It is said that nothing good happens after midnight. In light of the following TRUE story, I would beg to differ... Late on a hot summer night, in a neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina infamous for its dubious night activity, a shadowy figure approached our friend and ministry partner, Gustavo. Gustavo, a life-long night owl more acquainted with the perils of street-life than most was outside on his own property minding his own business. When the stranger approached him and asked for the street version of "sanctuary," Gustavo, a man atuned to the leading of the Holy Spirit, was neither startled nor surprised and so allowed the stranger into the front yard, just inside the iron gate. The stranger, obviously fearful, explained he was being followed by a drunk man. To Gustavo, it was immediately clear even by the light of the flickering street lamps that the stranger was a male prostitute given that the man was dressed provocatively... in female clothing. This type of activity is all-too-common in this area. Well, dear reader, what would you do? I'll tell you what Gustavo did. With zero hesitancy, Gustavo shared his own testimony of faith as he compassionately introduced the man to Jesus Christ. A three hour conversation followed in which the man revealed his name, JM (changed for privacy reasons), and details of his personal life, including the fact that he was a pastor's kid. JM marveled at how Gustavo talked about the grace, love and forgiveness of a God who would leave 99 sheep to pursue the 1 lost sheep. JM explained that throughout his upbringing, even as a pastor's kid, he had never heard God talked about like this but had only ever heard about a god of fear and condemnation. Could this God of love and mercy be real? Could it be true that none are outside His reach? Could this God truly be pursuing, in this very moment, the 1 lost sheep who got away? After three hours, JM went on his way, but not before communicating his desire to change his life. JM offered to introduce Gustavo to three friends who also live the same lifestyle as JM, so they too could hear of Jesus. Gustavo agreed and, just 2 days later, took along one of his newest disciples to share Jesus with these men.
This story took place last Monday. Gustavo and his disciple met with the men 2 days ago, on Wednesday. I haven't yet heard what happened. TO BE CONTINUED... _________________________ As an amazing aside, Gustavo shared with me 1 year ago his desire to reach these lost male prostitutes with the Gospel. Gustavo has been praying for opportunities to share the gospel with men like this since that time. Would you count it coincidence that just such a person would show up on Gustavo's doorstep?
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Torn Between Two Worlds
Christina and I feel torn between 2 worlds. We feel torn between the USA and Argentina. After the lockdown that we went through, it has been freeing to be back stateside. Home doesn't look like it did when we left, so much has changed this year for all of us, but the fact remains - there's no place like home. We are truly grateful to be living in Indiana, and I gotta say, the Hoosiers have been really generous to us, but our hearts often get that ache that only Wisconsin can soothe - family, friends, pristine rolling hills, wide open country roads, melted cheddar on apple pie... We sure do miss all you Badgers! On the flip side, there's something about Argentina that we can't shake, that we don't want to shake. Maybe it's the warm culture of the people who sit with you for hours on end just chatting. Maybe it's being surrounded by once-foreign things now growing in familiarity. Maybe it's the perfectly-crispy baked empandas! Or maybe it's that God is doing something important in Argentina, and we get to be a part of it. So here we sit, torn between continents, between states, between cultures, sometimes wishing that the best of both worlds could exist simultaneously in one awesome little bubble. If only. Analogously, all of this has entrenched deep into our souls this profound truth: the Christian journey is a walk between two worlds - this temporary life, and eternal life in Heaven. Remember, we are not citizens here, we are just passing through. We are not home yet, but we will be soon. The men's small group Nathan is a part of goes weekly to a hospital to feed homeless and sick people. They have dubbed it Samaritan Ministries. Nathan helps cook the meals alongside the other men, most of whom are former addicts, ex cons or former spiritist priests. Every week these men joyfully give of the little they have to pay for this meal for homeless people. The men often sacrifice the only money they have for food for themselves for the day. One week, as a result of this ministry, 6 people made 1st time decisions for Christ! The following week, 5 more people made 1st time decisions for Christ! Two weeks later, we prayed for lady who was at the hospital in critical condition after attempting suicide by prescription pills. God miraculously spared her life from what the doctors were convinced was a certain death situation. The lady's family was there and witnessed this miracle. Over 20 of them made 1st time decisions for Jesus then and there! Two weeks later, the family matriarch reported that her family radically changed that night. They were no longer living in darkness but rather in light!! Please pray for this family as they grow in Christ. Pray also for Ariel who prayed to give his life to Jesus. I have been unable to contact him since then. Pray also for Juan Carlos who gave his life to Jesus, that he would be able to forgive his sister for her decades of manipulation and spiritual abuse against him. Many of these people have been carrying much spiritual baggage that needs to be dealt with and given over to the Lord. They also need a way out of their current situation of living on the street. God is really moving! Please pray with us as we develop a way to continue follow-up and discipleship with these people. If you would like to donate to this hospital ministry contact World Partners at: 260-747-9439 [email protected] In October, we hosted 22 men at our home for a BBQ. Most of the men attend a small group Bible study with Nathan, led by a radical disciple-maker named Gustavo. Most of these men are former drug addicts. Some are still struggling to be free. A couple of the men have been saved by the Grace of God from Umbanda - an occult religion wrought with witchcraft, black/white magic and drug abuse among other dark things. All of these men sat at a table at our home, sharing a meal. They shared testimony of God's saving grace in their lives. They cried together. They embraced one another. They encouraged each other. They worshipped Jesus in spirit and in truth with an out-of-tune guitar and untrained voices singing at the top of their lungs. It was such a beautiful moment and one of the most powerful memories we will hold onto form 2019. Please, pray for these men. Their spiritual battles are very real. This is a great example of our ministry vision here in Argentina - using our home to disciple people TO Christ and IN Christ. We love sitting around a table and sharing life and a good meal with those God would bring us. There are times in life when we see that dreaded storm brewing on the horizon, anticipating the inevitability of facing it in all its rage. Do we dig in and fortify in realistic preparation? Or do we stand tall, clinging to hope to see us through? Can we somehow do both? What if it’s all too much? Well-intentioned people often say, “God will not give you more than you can handle.” I have often found the opposite to be true. I have seen people pass through pains in life that are beyond their ability to handle. The loss of a child, the sudden death of a spouse, the betrayal of someone once trusted, a loved one being slowly lost to disease or dementia, the diagnosis of a terminal illness. Though we may learn to cope, some things even time may not heal. We lose strength. We break. We fall into dark places. We are only human. These pains are felt too profoundly for words. And there’s no value in masking that. No value in dissociation. However, there is a light of hope. Glorious, pure and true. God may give you more than you can handle, But He will never give you more than He can handle. "Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. - Isaiah 40:28-31 Often, the only strength left, is His. If we are to make it through the very real Valley of the Shadow of Death to green pastures, we must allow for hope in Him alone to take us there.
He will face our storms alongside us. He alone must be our hope. I knew it sounded like trouble, but how could I say no to time-trial races on a four-wheeler? Long story short, I wrecked. In slow-motion, I was launched skyward. My legs hit a pine tree which sent me cartwheeling horizontally into the woods - a spinning kaleidoscope, an instant, perspective-enhancing collision course. In April, together with leaders from around the world, I had the opportunity to participate in a month-long, disciple-making training in Keystone, South Dakota. This amazing experience was my perspective-enhancing, spiritual collision course. During this time, God strengthened the foundations of our ministry and enhanced our Kingdom vision "to launch movements of Spirit-transformed disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples." Our vision and direction are clear. Our mission is the Great Commission.
We are eager to get to Belize, get on the mission, and raise up leaders who multiply disciples exponentially. Our new goal is to be fully funded by September 2017. In the meantime, we continue to raise support and make disciples in our current context. If you're not called to be a zealousgo-er, will you consider being a zealous sender and join us in the mission? - Nathan & Christina Duran Let me tell you a story... In 1519 Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés landed in Mexico to begin his infamous conquest of the Aztec empire. After rowing to shore, he sent back several men with secret orders to burn the ships. See, retreat is easy when you have the option, but with one order, Cortes gave his men only one choice: "press on at any cost." Back in August, I could sense the Lord leading me to leave my current job to focus on full-time missions support raising. I finally agreed to the leap of faith... on MY terms. "I'll give it 2 months God, then I'll leave," I said as I justified the need to build a financial safety net first. God had other plans. A week later, I was done. God spoke to me about his plans to usher us into "a season of acceleration," even as it seemed things had come to a screeching halt. He told me to believe for "Belize by January," but all I saw was this mountain of a goal in front of me. However, far be it from me to not believe even when my eyes can't see. In the 2 months since that fateful August day, we've chosen to step back and follow God's lead. And do you know what He's singlehandedly accomplished? In 2 months, we have gone from 8.4% of our support raised... ... to 40% of our support raised! We've gone from a handful of invested partners... ... to 28 individuals and 3 churches! I used to get people raising an incredulous eyebrow at me when I told them "Belize by January." Now, I tell them how far we've come in so short a time, and I get 2 eyebrows raised and sometimes a dropped jaw! See, retreat is easy when you have the option, but with one word, God gave us only one choice: "press on at any cost." Call me slow. Call me stubborn. But now I finally realize that God loves to come through for us when we burn the ships that keep us from believing in faith that He will. So, God... What else can we burn? ;) You can join ministry team either in financial or prayer support, by clicking here:
Christianity has a tendency to surprise the masses. It has influenced the shaping of the world throughout history by the simple act of Christians living out genuine faith.
In modern times, people have grown averse towards habituated Christianity. The common misconception is that routines will rob faith of its vitality. However, habitual Christians show patterns of predictability, accountability and dependability. These qualities are invaluable... so long as they do not become confining. The goal should be to emulate a genuine faith that is predictable in its authenticity yet not confined to a human-defined mold. This way we show our consistency to a turbulent world, while remaining sensitive to responding to the unpredictability of life. Thoughts? Do justice. Love Kindness. Walk humbly with your God."What is God waking you up from?" Our pastor has been asking this question for several weeks now, and it was brought up again in our weekly family group. The replies from our group members ran the gamut from light-hearted to gut-wrenching, but one reply in particular stood out to me. It was simple. It was honest. "I don't really know," she began, "but I do know that I've been struggling with discovering my sense of purpose - a direction for my life." I think when we look down into the core of who we are, all of us have wrestled at some point or other with the question of our purpose. Truth be told, as life ebbs and flows around us, we will most likely return to it in the crux of situations, as we seek out those much-needed answers. In our search for answers, we're often told things like, "Don't worry, you're still young," or "you'll figure it out eventually." True, true, but what do we do in the meantime! After all, it's this sense of purpose that motivates us and drives us toward a satisfying future. It brings meaning in the present moment to our accomplishments and achievements, both large and small, and helps us prioritize our lives. It's no wonder that without this sense of direction we feel like we're captaining a ship without a rudder through stormy seas! Well, firstly, I think there is much comfort to be found in the fact that we are most definitely NOT alone in having felt this way. That feeling of being lost at sea can spring up suddenly during an unexpected life change or creep up slowly as the doldrum of monotony sets in. Secondly, the very fact that we find ourselves asking these questions over and over proves that we have not given up, and trust me, the answers are at hand. They just usually don't show up in the ways we expect. If there's one thing I've learned it's that human tendency is to want a game plan, a life formula that we can see in front of us, make logical sense of in our heads, and proceed methodically. However, the great beauty of life is that God has purposefully designed it to be a fluid thing, ever-changing and largely unpredictable. This makes the act of living something that must be approached not only with the head, but also with the heart. Finding God’s purpose for our lives boils down to something quite simple - the whole thing starts, and ends, with our hearts. Looking through the lens of the paradigm described in Micah 6:8, brings so much clarity. God's answer to the age-old question of purpose, reveals to our hearts the simple truths that allow us to focus on what's truly important. "He has told you, O man, what is good; |
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. Archives
March 2021
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