Throughout the week, we saw God’s hand at work in the smallest of details; we sat amazed even at how God opened the door for 2 young teenagers to continue their schooling. As the Bible Conference approached, we were blessed by the week’s events and looked forward to the weekend with great anticipation.

The Bible Conference lasted from Friday morning until late Saturday evening.  Twenty eight churches were invited to bring their pastors, church leaders, and potential future leaders. Over the course of 2 days, we had 244 people register.  Though registration began 9:00 am on Friday, the first attendees eagerly walked in at 7:30am and were greeted by the youth of Torre Fuerte and were given a cup of coffee and a bowl overflowing with delicious fresh fruit.  The setup crew and kitchen help began at 4 am that morning.  They faithfully served great lunches and dinners throughout the conference as well.

The topic of this year’s conference was “Unity”. We had seven speakers from different countries, cultures, and generations, yet God in his sovereignty broke down the barriers and by his Spirit united those who attended the conference.  We all left with a better understanding of God’s call on our own lives concerning “Unity in the Spirit” and our responsibility to live this out in the Body of Christ.

Pastor John gave us an illustration called the “donut” of Christianity to help us understand barriers among the Church. In the center of the donut are the core beliefs or the “dogma”; these are the non-negotiable essentials of the inerrant Word of God and our Christian faith.  In the next ring are the “doctrinal beliefs”; these are some of the different ideas we have such as baptism, communion, etc. The outside ring includes the “preferences”; examples of such preferences include song choice, type of music, dress, etc.

We are called to be “unified” in the Spirit and yet our carnality often gets in the way of this.  Over the course of the 2 days, the speakers were able to break down the teachings of Scripture in order to help us understand how this is played out in our everyday life.  Topics presented include Unity in the Church, Unity among Pastors, Unity in Leadership, Unity among Women in Leadership, Unity in Marriage, Unity in Worship, Unity in Small Groups, Unity in Discipleship, and Teaching the Word Inductively.

Sitting in the back row gives a person a perspective that one cannot receive from the front row.  As I observed from the back seat, I was able to watch the people walk in with great expectation. The conference opened with awesome worship and it softened our hearts in preparation to hear the Word of God.  As the speakers began, the people listened intently and fervently wrote their notes so they wouldn’t forget what was said. One would conclude that there was a “hunger” for the Word of God!  The conference ended with a beautiful time of worship, testimony, and communion; and we were able to catch a glimpse of God’s divine hand at work among the nations.

Prior to the conference, there was much prayer and planning. At one point, there was a discrepancy of what elements would be served for the Lord’s Supper.  The leaders were faced with the challenge of uniting cultural barriers as well as doctrinal differences.  These men bowed before the Lord and they all came to the same understanding that the ‘how’ and ‘what’ they serve is not the “essential”,  but that they need to put their differences aside in order to 1) bring “Unity” among the believers, 2) cross the cultural differences, and 3) break down the denominational separation. As these men sought the Lord, they were able to agree on how the Lord’s Supper would be served.  Also, the main speakers met the day before the conference for prayer and coordination of the topics and the Lord united their hearts to go in the same direction led by his Spirit. I believe the Lord sought favor and in turn blessed them and this conference.  Our Lord sent His Spirit to work in the hearts of the people – hearts were broken, chains were smashed, hope was given, and lives were changed – all because of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

It is our prayer that you catch a glimpse of the mighty work our Lord and Savior is in the business of doing.  May all glory and honor be His for ever and ever and may we continue to obey His call, to “go” and “make disciples”.

Blessings ~  Betty

The guys went to the Men’s Addictions Bible study at El Puente early in the AM both Thursday & Friday and the ladies went to help prepare food for the feeding program.  Cooking the food over open fire is a strenuous job; smoke hovers low to the ground often due to the green wood.  We are always amazed at the dedication of the women from Torre Feurte.  Every week they dedicate two full days to cooking for about 200 children.  There is also the shopping and preparation that goes into this as well and that is easily another  day.  The care that goes into cutting each vegetable and piece of meat just right is something the best of the chefs around would appreciate.

In the afternoons, we kept busy with ministry to the children in other barrios.  We went back to Santa Bodiga and our group of 25 children grew to 38.  Simple Bible teaching about Moses led to a time of coloring and crafts.  We ended with some songs and prayer.  Once again I found myself shedding some tears as I realized how great God’s love is for these young children. It was His hand that directed us here.  It is His desire that each of these children come to know Him as Lord and King.   It was an honor and a privilege to spend time with these children and share God’s love with them.  We look forward to see how the Lord will continue this relationship.

Evenings somehow always brought us to the Ice Cream store!  Our new friends got so used to seeing us that they began to give us a break in the cost! On the nights we had the youth group over from Torre Feurte, we would go thru a little more than 3 gallons of ice cream.  The Lord blessed us with a big enough house and it was fun to share it with our church family.

It is our prayer that as you read thru this, you see the hand of Jesus; may we continue to praise Him as all glory goes to Him and Him alone.

Blessings  – Betty

Another awesome day!   In the morning, the team went to the dump, while Doug and Betty shopped with Pastor and his wife for the Bible conference.  I think the horse and carriage only had to make 2 trips, but it was full both times.  I’m always amazed at how long just a simple trip to buy groceries takes.  I think we went to at least 5 or 6 different stores  just to buy some of the basics.  We left at 6:30 AM and didn’t finish until lunch time.

The team that went to the dump was encouraged by the welcome they received for bringing the workers a meal.  Joanne shared how the simple tasks like washing the women’s hands and wiping off their face with the wipes that Kathy brought broke through all cultural barriers and passed on a touch of tenderness and love that only the Lord’s Spirit could give.  It was a special time of bonding for our team.

In the afternoon, we went to “Bodega de Santa Lucia” Barrio for an outreach and if you look at the pictures of the kids coloring, you will get a little glimpse of the blessings we received.

After Bodega, we went to the Children’s Program at Torre Fuerte and there, we were able to witness 200 children receiving Bible teaching, love, cookies and juice.  The church members of Torre Fuerte take teaching the Bible to the young children of the Barrios seriously.  The principles the Lord gives are lived out and we see how it is affecting these children.  The children who attend regularly received backpacks, notebooks and pencils in preparation for school.  School starts February 2.  This little church may not have much in the way of material goods, but they always have enough to give out in order to help the children.  Today, we saw how it is their desire to help the children have what they need in order to attend the first day of school.  In this country, you must bring all your own supplies and have uniforms in order to go to school.  This is a great expense for families and what a blessing it was to watch the Body of Christ, take care of their own.

I can’t seem to find the words that would express the emotion that rises in me as I watch the Body of Christ in action, but I do know that the Lord tells us to trust Him and to follow His ways.  Today we got to experience how everyone is blessed when one obeys the Lord’s call.

Blessings to all ~ Adios, Betty

An early trip to the “marcado” brought many fruits and vegetables to the house. YUM, YUM!!  Doug and Betty had a meeting with Pastor Flores about the upcoming Bible Conference, while the rest of the team ventured outside the door of our home for an outreach with the children.  At first, it seemed that only a few children were around, but before they knew it, there were swarms of beautiful faces surrounding them, longing to touch their skin, color a picture, make a bracelet and listen to the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den.   Roy had no idea his camera had so many buttons on it as the little ones showed him how to use it.  It truly was a blast and a blessing as many of the adults thanked the team for playing with their children.

The day is almost over and tomorrow we will shop for the conference with Pastor and his wife Miriam.  We plan to minister at the Dump and then we’ll go to the Barrio that used to be called “Death Zone”.  Pastor Flores informed us that it is called “Bodega de Santa Lucia”  (The “storage” of  the Santa Lucia Rd).  While we sense the many open arms for God’s love, we also sense the darkness that grips and resists God’s love.  Please continue to pray for us as we face darkness but enter with our Lord’s light.

Blessings – Adios, Betty

PS – The lost luggage came tonight. !!!!

Early in the morning, we worshiped at El Pointe.  There we were blessed as we visited with old friends and also witnessed 3 baptisms. One of the guys is David, who some of the Calvary Chapel guys from the summer trip spent a lot of time with. There were not many dry eyes in the church as we saw this grown young man, dedicate his life to the Lord in a new way.

In the PM, we worshiped at the Torre Feurte Church.  Once again, we were welcomed with open arms.  And after church, we were able to connect over ice cream in our rented home as the youth group, the worship team, and a few others came over to welcome us.  It was during this time that we once again realized that God has connected our hearts and is doing a special work among this small congregation here in Granada.

As we sat and ate ice cream, we heard stories of broken marriages that are now being restored, lives that are being restored from substance abuse, and children that have grown up on the streets who are now productive young adults all because of what Jesus did for them on the cross.   While many of our friends understand that each day is fragile, they have a trust in our Lord that is contagious. The Ice Cream Social ended with a song and a time of prayer; each of us were touched by the presence of our Lord.

As I sit and write these little glimpses, I am perplexed and wonder how can I ever pass on to you what we experience.  I pray the Lord Spirit fills you in on His work.

Continue to pray for the Sherwood’s as their luggage is still not here. We have to say, they are truly the best sports about this whole deal.   Adios – Blessings, Betty