Dear praying friends,
Hello from the beautiful country of El Salvador! I have finally arrived! A glorious new chapter of my life is just beginning, and I am truly looking forward to seeing how God will glorify His Son, Jesus Christ, during the next weeks and months, as well as the years ahead (that is to say, if Christ doesn't rapture us soon).
Pastor Rosales picked me up at the airport. For a brief time I will be living with him and his family until I can find a suitable home to rent. He is patiently assisting me with the heap of necessary paperwork as we jump through many hoops required by Immigration. I have been told by several people that if one little jot of my paperwork is incorrect, I will have to restart the application process in the coming months. It is my prayer that I can obtain my Resident Visa as soon as possible. Without it, I will be classified by the government solely as a "Tourist," and that would limit my effectiveness in ministry here. In addition, I would be required to leave and re-enter the country every 90 or 180 days. So please keep this in prayer! Thank you!
Before moving to El Salvador, my schedule for the past three months was very active. I traveled here and there, visiting churches in California, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Tennessee. Meanwhile, I had to sell my home, as well as sell or give away most of my earthly possessions. God surprised me with a big relief just one hour before my realtor was to put my home up for sale on the market. A buyer offered me exactly what many of us had been praying for! Hallelujah! And so the house was sold without ever being listed by the realtor.
While visiting churches in the U.S., I was blessed to go out and do some soulwinning in various towns. In California, one church I visited hasn't let the government mandates stop their evangelization efforts. Instead of going door-to-door to share the gospel with folks at their doorsteps, we went out into parking lots of big-box stores. I was surprised that not one person refused a gospel tract from me. And several people allowed me to share the gospel with them. One man in particular told me that he had been thinking about finding a church because of "everything that is going on in the world." He had some good questions, and it certainly was a joy to show him the answers from God's Holy Bible.
Back in June, I was able to visit and speak before a college ministry from my alma mater. One young man expressed his desire to learn how to approach people on the streets and share the gospel with anyone. I wish every Christian had the same desire to learn to do what God commands and demonstrates in the Scriptures. So one afternoon, this young man and I hit the streets in his town with the sole purpose of walking up to strangers and talking to them about eternal matters such as hell, sin, judgment, and Jesus.
Near the end of our time of witnessing as the young man and I began walking back to his car, we met a young, oppressed man named Travis. We spent a good amount of time talking to Travis, showing him many infallible proofs from God's holy Word. Travis turned and looked at me and asked, "How can I get saved?" As Paul and Silas did in Acts 16:31-32, we showed Travis the word of the Lord, and said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved." And right there on a street bench, Travis called out to Christ to save him. Hallelujah!
I always need to express a heartfelt thank you to so many of you for the kindness you have shown toward me this past year. It has been a sincere joy to my spirit to get to know many of you brothers and sisters in Christ. I have enjoyed our conversations, suppers, times of pray walks together, playing games, soulwinning together, and many other activities. My heart is filled with many wonderful memories. In addition, recently, some of you have contacted me through Facebook and email to let me know that you are praying for me. THANK YOU. Your words are refreshing to my spirit. Each time I hear from friends, it means so much to me to know that someone is praying for me. THANK YOU!
Lastly, please keep in mind that my home/sending church in Ohio does not have a full-time secretary. I ask that you remember to send all financial support checks to All Points Baptist Mission, who is assisting me from the American side. Their mailing address is: All Points Baptist Mission, P.O. Box 977, New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663. And please remember to write on the memo line of the check: "Lawrence Bowman."
Thank you!
Lawrence Bowman
Hello from the beautiful country of El Salvador! I have finally arrived! A glorious new chapter of my life is just beginning, and I am truly looking forward to seeing how God will glorify His Son, Jesus Christ, during the next weeks and months, as well as the years ahead (that is to say, if Christ doesn't rapture us soon).
Pastor Rosales picked me up at the airport. For a brief time I will be living with him and his family until I can find a suitable home to rent. He is patiently assisting me with the heap of necessary paperwork as we jump through many hoops required by Immigration. I have been told by several people that if one little jot of my paperwork is incorrect, I will have to restart the application process in the coming months. It is my prayer that I can obtain my Resident Visa as soon as possible. Without it, I will be classified by the government solely as a "Tourist," and that would limit my effectiveness in ministry here. In addition, I would be required to leave and re-enter the country every 90 or 180 days. So please keep this in prayer! Thank you!
Before moving to El Salvador, my schedule for the past three months was very active. I traveled here and there, visiting churches in California, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Tennessee. Meanwhile, I had to sell my home, as well as sell or give away most of my earthly possessions. God surprised me with a big relief just one hour before my realtor was to put my home up for sale on the market. A buyer offered me exactly what many of us had been praying for! Hallelujah! And so the house was sold without ever being listed by the realtor.
While visiting churches in the U.S., I was blessed to go out and do some soulwinning in various towns. In California, one church I visited hasn't let the government mandates stop their evangelization efforts. Instead of going door-to-door to share the gospel with folks at their doorsteps, we went out into parking lots of big-box stores. I was surprised that not one person refused a gospel tract from me. And several people allowed me to share the gospel with them. One man in particular told me that he had been thinking about finding a church because of "everything that is going on in the world." He had some good questions, and it certainly was a joy to show him the answers from God's Holy Bible.
Back in June, I was able to visit and speak before a college ministry from my alma mater. One young man expressed his desire to learn how to approach people on the streets and share the gospel with anyone. I wish every Christian had the same desire to learn to do what God commands and demonstrates in the Scriptures. So one afternoon, this young man and I hit the streets in his town with the sole purpose of walking up to strangers and talking to them about eternal matters such as hell, sin, judgment, and Jesus.
Near the end of our time of witnessing as the young man and I began walking back to his car, we met a young, oppressed man named Travis. We spent a good amount of time talking to Travis, showing him many infallible proofs from God's holy Word. Travis turned and looked at me and asked, "How can I get saved?" As Paul and Silas did in Acts 16:31-32, we showed Travis the word of the Lord, and said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved." And right there on a street bench, Travis called out to Christ to save him. Hallelujah!
I always need to express a heartfelt thank you to so many of you for the kindness you have shown toward me this past year. It has been a sincere joy to my spirit to get to know many of you brothers and sisters in Christ. I have enjoyed our conversations, suppers, times of pray walks together, playing games, soulwinning together, and many other activities. My heart is filled with many wonderful memories. In addition, recently, some of you have contacted me through Facebook and email to let me know that you are praying for me. THANK YOU. Your words are refreshing to my spirit. Each time I hear from friends, it means so much to me to know that someone is praying for me. THANK YOU!
Lastly, please keep in mind that my home/sending church in Ohio does not have a full-time secretary. I ask that you remember to send all financial support checks to All Points Baptist Mission, who is assisting me from the American side. Their mailing address is: All Points Baptist Mission, P.O. Box 977, New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663. And please remember to write on the memo line of the check: "Lawrence Bowman."
Thank you!
Lawrence Bowman
