Day 4! All about something that fits very well with my
personality – planning! More specifically, event planning. God has shown me how
to use celebrations to bring family and friends together, to meet new families,
to integrate more into the community, and to have a great opportunity to
present the Gospel clearly and directly to large groups of people.
The first event I ever hosted was the annual Christmas
Outreach event (which reminds me, I’ve got to start planning that for this year
too!).
Last year I invited all the families I’d been working with, and encouraged them to bring another family they knew as well. It turned out to be quite a family affair, lots of primos, tias, and a whole bunch of kids. I hosted in in a little one room church in Los Pinos that is so kind to help me out and provide me with the use of their church for anything I need, and I was so thankful to have the help of the kids from the ministry I previously served at. The room was filled with many of their family members as well, and it was wonderful to have everyone together. We ate homemade nacatamales, gave out goody bags of toys and Christmas story books to almost 50 kids, provided each family with a small basket of food, and had the opportunity to pray specifically for and with each family. The tradition will certainly continue this year, and I’m brainstorming ideas to get more of the community involved as well – I’ll keep you posted.
Last year I invited all the families I’d been working with, and encouraged them to bring another family they knew as well. It turned out to be quite a family affair, lots of primos, tias, and a whole bunch of kids. I hosted in in a little one room church in Los Pinos that is so kind to help me out and provide me with the use of their church for anything I need, and I was so thankful to have the help of the kids from the ministry I previously served at. The room was filled with many of their family members as well, and it was wonderful to have everyone together. We ate homemade nacatamales, gave out goody bags of toys and Christmas story books to almost 50 kids, provided each family with a small basket of food, and had the opportunity to pray specifically for and with each family. The tradition will certainly continue this year, and I’m brainstorming ideas to get more of the community involved as well – I’ll keep you posted.
The other annual event, the Mother’s Day Celebration, was
also a great success.
We had art projects for all the kids to make gifts for their moms, a special speaker came with an encouraging message for the moms, and we enjoyed great fellowship and cake! I met so many new moms that day, and God called me to continue in their lives after the event, visiting them when I’m in Los Pinos, covering them in prayer, and being open to serve them in whatever way God calls me to.
We had art projects for all the kids to make gifts for their moms, a special speaker came with an encouraging message for the moms, and we enjoyed great fellowship and cake! I met so many new moms that day, and God called me to continue in their lives after the event, visiting them when I’m in Los Pinos, covering them in prayer, and being open to serve them in whatever way God calls me to.
Lastly, this fall I’m hoping to get the new women’s group
off the ground. A weekly opportunity to meet together, fellowship, cover
individuals and the community and prayer, and to point ourselves to the Lord
before we have time to get too far off track. I hope it’s the beginning of a
strong Christian community, actively fighting against Satan in a place where
he’s convinced he’s already won. I’ll keep you updated in how it goes!
I love hosting these events and seeing how God uses them to
make connections and encourage his people. Also, since I’m just one person, I
rely heavily on the help of many others, often members of the community, to help
me get everything in order. Satan has attacked this community so strongly in
the area of relationships. Feuds that date back decades continue to tear apart
families, and triumphs aren’t celebrated, but instead met with jealousy and
anger from neighbors. It is my hope and my prayer that God can mend these relationships,
bring unity once again, and build up a community of His people who care for one
another, love one another, forgive another, and walk side by side together
through life in the good and the bad. God can do it!
Stay tuned tomorrow for a big blog detailing all the ways God has called me to step in physically and bring some much needed poverty relief to this neighborhood!
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