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January and February 2018
Arely & Gloria Fuentes, serving in México

Done with the moving! 

 

We are glad to say we have finally settled down in what is now our house! It took us some uncomfortable moments and plenty of searching, but we are very happy to find something that is accessible to our work, and near the city so we are still able to communicate with everyone, but overall something that we can now call HOME!
 
We sure miss a lot of stuff from the States like Skyline Chili and our visits to the Zoo, but we are doing our best to adapt to the culture, get to know our neighbors, see the needs and not get lost!  It’s crazy that I grew up on this city, but after 8 years in the States I feel that I have been spoiled with comforts, so we are trying to figure how everything works again

Update!

If you remember, since our arrival we have been trying to plug in to the local church in la Biznaga, Coahuila (see map below). We have attended the programs and meetings, and set down with each leader to hear their goals, needs, and vision of the church. 
 
One of the things we realized is that even though the church was growing and had  the desire to reach out, they lacked vision or direction. They knew that they were in the stage where they needed to define a purpose and direction, but didn’t know how. So I met with Genero, the local preacher, to grasp the vision that God has set in up in his heart and I tried to help him express it. Once we had a foundation to work on we decided that this vision needed to be embraced by all our leaders, so we are working as a team by meeting bi-weekly and having study time to put it in stone, and help shape the foundation in the culture of the local congregation.

Change!

Our meetings brought some changes to be made. There was confusion with the idea of tithing, so we talked about what the Bible says about this. There was also a misconception of how the offering can be used and who has access to it, so we are also working on this to help change some spending patterns and be better stewards of what God has entrusted us with, and have a greater impact in God’s kingdom. We have also developed a sermon series to help prepare the church as we implement changes and establish a vision.
 
We want to help establish a strong leadership that can be near to HIs heart's desire and strong in His Word, so we have established weekly devotional times to sit down and search God’s presence and review our weekly goals.
 
We know that the Church is expecting growth and wanted more people to be part of the Church, but there was no room for new visitors. We noticed that 50% of the space was being taken by our kids. Since we already have a kid’s pastor on our staff we decided to start a kid’s service at the same time that adults have their services. During this time the kids get a worship service, a class, communion, and a small meal. The lesson the children are receiving is connected to what the adults are receiving.
 
Sharing Hope!

In the time since we arrived we noticed a need in the Sharing Hope Program for more structure and reorganization. The program started in October 2008 with a vision to provide meals and Bible study to area children during the school week. Olga Fuentes started this program with the kindergarteners in la Presa and over the years it has grown to include sponsorship of pre-school to middle-school aged children in the villages of la Presa, la Biznaga, and Escabedo. As you can imagine, it has grown beyond the size of what one person can do, and we were asked to help organize it so it can grow more to be able to reach and serve even more children than it is now. Gloria and I recognize the needs that these kids have and we want to help them grow stronger physically, mentally, and spiritually, and achieve their full potential and get out of the hopeless cycle of poverty that is so common in the villages here.
 
The sponsorship of a child is $32/month which provides 3 healthy meals per week, a Bible lesson and special activities, medical and dental check-ups, birthday gift, and a Christmas gift. Gloria is taking on the leadership of the program to focus on the nutrition and the education that the kids are receiving, and I will be helping with the administrative part of the program here in Mexico. Sarah Wallace is now the state-side administrator for any and all of your questions there, you can email her at wwhochildren@gmail.com 
Pray for us!

Please continue to pray for us and God's ministry here as all these changes take place and that everything that we do would be to bring people closer to God. We also want to thank all of you who support us through prayer and through financial support, because through your support lives are being changed, and all this could not be accomplished without your generosity. 


In His Name

Arely & Gloria Fuentes
Prayer Requests
 
  • For the Sharing Hope program that we would be able to help kids and raise sponsor.
  • That God would continue to add supporters as we begin His ministry in Mexico
  • That God would work in the hearth of the leadership as we continue making changes.
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