dedicated to bringing unsaved friends.  We focus on the visitor and taylor-make the entire morning for them with the purpose of sharing the gospel without losing the friendship.  It is intended to be a help, a good step towards additional significant conversations.  On March 28 we will have our first go-round.  I wish I would have recorded the conversation yesterday as I theorized on what to include and what not to include that morning.  No offertory? No pastoral prayer? No happy b-day (cultural norm here)? No Sunday School so members can arrive with their friends?  Give preference for parking to visitors? No pressure invitation?  Change the seating arrangement?  I felt like I was denying the virgin birth.  We have just over a month to plan and execute our first ever Friend Sunday.  Please pray for this program.  It should be a great morning of sharing the gospel and opening the eyes of the members to evangelism techniques beyond that of simply giving out tracts.

Also pray for the following people: my co-pastor Blas Baez and the leadership team at the church; the ABWE missionaries here in Paraguay—the Fields, Donaldsons, Griffins, and Lennons; for my family—Danielle, Zac, Abby, Anna; and Pastor Cesar Rodriquez who is pastoring my former church Iglesia Bautista Maranata.

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