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Verbo Ministries today is a family of nearly 100 congregations, schools and relief and development works in Europe and the Americas. A little over 30 years ago it was merely a tentative plan in the hearts of some young members of CaliforniaÂ’s Gospel Outreach churches.

The huge human needs generated by the 1976 Guatemala earthquake spurred us to make the plan a reality. Within two months the team was on site building houses. Since then raising up churches and rebuilding societies has been our main direction.

We Thank You

We are grateful to all who have stood by us in prayer and financial support over the years. We are grateful that God has used us to be a strong positive influence in Latin countries. But what thrills us now is the amazing number of opportunities that are opening everywhere we turn:

Our fully accredited Universidad Panamericana is working with Guatemalan government and European Union programs to raise the technical skills of teachers and legal judges, and is beginning extension programs in rural areas where even secondary education is scare. Soon we will start virtual classrooms so that professors in the capital can directly communicated via internet streaming video with students in classes even in remote areas of Guatemala where even grade school education is a luxury.

Strong Businesses Are Crucial

In order to strengthen the business communities in Central America we are collaborating with Strategic Christian Services of Santa Rosa, CA, to train businessmen, politicians and professionals how to apply the principles and world view of the Kingdom of God in the marketplace.

This is because part of the answer to the tidal wave of illegal immigration to First World countries and the concurrent abandonment of wives and children is to promote godly private enterprises in developing nations. When people have the option to prosper in their own countries, they arenÂ’t prone to abandon family and friends for green economic pastures elsewhere.

Families Find Help

And everywhere our churches promote individual counseling and marriage and child-rearing courses in order to stabilize families against the onslaught of rapid social changes fueled by illegal immigration, violence, unbridled drug trafficking and the elimination of traditional means of employment.

The breakdown is of such intensity that our orphanages in Nicaragua and Guatemala donÂ’t have space or funds to meet the needs of all orphans and abandoned and abused children who need immediate help. As sufficient funds come in we will expand these child-saving efforts and also provide teens with technical and business leadership schools. But perhaps the biggest opportunities are with young people. WeÂ’re building strong teen and young adult groups in our churches as well as training many young people in leadership skills both for church and secular work.

Opportunities Abound

In Guatemala two regular events help teens and young adults develop identities as citizens of the Kingdom of God. High Risk Mission joins music, extreme sports, fashion shows, athletic competitions and multimedia teachings into a three-day event that shows that Jesus relevant to the youth culture. The other, Leadership Summit, draws our youth leaders from all over the country to a three-day equipping conference.

Clearly all we need to do—all the opportunities before us—are beyond our capacity. We are confident of two things: First, we are able to do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us. Second, you will continue to labor with us in prayer and giving as part of your personal involvement in manifesting the Kingdom with us.

You may even be called to serve with us in foreign fields. The needs are great, but the great harvest is ripe! At whatever level God calls you, we thank you in advance for your involvement!

We are now moving into Verbo’s 32nd year of ministry in Latin America and our 26th in Nicaragua. None of our small initial group could have imagined in 1976 the plans the Lord had for us. Curiously, this same year is now considered by missions theologians as Latin America’s spiritual turning point—the beginning of the massive acceptance of the solidly Biblical evangelical faith.

Our ‘launch’ into Hispanic ministry was founded on a firm conviction of the need to spread the ‘good news’ and on a concern for the pain brought upon the Guatemalan people by an extremely destructive earthquake.

Theologically, we were all rather immature. I had only been a Christian for two years. I was  28 years old when we arrived in Guatemala. Our team’s commitment and vision were probably about 90% zeal, and 10% understanding. Yet the Lord accompanied us.

Sickness,  homelessness, the loss of loved ones and social disorientation engulfed the nation in the earthquake’s aftermath. We participated in the construction of thousands of homes, numbers of schools, medical clinics and provided manpower at many food and clothing distribution points.

Our practical expression of the gospel earned us respect at many levels of Guatemalan society. Faith made real by works simply made sense to everyone. The genuine power of God’s Word was being carried by the Spirit’s wind over the fertile soil of the Latin Cultures.

With that impetus, I led a Verbo team made up of Guatemalan and American volunteers to Nicaragua in 1980, just a few months after a great earthquake of another sort: the Sandinista takeover.

During the 70’s and 80’s Liberation Theology with its communistic interpretation of the Bible rooted itself in much of the Hispanic world, especially Nicaragua. Meanwhile, Marxist cell groups capitalized on the propaganda value of historically undeniable wrongdoings that the developed world had thrust upon Latin America. These were the foundation stones for the Sandinista Revolution. My problem? To discover a proper and intelligible Christian response.

Nicaragua’s and other Latin nations’ pervasive poverty were traceable to the lack of the practice of Christian values. The generational inheritances of the spiritual, economic and social paralysis was being passed from fathers to sons demanded Biblical solutions. As we lived and ministered the Gospel with an emphasis on social works, opposition grew to proportions we never imagined.

Because I was an American pastor working in the midst of this Sandinista socialist experiment, government security officials were instructed to keep a close eye on Verbo. Meanwhile, both sides of the escalating civil war between the government and the Contra revolutionaries targeted churches for propaganda advantages and persecution.

I was frequently called in for questioning by the Ministry of Justice. One day a newspaper referring to our neighborhood evangelism appeared with the warning that wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing (our church) were threatening the nation.

Finally we realized that the threat the Sandinistas encountered in us was that we were actually practicing what the Bible teaches, which is truly and powerfully revolutionary to the transformation of societies. In all of this we were forced (blessed) to clarify and define our commitment to Jesus.

The surprising Sandinista ouster through the 1990 the national elections did not resolve Nicaragua’s problems. This country continues to be ranked the second poorest in the hemisphere. Endemic political corruption has slowed the nation’s advancement on the road to development. Cocaine traffickers are common on both seaboards of the country. Money launderers have found ample opportunity here. Korean and Taiwanese textile plant owners, recently lured by cheap labor, are offering thousands of jobs but with very limited lasting benefits.

The end result will probably be the continued historical enrichment of the wealthy class at the expense of the impoverished masses—the same factors that gave rise to the Sandinista resistance in the first place.  This may be a partial answer to why former Sandinista President Daniel Ortega is the chief executive again after a 17-year attempt at democracy under more traditional governments.

Verbo NicaÂ’s Goal: Be Agent's of God's Blessing

Myra and I simply desire to spend our lives establishing God’s Kingdom. There is no other solution that will break the curse of the war of the classes. The love our Father requires from us for our neighbors was modeled through Christ’s love when he sacrificed himself on the cross for humanity’s liberation. This love, made real in his followers, is the only answer for the disastrous tendencies in the world today.

Our prayers rise to the heavenlies that Nicaragua might provide a model of His love for every area of life. As a seed sown amongst the tares, the nation could typify a solution to the problems of the developing world. The Church must address the fallacies of the tantalizing philosophies and false hopes so bantered across the electronic airwaves, and offer Biblically based solutions, not mere statements. Through faith and works she will “tear down every stronghold and defeat every argument”. This is our commitment.

Verbo is a young ministry. By the Lord’s kindness we hope to offer our contribution for the preparation of His magnificent bride. Her linen is to be the good works that our Heavenly Father has prepared beforehand that we might simply walk in them.

Walking in the love of the Lord is both the call and the daily challenge to us all. Worship, honest and easily understandable Biblical exposition, small groups for study and fellowship, and ministry to the needs of the nation are the seed beds for the growth of our work.

Our enjoyment and much of the revelation we receive are found in the ever deepening fellowship that He has given us in the communion of saints. Join us in prayer that the Lord might use Verbo Christian Ministries, and particularly this growing work in Nicaragua, in a glorious way as we seek to do his good pleasure and become bountiful in his harvest. And as the Lord leads, please give generously to promote the expansion of this work of God.

Ante el riesgo de una alarma, creo que el gran reto a la cristiandad, hoy en día, aparte de la fe, son los militantes del islam. Esta no es sólo una religión, sino que un sistema basado históricamente en una violenta expansión.

Necesitamos NOSOTROS desarrollar programas para combatir el Islam? No, pero debemos estar alertas de que un sistema de confrontación contrario a nuestro entendimiento básico de lo que es Dios, Su misericordia y Su plan de redención para el hombre, se está introduciendo a las naciones, dejando muerte e intolerancia como huella.

Los planes ministeriales se expanden a Africa y Asia

SI! JESUS CAMBIARÁ AL MUNDO MUSULMAN

Por: James Jankowiak

Director General Ministerios Verbo

Ante el riesgo de una alarma, creo que el gran reto a la cristiandad, hoy en día, aparte de la fe, son los militantes del islam. Esta no es sólo una religión, sino que un sistema basado históricamente en una violenta expansión.

Necesitamos NOSOTROS desarrollar programas para combatir el Islam? No, pero debemos estar alertas de que un sistema de confrontación contrario a nuestro entendimiento básico de lo que es Dios, Su misericordia y Su plan de redención para el hombre, se está introduciendo a las naciones, dejando muerte e intolerancia como huella.

Si esto suena como algo no probable, lea los periódicos y vea en internet sobre esta violenta expansión en Africa, Este Medio, India, Indonesia, entre otros países.

Estoy conciente que en nombre de la cristiandad, ha habido y continúa dándose una violencia excesiva, pero el hecho es que en lugares como los Balcanes o el Norte de Irlanda, los asuntos que se dan no son realmente respecto a religión, sino respecto a etnias y política. La cristiandad, como fé, es la manifestación de la salvación, misericordia y paz de nuestro Dios quien es amor. El no tiene absolutamente nada que ver con las fuerzas demoníacas que se esconden atrás del Islam.

Permítame citar una parte del reporte que recientemente recibí de Miguel Diez, el director de REMAR, un misionero español lleno de misericordia a cargo de un grupo de iglesias que ministran valientemente a huérfanos, refugiados y a los más necesitados alrededor del mundo. Miguel relata lo siguiente: Llegamos a la Costa de Marfil en el momento en que se estaba llevando a cabo una violenta guerra civil. El gobierno controlaba la parte sur de la nación y la capital Abidjan. Los rebeldes del MPCI controlaban la parte norte, respaldados por los países musulmanes quienes les proveían de armas, ideología y apoyo económico.

Los intereses islámicos controlan ya casi toda la parte norte de continente Africano. Su avance en el último siglo fue al principio pacífico. Inmigraron motivados por la necesidad de resolver la miseria en la cual viven. Después su avance a la parte ecuatorial y al sur de Africa hizo que se tornaran violentos, los líderes musulmanes soliviantaban los ánimos de las personas enseñándoles que su destino era conquistar al mundo para el Islam.

Este era un concepto que la gente sin esperanza para escapar de la pobreza y con una mentalidad puesta en las leyes de Mahoma del siglo séptimo, encontraban muy atractivo.

Esta misma desesperación por obtener respuestas a su angustia ha hecho que la religión musulmana en Estados Unidos haya crecido a 10 millones. En Europa hay otros millones más de musulmanes que llegan a un estimado de 4 millones solamente en la ciudad de París. Mientras los cristianos en la región oeste descansan tranquilamente, gracias a las ventajas de la prosperidad y comodidad del Primer Mundo.

Pareciera que la perspectiva de Miguel es que si los cristianos estuvieran haciendo lo que dice la Biblia, podríamos dar una respuesta de paz y prosperidad a las necesidades mundiales. La demagogia y la desesperación, siempre van de la mano, pero Jesús tiene el poder para hacer que las cosas malas se conviertan en buenas y establecer el amor donde hay intolerancia y odio.

Ministerios Verbo está preparàndose para entrar a esas áreas de Asía y de Asia y Africa donde el conflicto es parte del diario vivir. Nuestro plan no es combatir el Islam. Va más allá de esto. Como hemos hecho en el hemisferio oeste, nos enfocamos a demostrar que Jesucristo tiene la solución para cada problema que causa daño, degradación y desesperación, que es de lo daña la condición de la humanidad.

La Biblia dice claramente en Romanos 12:21: “No seas vencido de lo malo, sino vence con el bien el mal.”

Nuestro primer paso práctico fue establecer una iglesia en Madrid, España el año pasado, esto como un punto estratégico para poder ministrar Africa y Asia. Después ministraremos escuelas y tendremos ministerios para los pobres en el continente africano.

La inversión de tiempo (aprender nuevos idiomas y culturas), el factor dinero (las necesidades de las personas son bastantes y nuestro apoyo debe durar por largo tiempo), son fuertes, así es que solicitamos ore en forma ferviente y pueda dar sus aportes para ayudarnos a fundamentar este nuevo esfuerzo y continuar nuestros ministerios como orfanatorios en Nicaragua, un hospital en Ecuador, escuelas en Guatemala, México y otros lugares.

Todos nosotros debemos ser una luz para este mundo y la sal de la tierra. La gloria de nuestro Dios cubrirá la tierra y las aguas cubrirán el mar, pero qué tan rápido llegue la paz, creo que depende del compromiso que tengamos para hacer el trabajo del ministerio . ¡El apoyo que usted proporcione va a hacer una gran diferencia!

LOS NIÑOS DE NICARAGUA TIENEN ESPERANZA Y AYUDA

Desde que Bob y Myra Trolese comenzaron la misión Verbo Nicaragua en el año 1980, ministraron en forma dinámica las necesidades de los niños.

El resultado es que miles de jóvenes han recibido educación escolar y vocacional de calidad en un ambiente cristiano (lo cual hubiera sido para algunos, algo imposible de hacer sin ayuda). Cientos más tienen hogares en los orfanatorios de Managua y en la costa Atlántica en Puerto Cabezas.

Adicional a esto, la atención médica, alimentación, programas de cuidado de niños, Escuela Dominical y pastoreo general, hacen obvio que los esfuerzos de los Trolese están dejando huella en el futuro de Nicaragua a través de más de 22 años de preparar niños para que sean ciudadanos productivos y responsables que anden por los caminos de Jesús. Hoy en día, el hogar Casa Bernabé cubre las necesidades de más de 8 huérfanos y de niños expuestos a situaciones peligrosas en sus hogares. El hogar ubicado en Puerto Cabezas cuida a más de 5.

Cuando el nuevo ciclo escolar comenzó en enero, habían 32 estudiantes en Vera Cruz, otros 85 en Puerto Cabezas y 457 en las recién construidas instalaciones en Bluefields, ubicado en la costa caribeña. Hace unos años, la población en Bluefields ascendía a cerca de 1,000 estudiantes, pero bajó debido a un translado a un edificio al centro de la ciudad.

La necesidad de Bluefields es de fondos para construir más clases y áreas administrativas que puedan llenar la necesidad de una educación de calidad por parte de la comunidad. Usted puede apoyar a estos ministerios a través de ayuda financiera para becas escolares y proyectos de construcción.

1. New Church Starts in Rural El Salvador


2. Medical Clinic Links Church to El Salvadorian Community


3. The Gospel Grows in Chile and Argentina

New Church Starts in Rural El Salvador

The death and devastation of 10 years of civil war, Hurricane Mitch and two earthquakes have taught the El Salvadorian people thereÂ’s no safe haven on earth.

But theyÂ’ve found there is one in heaven. In recent years hundreds of thousands of them have turned to Jesus for consolation and direction, and Verbo has been there to help them with their relationship with the Lord.

Doctors Extend Help

Dr. Rafael Morales and his wife, Sara, also a physician, led Verbo medical brigades that brought emergency aid to the 2002 earthquake victims. That experience gave them a hunger to touch even more people in more permanent ways—ministering to both their physical and spiritual needs through a clinic and a church.

Carlos Rivas, a businessman and deacon in the main Verbo church in the capital city of San Salvador, and his wife, Milagro, also felt that it was time for them to become more involved in ministry. They had been working in food and clothing distribution during the earthquake relief.

Meanwhile, the ministryÂ’s director, Remberto Lazo, realized that the church needed to do more evangelism. He rented a bus and every week church members went out with humanitarian aid and evangelistic messages. In a poor town called Armenia, about an hour from the capital, they found a receptive population.

Remberto says, “We went to Armenia and after we had finished our activities, 90 percent of us on the bus had the sensation that this town was the place God had prepared for us to start a church.

Leaders Start Evangelism

“We spent a year traveling there almost every week. One day some folks from the town came to see me because they had a building they wanted us to turn into a church, rent free for several years. We accepted

Medical Clinic Links Church to El Salvadorian Community

Their offer, and in December of last year we sent five families from the capital to formally start a church. There were 11 people in the first meeting. Today the number has grown to 40.”

Dr. Rafael started a clinic to provide accessible medical attention and to evangelize the townsfolk. Soon he became both pastor and doctor. The other team members join him once or twice a week to help meet the needs of the members.

Carlos and Milagro, who have the freedom to adjust their professional obligations to allow space for ministry, use their administrative and organizational skills to provide the deacons’ side of this new work. The team’s vision, according to Remberto, is to be an new Christian expression in the area. Most residents are familiar with the dominant Catholic culture, or with small legalistic evangelical churches that don’t relate to the “dirty world.”

“We have a cordial relationship with the local government, the better to be able to help resolve social needs. We are trying to present a non-denominational, non-judgmental way of acting that shows that Jesus in us really loves people and that he wants to help and transform them, not shame and condemn them,” Remberto says. “This fresh attitude and the clinic are drawing many visitors.”





{mospagebreak title=The Gospel Grows}
The Gospel Grows in Chile and Argentina

One day while attending engineering classes at a university in Cordoba, Argentina, Jose Miguel Aguero met some foreigners who shared their faith in Jesus with him.

That was the turning point in his life. He gave his life to Christ and eventually entered pastoral work. Some of his foreign friends became leaders in Verbo Ministries in Central America. Through their friendship Miguel joined Verbo and today, with his wife, Adriana, and two daughters, he oversees the movementÂ’s churches in Argentina and Chile.

His home church in Cordoba is one of two Verbo congregations in that second largest city in the nation. “We put a lot of emphasis on building up godly families, but we also do social work. We have a feeding program that is helping almost a hundred children. Some of the older ones have become Christians and are preparing to be baptized.,” Jose reports.

“Our radio program is so successful that the station owners have offered to give us more air time,” he adds. The media exposure has helped spur growth in the second congregation, which recently moved to larger facilities because of the number of families it is now attracting.

“In Chile, the church in San Felipe is also growing under the direction of Willy and Marta Araya. They’ve extended a home church outreach to Santiago, the capital,” according to Jose Miguel. “But what’s really exciting is the establishment of a home for pregnant women and unwed mothers.”

Willy and Marta realized that many women without an option of where to go for care while pregnant and how to take care of their children once they were born would choose abortion. Now they have loving Christian environment in which to build their and their childrenÂ’s lives.

Meanwhile, n the city of Mendoza Ramon Gomez and Carlos Segura are establishing on a second congregation. Carlos is a longtime Verbo minister who previously pastored in Corrientes, then transferred to Mendoza to help Ramon develop his outreaches.

In the process Carlos married Viviana, RamonÂ’s daughter, and with the first church expanding, they pioneered this new congregation on the other side of town. ItÂ’s growing solidly and soon should be self-supporting.

1. We're Celabrating Verbo Ministries' 30th Anniversary


2. Keeping up with Home front news

WeÂ’re Celebrating Verbo MinistriesÂ’ 30th Anniversary

Thirty years ago on February 4, a monstrous nighttime earthquake shook almost a fourth of GuatemalaÂ’s dwellings to the ground, killing over 30 thousand people in their beds.

The 7.9 Richter Scale event was dramatic and traumatic but it opened the nation to the Gospel and it opened the door to a group of us from CaliforniaÂ’s Gospel Outreach churches to start a building reconstruction ministry that turned into a church.

That church in Guatemala City has become nearly 100 congregations in four different languages in 13 countries, schools, medical clinics, orphanages, a university, radio stations, a TV ministry, and many social outreach and development projects.

The Verbo expansion has taken our family from Guatemala and Nicaragua to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, then to West Palm Beach, Florida, to minister with one of our Hispanic congregations, and finally back to Guatemala where we have been part of the ministerial overseeing team nationally and internationally now for seven years.

For us, these almost 30 years of ministering in Spanish and Portuguese have been exciting and productive and we see even more blessings in the future. When youÂ’re walking with the King, even the bad times are good: They work JesusÂ’ character in your heart as you fight the good Gospel fight with perseverance and faith.

When I look back, I find that God really gave us an ability to adapt to the cultures in which we’ve lived. So much so that I remember one night around the dinner table in Rio while our four kids chattered away. I suddenly realized that though Lynn and I had adapted well to being expatriates, our children had gone totally to the other side. Lynn and I were two foreigners sitting at the table with the natives—our own kids, who were only Americans because their passports said they were!

No wonder one of them is married to a Brazilian and our youngest (who is also a Guatemalan citizen) is soon to be married to a wonderful Guatemalan woman.

Aside from culture shock, which weeds out a certain number of foreign workers who never get over the fact that the new culture is strange and that nothing works the way it does back home, one of the harder aspects of being missionaries is learning the language. I never knew that my brain could literally get achingly tired from so much internal translating and cultural relating. Language isnÂ’t just words, itÂ’s getting the right words with the right tonal inflections and the right facial expressions and gestures into a comprehensible declaration.

My breakthrough came when I was a college student in Mexico. While walking in downtown Mexico City one afternoon I realized I was thinking in Spanish. I burst out crying for sheer joy. The locals must have thought: This poor gringo has flipped!

It was several years before I didnÂ’t get intellectually tired when I moved in a Spanish environment all day. Then we moved to Brazil and agonized over Portuguese.

Another difficult transition— for which there is no cure—was being far from family and friends, knowing our children couldn’t have the same relationship with grandparents and other relatives and family friends that we did.

The consolation is what Jesus promised for those who have to leave family for the GospelÂ’s sake: They find a grand family in the faith. For us, some of these relationships are now going into a third generation.

In these years weÂ’ve seen missionaries and church workers come and go. IÂ’ve thought deeply about this because part of my job is to prepare new missionaries. My conclusions are:

You must have a sure call from God, and it should be confirmed by others. We constantly meet people who “God told to go” with no backing, no training, and usually no chance of success.

You need to be adaptable and not threatened by people who are racially and culturally different. Culture shock is real and must be overcome.

If a foreign language is required, you have to be able to speak that language well. You need strong work skills, whether pastoral/ministerial or practical. You need to fit into the community. No local expects a foreigner to be a local, but he does expect the foreigner to relate well.

You need an adequate, long term source of money since in most places you legally are not permitted to work for wages. Naïve Americans sometimes tell me, “You can practically live on nothing down there.”

My answer is, “Try it.”

ThatÂ’s why there are so many illegal aliens in the U.S. They canÂ’t make ends meet back home.

Of course, emigration doesnÂ’t grant eternal life. ThatÂ’s why we preach the Gospel abroad. Once you know Jesus it doesnÂ’t matter where you live. His message is both forgiveness of sin and eternal life, and practical changes that bring success in any environment. We love to preach that Gospel! And we plan on doing it for the next 30 years if God by reason or grace or strength gives us that privilege!

Keeping up with Home Front News

Our oldest son, Nathanael, and his wife, Amy, became the parents of their first son, Kai Orion, in January. Lynn attended the birth. Parents and baby are back in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, where Nathanael works.

Angeline, and her husband, Justin, visited us over the Christmas holidays, then went back to New Hampshire to pack their belonging for a move to Orlando, Florida, where Justin had received a new civil engineering job. Angeline is now back in college.

Aurora, her husband, Beto, baby Bella, Lynn and I met in Rio de Janeiro for BellaÂ’s first birthday and her dedication at the Verbo Church. This was BetoÂ’s familyÂ’ and our church friendsÂ’ first chance to see Bella.

Youngest son James Tomás is finishing up his undergrad program in computer engineering and also taking a year-long Cisco Systems certification program at a Guatemala City university this year and preparing for graduate school. Marriage is also on the horizon with a lovely Guatemalan woman, Flor Hernandez, who just graduated in marketing.

As for us, what do you do as you draw toward “retirement age” and you’ve been in foreign ministry for nearly 30 years?

WeÂ’ve been training others to take over our current jobs. ItÂ’s time to give a new generation the chance to take the ministry to greater levels of spirituality and growth. There other areas where we plan to be influential and productive such as in giving seminars and in the preparation of Christian training materials, books, and especially in visual (TV and video) communications.

Many ministry directors/founders tend to hang on to their positions as if no one else were capable of doing the work. That sounds very sad and dangerous to us. We hope to be resources for the next generation of leaders as we add our experience and wisdom to future developments. And who knows? There are still lots of places out there to preach the Gospel.

Relief Effort Brings Hope

 A group of about 15 people shyly approached the table where there was a sign that read, Mesa de Honor (Table of Honor) where they had been cordially invited to share a snack and a time of sharing.

These were people who had come for the first time to one of our Sunday meetings. They had been asked to stand up after the worship so that people from the home group in charge of hospitality could give them a small gift, usually a long stemmed rose.

The warm smiles of Ricardo Acosta and his team soon put them at ease. Ricardo gave a short speech in which he thanked them for attending the meeting and explained our desire to serve in JesusÂ’ name.

While waiting for refreshments, we gave them forms to write down their names and addresses. Ricardo explained that they should expect a friendship call or visit during that week because they were very important to us and to God, and we wanted to extend the love of God to them.

These times of sharing after meetings is very important for those who have never experienced a church like ours where the upbeat, non-traditional worship and expressiveness towards God is completely different from the traditional religiosity of Ecuadorian church life.
Our followup (or “consolidation”) teams take the filled out cards and after cataloguing the data, pass out the information to the home groups in charge of calling and visitation for that week.

The people that are assigned to do this follow up are expected to develop a relationship with each one. We have found that this personal touch often makes the difference whether the person will become a faithful part of the church over time. Experts say that if a person doesn’t develop personal friendships in a church they probably won’t stay. The consolidation person helps the new one to find a home group close to where they live where they can begin to develop these friendships. Also they will encourage the new person to attend a weekend encounter retreat as well as get involved in the “Welcome to Verbo Class” where they learn about the over all vision of our church and how they can get involved.

This time of transition from a curious but careful visitor to become a committed enthusiastic member is the most critical and this special personal care makes the difference.
People have come to Ricardo who is in charge of this ministry and exclaimed how much that visit or phone call has meant. People have been saved from suicide, received miraculous physical healings and avoided divorce because someone cared personally for them enough to make contact.

There are so many lonely, hurting and confused people out there. Often when someone makes a visit they not only end up ministering to the designated person but also to other family members. God often has those special divine appointments already set up.

A lady who had recently received the Lord asked her husband to come to pick her up after the first Sunday meeting. This man had a serious problem with anger and drinking. When he arrived Ricardo happened to be there and reached out to him sharing the dangers of how his lifestyle could affect his children. In a short time this man opened up to receive the Lord and now both are attending faithfully.

Sometimes the zeal of the consolidation teams is amazing. Edita visited a lady to take her to a home group. As they waited for her husband to come the lady became more and more angry. Finally they left without him. When they returned he still wasnÂ’t home and the lady became very angry thinking that her husband might be out drinking.

Later Edita received a call where the lady said that someone else from the church had invited her husband to another home group and she was estatic as both are being drawn into a life changing experience.

People are so precious. What a privilege to work with God as he draws these he loves so much to himself.

1. Hurricane Floods Slam Verbo Churches


2. Your Ongoing Support Is Absolutely Essential
   to VerboÂ’s Missionaries

Hurricane Floods Slam Verbo Churches

The worst natural disaster in United States history rained chaos on New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and sent hundreds of Verbo church members into refugee shelters.For the first time since the devastation of Hurricane Mitch seven years ago in Central America, Verbo Ministries--widely known for its relief and development work--finds itself on both sides of the massive aid program.

About four hundred members of Verbo churches in Kenner and Gretna, Louisiana—New Orleans suburbs—evacuated as refugees to safer areas. Only now are some returning to their homes. Verbo leaders and volunteers placed as many church members as they could locate in housing and are helping them find jobs in Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas, Texas. Material help to refugees who decide to relocate to Texas will continue as long as is necessary.

Doctors Help Victims

The presiding elder of the Kenner congregation, Dr. Luis Felipe Soto and another elder, Dr. Mario Montalvo, remained in New Orleans during the hurricane and its aftermath to aid the sick at a local hospital. Dr. Soto and his team entered into an agreement with the Kenner mayorÂ’s office to provide relief to the area Hispanic community.

The New Orleans evacuation left hundreds of thousands of people without homes, jobs, education for their children, everyday essential belongings and the uncertainty of knowing when they will be allowed to return.

Relief Plan Takes Shape

Verbo’s efforts at this moment—besides aid to refugees in Texas—are focused on the Hispanics in New Orleans’ suburbs.
The following is taken from Dr. SotoÂ’s initial report on VerboÂ’s relief efforts:

“The leaders of Verbo’s North America Region and of the Verbo church from the New Orleans suburb of Kenner developed a Hurricane Katrina relief and reconstruction program that has turned Verbo’s Kenner installations into a community food distribution center for returning residents.
“We met with a representative of the Kenner mayor’s office to formulate an agreement that would make Verbo an official, government-recognized disaster recovery organization. We reached the following conclusions:

1. The Kenner Verbo church building will be the sole food distribution center for the areaÂ’s Hispanic population. Because of the size of the building and its infrastructure and the professional qualifications of many of its members, Verbo was a logical choice to deal with Spanish speakers.

Proyecto Hermandad Take Wing

2. Project Brotherhood (or Proyecto Hermandad in Spanish) opened Sept. 19 and will operate from Monday to Friday between 10 am and 2 pm, though our workers will pick up foodstuffs and water earlier each day. The mayorÂ’s office will provide the materials for distribution. However, donations of groceries and other essential items can and will be accepted by whatever groups and individuals wish to contribute to needy area Hispanics.

Spanish Radio Helps Out

3. Information about the distribution center and its hours of operation are being announced on Radio Tropical, the only Spanish-language station in the area.
Dr. Soto reported that residents were permitted to return to their homes permanently (if habitable) as of Sept. 14. “Many have no work, no pay, no food, damaged homes and the supermarkets are beginning to function only on a limited scale. This is an opportune time to provide immediate, practical and spiritual help,” he said.

Church Seeks Collaborators

“Hopefully the mayor’s office will provide nightly security (police officers on the premises in the area where goods are stored) and portable toilets.

“We have put the church building at the disposal of the consulates of Latin American nations so they have office space to deal with legalizations, visas, official documents for the area residents.

“We actively seek the collaboration of volunteers from other churches (Hispanic and otherwise) in the area. Our desire is that this aid project be inclusive

Pastor Thanks God

“We are extremely thankful to God that He has allowed us to extend ourselves to the needy in this way. We have found much grace and favor with government authorities—so much so that we have been asked to participate on the city’s disaster relief board, the doctor reported.

“Electricity is functioning in the church and the relief project goes forward. Our spiritual emphasis is also going forward. We received, and firmly believe, a prophetic word of hope based on Jeremiah 31:28, "’”And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant”, says the LORD.’”

Meetings Have Begun

The church elders declared a day of fasting for Sept. 16 and dedicated the afternoon to worship and intercessory prayer on behalf of the Katrina victims. Regular Sunday church meetings began on Sept. 18 in the morning in Kenner and in evening in the neighboring town of La Place.

Dr. Soto noted that God was moving in the midst of suffering and anguish: “The mayor’s representative came by the church with his daughter one day after our first meeting.

Woman Receives Help

She was only 19 year old and beset by many problems and complexes. After listening to her relate her situation and giving her counsel, I asked her if I could pray for her, and she agreed.

Then I asked her if she was willing to ask God forgiveness and to call out to Him in faith. She began to cry. Finally she said she felt freed. I just happened to have a Bible in English available. I gave it to her and she said she was very desirous of reading it. I invited her to come to our Sunday meeting.

Your Ongoing Support Is Absolutely Essential

 Though KatrinaÂ’s devastation temporarily closed VerboÂ’s office in Kenner, LA., the facility is open again to process your contributions for the relief, development and ministerial work our missionaries are doing in the Americas and Spain.

Though itÂ’s imperative that Katrina victims receive our prayers and support, itÂ’s also important that the many programs and churches being cared for by our workers on foreign fields continue to receive the aid they need.

We ask that you continue to be generous in supporting our missionaries at this time when gas prices, inflation and rising prices generated by scarcity and speculation are affecting your life. The plight of the Third World is still greater.

The best way to give is online at <www.verbo.org>, where you can specify the work or missionary to whom you wish to send your aid.

Just go to the website and choose “Online Donations Center” to make a secure contribution for which you will receive a tax deductible receipt.

Thank you for standing by us. May God bless you.

1. SomeOne Really Does Care


2. Misions Begins in Puerto Barrios

Someone Really Does Care!

by Jim DeGolyer

A group of about 15 people shyly approached the table where there was a sign that read, Mesa de Honor (Table of Honor) where they had been cordially invited to share a snack and a time of sharing.

These were people who had come for the first time to a Sunday meetings in one of the four Verbo churches in the Greater Quito, Ecuador, area. They had been asked to stand up after the worship so that people from the home group in charge of hospitality could give them a small gift, usually a long stemmed rose.

Expect a Call

The warm smiles of Ricardo Acosta and his team soon put them at ease. Ricardo gave a short speech in which he thanked them for attending the meeting and explained our desire to serve in JesusÂ’ name.

While waiting for refreshments, we gave them forms to write down their names and addresses. Ricardo explained that they should expect a friendship call or visit during that week because they were very important to us and to God, and we wanted to extend the love of God to them.

These times of sharing after meetings is very important for those who have never experienced a church like ours where the upbeat, non-traditional worship and expressiveness towards God is completely different from the traditional Ecuadorian religiosity.

Relationship Is Essential

Our follow up (or “consolidation”) teams take the filled out cards and after cataloguing the data, pass out the information to the home groups in charge of telephone calls and visitation for that week.

The church members who do this follow up try to develop a relationship with each new person. We have found that this personal touch often determines whether or not the person will become a faithful member of the church over time.

Welcome to Verbo

The consolidation person helps the new ones to find a home group close to where they live so they can begin to develop caring friendships and support. We encourage each new person to attend a weekend encounter retreat and to get involved in the “Welcome to Verbo Class.”
In the class, new or prospective members learn about our overall vision and how they can get involved. Special personal care makes the difference that helps people make a decision to be part of the church.

Visits Deeply Touch Hearts

Ricardo, who coordinates the consolidation effort, says that many people have enthusiastically told him how special and important these personal visits and telephone calls have been.
One illustration is a woman who had recently accepted the Lord asked her husband to come to pick her up after the first Sunday meeting. This man had a serious problem with anger and drinking. When he arrived Ricardo happened to be there. He reached out to him by sharing the dangers of how the manÂ’s lifestyle could affect his children. In a short time this man received the Lord and now he and his wife are attending meetings faithfully.

Sometimes the zeal of the consolidation teams is amazing. Edita visited a lady to take her to a home group. As they waited for her husband to come home, the lady became more and more angry. Finally she and Edita left without him.

Woman Experiences Joy

When they returned he still wasnÂ’t home. The woman thought he might be out drinking. Later Edita received a call from the woman telling her that another Verbo member had invited her husband to different home group. The woman was overjoyed as now both of them are being drawn into a life changing experience.

We take all these extra measures to draw people into GodÂ’s Kingdom because they are so precious to God and to us. It is a wonderful privilege to work with God as he draws these he loves so much to himself.

{mospagebreak title= Missions Begins in Puerto Barrios}

Mission Begins in Puerto Barrios

The Caribbean coastal town of Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, is the lastest mission in Verbo’s expansive vision to place congregations—and then schools and social services—in all the major towns of this Central American nation.

Johnny and Victoria Paredes, who had been working in another Verbo congregation, volunteered to start the new work with a unique strategy: They opened a womenÂ’s gym and fitness center in October of last year.

In a short time they had almost enough clients to support themselves and, more importantly, had managed tevangelized several clients and their family members. Next, they opened a church in their living room and continued to preach door-to-door and in the streets with the assistance of volunteer teams from other Verbo congregations.

Vicky Runs Gym

Seven people were baptized in March, and in April the mission moved into a rented building. Johnny does most of the pastoral work while Vicky runs the gym and evangelizes her customers.

The couple believes that because of Puerto BarriosÂ’ strategic location as one of GuatemalaÂ’s major ports, they will be able to reach many truckers, longshoremen, businessmen and sailors for Christ. Eventually, they hope to be able to train and send Gospel workers all around the country and to neighboring Belize and Honduras.

1. Food Outlet and Bakery Provide Jobs


2. Costa Rica Church Grows Strong

Food Outlet and Bakery Provide Jobs

Two bakeries and a commodities store on the outskirts of the capital city of Managua are the newest programs in Verbo NicaraguaÂ’s commitment to develop significant community action projects.

Verbo is a prime mover in the effort to provide basic spiritual and material services to thousands in Nueva Vida, a government-sponsored housing area for Hurricane Mitch victims. After starting with a safe water source and a community center, the development team constructed sports fields that are used on an everyday basis, particularly by the under funded local schools. Other outreaches include an auto repair shop and day care services.

The team also started a church that provides a spiritual structure for a growing group of Christians who are learning to break the bonds of poverty by applying the principles of the Kingdom of God to their lives.

Mission director Bob Trolese says the bakery and store provide both jobs and needed services in the community.

A second bakery at the Casa Bernabé orphanage in the town of Vera Cruz provides baked goods mainly for the facility children and staff as it gives teenagers the opportunity to learn a trade.

The store at the community center is still quite small, but is already making an impact simply because it provides inexpensive food close at hand. By repackaging bulk foods such as beans, rice, salt, sugar, as well stocking those items which are most commonly needed in the kitchen like vegetables, margarine and dried milk, the store is able to match or better prices of markets that are either a long walk or a bus ride away.

The bakery is on the same premises so bread, rolls, and other baked goods are always available fresh.

Bob reports that both the store and the bakery, like the auto shop and some other small businesses that are starting to operate, are designed to be self-financing sources of jobs

The concept of providing convenient and cheap services and job training are part of a three-pronged integrated development plan, according to Bob.

When coupled with the spiritual emphasis of Christian living at the community center church, he hopes it will be an antidote to the poverty and increasing drug use, thievery, and joblessness that plagues Nueva Vida.

The first prong is the fact that the community has the chance to see successful and attainable business models in a context that shows that such enterprises are possible even in poor areas. Neighborhood members can also get help if they want to start their own enterprises.

Second, the Verbo center provides wholesome sports and recreation opportunities from basketball to soccer. This gives children and unemployed young adults a wholesome outlet for their energies, especially through the organized baseball and soccer leagues.

Third, the businesses generate jobs, and hopefully enough extra to finance other needed businesses or

cooperatives.

Please pray that these projects achieve their goals. And please give generously!

Costa Rica Church Grows Strong

by Carlos Flores

After serving for several years in Verbo churches in Guatemala, my wife and I felt called in mid-1997 to the missions field in Costa Rica. On an exploratory trip in August of that year we found fertile ground for a church plant.

During our second visit several months later we met with a Guatemalan family studying at a local university. We organized them and some other families we had met into a small home Bible study group, and promised to be back as soon as possible.

In October, 1998, my wife, daughter, and I moved to Heredia, a suburb of the capital city of San Jose. At almost the same time a family that had been part of Verbo in both New Orleans, LA, and in El Salvador moved to Costa Rica because of a job change. With their help we began two home groups. Inside of a month we found a meeting place, and with 18 people we began Sunday morning services.

Two months later, now with 50 believers, we had to move to a new and larger location, where we remained until the beginning of 2002. Then, for strategic reasons we moved to our present building in the town of Moravia, a bedroom community for the capital city.

Though the church grew rapidly at first, weÂ’ve also suffered many ups and downs: Difficult access to our first office and meeting hall limited growth. We needed to adapt to the Costa Rican culture, which is very different from the rest of Central America because of its higher standard of living, European orientation, and almost universal literacy.

Finally, our emphasis on discipleship and the participatory priesthood of believers were completely foreign concepts to a nation steeped in either Catholicism or traditional Protestantism. People found it very difficult to accept that all believers—not just the pastor—were responsible take care of the spiritual needs of the church.

In the last two years, however, the Lord has brought us new members interested in imitating the servant nature of their Redeemer. They have helped us to start four home groups, marriage seminars, two womenÂ’s groups and other services.

Our latest project is a second church plant in a town called El Coyol, about 20 miles from San Jose, where some residents asked us to give them spiritual support. Please pray with us that God gives us a great harvest.

1. Kaderas Use Skills to Benefit the Poor


2. Verbo Ecuador Celebrates 25 Years

Bringing people the Good News that their lives can be transformed by the power of God is always exciting. During our 27 years of ministry in Guatemala, my wife, Sandy, and I have had the privilege to help thousands of people, and part of the joy has been to participate in the establishment of three churches.

Anyone who has been a member of a church planting team knows that though there are tremendous challenges there are also tremendous blessings, especially regarding opportunities for spiritual growth.  Each church plant has proved to us how faithful God is and how much more we need to learn about trusting him and working according to his will. 

We Work by Grace

God loves to shake us out of our complacency. He gives us the grace to step out in faith and trust Him to use us in ways that we are not accustomed to being used.  Our present church plant in the area of Villa Lobos has certainly given God the opportunity to do that in our lives.

Villa Lobos is a poor settlement area on the southern outskirts of Guatemala City, with the problems that are typical of such areas:  gang activity, drug abuse and trafficking, alcoholism, high crime rates, domestic violence.  An epidemic pregnancy rate and a high incidence of poor single parent families make conditions even more difficult.

To Enter or Not to Enter?

The dangers of the crime alone reminds us that God is in charge and everything depends on His grace and mercy.  Frequently we receive calls from the families that we visit advising us of gang activity on their block—usually confrontations with the police or other gangs that leave dead and wounded. 

Do we enter to supervise the home church activity that evening or not? 

Sometimes the Holy Spirit puts a check in our spirit that doesn’t give us peace about entering, but most of the time the Lord sends us in with confidence and total security that we are where he needs us to be. The gates of Hell cannot overpower the work of the church (Matt. 16:18).  We are sure about our identify in Christ and also the identity that we have with Villa Lobos and the surrounding barrios. 

Sandy Promotes Worship

After more than three years of working with this new church (we’ve worked with the core members much longer) we are a part of the community and not seen as outsiders.  Even so, there is no guarantee from the Lord that evil will never touch us but there is a certainty regarding where we are supposed to be, tending to the sheep that God has given us.

{mosimage}
The praise and worship ministry is an important part of our work and is, in fact, one of Sandy’s main areas of responsibility.  When we ministered at the larger Verbo South church in Guatemala City (from which the Villa Lobos church was planted), she  as just  one of  many members of a large worship team that included a full complement of musicians and several men and women capable of leading Sunday morning worship. When we started the Villa Lobos congregation, Sandy was the only one that had experience leading worship. The praise team consisted of four other people, only two of whom had some experience playing instruments (drums).

Moving in Faith

She is an accomplished clarinetist but she had to quickly get her keyboard skills polished so she could direct the congregation in praise and play the keyboard at the same time.

     She was definitely out of her comfort zone, but as she depended on the Lord, he gave her the grace every Sunday—and at weekday meetings—to do what had to be done.

Praise Team Grows

    She also began discipling team members to allow God to stretch their faith to believe that they could do things that they had never done before. 

     As always God honors our steps of faith and so after three years Sandy has helped two other people take on the responsibility to  lead Sunday worship. Others have committed to learning instruments.  The praise and worship team now has 14 people at rehearsals on Wednesdays.  Sandy is ecstatic!

We’re learning to lean on Jesus

Helping to start and maintain the Villa Lobos church has been a challenging experience for Sandy and me. Our faith and dependence on the Lord has grown and matured.  We know that if we keep our focus on Him and off ourselves anything and everything is possible.  That is pretty neat!

The 22 churches of Verbo Ecuador are celebrating the ministry’s 25 years in that Andean nation with a series of special events that will continue until November.

The ministry began in 1982 when a team of Americans and Guatemalans established a mission in Quito, the capital. Since then the movement has spread to almost all the country’s major cities, and five of the churches have over a thousand members.

Outreaches include schools in Quito and in Cuenca, the economic center of the southern highlands. The Cuenca church also boasts a small hospital and a medical brigade service to indigenous communities, plus the premier Christian FM station in the region.

Many of the congregations also operate social outreaches, most of them designed to help needy children.

The latest church plant is in Manta, a coastal city that hosts an air base used by the United States to control narcotraffic in the region. In just a few months the church has grown to

Can you put a face on disaster with numbers? If you could, the aftermath of Hurricane Felix on NicaraguaÂ’s northeast would look like this:

Over 100 people died, another 500 are unaccounted for and many of them are presumed dead.

12 remote villages were apparently wiped out, but clear information is not yet available.

• 155,528 people suffered losses from winds and rain.


• 9,809 homes were destroyed.


• 6,679 homes were damaged.


• 96% of the regionÂ’s agricultural production was ruined.

View Newsletter with Adobe PDF

On Nov. 19 one of the members of our Verbo church in Villa Lobos, a Guatemala City suburb, was shot and killed while he attended customers in his butcher shop just three blocks from the church. One of the local gangs that terrorizes the area had been demanding more money to “protect” his business, but he refused. A young kid, probably no more than 14 years old shot him at point blank range in front of his terrified wife and two sons.

That night, as is the custom in this culture, we spent several hours at the funeral home with the family, grieving with them, singing and sharing GodÂ’s word together, and rejoicing that another saint is with the Saviour. And the next day were were at the graveside together to testify that death has no power over us because Christ lives.

We would wish that the family members could move on with their lives after the burial service, having suffered enough with the loss of one of their loved ones. Unfortunately, it doesnÂ’t end there because the gangs wonÂ’t let it end there. What should this family do? Are they all in danger? Should they try to continue on with the butcher shop? Should they pay the extortion money? Or should they move to another part town and start all over again? What pastoral advice would you give them? How can our local church best support them? These are very difficult questions. Lord have mercy on us all.

When I think about the violence in Guatemala, I also think about what is probably one of the most rewarding things that has occurred in my 27 years as a missionary. Earlier this year, Hector, one of the members of our church, asked me to meet with a family that had asked him for help with their 13 year old son, Carlos (name changed). A year ago one of the gangs started pressuring him to get involved with them. Carlos didn’t want to but the gangs don’t let you say “No”. Eventually he had to drop out of school and was pretty much under their control, doing things that he didn’t want to do, pretty much at their mercy. If he tried to leave the gang they would probably kill him.

Hector had told CarlosÂ’ family that I provided dental care at a local Christian drug rehab ministry called REMAR and that many of their staff were ex-gang members. Could I help them get Carlos away from the dangerous situation that he was in? I told them that I would try and that we should meet the following day at our church to then go to REMAR.

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When we went to REMAR the next day, a social worker interviewed Carlos and she could see that he was genuinely interested in leaving the gang. She agreed to have him placed in one of their safe houses. Now almost eight months later I have received reports that Carlos is still with REMAR and doing very well. He is studying again, attends church and is learning carpentry skills as part of the overall REMAR rehab program. It will be along time before he is able to safely return to his old neighborhood, but his family understands that, a price worth paying to have him alive and on the road to becoming a godly man and a productive member of society and the Kingdom of God. IsnÂ’t that what it is all about? ThatÂ’s why my wife, Sandy, and I are here serving in Guatemala.

Now let me tell you a little more about Hector. About a year and a half ago I had the privilege of baptizing him and his wife, Isabel. Hector and their oldest daughter, Lupita, sew sheets and bedspreads at home using cloth remnants that they buy from factories and fabric stores when the price is right. Isabel sells them door-to-door and on the street, wherever she can find customers.

They are a very united and hardworking family that is just barely getting by economically, complicated by Hector’s physical problems (gout, high blood pressure, etc.). Sometimes he is tempted to augment their meager income by practicing spiritism. Before he accepted Christ, people would pay him incredible sums of money to do “trabajos” (jobs), usually related to having success in business or removing a curse that someone else had placed on them.

Just one good “trabajo”, involving about 30 minutes of his time, would provide two or three times the money they make sewing in one month. What would you do if you were living in poverty, trying to put food on the table, clothe your family and send your kids to school and were faced with a temptation like that to make some “easy” money that would immediately solve your economic needs?

Pray for Hector and Isabel that they will stand firm and continue to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33-34), trusting the Lord to provide for their needs. And pray for their safety because the gang that Carlos was in has their headquarters right next door to their house. Gang members have thrown bags of drugs and guns into their backyard and jumped the flimsy wooden fence that to escape from police. Recently the members of one of the churches that supports out ministry provided the money to buy galvinized sheets so that a high, sturdy wall could be built between Hector’s house and the gang hangout.. They are very thankful and determined to be a light for Jesus in their “barrio”.

When Hurricane Felix slammed into NicaraguaÂ’s Caribbean coast a couple months ago, Verbo was immediately on the job with disaster relief.
When teachers in an impoverished central Guatemalan town needed help to become more professional, Verbo Madrid, Spain, sent educators to help them.

Spiritual Health is Priority

When indigent Indians in southern Ecuador seek costly medical procedures the Verbo Cuenca hospital and medical brigades gives them the treatment.
Most importantly, behind all our social outreach programs in the 12 nations we serve there is a church.
ThatÂ’s because good works projects that arenÂ’t backed up by the preaching of the Gospel, pastoral counseling and discipleship training donÂ’t do too much to empower people to radically change their own lives and environment. For that reason various of our missionaries do double duty as social workers and church ministers as they care for bodies and souls.

{mospagebreak title=The Stories are Really Real}

The Stories are Really Real

In this issue of Verbo Report some of our longtime missionaries report on the latest happenings in their respective ministries in Latin America. —James Jankowiak

My wife, Mary, and I continue to work closely as leaders in the two Verbo churches in Guayaquil, EcuadorÂ’s main port and largest city. We also minister throughout Ecuador and abroad as part of Verbo EcuadorÂ’s national governing council.

Right now weÂ’re concentrating on the youth in GuayaquilÂ’s Verbo Sur congregation.
The young people have a large and vibrant ministry that needs a lot of help. At this point I am establishing meetings with the principal leaders to minister to them spiritually. We meet separately (to give them more confidence to be frank and to minister to their particular needs) with the women and the men who are supervising the home group leaders. They are the ones who need pastoral care and discipling to be able to help others.

WeÂ’re also helping these young leaders to develop clear direction in teaching and sharing, beginning with studying JesusÂ’ character to get a better idea of the kind of people God is calling us to be. The idea is to inspire them to create a vision for becoming a people who think and act like Jesus. IÂ’m also developing a team of young people to produce video and PowerPoint presentations and other types of creative media and artistic impartations to inspire and motivate people to Christian action and lifestyles.

Finally, IÂ’ve been training people in Theophostic ministry all year. Several trainees have become quite proficient and are ministering to others.

{mospagebreak title=Prayer Helps Heal Behavior}

Prayer Helps Heal Behavior

This is a very effective prayer/counseling method that helps encourage people to discover and expose the lies they have been believing about themselves and which have caused them to either behave in wrong ways or limit their true abilities. When we minister to people in this way we encourage them to have an encounter with Jesus Christ through prayer, thus allowing the Lord to reveal His truth to their hearts and minds.

Though this ministry we have helped many on the road to become all that God has called them to be.

Our largest new area of work is the Hurricane Felix relief and redevelopment weÂ’re doing on NicaraguaÂ’s north Caribbean coast.

The project dovetails with our other work in Puerto Cabezas, which Felix hit hard. Besides a church we operate two schools on opposite ends of town, an orphanage, a restaurant and conference center, an intensive boys and girls discipleship program, and a church and school on the Coco River.

{mosimage title=Building Up Homes}

Building Up Homes

We jumped into house reconstruction in a badly damaged Miskito Indian village 40 miles out of Puerto Cabezas and in an almost entirely flattened very poor Puerto Cabezas neighborhood. WeÂ’re building the homes raised up on posts in the traditional Caribbean style, but with much better reinforcing techniques WeÂ’re the first relief group to begin construction. In addition weÂ’re importing bean seeds for the many villages that lost their seed stock and need to begin planting.

Sharing the Gospel

All this effort affords us very viable opportunities to share the love of God and His desire for the character development of all of us.

Meanwhile, the number of Verbo churches in the country is growing. Twelve are now spread across the country, each addressing a very different tyoe of population . We strive to make the Gospel relevant to todayÂ’s people and needs without compromising GodÂ’s biblical standards.

When I think about violence in Guatemala, I think about what is probably one of the most rewarding things that has occurred in my 27 years as a missionary. Earlier this year Hector, a member of our church, asked me to meet with a family that needed help for their 13-year-old son, Carlos.

Caught in a Web

A year ago a street gang started pressuring him to join them. Carlos didn’t want to but the gangs don’t let you say “No.” Eventually he dropped out of school and came under the gang’s control, doing things that he didn’t want to do. If he tried to leave they would probably kill him.

Hector had told CarlosÂ’ family that I provided dental care at a local Christian drug rehab ministry called REMAR and that many of their staff were ex-gang members. Could I help them get Carlos away from the dangerous situation that he was in? I told them that I would try and that we should meet the following day at our church to then go to REMAR.

Carlos Finds Hope in a Safe Haven

When we went to REMAR the next day, a social worker interviewed Carlos and she could see that he was genuinely interested in leaving the gang. She agreed to have him placed in one of their safe houses.

Now almost eight months later I have received reports that Carlos is doing very well in REMAR. He is studying again, attends church and is learning carpentry skills in a rehab program. It will be along time before he can safely return to his old neighborhood. His family understands itÂ’s a price worth paying to have him alive and on the road to becoming a godly and productive member of society.

Children Find Safe Home At Orphanage

A new facility for endangered youngsters and orphans joins the Verbo family of children’s homes in Latin America. Located in Cuenca, Ecuador,  this outreach is called Family Health Foundation Children’s Home and opened with eight children, all from the same family.

Bob Capaldi, director of the Ecuadorian Verbo churches, says, “We are extending our social works into the area of rescuing kids from abuse and abandonment.”

The first eight siblings and their mother who didnÂ’t have enough money to maintain them, were living in the streets when VerboÂ’s medical foundation attended to their physical needs and discovered a harrowing situation: An alcoholic father had habitually beat the family and sexually abused some of the children. The oldest daughter is pregnant by her father, Bob reports.

“We’re still in the process of legalizing the foundation,” he adds. “Once that’s done we will be able to take in more children from of dangerous home situations.”

The new house is a former private home that is being habilitated to accommodate children in a safe, clean environment. A former American Vineyard pastor and his wife who felt called to work with distressed children in Latin America and a Peruvian single women now a member of the Verbo Cuenca church are the first staff members.

“We covet your prayers for this project. Kids are easily forgotten here.” Bob concludes.

Intensive Ministry School Will Operate in Guatemala

For the first time in its 32-year history Verbo Ministries is opening a fulltime, on-campus ministry training school for young adults. Named Destino (Spanish for “Destiny”) the program is a cooperative effort with its  founder and developer, Pastor Francis Anfuso, and his team at Church on the Rock in Roseville, Calif.     

“Destino provides intensive discipleship for both men and women who desire to strengthen their Christian character and prepare themselves for every good work. This is a total immersion experience where the students live, work, and study together,”  according to school director José Carrera, a graduate of the two-year California program.

“The concept of this internship is to reduce to a minimum the distractions and contamination from the world system so that the students can make seeking after God the priority for their everyday lives.

“They begin to form new, godly habits as they learn to live in communion with God and their fellow students. They develop a lifestyle that will help them maintain their Christian integrity in whatever walk of life they subsequently pursue, whether to continue in the ministry or be Christ’s disciples in the business and professional world,” José says.

“Though a large portion of the students’ days will involve theological and ministerial studies and practical church and social services, they will also learn to live in community, honoring, serving, and giving to one another in a healthy atmosphere. This is a strong contrast, for example,  to the experience at secular junior colleges,” he adds.

Spiritual Fatherhood  Is Discipleship Key

Another part of the formation process is learning to clean house, cook, wash, iron, and do other chores that, at least for many of the men, will entail a new learning curve. José says the curriculum will consist of studies in 10  areas, with all classes imparted by experienced ministers and Bible teachers. They are: Perspectives about the Fundamentals of the Faith, Personal Attitudes, Living in the Kingdom of God, Scripture Memorization, Dealing with Personal Strengths and Weakness Basic Ministry Training, English as a Second Language, Leadership and Missions and Evangelism.

One of the most important and innovative aspects of the program are classes that have to do with “Spiritual Fatherhood,” where with the mentoring of a seasoned pastor/counselor the students have an opportunity to deal with  situations from the past that have shaped their present living patterns.

“Young people really can’t disciple one another very well which is why we stress ‘generational discipleship’ where experienced men and women of God work directly with the students, “José says. Our desire is that through Destino the hearts of the fathers will turn to the children and that those of the children will turn to the fathers.”

The school is open to Christians over 18 years old who are fluent in Spanish and have the authorization of their pastor to matriculate.  The Basic cost of the nine-month first-year course  is approximately $2200. This includes food, lodging, local transportation, authorized extra-curricular activities and limited medical services. Not included are personal hygiene articles, laundry supplies, etc.

Classes for both the first and second year courses begin in February and end in mid-September. The Verbo Church of Zone 9,  Guatemala City, Guatemala, will serve as the campus, and is also the “home” church for the students during the school year.

More Destino information is available at www.interdestino.com or by calling José Carrera  in Guatemala City: country code 502, and eight-digit local number,  2360-4909.    

Information about  the English language program at the Rock of Roseville Church, in is available at www.rockofroseville.org.

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       The financial meltdown affecting the developed nations is working its way into the Third World as demand for its raw materials and commodities diminishes. Happily God’s economy isn’t subject to the vagaries and lies of the world system. Verbo’s missions and social works continue to expand and bless more and more people.

       In Guatemala we recently opened a mission in San Martin Jilotepeque, a highlands Cakchiquel Indian town  and are building new church and school complexes in Guatemala City, Coban, Quetzaltenango and other towns.

       In Brazil the São Paulo church just started a congregation an hour across town in the Alphaville neighborhood..

Verbo Managua, Nicaragua, will soon move to new installations near one of the cityÂ’s major intersections. This facility will house a church and offices for the many social outreaches the ministry operates in the country.

       In Ecuador, the church in Cuenca is planning a second congregation to supplement the 1700-member church, school, hospital and radio station in that Andean city. Its new orphanage, the Family Health Foundation Home, is taking in more children from distressed situations. Meanwhile recently inaugurated outreaches in the Amazon region and in the Pacific coastal town of Manta are growing rapidly.

       Additionally, we are exploring the possibility of working among the poor in equatorial Africa, a very expensive logistical outreach, to say the least.

How is this possible when financial institutions are floundering around the world, people are losing their jobs and cutting back on giving, equity is disappearing, and debts are mounting?

First of all, we believe what Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10),”

       We also believe that while God wants all men to prosper, they can only truly do so on His terms, not theirs, which is why Jesus said in Luke 16:13, "No servant can serve two masters...You cannot serve God and mammon [riches]."

       As a ministry and as individual ministers we make a point of carefully shepherding the funds God has given us, and of never entering into deficit spending no matter who says we don’t have faith to “just step out on the promises.”

       What we always do is teach the people in our churches and social projects that God rules this world on principles that, when obeyed, produce the abundance He promises to those who serve him. We teach that  when Christians manage their home and business finances in the same consumer-and-debt oriented way the world does, they can expect to suffer the same sad results sooner or later.

       On the other hand when they practice what the Bible says about money—and the Bible says an extraordinary amount on the subject—the result is what the Apostle John said to Gaius, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

       Think about it: What testimony do we as Christians have if when there’s a recession or worse—a financial meltdown—that we suffer the same as the World? Can we tell the unsaved that we have a God who is able to prosper us no matter what the economy brings? Can we take advantage of bargain prices for real estate or stocks when we’re in the same condition as the rest of the World?

       Our experience is that when what we’re doing is in God’s will, He has all the resources necessary to provide great success. Our prayer for you in these difficult times is that you maintain your life and finances on the solid rock of the practice of God’s Word, looking constantly for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. All else is shifting sand. That way we can demonstrate together that our God has a marvelous plan of blessing not just in the hereafter but in the here-and-now.

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Editor’s note: Dick and Gladys Funnell were part of the team that founded Verbo Ministries in 1976. They then helped found a church in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, in the early ‘80’s before moving to Verbo New Orleans where they worked in a leadership capacity until starting an intercession ministry in Wales in 2005. The following is un update on their activities:

The charge we received from the Lord is to stand in the gap for Wales, one of the nations of the United Kingdom also known as "The Land of Revivals,” and pray for another outpouring of His Spirit.

Our primary calling and focus is praying every day in Cilfowyr Chapel, a  Welsh Baptist chapel in the west part of the country near our home. The church began in a farmhouse in the 1680's. Today, this 500+ capacity stone chapel meets once a month with an attendance of about 15 people, including us.

Besides our daily prayer and intercession sessions, we spend a good portion of time in praise and worship, since both of us are musicians. Friends also come and pray with us from time to time.

The chapel members allow us to be here every day for prayer but we don't have permission to invite other people to formalize regular prayer meetings. However, we are involved in weekly prayer groups with friends, bi-monthly meetings at a local retreat center, and other regular and occasional prayer events in other parts of Wales.

Because our chapel only meets once a month we have ample opportunity to visit other congregations in the area where we regularly fellowship. This has opened doors to befriend and encourage many people, both ministers and laity. There is a rising anticipation for the coming move of God, and we are glad to play a small part in the Wales Awakening!

The full story of how we were called into this strategic prayer-centered mission is available on our webpage at http://www.walesawakening.org.