Ministry glimpses
Baptisms 2011 – Video
Here are a few video clips from the baptisms this past Sunday, just to give you an idea what it was like. There were 19 people baptized, ten from the Jesús María church and nine from Santa Barbara.
As you may know, the baptisms were at a public water park just outside of Mexico City, so there were other people around and other things going on (and you’ll hear lots of music in the background that wasn’t ours).
Not everyone who was planning to be baptized actually was – a few people didn’t come. It’s not an easy step to take… please continue to pray for both those who were baptized and those who were not.
You’ll see clips of most of the baptisms and a few clips of the testimonies (everyone gave their testimony, but I didn’t include clips of them all). Praise the Lord with us, and enjoy the video!
Check out the Ixtapaluca baptisms from 2010, and 2009. In 2009, the second church didn’t even exist yet, and the first elder and deacon had just been recognized in the first. Wow.
Tomorrow – Baptisms!
Tomorrow morning we’re supposed to meet at David’s house at 7am, and then drive to the water park where the baptisms will take place.
There’s quite a crowd expected – I hope we have room for everyone! I also hope everyone wakes up in time! 🙂
Seriously, though – please pray for those who are planning to be baptized tomorrow, that they would have the courage to follow through. And praise the Lord for each heart that He’s changing.
I was listening to testimonies last Sunday after our morning service, as those who are being baptized prepared for what they were going to say.
After hearing one testimony, I wanted to make sure that people weren’t claiming that you could become a Christian and all your life’s problems would melt away. So I said,"So, after you put your faith in Christ, life is easy – right?"
Yes. (several voices said)
No! (several voices said, as they realized what I was saying)
Well, actually….
Then something amazing happened.
People began to share around the circle.
"Actually, now that I know Christ I can sleep at night. I’m not living in guilt."
"Actually, now that I know the Lord I wake up without fear of what’s going to happen that day."
"Now I have somewhere to go when I’m in trouble."
As the apostle Paul said, through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). But on the other hand, look at the Friend we have with us. His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30).
Looking forward to tomorrow.
Video: Vision Weekend Day 3
Here’s the last video, from this past Sunday. It’s a little shorter than the others, probably because the morning service was a big part of the day, and I didn’t video any of it. In our church, one of the interns (Robert) preached.
So here’s a little taste from the last day of the weekend. A major theme was, apparently, FOOD. 😉 But if you want more details about this day, read Vision Weekend Day 3.
Video: Vision Weekend Day 2
Saturday was the first bilingual day. We spent time in God’s Word and in discussion about how to move forward together. For a full summary, see Vision Weekend Day 2.
Here are a few clips from the day. We spent most of the day in the building where Iglesia Bíblica Sendero de Vida Santa Barbara (Way of Life Bible Church Santa Barbara) meets.
Video: Vision Weekend Day 1
Here are a few brief video clips from the first day of the Vision Weekend. Obviously you won’t get the real "meat" from the weekend, but you’ll get a bit of an idea what happened… hopefully.
For a summary of what we talked about on this day (Friday), see Vision Weekend: Day 1.
Just a couple of notes – first, you won’t see clips of everyone who shared. Second, the answer is no, I did not intentionally stand outside of the view of the camera!