August 2008

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS:
well, we had our last team down here two weeks ago, so things have been calm lately. Ha, is a weird feeling but it´s been good to all of us to be able to relax a little. Now we have more time to dedicate to our diferent ministries, which I´m very exite about. I have been already planning some big things for next year and also some cool thing for the end of this year. Two weeks ago, my friends Lisa and Wilber got married and we had a good time with friends from all over.
About three weeks ago we had the oportunity to visit Hato del Yaque´s youth group, we had a great time. Our youth were exite to see each other because it has been since the retreat back in april that they haven´t share with each other. We had a great service fill with worship, dramas, songs, dance and a powerfull message by Leandro. They were really encouraged by our visit and we are hoping to visit them again soon.
We were also invited by a church in the other side of town to come and be part of a service with them. They had us lead worship and bring the word of God. I was the one with the priviledge of doing that (preaching.) It was great, they asked me if I could bring a message about youth conquering other youth to Christ…I was happy to do it. I talked about the tools you need to be able to conquer people for the kingdom, it was powerful, I really felt that the holly spirit used me that night as I preached. Great feeling!!!
About a month ago, we started a new service twice a month at the basketball court of our community. Will Partin, our sports coordinator brough that idea and we supported it. The plan is to be able to reach all the gangsters of our community. We have been working with these kids through sports clinics for a long time but it has been hard to bring them to church just because they are diferent and they are afraid of being judge by the community. So we are basically bringing the church to them so they feel confortable. The name of that service is ¨Come as You are¨ meaning: if you are derty from working all day and you smel back, we don´t care just come. If you are wearing earings and a baseball hat, we don´t care just come. If you are high or drunk, we don´t care, just come…In the first two service we have have full house with the 100% sitting in the room being not christian, that what we want. We have a service of worship and a sermon of 30 minutes. We are planting the seed like God wants us to do and eventually he´ll make ir grow. These guys know that this service is a save place for them to come… we are starting with this service just twice a month but we know the more they learn about Christ, the more they are going to realize the importance of meeting with the church, a group of believers that serve the same God, please pray for this project.
PROJECTS WORKING ON:
The ¨come as you are¨ service.
Preparing for another meeting with the youth pastors.
Planning a retreat to Batey 9 (church in the south part of the country, 6 hours away).
Putting together a retreat for next summer

PRAYER REQUEST:
1. Come as You Are project
2. Hurricanes situation here, Haiti and all the Caribbean( over a 100 people dead in Haity.)



MINISTRY CHALLENGES:
I´m in the process of uniting many youth leaders of my city. We already have talked about a lot of projects, and we are hoping to start at the end of this month we some of the activities we have plan. We are thinking big, trying to help those who are in need, and trying to brake some barriers of tradition that keep the youth outside in the streets. I know God is at work and we know that he is going to use us to make a difference, and is already happening, but it going to get even bigger.


Know that I´m always thinking about all of you who are supporters of my ministry, by praying, financially and giving me words of encouragement, which I need a lot. Thanks for that support that you provide to my ministry. This s my life, n this is what I enjoy to do, you guys make it possible and I appreciate it.

In Christ,
I.G.