What a morning!

Day at the park while Aviah had her 2-month appointment turned into car fire (not ours), firetruck, firemen and grandpa helping put out the fire. Josiah and Maleia got junior firemen badges when it was all over and then the tow truck came. What a morning!

Early Morning

One of the best things about retirement is not needing to use an alarm clock.  Since living in El Salvado we have adjusted to the 7/11 schedule--up at 7; bed at 11.  Only on rare occasions do we need to be up early (like today when the alarm sounded at 4:15 a.m.)  As we headed to the airport at 4:40, we passed groups of people standing along the side of the road waiting for the bus.  Some of them were children!  It is a reminder of the difficult life of most Salvadorans--their everyday routine means rising in the middle of the night, walking to the bus stop and waiting in the dark.  I remember that most of my students told me they got up by 5:00 a.m. on school days.  It is no wonder that the Awana night at our church is Friday because kids have to go to bed really early on school nights.

Although we will be in the states tonight and won't see it, many of those who were waiting this morning will be dropped off at the bus stop after dark tonight.  They will walk home, eat dinner, spend a little time with their kids and then fall into bed exhausted.  All the while, most are thankful to God that they have a job, food to eat and a roof over their heads.  They are very far removed from the soccer practices, karate lessons, organized sports, school and church activities, etc.that occupy so many of the evenings of the typical American family.  Here in El Salvador, for most, necessities take all their energy, but, overall, they are happy and even content.  Can the same be said for their average American family counterparts

Koinonia 2014

Since our church has multiple sites, every three or four months we have a joint "Koinonia" service.  Yesterday more than 1000 member of the various Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva sites met together to hear Pastors Julio Contreras and Steve Kern present the 2014 vision for the church and witness the ordination of 24 new deacons.

As you can imagine it is amazing to hear and be a part of more than 1000 voices singing praises to our God.  Yesterday's music included "Our God," "Great is Thy Faithfulness," "We Adore You," "In Christ Alone," "The King" and "Praise and Honor."  Some of the songs you will recognize, but others were originally written in Spanish.

 

Pastor Julio presented the 2014 vision for the church, "Expansion3.0," which included:

• Continuing to advance all of the ministries of the church
• Sending a two missionary couples to Bogota to plant a new Vida Nueva church
• Adding additional services at the Lourdes and Apopa sites to accommodate growth
• Remodeling the sanctuary at Miravalle and constructing an anex for the administrative offices
• Offering seminary classes online
• Offering a new cycle of IDEM (discipleship 2) classes
• Searching for God's strategy on how to unify the Miravalle and Crown Plaza sites
• Establishing the program "Love and Respect" to reach married couples for Christ

We also witnessed the ordination of 24 new deacons who were nominated by the church members and approved by the pastors.  There were new deacons from each of our four sites (Apopa, Crown Plaza, Lourdes, Miravalle.)  What a blessing to see Godly men willing to take on a greater leadership role in the church.

Pastor Steve preached from Acts 11:19-25 focusing on the importance of having the hand of the Lord upon the church/the believer, seeing the grace of God in the life of the church/believer and working with purpose of heart to see people added to the Lord.

It was an awesome service and one typical for a Koinonia (started at 10:00 AM and finished at 12:45 PM.)

Fruit That Remains

If you've read my previous post, you know that our first evangelistic campaign of 2014 finished last Friday and that it was a week filled with more than 800 professions of faith.  Even more exciting was the following picture and comment which was posted by Pastor Koky Lopez after the service at the Lourdes church last Sunday morning.

These 12 adults (and 9 children) visited church Sunday morning as result of the 

campaigns last weekend.  What a blessing!

Here's the news from Pastor Chitty Escobar after the evening service tonight at the Apopa church.

Wednesday night service at the Apopa campus with visitors
from the recent evangelistic campaign.  

Please pray for the follow-up teams from each campus as they continue the important work of following-up with each individual who made a decision.

Lives Were Changed

The 40+ people who came from Valley Baptist, Bakersfield, CA; Copper Springs Church, Clovis, CA; Faith Baptist Church, Youngsville, NC; and Crossroads Church, Benson, NC, and the group from Vida Nueva saw God do a great work this week.  There were more than 700 professions of faith and, with the exception of a few group presentations downtown and after the movie each night, these decisions were the result of faithful one-on-one sharing of the gospel message by the team.  Although a large number of professions of faith is not abnormal, they are usually the result of a combination of sharing lessons/gospel in the schools in the mornings and one-on-one in the evenings.  Not so this time.  Because the decisions were made with individual team members and their translator, the personal information they gathered is likely to be complete and accurate which makes the follow-up process much easier.

The campaigns were divided among our various church sites:  Friday and Saturday night we worked with Pastor Koky Lopez and IBVN Lourdes;

Monday and Tuesday with Pastor David Guadron and the IBVN Crown Plaza site;

Wednesday with Pastor Alex Hernandez and the IBVN Miravalle site;

Thursday with Pastor Chitty Lopez and IBVN Apopa 

and Friday with Pastor Manuel Orellana and IBVN Coyolito.  

I know I've mentioned it before, but if you've never had the opportunity to participate in a mission trip, then you have missed out on an unbelievable blessing.  A trip is "life changing" for those who are now part of God's family and for the team members who were able to see God work through them.  Please pray about what God would have you do--we'd love to see you here in Central America this year.

Just Like the Good Ol' Days

We came on our first mission trip to El Salvador in March 2007, and we spent our mornings in the central park downtown.  We set up a generator, sound system and a platform that the Salvadorans used to share a couple of math games to attract a crowd.  After the game, one of the guys preached every 15 minutes or so.  The rest of us shared one-on-one with the people in the park.  


Since we've been here in El Salvador it has become difficult for the church to get permission to share in the park.  On a few occasions we have received permission to share, but not to use the sound system.  However, today was like the good ol' days.  

Gathering a crowd with the math game

Preaching the gospel

Sharing one-on-one

 

Praying after sharing--lives changed

Pictures with new members of God's family

First Campaign of 2014

Last night was the first night of the first campaign of the year.  There is a group of 41 from Valley Baptist, Bakersfield, CA, Copper Springs, Colvis, California and Faith Baptist in North Carolina.  Here are just a couple of pictures.

Are you reading the Bible?

I am ten days in to my Bible reading and devotional plan for 2014.  I heard about this from Pastor David Platt’s posting on Facebook.  It is the plan that he is doing with his congregation at The Church at Brookhills.  It has been several years since I completed a “through the Bible in a year” plan; it sounded like just the right thing for 2014. 

The plan was prepared by the 19th Century Scottish minister, Robert Murray M'Cheyne, who lived from 1813-1843.  The plan takes readers through the New Testament and Psalms twice a year, and through the rest of the Bible once each year. 

In 1998, D. A. Carson, theologian and seminary professor, slightly modified this reading plan and published it in his book, For the Love of God.

In addition to the plan, he provided his “devotional” comments regarding each day's scriptural passages.  Here’s what Carson has to say about his book:

“the rising biblical illiteracy in Western culture means that the Bible is increasingly a closed book, even to many Christians.  As the culture drifts away from its former rootedness in a Judeo-Christian understanding of God, history, truth, right and wrong, purpose, judgment, forgiveness and community, the Bible seems stranger and stranger.  For precisely the same reason, it becomes all the more urgent to read it and reread it, so that at least confessing Christians preserve the heritage and outlook of a mind shaped and informed by holy Scripture . . . . Here you will find a plan that will help you read through the New Testament and the Psalms twice, and the rest of the Bible once, in the course of a year.  Comment is offered for each day, but this book fails utterly in its goal if you read the comment and not the assigned biblical passages.

I said all of this to let you all know that I believe I will be quoting the Bible and Carson quite often this year.  As I said, I’m just ten days in and I can’t resist sharing what he said today:

Anyone with the slightest familiarity with history knows how frequently and chillingly these prophecies (Matthew 10:22-23, persecution of Christians) have been fulfilled.  The fact that many in the West have for so long been largely exempt from the worst features of such persecution has let us lower our guard—even Christians may think that a hassle-free life is something that society owes us.  But as the Judeo-Christian heritage of the West weakens, we may one day be caught up in realities that missions specialists know but that the rest of us sometimes ignore:  the last century and a half have seen more converts, and more martyrs, than the first eighteen centuries combined.

In any case, a fundamental principle is at stake.  This is the way Christians view things; indeed, it is bound up with being a Christian.  “Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  Matthew 10:38-39

Lord, help me not to take your Word for granted.  Help me to live out its principles in my daily life.

P.S.  If you'd like to start this plan or any other, you can download the free Bible app from YouVersion here:  http://www.a.youversion.com/free-bible-apps  Once you have the app, you will find hundreds of different reading plans--one is bound to be right for you.  

Just like that, WARMTH

Sorry that several of my posts have been so one dimensional (creature comforts) lately. I promise not to talk about being cold for months and months. Of course, that will be easy because we flew home to El Salvador yesterday! But, no promises not to talk about being hot! Just kidding.

Our rent is due on the 9^th of the month and we made the conscious decision not to pay January a month early, hoping that we would make it back to the city in time to get to the bank. It turned out to be the right decision; the bank wasn't even very busy—think I got in and out in less than 15 minutes. We also made a quick trip to the grocery store to stock up.

As always, it's great to be home. We only have today to put things back in order because our first campaign of the year starts on Saturday. Yep, back in the saddle again!

How low will it go?

There's one thing about the winter weather--it sure can mess with the best laid plans.  We tried two different times to visit Jeff and Paula's new church in Topeka, but in December it was the ice that came in on Saturday night and today it was last night's snow.  Tonight they are calling for a "real" low of -11 with wind chills around -25 or -30.    

Here's a friendly comparison of the weather here and the weather at "home."

Where would you rather be?

Is there a mission trip in your future?

Last night we had the privilege to enjoy BBQ brisket, baked beans, cheesy potatoes, salad and more at the home of our friends, Clayton and Suzanne.  It was a great way to spend a cold, cold evening.  (I'm sorry that the word "cold" has been one of my top words lately, but I just can't ignore the weather.)  Not only did the meal satisfy, but so did the conversation.  It's been quite awhile since they visited Guatemala on a mission trip, so we were able to fill them in on what has been going on at the church in Guatemala and the rest of our churches, as well.  The coolest thing was that we talked about their "next" trip.  I can't explain the blessing we receive when we have visitors from our home church. 

If you've never been on a mission trip, please consider going (or coming.)  It's an experience everyone should have and it means so much to the people "on the ground."  Abundant Life is planning a trip to El Salvador in March.  It isn't too late to join in.  We'd love to do important work for the kingdom along side of you and your family/friends.

Resolve

I have no words for the beginning of 2014 . . . . instead I want to spend more time reading, meditating on, quoting, sharing, living and loving the most important words in the world.  What would it look like (what would I look like?) if this year I came to appreciate the truth that the Bible is God's very words.  Oh, I know it's true, but do I appreciate it like the Christians of the persecuted church around the world or do I take it for granted?  If I have to ask the question, it's because I already know the answer.

Here's this mornings message from YouVersion, the Bible app and I couldn't have said it better myself!

Happy New Year! God is constantly in the process of making “new creations” (2 Cor. 5:17). But in certain seasons—like the coming of a New Year—we tend to be more aware of His renewals than at other times.  As you consider goals and resolutions for 2014, here are three simple ways you can make the Bible a daily part of your life:

1. Find your #Verse2014. Choose one verse that you can focus on throughout 2014. Invite it into your life, display it, and share it with people you know.
2. Commit to a Bible Plan. This has helped so many in our community make God’s Word a daily part of their life. Sign up for a short, 20- or 30-day devotional. Build your confidence by completing your first plan. Then come back for another. We’ve included a list below of some of our favorite starters.
3. Share the Word. Invite family and friends to read with you. Help them get the Bible App, show them how to sign up for the plan you’re using, then discuss what you’ve read. Inspire others by sharing what you’re reading in emails, texts, Twitter, Facebook, andInstagram. God’s Word comes alive in community (Heb. 4:12).

As we head into 2014, many people have asked, "when are you coming back?" or "how much longer are you going to be there?"  As we have explained, it's not really for us to answer the question.  Instead we want to continually seek God's answer to those questions!  So, my verse for 2014 reaffirms our calling to Central America:  

And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you
all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be
more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
Philippians 1:25-26