Summer Love

This last month has been exciting as we’ve seen relationships continue to deepen with us and more importantly with God. This last month there have been great breakthroughs in Maribel & Jacobo’s lives (introduced last month) some of which happened on Jacobo’s birthday when they invited us over to eat his favorite dish. Due to our conversations with them and the Spirit’s guidance both are leaving behind major hurts that have held them back and lead them to bigger problems in their lives. They have also begun to study the Bible and pray frequently. Again we were amazed as they shared that we were the first couple/family they have ever invited over to their home. Marta & Rigo also invited us over to their home and our dialogue about following Jesus and not a religion continues to show signs that they are close to making some changes in their lives and priorities.

We also have a very full month ahead with a lot of formal and informal outreach events, a new Bible study group starting and some baptisms. You’re prayers really are making a huge difference. We are continually AMAZED at what God is doing here!

Please Pray With Us For:

Sports Camp at South Park
Tuesday – Thursday, June 15-17

We continue to plan events that get us out into the community serving different needs. During summer, families are grateful for free, fun and safe opportunities for their children to participate. Starting today we will be connecting with families and playing a variety of sports with their children. Please pray that there would be a great turn out, and that families would also be interested in connecting with Jesus on a personal level and getting involved in our church Fuente para las Naciones. We will be visiting and continuing to grow these relationships in the weeks that follow.

Graduation We just finished a 12-week study that we put together, called Foundations, with one of our Bible study groups. Each week we go through the Bible to understand more about foundational topics such as salvation, faith, the Bible, the fruit of the Spirit, etc. Students are required to memorize verses and read their Bible each week. We have seen the group get a good foundation and grow spiritually and relationally during this time. This week we will present Blanca and Nacha with a certificate congratulating them on their completion. Dora will probably receive her certificate shortly, but she has one more class to make-up. Please pray for Primo & Bere (whom this group started around) because they have shown less and less interest in seeking God – allowing work, family, and health issues to distract and disrupt their faith. Please also pray that we would continue to see spiritual growth in the rest of the group as we start a new course called “Planos”.

WOW JAM Outreach at South Park
Through some of the connections we have been able to make with other churches, pastors and ministries in the Los Angeles area we got word of an organization called Winning Our World International out of Pasadena. They will now be partnering with our church plant to do a LARGE-scale evangelistic outreach at South Park to bless our community. This event will include free haircuts, make-overs, face painting and a bounce house for the kids, family portraits, free bike repair, food, games, lots of music and a clear Gospel message. We will be translating the event into Spanish for our predominantly Hispanic neighborhood.

This event, called the WOW JAM, will be Monday, June 21st from 4pm-8pm. We have been given the honor and hard job of doing all the following-up, discipling and integrating of people that make decisions to follow Jesus during this crusade. We’re anticipating a couple thousand people.

We have been working hard this last month to continue to train-up, equip and empower our church to serve and minister to the community in general and specifically during this event. Pray for God’s will to be done here in South Park as it is in Heaven. Pray for unity and wisdom and for the many new believers we’re working with to passionately get involved.

Special Dinner & Bible Study
Wednesday, June 23 Following the Sport’s Camp and the WOW JAM we will have a dinner inviting people who are interested in knowing more about God and our church come over and enjoy a meal and fellowship with us followed by a short time of worship and devotional. Please pray for all the details to come into place. Our church will be preparing the food and our congregation of young believers will be welcoming in a whole lot of new people as well. Please also pray that God would draw all the people to himself and that they would not be hindered in coming and becoming part of the local church.

Summer Camp
We’re sending some of the children from Fuente para las Naciones to camp. Jennifer, Angel and Araceli along with others will be going to camp from June 29 – July 2. This is everyone’s first experience at a summer camp. Having so many great experiences at camp myself I can’t wait to see what God does as he speaks to each child through the message, their counselors and the fun-loaded week of adventure and friendships. Norma will be going with them so we’ll be a little short handed while they’re gone. Please pray for both Norma and the kids and all of us who are staying back to continue to work in the South Park area.

SUMMER CAMP @ THE OAKS
THEME: The Grand Theatre
Do you ever feel like you are wearing a mask? Do you ever find yourself pretending to be someone you're not? Pretending to "have it all together," but in reality, your "all togethers" are falling apart? You would never want people to see the "real you", the person behind the mask. You would be embarrassed if you were ever "found out."

But, God sees through the mask right down to the "real you". He sees all the flaws and mistakes and failures and yet loves us completely & unconditionally. Isn't it comforting to know how much He loves us? God searches us and knows us. He knows every thought, every worry, every joy, every hurt. There is nowhere we can run from His Spirit, nowhere to escape His love, no mask to hide our person from Him. With God, we can stop pretending, take off our mask, and allow Him to love us. Once we know this truth, it will set us free.

By the way if you want a read a good book on this theme I’d recommend TrueFaced by Bill Thrall and others.

Youth Group
Fabiola has started meeting with youth (13-18) once a week. This sort of just started as she continued to follow-up with various families with teenagers and now has them coming over to study the Bible and talk about life once a week. Below Fabiola is pictured with Flor, a 13-year old, who has enjoyed inviting her friends and coming out each week.

Two More Inches
Both Rebecca and Justice have grown about 2 inches taller in the last 3 months. It is such an amazing journey watching them grow and learn new things. Rebecca has humbled our hearts as she prays intimately with God about anything and everything and Justice just loves to interact with all the other kids and adults at the park making us all laugh. As we are here in the heart of the city making disciples of Christ we are aware that these two gems that have been entrusted to us are in many ways our biggest responsibility. What a privilege! Please pray with us as we consider where to enroll Rebecca into Kindergarten. This week is her last week of preschool (already!?!) Pray for their health, protection and spiritual growth. Thank you!

“It is possible for the most obscure person in a church, with a heart right toward God, to exercise as much power for the evangelization of the world, as it is for those who stand in the most prominent positions.”
– John R. Mott

We pray that our hearts and your hearts may be one with God’s heart for the lost, the broken, the forgotten and that we might all have a heart that is made right and pure towards God and our neighbor. Summer love isn’t something just for the romantic or teenager, but for those of us who want to love more and more the way God first loved us. Thank you for standing with us in prayer and blessing us so much as we go out and bless others in Jesus’ name.

Chad & Fabiola