The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. We are the only workers in the Lord's harvest in the foothills of Southern Sonora within a 30 mile radius. Weekly new people come to visit us, searching for the "God workers" who have come to bring God's word to the ranches surrounding Basiroa. Each person comes begging us to bring the word to their ranch.
While we were doing meetings in 21 de Marzo, Toltecas, and Sarabia, along with four children's meetings, in the first half of the year, we felt busy. We felt stressed sometimes at the magnificent work that was before us. Yet, when the hurricane hit us in October, and everything seemed to come to a hault, we never dreamed we would be that busy again!
Here in Basiroa, there are only a few obvious ranches, about 8 in total, that surround the small ranch. But beyond those ranches is a field of wheat, ready to be harvest, waiting to be tilled and planted with the words of salvation. People literally flock to hear the songs of Christ and the words of life from the Bible.
We are now supporting three missions in different villages, and three other churches over which Joshua is pastoring. The Lord is doing a mighty work in the villages surrounding Basiroa. We are praying that he sends workers here to continue the work, to help us with the burden. In May, our only helper, Fabián will be leaving to study in University, and we will be carrying the meetings on our own. Please pray with us that the Lord would provide more workers for his harvest... workers who are ready and led by the spirit to live a life in these secluded villages. Workers who are willing to come help part time, full time, short term, or long term, but whatever the case, are willing to work.
Workers have come in the past, but easily burn out in less than a year because life here is not easy. There are no stores, there are no fresh vegetables, there are no easily obtainable "fast" groceries. Cooking over fires is a way of life, so cutting wood every week is a necessity. Working from sun up to sun down could be considered an easy day, since the work easily lasts much later than the sun sets and starts much earlier than the sun rises. Groceries that aren't essencials can only be purchased in the city two hours away, and there is only one bus that comes through the village in the morning at 6am. The life is not anything life the city or small highway villages, but it is rewarding and tranquil. Yet, many workers in the kingdom of God come to these secluded villages searching for a fairy tale ranch life with all the benefits of the city, rather than coming to search out what God is doing with eagerness to help and participate in His work. Many come and marvel at the "suffering" that one undergoes to live in the ranches. But for us, it isn't suffering ... it is life. Please pray that churches don´t just send available missionaries, but that they send people who are truly prepared for the life of the ranch, and are willing to serve the Lord with all that they have in order to see people come into the Salvation of our King and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Joshua and Lacynda Webb
Ambassadors for Christ to the Sonora Desert of Mexico
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Back home safely
We are back home safely in Basiroa, thankful to have made the trip to the states in a short time frame. It was a trip we were not looking forward to make, but the necessity of renewed visas lingered over our heads.
During our trip, we were able to meet with some old friends. In Hermosillo, we stayed the night with José and Adriana, the pastors over Calvary Chapel Amor Fraternal. They were gracious to feed us and give us shelter for the night as we passed through the city. In the village of Igriega, which is also the name of the letter "Y" in spanish, we stayed with Hector Valenzuela and his wife and grown children. We spent four short days in blessed fellowship and were sad to have to leave so soon to return home. The time was enjoyable and Ana was incredibly hospitable to us.
The visa renewal was a quick process. Instead of going through the large entry point of Nogales (which is south of Tucson), we renewed our visas in a small town called Sonoyta. We just turned in our old visas at the border, swung around in a "U" through the entry point again, and filled out new visas in Mexico.
We are happy to be home, though we made sacrifices to return so quickly. Joshua needed work in the states since the economy of the states has tremendously affected the flow of donations to the ministry. Still, the burden in our hearts to return to the people outweighed the financial stress that weighed over our minds. We made the choice together that it was wiser to return to where God had called us rather than stay away longer in the states just to make a few hundred dollars that would easily be spent quickly on the trip back home. Amazingly, the Lord provided all the gas money we needed for the trip home with money to spare when we arrived! We are in unison in the faith that we will continue serving to the last penny, although we have faith that God will provide sooner than that. He has never left us without, and has always provided all of our needs.
Even in poverty, we are delighted to finally be back home and serving again. Please continue to lift us up in your prayers!
During our trip, we were able to meet with some old friends. In Hermosillo, we stayed the night with José and Adriana, the pastors over Calvary Chapel Amor Fraternal. They were gracious to feed us and give us shelter for the night as we passed through the city. In the village of Igriega, which is also the name of the letter "Y" in spanish, we stayed with Hector Valenzuela and his wife and grown children. We spent four short days in blessed fellowship and were sad to have to leave so soon to return home. The time was enjoyable and Ana was incredibly hospitable to us.
The visa renewal was a quick process. Instead of going through the large entry point of Nogales (which is south of Tucson), we renewed our visas in a small town called Sonoyta. We just turned in our old visas at the border, swung around in a "U" through the entry point again, and filled out new visas in Mexico.
We are happy to be home, though we made sacrifices to return so quickly. Joshua needed work in the states since the economy of the states has tremendously affected the flow of donations to the ministry. Still, the burden in our hearts to return to the people outweighed the financial stress that weighed over our minds. We made the choice together that it was wiser to return to where God had called us rather than stay away longer in the states just to make a few hundred dollars that would easily be spent quickly on the trip back home. Amazingly, the Lord provided all the gas money we needed for the trip home with money to spare when we arrived! We are in unison in the faith that we will continue serving to the last penny, although we have faith that God will provide sooner than that. He has never left us without, and has always provided all of our needs.
Even in poverty, we are delighted to finally be back home and serving again. Please continue to lift us up in your prayers!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Our faith is being tested to the limits
Our faith right now is being tested to the limits. On February 5, we will officially be illegal in the country of Mexico, and so, are scrambling to get ourselves and our two vehicles to the border to renew the six-month visas. However, we have been so enveloped with our love for the people in Toltecas and Baciroa and Tapizuela and El Paso that we have spent enormous amounts of gasoline to visit the villages on a weekly basis. The result is that before we knew what happened, we have run out of money!
Our spirits are high. The Lord knows what we need. So we know that he will provide what we need. We have just enough money to get ourselves to Tucson. What we don´t have is enough money to get back to Mexico, and that is what is teraing us apart in our hearts.
God has placed such a love and burden over us for these people that we cannot pull ourselves away. We are praying that he make every way possible for us to not have to work in the states to come back to Mexico. It is our desire to go to the states and return immediately so that we are not separated from the work that God is doing here.
Please pray. Pray with your family. Pray with your congregation. Please pray for us. And if God prompts you to assist us financially, please heed that calling. Often, people tell us that they did not send $10 or $20 to us because they felt it was an insignificant contribution and were waiting for the Lord to provide more. Please, if this thought is in your mind, flee from it! To one who comes from an American or European lifestyle, that $10 may seem a measly chump of change. But here in Mexico, $10 can easily feed us for an entire week!
Please lift us up, brothers and sisters, in your prayers. It is a commandment of the Bible to obey the laws of man whenever those laws do not contradict God´s laws, because God has allowed those lawmakers to be over us. Therefore, even on our last peny, we will return to the fronteir and renew our visas so that we remain legal visitors to Mexico. Please pray that God will provide all the funds necessary to return swiftly back home and continue the ministry there.
Our spirits are high. The Lord knows what we need. So we know that he will provide what we need. We have just enough money to get ourselves to Tucson. What we don´t have is enough money to get back to Mexico, and that is what is teraing us apart in our hearts.
God has placed such a love and burden over us for these people that we cannot pull ourselves away. We are praying that he make every way possible for us to not have to work in the states to come back to Mexico. It is our desire to go to the states and return immediately so that we are not separated from the work that God is doing here.
Please pray. Pray with your family. Pray with your congregation. Please pray for us. And if God prompts you to assist us financially, please heed that calling. Often, people tell us that they did not send $10 or $20 to us because they felt it was an insignificant contribution and were waiting for the Lord to provide more. Please, if this thought is in your mind, flee from it! To one who comes from an American or European lifestyle, that $10 may seem a measly chump of change. But here in Mexico, $10 can easily feed us for an entire week!
Please lift us up, brothers and sisters, in your prayers. It is a commandment of the Bible to obey the laws of man whenever those laws do not contradict God´s laws, because God has allowed those lawmakers to be over us. Therefore, even on our last peny, we will return to the fronteir and renew our visas so that we remain legal visitors to Mexico. Please pray that God will provide all the funds necessary to return swiftly back home and continue the ministry there.
Expanding into unreached vilalges
After a week of living in Baciroa, we noticed that there were many people who were driving in from the southern, northern, and eastern roads. One afternoon, Fabian took us out to visit three (of many) villages that surround Baciroa.
The first village was Tipizuela, a fairly large ranch of about 200 people. It is called a ranch because all the people live on profits from cow ranching. There is a Catholic temple there, but no Christian church. We met one woman who knew the village well because she was born there. At 60 years old, she was the only Christian on her side of town, and could only think of four other people who claimed to have a relationship with the Lord Jesus.
The woman sent us to the next village, called El Paso, and encouraged us to search out two women who were not believers, but who enjoyed listening to the Word of God. When we found these women, they informed us of a church that came every six months to have a one-night service in El Paso. We left the village with a desire to meet those beleivers who would make a commitment to such a tiny village (El Paso consists of about 25 homes).
We visited the third village, La Cuesta, but didn't feel a burden to begin a work there. The next week, I (lacy) and Fabian practiced dilegently to make a good and simple worship set for a service that we wanted to hold in El Paso. Joshua prepared a simple salvation message based on I John chapter 1. We were ready to reach El Paso with the gospel and with fervent hearts.
When we arrived in the village on Saturday night, we were astounded! A large van was parked on a hill, and beside it were a whole group of Christians! It was a miracle that this group of believers who only came to the village twice a year had decided to come on the very first meeting that we planned on having. We immediately united with them and shared with them our desire to begin a steady work in El Paso. With tears in their eyes, the brothers and sisters shared how they had been coming for 9 years and had been praying all the time for a local group of believers to take an interest in this tiny village. We were an answer to 9 year of prayer!
The service that we held together with them was beuatiful! Fabian and I led worship, Joshua prayed over the teaching, and a preacher from the other group shared a wonderful message of salvation. After the service, the pastor introduced us to the village and gave us their full blessings and support to begin a steady work in El Paso. We could not have asked for a better entrance into a new village!
On Monday night, we carried on the same idea of an introductory service in Tapizuela. We united with two other believers to speckle the large ranch with tracts and invitations to the service. After an hour of walking door-to-door, we returned to the hill on which we had set up our equipment and begin to sing. We all looked at each other in disappointment as we sang to an audience of one, and prayed that the noise was flooding the ranch below us.
Joshua led us in prayer and we all bowed our heads. When we raised our heads, there on the back row were a group of 12 guys, ages 25 and under! It was such a surprise and delight to see them! Joshua preached simply and fervently about the understanding of repentence and forgiveness. Two men stood to pray for salvation after the service, and two others came to Joshua and Fabian for prayer over their families. The men asked Joshua, "Please, come back! We want to hear more about faith in Jesus!" We left the ranch with joyful tears, praising God for the second door that he miraculaously opened in the villages surrounding Baciroa.
As we headed back home, Joshua and I encouraged Fabian in his fervency for sharing the gospel and his own faith. When Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few," he wasn't only referring to numbers. The workers are few in numbers, but the workers who move beyond dreaming of evangelism and actually work in the harvest are even fewer! As missionaries, we often feel overtaxed and heavily burdened with such desires to reach the lost. There are many who have desires to work with us, but few who show fruition of that desire. Fabian has been such a blessing to us because he has taken up this buren with us, and in doing so, has relieved the weight on our own shoulders. He often encouraged us with his own faith and vision, and we are blessed to be working with such a zealous brother in the faith!
The first village was Tipizuela, a fairly large ranch of about 200 people. It is called a ranch because all the people live on profits from cow ranching. There is a Catholic temple there, but no Christian church. We met one woman who knew the village well because she was born there. At 60 years old, she was the only Christian on her side of town, and could only think of four other people who claimed to have a relationship with the Lord Jesus.
The woman sent us to the next village, called El Paso, and encouraged us to search out two women who were not believers, but who enjoyed listening to the Word of God. When we found these women, they informed us of a church that came every six months to have a one-night service in El Paso. We left the village with a desire to meet those beleivers who would make a commitment to such a tiny village (El Paso consists of about 25 homes).
We visited the third village, La Cuesta, but didn't feel a burden to begin a work there. The next week, I (lacy) and Fabian practiced dilegently to make a good and simple worship set for a service that we wanted to hold in El Paso. Joshua prepared a simple salvation message based on I John chapter 1. We were ready to reach El Paso with the gospel and with fervent hearts.
When we arrived in the village on Saturday night, we were astounded! A large van was parked on a hill, and beside it were a whole group of Christians! It was a miracle that this group of believers who only came to the village twice a year had decided to come on the very first meeting that we planned on having. We immediately united with them and shared with them our desire to begin a steady work in El Paso. With tears in their eyes, the brothers and sisters shared how they had been coming for 9 years and had been praying all the time for a local group of believers to take an interest in this tiny village. We were an answer to 9 year of prayer!
The service that we held together with them was beuatiful! Fabian and I led worship, Joshua prayed over the teaching, and a preacher from the other group shared a wonderful message of salvation. After the service, the pastor introduced us to the village and gave us their full blessings and support to begin a steady work in El Paso. We could not have asked for a better entrance into a new village!
On Monday night, we carried on the same idea of an introductory service in Tapizuela. We united with two other believers to speckle the large ranch with tracts and invitations to the service. After an hour of walking door-to-door, we returned to the hill on which we had set up our equipment and begin to sing. We all looked at each other in disappointment as we sang to an audience of one, and prayed that the noise was flooding the ranch below us.
Joshua led us in prayer and we all bowed our heads. When we raised our heads, there on the back row were a group of 12 guys, ages 25 and under! It was such a surprise and delight to see them! Joshua preached simply and fervently about the understanding of repentence and forgiveness. Two men stood to pray for salvation after the service, and two others came to Joshua and Fabian for prayer over their families. The men asked Joshua, "Please, come back! We want to hear more about faith in Jesus!" We left the ranch with joyful tears, praising God for the second door that he miraculaously opened in the villages surrounding Baciroa.
As we headed back home, Joshua and I encouraged Fabian in his fervency for sharing the gospel and his own faith. When Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few," he wasn't only referring to numbers. The workers are few in numbers, but the workers who move beyond dreaming of evangelism and actually work in the harvest are even fewer! As missionaries, we often feel overtaxed and heavily burdened with such desires to reach the lost. There are many who have desires to work with us, but few who show fruition of that desire. Fabian has been such a blessing to us because he has taken up this buren with us, and in doing so, has relieved the weight on our own shoulders. He often encouraged us with his own faith and vision, and we are blessed to be working with such a zealous brother in the faith!
Ministry in Baciroa
After the October hurricane, the ministry in the highway villages came to a screetching halt for about a month. Everyone was traumatized by the event, and our focus moved to rebuilding and comforting those who had lost homes, churches, and buildings.
After the hurricane, the church began again in Toltecas. Joshua was also invited to teach at an Assembly of God for several weeks, but the children's classes, which were our main ministry focus, never came back into full swing. We tried several times to have classes in varying villages, but it was obvious to us that the Lord was preparing our hearts for a change.
As we prayed about the change that was taking place in our lives, we continued serving faithfully in the Toltecas church. One night, a young lady who regularly attends the meetings brought with her a young man and his sister. They were both obviously believers, and they shared about the Lord's work in their church in the mountain village of Baciroa.
After the service, Joshua pulled the young man aside and asked him who his pastor was in Baciroa. He introduced himself as Fabian, and at 20 years old, he was currently pastoring a congregation of about 12 people. Joshua was astounded that at such a young age he was over a congregation. Fabian, also, was shaken. After the previous pastor of his church decided to leave, he was considered the most spiritually mature out of the other older adults, and so was charged to watch this small fold of sheep.
Joshua, in compassion and concern, offered to come to Baciroa the next week and hold a revival. What we didn`t realize was that the revival would never come to fruition, but a great love for the people in Baciroa grew almost immediately in our hearts. Joshua preached for one night. He eagerly asked to come back the next Friday night if Fabian would allow him, and preach again.
After two months, we realized that there was a great need for a Christian work in this area. The highway villages are all full of two to three churches per village, and the villages that are near the highway have many works that regularly spring up out of the highway churches. We had felt for some time that there was another avenue we were to follow, but never knew which one. The trips to Baciroa revealed a great area of villages with little to no Christian influence...not even Catholic influence! The doors are wide open for evangelism in Baciroa and the surrounding areas.
One night after service, Fabian asked Joshua to take him to the city in his pickup. During that next morning's drive, Fabian poured out his heart over his church. The church was about to receive from the church government the 9th pastor in 15 years. The pastors all come from the seminary, and are looking for a good paying church to support them. Unfortunately, in Baciroa, the ranch is poor, and the seclusion from the city makes life difficult at times. Most pastors ask for replacements within a year. Fabian was feeling incredibly concerned about the new replacement that would soon come. He was planning on bailing out of the village after the new pastor came because he couldn't bear to see the church fall again when the pastor left.
As Fabian talked, Joshua grew excited. Fabian what if I stayed, he asked. That question has led to us living in Baciroa now. Fabian's zeal for his people has been renewed and he longs to see the church grow again strong and together.
We are now living in Baciroa. The Toltecas church still meets once a week on Wednsdays, but all other days, we are in the mountains. We are so excited about what God is doing in and through us!
After the hurricane, the church began again in Toltecas. Joshua was also invited to teach at an Assembly of God for several weeks, but the children's classes, which were our main ministry focus, never came back into full swing. We tried several times to have classes in varying villages, but it was obvious to us that the Lord was preparing our hearts for a change.
As we prayed about the change that was taking place in our lives, we continued serving faithfully in the Toltecas church. One night, a young lady who regularly attends the meetings brought with her a young man and his sister. They were both obviously believers, and they shared about the Lord's work in their church in the mountain village of Baciroa.
After the service, Joshua pulled the young man aside and asked him who his pastor was in Baciroa. He introduced himself as Fabian, and at 20 years old, he was currently pastoring a congregation of about 12 people. Joshua was astounded that at such a young age he was over a congregation. Fabian, also, was shaken. After the previous pastor of his church decided to leave, he was considered the most spiritually mature out of the other older adults, and so was charged to watch this small fold of sheep.
Joshua, in compassion and concern, offered to come to Baciroa the next week and hold a revival. What we didn`t realize was that the revival would never come to fruition, but a great love for the people in Baciroa grew almost immediately in our hearts. Joshua preached for one night. He eagerly asked to come back the next Friday night if Fabian would allow him, and preach again.
After two months, we realized that there was a great need for a Christian work in this area. The highway villages are all full of two to three churches per village, and the villages that are near the highway have many works that regularly spring up out of the highway churches. We had felt for some time that there was another avenue we were to follow, but never knew which one. The trips to Baciroa revealed a great area of villages with little to no Christian influence...not even Catholic influence! The doors are wide open for evangelism in Baciroa and the surrounding areas.
One night after service, Fabian asked Joshua to take him to the city in his pickup. During that next morning's drive, Fabian poured out his heart over his church. The church was about to receive from the church government the 9th pastor in 15 years. The pastors all come from the seminary, and are looking for a good paying church to support them. Unfortunately, in Baciroa, the ranch is poor, and the seclusion from the city makes life difficult at times. Most pastors ask for replacements within a year. Fabian was feeling incredibly concerned about the new replacement that would soon come. He was planning on bailing out of the village after the new pastor came because he couldn't bear to see the church fall again when the pastor left.
As Fabian talked, Joshua grew excited. Fabian what if I stayed, he asked. That question has led to us living in Baciroa now. Fabian's zeal for his people has been renewed and he longs to see the church grow again strong and together.
We are now living in Baciroa. The Toltecas church still meets once a week on Wednsdays, but all other days, we are in the mountains. We are so excited about what God is doing in and through us!
A New House
In Otober 2008, we reported to you that a category-2 hurricane ripped apart the southern half of the state of Sonora, and that our house was irreparably damaged. For four months, we have searched dilegently for other accomodations, but the Lord never opened doors to us. Well, we finally have settled into a new home!
We aer now living in the village of Baciroa, which is an hour's drive from our original village. It is one of many secluded mountain villages that are so set apart from the main highway that there are no churches, and some of the smaller ranches even fault Catholic churches! The move took us away from our original ministry area, but the Lord has opened wide an entire new network of villages untouched with the gospel. They are spotted with Jehovah´s witnesses, but no Christian works have been fruitful in these quiet villages. The reason is because most Mexicans coming from the cities cannot lie for very long in such a secluded environment, where donkeys and horses are the main transportation and where the nearest supermarket or grocery store is an hour away.
We have settled in happily here. It is where we naturally fit in, and we were accepted quickly by the people. It has been easy to make friends here since our Spanish is fluent now, and the friends we have made are very helpful and encouraging to us.
We are so happy to finally be settled into the new home!
We aer now living in the village of Baciroa, which is an hour's drive from our original village. It is one of many secluded mountain villages that are so set apart from the main highway that there are no churches, and some of the smaller ranches even fault Catholic churches! The move took us away from our original ministry area, but the Lord has opened wide an entire new network of villages untouched with the gospel. They are spotted with Jehovah´s witnesses, but no Christian works have been fruitful in these quiet villages. The reason is because most Mexicans coming from the cities cannot lie for very long in such a secluded environment, where donkeys and horses are the main transportation and where the nearest supermarket or grocery store is an hour away.
We have settled in happily here. It is where we naturally fit in, and we were accepted quickly by the people. It has been easy to make friends here since our Spanish is fluent now, and the friends we have made are very helpful and encouraging to us.
We are so happy to finally be settled into the new home!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Building a Church
El Monte de Olivos Asamblea de Dios (Mt. Olives Assembly of God) church sits in the village of Sarabia, a village about five miles from our own village. The pastor there, brother Fernando, is a charasmatic evangelist who has a great heart for winning the lost to the Lord. He does not, however, feel gifted with a calling to be a shepherd of the flock. However, as is the case of many small rural churches, he has taken on the responsibility because there is no one else to pastor the church. In the weeks before the hurricane, Joshua had begun forming a relationship with brother Fernando.
The church in which the 20-person congregation meets is a box framed with wood pallets and outlayed with ¼” three-ply. When the hurricane slammed through southern Sonora, Fernando’s church was completely stripped down to the frame.
The call for help to the United States provided enough to help two situations. We gave half of the money to help a brother put a roof over his house. The rest of the money sat in our account as we prayed to the Lord where we should use it. We wanted the money to be used for the Glory of God, no matter to whom it was given.
Finally, a sister from the Assembly of God church shared with us the congregation’s plight. “At night it is so cold because the wind rips through the church, so I am taking extra blankets for the older women and men who cannot deal with the cold nights very well.” Joshua knew immediately from the Lord that the money would be used to bless the church.
Joshua met with brother Fernando and worked out a price. Our ministry could finance a third of the wood sheets needed to repair the church, if the church could muster up the other 2/3 of the cost. Joshua would provide all the labor, free of charge. The agreement was made, and we went to the city and purchased the necessary materials, including screws and caulk.
Over the next two weeks, Joshua worked diligently on the church. Through the blessing of his church building, the already growing relationship between Joshua and pastor Fernando exploded into a friendship . Fernando asked Joshua to begin teaching the services at the church. The first night that Joshua preached, the whole congregation stood when he took the pulpit, waiting for him to read the one or two scriptures before the lesson. Joshua chuckled. “You can sit down, I teach a little different, and reading through this passage of the Bible is going to take a while.” Surprisingly, some people stayed standing for the entire hour! By the second Sunday, they were all sitting, Bibles open, some with pens and paper in their hands, eager to hear more of the Word of God.
Fernando asked Joshua to meet with him on weekdays and they studied the word together. Fernando is very interested in this verse-by-verse teaching method that Joshua has presented to his congregation. He said, “It just seems so easy!” Of course, his first attempts to mimick Joshua were really awkward: He taught about one subject and read unrelated Psalms every five minutes to break up the teaching. But as he started studying with Joshua over a more methodical way of studying the Bible inductively, his services are really starting to reflect a focus on the Word of God rather than the word of man.
We are excited to do fix-up projects. We are a relational ministry, but sometimes relationships are formed first in a simple act of giving. Forming relationships with Fernando’s church has been refreshing for us. Fixing his church was a blessing that has affect both them and us.
The church in which the 20-person congregation meets is a box framed with wood pallets and outlayed with ¼” three-ply. When the hurricane slammed through southern Sonora, Fernando’s church was completely stripped down to the frame.
The call for help to the United States provided enough to help two situations. We gave half of the money to help a brother put a roof over his house. The rest of the money sat in our account as we prayed to the Lord where we should use it. We wanted the money to be used for the Glory of God, no matter to whom it was given.
Finally, a sister from the Assembly of God church shared with us the congregation’s plight. “At night it is so cold because the wind rips through the church, so I am taking extra blankets for the older women and men who cannot deal with the cold nights very well.” Joshua knew immediately from the Lord that the money would be used to bless the church.
Joshua met with brother Fernando and worked out a price. Our ministry could finance a third of the wood sheets needed to repair the church, if the church could muster up the other 2/3 of the cost. Joshua would provide all the labor, free of charge. The agreement was made, and we went to the city and purchased the necessary materials, including screws and caulk.
Over the next two weeks, Joshua worked diligently on the church. Through the blessing of his church building, the already growing relationship between Joshua and pastor Fernando exploded into a friendship . Fernando asked Joshua to begin teaching the services at the church. The first night that Joshua preached, the whole congregation stood when he took the pulpit, waiting for him to read the one or two scriptures before the lesson. Joshua chuckled. “You can sit down, I teach a little different, and reading through this passage of the Bible is going to take a while.” Surprisingly, some people stayed standing for the entire hour! By the second Sunday, they were all sitting, Bibles open, some with pens and paper in their hands, eager to hear more of the Word of God.
Fernando asked Joshua to meet with him on weekdays and they studied the word together. Fernando is very interested in this verse-by-verse teaching method that Joshua has presented to his congregation. He said, “It just seems so easy!” Of course, his first attempts to mimick Joshua were really awkward: He taught about one subject and read unrelated Psalms every five minutes to break up the teaching. But as he started studying with Joshua over a more methodical way of studying the Bible inductively, his services are really starting to reflect a focus on the Word of God rather than the word of man.
We are excited to do fix-up projects. We are a relational ministry, but sometimes relationships are formed first in a simple act of giving. Forming relationships with Fernando’s church has been refreshing for us. Fixing his church was a blessing that has affect both them and us.
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