It's is so awesome to see what God does, how He does it, and through whom! Here is pictured an entire family that has come to hear the Word of God and now has a weekly Bible Study in their home, all because of one student that God has radically touched. 

earlier this year I received a phone call from another missionary couple, Mick and Jean Heckinger (pictured on the far right) that had moved here from the Nashville area and through a series of fortunate events somehow wound up with my phone number. Mick and Jean are functioning in a support roll and have a Bible teaching ministry. Recently Mick called me and told of a young man, Gustavo (the one with the towel around his neck) who works in a local bread shop. He told me of how Gustavo had been coming to his Bible studies and had just given his life to the Lord. Then, Mick went on to explain that he was going out of town for several weeks and didn't want to leave Gustavo unattended as a baby believer and that he also felt that our congregation would be a great fit for Gustavo.

 So I gladly took this young believer in and we began to meet weekly for one on one discipleship bible studies and after about 2 weeks he began to ask me to go to his grandmothers house to do a Bible study with his family. To be completely honest, I was somewhat reluctant at first because of my already busy schedule and full plate of responsibilities, but I felt a peace from God to go so I went. 16 PEOPLE showed up! And they were hungry for the things of God, so I told them we'd go back the next week, 16 PEOPLE AGAIN! So, we've established a weekly Bible study there and we're seeing an average of 14 previously unreached people on a weekly basis. When we started this, Gustavo hadn't even been baptized yet! It just goes to show you how God can and will use you if you are willing to be used, He's not looking to call qualified vessels, He qualifies the called vessels!

Well, I'm sure that there was a party in heaven last week because on Sunday Morning in our small, but blessed, Kiddie pool Gustavo followed the Lord in believers baptism. It was a joy to see many from his family there. Gustavo has had to deal with some level of persecution for his faith, his own mother refused to go and told him she didn't agree with his life's turn, to that he replied, "Mom I love you and want you there, but if you aren't going to go and support me, then I still must follow Christ"!!!!

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings He has established strength! (Psalm 8:2)

Thanks for standing together with us!

 

Well, a lot's been going on lately. I've been sitting and restructuring some things now that Carolina and I are the only full time missionaries with this church plant here in Venezuela. All in all I think it's been very positive. Here are a few bullet points:

* We just started a new outreach Bible study on the campus of URBE with 3 students. (we're believing for serious growth over the next 3 months)

* We are in the process of planting a new Friday night outreach Bible study in the house of some up and coming leaders.

* This past week, One of our leaders that works for the Government started an outreach Bible study in her office with 8 co-workers.

* The President of Venezuela kicked out the US ambassador. I'm still not sure what, if anything, that means to us.

* Our Sunday AM meetings continue to grow, 3 months ago we were averaging between 25-30, now we are averaging between 35-40. Our larger circle of who's being reached out to continues to grow. Jesus said that the harvest is plentiful, so we must pray for laborers

* Football started! American football is like chess, except the pawns weight 300 lbs of muscle and can crush the living daylights out of the king! Gotta love it.

* It's now Christmas time in Maracaibo! since we're in the "bers" (SeptemBER, OctoBER...), Some businesses are now putting up their Christmas trees and decorations! It's a little funny since it's about 95 degrees, EVERYDAY!

* Two months till election time, both in the US and Venezuela. PRAY PRAY PRAY!

 

It was two years ago this month that Carolina, Caleb and I moved to Venezuela with one other family Luis and Pati Azañero (little Esteban was still in the tummy). Originally we planned on bringing a team of over 20 people. The Azañeros along with us were to be the first installment and then two months later some of the rest of the team was to begin trickling in. Well, all for different reasons, the rest of the team never got here. That left Luis and I primarily starting from scratch.

We didn't know anyone and We didn't know how to get anywhere but we were convinced that God was ready to start something here in Maracaibo. So, we officially began our outreach in February of 2007. Thirty people came to our first outreach just before valentines day. It was a "dressy casual" coffee break styled event we called "Lovers and Friends, the true romance". From those first contacts about 5 began to regularly attend a weekly Bible study on Sunday nights.

Since that time we've seen several give their lives to Christ including two entire families. We've baptized and taught on making disciples and just two weekends ago we conducted our first "Victory Weekend" here in Venezuela.

After a year and a half of outreach we now average about 30 people in our Sunday Morning Bible Studies, around 10 in a Thursday night Bible study, 6 in a Tuesday night Bible study and several one on one discipleship meetings. All in all we're reaching out to around 70 people. The most exiting thing to see for me is that now the first converts are becoming leaders and the real force of outreach. This is good and it's necessary because after giving 2 years of their lives to go to a country they'd never even seen Luis and Pati were willing to leave everything they knew to take the gospel to a needy people. They even had their firstborn child on the Venezuelan mission field.

After two years of faithful and courageous service Luis and Pati feel that God is leading them back to Peru to be missionaries in their own land. I am forever grateful for the tremendous sacrifice they made to help extend the Kingdom of God here and they will always have a place here in Venezuela.

Please pray for them as they begin their new life in Lima, Peru and please pray for us that the Lord will raise up many like Luis to take the work to the next level.

We are believing for Pepe Selem and his lovely family to be able to join us here early next year to bring a much needed gift of evangelism. Please pray that everything will line up for them to be able to come here unhindered.

 

This weekend we conducted our first ever Venezuelan Victory Weekend.

Victory Weekend is part of our discipleship process where we take new believers and help them become more established in the Church, in the Word and in the Faith. The day and a half retreat focuses on the victory that we have in Christ. We cover several things including what actually happened on the Cross, Baptism, breaking strongholds and patterns of sin in our life, what is the church and how to reach out to our family, friends and co-workers. Basically, Christ said He came to set the captive free, so in a nutshell, it's about freedom.

The book of acts talks about people and "their whole house" being saved. We had the privilege of baptizing an entire family for the second time here in Venezuela! The Guedez family came to visit our Bible Studies after the eldest son Oscar, Jr. began to change after several weeks in our bible study. His mom (Dora) said, she knew something was going on when he got so excited about buying a new Bible. (Note to parents: when you college student wants to go buy a bible instead of the drugs or alcohol they used to buy, it's a good thing!)

 

So, Oscar, Jr. brought his dad Oscar, Sr., his mom, Dora and his little brother Jeison. The entire family has  been assisting now for several months and in a public declaration of faith yesterday confessed Christ as Lord of their heart and master of their lives! (Rom 10:9-10)

Here's a few pics of the weekend.

 

In my last blog, I explained how after looking all over the city to find a new apartment, we finally settled on a place that was nice but VERY SMALL (about 800 sq.ft. or 75 sq.meters). that's ok except we have furnishings for a 1400 sq ft. place. So where would we put all the stuff that doesn't fit? And, there also were NO cabinets in the kitchen (not one), and almost no closet space. It was going to be like playing tetris in real life, and then there's the issue about where we would have our Bible studies on Sunday mornings, you see, we've been using the party room here in our building. So, we submitted the thing to God and told Him "We know you will help us work it out".

Well...He worked it out! Last night, another apartment became available right here in our very building! Same size we've got now, same price we would've paid for the little place, Hallelujah!

I leap for joy! We should be in our new place within the next two weeks. 

Well we've known for some time that we were moving into a new apartment. We thought it was to a unit across the hall on the same floor. It was a guaranteed deal. We have to move by the middle of August because the owner of our current pad is returning to this city to live. Well, last Sunday we were informed that the apartment we've been counting on will not be available for at least 3 more months!

So, Carolina and I set out for the impossible: find an available (and decent) apartment by August. I believe in miracles and we got one. In one days time we were able to find 6 places that were available, the only thing is that every one of them had pros and con's. After praying about everything we finally settled on a nice little place that's in a safe area, but we're sacrificing size. A LOT OF SIZE.

 

Pros: good area. by the lake. safe.

Cons: small. small. small.

We're moving out of a 1400 sq. ft. apartment (which I never thought of as big in the first place) into a 800 sq. ft. apartment. So it's a good thing I believe in miracles because we're going to need one. ha ha. One thing that's really going to help is that Carolina's mom has a spare bedroom at her place that we can use to store whatever won't fit in the new place.

(for those extremely concerned the picture above is NOT the actual place, it was placed there for comical purposes)

We believe that God has called us to go into some of the "uttermost parts" of the world. We also believe that He is calling people to partner with us to see the Kingdom of God spread into the very cultures of the world.

Rom 10:13-15
For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!"
NKJV

Well, after 3 weeks in the USA, I'm back in the "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela"!

It was rough to not see Carolina or Caleb for 3 weeks, but they were more than happy at the "goodies" I brought back from the "empire".

Yesterday, my car died in the middle of the road. I had to get it towed to the house and couldn't think of what could cause everything to just die. No air, no radio, no transmission, no horn, NO NOTHING!

So, I raised the hood and started poking and looking around. I'm not sure what I was looking for but the manly thing is to look under the hood, so I decided to look. I checked the oil. It was fine. I checked the water level, fine. battery was connected good but seemed totally drained. transmission fluid fine. Well, that's about how much I know about toyota motors, until I just happen to notice a small cable with 3 little prongs hanging...and then I noticed a 3 pronged insertion point on the alternator, so I plugged it in. Car worked perfectly.

WOW! it's amazing how one seemingly small thing being disconnected affected the whole car. You see, the alternator is what charges the battery, so at first I was running on yesterdays power but soon that ran out and it left the entire car powerless.

 I think that's how it is with my daily time with the Lord. I minister to a lot of Christians that struggle in their faith. Many times when I ask them about their daily time in the Word and prayer, they say it's inconsistent at best. Well, that's really not a "shocker" because Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom 10:17). You see, Faith begins where the will of God is known. Faith is not wishful thinking. Faith is not hope. Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen (Heb 11:1). But how will you believe in faith if the meditation of your heart is on the problem and not the Word.

If you have a faith problem, you have a Word problem. If you have a Word problem, you have an obedience problem. The Bible to tells us to study to show ourselves approved, a worker rightly dividing the Word of truth (2Tim 2:15). We are to hide God's word in our heart to avoid sin (Psalm 119:9-11), treasure the word, engraft it in our hearts, plant it which can save our souls. (James 1:21). Is it always easy? Nope, that's why it's called a "fight of Faith". Is it worth it? Yep, that's why it's called the "GOOD fight of faith" (1 Tim 6:12). Ask any man, and he'll tell you the only "good" fight is the one you win. We get to win.

How great is our God that has provided all we need for life and godliness! Gotta stay plugged in though or the ole battery will just start to sputter and eventually quit.

 

Happy 4th of July!!!

What a great time for me to be here in the US! I love Independence day! I love the bbq, the pool, the fireworks! I even enjoy putting on my "once a year" semi-dorky american flag shirt.

This may be the first time in Michelle Obama's life that she's proud of her country, but after living abroad now for several years, I couldn't be more grateful to God for this nation. Does she have her problems? ABSOLUTELY. However, this country still has many redeeming qualities. For me, the number one thing about this nation is AMONG CHRISTIANS, the heart of Christian service. WHAT!? That's right, this is not a blog about Hollywood or pop music, the Word of God says:

2 Chron 7:14
if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
NKJV

I know there's issues in the church, but the US is still are the number one mission sending nation in the world! (Our beloved brothers in China are quickly catching us).

I also love the "melting pot" that is the US. Where people from all ethnicity's can come and call home. Our churches should be this way also.

 

By the way, "Homeland, Socialsim or Death" is the motto of the socialist party in Venezuela. I prefer "Homeland, Liberty and Life".

Well, I've been in the US for the last couple of weeks and I've one more week to go. I have truly enjoyed my time here riding motorcycles with my dad, watching movies that wont come out in Venezuela for another 6 months, eating all the super fat saturated foods of my beloved country, visiting family and friends and (the main reason I came) doing some much needed partnership development, BUT NOW I'm ready to get back to Venezuela to see my beautiful wife and son.

 

I've been pondering something. Why is it that in most of the world and ESPECIALLY here in Venezuela, you see people excited about mothers day but when fathers day comes along, the same people say things like "oh, it's fathers day? ... um...oh...ok"

I believe it's because many fathers haven't "fathered" their children.

I believe that fathers have a very powerful position with their children. But any truly great power can also be a huge liability if not used correctly.

On this day, we should honor our fathers. Yes, even if they were total jerks. We don't have to want to be around that type of behaviour but we can forgive them, pray for them and believe that the next generation will not be that way. For those of us who are fathers, then we should honor the position God gave us and understand that in a way we are representatives of God to our children.

I have been very blessed to have a great dad. I think the greatest lesson he taught me was when I was 17 years old, just after he had to give me some loving correction. We were on our way to a ballgame but I was still a little irritated that I had been corrected. At some point in the conversation he told me "Josh, I want to be your buddy, but before God, I am your father first".

He understood the charge God had given him to raise me in a right way, not necessarily a "feel-good" way, nor a "give him his way" way. but in a GODLY WAY.

Father's define their children. They give affirmation, security, instruction, impartation and relationship. As I reflect on these truths I think it appropriate to quote my own father by stating that "discipleship is parenting and parenting is discipleship".  

THANKS DAD FOR BEING A FATHER FIRST, BECAUSE NOW YOU ARE DEFINITELY A GREAT FRIEND.

 

In the last few months we've seen God really come into the lives of several individuals, but there's one family in particular that God has really moved in and through.

Erwin, the first fruits of this ministry, began to invite his friends and contacts about a year ago. One professional friend of Erwins, Erick, came to our Bible Study about 7 months ago. After a short time we began to have a small group discipleship time in his office and he gave his life to the Lord. Almost immediatly he began to pray for his family. God answers prayers like that. We started a weekly Bible Study in Ericks house and In the last 3 months God has totally revolutionized his entire family. Now, the entire household has a morning devotional together and yesterday we had a family baptism.

Acts 16:31
1 So they said,"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."
NKJV

 

In preparation for a University outreach that we had last week covering the topic of Love, Sex and Dating, we've been doing some surveys. These surveys were very simple and were designed to help us get into the minds of the students here. 

One of the most shocking results were that when asked "Do you believe that marriage should be for life?", 50% said NO. They don't even believe that it "SHOULD BE" for life. So, my follow up question was "Then until when should it be?". Most responded, "Until the love runs out". One clever girl told me "Marriage should be set up on a 3 year renewable contract"!

Another question we had was:

"In your opinion what is the most important ingredient in a love relationship?

Unconditional Love, Honesty, Trust, Commitment or Sex

Trust was the #1` answer closely followed by honesty then sex.Only one person said unconditional love and NO ONE said commitment.

IS IT ANY WONDER WHY RELATIONSHIPS ARE FALLING APART AT THE SEEMS?

You have an entire generation that enter marriage thinking "if this doesn't work out, I'll just move on to something else" and Commitment is not even part of the equation! So after a couple of years when they don't "feel" the love anymore, they're gone.

When a woman gives birth to a child, what is the MOST important part of that relationship? Unconditional love and commitment! There's nothing to be honest about. There's no trust established.

I dare say that commitment is #1 closely followed by unconditional love, but we need the correct definition of LOVE.

1 Cor 13 gives a pretty good one. It's interesting to me that the greeks had various different words for love. agapê (love, charity), philia (friendship, love), storgê (natural affection) and Eros (erotic, sex, euphoria). Eros never appears at all in the new testament and only once in the septuagint in Prov 7:18 (it's not a very good reference either). But Hollywood and the music industry have taught us that the emotional euphoria is what true love is. The "Jerry McGuire's 'You complete me'" love. The problem with that love is Jerry probably found a new secretary to "complete him" after a few years.

As we take the message of Salvation to the campus, it just becomes even more evident that Jesus' command was to go and make disciples, TEACHING them to observe all He commanded us. This is critical because someone can give their heart to the Lord and renounce their sin, but we still need a paradigm shift.

Rom 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
NKJV

When you set out to spend more time with God, or prioritize time with your spouse or pay off the debt from last Christmas or lose those ten pounds from two Christmases ago, do you feel like Indiana Jones, jumping over dangerous pits, ducking just to keep your head and Your not sure at the end if you'll reach your goal.

Ok, I'm writing this for all the people like me who are recovering laziholics who at one time or another tried to justify and victimize themselves for their current non-desirable position instead of trying to change it to be victorious. You see, you can't have a victim's attitude and a victors attitude at the same time. So, choose...for those who want to see some steps that have helped me read on.

 

1. Identify the goal.

      This seems like a no-brainer but unless you want to be like Matthew Emmons who lost the gold medal in rifle shooting because he shot the wrong target then I suggest following your high school coaches advice and "keep your eye on the ball". Write it down. A friend of mine once pointed out that even subjective goals can be described, and if they can be described, they just became more tangible.

2. Faith

George Michaels never sang truer words than when he said "you gotta have faith". If you don't believe you can achieve something, you wont.

 Faith says "I believe I can do it"

3. Determination

This is the gritty decision to do it no matter what the cost.

Determination says "I WILL DO IT"

(Desire is part of this but doesn't merit its own place because desire says "I would like to have it" sometimes we have goals that we need to accomplish but maybe desire isn't the biggest factor so I'm including it here under determination.)

4. Develope your plan/strategy/priorities

goal: get from A to B. Strategy: this is how I will get there...

plan you work, work your plan.

5. Accountability

Have measurable goals & write them down. Determine what are the mile markers along the way so you can see if you're progressing, standing still or backing up.

6. Sacrifice

the greater the goal, the greater the price.

Dave Ramsey says, "we live like no one else, so that later we can live like NO ONE else"

this principle works for everything from losing weight to getting your finances in order to organizing your time to making decisions about your childrens education.

7. Kill the sacred cow

Be willing to always revisit what you're doing, and how that's working out for you. If you don't like the results, then it may be time to plan a different type of approach.

When I used to prepare for a competition either in Karate or Bodybuilding, I would start about 3-4 months before the competition and have a goal in mind, then develope a basic strategy to get there but several times along the way I would have to re-adjust in order to see greater results.

8. CONSISTENCY

I saved this one for last because, it's the most important. STAY CONSISTENT. Remember the story of the tortise and the hare?

You must have funnel vision, in other words everything works toward your goal.

For example, If my goal is to save X amount of dollars this year, it's not enough to just open a savings account, I need to remember my goal at lunch time when my choices are the tuna sandwich I brought or that double whopper with cheese (that costs 3 times the price of tuna and I get to where it on my waist for a couple of months.)

The secret to weight loss is, THERE IS NO SECRET TO WEIGHT LOSS! It's about choices, the little ones everyday.

Do I give myself little breaks from my plan? Do I give myself excuses to not hit the track or walking trail? If I can't workout for a whole hour do I go ahead and do what I can or just do nothing? Do I rationalize that there are others that are worse than me?

The secret to saving more is, THERE IS NO SECRET TO SAVING MORE! it's about choices, the little ones everyday.

Do I eat out everyday instead of packing my lunch? Do I have to get the $4 starbucks coffee or can I make on Maxwell House? Do I purchase the most expensive brands in the supermarket?

The secret to having time to read your Bible everyday is, THERE IS NO SECRET TO HAVING TIME TO READ YOUR BIBLE EVERYDAY! it's about choices, the little ones everyday.

Do I sleep another hour? Do I watch the morning news with my coffee? Do I have a Bible at work?

These little choices all put together is what makes you consistent or not.

Song 2:15
Catch the foxes for us,
The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards,
While our vineyards are in blossom."
NASB

 

As we continue in our "How to win in life" series, last week was especially great because Pastor Robert Haynes came and taught on managing money and personal finance.

We had a good group and I was excited to see that we not only were helping teach Godly principles to those already with us, but we also picked up a few newbys!

Here's a few highlights:

Josh 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
NKJV

Notice who makes one prosperous, God says it's us when we abide by his principles. a principle is like a spiritual law of nature. For example, gravity is a fact. It's irrelevant if you like it or believe in it or not, it still is a force acting upon us all the time. Gods financial principles are the same and this first one says we can make our way prosperous by observing and DOING all that the word of God tells us to do.

So what are principles in the Word of God for finance?

1. Hard work - Proverbs 10:4

2. Fear of the Lord and Wisdom - Proverbs 22:4

3. Honoring God with your possessions - Prov 3:9-10

4. Initiative - Prov 6:6-11

5. Don't Cosign - Prov. 6:1-5

6. Honesty - Prov. 13:11

7. Don't do debt - Prov. 22:7

8. Put God first - Matt 6:33

9. Saving/Investing - Prov. 21:20; Prov. 31:16; Prov. 13:22

 

This is not an exhaustive list of the things covered or taught, but if we fully impliment these few, I believe we would see extreme blessings come our way.

Sort of reminds me of a professional athlete who said, "The more I practise, the luckier I get"

 

a short video that shows the need for the Gospel in Latin America. We also present what we believe to the only solution, not only for the souls of the people but also the salvation of the culture. May God's Kingdom come to Latin America as it is in heaven.

I know this blog about mothers is about 2 days late. But that means it's RIGHT ON TIME here in Venezuela! (we have our own time-table, in case you haven't read).

I just want to say how thankful I am to God for mothers.

My mom was a doctor, psycologist, taxi driver, chef, maid, manager, coach, cheerleader, punisher, lawyer, ambassador, queen, police, private eye, bounty hunter, plea bargainer, administrator, educator, pastor, and so much more. (this pic is me and mom, a few years ago)

CNN had a little blerb the other day that said the "stay at home mom" if she were to be paid for all the funcions she fulfills would make over $100k a year.

I would also like to say how thankful I am to my mother for all she taught me:

1. My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION...

"Just wait until your father gets home."

2. My Mother taught me about RECEIVING....

"You are going to get it when we get home!"

3. My Mother taught me to MEET A CHALLENGE...

"What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you! Don't talk back to me!"

4. My Mother taught me LOGIC...

"If you fall out off that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

5. My Mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE...

"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

6. My Mother taught me to THINK AHEAD...

"If you don't pass your spelling test, you'll never get a good job."

7. My Mother taught me HUMOR...

"When that lawn mower cuts off your feet, don't come running to me."

8. My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT...

"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

9. My Mother taught me about GENETICS...

"You're just like your father."

10. My Mother taught me about my ROOTS...

"Do you think you were born in a barn?"

 11. My Mother taught me about WISDOM OF AGE...

"When you get to be my age, you will understand."

And last but not least...

12. My Mother taught me about JUSTICE...

"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you....Then you'll see what it's like!"

 

Erick (pictured on the left) came to know the Lord about 6 months ago. Soon afterwards he began to pray and believe for his family. This is a brief story about how God has opened up his "household".

I met Erick's father, mother and brother Leo in December. Erick's dad, Aristides, had just had his 3rd heart attack and was about to undergo an open heart surgery. Erick asked me to come pray for his father and share with his family. In that Hospital room as I shared a with them and prayed and I remember how I felt so sure that God would allow us to see his family changed. A few weeks after that we started a bible study in his house. All Erick's family attended. All but Aristides, in fact at times I felt our presence was annoying to him.

As a result of this outreach, Erick's mother, his cousin, one brother, and a friend have now professed Christ as Lord of their lives!  (There are several more he is bringing that I believe will also decide to follow Christ including a co-worker, a neighbor and a waiter.) It seemed as though God was moving through all but his father.

One Tuesday morning in a prayer meeting Erick tearfully began to petition heaven for his father. THAT SAME NIGHT Erick's dad sat down and conversed with us for over an hour! After that He would come in and out of our Bible studies and I could tell he was listening. In one of our recent Bible studies I remember him coming in  and out as I was sharing how to know for sure you are saved. I explained what it means to surrender your life to God. Erick and his brother have reported to me that since that day their father was different.

Well, about three weeks ago he woke up early one morning, around 5am, and found Erick in his quiet time with the Lord. Aristides asked Erick what he was doing and was shocked when Erick told him "I get up early everyday to spend time with my Lord, dad". Erick reports that his dad seemed very positive and pleased.The next week, Erick reports that his dad got up at 5am every day to pray and seek God!

Saturday morning of that same week he went shopping with his wife and returning to the house, one minute he was joking with the taxi driver and the next minute, he was in full cardiac arrest. Even though the hospital was only a two minute drive by the time that they got him there, he had already passed into eternity.

I know that God is good. I know that whatever we ask for according to His will He hears us. I know He’s not willing that any should perish. I know He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Therefore, I believe that I will see Aristides Iriarte again in the presence of God. One thing I know is that Eternity is before every man and every woman. time is limited, don't sit around and wait on things to happen to you. Go. Do. Pray. Invite. Preach. Reach. Seek.

You see, this was a man who had gone through a stroke, three heart attacks and the doctors didn't know why he was still walking around. I believe God gave him enough time to hear the Word. I think we all are living on borrowed time. Are we using it rightly?

It is amazing to see how God has moved into this entire family by His mercy and grace.