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How crazy is it that the first month of 2018 is over?! This first month of the year has taken us by storm! The enemy has thrown things at us that we weren't prepared for, things that broke us. But, do you know what being broken does to you? It brings you so much more closer to God, it makes you cling to Him like your life depended on it, because it does.
Now, and we can't stress this enough, the good times, without a doubt, outweighed the bad. God has shown Himself, we've seen His hand, we've seen His miracles and we have seen the Kingdom grow, to His honor and glory!
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Pastor Luis' Corner
It's incredible to think that we are just a few hours from starting the 2nd month of the year. I'm sure that each of you have had to deal with a certain situation, a conflict, a crisis. And with-out a doubt you're waiting to hear a clear answer from God.
Joshua, before conquering Jericho, was also waiting for an answer from God. I can imagine Joshua pacing, scratching his head, trying to think of the best plan of action on how to conquer Jericho. It would be a very long corner if I tried to explain what the wall surrounding Jericho was actually like; it was pretty much impassible to humans.
But, when Joshua talked to God, God sent His answer:
"Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"
"Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come."
Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?"
The commander of the Lord's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy."
And Joshua did so."
Joshua 5:13-15
I want you to take a moment and think about what message God might have for you, right now. Sometimes we think He's not giving us a message but really we're the ones not listening. We find one of the messages He had for Joshua in Chapter 1:7-9 --
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Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
God knows that before sitting down to write this corner I prayed and asked Him for each one of you, that He might show you His message and that you will be ready and able to hear it clearly.
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The Year of 'Growth'
We feel God has called us to name this year,
The Year of Growth! We have all heard God telling us, in different ways, that He will enlarge our territory. When we speak of '
growth' we think of many different aspects; we think of physical
growth, the number of ministries, the numbers within the ministries, resources, etc.
However, the most important aspect of '
growth', to us, would be to see those we minister to
grow, for them to
grow in their faith. We want to see a bigger change, for the better, in the children at Happy Tummies, in the Abuelitos, in the Pastors, their wives, and leaders, the youth, and the churches that surround us.
This year is
The Year of Growth and our most important prayer is that all around us we would see a
growth in faith and in the Kingdom.
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| The Year of Growth for all the ministries! |
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With a year of growth ahead of us we are in dire need of a UTV (one brand is called a Mule). The reason we need a UTV is because we now have 3 Happy Tummies up in the Panyebar area. There are two public schools and our own Happy Tummies building. We are thinking of many ways to make this easier for all our workers. They will be making a lot of food, and a lot of tortillas. We use the Happy Tummies building for storage and kind of our operation point. However, the money we used last year for Tuc Tucs and trucks to get the food from one point to another will now double as we've added an extra Public School! So, after a lot of consideration and prayer we feel that a good option for us is to have a UTV. This will help get each Happy Tummies teacher to his or her Happy Tummies as well as the food and supplies. Many of you have been to Panyebar and know that there are parts of the road that are awful. This is why we need something strong that will be able to carry everything needed.
We are wanting to buy a UTV, however, if you have one that is collecting dust in your garage, or you are ready to upgrade and are thinking of getting rid of the one you have, know that it will be used for ministry purposes.
What we need is: A
n All Terrain Utility Vehicle with a 4x4 transmission, diesel engine, two seats (front and back) to sit up to 5 or 6 people including the driver. It must have a roof and doors or something similar to protect from rain. It's fine if it doesn't have doors. It needs either a bed or a trailer for carrying the food to the
3 Happy Tummies locations.
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| Some of the kids in HT Panyebar. We have 60 there now! |
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Ruth & Nimsy
Sometimes the most talked about characteristic of Happy Tummies is that poor kids get a nutritional lunch and they get to eat what might be their only meal for the day. However, it is so much more than that! Ruth and Nimsy are an example of that.
Ruth and Nimsy live with their mom, Eufemia, in the house that used to belong to their grandparents. They live on the outskirts of town, next to a coffee plantation. Earlier this month their house was broken into while Eufemia was checking on the girls at school. Thieves stole quite a few things, but the most expensive were the traditional skirts women wear.
That afternoon we heard about what had happened so we told the kids to ask for permission from their parents so that the next day we could go visit them. The next day as we waited for the kids so we could go visit, help started pouring in! The
community
came together as one and brought all kinds of food, including sugar, rice, coffee, beans, and corn to make tortillas! The kids that didn't bring food brought cash, whatever little they could come up with, Q20, Q10, Q5. One of the most inconceivable things we saw come in was a traditional skirt! One of the girls gave one of her own skirts for Ruth and Nimsy! When we saw all that the kids brought in, our eyes teared up. They did not hesitate to show the love of Jesus when their friends needed it the most!
When we reached their home Eufemia started thanking our staff for the gifts and the help, we told her that it wasn't us but it was the kids that had brought it all in themselves! Eufemia started crying! She felt so supported by her own community and was sure God had sent "the little angels" to show her Jesus in a time she needed it the most!
We are so over joyed to see these children come together and love on someone when they needed it the most! We love seeing them take the initiative to help someone and to move forward alongside them!
Outside Ruth's and Nimsy's House
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