Victorioso!
Something splendid happened Saturday night at our Baby Church in Minong.
Our Mission Committee brought in Luis Martinez, the tremendous Latin American evangelist for special church services this weekend. They had scheduled him for Friday and Sunday -- with Saturday as a "free day."
I recently learned that 25 families have recently moved from Mexico to Minong (Now THAT is a culture shift!) They are working for Link's Snack Foods, Minong's only industry. (They make the best beef jerky anywhere.)
Far from family, friends, and home, these precious men and women need an extra touch of God's peace and love.
So we did something "Outside the Box"! We held a church service "En Espanol!"
We distributed Spanish fliers, and miraculously God sent us a connection person, who assured us our friends from Mexico were coming.
At starting time, however, we had a bunch of Swedes and Norweigians -- but no Mexicans! "Uh oh," I fretted, "Now, what are we gonna do?"
All our plans En Espanol just didn't seem appropriate for a church full of gringos. Luis just smiled, and said, "Don't worry, they're coming!" And then, as we awaited their arrival, he proceeded to preach a sermon before the sermon.
At 7:15, Barry, the usher rushed into the sanctuary, beaming! "They're here! They're here!"
Our praise team hurried to the front, and began to sing Spanish worship songs (We sang along with a cd, so we could follow the leader!)
When it was all said and done, 89 people attended our service Saturday night, with 30 being our Mexican friends.
Luis preached his heart out, and Maira, a church member who hails from Costa Rica, translated the sermon into English for the rest of us "gringos."
At the conclusion of the service, 16 responded to the invitation!
Now, we have some work to do!
(One other interesting note -- three of these baby believers drove a half hour to be at our Hayward Church yesterday morning. Though they can't understand English, they wanted to show the devil whose side they're on! Fortunately, God sent an angel -- Rachel, to sit behind them and quietly translate everything into Spanish!)
----
We've sent two teams with Luis to Guatemala so far -- you can find a cool story about that here.
Another team is preparing to go in November.
Wow! that is fantastic. God is always at work
ReplyDeleteMark, this is cool news indeed. Thanks to be open to what God has in store.
ReplyDeleteMark, just read this story in the Wisconsin weekly update!! i was so happy and excited to hear what God is doing up "Nort". I have to say I am reading a book right now that you must read in this situation...and knowing you...you probably already have...but the book is "Preaching To Every Pew" by James Nieman and Thomas Rogers. This is a great book i recently read for my grad work that does an awesome job explaining how to manage, provide pastoral care, and preach to a diverse community. Also, this would be a great tool for a staff to skim through in a month.
ReplyDeleteHope this little resource helps. It has opened my eyes to a lot of stuff just in my back yard.
Love ya brother!! Keep Preaching the Word!!!! We are cheering for you in Mukwonago Wisconsin!!
Mark,We rejoice with you!You are in my prayers daily.Thank you so much for the Evangelism course. You are such an encourager.I have been refreshed and renewed in ministry.Everywhere I go and every one I meet,I just want to talk about Jesus.Today I assisted in a wedding of a young couple who asked me to marry them upon my return from Flame.In our first counseling session,they gave their hearts to Jesus and wanted a Christian wedding.It was a wonderful celebration. They can't wait to get involved with the church and bring their families to Jesus too.Also,an inmate from a nearby Correctional Facility wrote requesting assistance in settling in our city.He accepted Jesus in my mentor's prison ministry and wants to stay here where he met Jesus and his life was changed.Somehow,I feel like my life will never be the same!
ReplyDeleteGloria,
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful!!! There's nothing more thrilling than helping people find Jesus.