Mission to the Americas

Feeding the Hungry

ecoach — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:28:34 +0000

Recently, a young man has been coming to our house to study his English materials for an afternoon school he attends.

We’ve been feeding him lunch these last few weeks and learned more about his story.

He has no income at the moment.

He is staying with a relative and using his savings to support her.

We noticed something yesterday.

He eats 100% of the lunch we feed him.

He gives careful attention to chewing every bite. There is even a careful and deliberate eating of every single grain of rice.

Our family typically eats rice and can’t quite seem to get every grain, while this man makes sure each grain is eaten.

Connecting some dots with his circumstances and his behaviors, we get the sense that he may not be getting enough to eat in his wanderings. Brenda observed, “he eats like a man who doesn’t know when his next meal is.”

Typically, our ministry is involved in training the church or conducting classes of some kind. But this is really the first time we get to feed those in need.

We’ve done food distribution as a church, helped raise funds for food packages, but this is our first time cooking a meal from our own resources.

This feels different to us. This is a person we have gotten to know. He is not nameless face in a poor part of town where our ministry often takes us. He is a friend in need. We are grateful the Lord has provided for us so that we can provide this meal.

We know enough of this man to know this won’t be a situation for ever, nor do we feel taken advantage of. We are grateful the Lord has provided enough for us so that we can share.

Thanks to God for the provision to be part of this work of mercy.

Upcoming Schedule for Feb – April

ecoach — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:10:55 +0000

Here are some of the ministry opportunities coming forth for our ministry in the next few months.

February

February 10-13, Missions Conference, Staten Island Church, New York
February 19-22, School of Missions, Foursquare Church of Venezuela, Maracay Venezuela
Feb 29-March 5, Healing Dunamis, Matagalpa Nicaragua

March

March 7-11, Evangelism Dunamis, Grand Rapids Michigan
March 29-April 2, Young Life Training, Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic

April

April 21, Young Life Team Training, Panama Viejo, Panama

Support

This ministry depends on financial gifts from our supporters. Most of the trips to the US are paid for by the inviting organization, but those in Latin America are funded by gifts from individuals like you.

If you’d like to make a tax-deductible gift towards any of these projects,

visit our Support page, or
make your donation on line via the button on the side. (If you use Paypal, please email me a copy of the receipt so I can make sure it’s processed correctly).

Gifts provide for airline tickets to Latin American events as well as ongoing ministry expenses in Latin America.

The impact of PRMI Dunamis teaching in Nicaragua

ecoach — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:42:35 +0000

Note: I’ll be going to the Dominican Republic in March of 2012 to provide training for leaders of that country’s young life ministry.

If you’d like to make a gift towards this project, visit our Support page, or make your donation on line via the button on the side. If you use Paypal, please email me a copy of the receipt so I can make sure it’s processed correctly.

Below is the video script for those who’s rather read than watch.

PRMI Latin America began it’s work along side of Young Life Nicarauga in the early part of 2000.

Young Life, or Vida Joven in Spanish, is a parachurch organization that seeks to reach teenagers in high risk neighborhoods. From it’s early beginnings in Matagalpa Nicaragua, Young Life Central America now ministers in the barriros of 7 central American countries from Mexico to Panama.

These leaders work in conditions of extreme poverty. Many have come out of gangs, labor in high-risk very poor areas, and do so without resources or funding. Nearly everyone knows someone in the drug trade and the vicious cycle that traps its victims. Two decades of war have ripped the family structure and fabric of society in Nicaragua

Only Jesus can help people overcome their past, find forgiveness and healing, and discover how to help advance the kingdom of God.

Leaders work in some of the poorest social conditions in Latin America:

Poverty, gangs, crime, and lack of available food.
Helping those victimized by wars, crime and abuse
Broken family systems where one might have 18 – 25 half siblings.
Living on a garbage landfill recycling scrap metals.

Others work among the universities and upper social classes. All are seeking to reach to reach marginalized teens for Christ for the transformation of nations.

PRMI Latin America has made 8 trips to come alongside leaders in this evangelism work and our DNA has worked it’s way into the leadership. I’ve been part of every team after the first visit.

PRMI Latin America has it’s roots in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on a ball field in Nicarauga upon the spiritually thristy leaders of young Life Nicaragua. Brad Long was there at the invitation of Vida Joven Founders Jim and Sarah Hornsby.

They were just kids, having a passion to reach their generation for Christ, but encountering spiritual obstacles that they didn’t understand or didnt’ know what to do.

Ministering in a context like this can be really messy –

abuse victims suddenly dealing with their issues,
hearing stories of being gang raped,
infected with veneral diseases,
wounding from assaults,
or filled with hatred because a sibling was killed in a gang.

After an early visit, the founder of Young Life Nicaragua said to me, “It’s good to have a cry fest here and get things solved, but some of these healings have to go much deeper. We simply don’t have the trained staff here to do it.”

Year after year, we shared the Dunamis teaching with national and area directors who over see ministry to hundreds of teenagers in 7 countries.

Several leaders from that day on the ball field recall what a difference it has made in their life and ministry. The teachings of Dunamis has enabled them to discern what God is doing, how to minister in a team, and given them to confidence to deal with the demonic as they encounter it. Their old worldview of being scared by the supernatural has been replaced with knowing how to join in the work of the Holy Spirit.

Omar Picado, one of the National Nicaragua Directors for Young Life, had this to say (compiled from conversations I’ve had with him):

“I remember the first year I experienced the Dunamis project and felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. Then every year that the group has come, I’ve learned some ways to pray for the youth with whom we work. You’ve taught us how our ministry can be centered in the power of the Holy Spirit. Your annual investment in us help us fulfill our mission: every kid should hear about Christ in their own environment. We are able to see the life changes that happen as a result of the Lord working through us. We are grateful for your work.”

Several of those men and women have stepped into positions of leadership at a national level. Others are overseeing the development of Young Life fields of El Salvador and Panama. This is the impact of Dunamis – equipping young life leaders to reach thousands of teenagers for Christ.

As cross-cultural missionaries for PRMI Latin America, it is imperative we help raise up national spirit filled leaders who can

go to places we can’t go.
think like the culture thinks.
understand the subtexts of issues and meanings.
Assisting other local leaders to be more effective dramatically multiplies our reach.

With their new knowledge and personal experience of ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit, they are able to do the basic work of evangelism in the power of the Holy Spirit in their own countries. They now have intercessory teams for camps, and ministry teams after talks.

Over the years, we’ve spent time teaching the Dunamis over the years and are now teaching at two levels. Students have grabbed hold of our prayer style and how to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring healing. Others are discovering the empowerment of the Holy Spirit for the very first time. It’s time to start releasing teachers to multiply the reach of Dunamis into the DNA of young life.

Hollman Mendoza, one of the National leaders gives testimony to the fruit of PRMI teaching in Nicaragua: “Many of the things I have learned have become part of my life, impacting my life, and the life of others. You might be here for just a week, but we use what you teach all year long with our youth, and we’ve taught our youth to pray in a similar manner.”

Young Life’s goal is exponential growth over the next 7 years – to double the number of kids they reach for Christ. That means more Spirit empowered leaders, more equipping, and the need for teachers within Young Life. Imagine the evangelistic impact that PRMI Latin America is making: helping leaders cooperate with the Holy Spirit to bring teenagers to Christ.

Because of the work of PRMI Latin America, other Young Life ministries are asking for PRMI Teams: YL Dominican Republic will have it’s second Dunamis team this March. Costa Rica and Panama are at the interest stage. Even leaders from Young Life North America are waking up to the need for Dunamis after watching the spiritual maturity of their Latin American leaders. We are in conversations about a healing week for senior leaders, plus teacher training for Young Life staff to multiply teachers throughout their organization.

The transformative power of the Gospel

ecoach — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:46:49 +0000

Meet Francisco.

I sat down and learned his story of how he came to Christ.

He’s a former gang member now serving as a children’s worker in a church. He loves the Lord and wants these children to avoid the mistakes he made through his teen age years.

Growing up without his father, Francisco found his way into a neighborhood gang in his pre-teen years. It didn’t take long before he was addicted to drugs, involved in theivery to support his habit, and generally being a menace in his community.

After assaulting his step-dad with a handgun, his mother kicked him out of the house, and he sought refuge with his gang. But even they couldn’t provide a sleeping place for this kid. He was homeless.

An uncle searched him out and began inviting Francisco to church. But he didn’t want to go. Church was full of wierd people.

But his uncle didn’t give up. He kept inviting Francisco to church, but also started conversations with him about becoming a follower of Jesus.

As the circumstances brought Fransisco’s life crashing down around him, he finally started going to church. After 2 more months of hearing the word of God preached and talking more with his uncle, he surrendered his life to the Lord.

In the intervening years, he’s left his gang, worked through his drug addictions, and is now serving as a security guard for the church and serving as an adult chaperone and mentor in the children’s ministry. He wants to serve the Lord in mission to high risk youth, as he was once.

This man’s life has been redeemed. It has not been an easy road to walk, but he’s growing in the Lord.

Helping Children Share a Simple Faith

ecoach — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:56:45 +0000

In the middle of January 2012, our family joined in a bible camp for at risk children.

We’ve gotten to know Pastor Raquel over the years.

Each year she allows us to minister to the kids she ministers to all year long.

These children come from a high risk area of

poverty
malnutrition
gangs
sex trafficking

This church is one of a few that minister in this area.

Their holistic ministry is more than just preaching the gospel, but feeding the hungry, providing education to families, and sharing health information to kids to help them escape the cycles of poverty.

In one of the community health segments, using bi-lingual coloring books provided by Children’s Medical Ministries, our son served as a translator with the youth leader dressed like a nurse.

The kids wanted to hear American English speaker repeated what the nurse was explaining in Spanish so our son got into the act.

During one of the craft sessions, Brenda helped each of these kids find simple ways to share the gospel with their friends, using tools like the wordless book.

Each kid assembled their wordless book from felt we had pre-cut, and then used it to practice a simple gospel presentation to their friend at the table.

Thanks to Westminster Presbyterian Church Richmond, Royal Oak United Methodist in Maryland, and Children’s Medical Ministries for their financial gifts to make this outreach possible.

They provided funds for craft materials and the books.

First Membership Class of our Church

ecoach — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:03:37 +0000

At the end of 2011, Comunidad de Las Buenas Nuevas celebrated the completion of its first membership Class. As a young church, we celebrated 18 baptisms of new believers in 2011, and new members.

Join us in thanking God for what He is doing in our midst. Each new member has a story to share of how God worked in their life to bring healing, hope, and a church family. I get the joy of hearing each and every story and I wish I could tell you each and every one.

Your prayers and financial support help us make this difference here in Panama. We want to say thanks!

Fantastic Fruit of Pastors Training

ecoach — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:17:30 +0000

I received this email from one of the students from the pastor’s class in Central Venezuela in October.

Hola pastor chris recibe un gran abrazo de parte de alex y amarilys y Ondas de Paz, te cuento que luego del entrenamiento que nos distes en la iglesia, salimos a evangelizar en algunos sectores de Cabudare y alcanzamos 42 personas nuevas para el Señor, pero luego de esto se han añadido más y actualmente tenemos 75 personas en consolidación, es decir, afirmandolos como creyentes y seguidores de Jesucristo!!! Estamos agradecidos por su ayuda!!! Dios continue bendiciendo su ministerio… más adelante le estaremos informando que ha sucedido con estas personas. – Pastor A. Camacho

Roughly, this reads:

Hello Chris, receive a great hug on the part of Alex y Amarilys and Waves of Peace UMC. I want to tell you that after the training you gave us at the church, we went out to evangelize in some sectors of Cabudare. We reached 42 new people for the Lord, and after this, we’ve added more. In reality, we have 75 new people connecting to our church as believers and followers of Jesus. Thank you for your help!!!! May God continue to bless your ministry . . . later on we’ll tell you more about what happened with these people.

It’s not often I get a word of results after a teaching class. I’m grateful that the Lord has used our family ministry in Latin America to make a difference in churches.

Celebrating 11 Baptisms

ecoach — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:32:45 +0000

Our church recently celebrated 11 baptisms. We thank God for the work He is doing in our midst.

Each one of these lives has a precious story of how they came to faith in Jesus Christ. I’d love to tell you some of their stories.

Here are some photos from the celebration:

I was away on a teaching trip and not able to be there. But the family reports that this was a priviledged moment. Many of these young disciples are already sharing their faith with their friends.

Video Report of Mission To Venezuela

ecoach — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:05:23 +0000

Here is a video report for those who like this style

Coaching a Venezuelan Pastor and Missionary

ecoach — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:57:12 +0000

One of my friends in Barquisimeto works with the missions department for a major denomination in Venezuela. Each time we get together, whether it’s here in Panama or there in Venezuela, we always “put on my coaching hat” and I get to help him as coach.

This trip was no different.

We spent several hours one afternoon talking about his upcoming appointment as pastor in a mountain community and brainstormed ways he could lead his new church in the work of community development while proclaiming the gospel.

The Lord gave me a great time to be with this young man and his family as they seek to make a difference in this new community.

In his role with the missions department, he’s inviting me to be their plenary speaker at their annual event in August of 2012. About 200 teenagers will gather for a time of intensive study about missions and evangelism. Pray that this will come to pass.

Later on in the same week, he got to minister to me as I shared with him about our work in Panama and Latin America.