Richard & Nicole Soriano - 3rd Qtr
Celebrating the Lord’s Supper
In August, we had the privilege of leading our congregation to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Because there are many misconceptions about Biblical requirements for the Lord’s Supper, we spent several weeks studying what the Lord’s Supper is and isn’t before participating together.
Bible Study
In our women’s Bible study, we have been working through a church handbook of what our church is, what we believe, and how we should live. Many of our members come from Catholic or Pentecostal backgrounds, so we have found it is essential to clearly lay out our beliefs and practices. As part of this study, the whole congregation gathered for several weeks to study the Baptist distinctives. During this time, we enjoyed learning what sets us apart from other denominations.
(Fun fact: I still remember studying the Baptist distinctives in high school with our youth pastor Jon McGinnis!)
Update on Visa Processes
Thank you for your continued prayers for visas for both Richard and I (his visa to visit the US and mine to pursue residency here). The last 24 months have been filled with a whole lot of paperwork and waiting, but it looks we are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just this week, my visa was approved! I will be traveling to the States at the end of the month to get my passport stamped with the visa. This will allow me to begin the residency process in December! Richard’s visa is a much longer and more rigorous process. We have passed 2 of 3 phases and are currently waiting for the Santo Domingo consulate give us a date for his interview. Based on average wait times, it looks like we should hear from them between January and April.
Our hope is that the appointment will be set for February, which (pending approval of the visa) would allow us to travel at the end of March and be in the States for birth of baby Soriano #2. Humanly speaking, it seems that would be the perfect scenario because it would allow us an a few weeks to visit with our church family at Memorial before the baby is born and then visit/report to our supporting churches in the weeks after; but, above all, we desire that the Lord’s will be accomplished: He knows best and we trust He will allow us to travel in His perfect timing!
Freedom Christian School
This school year, Richard transitioned from teaching science to teaching Bible (his true passion!) at Freedom Christian School. The Lord has graciously allowed him to see more than 20 of his students decide to follow Christ this year. This is a culmination of years of hearing the Gospel from the missionaries and staff at Freedom, and we are grateful for the part the Lord has allowed Richard to play in seeing them come to salvation. Unfortunately, most of the communities and bateyes these students come from do not have solid churches. We are praying to see how the Lord might lead us to help these communities. In the meantime, 3 of the new believers have decided to join our church in Concho Primo. Every Sunday, we pick them up on our way out and then drop them back off on the way home.
As you might have guessed, picking up these new members, (in addition to the people we normally transport: Pastor Francis, his wife Noemi, & one of our members Soraida and her children) is a bit complicated in the truck and has accelerated our need for transportation with more seating capacity. We are happy to announce that the Lord has provided a 16-passenger minibus for us, in large part made possible through gifts given by my sending church!
Praise the Lord for:
• Allowing Richard to see 21 of his students come to know Christ as their Savior.
• Providing us with a minibus which will solve a lot of our transportation problems.
• Blessing us with Zoe & baby #2 on the way (no, we don’t know the gender yet )
• Allowing my visa to be approved quickly.
• Giving us the privilege of celebrating the Lord’s Supper as a congregation
• Using our study on the Baptist distinctives to bring clarity on certain beliefs and practices
Pray that the Lord will:
• Give Soraida and I wisdom as we begin discipling our 3 new members (Freedom students): Ashely, Faniris, and Marleny.
• Guide us as we pray about how to help various communities that do not have a solid church
• Provide an appointment (and approval) for Richard’s visa by February
• Give Zoe and I safe travels over Thanksgiving and that my passport can be stamped with my visa quickly during this time
• Protect and care for Baby #2 during the pregnancy.
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