I am so grateful for all of you who partner with me praying and giving. The last month or so has seen a lot of collaboration. Even preparing these letters is a collaborative effort. After preparing them in English, I translate them to Spanish and then, almost always, a Spanish-speaking friend will review them to be sure the Spanish is clear.
In my August letter, I mentioned that when I wrote about working on materials to prepare for a small group ministry, one of you, Gabe, put me in contact with a pastor who specializes in that area, Karl, and that they also had the notes prepared in Spanish. What a huge blessing! Karl joined the group of possible ministry coordinators on zoom for a couple of training sessions for that position, Gabe had those notes translated, and I interpreted for Karl on the zoom call. In the meantime, I started taping Karl giving the six training sessions for small group leaders. I was going to dub those videos in Spanish to use for the actual training times but realized that a man’s voice would be better and a Spanish-speaking man’s voice would be even better. As I thought and prayed about it, Gabe asked about the training. I shared my prayer request and, a short time later, Gabe put me in contact with a man with lots of experience interpreting English to Spanish, Pedro. I sent Pedro the videos and notes and he was able to give some good suggestions to clarify the translated notes. I then taped Pedro through zoom as he gave a simultaneous interpretation of Karl’s trainings. This collaboration began with a Canadian and an Argentinian working together in Venezuela and expanded to include an American and Peruvians along with the support of all of you to make it possible to offer the training in Spanish (“all of you” representing at least 7 countries).
The next step is to pull it all together. I just finished the first of the small group leaders’ training sessions videos. The main screen is of Pedro, so those taking the training will hear it in fluent Spanish. I put a small video of Karl (without sound) in the corner to acknowledge that it is his teaching that is being given. I also added references to help the trainees follow along in their notes (as well as making an introductory image and adding music). One down, four to go (because two of the sessions are combined in one video). Please pray for me as I prepare the other videos and format the notes, but more importantly, please pray that God will reveal the coordinators for this ministry and then the small group leaders who will take this training.
We finished the PD training and now I’m collaborating with seven Mexicans from that group to adapt the materials to the El Faro church. Please pray that we will all remain faithful and encouraged as this will be a long process as well. The group has done some excellent work, but it takes time and everyone is busy.
Another example of teamwork is in the ladies’ ministry. The ladies’ Bible study section got off to a good start. We’re looking at the book of Esther and the providence of God. The feedback has been positive and there are more ladies in the prayer section that follows. Please pray that a result of the Bible study will be an increase in trust and confidence in God. One of the leaders was in an emergency situation. She said that she remembered our discussions about the providence of God, so she put her trust in Him and was amazed by the peace that filled her heart and her calmness getting through the situation once she cried out to God. Each week we share how we are seeing God at work in our lives, so both the leaders’ meetings and the ladies’ meetings are joyous times as we encourage one another in the Lord. Thanks also for praying for Aracely’s pregnancy. She is in the red top with her baby.
The church leaders still need your partnership in prayer for wisdom in dealing with the difficult situation I mentioned last month. Please pray for God to resolve it without having to get involved in a court case or needing to take other action. The situation is not yet known in the church beyond the leadership level and the leaders need wisdom to know if/when to make this known. Serious threats have been made and the hope is that God will intervene so that no actions worsen the situation. This is another opportunity to put our trust in God and be amazed by what He does!
Thank you for your prayers for those with serious health concerns that I’ve mentioned. Luisa’s cousin, Alejandro, is with his Lord. He made a profession of faith and in the last months showed evidence of a changed life, so pray that his unsaved family and friends will also turn to Christ. And thank you for your continued prayers for Iván and Nuria. The casts have been removed and the doctors think that he should regain the use of his hands! It will still be a long, painful process, so please do keep them in your prayers. Please also pray for his unsaved family who are watching the body of Christ collaborate to help meet the needs of a brother and sister in Christ.
We also have an opportunity to collaborate with Vicki, a fellow TEAM missionary here in Baja California Sur in San José, and she has two more TEAMers participating with her. If you know any missionaries who grew up with a parent having mental illness, any Member Care facilitators, or anyone from another church or organization who could pass this info on to their Member Care facilitators, please pass this invitation on to them. The webinar will be recorded and emailed to all who register–whether they are able to attend live or not. To register, click on the image. Although this presentation is targetting missionaries, I’m sure this will be helpful for anyone who has friends struggling with mental illness.
I finally made it to the beach again last week and had fun observing this Common Octopus. It was interesting watching it change colour, form and texture. Click on the photo to see the video of it and a variety of other fish. I was on the surface being tossed by the waves and twice was thrown against the rocks, but I managed to keep the octopus in view for the most part.
Grateful for your collaboration,
Brenda
