encouragement

Last Sunday, we had church at 10am. It was probably the best Sunday service I have been to at Camino de Cristo, and it did not all have to do with the fact that I got to go to church in the morning and not late in the afternoon.

Faustino and Tomasa decided to change church to 10am to be able to accommodate more people and schedules. I appreciate the change because I get to go early in the day. I'm not sure why I appreciate that so much, but I really do.

Even aside from that, it was just a great service for my heart. The fruit of Faustino and Tomasa's labor showed as people they had visited and ministered to showed up and nearly filled the church. There were two new families, one of which was very large. In addition to those new families, Faustino's son's in-laws have decided to come alongside the ministry and serve. Mari and José are strong believers and I think they will be a great support to Faustino and Tomasa.

In addition, when José started preaching and didn't excuse the children for kiddie church, Cuquita slowly stood up, caught Faustino's eye and motioned that she was going to take the children for the children's class. There were about 12 kids, so I followed her out and asked if she wanted me to come give her a hand. She pondered it a moment and then told me confidently that she could do it. I was so encouraged as I watched her lead the harem to the classroom behind the sanctuary.

I was blessed to be able to stay and listen to the sermon. José preached on unity in the church and how it is the job of the entire congregation to build into the church, not just the job of the pastor. He said something so poignant that I had never heard before: pastores no reproducen ovejas, ovejas reproducen ovejas (Pastors don't reproduce sheep, sheep reproduce sheep). He said this and it made so much sense that all I could do was smile. It was cool because one of the sheep was calling the rest of the sheep to action. I really appreciated it.

After church, we all went into Faustino and Tomasa's house to visit with Tomasa who was still bed-ridden because of her back. A good group of us went in and sat with her and talked about life and ministry. Mari and Tomasa chatted about ideas and things they want to do and how they want to expand ministries in the church. It made my heart jump with joy because I have been praying for strong leaders to come alongside the ministry and support Faustino and Tomasa so they can serve better and reach further. So now that Mari and José are there, that possibility is so much more in reach. Praise God for the way He works.

Please continue to pray for Tomasa as she continues with problems with her back. Pray that she would heal completely. Pray that she would take it easy. Pray that she would let Mari help her in ministry and that she wouldn't try to bear the load alone. As we all know too well, sometimes it is hard to share the burden that is squashing us, even though it is exactly what we need to do to stay afloat and to keep things moving forward.