Answered prayer! After much prayer, the legal document the El Faro church has been waiting on has finally been released! Thank you so much for your prayers!!! This document was essential for moving forward to the next step. I will be even more excited when I can tell you that the property title transfer into the church’s name has been signed. Please pray that this signing happens smoothly and without delay. There are a few potential obstacles, so I ask that you please make this a serious matter of prayer. Once this step is completed, it should just be a matter of time — likely a few months — before we hold the official property title document in our hands.
One of the young men from the church and I have been team-teaching Level 3 of the Healthy Church strategy. Each Sunday this month, we’ve taught an hour-long segment, and, Lord willing, we’ll wrap it up this coming Sunday. One Saturday, we presented a 5-hour straight session for a smaller group, and I’ve been following up with some of those who missed a part of the teaching. Next month, the church will offer interviews to help each member find their best area of service in El Faro. Please pray that we all commit excitedly to faithfully serving the Lord in and through the ministries of El Faro.
Fortunately, Willy took the above Level 3 photos to share with you. Sadly, I haven’t taken any group photos this month, so I don’t have one of our small group either – neither from our weekly meetings nor our breakfast and beach outings. Please pray for continued unity and spiritual growth in our group. As a church and in the small groups, we’re reflecting on the book of Galatians. This week we will be discussing our freedom in Christ and how to maintain it.
After a long “dry spell” (pun intended), I have finally been able to get to the beach a few times, taking people with me. I have no new photos because that camera “drowned”. But if you click on my wind chime photo, you can see a random image of a Pacific Spadefish — a treat I got to see this week. As much as I enjoyed it, the real joy came from taking people out snorkeling who don’t know how to swim (and some who do). A couple of them were filled with fear and clenched my hand tightly for the first couple of minutes, but they soon relaxed as they were amazed by the beauty of underwater life. They both got out gushing about how incredible it was to see the variety of fish and expressed that they took the plunge because they trusted me and because they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to experience what they had seen in videos. Relating this back to Galatians, we too can step out in freedom, trusting Christ, and experiencing the abundant life described in Scripture. It’s too bad Dive by Steven Curtis Chapman isn’t in Spanish.
Please pray for our Ladies’ Meeting this Saturday, which Isela and I are planning. This will be the first session with a new evangelistic focus, and we’re praying that the unsaved friends invited by our ladies will join us. Pray for the Lord to work in each of our hearts in the way He knows best. Also, please keep Leonardo and Mariela in prayer as they travel from the Mexicali church to serve El Faro for a week participating in this and other meetings for men, for couples, for church leaders, and more.
A good friend of mine had planned to vacation here in La Paz intentionally to help by taking back a suitcase or two for me, as her friend once did for her when she left the mission field. She wanted to show me the same kindness. Due to changed circumstances in her life, we both regret that she can’t make the trip. If you live in southern Ontario and would like to help out (and escape winter!), please email me at brenda@teamven.org for more details. Please also pray for me as I am beginning to plan the trips of my Retirement Home Assignment next year. Hopefully I will be able to dedicate some time to that in the next few weeks.
I have a couple more prayer requests: I would like to have a meeting with the team of Greeters next month. One lady returned, but now another is away and then another has a work trip. Please pray we can find a time for everyone to meet, to encourage each other, and to improve our service in El Faro. Lastly, please pray as we hope to begin teaching Level 4 at the end of November. Willy and I have reviewed the materials, and I need to finish the final corrections so we can get them printed.
With deep gratitude for your prayers and partnership,
Brenda
