December

These past few weeks sure have been very busy but full of blessings!  The end of November we had a baptismal service where Mike baptized one of our teens. She and her family have been very faithful for years so it was such a joy to see her finally make this decision.

We also had our last kid's activity of the year.  Carlos, for the first time, taught the lesson and we played games with water balloons and ice.

The first Saturday in December we had our ladies meeting.  Marta taught the lesson and we finished the meeting with Christmas crafts.

Our church choir sang a selection of songs from our cantata in a recital in a public venue.  It was amazing that God gave us this opportunity to share the true Christmas message in the community.

At our last teen activity of the year we did one of the most favorite things the kids like to do - roast hot dogs over a fire.  We even had marshmallows to roast!!

For the first time, we made gingerbread houses and manger scenes to display at the church Christmas party.

And finally, the choir presented the cantata "Come Ye to Bethlehem".  We had 6 visitors even though it was so hot that it felt like we were melting.

 Michael and Stephany were able to come for Christmas.  That's the best Christmas present ever!!

Merry Christmas to all and a blessed Happy New Year!!

Piggy-backed blessings

Have you ever had a piggy-backed blessing?  We just heard we are going to get one!  Our daughter Stephany has been praying and saving to come home for Christmas this year. Time was running out and she didn't have enough saved. A very dear and loving mentor-friend heard of her situation and took it upon himself to make sure she made it home! Not only that, (this is where the piggy-back comes in) he also thought of our son Michael and he is coming home too!! Michael wasn't even considering coming this year but God had other plans for our family!! I have to say, this is the biggest and best Christmas present I will have received in my whole life!! I'm so excited and can't wait!!  It will be so awesome to wake up Christmas morning and have them back home in their own beds!

As of November 17, the ceiling tile is finished in the auditorium!!  We did it in a couple of Saturdays and a few hours here and there.  We want to send out a thank you to the Las Americas Baptist Church for their offering which allowed us to complete this project.

The Choir is still diligently practicing and are praying that God will use the songs we are preparing to announce the Good News to those who attend our service and in the other opportunities that we have to present publicly.

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Please keep us in your prayers for all of the activities and projects that we have for the end of the year and for camp season that is coming up in January.  All For The Glory of Our Savior!!

And November starts with a flood...

Sorry that I don't have any pictures, but yes, the camp flooded again. This time it was bad.  Water got into every building.  There was at least a meter of water in the kitchen.  So any construction was put to a halt and they had to get the pressure sprayers out.  After two days of washing everything down they were able to clean the mess up.  But thanks to the flood, a load of sand that had been delivered to work on the project was washed away.  Hey!! That sounds like a good illustration to prove what Jesus said about the foolish man!

But, construction is still going on at the church.  Last weekend some men from the church pulled together and made some headway on the installation of the ceiling tile.  They are planning to work this weekend also and are hoping to get almost all of it completed.

This past Saturday we also had a teen meeting and played volleyball for the first time. (on our own property) It was a lot of fun but the mosquitoes just about ate us alive even though we bathed in Off!

Our Christmas Choir is still practicing getting ready for the Cantata.  Please pray that God will give us opportunities in the community to present this work!

We are also praying that Stephany will get to come home for Christmas.  I'm asking for everyone to pray that God will provide so she can make that happen. (a prayer dear to a mother's heart!)

Sandy

What's been going on in October...

October has been a very busy month and it's not over yet!  It started out with an installation project at church. We finally were able to buy the ceiling tile for the first floor of the church building. Mike installed the tiles in the entryway.

Then he had to put the project on hold because on October 10 he left to go to the States for a mission's conference in California. He had a wonderful time with our supporting church and was able to give a  report of our ministry. The people greatly encouraged him and he left with an invitation to come back for a visit, but the next time with me! Now he is visiting with Michael and Stephany in Springfield, MO. Of course they are having an incredible visit! It has been over a year since we have been able to visit with them.

Now I'm looking forward to reuniting with him this Thursday!!  Can't wait!!

We also had a children's meeting in October. We had a carnival type theme which was really fun. But the best part of the activity was that two children accepted the Lord as their Savior! Please pray for Javier and Brisa. They both genuinely want to follow Christ but they do not have the support in their home to really follow through.

This past weekend we had our Mother's Day weekend. Saturday we had a Spa Day for the ladies and it was a huge success!  We had 4 first time visitors and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Most all of them expressed interest in coming back again so it was worth all the hard work.

Gifts for Mothers on Mother's Day

Choir practice continues for our Christmas Cantata. Please pray that God will open doors for us to be able to present our program to the the community in other public venues. We want to reach as many as possible with the wonderful message that God's promise, Jesus, has come to Earth to give us the gift of salvation!

Spring is around the corner!

Spring is on its way!!  And I am personally so thankful!  We have had so much rain (thank the Lord because we needed it) in the last few weeks.  When rain comes like this at the end of winter no one is really excited about a gray and cloudy sky.  We are ready for sunshine!  But we do rejoice because of the rain because it will bring a good showing of my roses this year and good crops for the farmers.

One negative result of the rain brought flooding in many areas and some mild flooding at the youth camp.

But the water did go down and Mike and Pastor Juan Carlos were able to go back last week and continue to work. 

Demolishing old shed.

Breaking up wall to use as landfill!

Please continue to pray for the ongoing projects. We really need to finish the retaining wall behind the pool area. (The area you see here that is flooded. Nough said!)  We also need to change out several of the roofs of existing buildings. We have already received some offerings for these projects but this is almost completely drained.  Camp is such a huge part of our ministry and touches the lives of so many.  If you would like to help with a project, we sure wouldn't object.  Learn how to give on our webpages.

At church we have been getting ready for a youth outing for the first day of Spring this month, a special Spa day for mothers next month for Mother's Day, and we just started a choir to prepare for a Christmas cantata. We have some ideas for the cantata that we are praying that God will use to minister greatly to the community and to those that need to hear the Gospel. Please pray with us that we will follow God's leading in this and that we will bring glory to the Son of God!

Lastly,  I ask that you would pray for all the missionaries in Argentina, the churches, and Argentina in general.  Satan has really been attacking and has left debris in his wake.  

campbbargentina.yolasite.com

mikeandsandytoddargentina.synthasite.com

Pressing Toward the Goal

"Corriendo Hacia la Meta" or "Pressing Toward the Mark" was our theme for our winter vacation Bible school the 26, 27 and 28 of July. We also had an olympic theme with an emphasis of "playing on God's team". We were so excited that over the three day period we saw 13 first time visitors and our highest attendance overall was 28. Although we had no decisions to accept Christ as their Savior we presented to them the Gospel message. I'm sure for some of them it was for the first time in their lives. Pray that we will be able to continue to have contact with these children and that we would be able to reach their families also. Below are some pictures of the activities.

June sure has been a cold month! Attendance has been down some but we keep marching along. We showed the movie "Courageous" which was a huge blessing for those who made it out. Not as many came as we would have liked so we are planning to show it again sometime soon. We also had a teen activity and our ladies meeting.
Today we had a children's activity. We had a good attendance considering the cold weather. I think the kids are excited because a three day weekend started today. Plus they always want to know when the Bible School will be. This year it will be the 26, 27, 28 of July. Please pray with us that we will be able to re-gather those who have come and most of all reach out to new kids and their families. Here are a few pictures of today's activity. Can you guess what the lesson was about?

                                                           

It's time for an update.  It seems like we have been extremely busy these last few weeks. Every month we have had some kind of special meetings.
The end of May, the 26th and 27th, we had  Pastor Enoc Gutierrez from Mexico with us for a mini conference. He taught on the importance of Christian Education and encouraged us to keep on the right track because there has been an epidemic of churches phasing out this ministry in our churches.
He also preached to our congregation on Sunday morning to close out  our mission's emphasis. We also took our Faith Promise Missionary Offering pledges for this year. We were happy to see an increase and, Lord willing, will be able to increase our monthly support to our missionaries. Praise the Lord! We also have plans to be more of a blessing to our missionaries this year with other projects. Knowing the way the Lord works, I'm sure that our congregation will also be blessed because of their efforts.

Coming up this weekend is Father's Day. For a special treat and to honor all Fathers, we will be showing the movie "Courageous" this Saturday evening. We are hoping to see new families come to this event and to be able to be a blessing and a witness of Christ's love to them as well.

Except for a few back problems and tendinitis, the Lord has kept us safe and healthy. For that we are thankful. We are also thankful that our two children, Michael and Stephany, were able to make the mission's trip to Kibera, Kenya. We personally thank all who have supported and prayed for them. I'm sure they will agree that their lives will never be the same and that it was an honor to be a part of this ministry.

Mission's Month - International Supper

Every year we take a month and focus on missions. One of the highlights of the year for us is our International Supper. This time it was no exception. We ask for volunteers to decorate a table representing the country of their choice. This year we had Greece, Mexico, United States, and Peru. The food was a mixture from all over the world. We had enough to feed an army, like always. Mike preached on the "Mission of the Church - Five things you should be doing to fulfill your purpose".
Everyone enjoyed themselves and are being challenged to trust God more this year in their giving to missions.
For our closing service on May 27, we will have Pastor Enoc Guitierrez (hijo) from Mexico with us to give us the last challenge.
Since this is missions month, I'd like to mention and ask for your prayers for our two children, Michael and Stephany. On May 23 they leave for a mission's trip to Kibera, Kenya. They will be working with New Hope Ministries in a youth camp, Bible club, and church services.