Small steps, bold faith at weekly Bible study in Amanecer

On Wednesday evenings, a teenage boy walks along his colony road carrying his Bible. One evening he runs into a group of his friends who have alcohol and are planning to party. They try to entice him to come with them, but he refuses. Later he runs into his former schoolteacher who asks him where he is going. It is unheard of to walk in the colony carrying a Bible. The teacher tries to dissuade him from going, but again, he refuses to listen and continues on his way.

This young man told us about these encounters he’d had on his way to our weekly Bible study in Amanecer. He also told us that he had to keep his Bible locked up because it was not safe out in the open. One day his older sister had come to visit and when she saw the Bible on his nightstand, she had taken it and burned it. She told him that the Plautdietsch (Low German) Bible was not a true Bible and that the High German Bible that they use in church is the only right one.

About a month ago as I write this, the family suffered a tragedy when the boy’s older brother was killed in a car accident. The brother had moved away from the colony, attended an evangelical church, and surrendered his life to the Lord, all of which made his family disown him. It was on a Sunday, after sharing his testimony in church, that he was killed. We prayed that his death would bring the family closer to God.

Wednesday night, we had quite the surprise. The sister, who had burned her brother’s Bible, brought her husband and all their six children to Bible study for the first time. What amazing changes can take place in a person’s heart when the Holy Spirit starts working.

It’s been a year since I moved to Amanecer (Sunrise), Tres Cruces. After living and working in Villa Nueva for almost eight years, I had worked myself out of a job. MEM had decided to start a new ministry in the Tres Cruces area, focusing on the Old Colony people in the area.  A piece of land was purchased, and the pioneering began. We moved three wooden houses onto the land, one for me, one for Benjamin and Bertha, the pastor couple, and the other would be used for church and school. We started church services, Bible study, and Sunday school.

Four students gather to learn in Amanecer. EMC has a project to outfit the school in a new multi-purpose building; donations can be made at www.emcmissions.ca/projects/amanecer.

I started school in February with four students, ranging from 8–13 years old. What a great experience it has been to teach these curious and eager young souls in three languages, in all subjects, at different levels—a true one-room classroom.

We are constructing a multi-purpose building to use for church and school, where we hope to have school in February 2026. We hear rumours of more families wanting to send their children and so we are preparing.

Sometimes we feel discouraged at how slowly things are moving here in Amanecer, but we should never underestimate what the Holy Spirit is doing in the hearts of the people. God’s timing is always perfect, and our job is to just keep following where the Holy Spirit leads, one small step at a time.