Arequipa, 17 December 2009

Dear Brothers in Christ,

It is a privilege to be able to address you, knowing your love, missions and dedicated service to many other brothers and sisters.

I accepted Christ in 1991, the next year I started my preparation at “Seminario Bautista Macedonia” (Macedonia Baptist College). In 1993 I helped a Mexican missionary to start a new work, where I worked until 1997. That same year I returned to my local church, Hunter Baptist Church. Place where I worked as co-pastor until the year 2002. Right after that I assumed the entire pastorate of this church. In the year 2005 we started Smyrna Baptist Church, and between both of them we have a Sunday attendance of approximately 400 people.

I have been teaching at Macedonia Baptist College since 1996, institution which I have also been Principal at the last five years. Moreover, we manage a Christian School with Hunter Church, having an attendance of 80 students between elementary, middle and high School.

This coming year, for strategic reasons, I will be making some changes in the ministry that I have been developing. After working for 16 years as assistant Pastor and Pastor I have finally decided to continue serving our Lord but as a missionary in my own country. I have the objective of opening more churches and train more fellows for the service of the Lord. After talking to the leaders and other men of the churches I pastorate, they have accepted my decision knowing I will fulfill my work from those same churches. For this will be the base I will use to help other churches.

This week I have been accepted at “Vision Baptist Missions International”, which is directed by Austin Gardner. All this fills me with gratitude and joy and a greater commitment to continue opening local churches in Peru and South America. Also, with the years I have come to learn that the local church is the hope of the entire world.

This December 30th (God willing) is my 16th marriage anniversary. My wife Liz and my children, Andrea (14), Miguel (10) and Gaby(6) have been with me throughout my career, and I just couldn’t imagine my life without them. I ask for your prayers on behalf of my family.

The next six weeks we will be having the following events, for which I also ask for your prayers:

- End of the Christian school year, on Monday December 21st.

- Camp for pastors in Ite (Tacna) from December 28th to 30th.

- New Year’s Eve at Hunter and Smyrna on December 31st.

- Classes for pastors at our College on January 5-6 and 26-27, 2010.

- Congress for ladies at Macedonia College, from January 12th to 15th 2010.

Our plans for next year include:

- The opening of two churches (one of them before March 2010).

- Send three students of Macedonia College and Hunter Baptist Church to do practical work for two months in Lima.

- Increase the number of college students to 60.

- Initiate infrastructure improvements for our Christian school.

- Being in different churches for 12 weeks in a year, teaching, preaching and involving fellows in the Lord’s work.

- Come to an average attendance of 450 people between the two churches where I will keep working.

It is always a pleasure to stay in touch with you. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Blessing and best regards,

Miguel Murillo

Miguel and Liz serve as missionaries with Vision Baptist Missions International. They are church planters in the city of Arequipa. God has greatly used Miguel both in the Bible College as well as in Hunter Baptist Church and the planting of Smyrna Baptist Church.

Betty and I have known Miguel and Liz for many years. We love them very much. Today is their wedding anniversary. God bless both of you in all the work that you are doing.

This week we will be blessed, Lord willing, to have Travis and Teri Snode with us. They are members of Vision and missionaries serving in Northern Ireland.

This Sunday, Travis, will teach the combined teen and adult Sunday School. Then he will preach in the evening service. We will also be having a Blessing Service for him.

That is the service where we will present him with the sword and the letters and notes for the memory box. I hope you will make special plans to be with us. This is always one of the sweetest times we ever have as a church. Travis and Teri are our missionaries. We will also take a special offering for them.

You will enjoy this special Sunday. Not only that this will be a Sunday to remember as it will be our first Sunday in our new home.

God has given the Snodes some fine young people. Here is a picture of them at their youth retreat.

God is also allowing the Snodes to build an international church with people from all over the world.

You are going to love getting to spend time with this wonderful family. They are great friends. They are great servants of God and very down to earth. You will love your time with them. Come help me be a blessing to them that they will not forget.

Invite your friends to our first service in our new building and also Travis Snode Sunday.

Vision Baptist Church has been working hard to move into the new building. That is very exciting for all of us. Here are some pictures for your viewing enjoyment by Tracey Paver:

Lang wiring up the plug ins on the platform

Adam working hard moving things in.

Church work can be similar to county work as seen in this photo. One working and the others looking. Not really all the men and women worked very hard and have continued to do so day after day. I have been so blessed and pleased with the way our people have gotten under the load.

The one guy that was working has gone to sleep on the job.

After long hours of work the men took a break-and really it was a needed break.

Little Tabatha worked hard too!

Jonathan bought enough pizzas to feed an army.

It took truck and trailer load time and again to finally move everything. It would shock you how much stuff a 3.5 year old church can accumulate.

God has been good to us. I love the new building but the thing I love the most is that God has given us such wonderful people.

Thank you to each and everyone that has worked so hard. There is still a lot to do but it is going to be fun.

Today many of the Peruvian Pastors are making their way to a camp outside of Ilo, Peru. They will be there until Wednesday. It will be a time of relaxing, a time of prayer, preparation, and fellowship. I used to love this time with the pastors as much as anything else I got to do.

I would like to ask you to pray for all the pastors, the missionaries, and their time together. Especially lift up Chris Gardner in this time that God would greatly use him.

I pray that the pastors and missionaries will all come back refreshed, batteries charged and ready to go into battle.