The Underwood Family

Missionaries to Argentina

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May 2023 Prayer Letter

Underwood Family Prayer Letter PDFDownload

Dear Faithful Prayer Partners,

I bring some wonderful news of all that God is doing in our ministry and the exciting opportunities we have to share the gospel in Argentina!

As many are aware, we purchased our own property and paid the last of what we owed last month! A total of $72,500! God was faithful to provide all this in a short amount of time and I am beyond amazed at His goodness.

Now, we have already begun construction on the building, cleaning up the property, preparing the future auditorium for us to prayerfully occupy by July! We estimated that the cost to complete construction will be around $60,000, of which, God has already provided $33,000! I am so thankful for our home church that voted to send $25,000 of that to us in order to help with these construction costs!

In my short absence, Missionary Patrick Henry is filling in and working with our young church! I am thankful for his investment in our folks and helping us reach the next phase of ministry. He and his family have always been such a tremendous blessing to us!

June 11th, our church, Iglesia Bautista Esperanza will celebrate our first anniversary! This is super exciting and our folks are already working to make this a special day as a church family!

Please continue praying that the remainder of the construction funds will come in and that we can begin holding services in our new building by our July goal. We know that this is all in God’s timing, but we are eager to put that property to good use for His glory!

Thank you all for your faithful love, prayers and support for our family! Your Missionaries to Argentina,

Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland

The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
argentinamissions.net

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Special Announcement!

I was notified yesterday of an individual willing to match up to $5,000 toward the beginning stages of construction on our new property!

Every dollar given toward our building project until April 20th will be matched up to $5,000!

We praise the Lord for how He provided to purchase the building, and how He is already providing to complete the construction!

Please pray that these funds will be committed by the 20th of April! $10,000 will be enough to finish the auditorium where we hope to begin holding services by July!

Thank you for always keeping our family in your prayers, loving us, and your faithful support!

Your Missionaries to Argentina,

Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
argentinamissions.net

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April 2023 Prayer Letter

April 2023 Underwood Family Prayer Letter PDFDownload

Its hard to believe that the first quarter of 2023 is already past! Our church is quickly approaching its first anniversary and we are excited about the future. In just a year; we have seen folks saved, baptized, and now have young men that are serving in some capacity or another in the services. We have also added a family of three, and three other adults to our church family within the last month! We are averaging 20 per service and are grateful for the spiritual growth of each person!

We have also made our final building payment and are now owners of our own church property. There still remains much work to be done to complete the construction and prepare the building for us to meet in. I am still amazed at how God provided the initial $72,500 to buy the building, and know that He will provide the needed funds to complete the construction. After receiving several quotes, we believe that it will require another $40,000 to complete all construction at the new property.

My tentative plan is to finish the space where we will hold services, which includes finishing the plumbing and electric, flooring, closing in a wall, and installing a door. This will include a metal security door for when the building is vacant. The estimated cost for this part is roughly $10,000. We hope to be able to begin holding services in the new property by July!

Please continue praying with us for these needs, but especially the growth of our church. Our countdown to a year long furlough is now under three years and I am working to train a young man to preach and teach in our absence.

I’m reminded often of the countdown that missionaries have to train up leaders and know that it is God that raises up the next generation of servants! May He continue doing so through our ministry!

Thank you all for your continued prayers, love, and support for our family!

Your Missionaries to Argentina,

Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
argentinamissions.net

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March 2023 Prayer Letter

March 2023 Prayer Letter PDFDownload

February was an exciting month of several new visitors and some of our young men traveling back from summer vacation! I’m thankful to have folks that are returning for the third and fourth services, and hearing the good reports from them concerning our church!

We had a small back to school party at the house with our youth, and several of Peyton’s soccer friends also attended. I was able to take a few minutes and present the gospel to them, and am praying that God will work in their hearts!

Our church is beginning to see some growth not only numerically, but spiritually as well. A few of our young men are now participating in the offerings, leading in prayer, and helping pass out tracts on their own time! Several of our recent first time visitors came as a result of a personal invitation from our young folks! That excites me tremendously!

Concerning the building project; we are just a week out from our March 15th date to make the last payment. The final payment is $25,000 of which we have $2,000 committed. This means that we still need $23,000 to pay of our building by the 15th!

1) Will you commit to pray that God will provide our financial needs for this property? 2) Will you pray that God will use this property to see an Army of believers raised up to reach Argentina with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
3) And will you ask God if He would have you personally be a part of making this vision become a reality?

If you would like to give toward our property fund, please do so by sending a check to:
Vision Baptist Missions
Attn: Stephen Underwood Property
P.O. Box 647
Dawsonville, GA 30534

Or you can give online with the following link: https://visionmissions.org/give/ 
Simply select Stephen Underwood in the drop down menu as the designation!

Thank you again for your love, prayers, and support of our family and ministry!

Your Missionaries to Argentina,
Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
www.argentinamissions.net

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20 Days Out!

Quick Update Church Property PDFDownload

My friends, ministry partners and prayer warriors,

This update is going to be extremely transparent and a little unusual. There are not many things I don’t just absolutely love about serving as a missionary on the foreign field. Language can be tricky at times, as there are good days and bad days. Working with people across cultural barriers often has its challenges, but I love getting to work with people.

However, there is one area of missions that I almost hate…yes, I know, hate is a strong word. But this particular area is difficult for me on a personal level. Maybe because of my pride, or I hope its more for my desire to be extremely careful of never taking advantage of the kindness and generosity of others. The Lord knows.

So here it is… We have 20 days until the final building payment is due. This is the biggest weight I have on my shoulders at this present time, and I know that the Lord is using it to build my faith and mature me spiritually. However, we are still in need of $25,000 before the 15th of March in order to own our property outright. After this payment, I can begin working to complete construction and Lord willing put this building to good use for the sake of the Gospel!

So here is what I am asking:

  1. Will you commit to pray that God will provide our financial needs for this property?
  2. Will you pray that God will use this property to see an Army of believers raised up to reach Argentina with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
  3. And will you ask God if He would have you personally be a part of making this vision become a reality?

If you would like to give toward our property fund, please do so by sending a check to:

Vision Baptist Missions
Attn: Stephen Underwood Property
P.O. Box 647
Dawsonville, GA 30534

Or you can give online with the following link: https://visionmissions.org/give/ Simply select Stephen Underwood in the drop down menu as the designation!

Thank you again for your love, prayers, and support of our family and ministry!

Your Missionaries to Argentina,

Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
www.argentinamissions.net

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Camp and Building Update

Camp and Building Update PDFDownload

God truly blessed our first family camp this past weekend! We met with members of Iglesia Bautista Fe and Iglesia Bautista La Gracia. It was a wonderful time of preaching, encouragement, and fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ.

We had 16 from our new church attend, including the mother of one of our young men. She, being a devout Catholic her entire life, was able to hear many messages on true salvation by grace through faith, not of works. Isabel, after one of our services, spoke with Sis Vanessa of Iglesia Bautista La Gracia and placed her faith and trust in Christ alone for salvation. Her son, Antony, who had made a profession of faith a couple of months ago, also received full assurance of his salvation! Needless to say that God is doing a great work in the hearts of our people!

Building update: We will be starting clean up on the property, Lord willing this weekend. There is shoulder high grass to be cut, lots of garbage left because it’s been vacant, and several other things we need to do as quickly as possible.

Lord willing, I will also have the original plans for the building this week to use as we begin construction after the final payment in March is made. We are thankful that another $1500 came in toward our building fund last month! We now need $27,000 by March 15th to pay the building off and begin construction. (5 weeks from today)

Please continue praying with us as we trust God to provide this need!

Thank you for all who have given and helped support our ministry! Know that there is fruit being added to your account regularly!

Your Missionaries to Argentina,
Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
argentinamissions.com

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February 2023 Prayer Letter

Feb 2023 Underwood Family Prayer Letter PDFDownload

God continues to bless our little church, Iglesia Bautista Esperanza! It is the dead of summer, hot, and people are traveling to visit family all over. However, God has brought visitors, and new families into our church during this time and we are rejoicing!

This past week, we have had at least one visitor per service, and several return for another service! Sunday evening, we had 18 in attendance with one new first time visitor! Please continue praying as we grow numerically, but mature spiritually in the Lord in the process!

We want to give praise to God for the funds that have been given toward our church property! Of the $72,500 needed to purchase the property, $44,000 has come in and been paid! That includes $5,000 in real estate/attorney fees! We lack $28,500 to pay off the building by March 15th! The other $60,000 we are trying to raise after paying for the building will complete construction and purchase a ministry van to run a bus route! It still seems so large a task for me, but the Lord is showing Himself through this endeavor regardless of how small my faith has been!

If you would like to give toward our property fund, please do so by sending a check to:

Vision Baptist Missions
Attn: Stephen Underwood Property P.O. Box 647
Dawsonville, GA 30534

Or you can give online with the following link: https://visionmissions.org/give/ Simply select Stephen Underwood in the drop down menu as the designation!

Thank you again for your love, prayers, and support of our family and ministry!

Your Missionaries to Argentina,

Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
argentinamissions.com

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January 2023 Prayer Letter

Underwood Family January 2023 Prayer Letter PDFDownload

Happy New Year!

The older I get, the more rapidly the year goes by. It literally seems like yesterday that we were “searching” for a place to rent for our church plant, and now we have a church that is 7 months old!

God has done some amazing things throughout the last year. Folks have been saved, several have been baptized, families are joining and attending our services faithfully, and young folks are being discipled each week! I am thrilled to see the spiritual growth in our people in such a short amount of time!

As we look to the new year, God’s plan is certainly bigger than I could have imagined for myself. Its comforting to know that He is in complete control! We have a little over half of the funds needed to purchase our building! This means that by March 20, 2023 we are trusting God to provide another $30,000 to pay off our building before we can begin construction. Construction costs are another $30,000 and we are praying for an additional $20,000 to purchase a ministry van to transport our folks and start a bus route.

Please pray as we seek to accomplish something much larger than any of us, and though my faith may be small, His desire to see people saved will see this through!

If you would like to be a part of this ministry opportunity, please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions! You may give online through https://visionmissions.org/give/ or send an offering through our support address!
Vision Baptist Missions
Attn: Stephen Underwood
P.O. Box 647
Dawsonville, GA 30534

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support over the years! May you know that God is adding fruit to your account through His work in Argentina!

Your Missionaries to Argentina,

Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
argentinamissions.net 

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Quick Christmas Update!

While those back in the U.S. are breaking out their winter coats, and praying for a white Christmas, we are in the beginning of summer! Christmas here looks a bit different, but it is certainly no less exciting! God continues to bless and do something special in our little church!

School is out now for summer break and several young folks from our church are traveling. Before one of our young men went to visit family for a couple of months, we held our first baptism service at Iglesia Bautista Esperanza! Yago, Brian, and Lauty were three of the first young men to make professions of faith at our church. Each has been super faithful to attend, and I am so proud of their spiritual growth in just a short amount of time!

Wednesday evening, the news was shared with me that Antony, a new young man that has been coming, also trusted Christ as his Savior! I praise the Lord for what He is doing and working in the hearts of those that hear and receive the gospel each week! Please pray for Antony as he grows in the Lord and is discipled!

Antony to the far right!

Thank you all for your investment in eternity through your love, prayers, and support of our family!

Your Missionaries to Argentina,
Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
argentinamissions.net

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December 2022 Prayer Letter

DEC 2022 Underwood Family Prayer Letter PDFDownload

Faithful prayer partners,

I want to thank you all for your generosity and sacrificial giving toward our property purchase! By the time you receive this letter, we will have made our initial payment on the property of $20,000 and now have 90 days to pay the balance of $46,000!

Several churches and individuals have already given toward this, at times, overwhelming project; but God has been faithful to provide through His people! Please continue praying for the remainder to come in as well as the additional cost required to complete construction. I know that He will continue providing as He always has!

I would like to point out that we have a new support address. Vision Baptist Missions has moved to a new location and the new address is: P.O. Box 647 Dawsonville, GA 30534

I would also like you to pray as we prepare for a baptismal service. We have several young men that have trusted Christ and have been going through discipleship with us over the last several months. They are now ready and eager to take the next step in obedience by following the Lord in believer’s baptism!

This month, I was honored to preach at two missions conferences, Iglesia Bautista Fe in Lanús, and also Iglesia Bautista La Gracia in Quilmes! I pray that folks were helped and challenged to continue taking the gospel to the world!

Thank you all for your continued love, prayers, and support for our family!

Your Missionaries to Argentina,

Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
argentinamissions.net

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November 2022 Prayer Letter

November Underwood Family Prayer Letter PDFDownload

Thank you all for your love and encouragement as our ministry continues to grow and God works in the hearts of our people in Argentina! October has been a month full of the blessings of God and we look forward to His continued blessings in our ministry.

Pastor Lee Wimberly, and Bro Jeff Furlong came for a short visit to look over a few potential properties and see the work God is doing. I can honestly say that I was more encouraged by their visit than they may ever know. We believe we have found the piece of property, with a partially constructed building that God would have us purchase as our permanent location for Iglesia Bautista Esperanza!

Within the next week, I will be sending a more detailed description of the building along with our financial breakdown, and tentative timeline for completion. The first step is to raise the cost of the building/property which is $85,000. This includes closing costs, commissions, and fees. The next step will be to raise the funds needed to complete the construction. This amount is expected to be around $30,000. We are also incorporating the purchase of a ministry van in the final price in order to transport folks from our current location to the new facility. Our best estimate for this is $20,000, totaling $135,000. We know God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, and that He will provide all that we need to see His work accomplished in Argentina!

On a similar note, I’m so thankful for all that He is doing with our small church. We have broken 20 people in the last several services, and had a young man trust Christ as His savior just last night. Folks are being saved. Believers are growing and maturing spiritually. We are taking full advantage of the opportunities God is giving us to serve! We are truly living out His purpose for our lives and it is exciting!

Please be praying with us about this step of faith, and all that it entails. While this may be uncharted territory for me, this is nothing new to our Great God!

Your Missionaries to Argentina,

Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
argentinamissions.net

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Big Opportunity Ahead!

Church Property Proposal PDFDownload

Faithful Ministry and Prayer Partners,

I am excited to share with you the opportunity in front of us as we seek to further the gospel of Christ here in Argentina!

Our young church is on the verge of outgrowing our current rented facility and is at a place to begin looking for a permanent piece of property. With the future plans to begin seminary classes by which we will train the next generation of church leadership, as well as continue to reach those within the Ezeiza/Canning community of the Greater Buenos Aires Provence, we will utilize this new property as a vehicle for church planting.

Attached is a PDF download proposal for our potential property. It contains information, a budget, pictures, and our vision for the property.

If you have any questions concerning this ministry opportunity, please do not hesitate to email me at sunderwood52@gmail.com!

Thank you all for your continued love, prayers, and support of our family!

Your Missionaries to Argentina,

Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
argentinamissions.net

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October 2022 Prayer Letter

October Prayer Letter PDFDownload

Greetings to our faithful prayer partners!

We have had a tremendous month of September and God continues to bless our small church plant in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires, Argentina! I am thankful for the Lord’s hand of protection and blessing on us as we strive to serve Him!

My family enjoyed a couple of weeks with my mom and I believe she enjoyed the grandkids at least. The day we dropped mom off at the airport, our friend, Justin, from Arequipa, Peru arrived to help us out for the month! He is already a great blessing and helping me organize our outreach and music program.

Please pray as he has also started teaching free guitar lessons as a method of reaching younger people. We know God is going to bless and trust that many will be able to hear the gospel through these classes.

We also have a special month planned for October. Each Sunday in October will have a special emphasis and we hope to see several visitors each week. Sunday, October 16, is Mother’s Day here and we will be hosting a guest Pastor from the United States and one of his men, my friend Jeff Furlong. Pastor Lee will be preaching and I will attempt to translate for the first time! I certainly covet your prayers during this time.

Jeff and Pastor Lee will be here for a short trip to see the work, the field, but mainly to look over a potential piece of property for our church! It is an exciting time, but also uncharted waters for me. I am grateful for Jeff’s expertise in this matter as he is a professional contractor.

Please continue praying as we work to raise the funds to purchase the property God has for us, and to begin building as soon as possible! I will give an update when more details and information about this possibility is available!

Thank you all for your continued love, prayers, and support of our family! Your Missionaries to Argentina,

Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
argentinamissions.net

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September 2022 Prayer Letter

Underwood Family Prayer Letter PDFDownload

Dear Pastors and Faithful Prayer Partners,

We have had a tremendous month of August and are so excited about the future of our church plant in Ezeiza! God has bestowed on us His blessings and with His blessings, the opportunities to serve others for the sake of the gospel.

We recently hosted a Día De Los Niños and were truly encouraged by the turnout! Our final numbers of those that attended were; 86 children, 40 parents, and as a result of the gospel being preached, 4 professions of faith! The follow Sunday morning, we also had a young lady visit from the day before, Malena, who came to know Christ as her Savior!

This month, I’m excited to have my mom visit for a couple of weeks. The boys are super excited to see Nina and we trust this will be a nice time showing her our home on the field! Then, on the 15th, Justin, a young preacher/song leader from Iglesia Bautista Omega in Arequipa, Peru will be staying with us for a month, and helping serve in our young church. This will be a huge blessing to me and our folks as we continue growing, learning music, and ministering to the commuinty.

Please continue praying as we seek to raise the funds to purchase our church property. Lots in our area are roughly $35k – $50k for the size we need to begin building. With the Argentine economy, our dollar goes further, however the inflation rate is outrageous and prices are increasing drastically and quickly. Our goal is to be able to purchase a property before everything skyrockets out of reach.

I’m just so thankful for the work God is doing in our small church plant, and believe that only greater things are ahead in our efforts to reach Ezeiza, Buenos Aires, and all of Argentina with the gospel!

Thank you all for your continued love, prayers, and support of our family!

Your Missionaries to Argentina,

Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
argentinamissions.com

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Special Underwood Update

Dia de los niños update PDFDownload

I just wanted to take a few moments and share with each of you the blessings we received from our Dia De Los Niños today!

Our church is only two months old, and we greatly lacked the manpower and ability to host such a tremendous day. Iglesia Bautista Berea from La Plata, Argentina, spent the day, their time, and energy helping us put together an amazing outreach opportunity for the community!

Our final numbers of those that attended were; 86 children, 40 parents, and as a result of the gospel being preached, 4 professions of faith!

I’m just so thankful for the work God is doing in our small church plant, and believe that only greater things are ahead in our efforts to reach Ezeiza, Buenos Aires, and all of Argentina with the gospel!

Thank you for all who prayed; God answered!

Your Missionaries to Argentina,

Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
argentinamissions.com