David & Beth Roberts

Robert's Family Update

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The First Two Months 

On September 16th we officially made it to Uruguay. After a week of quarantine, we were able to venture out and begin our adaptation here. So far, it has been a positive transition. We are currently attending and serving at Christ Church in the community where we live. This church is a bilingual congregation (English and Spanish) reaching a very diverse population. Half of its congregation is Uruguayan while the rest of the congregation is made of immigrants from many different countries. We have people from Africa, Brazil, India, China and Germany in our church family. It has been a joy to see how God is using this church to make disciples of the nations to reach Uruguay and beyond. We have been well received in this community and have been able to integrate during the first weeks. 

Beyond our involvement in the local church, we have been dedicating our time to some Spanish refresher courses, working on preparing our documentation for our permanent visas, and adapting to life here in a new country. It is interesting to learn about the Uruguayan culture and observe differences with that of Argentina. First of all, the people are much more private here. We were used to frequently speaking with strangers in Argentina. In Uruguay, it is much more difficult to spark a conversation with a stranger. When we are in conversation with people, it is most common to find that people either have no religious beliefs or they have no personal faith that they are practicing. Despite being more reserved culturally, several conversations with people have led to them casually proclaiming their atheism or agnosticism upon hearing about our faith and work. There seems to be a desire with many to discuss spiritual topics, but there is a general distrust of organized religion. Our hope is to help others come to know Jesus rather than defend Christian institutions. We trust that truly encountering Jesus Christ leads to a natural desire to be a part of a Christian community. Ministry here will definitely require creativity and unorthodox thinking. 

Family Highlights 

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Zane has been plugging in at church with the youth group. He loves to serve where he can, participate in all activities and help include people whenever possible. Zane also is attending a youth group at another church with a larger group of teenagers. He is making friends and growing in many ways. 

Isabel and Sofia are doing a great job making friends, relearning Spanish, and even taking care of their first pet, our new rabbit, Brownie. They have adjusted well and especially love to go to church to learn and see their friends. 

Beth has been hard at work teaching the kids at home, opening her life to other women and families and hosting people in our home. She continually looks for ways to minister to others while being a mother and educator for our children. 

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Prayer Requests 

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-A smooth transition into church-based ministry in the coming months 

-That God would lead us to “men/women of peace” who are interested in knowing more about Jesus 

-That God would help us establish new ministry partnerships outside of the church 

-That God would protect our family and help our children grow in all areas 

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New Address and phone numbers: 

Millington Drake 1786 

11500 Montevideo, Uruguay 

(Keep in mind that mail is unreliable, and it is not recommended to send packages. Contact us if you have questions.) 

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David’s Cell: +598 94048255 

Beth’s Cell: +598 94048710 

(You can contact our phone numbers through WhatsApp)