A Running Start…
Wow! 2008 has started with a bang! January was quite a busy month as we had three teams here between January 6 and 31. The Lord certainly blessed us through these three groups. If you'd like to read more about them, check out my blog entries for the Cy-Fair Ladies, the His Place construction team, and the Winnipeg E-Free construction team.
I would like to include a bit of a progress report on our central church construction. The combined total effect of the hard work of the His Place construction team and the Winnipeg E-Free construction team is astounding! Our central church facility looks like an entirely different place than before they joined us! Here’s what they accomplished:
- All purloins for sanctuary roof were cleaned and painted
- 1st-story floors were poured including bathroom floors
- All walls for 1st story rooms were begun
- Smooth-walled the instrument storage room
- Poured the ceiling/upper story concrete floor over library and nursery
- Began smooth-walling the library and nursery
- Columns were placed and poured and are now ready to support 2nd story walkway
- 1st floor sidewalk has been prepped for pouring
- Parking structure roof was installed and concrete slabs were poured
- Picnic corner concrete slab was poured
- Grey-water pit was completed and concrete cap was poured
- Trailer hook-ups to septic system were completed
- Electrical wiring was completed in the library and nursery. Electrical panel and wiring were completed for trailer hook-ups
- Church name and motto painted on outer church walls: "Centro Cristiano: Crece y Deja Crecer" ("Christian Center: Grow and Let Grow")
We are so excited for how the Lord is providing for this project! Please continue to pray with us for continued provision
of funds, materials, and labor, especially for the fabrication and installation of the sanctuary roof. We cannot begin using the facility until the sanctuary roof is in place, which will require a highly-specialized labor team. If you are in any way interested in helping with this project, wither it be through labor or financial donations, please email me and let me know! Thank you!
Sandy and I continue to meet for mentor time. This was a bit sporadic during January due to the short-term teams we had visiting us. However, very often 
meet and talk during breaks or in the evenings. We have been reading through the book Stomping Out the Darkness by Neil T. Anderson and Dave Parks. In some ways this study has been “back to the basics” for both of us, but at the same time it has been a good refresher course and reminder of simple truths that often get forgotten in the midst of dealing with life and growth. So, we have both learned much, been reminded of much, and enjoyed this study! It’s got us thinking and re-evaluating many aspects of life and ministry, and we’re both quite pleased with how the Lord is working. It’s not always easy, but it’s always good.
on her photographs, I have been able to upload a few to her ImageKind site so that they are available for purchase. If you would like to see them, you can do so by clicking here. We will continue to add more as we’re able; we have lots of ideas, just not as much time to work with them as we’d like. Thank you for your patience!
I continue to meet with Ana as well; we too are going through the same book. Though not enthusiastic at the start, she has now begun to really enjoy the book and has shared with me that she even talks about it and shares the book with one of her teachers at school who is a Christian. The Lord is working mightily in this young lady. Please keep her in your prayers that she would be receptive to His call to a deeper and more committed relationship with Him no matter what the cost.
Fundraising Needs…
Our ministry is growing, praise the Lord! This also means that we are experiencing increased interests in staff internships and increased flow of ministry visitors, all of which we are extremely grateful for! However, we currently do not have sufficient housing to keep up with this increase. Therefore, we are considering the purchase and renovation of a house nearby to be used for these purposes. In order to do this, we need to raise approximately $12,000 USD to meet the purchase price with additional funds needed for renovations. Please pray for the Lord’s beautiful provision in this need, but please also pray about how you can help us meet these goals. We are excited about this growth and hope that you will participate in it with us. Thank you!
Looking Ahead...
We are excited for the months ahead! We have two youth teams coming in March along with a group of dentists, and a group of Christian mental health professionals are coming in April who will work with us as a staff in training us to deal with various aspects of life and ministry in the mission field. Keep your eyes peeled for updates on these outreaches and training! We are convinced the Lord is working mightily this year just as he has every year thus far, and we are ready to be blessed!
In addition, I’m looking forward to a short trip home April 6-11. I will only have about 4.5 days to visit with folks, so that will most likely happen in the form of social gatherings. I will keep you all posted as the time arrives as far as locations and times for those events. I am hoping to see as many as I am able during my short visit. Thank you for your prayers and support! I would not be here without you! I am so appreciative of all of you. Blessings to each!!
FACE TO FEET
ams :)
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