Update
Ok, it has been a while since I have updated our blog. If I could come up with a good excuse, something you would believe, I would.
Even though the blog has been silent the ministry in Cofradía and in the mountains continues to grow and develop. Here in Cofradía the local church continues to grow bigger and stronger under the leadership of Pastor Gollo, the eldership, and the lay leaders in the different ministry areas.
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We are a leading church where:
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A constant sustainable growth is maintained.
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We make sure Christ is the head.
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Each person is a leader.
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We are committed to:
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having the Word of God as our authority
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being a place where people encounter the truth
and restoration
We continue to work diligently to build a strong foundation with solid Biblical teaching, discipleship programs, leadership training, evangelism, and building community. We are excited for the future that God has for this ministry and the communities He leads us to.
Trip to Cangrejo
In June we were joined by our friends from Iowa Tom Beytien and Mark Hoffschneider, as well as Pastor Hector Robles and a group of men from his church, as we travelled back to the Cora community of Cangrejo. Our plan was to visit people in their homes and share a simple study of the Prodigal Son, do a Kid's Club, show the Jesus Movie, and give out a metric ton of corn. God's plan, it turns out, was different. Soon after arriving we found out that during the 2 days we were going to be there the community was going to be full of activity. They started out with an all-day volleyball tournament, then a primary school graduation, then ended it all with a dance with a live band and cases and cases of beer. So, instead of trying to make our plan work, we decided to join them (except for the beer drinking). We formed a volleyball team and entered the tournament and were thoroughly beaten by the local teams. This type of community event involves everyone, including the surrounding villages, and is a time for visiting, having fun, and spending time together. So that is what we did. We talked with people, we participated, and we helped.
The next morning we
met with the town leaders and the ladies from all of the families in town and
we gave everyone a large bag of corn. Pastor Hector share with them that the
gift of the corn was not from us, but was a blessing from God, one way that He
wants to show His love to them. At the end we prayed over them and their
community and said our good-byes. I don't know what it is, but Cangrejo has a
special place in my heart and I believe that God has plans for that community. Cangrejo SlideshowBaptism
In July we loaded up the whole
congregation and went out to the stream in Santa Fe for a baptism. The baptism
was a great time of fellowship and excitement. After a time of worship, Pastor
Gollo shared a short word and a prayer. Then Gollo and Horacio baptized 6
people! Check out the following video of the baptisms. Baptism Video
Upcoming Trip
Here in August we plan on making a trip back to Washington. As usual we are waiting for our visas to complete the renewal process before we can go. We really enjoy our time in Washington, visiting, sharing, and connecting with family, friends, and supporters. We plan on being in Washington from the end of August until the 1st or 2nd week of October.
We are also very excited that a couple of guys from Cofradía, who are in Washington for the apple harvest, will be joining us at His Place Community Church on the Sunday of September 22nd, followed by a potluck lunch. We hope to see you there!
