I Give Thanks to God
César Carhuachín
Dear friends in the United States,
Greetings from Decatur, Georgia!
As many of you know, I have been waiting for many months to receive my Chilean religious worker visa to serve in Chile, South America. Unfortunately, as of today, I haven’t received any response from the Chilean Immigration Department.
However, I had the opportunity to preach on Sunday, November 17, 2024, at the Presbyterian Church of Calama near Antofagasta, the city where I was expecting to serve. The worship service was led by the Rev. Moises Campillay. It was a wonderful time. My sermon was titled “The Call for the Pastoral Ministry” and was based on Matthew 25:14-30. I talked about the pastoral ministry because the Presbytery of the Great North has a great need for leaders and pastors. The feedback from the pastor and church members was very good. Please pray for the Presbyterian Church of Chile, one of the oldest Presbyterian churches in Latin America.
On Sunday, March 2, I preached at El Nazareno Presbyterian Church, in Atlanta. The Rev. Nelson Donado has been serving there for more than 15 years. My sermon title was “Good Fruit and Bad Fruit,” based on Luke 6:39-45. It was a good worship service and was followed by a fellowship time where we shared the food that each family brought to the event. The response to my service was positive, including good comments from some visitors. Please pray for this Spanish congregation and many other Spanish churches in the States who are preaching the Word of God weekly and serving their communities.
I am writing to thank you for your prayers and financial support to God’s mission in Colombia, Chile and around the world. Especially for your support to my ministry for more than 10 years.
I want to let you know that my position as a mission co-worker is going to end on March 24 due to changes in World Mission. To read more about these changes, please see the links below from the Presbyterian News Service.
March 28, 2025 – Financial Sustainability is a Critical Component of Changes in PC(USA) Global Engagement
February 7, 2025 – The Shifting Patterns of Ecumenical Global Engagement
February 5, 2025 – Interim Unified Agency Announces Shift in Global Ministry Engagement
January 23, 2025 – A New Vision for Global Ministry
November 5, 2024 – Next Steps in Reimagining Global Mission
Since I began serving with World Mission in 2013, I have learned many things. Let me share five of them with you. First, the Presbyterian congregations in the States are truly committed to God’s mission locally and globally due to their passion and the work of the Holy Spirit in them. Second, PC(USA) World Mission has been committed to supporting our church partners around the world and has expressed this commitment in many ways by working together with them. Third, our church partners around the world need PC(USA)’s support in terms of finance, personnel, training and logistics. Fourth, we, PC(USA) mission co-workers, are blessed by our church partners more than we have blessed their ministries, which means that our church’s and denomination’s re-formation will come as a result of the influence of the global Church. And fifth, in every change in our Church, God will work out God’s will. This is not because of us, or because of our leadership but because Christ is the Head of Church and because the Holy Spirit is working in the Church. In God’s hands, we are fine. That is why I ask you to pray for our church and the new model of global engagement, that God may use it for His glory and the edification of the national and global Church.
My favorite memories are when people tell me after the worship services that God has spoken to them through me and when I saw my students enter the ministry and/or find another Christian work where they will use the theological training. The good fruit of the ministry makes me praise God.
The hot weather in Barranquilla and the ridiculous delay in waiting for my Chilean religious worker visa were also challenging. However, in every situation, God is testing our character. We have grown every year. And I give thanks to God for that. In this mission adventure, I have been inspired by the commitment of our church partners who are working hard in the middle of many needs such as economic, leadership and personal support. Please continue praying for the Presbyterian Church in Colombia and the Presbyterian Church in Chile.
Even though I will no longer be serving as a PC(USA) mission co-worker, our church will continue doing international engagement through the ministry of ecumenical liaisons. Please, continue to support all of them as generously as you have supported me. I will continue to pray for you and ask you to pray for us. We, my wife Dania and I, want to continue serving the Lord in his church. That is what we have done all our lives.
Also, I want to let you know that while I will be ending mission service on March 24, the Interim Unified Agency is providing me with continued support in this transition period.
Thank you again for your ongoing love and support of PC(USA) and of the mission we all do together in the name of Jesus Christ. We could not have done it without you!
In Christ,
