Fruit that lasts

Today we had a special day at Grace Baptist Church. Our children's Sunday School was packed out and the children had a wonderful time of learning more about the Lord Jesus Christ. And then when it came time for the adult worship service we had a good crowd as well. But what was it that made for such a special day? Was it the amount of children who were in the 10 am service? Or was it the amount of adults who were in the 12 pm service? No. Although we were pleased to see so many people come out for the services, what really made it special was the group of people that showed up.
Last January Pastor Kelly Carlson (North Casnovia Batist Church) and I came down to Curaco for a couple of weeks and were able to minister to the flock down here at Grace Baptist. One of the highlights was being able to baptize five of the believers. We had to go back to the States but now my wife Ruth and I have come back with our family (and Kristina Erbes) to continue on in the church planting work. Today at Grace we had a baby dedication. Osvaldo and Miriam brought their 10 day old baby Yvonne to be dedicated unto the Lord. I had the opportunity to explain what baby dedication represents and what it requires of the parents and the congregation of the saints. So this of course was part of our special day. But it wasn't all that made it special. What made it "especially special" to me as a pastor was that Miriam was one of the five who were baptized 14 months ago and here she was still in the church, still seeking after the Lord. And then to look out into the group and see the four others who were baptized on the same day that she was. Jorge, Evleyn, Mari, and Juan. The Lord has given us fruit and it has been fruit that lasts. Praise the Lord for His work in the lives of His people. And please pray for these brothers and sisters and the others at Grace Baptist Church of Curaco de Velez.
As mentioned earlier in this entry we packed the place out this morning and afternoon. For some time we have been praying and seeking a larger meeting place. Yesterday we became aware of a possibility. At the close of the service I asked the brothers and sisters to pray for this. And then this evening Ruth and I were able to check the place out and supposedly we will hear back this week as to it being available unto us or not. We don't want to count this as a "done deal" seeings that we have had the rug pulled out from under us several times in situations like this one. So please pray for us and for those who are in charge of this property. If this is the will of the Lord may we be able to rent the place for a reasonable amount. The reason for wanting the larger space is not just to have a bigger place. What we want to do is have more room to receive more people and to split the kids up from one big Sunday School class to several smaller ones. And of course our main goal is to glorify the Lord and make disciples and that they would bring forth much fruit and that it would be fruit that lasts!
Daniel

Who's that knocking on my door (part 2)

Knock knock. Who's there? Waiting for the punchline? Well there won't be one. Probably a good thing since the majority of people find my jokes in english and spanish quite lame.
The last time I shared about people knocking on my door I wasn't very pleased with the visitors. Today was a bit different. The kids always get excited when someone knocks on the door. They love the wonder of "who it may be" and "what they might have brought" with them. So this morning the "knocker" was a man named Alvaro. He is from Brazil and came to follow up on our request for him to teach us Portuguese. (Ruth and I would like to learn Portuguese for potential ministry purposes and then be able to pass on to the kids another language) Alvaro stated that he would like to work out some kind of exchange of us teaching him English for him teaching us Portuguese. We told him that this sounded like a good idea and hopefully next month (April) we can get started with our classes. He ended up knocking on our door several more times throughout the day and we were able to help him with some things and generally get to know each other better. Please pray for Alvaro and for our relationship with him. We hope that through our time with him that he will hear a clear presentation of the gospel and that the Lord would draw him unto Himself.
Then there was the afternoon when I went over to Achao to help another pastor friend with some errands. He needed to move some desks from a different town back to his church. And since I have a truck I was the one that he asked. That's what friends and brothers are for, right? To encourage and help out one another. So on the way over to pick him up I came across four young ladies hitchhiking. This is still quite common down here. As we drove the 12 minutes over to Achao I struck up a small conversation. I asked them where they studied and where they were from. They told me that they studied in Curaco (our town) and that they lived in the dormitories alongside of the school. When I mentioned that my family is down here planting a church one of the young ladies (Marjorie) said that she had grown up in a Christian family and had always gone to church. What was so neat about this is the fact that Ruth and I had been praying for the kids in the dormitories and for bridges to be built between them and our church. And here was a neat opportunity to meet another believer and we hope for the opportunity to encourage her in the faith and to reach out to her peers with the gospel. Please pray along with us for the 150-200 young people that live in the dorms. And please pray for the people who are in charge at the dorms, that we would find grace in their eyes and be able to have easy access to the students.
Then this late afternoon/early evening Ruth had guitar class and then English class right after. English class was especially well attended and the kids are excited about what they are learning. And we were excited to see them there and of course encouraged them to come back on Sunday for Sunday School. Please pray for these kids and for their families.
And to round off the day we had a special time of studying God's Word in our adult Bible Study. Tonight we talked about the security that we have in Christ. We as believers belong to God, we are His children. No one can pluck us out of His hand. He has began the good work in us and He will complete it. What hope we have in Jesus! Praise His Name!
Thank you again for all of your prayers and support. We love you in the love of Christ.
Daniel (for Ruth and the kids)

Padre Gatica

There is a saying in Chile that goes like this: "Padre Gatica predica pero no se practica." The translation goes like this: "Gatica the priest doesn't practice what he preaches." I had that thought in my mind as I pondered upon the bottoming out dollar. The dollar has lost about 20% of its value in the 5 months that we have been down here. And the prices of things have not gone down, but they have gone up. So what does this have to do with Padre Gatica? Well I remember a message that I shared in November 2005 during a North American missionaries conference here in Chile. At that point the dollar was "way down" in the mid 600 range (it had been up to 740 in July of 2003) and I reminded the brothers and sisters about the sovereignty of God over all things including exchange rates. "We need not worry", I reminded them, "our trust and our hope is in the Lord." And of course I believed this when I shared it and I believe it just as much today. But the interesting thing is that through this time of financial uncertainty I have been crunching the numbers a little more than normal and have read more articles about inflation and recession than I had ever before in my life. So what happened? Had I forgotten about the Lord and His provision for all of our needs from past to present and of His promise to take care of our future? (physical needs yes, but more importantly our spiritual needs) Once I noticed this sin of unbelief and let go of it I received great peace from the Lord. I know that the Lord is still on the throne. I know that the Lord has brought us to this town of Curaco to preach and live out His gospel. I know that He holds the future. So I decide, so I desire to no longer be live like Padre Gatica but to live like an obedient, trusting child of the Most High God. Trusting Him for who He is, for what He has done, for what He is doing and for what He will do; all for His glory and for the good of those who love Him, those who have been called according to His purpose.

M&M

M&M is the "artistic name" given to my mother-in-law and to her best friend Monica. (Mother-in-law's name is Maria) They spent the last three weeks down her with us, helping us with the children and generally supporting the ministries of Grace Baptist Church. They left today in the morning and their time here will be long remembered. In the post below you can see and listen to them share special music in one of our Sunday morning worship services.
(Y si M&M estan leyendo esto, de nuevo le decimos "muchisimas gracias y que Dios les bendiga grandemente!")

Always something going on

When was the last time that you were bored? The last time that you just felt that there was absolutely nothing for you to do? I remember when I was a kid that there were quite a few boring moments. Although there probably were lots of things to do I felt like there was nothing to do. But not anymore. There always seems to be a lot going on!
I cannot believe that a whole 8 days have passed by since Ruth, Tabitha and I got back into Curaco after a few days away. As the old saying goes, "time sure flies when you are busy." Today our friend Dana left Curaco and began her journey back to Michigan. We enjoyed her visit with us and trust that the Lord used (and will use) her trip for His glory and for Dana's growth in Christ.
Today was a full day with some quality visits and contacts with the people. Please continue to pray for the people and for their spiritual needs. May more and more people truly bow the knee to Jesus Christ. Not just ritualistically nor legalistically, but sincerely. May the Name of the Lord be praised.
Let us as the servants of the Lord be busy about the Master's business and not just sit around twiddling our thumbs. With so much to do (and who know's how much time to do anything) may we be found faithful to the preaching and living out of the gospel. Remember, God has always got something going on. Don't miss out on it. Get involved in it.

Intercepted?

Again I have fallen behind on my blogging. Sorry. But I can say that it hasn't been for lack of things going on. Maybe my inconsistency is more a result of a busy schedule. So whatever it is (or isn't) here is something interesting that happened on Friday.....
Ruth, Tabitha, our friend Dana and I got back to Curaco on Thursday night. After Bible Study Jorge borrowed my truck and I planned on picking it up in Achao on Friday morning. So I hop on the bus and head over to Achao. On the bus with me is a family that I know and I offer to take them back to Curaco with me after we all get done with our respective errands. They indicate that it sounded good for them and we would meet up later at the bank. Cool. I went out and did my errands and made it back to the bank. We meet up and they said that they needed to go to the hardware store and I said "I'll meet you there." So I go and wait for them and they don't show up. And they don't show up. And they don't show up. I'm starting to think that someone else has picked them up. Maybe they have been intercepted. So I start back to Curaco. The distance between Achao and Curaco is 11 kilometers or 6 1/2 miles. About 3 kilometers into the trip I come upon three hitchhikers. I'm not going to lose these passengers! So they hop in and we proceed on to Curaco. I invite them over to lunch and we have a really good meal and some good conversation and an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our new friends names are Sandor, Daniella and Tomas. The first two are from Chile and the third is from Colombia. Please pray for them. After lunch Ruth and I were able to take them to the next town and drop them off. Along the way more seed was planted and each of them was sent off with a copy of "God's Bridge to Eternal Life" and a prayer that the Word of God would touch their hearts and that they too would come to know the Living God and His Son Jesus Christ. So all this is said not to bring glory nor adulation to a man (me) for what he has done. It is said to give glory to God that He is sovereign and He has a plan and He will always complete with it. Whereas I thought that someone had "intercepted" my passengers that wasn't necessarily the case. The Lord had other passengers for me to pick up and share with. If I had taken the original passengers I wouldn't have been able to take Sandor, Daniella and Tomas. Looking back on the situation I realize that again I have been humbled into realizing that the Lord's plans and thoughts are much higher than mine and I am thankful for that. He worked things out in a way that glorified Himself and that is what I want more than anything. May the Name of the Lord be praised!

Have you kept your New Year´s resolution?

I was so proud of myself for keeping up with this blogsite. I´m not sure if you remember or not but that was my New Year´s resolution. I decided that I was going to stay current with my blogging and informing yáll of the goings on down here in Chile. And I was doing quite well. Past tense. I was doing well but as of just recently I have both let you and myself down. Sorry. But I am not going to leave things unresolved. I am back on board and plan on staying more current with the blog.
Things have been going well down here. We had a special time last Sunday with our worship service and a baptism following. Another opportunity to witness to the community about our faith in the Lord Jesus. Please continue to pray for us and the flock at Grace Baptist Church.
Currently Ruth, Tabitha and I are in Uruguay. Nine years have went by since Ruth and I first met and we are taking some time to ¨get to know each other again¨. My mother-in-law, Ruth´s aunt and Kristina are holding the fort back in Curaco and we hear that all are doing quite well. We will be back in Curaco next week. I have a good friend who will be preaching in our Sunday service so I trust that the flock will be in good hands.
So, please continue to pray. Thanks again for your partnership in the gospel ministry. We truly do appreciate you and love you in the love of Christ.
Daniel

Busy day, blessed day

Today was one of those busy, blessed days. One of those days when you think that you know how it is going to start out but you really have no idea how it is going to end up. We had our services in the morning which went well. The Word of God was proclaimed and there were people with ears to hear. The afternoon and evening opened up some really good opportunities to connect further with some people both inside and outside the flock. Much to think about and more to pray about it. Please continue to pray for us and the ministry down here in Curaco. The work is plentiful so please pray that the Lord would enable us, the laborers. May we be busy like Martha and wait upon the Lord like Mary.
Daniel

Who's that knocking on my door? (and what do you need?)

In Luke 11:5-13 we find one of the many parables that Jesus spoke to His disciples. The message is that God's people need to trust in His goodness and in His faithful provision for their needs. It is interesting how the parable starts out and how this related to me in the past couple of days. In verses 5-8 there is mentioned a man who goes to his friend late at night to ask him for some bread. The guy doesn't want to do it, but he does it anyway because he doesn't want himself nor his family further disturbed at this hour. Understandable, right?
Well just the other day I heard a knock on the door, a rather loud knock on the door. I looked at the clock and saw that it was about 4:45 am. And I'm thinking, "what's going on? Is there some kind of emergency?" So I go to the door and there are three guys standing outside. I was a little hesitant to open the door but I did anyway. They ask for Jorge one of our coworkers who used to live in this house. I tell them that Jorge no longer lives here that he has moved a town over to Achao. Really I had hoped that that would be enough to get them going on their way, but of course it wasn't. The ringleader proceeds to tell me about the fact that he has a truck and that "many" times he had helped Jorge in the past. And I'm like "ok, I'm not Jorge, so now what?" But this guy is not taking "no" for an answer. And I don't want him to wake up the kids with his already elevated voice. So I get dressed and get the truck out and take them on their way. They are obviously intoxicated and I am just glad to get them out of the truck and to get myself back in the house. The next day I ask Jorge about this and he tells me that this is not the first time that they have pulled this trick. I say that for me it is the first and the last. And I would soon have my resolve tested. Just last night. About 1am I hear a knock on the door. It is a young man (one of the three from the other night) asking for a ride to Achao, a town about 10 minutes away from us. I put two and two together, realizing that there is no emergency and it just so happens that the big party just got over here in town and they probably want to keep the party going in Achao. Why would someone think to come to my house at 1 am asking for a ride to another town? Hey man, go to sleep and get up at 8 am and take the bus! Of course I don't want to be uncaring but I don't want to be a doormat either. And with that I also see an interesting connection with the parable found in Luke 11. God will of course hear our asking and our calling and He will notice that we are seeking. But what I believe is most important to Him is our motive. He doesn't want us to approach Him selfishly as if He were a celestial genie who must respond to our fleshly demands. He is the Holy One who does truly love us (John 3:16-17; Rom 5:8; 1st John 4:10,19) and will give us what He wants us to have (Matt 6:33), He is not a "name it claim it" God. He promises to give us "good things" (Matt 7:11) but He alone knows what we truly need and what He wants for us. (Psalm 37:3-5; James 4:2-3) So let's look for some balance here. Let's be fervent and consistent in our prayers, but at the same time let us leave the results in the hands of the Lord. (Is 55:8-9) He knows who is knocking on His door and He knows what we need before we ask Him. Let us approach Him boldly (and respectfully) through the Lord Jesus Christ trusting that we will find mercy and grace in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
Daniel

His blood's for you!

Just the other day I was browsing one of my favorite internet sites called "A little leaven". It is a discernment/wake up call blog to the church to get back to the seriousness and the simplicity of the gospel. In one of the posts under the genre of "cheezy christian clothing" was a t-shirt that had obviously ripped off an idea from the Budweiser company. The shirt said "His blood's for you" (and for those of you who didn't know the Budweiser slogan is "This Bud's for you") And as the blogger stated, people are a lot more likely to relate this slogan to some watered down beer than they are likely to worship the Crucified Lamb of God. As a matter of fact when I read the blog and checked out the t-shirt I felt like both laughing and crying. Laughing because of the shirt being so ridiculous and crying over the way that it trivializes the cross of Christ. I mean whatever happened to not using persuasive (nor catchy) words and just preaching the gospel of Christ? (1st Cor 1:18-2:4) Brothers and sisters the gospel is our only hope. As the hymnwriter put it "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness". Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness. Yes His blood has been shed for us. Let us never forget that and let us never be ashamed to proclaim it to our fellow man. (Rom 1:16-17; 1st Peter 1:18-19) And may we not forget that it is the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God that saves people. It is not about man's wisdom nor gimmicks. Stick to the basics. It was good enough for Jesus. It was good enough for the Apostles and for the first disciples. Why would we think to use something different? Arrogance or ignorance? Whatever it be, let it not be so with us. Jesus' blood, the blood of the new covenant has been shed for the remission of sins (1st Cor 11:25) and praise be to Him who sits upon the throne! That blood avails for you and that blood avails for me. Thank you Jesus!

Now that's why I wanted to buy a generator!

We had a wonderful time of worshiping the risen Lord during our Sunday services then we had a nice time of fellowship with family and friends over lunch. A little relaxation and getting things ready for the kids' first backyard campout. (They were so excited!) Then a little visiting of the parishioners and back to la casa. I had invited some of the guys from church over to the house to watch "El Super Tazon". (The Super Bowl) And since we don't currently have an evening service there wasn't any need to cancel nor rearrange any service times and/or activities. Just a couple of guys getting together to watch the "big game". Whereas I enjoy sports I am past the stage of being a "sports fanatic". I really don't care who wins, I just like to watch a good game. So I didn't give a hoot if the Giants or the Patriots left Arizona as Super Bowl champs. I just wanted to watch the game with some friends. When the game started I thought to myself, "this would be a great time for the power to go out, and if it does I will post a blog with the title 'Now that's why I wanted to buy a generator!'" So if you read the title to this post you should already know what happened. By the middle of the 3rd quarter the guys were starting to understand more of why the referees throw flags and how many points a field goal and a touchdown are worth, etc. And then all of a sudden the power goes out all across Curaco. And I exclaim, "Now that's why I wanted to buy a generator!" Ha ha. Sure I was a little upset that I wasn't able to watch the rest of what had been an enjoyable game. (it was even free of any risque commercials, we have the international feed) After finding a candle and returning to the living room we talked a bit with our guests who after a few minutes excused themselves. I walked them to the door and that's when I saw a display much more impressive than the Super Bowl. With it being completely dark outside and with the night being 100% clear the beauty of the 2nd heaven sparkled for all to see. I commented to my friends that the heavens truly do declare the glory of the Lord and that we should stand in awe of His marvelous works. Have you not noticed that we often times are impressed with that which is not truly so impressive. And sometimes we lose sight of what (or Who) truly is impressive? For a moment I was concerned with the lack of light available in my house, the light that would allow me to watch a football game. But the Lord had all of His lights still on outside for the whole world to see. He has brought all of creation into being. His light cannot be turned off, His glory will be seen forever and ever! May we as well remember that we are the light of the world and that we have been called to display His light so that the He would receive the glory that He alone deserves. So I now realize that it is not so important that I buy a generator (so that I can watch a football game), the important thing is that I be a generator that shows forth the light of Christ!
Daniel

I passed the exam!

The technical revision monster has been conquered! Oh it was a formidable foe but it wasn't able to handle the power of the 1997 Chevy Luv. More details to follow. It's late and I'm tired and we've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Please continue to pray for all of us down here. We are praying for you as well.
Daniel

The exam

Today is the day that I go back to the "revision technica". Hopefully I will pass this time. There is always that hightened anticipation when one knows that they are going to be tested on what they know or on what they have done. As the Scripture tells us we will all stand before our Creator and give an account for our lives. Fortunately it isn't a pass/fail exam or even a "grade-on-a-curve" exam. Why? Because we all fall short (Rom 3:23) and even our righteous acts or as filthy rags before a Holy God. (Is 64:6) Praise be to God for His provision in Christ Jesus the Lord. He (God the Father) has made Him (God the Son) to be sin on our behalf that we may become the righteousness of God in Him (God the Son). So it's not that I could ever pass the test on my own; that would never happen! But Jesus did pass the test and through faith in Him I have had Christ's righteousness applied to my account so that God now accepts me and sees me as being clothed with the righteousness of His dear Son. How will you do on examination (judgement)day?
Daniel
p.s.
Of course there is "extra credit". Eternal rewards are part of the equation as well. We will talk about those in a different post. But suffice it to say, the grace of God in Christ is truly amazing!

Salvation

Just a few hours ago we wrapped up our Thursday evening Bible study. It is always a wonderful opportunity to open up the Word of God together as a church family. Tonight our topic was salvation. What a challenge it was to cover this in an hour. Of course I realized that an extensive study of salvation would take several sessions so we just went over the basic tenets of salvation. Our main focus was on Christ. After all Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the door. He is the way, the truth and the life. His is the only name given unto men by which they may be saved. He is the only mediator between the Father and His creation. So we focused on Jesus. And what joy there is in that! O the wonder of it all, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins! Praise and glory be to God for His great mercy and grace! Let us not take His sacrifice for granted. May we continue to stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene. May we continue to shout praises to the One who sits on His throne in Heaven above. Just now I had the words of a song pop into my head. It's a song that I learned in Sunday School back at Grace Bible Church in Newaygo, Michigan. The song goes like this.... "Thank you Lord for saving my soul, thank you Lord for making me whole, thank you Lord for giving to me, Thy great salvation so rich and free. Amen." Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice. To God be the glory great things He has done! Salvation from sin through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you Father for sending your Son, thank you Jesus for coming and doing what You did, and thank you Holy Spirit for your work in my heart showing me my need for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Daniel

Just a quick note

In order to keep my blogging streak going I jot out this quick entry. Today was a good day. The main excitement of the day was when I was told "daddy there is somebody at the door." So I proceeded to look out the window and I slowly opened the door thinking that it was a salesman. Then the surprise came. He whipped out his wallet and there was this somewhat shiny badge. It was like I was in the movies. At first I was a little startled but then I noticed that his badge said "Customs" and I remembered that someone was supposed to be coming down to check out the stuff that we had sent in the container. Of course we were told that an agent would call to set up a time to meet with us, so we were caught a little off guard. But that was alright. More natural. The agent did what he needed to do; he looked around at our things and asked us several questions and he was on his way. He was very efficient. Hopefully in a couple of weeks we will be able to use the things that we sent down for Grace Baptist.
On another note, we received word that a dear sister named Louise Fish (our home/sending church, North Casnovia Baptist) is in a coma after a severe stroke. We ask that you would please pray for her entire family during this time of trial and uncertainty. May they find the comfort and assurance that they need in the arms of our loving sovereign God.
May we all be found faithful in our service unto the Lord,
Daniel

Would your car pass the "revision tecnica"?

I imagine that if you are like most U.S. car owners, you have never thought about having to put your vehicle(s) up against the rigors of a finetooth comb inspection. Well every year in Chile it is required for all vehicles (except new ones) to pass a full technical revision. And it isn't always a walk in the park. How do you think your vehicle would do if faced with such a mighty foe? Here in Chile if your vehicle cannot pass the revision then you have to fix it until it can pass. You are breaking the law if you drive your vehicle without it having passed the technical revision. And now another question... With that being said, how many of you would be walking and/or riding a bike rather than driving a car? I went to the revision expecting to pass but what I almost did was pass out. I couldn't believe all the things that they found to be wrong with my truck. At first I thought that they were being a little too nitpicky and that all of these repairs were going to be a big hassle. Whereas I have spoken of in previous posts, these repairs have been a real hassle. But as I found out yesterday and today they also bring their blessings.
One of the reasons for the revision is to assure the safety of the driver and for others on the road. Yesterday when I went in to get the shocks changed (yes they got me on that too!) the mechanic told me that I was very close to having my wheel fall off of the truck. So we got that fixed up. Then today I was getting the brakes fixed and was informed that there were some more serious issues to deal with. That is now taken care of as well. Tomorrow and Thursday I hope to wrap up the repairs and maybe on Friday the truck will pass the technical revision. But looking back on it all I thank the Lord that He had mercy on each and everyone who has been riding in the truck. And I give Him thanks for His sovereign direction in all of this. Check this out... Down here on the island there are a couple of places to go for the technical revision. One is very, very busy and very, very slow but at the same time quite easy to pass. The other is operated efficiently and is not easy to pass. After having failed the "easy" one due to some minor issues, I went to the "hard" one thinking that since I had corrected the aforementioned minor issues I would pass with flying colors. Boy was I wrong. The only flying colors were the "red" marks all over the printout that I received. Many things were found to be deficient. So when I shared the results with a brother from the church down here, he encouraged me to go back to the "easy" revision center so that I would pass and not need to spend anymore $$$$. I thought that the saving of $$$$ would be nice but the more that I thought about it, I thought that maybe those guys at the "hard" revision center had it right. I should get these things fixed so that I can have a safer, more efficient vehicle. And that's what led me to get these repairs done over the last couple of days and those repairs quite possibly saved my life and the lives of my passengers. The Lord had a plan with this all along and His plans are always good! (Is 55:8-9)
Hopefully on Friday night I will write a post telling about my having passed the technical revision. I won't ask that you pray in this direction, I just ask that you pray along with me that the Lord would continue to glorify Himself as He works in and through our lives.
Yours in Christ,
Daniel