Today I went to the airport, and picked up the Brubacher Family, from Hamilton, Ontario. It’s great to have them here!
Then when we get back, they’ll be involved in music on Sunday morning, and will be teaching lots of classes and doing lots of outreach. We’re looking forward to some fun times!
It’s amazing what happens when you pray specifically and strategically. When God answers, you actually notice.
When you pray things like “God bless George”, how will you know if it’s answered?
Anyway, I’m thanking the Lord for His specific blessings over the past week.
We have been really encouraged to see what’s happening at the community centre. In an answer to prayer, people came to my Bible study, where we solved five “Bible mysteries” and got ready for the series which will be starting next week.
The English classes have had students, but mine has been sparse. However, we brought along a neighbour, who learned some words and had a fun time.
And another reason to thank the Lord – another answer to prayer – this week’s baking class! Check out all these people:
On Saturday, I was at a church leadership meeting. It was well attended – and it was so encouraging to see people concerned about evangelism, discipleship, practical needs in the congregation and beyond – things that I think Jesus would be concerned about. We’re preparing for some exciting stuff in the months ahead – may God continue to answer prayer!
This morning we enjoyed a full service, contemplating our Lord, love for His people, and His return.
So often I put up with things that I really should just pray about. God is the one who can transform hearts and make things move in a way we never could!
Thanks to all of you who are praying as well – see? God is answering!
A new semester of community centre classes started up in Las Palmas this week! It’s turning out to be a slow start, but it should pick up in the weeks ahead.
The classes at the beginning of the fall semester are especially dependent on the weather. A good thunderstorm, or the threat of one, can keep students away, since they usually come on foot.
September is our rainiest month of the year. The good news is that the rain drops to about half of September’s levels in October, and about half again by November, when we only get rain on a very rare day.
But the biggest deal in the middle of this week is Independence Day. Tonight, the parties begin, and tomorrow is the day itself. So I don’t have high expectations for huge numbers of students, but I’m going to be ready anyway. Shari was wise and decided to start baking classes next week instead of this week.
Anyway, tonight is the first edition of English: Inmersión Radical. This will be an experiment in an interactive, total-immersion English class to compliment the other English classes that we run. Tonight will be a bit of a “light” version anyway, so we’ll see how things go.
Tomorrow night is the start of a Bible study at the community centre. There are no classes on Wednesday night, just the study, which will be open to anyone who wants to come. The first couple of weeks we’ll just be present and see how things go, before starting into more of a series of studies in October.
I’m playing catch-up, having just returned from meetings in Guatemala yesterday. So I need to finish unpacking, and get things ready for tonight. Excuse me – time to get back to work! 🙂
It’s been a crazy few weeks – but good crazy!
In a nutshell the community was served, new contacts were made, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ was preached – exciting!
Most of our activities centred around the neighbourhoods of Jesús MarÃa and Las Palmas. There were soccer tournaments and sports camps. Craft classes and English classes. Apple pies and roasted cactus. Wheelchairs and shoe laces. Tiling and painting. Verse memorizing and song learning. Going for wings and stopping for tacos. The seniors’ shelter and the rehab centre. Services and Sunday Schools.
I hope some of those who came to help will come back again!
Please pray for those who heard the Gospel – that they would come to Christ and that His Spirit would do amazing things in their lives. Please pray that the momentum would continue as we head into the fall.
Community centre classes will start up again in September, and there is already a considerable amount of interest. Please pray that the Lord would bring many of these people back to hear His Word. We’re excited about what God may do in the future!
Let’s keep asking God that He would be glorified!
We’ve enjoyed having four interns here serving with us over the summer. But it’s time to go from busy to CrAzY again as we host a team from Uncharted Waters over the next week.
So this means continued community centre classes, plus a sports camp in Jesús MarÃa in the morning, a sports camp in Las Palmas in the afternoon, some “beautification” of the community centres and surrounding grounds, painting the at the church property, and who knows what else!
Anyway, the caravan will head to the airport in less than an hour to pick up the team and we’ll take it from there.
When this team leaves, we do some frantic cleaning and … — welcome another team! Yeah, busy summer.
Thanks so much for your continued prayers! We look forward to great things this week as God works!
By the way, for more information about sports camps and why we do them, be sure to check out this post from 2013: Why a Sports Camp?
As many of you know, we have a team here from Pennsylvania. It’s been a great start to summer activities, with a soccer tournament, tiling at the church property, baking classes, visiting a home for seniors, a wheelchair presentation, English classes – and we’re not done yet!
Eventually I’ll post some pictures in our photo gallery, but here are a few just to show what we’ve been up to in the past few days…
