Niemeyer, John & Laura
John and Laura Niemeyer (Morgan, Trey, Chase and Mackenzie)
Home Address: 330 Eastern Hts. Blvd., Elyria, OH 44035
Telephone: 440-332-4290
E-mail Address: chile4christ@comcast.net
Sending Church: First Baptist Church, 11400 Lagrange Rd., Elyria, OH 44035
Mission Address: Baptist Mid-Missions P.O. Box 308011, Cleveland, OH 44130-8011
Goal: To serve God in Chile.
Dear Family & Friends,
Sending a praise and prayer update is never more exciting than when we can share with you how we see God working. We realize that He is always at work, but days such as March 16, 2012, will remain in our hearts and minds a unforgettable memories. Our friends are Cunyet (pronounced June8) and Claudia whom we met as soon as we arrived in Chile almost 3 years ago. Claudia had been a believer for approx seven years, but Cunyet, having been raised in a Muslim home was extremely resistant to the gospel. He was friendly to us but made it clear that he was not happy with the commitment that Claudia had to the church and her "new" friends. Reluctantly he allowed his children to attend Santiago Christian Academy, only because the classes are in English. This school year, his son is in Laura’s class and during morning prayer time, the students have prayed every day for Cunyet. Our co-workers, the Morseys, have prayed for him, counseled them and loved them for more than ten years. Several months ago the Lord began to use many difficult circumstance to get Cunyet’s attention. In Feb. he and Claudia began attending the Bible study. Our hearts were full of gratitude when we saw him gradually embracing the truths of God’s Word. Cuinyet and Claudia were unable to attend the final Bible study so James Morsey scheduled a meeting with him to get his reaction to the study. The Holy Spirit had been working because after meeting for coffee, they pulled over to the side of the road and Cunyet gave his life to Christ. Thank you so much for those of you who joined us in praying.
Our church has gone through many changes over the past several months. For almost a year we had been meeting in an unused minimarket. We had our last meeting there on Sunday, Dec. 18, when we constituted the church. We then met in people’s homes until Mar. 25, when we were able to begin meeting in a nearby school. The school is allowing us to use the cafeteria for the service, a classroom for children’s church and access to the bathrooms all free of charge. This has been another example of God providing what we need.
Our responsibilities during the past several months have included starting a youth group. We have gone bowling at a local mall, hosted a game night, watched the movie "Soul Surfer," and taken the teens for their first time to play mini golf. We have had a mix between the six church teens and eight to ten others from the neighborhood.
In Dec. we invited the children of our neighborhood to participate in a dramas, "The Tale of Three Trees" to be presented to their parents in our local park. We estimate that fifty people attended the event. Then during the month of Feb. we held two weeks of VBS. We had a combined total of forty five children.
In Aug. we will complete three years of ministry in Chile and are therefore required to return to the States for a time of reporting to our supporters, raising any additional needed support, and encouraging others to join us in Chile. We are also looking forward to spending time with family and friends after being gone for so many years. We know that we will return to Chile better prepared to minister and ready to serve because of the time away from the rigorous schedule. Yet, our hearts are torn because we know that we will sorely miss our church family in Chile and others with whom we have invested many hours to build relationships with the hopes of one day earning the privilege of sharing Christ with them.
We will be flying to FL sometime during the first week of Aug. where we hope to visit with some friends and family. On Aug. 4, John will participate in a mini triathlon and we will head to OH. We haven’t yet decided whether we will fly, rent a vehicle, or buy our furlough car in FL and drive to OH. The easiest would be to fly, but we would also like to take advantage of the trip north to visit some colleges that might interest Morgan. We are asking you to pray with us in this decision and to keep us informed if you know of anyone who might loan or sell us their vehicle.
Please pray with us about housing. We’d like to stay in one place but are open to options.
Love to you all
The Neimeyers
An extension of your church in Santiago, Chile
