Mark and Diane Henzler

ABWE Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean Basin

“I have good news!” One of our Nicaraguan church planters pulled me aside after the graduation of the Institute of Church Planters and said he wanted to talk to me. “Do you mean you have good news and bad news?” I asked, “because that’s what you usually say.” “No,” he answered, “Good news!” For the next 15 minutes he shared with me how his church here in Managua had just had an annual business meeting and had made the decision to continue to support the church plant for 2012, as well as other ‘good news’ about how people’s lives were being changed in his new church.

Is there bad news? Sure, plenty to go around. But the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about good news, even in the midst of bad news and we are grateful to have spent another year in Nicaragua sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and encouraging and training others to do the same. Thank you for faithfully standing with us in this ministry. This past December 20th marked the 8th year anniversary of our arrival here in Nicaragua. Wow. It’s been a challenging, exciting, frustrating, amazing 8 years of seeing God work here in Nicaragua.

Here is some of what He has allowed us to be a part of since our last update:

We finished teaching two classes at the Bible Institute, one course on the Inductive Method that teaches students how to study the Bible for themselves, and another course for pastors at the Master’s level on Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament. Many of these pastors were excited about this course because they almost never use an Old Testament text as a basis for a teaching and preaching, and were excited to be able to apply Paul’s teaching in 2 Timothy 3:16, that all Scripture is profitable for the Church today.

It was a special pleasure to be able to pass along a gift of two vehicles from First Baptist Church of Dubois, PA. to the Association of Baptist Churches in Nicaragua. They gave a four-wheel drive vehicle to the association so that for the first time in their 50 year history they now have a vehicle to use to visit and encourage churches and church plants throughout all of Nicaragua. They were also able to donate a motorcycle to one of our church planters, allowing him to make regular visits to a rural church plant site.

Love was in the air this fall as we conducted an unusual marriage ceremony. A pastor friend invited me to conduct a special ceremony for seven couples in the church who had been saved and now wanted to make their relationships right before God. Some of them had been living together for many years, had children – even grown children – and, oops, had never bothered to get married. After coming to know Christ, they wanted to make things right before the Lord, their families and their communities. Each couple went to the civil authorities to make a proper union, and then we celebrated with a big evangelistic church wedding – what fun! At the same time we were also able to do premarital counseling with a young couple getting married in January.

The ICP team of missionaries, pastors and church planters praying and planning for a new Institute for 2012-2013.

Recently I’ve been doing quite a bit of research in the study of neo-pentecostalisms here in Latin America as part of my doctoral program. There is obviously a continuum in the pentecostal element of the evangelical church, but there can be no doubt that on the far end there is an element that is certainly ‘a different gospel’ than that of sound New Testament doctrine. It is a concern to me that it is confusing our churches here in Nicaragua. There are many voices calling the people to try new forms of spirituality, but few that call them to faithfulness to sound doctrine. Please pray for me as I have been invited to speak about this subject on numerous occasions, that I will handle it with graciousness and truth.

Our greatest joy this past year has been the culmination of our second Institute of Church Planters (ICP). In December we graduated 12 men from our two year program that partnered with 2 different associations of churches planting churches across Nicaragua. My greatest satisfaction actually comes from what happened afterward – the Nicaraguan men we work with wanted to meet right away to plan a third Institute program. We met in early December, and as part of that meeting I resigned as director of the ICP in order to allow for a new national director to take my place. All of us on the team – the ABWE missionaries, the veteran pastors, and the church planters were unanimous in seeing God’s hand on church planter Luis Garcia to take the leadership of the Institute. We will continue to work with the ICP, but I am personally thrilled that not only is the vision now fully nationalized, but that it is being led by a former student of the program. Building on the base of the first two programs, the next ICP will be richer and more multi-dimensional, more missions-focused by preparing church planters to also reach beyond Nicaragua. Can we hear an “AMEN!” This is what it’s all about – thank you for being a part of it!

Andrew continues to be our adventurer – over the winter break he swam in the Caribbean Sea, the Pacific Ocean, a river canyon and a volcano lake. Suzanna is enjoying going to Bible College and slipping off regularly to see her grandparents who are only a half mile away from the dorm.

We look forward to seeing you in person this coming year. During the first half of 2012 we will be finishing our term of service and preparing for our first real furlough since coming to Nicaragua, and will be in the states beginning the summer of 2012.

Thank you for your companionship in the ministry. We are truly grateful for all your prayers and support on our behalf.

Mark, Diane, Suzanna and Andrew

The HENZLERS Regional Professors of Biblical Studies

ABWE Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean Basin