From the Hole to Holy Ground: What Could be Next for Calvary Moyobamba
Greetings to everyone. Thanks for staying updated with the ministry and my life here in the Amazon jungle. Your prayers, love, and encouragement help keep everything going. I am stoked to share what the Lord has been doing here.
You might find the title strange, but there’s an explanation for it at the end of the newsletter.
The men’s Bible study has turned into a sleepover!
When we started, Calvary Moyobamba had a lot more women than men. 70% of attendance in the church service was women. On some prayer nights, it was just me, one other guy, and 7 women. For those serving, there used to be 3 guys and 10 women. We are thankful for the women that come, but I have been praying for more men to step up and be part of God’s work. One night, we prayed that the Lord would touch more men’s hearts and send them to us. God has answered, and the men have increased. Praise Him!
With this growth, there became an immediate need for discipleship. So I started a men’s Bible study at my apartment on Saturday mornings. For the past 9 weeks, we have been eating breakfast together and spending time in the book of 1 Samuel studying what heart God desires in a man. My plan was to meet for about an hour and a half to be considerate of everyone’s schedules. But the men are hungry for more than just sandwiches, sausage, and doughnuts! They love hanging out, and are usually here from 8 am to 11:30 am.
Well, even 3.5 hours isn’t enough! One day, three of them individually asked me if they could stay the night. I think it was planned. At first I was hesitant because I usually use that time on Fridays nights to study. After contemplating, I gladly gave in. Lo and behold, 4 more guys from the group found out and asked me if they could stay over too. There ended up being 7 of us sharing 6 mattresses that night! Through our time together, godly friendships are forming and conversations about God’s Word are getting deeper.
Leonardo (in the red shirt above) drives 30 minutes to come to our group. He asks a lot of quality questions and will be baptized at the end of April. Angel (in the blue shirt) felt convicted not to work on Saturdays in order to come to the group. He is very hungry for God’s Word and takes it seriously.
I believe the Lord is doing something very special among these men. Please keep these guys in prayer for continual desire for God’s Word and constant commitment to His purpose in our church.
Here come the kids!
As a church we want to be involved in the community and share Jesus with everyone in Moyobamba. This year we have done an outreach about every 2 months. So far we have done a soccer tournament, a cookout at the coliseum, and our most recent was a “festival de niños”.
The festival was challenging for me at first, because I wasn’t in charge nor heavily active like I normally am. This is GOOD, because it’s important to let others handle some larger responsibilities and grow. Axely, a young woman from our church led it. She did a fantastic job with communication, putting the schedule together, and ability to plug the 20 volunteers from our church into different roles.
Through this event we were able to minister to approximately 70 little ones, who were full of excitement and energy. Eros, a young man from our church (pictured above with the microphone) did a great job teaching about looking to Jesus when there are storms in our lives.
Our next project will be delivering wheelchairs to people in need at the end of May. This will be a great way to reach people who often don’t get ministered here in Moyobamba.
Hang out at church property
In September, Calvary Moyobamba bought land. Our first project was building a storage unit, thanks to a missions teams from Calvary Star Idaho and Calvary Trujillo. In addition to the construction, they also helped develop a nice section of grass that is filling out. The plan for now is to use the land for fellowship through events like bonfire worship nights, volleyball, and lunch after church service. Future plans for the land are to build a Bible training center, with a classroom, kitchen, and dorms so that we can equip and send out Pastors and teams.
Thank you to those who help support Calvary Moyobamba financially. It has helped tremendously with the cost and our ability to keep going as God leads.
A hopeful transition
In the last few months, the amount of people coming to Sunday services at Calvary Moyobamba has doubled. The rows of chairs are full of people (as you can see in the picture above), and we need more space.
An opportunity has arisen for us to potentially move into a new church home. There is a building called “El hueco”(“the hole” in English) that used to be an old disco club. The business closed several years ago and has been run down. Homeless people live in it. The building has twice the amount of space and is in a good location.
I know the owner personally. We once prayed for his leg that was broken. It has been close to unusable for years. Since praying, he has been able to walk short distances with a cane, which is great progress!
Please pray for favor for us in the owners eyes, a fair contract, and a smooth transition into “el hueco” if it’s God’s will.
Some of the guys from the Calvary Moyobamba soccer team.
Angel, Leonardo and I at the kids festival
Posing for a picture at Bible study
The church sign hanging by one pole! I believe it was a result of a recent tremor and high winds.
My friends Nate and Jenni visited me.
Praise reports
1. God is raising up men in Moyobamba
2. Axely, Eros, and those serving are doing a great job
3. The church is growing
Prayer requests
1. That the people who receive the wheelchairs know Jesus and connect with us at church.
2. For the men to stay strong in God and His ways.
3. Financial support for the ministry
4. God’s guidance and blessing for a new church building.
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