San Cristobal Forerunners

Hello - One of my favorite aspects of Jesus' ministry is that he prioritized proclaiming the good news of God (Mark 1:14-15)... Yes, even though he cast out demons and performed many miracles - one of the things that truly amazed people about Jesus was that "he taught them as one who had authority" (v.22, 27)... On one occasion, after working late into the night (v.29-34), the Son of God snuck away early in the morning to pray (v. 35); only to be interrupted by Simon and his companions who informed him of his celebrity status (v.37)... Jesus' response is awesome - what he says is: "let us go somewhere else - to the nearby villages - so I can preach there also. That is why I have come" (v.38). ...I know that a lot of people think that Alejandra and I are pretty ridiculous for going around to a bunch of cities establishing churches that are often barely able to fly; only to then leave them and do the same thing somewhere else; but however irresponsible people think we are, I still think it's valid and important that we keep moving around to share the good news of Jesus with others, as we establish more churches that keep proclaiming Christ even in our absence. ...So what's the next city where we want to start another church? Yep, you guessed it: San Cristobal, Venezuela.

But perhaps more important than where we want to start another church - maybe with whom we want to do it is even more exciting.

Yalinxon and Angela have been a couple for about 10 years, and Alejandra and I had the privilege of meeting them in Duitama and sharing the gospel with them and discipling them; and then just recently I got to marry Yalinxon and Angela while Alejandra arranged everything for their wedding...

As is the case for many Venezuelans - getting all their papers in order is often pretty tricky, but once Yalinxon and Angela got legally married and expressed their desire to have a ceremony at our church, Alejandra got right after it in helping them set everything up, and about 2 weeks ago we celebrated their union as husband and wife before God.

Ever since the capture of Nicolas Maduro, the Torres family started planning their return to Venezuela, and so a few days after their wedding I offered to take Yalinxon and 2 of his boys to the Venezuelan border in my tuck-tuck.

Once we made it and Angela arrived with her and her husband's youngest son by bus - we crossed the border and traveled to San Cristobal where I showed them around...

Originally the Torres family were thinking about traveling all the way back to Caracas, but once we were in Venezuela, I told them about Alejandra's and my intention to come back to San Cristobal to start a church, and that if they were up for it - maybe they could help us do just that, as we could maybe help them find an apartment...

Well, we found a furnished apartment, and they signed the contract for at least three months, and so we're good to go now... Yalinxon is hoping to get a job as a soccer coach, and it seems like there is already a good chance that he will get hired...

He's had a lot of experience as a coach, and I feel like both Alejandra and Angela make for pretty good soccer moms...

...About a month ago we had the honor of hosting some awesome Christian Scottish football blokes who really encouraged both Yalinxon and myself

Sometimes it's through things as simple as playing soccer or going to eat pizza that real friendships are formed; which leads to really important conversations about who Jesus is; which leads to more thorough scrutiny of the Scriptures; which can then lead to people being saved; and then even... I don't know... maybe even starting a church?

The pizza restaurant in the above pics ⬆️ is owned by an Italian man named Gino who moved to Venezuela when he was about 3 years old, and has become a good friend of mine... When Alejandra and I were living in San Cristobal over a year ago, Gino let us use his restaurant to have meetings in, and hopefully we'll get to do that again before too long...

-Sam Missionary Profile:

P.S. While I went to Venezuela, Alejandra travelled to the coffee region of Colombia with our son, as they went to celebrate Jackson's great grandpa's 97th birthday...

I remember the only time that my dad met Alejandra's grandpa he shared the gospel with him... please pray that Alejandro Mondragon will cling to Jesus in faith before he leaves this earth...

News from the Border

Hi - If anyone wants to hear my thoughts regarding the capture of Nicolas Maduro and the ensuing tension between Colombian president Gustavo Petro and Donald Trump - you'll have to travel to Sweden and watch the news there.

For everyone else - you're welcome to pray for the ABCD churches my wife and I started in Colombia (the two Aposento Alto churches, the Refuge Church in Bogota, the Refuge Church in Cucuta, and the Refuge Church in Duitama)... Also - will you please pray for Iglesia Levantemonos y Edifiquemos as well as for missionaries working with indigenous communities in Colombia?

In the picture above, just this last Sunday leaders from LyE, Parkway, Duitama, and Cucuta met together to kick off the year and pray for what's ahead. We also heard a report from Venezuelan pastors and close friends Nino and Virginia about the status of the Venezuelan church, and we prayed for them as well as for all the other churches mentioned above

After showing some of my friends from out of town a little of Bogota

I met up with Duitama and Cucuta leaders at my parents house where my awesome Venezuelan friends then spent the night

On Monday I jetted over to Cucuta to encourage my friends there and see what's happening at the border, as we also shared the gospel

Today I'm getting my passport renewed, and Alejandra is back in the States with little Jacks, as she also tries to define a few things related to her American visa

It was great to have all the extended Killins' together this Christmas, along with honorary family members Carolina and Orlando Bueno

As executive director of Christian Missions in Many Lands John Peaseland has emphasized in his most recent Prayer Handbook - please pray for missionaries like the Buenos (and especially their daughter Ana Sofia), who have (and are) working hard to take the gospel to the Arab world... You won't be able to find the Buenos in the handbook, and you won't be able to find Alejandra and I either - but then again - who's looking?

...As I was at the border of Colombia with Venezuela yesterday - everything seemed fairly normal, albeit a little more tense, and with a lot more news reporters than usual...

The thing that caught my attention the most however, was a hearse that was picking up a corpse which was being transported from one country to the other

As this world gets crazier and crazier every second - the main thing that us Christians should be intentional about is sharing the good news of Jesus to spiritually dead people who are being shuffled around from one place to another... Alejandra and I happen to be doing that in Colombia (and at times in Venezuela and the States), and so any way that you would like to support and/or pray for us in the midst of this calling we would really appreciate it.

Christian Missions in Many Lands is a good missions organization, and thankfully they have been very gracious to my family and I in channeling tax deductible donations from friends and churches in the States to us here in Colombia... If you would like to support my family and I as we share the gospel and plant churches and serve Venezuelans and Colombians (as well as anyone else that God puts in our path) just click on this link to see how to do that: https://www.cmml.us/waystogive. Also, at this link you can send us a gift electronically by clicking on the blue support button, as you also read our missionary profile: https://www.cmml.us/m/702

Make it a good 2026, and don't be afraid to live loud as ambassadors of our King. Just remember who's our King.

Come quickly Lord Jesus, Sam Missionary Profile: P.S. Recently I've been thinking a little about how as Chrisitans we're all kind of like Nicolas Maduro who has been taken captive, and is now being led around in triumphal procession (2 Cor. 2:14).

Coffee, C̶o̶c̶a̶i̶n̶e̶, and the Gospel of Christ

Hi - I think we can all agree that drugs are really bad and that the world needs more coffee.

Where exactly tea falls into the equation I don't know, but my mom used to have this image framed at our house which was pretty clever:

I never used to drink much coffee, but now I do big time, thanks primarily to these guys, who have been a positive influence in my life:

But far more important than campaigning for the aroma and taste of Colombian coffee - Alejandra's and my friends and I are mostly interested in spreading around the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing (2 Corinthians 2:15).

To one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life (v. 16a).

Just like churches, there are different blends of coffee. Some blends are more exotic and some are more plain. Some selections are more organic while others are more processed. There is only one gospel, and there are those who plant that gospel and the Word of God on different terrains, and then there are those who water it... Either way, God is the one who causes the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6).

And who is competent for such a task? (2 Cor. 16b) Obviously no one, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant — not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:5b-6).

Now, about trafficking drugs - that definitely kills. It kills the users, and recently the news has shown that it also kills the peddlers.*

But, unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God (2 Cor. 2:17)... At the table in the picture below, I even got to hear from a very courageous Christian woman who is seriously and arduously fighting against human trafficking in SouthEast Asia.

And as for coffee - in the picture below, recently I got to work with and learn from some solid Christian guys who are promoting the cultivation of this amazing crop as an alternative to cocaine within one of the most violent regions of Colombia.

Lord willing, maybe a couple of the Refuge churches that Alejandra and I started can host a couple coffee shops some day that support this initiative.

1 Corinthians 16:24, -Sam Missionary Profile: *Though I don't support the killing of people without due process, and it's likely that the attacks on these sea vessels has more to do with intimidating Nicolas Maduro than anything else.