Better late than never.... :)

Pastor Mark H. praying for pastors at the morning convention.

Pastor Rudolfo praying with another pastor at the convention.

Juan, Mark H., Pastor Rudolfo, Mark W., and Roger L. together at the alter after the Pastor's convention.

The women of Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh VBS 2014! :)

The lovely ladies, Candida and Sandy, serving pollo con arroz (chicken and rice) to the students at the VBS closing ceremony--180 children in all!!

Maddy handing out a school packet (notebooks, pencils, erasers, etc.) to Wilber, a student at VBS.

Phyllis handing out a school packet to another sweet boy from VBS.

Agusto with his two gorgeous twin sons! 

(Agusto is our driver who was saved last year on our first day in San Marcos. He is our driver again this year, and he and his family are still a part of Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh.)

Roger L. enjoying a song with the "little guys" at VBS!

Sandy with her helper, Blanca, and some children from their VBS class. 

Hello, family! I apologize for the (very) late post! I hope you all didn't worry about us too much. :) 

Yesterday started out as usual with a devotion and breakfast. Deanna did the devotional for the day. She focused on Romans 15:13:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

She elaborated on the scripture by discussing our need to trust in God. She re-emphasized Kenny's original devotion: "If God brings you to it, He'll get you through it." 

Next, we loaded the bus and left for the Pastor's Conference at Four-Square Church. There were about 30-40 pastors in attendance. After an initial worship time, Pastor Mark Wood discussed the "21 Characteristics of a Leader" according to Paul's life and ministry. He did a wonderful job teaching these essential principles of leadership. Pastor Wood truly shines when he has an open Bible, a mic in hand, and an opportunity to share some of God's wisdom. What a blessing to hear his message! 

After Pastor Wood, Paster Mark Houser spoke on the responsibility of leadership for those accepting the call to be a Pastor. He explained the challenges, the commitments, and the responsibility to the congregation. He likened the position of Pastor to a shepherd that watches over his flock. The sheep know the voice of their shepherd and they follow. It is important that the pastor does not lead the flock astray, and that he takes every measure to ensure the well-being of his congregation. Pastor Mark H. concluded by saying that the ultimate shepherd is not the pastor... and it's not the pastor's church. Jesus Christ is the true Shepherd and it is His church. Again, what an inspiration! Pastor Mark Houser did a wonderful job and was a breath of fresh air for everyone in attendance. 

Following the talks and worship, Pastor Rudolfo lead a time of prayer that may have lasted anywhere from 20, to 30, or 35 minutes. Pastor Rudolfo, Juan Aragon, Mark W., and Mark H. circulated the room, praying for each pastor. Praying for each ministry, each church, each family, and each burden. The whole mission team walked up and surrounded the group of pastors, praying, worshiping, and thanking God as the prayer time continued. It was a beautiful moment, and you can see a bit of what went on in the pictures above. 

The whole team, all of the pastors, and several members of Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yire stayed for lunch at the Four Square Church. 

Afterward, we were on our way to the final day of VBS. It was an absolute blessing to be around so many beautiful, shining faces! As we pulled in to VBS, there were smiles and more hugs than we could imagine waiting for our arrival.  To begin the VBS ceremony, Marcos asked a few of the men and a few of the women to come to the front for a dance-off! In case anyone is curious...the women took the gold! :D Maybe next time, gentlemen. Next up was game time with Reyna! She did a great job coordinating a couple of high energy games to entertain the children. In one game, the children were at opposite ends of the room from the volunteer adults (Lisa, Kenny, Roger T., and Sherry). When the music played everyone danced; when the music stopped, the children had to run and jump on (a.k.a. tackle) their partner on the other end. It was an experience, to say the least. A few of our adult volunteers decided it would be wise to remove jewelry and glasses for safety reasons. Sherry and her partner were the victors of that particular game. Great job, Sherry! :)

After worship, dancing, and games, it was time to eat! There were many more children in attendance today than the previous two days. By the time we were done handing out meals, approximately 180 children were served. About 3/4 of the way through serving, the team was worried we may not have enough food. Pastor Mark Wood said we needed 40 more servings. Pastor Mark Houser counted exactly 40 juices left. After serving all of the meals, we only had one bowl of rice left. God is good. God provides.

To conclude the program, all children received a packet of school supplies or an infant package (with milk, cereal, etc.). All of the packets were distributed. It was estimated that with 180 children served, this could potentially impact anywhere from 250-350 parents (depending on the family). It is Iglesia Bautista's hope to maintain at least 100 of those children through Sunday school classes and outreach. 

After an exciting day, we returned to Skylark, ate, and crashed. It was a wonderful day and we were so blessed to be a part of God's plan. 

As always, we absolutely adore our 28, our church family of families, and the prayers that are so deeply felt throughout each and every day. 

Another post coming this evening at the normal time (10 pm-1 am). :)

We love you all! God bless! 

1 Corinthians 13:13