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Most recent update:
Dearest Family in Christ
Dearest ones:
The year is almost ending and we don’t
stop saying God has been Good and Merciful with us. The
year has good and not very good moments, but it is always
a blessing to know God is in absolute control of everything,
we included.
We are awsomed just seeing how God is using
our lives, and how He is gifting us daily, friends and a
family in Christ like you. We pray daily for you, asking
God spreading out blessing upon you, your families, ministries
and your nations.
What is happening so far this year?
Well, many things. Let us tell you a detail
of all the wonderful things God is doing in this small country
named Costa Rica.
The country as you know, and experience, is
living the effects of the economic impact like all the world.
But we have hope and a complete confidence the Lord will
take care of all of us. Also, we understand the effort you
do, supporting us here to do the ministry God had given
to us and we appreciate and from the bottom of our hearts
we love to have more to give in order of helping your own
ministries, same way, we have been supported by you, and
God behind you. Maybe some day, our ministry will be strong
enough to support your ministries and even inviting you
all to see what the Lord has done in our lands thanks to
your effort.
But our church, The Community of Faith San
Jose, the 11th church, is growing up. A lot by the way,
not thousands but dozens, not an espectacular growth but
we can see the Lord’s hand working and guiding us.
We finally got the 100 members, and we can see how the people,
a 90% of them, attending to a christian church for first
time, growing and serving God, and we tell you that something
amazing is happening in our church.
As you know, we celebrated 20 years serving
God, without resting, but interesting He doesn’t give
resting, because HE IS OUR REST, without reward, BUT SERVING
HIM IS OUR REWARD, without human honor, BUT HE NEVER FORGETS
WHAT WE DO FOR HIM AND FOR HIS PEOPLE. So, what can we ask
more? We are completed and satisfied just serving Him. What
a honor!!!. The God of the Universe, using, a couple of
small latin guys to bring His Holy Gospel to the humanity.
And after all these years, we are seeing the fruit of many
years.
Since 4 months ago, Blanca developed a new
ministry: The Women of Promise. And together with another
4 ladies, she is working bringing a Complete day of training
for ladies. The training involves, self esteem, Marriage,
Project of Life, Inner Healing, of course tons of prayer
and making desicions. Please pray for these ladies, Blanca,
Miriam, Carmen, Nuria and Natalia. They had been invited
already to visit 4 churches, having the change of sharing
the Gospel with 250 ladies. This weekend they will visit
another church to share with 50 ladies more and the next
week to another church with another 50-60 ladies. This means
about 400 ladies in 4 months, and we expect to have another
15 churches next year, completing more than a 1000 ladies
listening the Gospel and bringing health to their lives
and families.
But... many pastors asked me to write a seminar for Men.So
I had to developed Men on Course, with a material provided
by Pastor Roberto Jones and my dearest brother Dean Ridings,
from Colorado Springs. They were here teaching this material,
wonderful by the way, but now I had to develop a complete
curriculum, using some other materials and developing new
ones. So, if you have some good ideas and teachings for
men,please let me know.
With this ministry, we already visited the
last two months, 3 churches, influencing with the Gospel
100 men. We expect to have every two months retreats or
teachings for men in at least 4 churches. And our men Jaime,
Ronald, Juan and Eladio, plus my son Erick will be teaching.
Another ministry? Yes, the Little Promises,
is our children ministry now. A ministry that travels to
another churches bringing a complete day of teachings for
kids, with puppets, dramas, of course Biblical Teachings
and a lot of songs. So, I am in the process of training
our team for the first teaching on january the 31st. The
title of the day will be “Little Promises for tomorrow
I”,and we know that the Catholic priest offered the
main hall of the town, in Sabanilla of Alajuela. We expect
groups of 30-50 kids in order of being really effectives,
but we expect to do this seminar once at month, it means
12 times next year. Again, our team, Marjorie, Heilyn,Natalia,
Isabelita, Pablo, Carmen, Miriam, Maria, and We hope 5 kids
from the youth. What a team!!!!
And now I am dealing with two new ministries,
one if the Small groups. Because our church is located in
San Jose, we have people from three provinces, Cartago,
Heredia, San Jose and Alajuela, I mean then, four provinces,
and because we do not have our own place, but we rent, we
have to to all our ministries and take care of the people,
directly in the area they live in. Then, we developed an
strategy teaching, adoring, training and reaching out new
people, directly in every town. That means, we have the
majority of the people attending to our church, busy working
in something, doing something for God.
The teenagers leaded by Erick Jose and Jessica,
plus Isabelita and Julie, are working hard playing dramas,
and we will have our First Christian Karaoke Contest this
next December 28th. And also they will be on charge of the
Christmas celebration. Erick is working with the Band of
the church and helping me also to develop and this is what
I am doing right now in my desk, a seminar for Teenagers,
with the name “A generation of promise”. So If
you have some materials, or ideas, please let me know too.
They will have their first teaching also in January, the
13th, and we expect teens from four churches, maybe 100
of them plus ours,
We are just 100 people, but according with
our numbers, we plan to expose to the Gospel 1000 people
next year. May God supports us with all this plans, we are
just doing what we can and we expect Him doing what we can
not. Will all these ministries we expect to visit churches
and communities around the country.
So, now about our ministry, they things we
told you before are what we do for Christ, but now our ministry:
our family.
Erick Jose is doing very well. Last Wednesday
he had his first date, with a girl from the church. When
he got home, Blanca and I were sat talking and pretending
we were not waiting to see how he did go, and we just kept
silent when he came back, Blanca was specially excited,
because she loves the Girl, Erick dated with. So he saw
us, said “What”????, because we promise each other
not saying anything to him, and he said “Were you waiting
for me to ask me questions about my date”, you are
behaving like childs!!!!!!!!!. But we were certainly, and
praying and dreaming with our future grandchildren. But
after he marriage of course. So he said “I am not getting
marriage, it was just a date and please, do not pretend
you are not wondering what happen””: He was just
smiling and we of course, felt discovered. So after that,
I took Erick with me to the supermarket and he told me “Dad,
I am a respectfu man like you, and want to have a good wife
like you, so take it easy”: And here I am, watching
my boy growing up and remainind myself he is not a child
anymore. And Erick told me “Dad you taught very well,
so now rest and see how the disciple superates the teacher””.
I hope this means a good thing!!!!
About my lovely Isabelita, she is doing very
well too. We will move her to a new highschool, public too,
but closer home and also with an special emphasis on business
and management. She is sad because is living her classmates,
but happy because has a new future and closer home.
Blanca is studying Beauty, as you know, and
Hair Styling and all these things about make up and all
the things and names that I, even in spanish don’t
understand. But I am her practicing body and she is using
me like her dummie. So, today I had a chinese torture with
my eyebrows, and I was affraid of ending like Bo George,
but she promised me to keep my man looking. At the end my
eyebrows look, lets say more fine, but I feel good. My hair
doesnt’ grow like it just to used to, because mrs Cordero
uses it to practice, and that means my military look is
part of my life now, but she is so happy and busy all the
time, serving people, sharing the Word of God with them,
and I can stand with that because I love her and because
this is medicine to her. Thanks again for your prayers and
thanks to you, she is studying. She hopes to end next year.
We are still waiting for a date to perform the surgery,
and we want to give special thanks to Pastor Gary Crandall
and the beautiful people of his church in Martensdale, Iowa.
Also special thanks to you for your prayers. By the way,
it is possible for me to come in January to IOWA to a Missionary
conference, so I would love to spend some days more maybe
visiting some of you guys. Let me know if you have the time
in January.
About myself, I am still stuying more english,
but I am affraid gramar, it is not my stronger gift. Even
in spanish I am bad, but always trying my best. I hope this
is enough to you. And correct my poor english anytime,I
will appreciate it.
The future? Well, visiting Panama, looks to
be the next trip, and we received now many invitations to
come to Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua and El Salvador, but I
have to wait to see what the Lord wants, Please help me
praying.
About thing we need.
1. Material for youth, marriage, men ministry
and children ministry. Ideas, subjects, supplies, etc.
2. Prayer for a new facilities for our church.
3. Prayer for Erick Jose. He is studying Bussiness Management
with emphasis on Computing engineering and also working
with the Costa Rican Bible society. Recently he was promoted
to be the second one, on the Computer’s Departament,
something like software development and computers maintance.
He has been developing a new trivia’s software. We
do not have that in Latinoamerica and the last one I remember
is very old. So, Erick and I developed the material, and
now he is moving the material from the paper to the computer.
And we plan to donate our work to the Bible Society in order
to develop a national contest between teens, promoting the
reading of the Bible. Erick was selected by the Bible society
to be sent to Brasil to study, so he is preparing his passport.
Please pray for him, he is excited and growing in the Lord
faster than his dad.
4. Please pray for the Isabelita’s new school. She
is excited, so do us.
5. About Blanca, the surgery is our priority and also her
studies, and please pray a Sanson’s miracle for me.
Because my head seems to be her area of practicing.
6. About myself, pray please fo wisdom, and rest. I want
sincerely to know how to rest, how to take a power nap sometimes.
It is hard for me.
7. We want to build a new house. We have the property but
still need to build a bridge. And so far the cost is more
than 2000 dollars. We disovered a new model of “Pre-Fact”
houses, th 100 m2 construction, and good quality for 10000
dollars plus details may be the cost would be 20000 dollars.
So please pray God opens the heaven’s gates with that
provision. Because we want to buy two of these houses, one
for s and the other to start a kind of small housing place
for missionaries and people visiting our country to serve
with us. I am not asking you more than your prayers, and
I know God will answer us if we pray together. But before
that, please pray for the money to build the bridge, We
have the money almost complete and part of the money for
the house. Thanks for your prayers.
Again, and again.. thanks and thanks. Glory
to God for His mercy and thanks to you for your friendship,
prayers, support and love. We just can’t explain how
grateful we are with you.
God bless you and we love you
In Christ
Erick, Blanca, Erick Joe and Isabelita
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