New church update..

So, folks have asked if I will post updates every now and then on how the construction progresses on the new central church facility we are building. I posted one a few weeks ago with some pics, but there has been progress worthy of mention. The team that was here two weeks ago from Washington finished pouring the foundation for the wall around the property. Also, we have begun building what will be the power/storage room! So, I walked out to the property yesterday to take some pics, and I'm posting them here. Bye the way, they are taken from the opposite side from the pictures posted in a former update.

One other little note of interest. Before the team left, the pastor and some of the men from family groups here in Cofradia walked out the property and spent some time writing verses or prayers on large rocks tha were incorporated into that foundation they poured. Here is what Pastor Gollo wrote about this in an update to our home office:

"The pastor went with some of the brothers to the property of the new church to write inscriptions, thoughts, scriptures, or prayers on rocks. These rocks will become part of the foundation. Some of them read, “That this place would be where my children would grow spiritually, and that my brothers would draw close to God and worship Him here.” As well we went as a family group to have a time of prayer over the church. We asked that this church would be a permanent place of restoration for the surrounding towns."

This central church facility is going to be big, but it's size is not the most significant characteristic! It seemed strange to me that we would be building a central facility to house corporate sunday services for the churches in Cofradia, Santa Fe, AND Arrayanes, because Arrayanes already has a church facility, and the group of believers in Santa Fe is so small that they simply join in Cofradia. I didn't understand why they wouldn't just build a facility for the Cofradia/Santa Fe church. But it's been explained to me that because these little towns are far enough away that it's too far to walk, for the most part they feel isolated from each other as believers, and having sunday services in their separate villages doesn't help decrease that isolation feeling. So, the vision for this central building is not only to be big enough to have facilities for different ministries and needs but also to UNIFY the body of Christ in this area, to create a place where they come together as ONE body, learning together, fellowshiping together, edifying one another, and loving each other.

It's such a simple concept, and yet it is SO profound to me. In the states we don't have issues with getting together with other believers whenever we want. We are so mobile and for the most part there are believers all around us! Not only that, but rarely have I experienced a church body making strides to UNITE with another church body on purpose. Normally, we multiply--not necessarily out of strife, but also for various other legitimate reasons. So, for me there is something truly enchanting and captivating and incredible about the desire of these churches to unite, to do whatever it takes to maintain ONE body in our ONE Lord and to be the best body it can be for this area. Wow! I never ceased to be amazed here....NEVER!

Well, enjoy the pics, and please keep this project and these churches in your prayers...

This is the last part of the foundation finished by the Southside team from Washington

This is the storage/power room

A view of the foundation

The last wall foundation completed--a view of its length

A view up another side--big facility!