Did you know we are helping start a church in South America? We think that’s pretty cool. We don’t have many details yet but I’m going down to visit next week and would appreciate your prayers as we seek to understand and learn from our international ministry partners. Here are a few early release details:
Other details:
- Our community is home to approximately 5,000 residents. Typical houses are constructed of cement floors, brick walls and zinc roofs. The spoken language is Spanish.
- Just an hour away is a tourist destination due to its beaches but extreme poverty is common in the outlining areas.
- The regional diet consists of maize, beans, beef, plantains and rice. Common health problems in this area include parasites, dengue, malaria, skin diseases and the flu.
- Most adults work as day laborers, on plantations, as market traders or subsistence farmers and earn the equivalent of $180 per month. This community needs employment opportunities, vocational training and recreation facilities.
- We are working with a local church planting group who helped launch this pilot with Stadia and planted the first 4 churches as part of this partnership. They have already planted 61 churches – primarily throughout the local province.
- This is pretty cool: we understand that the new church is being named “New Life”.
Once the project gets rolling a little we as New Lifer’s will be able to show God’s love to the children of our target community by sponsoring them through Compassion International. The children live in the mountainous community surrounding the community. Sponsoring a child allows the staff of the student center to provide your sponsored child with Bible teaching, hygiene and nutrition education, medical checkups, sports competitions, special celebrations, homework help and math and language workshops. The center staff will also provide family workshops and parenting education for the parents or guardians of your sponsored child.
Yay God!
I can’t wait to see what He does next.
-pat