Yard Sale - What's That All About?

When you think about a yard sale do you think of:

A) A way to grow personally (in being responsible, in leadership and team work)?

B) A way to reach out, know and be known more by your neighbors?

C) A way to raise funds for a worthy, growing ministry?

D) All of the above?

Well, our church recently held a yard sale and it was definitely “D) All of the above.”  One couple, Juan and Maria, who recently gave their lives to Jesus, really took charge and lead the endeavor.  They organized a team, set the date and time, put out signs, invited friends and neighbors and worked hard.  Later they shared with our small group what the yard sale meant to them: 

‘We have never done anything that was not for ourselves. If we sell things, it is to make money for us.  If we help out it is for our own benefit.  We were exhausted (after 14 hours from set-up to tear-down), our muscles ached, but there was this amazing satisfaction in having given so much of ourselves to something bigger – to God and His people.  We really could have used some of the money to help pay for some extra medical bills, but guess what?! (They both were smiling ear-to-ear.) Though I have been working as manager at my job for five months I was never given a raise. But when I went to work the day after the yard sale my boss called me in and said he was going to give me a big bonus for taking on the extra responsibility of being manager. It felt like God was showing us that He will take care of us…that we should keep serving Him without expecting anything in return.’

We were also able to meet new families from the neighborhood.  One family came out to church the next day and is interested in getting more involved.  They have no church background, but after speaking with somebody from our church recognize that raising their family in the church would be healthy for all of them.  They know they have a lot to learn, but are eager to understand who God is and how He can be a part of their life.  Please pray for this family and many others that we reached out to during this yard sale and our other community events last month.  Pray that people may see that Jesus is the answer to the better life that they seek. 

We are excited that by the end of this month we will be holding our baby boy (and missing some sleep?) – in just a few more weeks!  Please keep all of us in your prayers.  Pray for a healthy baby, healthy delivery and smooth transition into living as a family of five in the city.

Lastly, if you use Facebook, you may enjoy the periodic pictures and videos that we post of our growing church on our church’s Facebook page (Fuente para las Naciones).

May God get all the glory and more people come to Jesus! Thank you for your prayers!

Chad, Fabiola, Rebecca, Justice and baby

Sharing the Riches

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own.” - Benjamin Disrael

 

 

Over the years God has blessed us with great biblical fellowship, teaching and leadership as we’ve grown-up spiritually.  He has also allowed us to learn skills in education, the arts and family life.  All of these things we gladly give away as we help others discover for themselves the riches God has deposited in them.   We never came to minister in the inner city to give handouts, but to really shine light on and let God restore the hidden and broken gems.  Daily we polish these gems to bring out their natural, God-given beauty. 

 

Updates…

 

Sharing the Blessing – Report from our Marriage Conference

We really had a double purpose in putting on this year’s marriage conference:

1.      to bless, train and teach couples so that they might grow in their marriage and in turn bless other couples in their day-to-day life and be better equipped to train-up their children….and

2.      to impart vision and serve as a catalyst – training and releasing others to do this kind of conference so that it can have a further Kingdom impact in new communities.

 

By the numbers:

·         11 hours of teaching/activities over 2 days

·         22 adults in attendance

·         25 children/babies having a good time

·         11 volunteers serving the children

·         4 churches represented

·         3 first time visitors that learned about the Good News of Jesus’ love as well as marriage!

·         2 languages: our event was presented in Spanish and English allowing more couples to engage deeper.

This event truly has served as a catalyst for other couples and ministries helping them reach out to other couples they know.  We have 2 groups that have taken the materials we used and are replicating it with their community right now.  We have 2 other churches eager to do the same in the coming months.  We have been blessed in our marriage and ministry – why not pass this on – it’s what Jesus wants from us.

 

A sample of what one lady shared in her evaluation at the end of the conference:

“This conference changed my life.  It changed my thoughts towards marriage.  Thank you for helping me to see how marvelous it can be to love my husband.”

17 x 2 = MORE!  Tutoring Increase

We will be doubling the number of students we help from 17 to 34 this month in our tutoring program.  Pray for this transition as it requires more space than we have in our building to work comfortably…but we would rather help more children and families than be ‘comfortable’. 

Pray for quick and deep relationships to be formed as we meet about 10 new families in these next two weeks.  Our desire is to see them saved and activated as part of our church as well as part of our tutoring ministry. 

Pray that we would not lack in tutors or supplies as we make this leap of faith to help more children. 

A recent tutor training

 

It’s Raining….A Surprise Baby Shower

 We were blessed, encouraged and surprised by a group of ladies that came together from our tutoring ministry and our church to put a baby shower together for Fabiola.  They mentioned it to me (Chad) and told me to keep it a secret, but even I was surprised at all they did to bless us and celebrate with us.  There was lots of food, fun games and many guests we would have never suspected.  It really felt like a special time for the church to be a church - living life together.  It was special that we did not have to organize or plan anything – something we hope can happen more often in the coming months and years in other areas of ministry.  One family even took the step to shower us with prayers and spoke blessings over our baby and family.   

Training and Releasing Teachers

We have been constantly working on recruiting workers for our nursery and children’s classes on Sunday morning.  Fabiola has done the bulk of this work for the last couple of years and is getting ready to hand the majority of it off to 8 other teachers.  This does require a lot of training, meetings and organization, but soon Fabiola will be able to focus on the baby and know that other women, men and youth have been given the opportunity to grow through serving the children. 

 

Family Update

Fabiola is not sure how much bigger her belly can grow, but the doctors continue to encourage us that everything is going really well.  Thank you for your continued prayers! 

 

 

Please Pray with Us…

Marriage and Baptism

This Saturday (February 22) a couple from our church will be getting married.  This will be the first wedding at our church!  Everyone is getting involved and the house where our church meets will be transformed into a very special space.  Some of the men stayed after service on Sunday to do yard work on their own initiative as a gift to the couple (hoping things will look extra nice on their special day).

Another lady took some time off work to power wash the front walkway and porch. 

This day is special for the couple and our church because after the ceremony and reception the couple will also be baptized.  Please pray over this couple and our church as we celebrate their commitment to one another and their commitment to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 

Music Workshop

Once again we are offering a special opportunity for our church and community – free music classes!  Please pray that we might grow musically and worshipfully as a church and that we may reach many new youth and adults through music. 

 

Thank you for sharing with us your time, love, prayers, finances and encouraging words. 

Together, with your help and support, we continue to share the riches of our King with more people so that they may open up the door to salvation and walk into their potential in Him. 

 

Chad, Fabiola, Rebecca, Justice and baby boy

Pleading the Cause of the Voiceless

Our hearts are heavy this month. We need your help. We cannot do this alone. There are so many people - not ten, not one hundred, not a thousand, but tens and hundreds of thousands of people in our neighborhoods that know their life is not right, but have yet to be told the truth and have no idea on how to get things right. We know Jesus is the answer – we must share this amazing news! 

Just this week in the children’s class that Fabiola teaches at church a boy that just started coming explained how he believed in many different gods because that is what his teacher at school had taught him.  He was not yet aware of the one, true God.  Fabiola was burdened at this information that a precious child had been hidden in the darkness for ten years before he was able to hear the truth about Jesus. This child has now been empowered and commissioned to share the love and hope of Jesus with his classmates.

“We become the voice of the voiceless, pleading their cause all the way to the throne of heaven. We demand to be heard. We insist that changes be made. Like Abraham we bargain with God over the fate of the city. Like Moses we argue with God over the fate of the people. Like Esther we plead with God over the fate of the nation.” (Richard Foster)

We need prayer more than ever. We have faith. We have vision. God gives us strength. But we need prayer. Pray for us – our family and our relationship with the Lord – but also for those that we are training up as co-laborers in this needy, yet strategic place of the world called South Central Los Angeles.  Would you take a few minutes and lift us all up right now? Imagine the power being released from heaven as many of us pray together for the salvation of the many lost and broken lives wandering in the city.  As we unify together we believe hundreds of thousands of people will be saved!  Thank you!!

Above: Our church at our Christmas banquet.  Many mighty warriors are being loved and trained-up for Christ.

Together we will see the power of God crush out the darkness,

Chad, Fabiola, Rebecca, Justice and baby boy

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

More Than Friends, Food & Fun

In a recent poll people were asked what Christmas meant to them.  Some answers were very cynical and negative, but most had a much more positive ring to them.  Very few, however, mentioned Christ.  Most people seemed to respond something like this: ‘I love Christmas…to me it means: family, food and fun – time with loved ones, great food and giving and getting gifts.’ 

We have had a very, very busy month or so celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas and continuing to help grow and nourish a community of maturing believers.  But though our celebration has had a lot of family, food and fun – and even lots of presents – the focus and motive has been much more.  We love Jesus.  We worship Him.  Our only motive and aim is to glorify Him and help as many people as possible know Him.  Thank you for praying with us that Jesus might continue to break through the darkness and hurt that so many are carrying – especially in a time where this hurt, for some, seems even more magnified.  

 

Updates…

Thanksgiving Events

Thanksgiving dinner for the community was something special.  We had over 100 people – many we personally have never seen – come and eat dinner together.  Having it at our church meeting place (rather than in the park like last year) was a great idea. There were more people and they stayed for a couple hours to enjoy the meal and fellowship. There was so much food that people were able to eat several helpings and even take some home.  It was fun getting to talk with different people and hear their stories.  We had various groups of people represented: the youth, elderly, blacks and Hispanics, homeless and many other people from the community. Some came drunk, but many were sober. Some came to get, but many also wanted to give.  Our church was busy serving plates of food and bringing the plates to the tables, while a small group of us sat around and shared about the love and hope of Jesus with our guests. 

 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 

A few days later, our church Thanksgiving potluck was a powerful time of testimonies and giving God the glory for what He has done in our lives this year. We were all encouraged and built-up in our faith. This year has not been an easy one for many people in our church, but they recognize that Jesus is still the same and has given them strength and been close to them through these tough times. 

 
 

Christmas Banquet & Toy Store

This year because of budget cuts in various ministries we were not able to do some of the fun and special Christmas traditions that we have done in the past years, but God provided something even better. With the help of a lot of generous toy donations and a team of volunteers we were able to put on an amazing Christmas Banquet with a Toy Store! 

We had a scrumptious three course meal – special Christmas cookies – a photo booth and family pictures being taken – activities and worship for the children – a special Christmas message – a toy store and gift wrapping and such a festively decorated space.  They were lavished with God's love.

 
 
 
 
 

Why the Toy Store?  By offering deeply discounted toys (most were 75% off) parents are able choose and then buy something special for their children – rather than just have somebody hand them something to give to their kid. While we all like to receive gifts the toy store gave parents who would not be able to buy these gifts for their children an opportunity to ‘shop’ and pick out something special without breaking their bank account. Our goal is to empower the poor and not just give them handouts.

 
 
 
 
 
 
What about the money that was raised?

Part of the challenge of planting a church amongst the urban poor is the lack of funds because families are already struggling to pay rent and get food on their tables.  In providing parents an opportunity to buy gifts we were able to raise some funds as well, which re-invested into the local church planting efforts is yet another gift allowing our church to be able to do more with its limited resources. So parents are not only being blessed, but get to be a blessing too.  We are so appreciative for all the generous donations – there were some great toys at our store!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Christmas Gifts

It is not too late, if you still want to give a special gift (financial or from the list below).  We removed a couple items that we have already received.  Thank you so much for your generosity!

·         Christian children’s music (Spanish or Eng.)

·         DVDs (appropriate for children or toddlers)

·         Video games for XBOX 360 (Kinect ok)

·         Video games for Wii

·         Large pull down screen (for projector)

·         Piano tuning

·         Craft supplies for our children’s ministry

·         Bass amplifier

·         Books.  In our intern program we have the leaders in training read lots of books. We would like to create a scholarship to help them purchase these books and a library with at least one copy of each book that could be checked out. 

Family Update

We are grateful for all the prayers and those of you that checked in with us about our baby’s health.  We have been to the doctor a lot because they are calling this pregnancy ‘high risk’ due to some screening tests they gave Fabiola.  Fabiola is feeling better (most of the time) and as far as all the ultrasounds and other tests can tell nothing is wrong with the baby.  We do ask for continued prayer for both baby and mommy’s health for the 3 months that remain. 

 

Please Pray with Us…

ü  Week of Seeking the Lord  January 5-12

Our church will be setting aside extra time to seek the Lord for guidance and practice pressing into His presence with greater prayer, fasting and personal study during the first week of 2014. 

ü  Youth Winter Retreat  January 18-20

ü  Marriage Conference
We had a really successful marriage conference in August and many people have asked that we bring it back so that they can invite friends, neighbors and relatives to be a part of it.  This year we have invited several other nearby churches to be a part of this event so that we can bless their ministries as well.  Pray for all the details to be worked out as we set the date for late January or early February and that many marriages will be saved and strengthened. 

 

 

May you be filled with great food and have wonderful memorable fun with your family and loved ones this Christmas!  But most importantly we desire that Christ be with you and overflow in you as you celebrate His birth and the life, hope and love we experience in Him.

Merry Christmas from all of us in Los Angeles!

Chad, Fabiola, Rebecca, Justice and baby boy

We Need MORE Fuentes!

During a recent prayer time one of the ladies from our church cried out to God saying, “If there were more Fuentes (our church) the world would be a different place. Give us more!” We are training up leaders with the vision to see many new healthy, reproducing churches planted. We realize that in the hugeness of the world we are only a drop in the bucket, but we also know that God has given us an exciting opportunity to make contact with many nations and many future leaders in just this one city. The ripples of our faithfulness and obedience will impact nations! “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.” (Edmund Burke)

 

After an intern class last week Angel said, “I really enjoyed that class. I know I know God, but now I feel like I know so much more about Him and it just makes me want to serve Him and love Him more.”

Let us know if you would like to give a special gift or send any of the items listed above to help in a practical way as we continue to reach out to the lost and hurting, train-up leaders and plant churches.  We so thank you for making this a team effort – it would not be possible otherwise. 

Please continue to lift Erika and Nancy up in prayer.  They have been doing a great job leading our youth group (and learning so much along the way). Also pray for our intern class and worship training classes.  Lastly, we ask that you would lift up our family during this busy ministry month – that in all the activity we would grow closer to God and one another and find times to rest and relax in the greatness of our God - Emmanuel. 

We are so thankful to be working together with you to make a big impact for God’s glory in the inner city!

Thank you for your many prayers and financial support.  May you have a blessed Christmas season around family and friends experiencing the fullness of Christ’s joy and peace. 

Chad, Fabiola, Rebecca, Justice and baby #3