After many attempts we can finally get back to our Blog, praise the Lord!
We already had a trip to Nicaragua, a youth camp. Our first camp in the facility we are building. I (Luis) am leaving for Honduras early in the morning tomorrow, but I will add some more to this post in a couple of days.
For now, let me add that Karen had surgery in Costa Rica on December 15, 2010. She is still in the recovery process, but she is doing very well. Thanks a lot for your prayers, We have seen God's hand through the whole process. The best part of the story is that she is back home. Yeaaaah!
Last Sunday, a dear friend asked me, Isn't it dangerous? Yes, it could be. The question in my heart... Isn't it worth of it? Absolutely YES, it is!
Along with my dear Colombian brother, Edgar Puerta, we left for our second trip to Colombia, this year, on July 21. Our goal, to start the Bible Institute at Bethesda Church. A 10 subject program that will take us two and a half years to complete. The main idea is to train them so that they can train others in the future. The Church already has a good group of young professional, including college teachers, engineers, and psychologists. They just needed some hope, some encouragement and we believe, the Lord in His mercy is just using us to do so. The three days of training (Leadership and Spiritual Life) were a great time, with forty pastors and leaders from different denominations in attendance. Our next trip is scheduled for November. We will be teaching "Missions and Evangelism", a challenge to get out, reach their own people for Christ, and start new churches.
Besides that, they have requested us to help them with a vision, a facility to reach out to orphans (we are working in an area that used to be a guerrilla-paramilitia battlefield, and a substance abuse recovery center. To accomplish that we are to help them to acquire a 30 acres farm for around $12000 (twelve thousand dollars). They will use the farm to produce corn and beans and other products to be able to support the cost of the whole project.
After all this years in ministry, I (Luis) have not yet learned how to explain it, but I know, in my heart, helping them is what God wants me to do. Please pray with us, for wisdom, for strength, and that God will provide for this as He wants. The window of opportunity is wide open, the people of Colombia are thursty, pray with us for them please.
This was a very productive Trip with a team from Crossroads Church (Douglasville, GA). God really blessed us on this trip . We did Medical/Dental (joint effort with medical people from US and Nicaragua), Children Ministry, and construction.
Medical/Dental?Children Ministry work together and served over a thousand people, both in the city of La Trinidad and near the Construction site.
On the construction side of the story I should say that we started to build the "Camp/ Retreat Center". The first youth camp is scheduled for the first week of January 2011. At least a hundred youth will come. Marriage retreats, pastors and leaders training and church retreats will follow. The walls and roof of one third of the main building was completed by this team. Next big push will take place in October. November and December will be used to do whatever else needed.
This is a great project that will impact, not only the churches we are working with, but those in between Managua and Esteli, and the areas around.
A picture speaks louder than a thousand words they say. Let me share with you a video prepared by Crossroads. There are pictures of the team, the camp, medical, dental, children ministry, etc. We hope you will enjoy it. Please follow this link: Nicaragua June 13-19, 2010
After the team left, Luis stayed and shared in a one day marriage retreat and at a pastors conference. Many lives were touched by the Lord . Seeing the encouragement in pastors and leaders, and the way they talk about the future, and how God is blessing their lives and ministry is a humbling experience and a big challenge for us.
Along with a group of 16 from Crossroads Church Douglasville, GA, we spent an interesting week around the city of Yoro, doing construction, medical, evangelism and children ministry. We held medical clinics at San Juan, Centro Poblado, La Cultura and a little village near Subirana, in the mountains of Honduras. We saw close to a thousand pacients. while adults were waiting on line to see the doctor, the children had a bowl with the different evangelistic activities the team prepared for them. Besides we had the local pastors and leaders sharing the gospel with the adults that came seeking medical help.
The construction part of the team was very effective and flexible. They built three classrooms for children ministry in Ayapa - pastor Edwin's Church and even did some needed repairs to the Guest House in Yoro.
While there, we learned that Pastor Franklin, the National Missionary we work with is facing some health issues. Keep him in your prayers please.
This was a very productive trip. with a Team of just four people from First Baptist Atlanta. We had a Teachers training, Pastors and Leaders training, VBS, and a Ladies afternoon at Pastor Domingo's new Church building, "Centro Cristiano Nueva Jerusalen".
After leaving last September, we left a building with walls and a roof, but must of all, a good group of new friends. Santa Teresa is a little community in the mountains of the Department of Lempira, right in the heart of the Lenca people area. They are very friendly and humble. Great people to work with and to learn from. When we got back this time, they had finished most of the building. Walls were polished and painted - both inside and outside, concrete floor was on, doors, windows, I just could not hold my tears. They are probably the most faithful people I have worked with for many years. They were not waiting for us to come and do something else to their building, they did as much as they could and, knowing how poor they are, far and beyond their resources.
God just continued to provide for them and they were thankful for it. They waited for us to come back to do the inauguration of their building, and a big event it was. The new building was packed with hundreds of people, and God was exalted that day.
The training for teachers, pastors and leaders was great. They were excited about the materials we shared. The children ministry was very special and we had a lot of fun.
They need a lot of help, and we agreed that the biggest need is training. We are in the process of helping them to start a Bible Institute and our hope is to teach the first Subject "Leadership and Spiritual Life" in September or October 2010.
It is really amazing to see how the Lord is opening lots of doors in this area.
This was a great week. We spent time with pastor Franklin, planning, and visiting new places looking for opportunities for new church plants. Most of the time though was spent with pastor Cuello, and Iglesia Bautista Emanuel, where we did some training on personal evangelism, and went to the streets with them, knocking on doors and sharing our faith in Jesus Christ.
As part of the effort, we had two evangelistic services and several people gave their lives to the Lord, while others rededicated their lives. our next trip to the area will be June 5-12, with a team from Crossroads Douglasville. We will build three classrooms for the Church in AYAPA (Pastor Edwin), have medical clinics in four different locations, have a three nights evangelistic effort, and reach the community through a children ministry team.
After arriving to Costa Rica on the 3rd, we got on the car and drove to Nicaragua the next day. While there we had the opportunity to visit the land that was purchased to build the "Camp", a facility that will be used for youth camps, church retreats and leaders training. By the time I write this words, the construction is already on the way.
The initial facility will have a capacity for 100 people, and is located in the village of "El Terrero", about 40 miles north of Managua, the capital, and almost half the way between Managua and Esteli (where we have been working).
The first youth camp is scheduled for the second week of January 2011. A team from Crossroads Church Douglasville, GA, is coming June 13-19, and a team from Great Swamp Baptist Church, Ridgeland, SC, will join us in October.
The church building in La Trinidad is going well. This time we found a stone floor at the first level, and they have started installing the front and side windows. It is good to see this congregation to do as much of they can to finish their building.After reviewing the plans with pastor Eliseo, we drove back to Costa Rica.
Pastor Alejandro Soto and old friend, is serving on a New Church Plant around the city of Turrialba, a small town in the central mountains of Costa Rica. We talked with him about the possibility of helping on the task. We are in the process of defining the details for this partnership.
