October - December Prayer Letter

Dear friends and supporters,

As this year comes to a close, I wanted to share some of the highlights from the past few months as well as the plans and goals the Lord has given me for 2023. It is difficult to summarize all that God has been doing in the space of a short prayer letter. God has allowed so many opportunities and blessings--all so much greater than anything I could have planned. My theme verse for these past months has been John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease." I'm learning more and more that as I surrender my plans and logic, the greater freedom God has to work in my life.

Since I began traveling for deputation at the end of October, God has allowed me to gain 5% of my deputation support. This does not include several additional churches that are still confirming their exact support totals for the next year. I have been privileged to be part of 4 Missions conferences within California, Nevada, and Texas as well as a special "Friend Sunday." I also was given the opportunity to speak at a dear Christian school, Libertad Baptist Academy. It has been such an encouragement to see so many--especially children--demonstrate their passion for world missions! It's convicted and reminded me of the honor and responsibility we have in God's plan of reaching others for Christ and showing His unconditional love.

What is Missions Sunday?

Several special highlights have stood out to me from my travels. In California, I was given the opportunity to sit with a new church visitor during service. It was this dear lady's second time attending a Baptist church; she had a strong lifelong Catholic background. At one point during the service, she asked me, "What is Missions Sunday?" She was very confused as this was not something her last church taught. As I explained, she grew excited. She was thankful that a friend had invited her to church and she was amazed at the idea of other countries receiving the opportunity to hear of Christ and have their own church and Bible. It was convicting but so exciting to see how eager a new Christian was to learn of God's Great Commission.

Soulwinning

During a soul-winning opportunity, God allowed me to see a Hispanic gentleman come to Christ. He spends part of his time in Mexico as well as the States. He began to tell me some of his family history and I was amazed at the great hurt in his past. He had lost many of his family to premature death, and he was estranged from those that were still alive. After receiving Christ, though, he had such visible peace and happiness on his face. He expressed such gratitude over his new salvation -- even with all the hurt in his past. He was excited to share his new faith with his son and I gave him several tracts--both in English and Spanish.

Christmas Bibles

In Isaiah 55:11, God promises His Word will not return void. This Christmas, I was able to gift several Portuguese Bibles to a new Brazilian family that has been attending my home church. The husband is from the exact Brazilian city in which I hope to base--Tabatinga. The husband told me that they were struggling to understand the Scripture readings as they are still learning English. I pray that these new Bibles help build a strong foundation in their lives and allow for a witnessing opportunity as I am unsure of their Salvation due to the language barrier.

2023 Goals

As the new year approaches, God is consistently filling my calendar with individual meetings and Missions conferences. I have been praying to hit the 50% mark of support by next October, marking my one-year anniversary. I am also praying about taking part in two medical-evangelism trips this summer: One to Bolivia and one to Brazil. These trips will assist national churches and allow for new church plants. I am excited to see what God does this year--both on deputation as well as these South American trips.

Every Blessing,

Sarah Goodman

Psalm 67:2

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