Light Destroys Darkness

"I have come face to face with evil and what part it plays in our lives, past, present, and future. I am realizing, though, that God is God and He is purposeful in destroying what evil intends for harm." Mary Beth Chapman

Part of having a heart for the city is exposing ourselves to real people with real needs.  Not hiding oneself out of self-preservation, but allowing the light and hope of Christ to penetrate through evil. While this is the example Jesus gave us through his life on Earth it is not always easy, comfortable or painless. While we celebrate the joy and truth that beauty will come out of the ashes, we also feel the pain sin can bring to a community transitioning through the darkness into the uncontainable light.  

Some highlights this month of how we’ve seen light shine in the darkness:

Continued evangelism:

New people being brought to the women’s meeting, prayer meeting, Sunday service…

Continued growth in emerging leadership and in the church:

Youth growing in leading worship in English and Spanish

People are growing in ministry and doing more independent of us as missionaries.

For example:

·         Leading mid-week meetings
·         Opening/closing the church
·         Sharing their faith with friends, family and even others they don’t know
·         Presenting ideas to help grow the church and putting them into practice

One of our classes in the tutoring program

Some of the ladies practice their English in our ESL – English class

Fabiola honors and trains the teachers and assistants that work so hard to teach our children about Jesus.

We baptized two people this month: Jose & Michelle (and enjoyed a great celebration afterwards)

Family News

Rebecca turns 9 on November 5^th.  She is a great help at home.
Justice turned 7 years old this month.  Very creative and full of love!
Beniah turned 7 months.  It is super easy to get this guy to share a smile. J





Please Pray with Us…

This month there have been more pastoral care needs arising.  As we grow as a church there are new ways we need to feed, lead, protect, guide and discipline the believers. 

Pray for wisdom for us and also for spiritual growth and maturity through the ‘growing pains’ and attacks of the enemy. 

Pray for our upcoming events that will strengthen our church family as well as give us opportunity to reach more people for Jesus Christ:

·         Worship music workshop – November 8
·         Fuente Church anniversary service.  Celebrating 4 years of meeting as a church! – Nov. 9
·         Thanksgiving Meal Outreach – November 23
·         Christmas Outreach – December 14

 

Thank you for your prayers.  We need you! 

We recently polled our church to see how they felt we could better help and equip them. One of the answers we heard over and over again was pray for us…pray for us more! 

We would ask the same of you – please pray with us that we could lead more people to Jesus and that new believers and emerging leaders alike would grow in strength.  And also pray for us – we need that support. 

May God richly bless and encourage you!

Chad, Fabiola, Rebecca, Justice and Beniah

The Power of our Testimony, Encouragement and Baptism

So many wonderful, transformation things have been happening, but one that seems to stand out in our minds is that of a recent baptism of four individuals:

Laura has a passion for Jesus.  She had not been allowed to get baptized by her parents and she wanted to respect that until she was older.  Finally her time came.  She shared how she felt that God had done a miracle allowing this day to finally come.  Others in the church, much older than her, shared how her faith, sincerity and encouraging words had helped them keep going strong when things got difficult in their lives. 

Antonia was the first in her family to be baptized.  She came out of the waters crying with joy realizing the reality of this eternal transformation that she has undergone, for this new life she is experiencing.  She wants to be an example for her family in obeying Jesus and living a life of service to Him.  She is faithfully involved in various aspects of our church life. 

Claudia thinks worshipping God is one of the best and funnest activities she could possibly do with her time.  (We would agree!)  She is rejecting what society is telling her she must be as a young lady and pursuing Jesus and a life of service to Him with an increased hunger.

Yessica’s face has been glowing and radiating an amazing peace and joy.  She looks like a different person, similar to the one we use to know, but now full of life.  Her faith – so real and vibrant – has helped others enter into faith as well.  She has been able to invite several people to church through her different contacts and activities throughout the neighborhood.  

So many in our church have been maturing in their own walks with Jesus.  All who were gathered were lifted up by strong, encouraging words of exhortation that gave life to those coming out of the baptismal waters. These words were shared by their spiritual family, this amazing church that is growing in an area of such darkness and hopelessness.  We remember back just a few years when we were baptizing the first few people in this community and how everyone watching was still far from Jesus. They were attending out of a curiosity, but not out of a hunger or desire to participate.  Now some of them and many others have given their lives to Jesus.  These maturing Christians that we have baptized are now sharing wisdom and guidance to those coming behind them. 

We sincerely thank you for your prayers. Please join us this month in prayer for those mentioned by name in this letter as well as the many more that have gone before them.  Let’s also lift up those that are yet to be added to the family of God through our church Fuente para las Naciones and future churches and outreaches that will emerge from this growing church.

Chad, Fabiola, Rebecca, Justice and Beniah