Esperanza

I want to start a series of blogs that highlight the three assemblies or local churches that we minister to here. I will start with the first established of the three, and the one closest to us, Esperanza. We live in Esperanza. It is a highly populated city that is not very large in terms of square-footage. So in other words, it is dense. Crowded, rough, dusty streets, on which a never ending parade of "motors" (motorcycles) and "pasolas" (scooters) zip by, marks this area (as many others). Among the busy streets, you will always find children playing with homemade kites (which can be quite impressive), or throwing rocks (one has already hit my windshield). At all times of the day, you will find students walking to or home from school. There are so many kids that they have to stagger-start the times in which they attend.

If you walk long enough in any direction, you are bound to come upon a park of some sorts, though there is usually one main one in each town. They are spots where many come to rest under the shade during the heat of the day, and to "hang-out" on a Friday or Saturday night. They are spots where we hope to preach the gospel in the near future. And sadly enough, if you walk in either direction long enough, you will probably also pass a Jehovah Witness or a Mormon. We live smack-dab between a newly built Mormon temple, and a Kingdom Hall (both among the nicest buildings here in the city).

A couple of blocks East of where we live is the main Avenue. I pray each time before I pull out onto this street. There really aren't lanes, and motors have the right-away....ALWAYS! One ran into Tony a while back because he didn't let them pass him on his left side before he turned left! Often, there will be three lanes (though there's supposed to be only two) and only inches separate you from the other vehicles. And when you see a huge truck carrying tons of rice, barreling down the road, it doesn't make things "pleasant!" However stressful and difficult it may be, the Lord has seen us through every time so far. I don't "knock on wood," I just pray harder! If you take the Avenue North a few more blocks, and then turn right and head a few more blocks East again, you will come to a little corner that houses a small building being rented. This is where the church at Esperanza congregates.

Pastor Jose praying before I preach and Tony translates

As we know, the church is the believers, so let me describe the believers here to you. Now that us missionaries are here, we are a mixture of three cultures: Dominican, Haitian, and American. Though there is a lot of racism between the Dominicans and Haitians in the D.R., we have the God-given joy of all worshiping together. I believe the church is growing-and I'm talking about what matters-in terms of spiritual growth, not numbers. Though, it appears we might be growing in numbers as well. The last 4 or 5 services have not afforded more than 3 or 4 empty chairs. It was in great timing that God enabled us to rent a larger building right next-door to ours. We plan on putting a doorway in the wall to connect the two and use the existing place for a Sunday-school room.

In mentioning the growth, I can only measure in what I see by way of passion. Not yet can I carry on a in-depth conversation, though I long for that day. So, I do not have the ability to gather too much from them yet  by simply conversing. However, when I preach or teach, I try to have a keen eye on the visible marks of the Holy Spirit moving. I observe as well, when Jose and Tony preach or teach. I have noticed more of a "leaning into" the speaker, more of a flicker in the eye as well. Also, many ask questions and want to comment during the teaching times. The crowd on Wednesday nights is as large or larger than Sunday mornings usually. Some have shown great interest in going with us to the other churches, and in helping us minister there. As well, there is a small group of young men, ranging from 12 to 20-something, who have invited us into their homes to answer questions, and want us to come back to do it regularly. So, there seems to be some positive signs of the Holy Spirit moving.

Celia and Tony singing a song...in Spanish!

Yet, I cannot honestly say that I am satisfied. Perhaps, no matter how much the Spirit brought the church along and brought others to Christ, I'd still not be satisfied. And I am OK with that as long as it is just a man wanting more and more of God- wanting Him to mature His church more and more, and wanting Him to always save more. But, I know there is a loooooong way to go for Esperanza. There is still little knowledge of the Holy. We are trying to help (and praying for) that to change because the one thing we are to boast in is that we KNOW the Lord (Jer. 9:23-24). And the more you know Jesus, the more you love God. Not just mere facts that cause a big head (1 Cor. 8:1), but an intimate relational knowledge that leads to change. And though I mentioned the services are packed, one is not..the most important -prayer service. As well, the day we corporately go out to witness in the streets yields one, maybe two followers. That's quite pitiful, and it reveals one major weakness to me-quite honestly, a crippling weakness. It means that Christ is not special enough to you that you want to make Him known to others.

And if I am correct in that deduction, then the church at Esperanza still has to mature a lot. I think if that statement is true, there are a lot of us (everywhere) who have to mature in our love for Christ a lot. Just because it is not mainstream or popular these days for Christianity to be about evangelizing, does not mean that it is not a major problem. Yet, I'm afraid that it is very difficult to share the good news of Jesus, when so many of us do not experience the good news in our lives. Sure, we can always say at least He saved us-and that would be enough-except for the fact that He promised more. He promised to live in us! Why so much defeat then? I believe it is because though we may have died unto life once-we are forgetting to continue to die unto self, and though we might have drunk the waters of life once (Jn. 4:14), the verb is written in the present tense, telling us to keep on drinking unto life. Not to become saved again (for the Bible speaks nothing of being born again...and again), but to grow in Christ. Brothers and sisters, we have to crucify the flesh! It is our life-long privilege now until we enter into Glory and no longer have the flesh to contend with.

In saying all that and sort of addressing everyone, I guess I am saying that Esperanza struggles like us all...like Ocala, like Dunnellon, or like Trenton does. Just like the Villages, or Yankeetown, or Fallbranch, or wherever you may be reading this. However, the scriptures promise hope. In fact, Esperanza is translated "hope." The scriptures tell me that our Sovereign Lord WILL bring about the sanctification of His bride (Phil. 1:6 and many others). And mysteriously, even though God works His good pleasure through us, we are responsible as well (Phil. 2:12-13). And so I ask for your prayers for Esperanza. She is the "hub" for the other churches at the current time. But more than a strategic importance, she is made of people. Real, live, brothers and sisters in Christ. God has ordained them to good works (Eph. 2:10), so please ask God, on our behalf, to make good on His promise. We can only ask this because He has bound Himself to His Word; and far from being impudent, it pleases God for us to come boldly before Him in this manner (Heb. 4:16).

God bless to all who are reading this. May grace and peace be yours in Christ Jesus. Next time, I will write on the church at Boruco. A few years ago, it was about 5 strong. Now it ranges from 50- sometimes over 100.

The church at Esperanza

Darkness

This blog began as a newsletter (NL), but ended up being too long. That is where it is handy having a blog! This post was to make good on a promise I made in my December 16th NL, in which I said I would explain why our efforts to build the church, and reach lost souls depend on the earnest prayers of the folks back home.

To begin with, everything we hope to accomplish in the name of the Lord, in every place, and in every time depends on prayer (Eph 6:18), so our situation is no different than any other. None the less, looking at our situation-consider this: In our area, I’d estimate there is under 1% evangelical Christian. Everywhere you look, darkness abounds. At times, it can be overwhelming, especially considering the fact that there is only one other (Christian) English speaking family here. One day while driving to Pierda Gorda, I burst into tears thinking upon the fact that the dozens of people we were passing on the road here and there (all just going about their lives-scraping by to merely exist), were going to live out their difficult lives just to open their eyes upon their last breath to see the King of Kings and Lord of Lords pronounce judgment on them due to their sin against our Holy God, and thus be cast into a Christ-less eternity.

Also, consider this: One might think (as I did) that hearts would be more soft when there is not a lot of materialistic “things” to take pleasure in as we have in America. I was wrong. I knew about the depravity of man because the Scriptures teach it (Ro. 3; Eph. 2), but now I've seen it first hand. We have witnessed to dozens of people in our 2 months time here. Many will not even admit they've sinned against God. More will, but think they are merely backslidden, and have no need of repentance (sounds like folks back home). And then there are the ones who come to admit they are sinners and guilty before God, only to say they will “repent” another day. Four times, I've heard that already. Three times with indifference, and once with a genuine admittance that they just can’t. They just don’t see the glorious light of the gospel-Satan has blinded them (2 Cor. 4:4-6). What a death-grip he has- even on those who are not wallowing in abundance! How they throw eternity to the wind! Like Jesus, I want to say “this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting,” in reference to the enemy’s influence (Mat. 17:21).

And speaking of the enemy-there are the cults and false religions. Many are stronger Catholics then I’d believed. The Mormons and JW’s, out number us 2 or 3:1 at least (and in sharing their faith, 10:1). We are just another “choice” to choose from here, another flavor. 

And then lastly, there is the church-the bride of Christ. God is doing a work in me in caring more for His bride, in loving her more and wanting the best for her. She is the bride of our Christ by the way, and I thank God that He is putting this love in me for her. But she has such a long way to go here, and my growing care for her growth creates within me a great burden. In teaching, preaching, and ministering to the church in 3 towns, we've seen so many ups and downs that I stay a bit numb. Just when I think the there is no passion, I'm surprised; and often when I'm excited because I think God is moving, something happens to undermine that hope. I'm sure many can relate to this.

I think the bottom line is this: the work is too great for us. I thought it might be like this, but I hoped it wouldn't.  Now, I’m glad it is. Let me explain: Only God can do it. Nothing or no one else can. God has made that abundantly clear to us. If there is a work of God in this place, if there is a blowing of the Spirit-please know that no man, nor group of men can deserve credit. Only God, Himself, could reach down through this darkness and bring light. I don’t want credit. I’ll never deserve it, and I don’t want it. I pray for a pouring out of the Spirit of God here. I pray that there will a time when others ask, “What did you do for God to do such a work?” because I want to respond ONLY with these two words, “We prayed.” Oh, we’ll have done all we could, but no effort, no program, no creative act, no man-made system will prevail...just God. To Him alone be the glory! I want to be a part of something that can only be explained by the hand of God!

Oh, how I want all the glory to go to God. Any way other than prayer is not a way at all. Only God can fix this "mess" here, and He will do it through prayer-and much of it at that. We need to plead to God to strip us of anything and everything that smacks of self-reliance, and trust Him alone! Church back home-please pray, and then pray some more. I will not let a widow merely seeking vengeance on her adversary out beg me...will you? (Lk. 18)! Souls by the thousands all around us need to hear God’s voice, and they never will without the asking of His saints. Join me in this prayer (or one similar) if you would: “Father, for the glory due your name, and because of the grace you take delight in, pour out Your Spirit in this place to overcome stony hearts, and melt them before your gospel.”  

Thank you and God bless you in the name of Christ.

Sweet!

"Sweet" is the word that best describes how I feel right now. And, I'm not referring to the way its used among the youth (and I must admit, myself often!). I mean to use it more in the way it is used in the famous Doxology that sings: There's a sweet, sweet spirit in this place, and I know that it's the Spirit of the Lord...Sweet holy Spirit, Sweet heavenly Dove, stay right here with us, filling us with your love...

I say that, because the Lord has saw it fit to answer our prayer towards Celia! Last Sunday night, much of the church at Esperanza came to pray for her health to return, so that we would not have to return to the States to get a check-up. For over two weeks, Celia had either slept all day, or had gotten up to do a few things, only to be wiped out by the effort. A growing concern was developing. I recognized this to be Spiritual warfare quickly. I imagined that the hand of the evil one was upon Celia, and I concluded if it were so, it was because our Sovereign God permitted it. I thought that Satan meant to do us harm, and derail our ministry quickly, yet I believed God meant to work this for good (Ro. 8:28) as I mentioned in the last post, "Bang!"

However, in saying all that, the very real, very urgent need for God to "show up" presented itself, and all I (and everyone praying here and back home) could do was wait on the Lord in faith. I want to take you through what transpired in my mind in this process. At the group prayer for Celia, my main concern was for everyone to recognize this was Spiritual, and that we were pleading for God to do a big thing in our midst. Would prayer to God, really change Celia's state? Would she suddenly heal before Saturday (read the last post, "Bang!" to see why I mention Saturday) after she lay down for the count for two weeks straight? I wanted everyone there praying for us to know that if she improved, then they just saw the hand of God at work in their own life too.

On Monday (the next day), I was a bit nervous, and that might shamefully be an understatement. Celia had not woken up "healed," and doubts surfaced as to if God would respond the way I hoped, and thought He should to glorify Himself. My faith is not as strong as I'd like it to be-that was revealed to me. So that whole day, I prayed but continued to think of the "what if's." What if we had to go back to the States-would many back home question our call...would I...for literally the first time? What if the church in Esperanza (the one who came to pray) witnessed no fruit of their prayers? Would they think this whole God-thing was a "hoopla." What if God wouldn't get the glory He could have if had done this thing we asked? Would I ever even understand God then? Worse yet, could I ever ask anything in faith again? As I mentioned...the spiritual battle of faith was on.

However, that night an amazing thing happened. God comforted me! That is always a great thing. Tony and I went up on his rooftop to pray under the stars, and as we were talking before our prayer, I thought of something. It was that God doesn't need me to glorify Him. He can do that at anytime, and in anyway, even if  He didn't answer our prayer like we wanted. He's been doing it before my birth, and will continue after I'm gone. Immediately, I was relieved. I confessed my sin of presumption before my Father-that He needed to do this to glorify Himself, yet thanked Him for my desire to see Him glorified. Tuesday was filled with a lot less stress...but with a lot less prayer.

I hope I can convey the importance of all this that was worked out in my mind. Sometime, Tuesday evening, I talked to my dad. He was a bit alarmed by my sudden "aloofness" to the situation (though I think we'd both agree that wouldn't be the best word) as I explained to Him how God had spoken to me on the rooftop. The next day he called me again, and urged me to continue taking this before the Lord, as it was a mighty undertaking, and many back home were praying. Once again, I was convicted that I had swung to the opposite end of the pendulum. My painstaking prayers, my urgent pleas, my strong desire did please the Lord, because He wants to give good gifts to His children (Mat. 7:11), and He wants us to desire a thing according to His will and importunately ask for it (Luk. 18:1), putting all our hope in Him. So again, I fell to my knees, striving to honor my Father, Who wants to give me good gifts, and I pleaded to Him on Celia's behalf, asking Him to make her well before Saturday. However, I also knew He WOULD receive glory however, and thus my worries were relieved.

Well, today is Sunday. Yesterday was that Saturday I keep mentioning. Celia was in church today...strong...healthy...graced by God. The previous Wednesday, the day my dad called the second time, Celia finally said to me, "Jared, I think I feel better." 17 days after her incident, and two days after our corporate prayer, I heard the words I was longing for!!! Like I said, "sweet" is how I feel. God has done such a work in my heart and mind through all this. My faith has increased. I am finding myself praying for more things as a result. God really does hear us. God really cares. Oh, we know it because we know we're supposed to know it, but do we really know it? I think Celia and I do now for sure, or at least are learning it more deeply.

Couple this whole "ordeal" with the "Bang!!!" that you read about in our last post, and it is clear to see that we are in spiritual warfare, and that we have to rely on God for everything. Never have we had to rely on God back in the States, as we do now. Back home, we just have a solution for everything-so much "stuff" that fixes other "stuff" that goes wrong, whether it be health issues, or a leaking faucet. For example, back home I would have just taken Celia to the clinic. Here, I had to take her to the Master Physician. And when you are forced to rely on God as we are, Satan starts to rear his ugly head and attack because he knows it is a scary thing (to him) for a Christian to start walking in faith with their God. And with Satan, come trials and tribulations. I think we're seeing the horizon of James 1:2-4... where we praise God in our trials, knowing that the trying of our faith will work maturity and Christ-likeness.

And I hope that everyone involved in this mission with us gets there too (if you are not). I hope some of our experienced shared here encourage you who are reading this in America..."the hardest place to be a Christian" as says John Piper (Pastor, author)...to look to Christ first, and trust in Him alone-even before you look to other means that may be available to "fix" your issue. May God bless us in this endeavor, as it brings Him glory.

Bang!!!

I'll get to the "bang" in a minute, but first I wanted to talk a little about Celia. Actually, the whole post is centered around her.

Last night, we had a prayer "meeting" in our home for Celia, Arianna and myself. I felt the need to call the elders (Pastor Jose and Pastor Tony) to come pray for our family so that we (mainly Celia) could "raise" us up again (James 5:13-17). Ever since we arrived here, a bit over one month ago, things have been tough. Nothing is really, "easy" as you might expect it to be (and as we have grown to expect so many things to be because of our life in America). Most of this stems from not yet having a vehicle, and not speaking the language fluently (often times I am still "signing" to convey my points). I believe the stress of all this, and more, coupled with Celia catching a "bug" of some sorts, wiped her out the other week. Since that time, she has improved somewhat and I have made sure that I posted that on facebook a few times, as well as in our first newsletter. As time has marched on, however, I find myself continuing to say, "she is doing better", and never, "she's completely better." In fact, she has been relatively the same ever since the few days following the night she was hospitalized (over 2 weeks ago). What does, "the same" mean? It means that she sleeps most of the day, and when she does exert herself a little, she gets very tired, and needs to go back to sleep before long. The next question I'm sure your asking is, "How can you say she is doing better?" The reason I kept saying that is because I'm comparing everything to that night she became ill and literally could not move.

The time has approached, that serious decisions have to be made as to what we will do regarding Celia. I was leaning to taking her to a hospital in Santiago (a bigger city about 40 minutes away) so more tests could be done, but Pastor Jose (along with a few in Ocala of Hispanic decent) advised against that. Their reasoning was that there is a large possibility that the doctors will only see "dollar signs" when us Americans walk in. According to them, there is a good chance that we could be kept in the hospital for days for no reason, and have tests run on Celia that are unnecessary, which would only be done to raise up the bill. Jose said it was only by the grace of God that the doctor in Mao did not take advantage of us when we brought Celia in the first time. Their recommendation was to take Celia back to Ocala, FL to get a check-up, (along with Arianna, who got sick the other day, but is now getting back to normal).

However, that is plan B. Our first plan is to go to God and pray the "prayer of faith" (Jas. 5) over Celia if it so be that the Lord grant us that ability. So that is why I called the elders last night. Come to find out, Pastor Jose had already planned on doing that as well. The only difference, it turned out that 1/4 of the church came with Jose and Tony (as you can see in the pics)! Luckily, Celia had just made two loafs of bread (and then got tired) so we could feed everyone. We have no furniture yet, but I hardly think the Dominicans care-they just plop down on the ground as if that's normal! After eating and fellowshiping a bit, they formed a circle around us and prayed. Our hope and prayer is (and was) that the Lord heal Celia. That he restore her health, that a trip back to the States would not be necessary. After all, Jesus is the "Master Physician." While praying, many recognized (as Celia and I do) this to be spiritual warfare. Many prayed for our protection, and even for our safety in our new house.

This Saturday (the 15th), the annual Christmas dinner is planned at our home. We are going to keep an eye on Celia and see how she progresses. If she is not nearly 100% by then, we will most likely purchase tickets and come back to the States. As I mentioned, this is not what I want to do, and I am praying fervently for the Lord to provide a healing for Celia. Please join us in this prayer. Even more than I wish for Celia to be restored (and that is so much), I want the church here to witness the glory, majesty, grace, kindness, and power that is our Lord's. I want our ministry to start off with the visible manifestation of the power of God, and His blessing. That being said, if it turns out she does not heal by the 15th, I will praise God regardless. Why? Because He is worthy, and circumstances should not affect our praise towards Him. We will know that He is still working everything towards good to us who love Him...and who are called according to His purpose (Ro. 8:28).

And now to the "Bang!!!" and to more proof that we are battling the forces of evil (Eph. 6:12). This morning, the three of us were sitting on the floor against a wall (in a spot where no paint can fall on our heads), where we often do, and eating some of the remnants of Celia's bread. Celia also started to bake crackers in the kitchen. She put them in the gas (hint) stove and came to sit back down with us. 5 minutes later, she went back in as I continued to feed Arianna. All of a sudden, the loudest "Bang" that I have possibly ever heard (it sounded like being right next to a transformer that blew up) cracked out of the kitchen. It was followed immediately by glass flying everywhere and a blood-curdling scream from Celia. I literally froze and could not think straight, but soon came to my senses. I ran in with Arianna in my arms to check on Celia. The first thing I saw were shards (big 18" pieces) of glass laying all around Celia and our stoves insides and toppings laying everywhere. She continued to just stand there screaming. I thought for sure she was injured severely. Through the broken kitchen window I could see neighbors from all around filling the streets to come see what happened.

Walking all over the glass (that was EVERYWHERE) I rushed to Celia, and gasped as she was...not hurt at all. Scared, some roasty feet, singed hair, and a hot forehead, but not touched by glass or burnt. Celia had turned the stove on to preheat it some 7 minutes earlier (and forgot that she did that), and was in the kitchen to put the crackers in. However, she did not notice a flame, so she decided to relight it (she knows not to do that from now on). 7 minutes of gas had built up in the stove and exploded upon the lighting of it. According to Jose (who has seen this happen before), that powerful of an explosion should have burned 90% of Celia and thrown her across the kitchen (she was leaning into the explosion). This is what happened to a man he knew. Yet, Celia stood there unharmed. As I swept up glass, examined the stove (which somehow works-only thing needing to be fixed is the stretching out of the oven rack so it fits again), and raced to and fro doing things, I could not escape the pressing thoughts of the fact that at every turn, Satan is after us. Some might discard that thought and say it is foolish, but I would say it is foolishness to not realize that. Satan is roaring here folks. He is trying to kill us, he is trying to destroy us. He cares not for civility, for repose. Only to continuously, relentlessly harm...

...But in the other corner stands the Great I AM! The Almighty, the God of my heights (Mic. 6:6), God who is near (Jer. 23:23), God of my kindness (Ps. 59:10), God of my refuge (Ps. 43:2), God of my praise (Ps. 109:1), God of my salvation (Ps. 25:5)...and we thank Him this day- for I have seen my wife stand through an explosion untouched. I thought she was in the kitchen alone, but another walked through the fire with her (Dan. 3:25) and did protect her. A warm feeling of gratitude trandsends my whole body as I write this. I have been encouraged in knowing that our God is watching over us, and not only has protected Celia's life, but will see her through her illness as well. Perhaps your prayers, combined with those offered last night at our prayer meeting were heard by God!

I am sure many have questions regarding this event. Post me on facebook if you do.

Strongholds and Prayer

Well, we've been here a week-and-a-half already. Amazing, because it feels like we just got here. I talked to some of our family, and they feel like its been forever already. I guess that's because the adventure/newness part of it is on our side. I want to thank all those who have donated financially to us, and those who are currently donating. The only reason we are here is because of every last one of you. I mean that, because we are right at our financial goal, and that means every one of your dollars counts! I also want to thank every one of you who are praying for us. I imagine we'd still be in the States if not for all the prayers. (Within this post are prayer requests in bold. Many have asked for specific ones...here are SOME to start.)

Speaking of prayer, it is why I wrote this post and titled it "Strongholds and Prayer." This place is so dark. Satan has many, diverse strongholds. On the brochure I made, I listed that the evangelical percentage is somewhere around 5-18% (and that includes cults such as Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, along with all other Protestant denominations). Since being here, I'm learning that there are a lot more JW's and Mormons than anything else. Of course, Catholicism reigns. I'm also learning that many are more loyal to their Catholic roots than I thought. That is not saying that they know anything about what they say they believe though. They are just stubbornly against anything "different." Perhaps this is why at our last witnessing opportunity (the dad of a young lady who was recently saved), the man tried to suggest Christianity and Catholicism are the same. His intention was to give us the satisfaction that there was no reason we needed to be there and could therefore leave. I told him if that was true, then he should come to worship with us the upcoming Sunday. He agreed that he would but never showed up. But, many take the obvious route and just shut their ears after we mention we are Christians. Having ears, they do not hear, and having eyes, they do not see (Mark. 8:18). Mark 4:12, however (a difficult passage), says that Jesus spoke in parables, lest the people saw and perceived. I don't want to get into a theological discussion on that right now, other than to say that I see in this passage a hope that these who are deaf and blind can turn and repent if the Lord would grant them understanding. Please join us in praying that the Lord of the Harvest would open the eyes of the blind and deaf (upwards of 98% in my opinion) in this place. That is spiritually speaking of course.

So Satan has a stronghold of cultic following as well as false religious adherence that only can be defeated by prayer. And we know that the gates of Hades shall not prevail (Mark 16:18. Note: This verse is talking about the prevailing of the Kingdom of God, not hell as is commonly understood). Another stronghold Satan has is within the church. Now I must confess, that the Strong-man (Mark 3:27) in the body of Christ is the Holy Spirit, but there are areas within every believer's life that need to me more fully yielded to the Holy Spirit. Permit me to call these "footholds." There are many footholds within the churches here. Much of that stems from a lack of ability to read. Imagine trying to live the Christian life not being able to read the Bible! That is one reason we are discussing the implementation of a reading class, with the Bible being our text book. Though I cannot speak Spanish well yet (more on that in a minute), I can read it fairly well. If we accomplish nothing (in say 2-5 years) other than teaching the people to read the Bible, than I would have to realize that could pay off with eternal dividends. However, we are praying that God would give the churches here a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Christ, having the eyes of their hearts enlightened...(Eph. 1:17-19). We are praying for hunger and thirst for the Word to increase in their lives as Christ allows them to see more of Himself. Please join us in this prayer. I more than anyone, realize that many who call them self, "Christian" are no more saved than those in Matthew 7:21. We are praying Ephesians 1:17-19 for them as well, in order that the Lord may open the eyes of their heart to see Christ for the first time and in doing so, develop a craving for Him.

Personally, Celia and I need prayer as well. When you lift us up before the throne of grace, please remember Tony and Christen and their family as well as Pastor Jose and his family. We all need to grow spiritually in our discipline. Things were so hectic the couple of weeks before we arrived, that I confess my focus swerved. I kept hoping once I arrived, I would regain that immediately. Well, this past week-and-a-half has been just as crazy! Hopefully, we can move into our place tomorrow (Tony, Christen, and the kids have been so gracious in letting us crash at their place). One major concern that remains is that our water pressure has dropped a lot since the cleaning of our cistern. This is a short-term prayer request and insignificant compared to what I've stated prior, but please pray for the Lord to give wisdom to a plumber we choose in order to identify and fix the problem. In getting back to my point, I did want to mention that the Lord is pulling me to Himself. I feel it every minute of every day, and this gives me confidence our sweet fellowship is returning (even though He never went anywhere). What frightens me more than anything I can think of is that I just moved to another country to do the Lord's work and I've drifted somewhat in the process. I know it is has to be strange for some of you to read this, but I'm praying for the Lord to rejuvenate Celia and myself. I know we just got here, but we are flat worn out already. Pray the Lord leads us by His still waters and restores our soul (Psalms 23:2-3) as we drink from the spring of living water (Jeremiah 2:13) through our communion with Him in prayer and His Word (James 4:8). 

I started to mention spiritual discipline at the beginning of the last paragraph and then I got on to something slightly different but related. I want to get back on track. As you are praying for our close communion with the Lord (what I got slightly off track on) please lift us (and Tony and Jose with their families) up in asking the Lord to increase all of our discipline. To go to bed early, and rise early; to eat the word before we eat anything else-memorizing it to the amount the Lord will grant; to fast often and not forsake the closet (our secret prayer time). People need to see Christ for all the above significant prayer requests to be answered, and I so desire to let them see Him through my actions and words as I open the Bible to teach and witness. I know we all do. I would like to thank the Lord that He has used Tony and myself these past two Sundays in touching many with the preached Word. To what extent, I do not know. What I do know is that it can be to more of an extent and I believe God will allow us to come in a greater demonstration of the Spirit and of power (1 Cor. 2:4) as we know Him more, forsake the world more, and trust Him more through our closeness with Him.

Lastly, I want to learn Spanish! I'm learning alright, but I want to be fluent now! Ask the Lord to grant me and Celia and Christen and their kids the ability to grasp the language quickly. I can only follow bits and pieces when Tony teaches for a while and less than that when hearing a native speaker go on for a while. I get tired quick as well because I'm using so much "brain power" in trying to concentrate. It is literally exhausting. Thank God, Tony is here to translate so I can be used (and am being used) in bringing forth the Word already. However, I day dream of preaching in Spanish!

Lastly, please pray for Arianna's health and safety (she's doing good) along with the rest of us. A dangerous place we live in- no doubt- but we are at rest in the safest place of all...His hands! Nothing will reach us, unless it passes through them. There is comfort in that!

Thank you and God bless you for your prayers. Know that we pray for you as well.

Love,

Jared and Celia

We have arrived!

Written around noon: On November 9th around 8:45 PM Eastern time we touched down in Santiago, DR. Since that time, we have been staying with Tony Salgado and his family (the other missionary couple here). There are some things we need to do on our house before we can move in (plumbing work, paint work...which could be hazardous to Arianna, and the furnishing of the home as it is completely empty right now).

Arriving in Santiago

This morning (Sunday) I preached in Esperanza out of Ephesians 1:3-4. Tony translated. Of all the concerns I have, learning Spanish fluently is one of the top on the list (but not the top-that would be the spiritual growth of the body, and the salvation of lost souls). There is no way to be as effective as I'd like until I learn their beautiful language. But I imagine there is a thing or two the Lord will teach me in the meantime. 1 Corinthians 2:4 comes to mind: Paul says, "and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."

Making sure I know what I'm going to say

Written around 7PM: We just got back from the church in Pierda Gorda (see pictures...Celia stayed home today because Arianna had a rough night). I preached again. Same sermon, totally different "feeling." This morning was powerful, and not only by my account. Many commented on the fact. However, this afternoon, I felt like gravel was coming out of my mouth. Hopefully, Tony did not feel the same way because He was speaking the Spanish! Pierda Gorda does need serious prayer though. I think it wise to be here more than just one day before I pronounce my verdict on the place though, so I'll say no more at this point.

Coming soon, I will publish a new post with some specific prayer requests. For the meantime, please pray for the Spirit of God to move upon this place and call to Himself those that are His own. The work of the missionary (along with all forms of ministry) is one of faith. We are reliant upon Him in every aspect. Please ask Him to move in this place for His glory!

Arianna and more...

Many of you know the scary weekend we had at the end of September, that ended up being less of a headliner than at first expected (Thank God). Perhaps, some of you do not, so read on. We had blood-work done on Arianna near the end of last month because she was not gaining weight as quickly as the doctors would like. Her alkaline phosphate numbers were high, so they scheduled another draw. We received the results the 28th of Friday.

Our pediatrician called us and started the conversation with the words, "I wish I had better news..." Immediately my heart sank, because they had mentioned to me these raised numbers can indicate kidney disease, liver disease, and cancer. She went on to let me know that it was probably not liver or kidney disease because no other numbers were raised that should have been if it were one of those conditions. She mentioned (at my asking) that it is probably tumor, and that Shands was expecting us.

We were pulling into Ocala Eye for an eye appointment scheduled for Celia and immediately turned around and jetted down the interstate to the pediatrics ward of Shands in Gainesville. The emotions of horror that followed can not be explained, so I won't try. I'll just say everything got surreal very fast. I was awakened out of my "stupor" at the sound of Celia crying in the back seat (she was feeding Arianna in the car seat). I don't recall that we had even said a word to each other...though I'm sure we did. But we were both so deep in thought, that I don't think we wanted to talk at the moment. However, when I heard her sniffing, my heart was so overcome within me that I could not contain my emotions, so we both had a little cry-fest there in the car. Then I called a few people to ask them to get prayer-chains started and probably cried my way through all that.

On I-75, we had our defining moment... I think. Looking back, I THINK this was what the Lord had in mind in purposing this all to happen. For a while (with our departure to the DR drawing near), I had been getting more anxious every day when considering the dangers that were about to become Arianna's on a daily basis. God, my Father, wanted to show me that she is in His hands. We lifted our hearts to the Lord in prayer, and though we had done this before, we offered Arianna to the Lord similar to Hannah in her dedication of Samuel (1 Sam. 1:11). We acknowledged our praise to the Lord despite the outcome of our hospital visit, which I honestly thought would go on for weeks and result in Arianna not leaving there alive. I know that sounds extreme, but cancer is extreme. But God used our prayer to fill us with His Spirit, which resulted in a confidence and peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:6). And that prayer, coupled with the whole event, assured us that dangers exist everywhere; and that our trust should not be in where we are or where we are living, but rather that it should be in the Lord all Mighty (Ps. 20:7). Look at where trusting in circumstances got us with Arianna- a trip to Shands!

Now, I don't think that our prayer of faith "cured" Arianna, but it is true that things went from "bad" to "better" pretty quick upon our arrival. At first it was, "probably tumor"; after initial tests and talking to us, it was, "might not be tumor"; then after further tests (10 tubes of blood, 2 x-rays, 1 ultra sound, and the usual things) it was, "probably not tumor." 2 days later we finally got the diagnosis: Benign Transient Alkaline Hyperphosphatesemia or something like that. It is a rare condition in under 5% of children with those raised numbers (the alkaline phosphatates), where they rise for "no apparent reason" as the doctors explained to us. There probably are reasons in some of those 5% cases where "minor" things cause the numbers to rise, but nothing could be found to be wrong with Arianna...nothing!

Wow, praise God! And with regards to the weight-gain issue, the dietician basically said we need to just out-feed her. No one thought anything was wrong or could at least identify it. So, sitting here on my dad's computer, with little Ari sleeping in the back room, I can say that there was nothing found to be wrong with Arianna. She was ordered blood tests to be done every month just to keep an eye on that particular number, however. Please keep her in your prayers though...and for that matter, please keep us all in your prayers! We hope to be leaving later this month! I just got back from Orlando where we mailed off our first round boxes of belongings to the DR. Kind of a good feeling. Thanks everyone. We love and appreciate you.