El Vallecito - Camping in Chile

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.

 He alone is my rock and my salvation;    

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:1-2

In November and December we took two different groups of students to a place known as "El Vallecito" or the little valley. Its a place just outside the city, on the way to the higher mountains. Its a great place because its fairly easy to get to, relatively deserted and free!

Our focus with these trips was to get away from the busyness of life in the city, enjoy nature and reconnect with God. Each time we spent various times together reading the scriptures, praying, singing and talking about spiritual topics such as God's love, things we learned in 2008 etc. 

I thank God for all of the incredibly beautiful places He has created on this earth and that we can get away, take a deep breath and find our rest in Him. 

Spring Time in Santiago

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord. Acts 9:31

We were able to do lots of fun things in the spring month of November here in Santiago. It has been beautiful outside making park services and outdoor fun activities almost weekly events. The campus ministry got together for a park service one Sunday and heard a great communion lesson by Juan Pablo, one of the great young students in our ministry. Hector, another student preached a great message about being aware of Satan's schemes that helped all of us tremendously.

We have been having some great bible discussions on campus this semester. One of them takes place at the Catholic University which has been ranked as the most prestigious university in Chile. It has been a great semester as we have really seen God move in the times we have met together. Especially encouraging is Maria Paz being baptized a few months ago and two other students now studying the bible on the campus.














We have also been able to enjoy celebrating a few birthday parties with great friends in the last few weeks. It is always such and joy to get friends together. Here are a few pics of some good times...
On a side note, check out John's other blog for some of his recent studies about trusting in God (lapalabrapoderosa.blogspot.com).

The Edge - International Leadership Conference

From October 5-15, I had the opportunity 

to make a trip to the other side of the world to attend the 2008 International Leadership Conference of the ICOC in Kiev, Ukraine. It was an amazing trip for many reasons: very long, very inspirational, very memorable.

 

My trip took me from Santiago to Atlanta to Paris to Vilnius to Kiev and back. I got to spend a day in Paris on the way there and on the way back. At the conference I was able to see a number of old friends as well as hear many inspiring and convicting classes. On the way back I got to spend time with a good friend, Jon Sherwood while in Atlanta.

 

All

 in all it was a trip I'll never forget. I praise God for the way that he is working all over the world to help our brotherhood of churches grow and mature. The news of baptisms, growth, learning and advancing through faith called me higher and encouraged me to keep working with God to preach the Word and stay on the Edge with Jesus.

 

Below are a few pictures and some quotes from classes that really impacted me.

Preachers should comfort the afflicted and afflict the com

fortable - G.Ferguson

Having one main leader provides the clear voice of inspiration that churches need - G. Ferguson

United leadership takes time, effort and pain - G. Ferguson

Harmony and Unity are God's will (Psalm 133) - T. Singh

Passion is essential. Everybody has passion and they are just looking for where to put it - S. Wooten

There is a certain joy that is lost when we are not giving away the love of the cross - S. Wooten

What can you do to help build ligaments (Eph. 4)? J. Renton

The church does not grow through compromise - M. Fontenot

When prophets repent, the fire rains down - M. Fontenot

Campus ministry requires lots of hard work - M. Taliaferro

Young people need six meaningful adult relationships  - J. Porter

Good parenting can overcome a bad church situation - A. Hill

It takes time to invest in the family but it yields fruit that will last - D. Pocta

When you decide to get well, humility and decision are what is needed - D. Arthur

Do you expect the lordship of Jesus in the life of every disciple? B. Williams

Expectations will not increase without confrontation - B. Williams

Fear is not a weakness, it is a sin - M. Alhinn

There is only one message of the cross where two opposing ideas come together - A. Fleming 

Good News

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future..."Jer 29:11

It is always good for our hearts to think about the ways that God is working in people's lives, the miracles he is doing and how people are growing. In the last couple of months we have seen some encouraging things happen here in Santiago in the lives of some of our friends.

We were privileged to be able to participate in two engagements of close friends. Jose and Priscila are a great encouragement to the church and we are so excited for them as they plan to marry in January. Priscila's mother and entire family came to their engagement party and left deeply impacted by the love that was showered on her daughter. Her mother decided that she would come to church with Priscila the next day and is looking forward to coming to our Women's Day in November.

Jose Miguel and Veronica

got engaged in September and

at their engagement expressed intense gratitude for what God has done in their lives up until this point. Jose Miguel first came to the church over 10 years ago now and studied the bible multiple times before making his final decision this year to make Jesus Lord. He introduced Veronica to the church and to the scriptures as he studied the bible and they were baptized on the same day! Now, a year later, they are celebrating the relationship that they are building with God as the center.

Also we were able to see some great friends, Juan Guillermo and María-Paz begin dating. After meeting almost 9 years ago, Juan Guillermo shared his faith with his good friend Mari for over a year. She was humbled before the word and incredibly grateful that her long time friend showed her the way to a relationship with God. We are so excited for them to now be dating and watch how God has great plans for our lives when we surrender to his will.

Some more great news is that John was able to see a great friend, Agustin, be baptized into Christ! In January, Agustin began to think deeply about studying the bible and in March he started slowly to look in to the scriptures. He had very little belief in God's word and Jesus at the time and has studied diligently with the brothers ever since. His faith has grown and we have watched Agustin be transformed, understanding and believing in Jesus for the first time in his life.

It is refreshing to watch God's hand move in each of our lives and the lives of those around us!

Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Psalm 37:3-6

Maya is 2!

On Tuesday, September 9th, Maya turned a big 2 years old! We had a great week of fun and celebration.

To celebrate Chile's Fiestas Patrias (18th of September), Maya danced the cueca with her classmates from "The Happy House", her little school.

The next day we returned to share the joy of Maya's birthday with her amiguitos. Kay made an amazing 3 layer cake that everybody enjoyed.


Finally, when we got home we got to unwrapping the gifts. From Daddy, Maya got some new shoes. From Mommy, a toy stroller to take her baby dolls around. And from both Grandmas some new clothes!

Speaking words in Spanish and English, learning new things everyday, jumping, running and playing; we're so proud of our big 2 year old! Happy Birthday Maya!