FELIZ NAVIDAD
DE PARTE DE NOSOTROS PARA USTEDES
(MERRY CHRISTMAS)
(OUR WISHES FROM US TO YOU)
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Great Christmas Eve
Today I am writing late because I wanted to tell you about this Christmas Eve dinner with my Parents.
Yesterday Morning one of my cousins from Guadalajara came to see my Dad. My Dad suffer a heart attack a week before Thanksgiving so my Dad's families has been coming to visit him.
We had Ham and twice bake potatoes and salad. It was good now we are getting ready to go to service at our Church (Stone Ridge).
As I looked around a see my Dad surrounded by all of us, looking joyful I can say that is best gift for me. I hope this Christmas is full of gifts for all of you but look around as you visit or are with family and think how bless you are for having them. The love that I feel for my Dad is indescribable. I thank God that He gave me this Dad. There are two things in this life we can not control or be part of and they are: our names and our parents. I can tell you if I had a choice to select my parents I pick the same parents I have now.
Well today is Christmas Eve is not about the party is about the birth of our Lord so remember Him tonight as you share dinners, hugs, smiles with all Your Love ones.
Yesterday Morning one of my cousins from Guadalajara came to see my Dad. My Dad suffer a heart attack a week before Thanksgiving so my Dad's families has been coming to visit him.
We had Ham and twice bake potatoes and salad. It was good now we are getting ready to go to service at our Church (Stone Ridge).
As I looked around a see my Dad surrounded by all of us, looking joyful I can say that is best gift for me. I hope this Christmas is full of gifts for all of you but look around as you visit or are with family and think how bless you are for having them. The love that I feel for my Dad is indescribable. I thank God that He gave me this Dad. There are two things in this life we can not control or be part of and they are: our names and our parents. I can tell you if I had a choice to select my parents I pick the same parents I have now.
Well today is Christmas Eve is not about the party is about the birth of our Lord so remember Him tonight as you share dinners, hugs, smiles with all Your Love ones.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
A Church Under a Tree
God promise His people a land flowing with milk and honey. To me the United States has been that. We have lots of things; more things that we will ever need or used.We are too rich in many material things and sometimes these things make us poor in the things that matter.Today I want to tell you a story of a place that is rich and poor at the same time and a Pastor serving in this place.
This past Saturday our Church Youth Group traveled to this church. They moved from the tree to a lot where they will do the building for their church. For now this building will help with the winter cold weather.
Our youth played kick ball with all the kids there. It was awesome to see them play and have a good time together; language was not a problem. I always say if you put ten kids from different nations together in less that 10 minutes they are playing together and language is not a problem. My question always is why can adults do the same? After the game all come into the building to worship and it was good to see them worshiping in English and Spanish at the same time. I can only imagine the joy for our God as He understands all the languages, Wow! As I was taking picture I looked at the drummer and saw how resourceful he was. The night before the sticks broke so they left them at a different place so he walked to a tree and made a pair.
Our Youth every year take Christmas presents to kids. For most of these kids this gift will be the only one they will receive this Christmas. This year our Youth wanted the kids of this church to be the one to receive all these presents. There were more than 80 kids of all different ages. It was great to see their faces full of joy as they got their gifts.
Before the gift ceremony Pastor Jose have a message especially for the kids in which he told them about the bigger gift. The gift of salvation that God has for them and ask them who wanted to receive it and most of them got up and pray to receive God's Gift. Along with them was Jose's Daughter Stephanie praying for them. She is in charge of the kids ministry. I wonder how many time she has pray for them to do make this decision.
I have know Pastor Jose (or hose B since I am hose A) Esparza for the last seven years. I have seen how God has work in his heart. When we first met he was a leader in a church in Yuma and was going to the seminary. This past September he quit his job to be a full time Pastor in a mission point he started in Mexico. He started this "Church Under a Tree" about 40 minutes from Yuma as you can see in the picture below.
This past Saturday our Church Youth Group traveled to this church. They moved from the tree to a lot where they will do the building for their church. For now this building will help with the winter cold weather.Our youth played kick ball with all the kids there. It was awesome to see them play and have a good time together; language was not a problem. I always say if you put ten kids from different nations together in less that 10 minutes they are playing together and language is not a problem. My question always is why can adults do the same? After the game all come into the building to worship and it was good to see them worshiping in English and Spanish at the same time. I can only imagine the joy for our God as He understands all the languages, Wow! As I was taking picture I looked at the drummer and saw how resourceful he was. The night before the sticks broke so they left them at a different place so he walked to a tree and made a pair. Our Youth every year take Christmas presents to kids. For most of these kids this gift will be the only one they will receive this Christmas. This year our Youth wanted the kids of this church to be the one to receive all these presents. There were more than 80 kids of all different ages. It was great to see their faces full of joy as they got their gifts. Before the gift ceremony Pastor Jose have a message especially for the kids in which he told them about the bigger gift. The gift of salvation that God has for them and ask them who wanted to receive it and most of them got up and pray to receive God's Gift. Along with them was Jose's Daughter Stephanie praying for them. She is in charge of the kids ministry. I wonder how many time she has pray for them to do make this decision. Well it was an awesome day for all. The afternoon end it in a very Latino fashion. Christ told us when two or more are talking about me I will be there with you. For us Latinos we take it to an other level. When two and more Latinos are present and are talking about Christ He is present and so its the FOOD, and yes all of us were given a bowl of POZOLE. It was so good!! The ladies from the church made it.
In the beginning of this story I wrote about this place that is spiritually rich and material poor. This place is like a lot of place I have seen in the Dominican Republic on fire for our Lord. On this Christmas as we make our gift list or buy our own big gift; I want to ask you this question: have you ask God for His gift? He is waiting for you with open arms just as you are with baggage and all. Make this Christmas the best ever invite God into your life, and receive the greatest gift; God's Salvation.
Monday, December 22, 2008
The Beginning
Being a ESL (English as a second language) person I ask myself why do I want to start writing in English of all languages, so this is the story on how all this started to form in my heart.
My wife this past august after 15 years closed her child care business to seek her dream. Her dream is to be a Nurse, so she enrolled back in our local college this past semester. I help her with her English class (100) . While helping her, and by giving her some ideas she told me that I should write.
This past October I took a trip with my Pastor to the Dominican Republic and while on the trip he invited me to start a Goggle mail; then he told me about his daughter Beth Blog. Her blog was the first one I saw. Then I saw her "one minute writer" blog and I wrote there a couple of times until her blog became very popular. Then Pastor Sam started to write his own blog, and now I know where Beth gets her talents.
An another very good friend of mine Pastor Jason told me that he also had a blog, so I started to follow it.
After all this; the idea started to form in my heart and after much thinking and praying here I am. Today is "The Beginning " and I hope you make comments because I can learn more from you.
I will like to thank all of you who help me start this journey. First to God for allowing me to be here at this time and at this place for His service. To my wife which I am very proud of her for not giving up her dream. To Pastor Sam for allowing me to see how deep is his love for Christ. To Beth for taking me out of my comfort zone with her 60 minute Blog, and finally to you Chinola for allowing us to be part of your family.
I'm Grateful!!!!
My wife this past august after 15 years closed her child care business to seek her dream. Her dream is to be a Nurse, so she enrolled back in our local college this past semester. I help her with her English class (100) . While helping her, and by giving her some ideas she told me that I should write.
This past October I took a trip with my Pastor to the Dominican Republic and while on the trip he invited me to start a Goggle mail; then he told me about his daughter Beth Blog. Her blog was the first one I saw. Then I saw her "one minute writer" blog and I wrote there a couple of times until her blog became very popular. Then Pastor Sam started to write his own blog, and now I know where Beth gets her talents.
An another very good friend of mine Pastor Jason told me that he also had a blog, so I started to follow it.
After all this; the idea started to form in my heart and after much thinking and praying here I am. Today is "The Beginning " and I hope you make comments because I can learn more from you.
I will like to thank all of you who help me start this journey. First to God for allowing me to be here at this time and at this place for His service. To my wife which I am very proud of her for not giving up her dream. To Pastor Sam for allowing me to see how deep is his love for Christ. To Beth for taking me out of my comfort zone with her 60 minute Blog, and finally to you Chinola for allowing us to be part of your family.
I'm Grateful!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
