Always Faithful

Updates…

We’ve been in this neighborhood a little while now (3 ½ years) and it is a blessing that in that time our church has become recognized as an established ministry – a safe place to go and a place where Jesus is preached and proclaimed.  People move in and out all the time – sometime moving just down the street and sometimes moving out of the neighborhood.  But through all of this movement people know that they can come back to connect with God and His church.  In the last couple months we have been able to rekindle some of these relationships as they come back to the church.  Though the children have grown up a bit more it is exciting to be able to pour into these families once again and see how God has been faithful even when they have strayed away.  Our ever faithful God is the inspiration that keeps us looking for new ways to minister the love, hope and justice of Jesus in the city.    

 

Thank You For The Gifts!
To everyone that sent us items from our Christmas list – thank you!  Many (most) of our needs/wants were met to help us start off this year making an even bigger impact in Los Angeles and beyond. 

 

Like Us On Facebook

If you are a Facebook fan check out (and “like”) our church’s page (search: Fuente para las Naciones).  We are just getting it going, but it already has a few fun videos and photos posted of our last year.

 

Youth Leadership Transition
Please be praying for our youth.  One of the leader’s (Nancy) is getting married in a couple months and will be joining her husband’s church where he is the choir director.  While we are super excited for Nancy, it is bittersweet to have her leave – especially for the youth.  At this time we have not identified who might be able to help take some of that leadership with the youth. Please pray for wisdom and direction and for the youth to be encouraged even in this transition.  We know God is faithful and will show us what we need to do.

Special Week to Seek the Lord

We created devotionals for everyone to go through morning and night during the first week of January. As we broke our time of fasting we were encouraged to hear about how God spoke to different people.  Many were challenged with how they spend their time.  Others realized they weren’t obeying God in other areas, but that He tenderly wants to draw them to Himself into a fully obedient life.  "A sinning man stops praying, a praying man stops sinning" (Leonard Ravenhill) Talking with several people after our Sunday service there were 3 different people that shared that they want to get baptized – all after resisting for quite some time.  God is always faithful and people were experiencing and responding to that faithfulness in powerful ways. 

 

Family Update
Fabiola and the baby are doing well.  With each passing day we are all more and more excited to meet our little guy (due date is March 21). 
Please continue to pray for the health of both the baby and Fabiola and for a wonderful delivery.  Also lift up our transition from 2 children to 3 (and from 2 full-time church planters to probably 1.2 church planters). 

Please Pray with Us…

ü  Pastoral Visits February 2 & February 9

Phil & Judy Jaquith, who have been such a huge blessing, guidance, support and inspiration to us and provide oversight for our church planting efforts, will be visiting our church to speak to the congregation.  They are the founding pastors of Fabiola’s home church in Puebla, Mexico. 

 Justin & Angela Jaquith will be visiting the following weekend and we will be having a special evening service with them.  Currently Justin & Angela are preparing to plant a church in Guadalajara, Mexico.  We are blessed to have such a gifted teacher and dear friends minister to our church. 

ü  Marriage Conference  February 7-8

Pray that marriages would be blessed and saved from potential pitfalls and destruction.

Pray for those that are living together, but not yet married to make that decision this weekend.  We will have childcare and a luncheon. 

Pray also for those that do not yet know Jesus personally – that this would be the moment for them to come to salvation.

 

We are thankful for your faithfulness and love for our family and this ministry as together we serve and grow closer our Always Faithful God.

Chad, Fabiola, Rebecca, Justice and baby boy

An Uprising Against the Disorder

Recently in a mid-week Bible study we were studying sin and salvation, especially grace through faith and ended by writing out and sharing our own story of salvation. We would like to summarize two of these testimonies: 

(1)   I lived in darkness. I was depressed.  I had a lot of sin and rebellion in my life. I was hurting myself and those around me. Then, I was invited to church. During the service I was delivered and healed from the inside out.  Later, when I slipped-up and started drifting away from God you guys (she was talking about us) and my son (he became an active part of our church as well) came and prayed for me and spoke life into me.  That is what brought me back – you helped me connect once again with God. Now, when I walk down the street people say I look so different.  I feel lighter and want to share this with everyone. I have hope for my family. I know God and love Him; Jesus is my Lord and I know the Holy Spirit is in my life at all times.  

(2)   I was wandering without purpose. I lived just to live. I did not know anything about God or want to know anything about God.  But one day Fabiola invited me to her house and shared with me about Jesus. I began to come to church and gave my life to Jesus. My life now has direction and purpose. I have vision for my life and the lives of my children and many others. I am thankful for so many things – things that I recognize God has given me and done for me. I could not see all of this before, but now it is so clear to me. I am full of peace and life.  Jesus is my Lord and I am his daughter not because of what I have done, but because of what He did for me. 

It is so exciting to hear these testimonies and a great honor and privilege to be a part of these women coming out of the darkness into the light.  There are nine people between the two ladies in their immediate family – all being powerfully and eternally impacted by Jesus in their lives. Both of them serve faithfully and share their story with others. “To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world” (Karl Barth).  Pray with us that their testimony will help draw other people to experience and know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior and disrupt the corruption, deception and pain that so many are experiencing. 

Would you also pray with us for our baby BOY due in March!?! The doctors are saying that there are potential health concerns with the baby. We ask you to stand with us in prayer for a healthy mommy and healthy baby.

Lastly, we want to thank you so much for your prayers and financial gifts over the last several months.  Due to a great response at the end of the year with special gifts we are starting the year fully funded.  We rejoice in God’s provision through so many people that enables us to press into what God has for us in this new year.

This year we pray that you would experience a closeness to God greater than ever before,

Chad, Fabiola, Rebecca, Justice and baby boy