June and July Report

Our Dear Friends,

 

We hope everything is going great in all you do. In christian life, each day is a new challenge and a chance to live for God and to fulfill His purpose in our lives. The month of July brought alone such nice and different experiences for us.

 

Besides our discipleship and counseling programs, currently serving over 25 people, we also had the opportunity to do ministry in two other Departments (States) of El Salvador, AHUACHAPAN and SONSONATE. The cities we hit with the Gospel were Cara Sucia, the city of Ahuachapán, Acajutla and the city of Sonsonate. Several were exposed to the Word and many counseling sessions were provided.

We were able to lead to Christ in what we call "face to face" evangelism the following people: Morena López

                                                                                                                                                    Jackeline Chavez

                                                                                                                                                     Fernando Pineda

                                                                                                                                                     Gustavo Aguirre

                                                                                                                                            

Leticia Aguirre

                                                                                                                                                     Marlene Aquino

                                                                                                                                                   

Johana Sandoval

 

We  also had the blessing to give away 35 pocket new testaments to people who were exposed to the Word of God. One particular young lady said: "Can I have some more to take with me so I can give to my sunday school class? Our response was, of course, YES!!

 

Again, we were invited to teach to the married couples at TBLA ( Templo Bautista Las Americas), on July the 22nd. It was very rewarding to see many of them to come to us looking for advise and for a word of hope for their troubled marriages.

 

As christians, we are ambassadors for Christ. We are referred to as "aliens and strangers in this world", but while on this earth, each one of us is an ambassador for Him. We are commanded by our Lord to spread the Gospel (Mark 15:16), not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demostration of the power of the Holy Spirit, keeping in mind that the Message is more important than the messengers ( Victor and Flor).

Human wisdom and elocuence of speech will not enhance the presentation of the Gospel; in fact, there are times when it demeans and degrades the essence of the Message. The ones hearing the Gospel must not be focused on the one proclaiming it, but on the Gospel itself. Only then, the power of God will really touch their hearts and convict them with the truths of His Word.

 

Our prayer should be: "Lord, as your ambassadors here on earth, help us proclaim, with all humility, Your pure Gospel of grace, whenever we have the opportunity to whomever You aloud, but always depending on Your power to touch and change the hearts of those who need to be saved. Help us not to forget that the Message is, and always will be, more important than the messengers. Please use us day by day, all for Your glory and honor, now and forever"

 

By the grace of God we are what we are and do what we do!!

 

 

Victor and Flor

 

 

"Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God"    2 Corinthians 5:20

 

JUNE

 

Dear Friends,

 

Greetings!!

 

June was a fruitful month but a little different. We had the opportunity to do ministry in Guatemala the last week of the month. We did an intensive discipleship and counseling week with the Aragon family, our salvadorean friends who have been living in Antigua for 6 years. We also had the chance to witness to 2 more famillies. The Lord used the Aragons to provide for this amazing time with them in Guatemala. God is good!! 

 

Here are some of the facts at a glance:

 

People saved: Claudia Cuellar (June 29)

                        Andrea Rodriguez (June 30)

 

Discipleship training at Tabernaculo Bautista Las Americas (June 20)  Attendance:118

 

People in One on One discipleship: 26

 

Biblical Counseling: 52 hours

 

Discipleship: 49 hours

 

 

We are so blessed when we realize that even being unworthy to serve God, He allows us to accomplish what we all are called to do: THE GREAT COMMISSION.

 

Your prayers will always be welcome!!

 

 

Victor and Flor  

 

 

"Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us ministers of a new covenant..."  

                                                                                                                                                     2 Corinthians 3:4-6

Moran's in El Salvador March and April

Dear Friends,

We want to share with you a few thoughts from our hearts...

There are some exciting and dynamic people who know where they are going and are determined to accomplish that goal. The apostle Paul said that his goal was to accomplish that for which Jesus has saved him. God had a plan and wanted to use him. Paul was determined to see this plan fulfilled in his lifetime. Can you imagine how that affected Paul's everyday living and everything that happened to him? Nothing could stand in God's way. Paul couldn't let anything stop him from accomplishing a mission so important and eternal. It's easy to say, "Well, that was Paul. He obviously was a great man of God" But what made him so great? Isn't it the obedience and faith to Jesus what causes us to honor and respect Him so highly? One of the saddest things in our days is that so few Christians really believe that God wants to use their lives as much as He used Paul. Our gifts may not be the same, and our circumstances may vary, but the same God has a plan for each of us. It is so easy to let the demands and challenges of daily living cause us to miss what He has in store for us. Paul was totally convinced that nothing would stand in the way of the Lord's work. God's plan and will was Paul's greatest priority. Is it ours?

"Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which can not be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear" Hebrews 12:28
In our last 4  AMAZING GRACE retreats, we had 96 professions of faith and 53 recommitments. Glory to God!! ( 252 students of medical school attended )

In our relational-personal evangelism, we had the opportunity, by the grace of God, to lead to Christ the following souls: Irma Lisseth Lopez (March 7), Erick Chapin (April 11), Margarita Morales (April 13)

In our couple's group, we had a new addition: Olman and Mayra Valencia.

In our one-on-one discipleship, we keep ministering and building the lives of  8 people.

We are so blessed by being part of this heavenly and earthly rewarding work!!!

Your prayers have been an important and key part in all this. Thank you!!!

All the Glory be for our Lord and King Jesus!!!


Victor and Flor

Romania: Winter 2012

Leaving sunny Florida in February to embrace the arctic blast of chill in Romania is a bit challenging to the flesh. But where the Spirit guides we must go. For ten years I have been following the Lord's prompting to go and share His message of love to the people of Romania. This year the major topic was on grace/legalism. Several men on our team worked around this topic for 5 days and 20 plus hours. I even had a chance to have a recorded interview for a radio station in the next larger city, Timisoara. Many minds were challenged and many hearts were stirred.

For the breakout focus, Pastor Michael Dailey and I tag teamed lessons from the book Forgiving Forward, by our dear friend, fellow pastor, Christ follower, and trailblazer Bruce Hebel. I focused on setting up the case and Micheal dealt with how to work it in our lives. On the first day of teaching many were moved to forgive. On the second day, we traded translators so the translators could get the total package. I want to share what happened next....

My initial translator came back and asked to speak with me before the next lesson. She indicated that her mother was locked in the cage of unforgiveness and asked if I would take time from my schedule to go and visit her. I agreed and we found a window of opportunity for Thursday afternoon. I requested to not be announced and to just allow me to arrive. Agreed.  

Thursday I came to the house and was greeted with the traditional greeting and offered some snacks and drink as we were to visit. My translator was nervous and asked me how I was going "to just blurt out and get to it?" I assured her that the Lord has guided us thus far and He will open the door. Sure enough, years of wounds came flowing forth, unprompted, as the Lord has given this woman peace and trust in me. The mother shared how God had used my preaching in her life in years past and that she knew I was sent to her. 

Once she finished the catalog of her story, sorrow and wounds, my translator asked again, how to proceed. Prompted by the Lord, I shared a parable of a boy whom life had wounded, whom church had wounded, whom Christians had wounded, and wounded deeply. As I unfolded the story, details expanded and contracted as a tide ebbs and flows unearthing all kinds of details and covering them again. 

Lord was connecting her to the story and  her heart became compassionate and indigent at much of the story. I asked her what should become of the boy, should he remain in the pain? forsake the faith? or forgive. She replied forgive. I shared that the boy had indeed forgiven and the evidence of that was the joy of the Lord, despite the pain. Then a shocking revelation was made. I revealed I was the boy! The Father melted her heart and she exclaimed she wanted to forgive too. I lead her, by prayer, though, step by step forgiving all that had held her. At the finish the of the pray her change was so remarkable that her daughter, my translator, made notice and told me that her mother was changed!

As she shared her affection toward me, commenting she had no sons, I offered to be her son. Now I have been adopted in a Romanian family! She committed to return to church on Friday after many month of absence.

Friday night came and I was to preach about forgiveness, I looked at the back and there was my new mom. I wanted to honer her without calling personal attention to her and so I did, the smile was so big it was electric. As I preached on forgiveness, she beamed. After the end of the service several people came and indicated that they had begun the healing by choosing to forgive the offenders in their life. I pray forgiveness become enmeshed in Romania!  And here too!  

I am open to discuss this with you my readers if you need the liberation of forgiveness. I will be discreet and delighted to assist.  Just email me!

The Work in El Salvador - Morans

Greetings from EL SALVADOR !!

 

We want to share with you all what God has been doing in our lives and Ministry recently:

 

On February 9, in our Amazing Race retreat, these were the ones who came to the Lord:

Brenda Fuentes

Yenny Rivera

Bessy Ramos

Gladys Joaquin

Milton Choto

Sindi Ramos

Marissa Castillo

 

People we have in our One on One Discipleship:

Jeniffer Corena

Elizabeth Perez

Leyla Godoy

Beatriz Rivas

Reina Almendarez

Fernando Echeverria

Ever Godoy

Misael Diaz

 

We also are ministring to a home group, whose members are:

William and Delmy Zetino

Ryan and Keeley Blackstock

Fabio and Jenny Magaña

Arturo and Elizabeth Cardenas

Jose and Patricia Rivas

 

Next Sunday, we are going to have an outreach lunch. We are expecting 4 new couples to show up and win them for Christ.

 

Please, keep praying that God will continue using us in a migthy way. Everything we do, we do it for the glory of God, and we don't do it in our own strength but in His.

"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God"  2 Corinthians 3:5

 

May the Lord bless you all abundantly!!!!

 

 

Victor and Flor

Three T's

TREASURE GOD  

God by choice started it all, man by sin stained it all, God through Christ offers redemption to all. Man redeemed knows the treasure God is. If God is growing lack-luster in your life or you have not experienced redemption. Go back to the good news and apply: Christ came! Christ died! Christ rose again! Christ is returning! 

Psalm 37: 4 -4  Delight yourself also in the Lord,  And He shall give you the desires of your heart.NKJV

TRUST GOD

Though the light may grow dim, though the day appear grim. Though heaven feels shut, though evil looms large. Though His hand seems absent, though presence unfelt, TRUST Him by faith! From Abraham, Joseph, Job, John the Baptist and Paul we see those who were tried by the silence of God, even to the point of death, yet faith remained and their hope is now realized. Ours will be too...Trust God.

Hebrews 12:1  Therefore, we also having so great a cloud of witnesses set around us, every weight having put off, and the closely besetting sin, through endurance may we run the contest that is set before us,  2  looking to the author and perfecter of faith--Jesus, who, over-against the joy set before him--did endure a cross, shame having despised, on the right hand also of the throne of God did sit down;  3  for consider again him who endured such gainsaying from the sinners to himself, that ye may not be wearied in your souls--being faint. Young's literal.

THANK GOD

Ingratitude reveals so much selfishness and self focus. Ouch! Remember, God did not have to sustain the world or even save men, but he did. Though He allow, at time and for season, your mistreatment by the world, your misalignment through the malignancy of sin, the misunderstanding of others and the stomp of the evil one. Better is here! Christ in ME the hope of glory. He redeemed ME...and YOU. that alone is enough to thank Him. One day we will reside where sin is no more!

1 Thessalonians 5:18  in everything give  thanks ; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  19  Do not quench the Spirit.  20  Do not despise prophecies.  21  Test all things; hold fast what is good.  22  Abstain from every form of evil. NKJV

1 Corinthians 15: 57  But  thanks  [be] to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. NKJV

Living in Grace

In a few months I will be teaching at the 10th Annual Pastor's Conference in Lugoj Romania. The theme this year is Living in Grace. As I have been preparing the talks, one statement I have used over and over is this:

"It is easier to walk in rules than it is to live in grace."

It is my prayer and hope that we all not only learn to live in grace but teach others to do so also. Here are a few questions to get us started.

1. What will walking in grace demand of you that legalism forbids?

2. What will walking in grace demand of you that license permits?

Rather than give you the answers, I challenge you to look at the gospels and Jesus' life carefully to answer these questions for yourself.  Post comments as to what you are learning.

Misssionary to El Salvador

Victor writes:

We want to share with you all how blessed we are because God has used us for the salvation of these souls. This took place in a retreat and in relational evangelism during the month of August:
             Mirjana Barahona
             Carolina Marenco
             Blanca Brizuela
             Mariela Aquino
             Zuleyma Reyes
             Claudia Lopez
             Jacky Marroquin
             Idalia Perez
             Norma Hernandez
             Wendy Leiva

We are so thankful and we pray that the Lord will continue using us for His purpose: Making disciples of all the ones He allows us to encounter in our lives.
To Him be all the Glory !!!

Victor and Flor

The Gospel

One of the best explanations of the Gospel. Follow the link.

http://vimeo.com/20960385

Mission Trip to El Salvador.

Friends,

I want to take a moment to thank you for your prayers and thought during my recent trip to El Salvador. The best way to express my gratitude is to share what God did during that time. I will share with you my journal of the trip, things observed and things learned.

Pre-trip

I was asked Sunday night, June 12, just 3 days prior to my departure, by a friend, what I would be doing. I shared with him that except for preaching on Sunday, I had no clue. I could tell this was a bit surprising, and to be honest many years ago it would have surprised me also. We United Statesians (Salvadorians are American too) are so used to planning to the minutia that to have no plan is the epitome of a fool. The scripture verse come to mind, “be ready in season and out of season…” So I shared with him that the most preparation is in the heart.

On Monday, to my surprise, I was sent an itinerary for what I was to be involved in. This was the most extensive itinerary I have ever had in El Salvador. To add to the complexity, I was now speaking to the department heads at an Evangelical University each day. For the 5 day trip, I was to teach 8 classes, preach 4 times and participate in 2 community outreaches where churches are being planted, and I have only today, Monday, off to prepare!

God knows how and where to stretch our faith. What was a stretch for one man was an ease for me. But now a responsibility to speak to people at such a high level of leadership, with very little preparation was a bit intimidating. I sent out the itinerary, and I know many of your prayers helped settle my heart. Having many years of study and experience, I just needed to trust the Holy Spirit to bring out through me what HE wanted to share. A true branches and Vine event. 

Day One, Thursday

Breakfast at 7:00 a.m.(after a red-eye flight and settling in bed at 2:30 a.m.) with Pastor Julio, Director of Spiritual Affairs, Evangelical University of El Salvador, to discuss his desires, goals and thoughts for my work during the week. God began to show me how I was to be used for His glory and for the good of us, his children.

At 8:00 a.m., I met with the chaplains for the University, under Julio, 5 in all. Starting from Judges 2:10, I began to outline how personal discipleship had deteriorated in Israel in the matter of one generation. I carefully delineated the differences between discipleship, Christian education (and the various models), and informative lectures/sermons/lessons/books. I ended with a challenge from 2 Timothy 2:2. The meeting lasted til 11:00. We went to lunch and dialoged about what would be required to embrace this paradigm shift.

I met with the library staff in the afternoon and spoke about personal identity, being complete in Christ and then growing in that completeness. I started with the focal verse in Colossians 2:10 and then showed the prayer connection between expectation and application from 1:9-10. The people were blessed by God, and I saw several countenance changes.

At 3:00 an impromptu opportunity presented itself with my being able to speak to the students. We focused on the difference between converts and disciples from Matthew 4:17 and asked for commitments. Several responded.

I spent the remaining afternoon sharing with Julio and Victor and learning what they were doing for discipleship. El Salvador is still a 1^st/2^nd generation church, and they don’t have all the religious layers/lingo to weed through as we do in the States.

The evening with Grace Baptist church was very rewarding. We had a 25-30 minute prayer time before I spoke. I was so encouraged. Then, speaking from 1 John 3:1-3 we spoke about the identity, belief and responsibility. This was followed up by Q/A session. We were all encouraged.

Day Two Friday

The morning started off well with a chapel service where I shared a message from Proverbs 2 relating to Father’s Day. Father’s Day is on Friday in El Salvador. Afterwards I had the privilege of meeting Missionary Bob Kendrick. We spent about an hour together, and I hope to work with him in the future.

I spent the afternoon time with one of the chaplains unpacking the one to one discipleship paradigm and making real application. I took up about two hours to teach one of them how to learn to make personal application from bible passages and then to teach others also. She was so excited. God had a breakthrough!

I had supper with my very good friend Rodrigo. We enjoyed a few hours of reunion. Upon arrival to my house (some new friends who provided housing for me during my trip, Milton and Martha) I found a party for one of their friends. They were also housing 4 Cubans who were attending linguistic training from Wycliffe in El Salvador. We had a great time and as the evening grew late, I fellowshipped with some men from Milton’s bible class (Inglesia Bautista Miramonte). We had a wonderful time sharing what God had been teaching us and working through and applying Galatians 5:16 and Romans 12:1-2. We retired well after 1:30 a.m. At 3:00 a.m. The Spirit impressed on me an illustration for the next day. 

Day Three- Saturday

This morning I met with PLP, a professional Christian leadership program that was developed by Julio. It meets every Saturday for 4 hours. I gave the background from the book of Titus and Paul’s eminent departure and launched into why he wrote the book. I emphasized how Titus had previously spent much time with Paul so the writings would have been very personal. Titus would have understood all the nuances of how Paul thought and the writing, being very personal would have tremendous information beyond just the printed text we received. I wanted to demonstrate the difference in Christian Education and Discipleship. Thus we have to read the text as if we are a Titus to Paul. I shared chapter 2:1-8 and then gave the interpretation and then interacted with numerous applications.

It is at this point I used the illustration impressed upon me in the night. WOW, God was opening eyes. I had never used this illustration and it was one of those things only God could have brought to my attention since I never read about it either. But the impact was so plain, it was like scales were falling from their eyes. The illustration demonstrated the value of CE but its inability to solely produce disciples. Then it demonstrated what discipleship does and how it duplicates. After the session 3 people came forward and asked how to get started. God was moving.

I visited a volcano and had lunch with Victor and Julio. Julio invited me to come back for an extended stay and teach. Perhaps a family affair!! Later we attempted to go to Vera Paz but we got rained out, so we took a ride down through Zacatacaluka to get some fresh sweet bread for the evening. In the process I found the PERFECT chile pepper.

Day Four- Sunday

What a joy to be back with family! This church in Illobasco is indeed that -- family. They love Jesus! The music is PASSIONATE without the pretense, polish and performance. So refreshing!!! So authentic!! I spoke on 1 John 3:1-3 and really hammered home identity. I used an adoption illustration and illuminated it from my own life. God was moving....at lunch, Pastor Yohalmo told me how he was just starting to address this subject through his preaching (reader remember- NO PRE_PLANNING). I shared with him at length the reasons for my absence over the past 2 years. He committed to pray for me. We introduced to him the need to multiply disciples. I inquired about the absence of a dear friend and was told he was discouraged and that life has been hard on him.

At the evening service I spoke from Colossians 1:19-23, The Magnificent Jesus. There was much freedom and unction from the Spirit. I invited people to demonstrate their need to be saved and to be open to being approached one to one at the end of the service. 7-8 people expressed their desire. The church followed up immediately. Amazing to see about a dozen groups sharing how one could trust Jesus. I focused on one man who spoke to me in English. He told me the adoption story from the morning had really spoken to him and then told me why he could not be saved. I told him how the cross and Christ’s blood pardons all sin not just the nice ones and that even his horrible sins could be covered too. Before we finished our conversation a few ladies grabbed us by the arm and took us to a Father’s Day celebration they had planned. Imagine, this man was just a visitor that day and wound up seated at the place of honor at the table! God has a way of making his point clear. We enjoyed the time and exchanged contact information. It was getting late and we needed to travel 1 hour to my house so we prepared to leave.

Before I left Illobasco I made a point to take a detour to my discouraged friend’s home. I awakened him from sleep. I recounted all the times God had used us in the past and that I would not visit El Salvador without seeing him. He was speechless. I asked if I could pray for him, and he wept as we embraced. He told the pastor he would see him on Wednesday. Arriving home late, I went to check my email and Facebook. The man I told you of earlier was on FB and sent a friend request. I went to his page and noticed some things inappropriate. As I accepted his friend request, he started immediately cleaning the page, renamed himself and IM me telling me God had changed him that night after the service. We chatted for a while, and it was encouraging to see God work on this man.

Day Five Monday

I met with the medical faculty at 8:00 a.m. I shared with them from Col 1:19-23, and we explored the unique union of God and Man, Jesus. I couched some of the teaching in medical related terminology, and they were very engaged. It looked as if it was the first time they connected their profession with their Christianity. That was encouraging, since some of the professors are not believers.

At 11:00 I met with the Business staff along with the Dental staff. We opened up Matthew 28:16-20 and talked of leaving a legacy and the need to disciple as we are going. I encouraged them to use their occupations as opportunities for discipleship relationships. One man shared how he has been in a discipleship church and has multiplied many times, but never seen his position as an opportunity.

Preparing to go to El Sunza for an outreach, the car blew a water hose. So we missed the chance to go for the afternoon. We arrived just in time for the service. I met Pastor Carlos and some of his lost family who had come to hear the “American”. The presence of the Lord was present in the sing of the saints. Pastor Carlos said he expected only 30; I’m sure he was being optimistic at that. BUT GOD, I love that phrase, had other plans. The building was packed and there were chairs set up outside on the entry way. Well over 100 people came out. I preached again from Colossians 1:19-23 and gave a clear call to embrace this magnificent Jesus. Only God know who became his children that night, but the pastor fully intends to follow up with the guests. Would have loved to stay longer but I had a 1 hour drive to my house to shower, finish packing and then make the hour drive to the airport for the 1:00 a.m. flight. Exhausted and encouraged, I departed to the U.S.

Apostasy
Jude 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints

This year I plan to bring us to the study of Apostasy. I have been preparing studies on this subject for the last several months and want to shed some light on it. I think one of the enemies stratagems is to keep us from real, honest evaluation. This leads to all sorts of unbelief and easy believism. It also fosters, in our day of hyper-tolerance, an unintended endorsement of some who are not believers as believers. At this stage we become like doctors giving placebos to the dying telling them it is helping them.

One verse of scripture I can not seem to get away from for the last 5 years, perhaps brings the whole subject to an apex. I will, perhaps, creates post dedicated to it entirely, but for the moment I would like to simply introduce it and add a few questions for your devotional thoughts.

John 2:24 - But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all [men],

Now for the questions.

1. Has Jesus committed Himself to you?
2. What evidence can be gleaned for the scripture and compared to your life (how you live normally) to indicate that he has? Has not committed himself to you?
3. What is required for Him to commit to you?
   

Prayerfully consider this verse.