Today is a rare rainy, gloomy day in La Paz, but the weather will turn back to bright, sunny days soon. There has been a flurry of activity over the last several weeks changing some gloomy situations to sunny outlooks. For those who just want the bottom line… it’s at the bottom.
We were planning on starting up the Ladies’ Ministry for 2023 this morning, but the rain and sickness has put that off till next week, Lord-willing. It was close to not happening at all, but now another lady and I are working with the leader to guide the ministry. It was also discouraging when two of the couples from the leadership team didn’t finish the overview of the materials, but we did it this month. Those situations turned from gloomy to sunny.
Last week was our virtual TEAM Mexico Annual Conference. Just as I asked my colleagues here when I shared this news with them, I ask you: please don’t comment on any of this with anyone remotely associated with El Faro or in La Paz (because several of you do have connections here). Please do continue to pray for the Lord to continue to guide El Faro.
In December, my perspective looking at the El Faro church and the implementation of the Healthy Church strategy was very gloomy. Even after much prayer, I was so discouraged and second-guessing myself that I called our Healthy Church (PD) mentor in Mexicali hoping his advice would help with my perspective. That’s when the incredible opportunity I wrote about last time presented itself. In 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat was also in a gloomy situation – not the same, but there’s good advice. Vs. 4a says, “The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.” After acknowledging who God is and what He has done in the past, vs. 12c states, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” I am so grateful for all of you who joined in praying for God to make His will clear regarding the opportunity for the El Faro church. It’s been incredible to see God ordering the pieces in different places!
One of the incidents I shared with the mentor was the pastor Rafa’s response early in December when I talked with him about catching up on the classes he had missed. I shared that the implementation of the materials we had prepared was going to require time and dedication, but he responded that, after his health issue in July, he doesn’t have the strength he had, that he is supposed to reduce the stress in his life, and that his business is demanding his time. The mentor asked for time to pray and then approach a couple in his church who might be able to help us. (A ray of hope!) We prayed for several days, and he wrote back with the good news that he had a young couple who were willing to come to La Paz for at least a three-year commitment who are saturated in the Healthy Church strategy. In fact, he was our co-mentor through the course we took with them, and he oversaw the follow up as our team here reviewed and adapted the materials to the El Faro church. I met with Rafa to give a brief description of the couple, without sharing who they were, to ask Rafa to seek God’s will as to whether we should move ahead with this opportunity or not. In that week we were all praying. Vs. 15 of our passage says, “Do not be afraid or discouraged …. For the battle is not yours, but God’s…” The Lord gave me several verses all pointing to trusting in Him with the outcome, whichever way it went.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
Proverbs 3:5-6
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
When I met with Rafa again, he recognized that he needs help and confirmed that the Lord was leading us to take the next step, even though he had some concerns. So I set up the zoom meeting for a few days later including Rafa’s wife as well. More prayer for God to lead in the in-between days!!!
… Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
Commit your way to the Lord;
Psalm 37:5
trust in him and he will do this.
These are some of the verses the Lord spoke to me to fill my troubled heart with His peace and total confidence in His leading, whatever that would be.
Still not knowing how God was leading Rafa, we started the meeting. I shared how I had made the initial contact with our mentor in 2020 when I was commissioned to get contact info to look for another pastor in the Healthy Church network to join Rafa and Marco (both have full-time jobs), who we assumed would also need to find employment and work part-time in El Faro. (I did my part, but nothing further happened.) Our mentor and his right-hand man, Willy, have been supporting us ever since then. I shared about my call seeking the counsel of our mentor at the end of December and the response of a possible candidate. I summarized the first and second of my meetings with Rafa and then asked Willy to share how God was leading in his life. Willy felt called to the pastorate, so he went to Bible school where he met his wife. Our mentor was a teacher there and invited them (they married after graduation) to work in his church for four years. This is the fourth year. The last two years they have been working in the mother church and serving on the team planting another church in Mexicali (Baja California, the state above us). The week before I returned from Ontario last year, Willy and his wife led a missions team from their church in Mexicali to minister here in El Faro. While here, his wife felt the Lord working in her heart and asked Willy what he would think of pastoring in La Paz. They talked and prayed about it but didn’t give it much more thought until our mentor called them the end of December to ask them to pray about moving to La Paz to serve in the El Faro church. They confirmed the Lord giving them peace to make the move. Did I mention that they have pastoral/leadership/administrative skills and gifting?!! Then our mentor shared about how he has been training them and has full confidence in them and will continue to mentor them.
I then asked Rafa and his wife to share. She said that when she saw them, she knew right away that Willy was the candidate and that all her anxieties turned to peace. I think I stopped breathing when Rafa started talking because this would be the decisive moment. Rafa shared that since he first went to Saddleback, he knew the Healthy Church strategy was right for El Faro and also that he knew he needed help to apply it here. He said that he had several concerns, but on seeing them and knowing that we and El Faro all know them as well, his concerns also dissipated and turned to peace and he said he would turn the pastorate over to Willy! I could breathe again! I had to check to be sure I heard that correctly because I had always thought of them working together. I thought that one of the big issues would be working through areas of responsibility. Rafa also confided that he had opened the church for a year to see what God would do and noted that the year was almost up.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20, 21
There are still a lot of details to work through and the church hasn’t been informed yet, so I’ll repeat: please don’t comment on any of this with anyone remotely associated with El Faro or in La Paz (because several of you do have connections here). Please do continue to pray for the Lord to continue to guide in this process. I’ll keep you informed!
Rafa and Betty have each confirmed to me again this week that the peace of God is still ruling in their hearts and they believe this is the will of God. My gloom has definitely been banished by the Sonshine!
Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. Then some Levites … stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice… Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
2 Chronicles 20:18-21
“Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.”
Praising the Lord, whose love endures forever,
Brenda
