Rain

Today feels as if the fall is "falling" upon us. Lots of cold rain showed up this morning, and was enough to get our students soaked on their one block journey to school. With the school being so close, they would get just about as wet if they walked out to the vehicle, drove down and then got out. However they dry out eventually and they definitely aren't made of sugar. (even though they are really sweet!)
I have a good lead on a mechanic who might be able to help me with the transmission in our car. Please pray that this would all work out and the Custom Cruiser would be cruising once more. Thanks again to our friends (you know who you are!) who helped us out with the replacement parts. You are greatly appreciated.
Today has already shown some interesting ministry opportunities. But don't all days? Sometimes we just don't notice them and/or make ourselves available to them. May we be sensitive to the Spirit's leading and may God use us for His glory.
"Give ear, O Heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain on the tender grass, and like showers on the herb. For I will proclaim the Name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God!" Deuteronomy 32:1-3 (ESV)

Baptism

Hola

It has been so long since I have posted anything here. Why? Again, it's not that there hasn't been a lot going on. I think I just got thinking that no one was taking the time to read what I was posting. That conclusion came as I noticed that I didn't have any comments for weeks on the posts that I did leave.
But just in case anyone is out there, wanting to know more about us and what's going on.....
God has continued to be gracious towards us. His faithfulness is great and His mercies are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23) We have seen His hand working in and through our lives for His glory. Yes, there have (and will be) times of discouragement. (I just had one of those, as a matter of fact). But we are being led forth in victory by the Lord. (Romans 8:37; 2nd Corinthians 2:14)
Please pray for us and the ministry of the gospel here in Curaco. May those who oppose the gospel be transformed by the Spirit into proclaimers of the Word of God. And may those who have received the Word be faithful witnesses to the Truth. We are counting on God and trusting Him for the results. (Psalm 27)

Greetings from the Sunday School children

Christmas's pics.

New pictures

A view of the house in the back and materials in the
foreground

It's going up!

The weather has not been on our side, but we knew that going in. It is still winter down here, and that normally translates into cold and wet. However, our team has been diligent and taking advantage of the breaks in the weather to advance as much as possible. This week is forecasted to be nicer and if that be the case we will have some nice photos to display later on in the week. But until then, here are some new ones.....

Day ???

I am not sure what day it is, of the construction project. I do know that it is Saturday. This past couple of weeks have been crazy, but have not sent me there yet.

Today the Lord blessed us with the opportunity to visit and encourage a sister who is struggling in her physical body. Her name is Miriam and we would ask you to please pray for her, her husband and daughter. Thank you.

As we were gone the majority of the day, 9 am to 5:30 pm we didn't know how much construction had gotten done throughout the day. It was nice to come home and see what we have been looking forward to seeing; wood going vertical. Forever the optimist, I say "we are one day closer to being done with this project." Please continue to pray along with us for this work to bring glory to God, because that's what it's all about! (Psalm 115:1; 1st Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17)

Day 4

One more day closer to completion! (Optimism intended) Another beautiful day allowed for some good advances in the construction. Hopefully tomorrow will bring the same.

Day 3

If there is anyone out there checking this out, we are now on Day 3 of the construction. The weather was beautiful today and there was lots of productivity. Tomorrow's forecast is for more of the same (weather wise) and we trust that the productivity will be the same if not better.

Progress

In our last newsletter I had announced the purchase of the property and our plans to start construction in the next week. Well, we have begun! And as promised I am publishing some progress pictures. (The first picture shown is from day 2, and the second one from day 1) Due to some technical difficulties the going has been slow but we trust that in the next couple of days we will be able to see more done. For us it is very exciting having lots of supplies on sight, with the hope that one day soon they will be transformed into a new home for our family. Of course this will give us a much more comfortable living situation, but it will also establish us as members of this community which counts for much to the people we seek to minister.

Thanks again to each and every one who prays for us and partners with us in ministry. As always, to God be the glory! (Psalm 115:1)

Convenience

It's funny some things that you miss when they aren't around. Tonight @ around 8 p.m I was thinking that I miss convenience stores. You know those places where you can go in and buy a gallon of milk, a cup of coffee, a pinwheel and a full tank of gasoline. Especially that last item: the gasoline. I have milk in the refrigerator, there is (instant) coffee in the cupboard, I don't really need or want a pinwheel, but I was almost out of gas and there isn't a gas station in my town. The closest gas station, which is by no means a convenience store, is about 11 km (6.5 miles) down the road. This time I wasn't on the south side of empty, but there have been times when I wasn't sure I was going to make it to the station without winding up with an infamous "pana de tonto", aka "the dumb man's breakdown". My trip to the gas station was not very convenient but I did remember to be thankful for a vehicle to drive and the ability to fill it up with gas. Sure, it would be nice to have a gas station closer and even a "real" convenience store in the area, but if there were I would probably forget to appreciate the convenience anyway.

Toot and Puddle

Grace turned six years old on May 8th. She doesn't go to school due to the fact that they do not accept children who have autism. So, out of necessity she is homeschooled. A lot of her time is spent looking at books. She loves books. Flipping through the pages she has destroyed quite a few. But would she ever learn to read?
Lately we have been noticing her being able to recognize letters and seemingly reading some words. Today I wanted to find out what was on the t.v. and scrolled through the guide. All of a sudden Grace said "Toot and Puddle". I had not told her what the guide showed and she didn't see anything else that would lead her to said conclusion, other than the words that were on the screen. Whereas I realize that this could be a "sight word" that she recognizes, I still found it quite impressive and encouraging. Hopefully as we work more and more with her, Grace will continue to advance in her learning. Please pray for her and for us her teachers.

Back to the flock

As I was on my mission to pick up several of our older saints, I noticed walking down the road a woman who I hadn't seen in quite some time. Cecilia had been a regular at Grace Baptist Church from the time we got here in late 2007. She expressed a commitment to the Lord and a preoccupation for those who didn't know Christ. So it was a great surprise for us to see her go off the deep end into sin and leave her kids and town behind. Her testimony to her family, co-workers and the same brothers and sisters at the church was greatly tarnished. We hadn't heard from her in months, maybe about a year. For that reason I wasn't sure just where she was headed this past Sunday. Turns out that she was on her way to the church.
When Cecilia arrived we were just preparing to start the service, and she took her seat and participated along with the rest of us in our singing of songs unto the Lord. I shared the Word from 1st Peter 2:13-17 and focused on the importance of first submitting ourselves to the Lord and attempting to do all that we do to honor Him. After the message and several songs, I opened it up for prayer requests and/or testimonies. Following several others, Cecilia took the opportunity to recognize her sin before the Lord and to apologize for how she had hurt the family of faith at GBC. Through tears she mentioned how she had been back in town for a couple of weeks but was ashamed to come and face those whom she had let down so much. We, as a church, were able to affirm our love to her and encourage her to keep her eyes on the Lord and seek to walk in the ways of righteousness. It was a time of great rejoicing. Please pray for Cecilia and her family, that the grace of God would shine forth in their lives.
Of course Luke chapter 15 comes to mind, but I also think of James 5:19-20, where this "one amongst us who had departed from the truth has come back and the One (the Holy Spirit in this case) who made the sinner return from her erroneous way has saved a soul from death and covered a multitude of sins." Glory to God!

Good news!

There is only one message that is truly good news and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. 100% good news for those who will place their faith in the Lord. Of course for those who reject the gospel it will not be seen as good news, for them it is repulsive and unattractive. (1st Corinthians 1:18; 2nd Corinthians 2:15-16) At the moment we find ourselves proclaiming the good news and trusting in the Lord for the results. People are hearing the message and we are anxiously waiting for what will come about. Please pray for those hearers of the Word, that they would become followers of the Lord Jesus to the glory of the Father. And also please pray for us, the heralds of the gospel, that we would speak the truth in love no matter what the cost. Yes, the gospel is good news but it must be made known for anyone to benefit from it. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation for all who will believe."(Romans 1:16a)

Technical difficulties

I remember as a "t.v. loving" youngster the frustration I felt when the image would fade out and the words "we are experiencing technical difficulties" would pass across the screen. More times than not (or at least it seemed) this would happen at a moment of "critical" importance. It was so frustrating! Just imagining all of the super important and exciting things that I was missing out on drove me to the brink of insanity. Of course I survived and learned some valuable lessons in patience and how technology is fun but cannot always be relied upon. Fast forward to April of 2010.
For several days I have wanted to update the blog. As much as I try to stay current, it seems like something often gets in the way. This time it was due to a technical difficulty. I don't know why, but I was not able to log on to my blogger account. Just now I have been able to. (obviously) Well, here I am back from my technical difficulties. So, what have you missed out on? There were some ideas that I had for blog reports that I have since forgotten. What I can remember is that the Lord has been good to us and has blessed the ministry of the local church. This past Sunday (the 18th) we had a wonderful time around the Word of God. Our service that normally goes for an hour or at most an hour and a half, went past the two hour mark and get this nobody complained nor got up and walked out. Some did have to take a bathroom break, but they all stayed with me. Meetings were planned throughout the week and we look forward to what the Lord has in store.
As well on Sunday, we celebrated the 7th birthday of little Daniel. He is growing into a wonderful little man. He expresses his love and hope in the Lord and we pray that this would continue throughout the rest of his life. Please pray for him and for his sisters too. Thanks.
Isn't it good to know that our God does not experience technical difficulties? He does not slumber nor sleep, and His eye is always on us. When we call to Him, He will answer and He will work all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Dear friends, rejoice in the Lord and in the power of His might!

Triumphal entry

This past Sunday we meditated upon the 1st triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. He was triumphant in that He entered the city in order to give His life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45) Of course the people who witnessed His entry and His subsequent crucifixion did not consider Him much of a victor. Three days later it was evidenced that He was victorious by rising from the dead. So, that was a summary of the first triumphal entry. The second triumphal entry is yet to happen but we look forward to His second coming to gather His chosen unto Himself and crush those who oppose Him. (Matthew 24:29-31; etc.) What a day that will be. Even so, come Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)

Hell

It's a strong word and rightly so. It is profane to those who deny its existence. It is terrible to those who acknowledge its existence.
On Sunday I was listening to a message online (solagrace.com) by Donald Whitney on the reality of Hell. The message was quite edifying, check it out if you get the chance. Hell is "out of style", not many people want to talk about it or its implications. But it is clearly stated in the Scriptures that there will be judgement for everyone, and all who do not place their faith in Jesus Christ as their Saviour will spend eternity in Hell. (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15) We are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone (John 3:16-17; 14:6; Ephesians 2:8-9) and based upon that alone we escape the punishment that our sin deserves. (Romans 3:23; 6:23a) He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2nd Corinthians 5:21) Hell is a place for rebels, for lawbreakers. Everyone has broken God's law and deserves punishment. Praise be to God that His gift to us is eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord. (Romans 6:23b) Justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1) There is only one way to escape the fires of Hell and it is through faith in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. (John 1:29; 19:30) Jesus paid it all, all to Him I do, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. Aleluyah!
So, what to do? Share the truth of the entire Word of God. Preach the one true gospel. Pray for those who do not know Christ that they would come to know Him, and by so doing escape the fires of Hell and receive the promise of everlasting joy in the presence of our God.