the city of Portland. There were
a couple churches started in the
suburbs but not in the city. Then
again, I heard the Holy Spirit say,
“Then do something!” I thought,
“Me, Lord? Are you sure?” It is so
easy to say someone needs to do
something but to be willing to be
the one to do it is another thing!
This is why the Lord says, Pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest,
that he will send forth labourers
into his harvest” (Matthew 9:38).

One cannot pray this prayer
without saying, “Yes, Lord, I will go.” I shared this with my wife and we prayed
about it. I needed the Lord to give us a clear confirmation this was what He
wanted because I knew we could not do it without it truly being His will. If it
were up to my fleshly desire, it would be no.

A few weeks later, I was at a Capital Connection in Salem and the host pastor
shared a story of a man who travels all over the world for his job. He goes to
many spiritually dark places. He said, “I do not know why, but every time I fly
into Portland, Oregon, I feel a spiritual darkness like no other place I travel.”
This is what the Lord used to confirm the calling on my life—God wanted us
to go to Portland! Many places in the world are spiritually dark without God;
however, right here in our own country there are places that are just as dark as
one would find on the foreign field.

The Lord also had His timing and it was not as fast as we thought, but God
was putting the puzzle pieces together in His way for us to leave Salem Baptist
Church. In 2020 we continued to help our pastor through the unique ministry
challenges that faced us. We decided to stay on staff through the church’s
25th anniversary in September 2021. We started deputation in October and
then took off for full-time deputation right after our fifth child was born in
December. Traveling as a family of seven with a truck and travel trailer all over the country
has been quite the adventure! To the average person, it looks absolutely crazy!
Yet, we have learned so much and our faith and trust in God has grown. From
my wife breaking her foot to several vehicle and trailer breakdowns to the Lord
sending us the surprise of our sixth child, we have seen His hand directing our
steps and guiding us in the direction He wants, even when it was very different
than we thought. We are excited to get to Portland and be where God has called
us! This journey has been His story and a visual of His hand leading us. His
timing is truly perfect.




Church Plant Becomes a Reality
by USA Director Bob Larson
Editor's note — We thought this article would be a good way to follow up on the
previous story by Nathan Leierer. After stepping out by faith and raising their support,
the Lord enabled the Leierer family to launch Arise Baptist Church on May 5, 2024.

I flew into Portland on a Thursday afternoon early in May to attend the launch of Arise Baptist Church.

After raising their support to plant a new church, BIMI Reseeding America Missionary Nathan Leierer
and his family were planning and preparing for their first services in southwest Portland.

Portland is the most populous city in the state of Oregon and the third most populous city in the
Pacific Northwest after Seattle and Vancouver. With a population of over 600,000, it is the 26th largest
city in America. When the entire metro area of Portland (five counties in Oregon and two counties
in Washington) is tallied, the total population is nearly 2.4 million. About 12,000 Vietnamese people
live in the city, making it one of the largest Vietnamese populations in the country.

Arriving a few days before the opening, I had an opportunity to visit with Nathan and his wife, Jewell,
and their children. I also had the opportunity to work with volunteers (in the rain) from Westgate
Baptist Church in Tigard, Oregon. They came to help pass out Gospel literature and invitations to the
opening of Arise Baptist Church.

I appreciated the planning and preparation that Nathan and his family put into the launch of this new
church. They are presently meeting in a rented community center and their sending church (Salem
Baptist Church, Pastor Stephen Brown) did a great job of assisting in the setup, takedown and serving
of refreshments. Pastor Nate preached a great vision casting message as to what Arise Baptist Church
will strive to be in southwest Portland and worldwide. After the opening service, it was wonderful to
hear visitors saying, “I will be back next Sunday!” Please pray for this new church plant and for the
church to quickly be established and to find a permanent building to house their ministry.

Reseeding America – Summer 2024 17