Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia

NEW WEBSITE !!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-01-13T16:12:00.002-05:00

For those of you who were not aware - this site is no longer the active site of C.C. Philadelphia's Missions department. Please go to http://missions.ccphilly.org/ or just click HERE

This site will remain open for a couple more months and then will be shut down. For those of you who have not been on the new site.......... ENJOY !

Russian Outreach

2010-07-28T11:24:00.003-04:00

Igor Shepyeta and Paul Berzin

Hello everyone, I wanted to make you all aware of an outreach in Northern Russia that some brothers from our church will be leading in early August. Please keep them in prayer as they reach out to the Russian youth through evangelistic concerts, and camps.

The following is a tentative itinerary so that you can pray for them while they are in various locations throughout Russia, Ukraine, and Maldova.

- August 2nd, the whole team is gathering in Odessa. This team consists of volunteers from Ukraine and Moldova.
- August 3rd, the team will be leaving Odessa for Moscow on a 24 hour train ride.
- August 4th, taking the train from Moscow to Labytnangi (this will be a 46-48 hour train ride). Labytnangi is the place where the railroad actually ends. Across the river, in the next city which is Salekhard, Yamal, we will arrive at the local baptist church. For the following 2-3 weeks, we will be working in different locations up and down the Ob' river. During this time, we are going to host at least 2 children's day camps and we will also will hold concerts and fellowship for the local youth and adults.

After we are finished in Yamal, we will take the 2 trains back to Odessa, Ukraine. Once there, we will host several youth-focused concerts and outreaches. We will also hold the same concerts and outreaches in Kishenyov, Moldova.

Keep checking back for more updates from Igor and Paul.

Blessings,

Carlos

Missions Conference messages now online

2010-06-30T11:20:00.002-04:00

The conference went great. If you weren't able to make it out, you can now listen or download the messages by logging on to our website here. Pass them on to your friends and family as these messages were such an awesome encouragement to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and to continue to spread the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ to those who still need to hear.

Enjoy.

Carlos

Come on out !

2010-05-14T19:53:00.001-04:00

2010 Missions Conference from Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia on Vimeo.

Missions Conference is Coming Up!

2010-05-07T09:30:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone. The Missions Conference is just around the corner, and I'm starting to get really excited about all that the Lord is going to do over that weekend. Here is a link to go to if you want to listen to a short interview that I did about the conference on 90.5 Hope F.M. In it I share a little bit more about our speakers, and more about the conference in general. Are you coming? We have them every two years, so don't miss this one! Register by calling our church office at 215-969-1520, or by logging on to www.ccphilly.org

See you there.

Carlos

2010 Missions Conference !

2010-04-23T13:56:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone! We are fast approaching our Missions Conference here at C.C. Philly. The dates are Friday night, May 21st starting at 6:30 P.M., and all day Saturday May 22nd starting at 9:00 A.M. The conference is FREE and all are welcome to attend. We have invited all of the Calvary Chapel fellowships in the surrounding States, but are also welcoming any missions minded believers to come and attend from any church in the area. The only thing we are asking is that you first register so we can get an idea of how many people to expect. You can do that by filling this FORM out online (it only works if you are using internet explorer). If you don't have a computer, or your only using safari on your mac, just call our church office and register with one of the secretaries. The number for C.C. Philadelphia is 215-969-1520. For more information, and to read more about our speakers, you can download the brochure by clicking HERE.

Speaking of our speakers, I just wanted to write a little about some of them, and where they are coming from. Dr. John Dekker and his wife Helen were working in Irian Jaya since the 60's with the remote Dani people who had no written language and no knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Lord used the Dekkers in incredible ways to not only translate the Bible into their language, but to also start many various churches throughout the valley they lived in. Today there are 79 churches among them totaling some 13,000 baptized believers. These Dani have such a heart for missions themselves, they have now sent out over 65 couples from amongst themselves to other people groups in the surrounding area that need to hear about Jesus!

Pastor Serge Poteau is the pastor at C.C. Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He will be sharing with us on what the Lord has been doing there in Haiti since the devastating earthquake hit in January. He is a Haitian national and will have information that we have not and will not get on our national news stations. I'm really looking forward to hearing him and all that the Lord is doing there in PAP.

Some of our other speakers will include David Guzik who is the director of the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Siegen, Germany, and has also written many commetaries that are available for free on Blue Letter Bible. Phil Metzger will aslo be sharing with us. He is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Budapest, Hungary which I believe is the largest Calvary outside the United States, and has been on the field for over 12 years. He also oversees the Bible College in Vajta, Hungary, and the Calvary Church plants throughout Eastern Europe. He will be sharing about the great things that the Lord is doing in Eastern Europe, as well as the great needs that still exist in that area.

We will also be hearing from Bill Gallatin, Jeff Jackson (former missionary to the Philippines, and founder of Shepherd's Staff Mission Facilitators), Chuck Walton (Wycliffe Bible translator among the Sama people in the Philippines for over 30 years), and some others!

So, as you can read, we have a strong line up of speakers that will not only tell us what the Lord is doing around the world, but will also challenge us on what our part should be in the midst of it all. Pray for the conference, that the Lord would do a mighty work over those two days, and that many would sense the Lord calling them out to this great harvest! Invite your friends, sign up online (or by calling the church office), and continue to pray that the Lord would use this time for His glory.

Blessings,

Carlos

We're Alive !

2010-03-24T10:52:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone, well, it seems like the only place that has reliable power, and any type of internet in Zambia is here in the capital Lusaka. We're getting ready to leave tomorrow morning and I used the little time I had to run over to the internet cafe to let you all know that we're still alive, and that we're all doing great! No sickness, no injuries, and we're all filled with all of the Lord's abundant blessings! All the construction jobs got done, and then some. The guys worked hard, and the lord blessed the work of their hands. The teachings went well, and all the 150 pastors at the conference on Saturday we're blessed. The time at Kafue National Park over the last 2 days were wonderful, I'll have to tell you another time about the elephant that decided to invade the lodge and walk all around our chalets! Anyway, everyone is doing great, being blessed, and we'll all have lots to talk about when we get home. Pray for our 2 flights tomorrow, and that we can all return to our families quickly. Thanks for all your prayers this past week, the Lord moved and I believe that Jesus was glorified. When I get back to the states, I'll write more.

Blessings,
Carlos

We made it!

2010-03-13T03:31:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone, it's around 10:30 A.M. Lusaka, Zambia time, and we're right about ready to start our two day drive North to Kasempa. We'll be stopping in Ndola tonight. The past two days of flying have been uneventful, but really tiring! Thanks for your prayers for our safety, our flights were very smooth and all on time. All of our bags got here as well, which is another answer to prayer. Please continue to pray for our travels by van now and for the remainder of the trip. Everyone is doing fine, tired, but also excited to be here. I don't know how often I'll be able to update this when we get to Kasempa, but I'll try to do it when I can. Thanks again for your prayers, we feel them, and are so encouraged by them - please keep it up!

Blessings,
Carlos

Zambia, here we come!

2010-03-02T15:32:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone, well, in little over a week a team from C.C. Philly will be heading to Kasempa, Zambia to visit our missionaries Ron and Bridget Wint with Lumba Christian Ministries. The trip is going to serve a coupe of different purposes, the main one being construction needs. Nine out of the eleven people going have a construction/ electrical background and will be working on various projects that are in dire need of repair. Please pray that they would be able to fix what needs to be fixed using the VERY limited tools that will be available. There are no Home Depots in the country, and the closest town that may have materials is a six hour round trip drive. So please pray that what the Lord would want fixed, gets fixed/built, and that the problems that will no doubt come - will just be little diversions met with creative Holy Spirit guided solutions! While the rest of the team will be working on these various projects, myself and Brian Weed will be teaching at various churches throughout the area. It's a always a joy to spend time with the pastors there, and we are praying that the Lord would be glorified in our teaching, as well as in our fellowship with these men of God. Also, on Saturday, March 20th we will be hosting a Pastors Conference where all the different pastors in the area from different denominations and backgrounds will be invited to attend. Typically we can expect a couple hundred people to be in attendance. Please be praying for this time, as Brian and I teach through the first 8 chapters of the book of Romans. Pray that the Lord would address any questions on doctrine that needs to be addressed, and most of all that the Pastors would leave encouraged in the Word, and in the work that the Lord has called them to. Lastly, we will spend some time visiting and hanging out with the orphans there in Kasempa, that are supported through donors Stateside under Lumba Christian Ministries.

As I have written in the past, this is the kind of trip that has many unknown variables, and anything could go wrong at anytime, ie. transportation, sickness, snake bites, severe rain etc etc. So I do really mean it when I am asking you guys to be praying for our safety and for the Lord to bless this trip beyond what I can even ask or think. Our team feels it when the saints are praying for them, so please be praying for us - the trip dates are March 11th - 25th. I will try to update this site with pictures while there in Zambia but because of the extremely poor communication where we are in Northern Zambia, I can't make any promises!

Lastly, I wanted to present an opportunity to anyone in the Philadelphia area that may be reading this regarding ministering to Muslim Refugees from Chad. We have some opportunities available to minister to Muslim Refugees that have been relocated from their home countries to the Philadelphia area. If you have a heart to minister to Muslims from another culture and have been praying about opportunities to do that, please send me an email and I will give you some more information.

Blessings,
Carlos

Stories from Haiti ..........

2010-01-22T11:23:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone. I'm not sure how many of you know that there are at leas two Calvary Chapel churches in Haiti. One of them is in Porta-au-Prince, and the other in Caneille. Praise the Lord that both pastors and their families are safe and being used by the Lord in a great way right now. The church and orphanage in PAP though not totally destroyed still suffered some pretty severe damage structurally - enough so that nobody is staying at either facility. The church in Caneille didn't suffer any damages and is being used currently. Pastor Bastia and his wife Betty from C.C. Caneille have a great testimony of how the Lord protected them during the earthquake last week. Below is an email that we received from them the day after it took place.

Hi everyone,

We are writing this e mail to the many who have written and asked how we are in light of yesterday’s earthquake in Haiti. Short answer – Yes, Bastia and I are both safe and unharmed due to nothing short of a miracle of God..

Bastia and I were both in Port au Prince when the earthquake took place. Bastia dropped me off at a grocery store to do some shopping while he and our friend TiJean went across the street to get their hair cut. Within 10 minutes of being in the grocery store, I felt the floor start to tremble. I remember thinking, “This feels like an earthquake, but Haiti doesn’t have earthquakes”. As I looked up, the ceiling tiles were trembling. Underneath me, the trembling increased where I could not stand, so I knelt down on the floor, covered my head, and prayed. The trembling increased and the lights went out. It was pitch black everywhere. I heard people screaming and the sound of people trying to run to get out of the building as ceiling tiles fell and things fell off the shelves. All around me, I was aware that things were falling, but nothing touched me. The tremors stopped, and the first thing I tried to do was try to call Bastia from my cell phone. No answer, just a recorded message in Creole. Same thing the second attempt. I was aware that there was a woman behind me. “Are you OK?” I asked. “Yes”. I said, “Don’t be afraid, Jesus is with us.” I told her to follow me, and with the light of my cell phone, we carefully and slowly began crossing the debris to exit the building. As I exited, I looked everywhere for Bastia. And then, right there in front of me, there he was along with TiJean. I cannot explain the relief and joy to see his face.

Bastia had a more harrowing experience. It was a huge cement building and he and TiJean were sitting in the barber chairs when the tremors began. TiJean fell on the way out, but got out before the building collapsed. Bastia was not able to get out and a huge slab of cement fell down right above him and stopped right above his head. I personally believe Gods’ angels were holding up the cement to not crush him. He saw no way to get out, but then found a hole to crawl through and escaped. This morning, when we drove by the same barber shop, it had totally collapsed, and Bastia would have died if that had happened while he was in the building. Once out, he and TiJean came immediately to find me.

We are praising God continuously for His protection and deliverance. Thank you for all who pray for us. God has a plan and nothing will stop it. The situation in PAP is severe. Many people are trapped in buildings of which almost all are made of cement. This morning there were wounded, bleeding people everywhere, and dead people on the streets who were covered with a shirt or sheet. There was little vehicle traffic and literally thousands of people walked the streets looking at the damage and searching for their loved ones. One hospital was completely destroyed. We took a truckload of injured people to the hospital. There was hardly a place left on the hospital grounds to even put them. The hospital was full and there were no medical personnel seen outside. One beautiful young girl was dying before my very eyes as the young man with her looked at me and said, “She’s dying.” There were cries and wails of pain everywhere.

Schools throughout the entire country are closed till further notice. The presidents’ house has been destroyed as well as the police station, hospital, schools, many businesses, homes,etc. No one here ever recalls Haiti having had a severe earthquake like this. In Caneille and Hinche, light tremors were felt, but no damage. The light tremors hit Caneille and Hinche before PAP, and the people of Caneille said they were praying for us fervently and relentlessly. We arrived back in Hinche this afternoon and are trying to stock up on food, gas, and culligan water. Everything originates from PAP and we expect prices to skyrocket and things to be unavailable.

C.C. Philly is now working with these two churches, and we are currently praying on what the best way is to help them in the long term. Regarding trips there, this will probablly be a reality in the next couple of months. Keep an eye on our website , or this site for more information on short-term trips.

You can go to these sites if you would like some more information regarding the two churches mentioned above.

Calvary Chapel Canielle - http://www.cccaneille.org/
Calvary Chapel Port-Au-Prince - http://ccpap.blogspot.com/
Calvary Chapel Orphanage in PAP - http://calvarychapelinthecity.com/ccf-orphanage/

First Communion on Aniwa

2010-01-15T09:56:00.003-05:00

As mentioned in my last post, I waned to write a little about John G. Paton and the impact that he had in the New Hebrides in the mid to late 1800's. Instead of quoting bits and pieces from one of my favorite chapters, I figured I would just post the entire chapter - yes, it's that good! Without ruining the story (because you guys have to get this book and read it), I will briefly write that John G. Paton left Tanna after 4 years, and after a series of events landed on the island if Aniwa not to far from Tanna. There he would spend over 40 years ministering to the cannibals, and over time, basically the entire isalnd gets saved, radically saved. The following talks about the first communion that was held at the church with local Aniwa believers participating. My prayer is that the Lord would impress on your heart those that still today have not heard about Jesus, but yet so need Him to deliver them from their bondage to sin. That we would be praying for the Lord to thrust out laborers into this harvest field of unreached peoples - all 1.8 billion of them!

And this leads me to relate the story of our First Communion on Aniwa. It was Sabbath, 24th October, 1869; and surely the Angels of God and the Church of the Redeemed in Glory were amongst the gieat cloud of witnesses who eagerly " peered" down upon the scene,—when we sat around the Lord's Table and partook of His body and blood with those few souls rescued out of the Heathen World. My Communicants' Class had occupied me now a considerable time. The conditions of attendance at this early stage were explicit, and had to be made very severe, and only twenty were admitted to the roll. At the final examination only twelve gave evidence of understanding what they were doing, and of having given their hearts to the service of the Lord Jesus. At their own urgent desire, and after every care in examining and instructing, they were solemnly dedicated in prayer to be baptized and admitted to the Holy Table• On that Lord's Day, after the usual opening Service, I gave a short and careful exposition of the Ten Commandments and of the Way of Salvation according to the Gospel. The twelve Candidates then stood up before all the inhabitants there assembled ; and, after a brief exhortation to them as Converts, I put to them the two questions that follow, and each gave an affirmative reply," Do you, in accordance with your profession of the Christian Faith, and your promises before God and the people, wish me now to baptize you ? And,—"Will you live henceforth for Jesus only, hating all sin and trying to love and serve your Saviour ? "

Then, beginning with the old Chief, the twelve came forward, and I baptized them one by one according to the Presbyterian usage. Two of them had also little children, and they were at the same time baptized, and received as the lambs of the flock. Solemn prayer was then offered, and in the name of the Holy Trinity the Church of Christ on Aniwa was formally constituted. I addressed them on the words of the Holy Institution—I Corinthians xi. 23—and then, after the prayer of Thanksgiving and Consecration, administered the Lord's Supper,—the first time since the Island of Aniwa was heaved out of its coral depths ! Mrs. McNair, my wife, and myself along with six Aneityumese Teachers, communicated with the newly baptized twelve. And I think, if ever in all my earthly experience, on that day I might truly add the blessed words—Jesus " in the midst"
The whole Service occupied nearly three hours. The Islanders looked on with a wonder whose unwonted silence was almost painful to bear. Many were led to inquire carefully about everything they saw, so new and strange. For the first time the Dorcas Street Sabbath School Teachers' gift from South Melbourne Presbyterian Church was put to use—a new Communion Service of silver. They gave it in faith that we would require it, and in such we received it And now the day had come and gone! For three years we had toiled and prayed and taught for this. At the moment when I put the bread and wine into those dark hands, once stained with the blood of Cannibalism, now stretched out to receive and partake the emblems and seals of the Redeemer's love, I had a foretaste of the joy of Glory that well nigh broke my heart to pieces. I shall never taste a deeper bliss, till I gaze on the glorified face of Jesus Himself.

On the afternoon of that Communion Day, an open-air Prayer Meeting was held under the shade of the great banyan tree in front of our Church. Seven of the new Church members there led the people in prayer to Jesus, a hymn being sung betwixt each. My heart was so full of joy that I could do little else but weep. Oh, I wonder, I wonder, when I see so many good Ministers at home, crowding each other and treading on each other's heels, whether they would not part with all their home privileges, and go out to the Heathen World and reap a joy like this— " the joy of the Lord."

The New Year is fast approaching......

2009-12-16T16:48:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone. I'm not going to make any excuses on my blog tardiness. I will say however that I stared a Twitter account to hopefully offset my delay of long blog posts with shorter missions minded tweets. If you want to follow along, go over to the right of this blog, and click the link.

I recently finished reading the autobiography of John G. Paton. I must tell you that if you have never read it, I would consider it a must read, as well as one of my top 3 favorite missionary biography's. John Paton was a missionary to the New Hebrides (the modern day islands of Vanuatu) in the South Pacific. Around 1862 John Paton had been on the island of Tana for 4 years trying to teach the cannibals about the love of Jesus. At that point he had lost his wife and newborn son, some of his missionary friends had been killed and eaten, and he himself was daily trying to save his life from the hands of the Tannese who waned to kill him. One night while trying to run away from an angry mob that was chasing him, he climbed up a tall tree and hid in the darkness of the jungle. He writes,

I climbed into the tree and was left there alone in the bush. The hours I spent there live all before me as if it were but yesterday. I heard the frequent discharging of muskets, and the yells of the savages. Yet I sat there among the branches, as safe in the arms of Jesus. Never in all my sorrows, did my Lord draw nearer to me, and speak more soothingly in my soul, then when the moonlight flickered among those chestnut leaves, and the night air played on my throbbing brow, as I told all my heart to Jesus. Alone, yet not alone! If it be to glorify my God, I will not grudge to spend many nights alone in such a tree, to feel again my Saviour's spiritual presence, to enjoy His counseling fellowship. If thus thrown back upon your own soul, alone, all, all alone, in the midnight, in the bush, in the very embrace of death itself, have you a Friend that will not fail you then?

Wow, what a quote! Some of you may have seen a recent show on the travel channel called "Meet the Natives" where a group of tribal Indians from the island of Tanna (sound familiar) come to the US to experience it's customs and culture (and also give a message of stopping violence and war - how ironic right) ? It's very interesting, but to me what's more interesting is the history behind these people, and the gospel that had reached them 147 years before hand through John G. Paton! I think I'm going to share about the life on John G. Paton at our Missions Conference here at C.C. Philly on Saturday, May 22nd - that's right, mark your calendars. I'm sure I'll write some more about his life. The book was an absolute blessing in my life, I'm sure it will be the same for you.

Missions wise, 2010 has a lot of awesome stuff already lined up. Construction trip/ pastors conferences in Kasempa, Zambia. Two trips to help out the small church plants in the mountains of El Salvador, a trip to Israel and Jordan, as well as some other surprises. Keep checking back for some more updates. Lastly, pray for me as I attend the annual Calvary Chapel Missions Conference in Murrieta, California in a couple of weeks. Pray that the Lord would impart in me more of His heart for all peoples to know Him and declare His glory. Pray that I could be an encouragement to any missionary that needs it, and also for divine appointments set up by our Saviour. Thanks guys!

Blessings,
Carlos

El Salvador Medical Trip !

2009-10-22T19:42:00.001-04:00

I hope you guys enjoy this. What an awesome trip!

2009-09-29T19:33:00.001-04:00

El Salvador Medical Trip !

2009-09-29T18:37:00.002-04:00

Greetings from El Salvador! I apologize to all those who have been checking this blog only to find no updates. I can assure you I have been trying, but the internet access here in in El Salvador is not very dependable to say the least. So I guess I have to fill you in on what's been happening here since Saturday. ( I don't know really where to start)! Today is the third day running medical clinics here in El Salvador. Each day we have been traveling to a different Calvary Chapel church plant throughout the country, and running free medical clinics. People in the neighborhoods where the churches are have been waiting to see our doctors and dentists for a couple of weeks now. For many, this is their only opportunity to receive medical and dental care because they lack the money to pay for the treatment. So usually we arrive at our site with a line of people already waiting to be seen. While the people are waiting to be checked out, we have a team (some from our C.C. Philly group, and some from the local Calvary) that shares Christ with them, and gives them Gospels of John as well as a pamphlet with directions to the church. Many people have gotten saved throughout these three days and we are praying for even more to believe on the name of Jesus during the last two clinics.

Everyone on our team is healthy, and doing great. They are all working extremely hard, and each night their exhausted from serving the Lord in this incredible heat! (I forgot to mention that we are all sweating by around 7:30 in the morning, and we don't stop sweating until the daily thunderstorms come and knock out all the power, and close the roads - that's at around 4:30 every afternoon). I would ask that you continue to pray for us - that the Lord would strengthen all of us for the remaining clinics, that He would be glorified in all that we do, and that many would continue to trust in Him as their Lord and Savior. We want to be a blessing to the local Calvary's here, so please also pray that their church is encouraged by the clinics and by those who end up coming to hear God's Word being taught every Sunday.

I think that's all for now - I will try to update tomorrow, and will also try to get some pictures posted on here in a little bit. Thanks for all your prayers, we can all sense the Lord's hand on this trip - please keep them coming!

Blessings,

Carlos

Medical Missions Trip Info / A great resource......

2009-07-31T15:45:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone, sorry it's been awhile since my last post. I guess I'm not doing very well with my commitment for a once a week update. I just wanted to write to ask you to pray for our Medical Missions Trip to El Salvador which will take place from September 26th - October 3rd. This trip was a trip that we had to postpone last November because of paperwork that couldn't get done in time in El Salvador, and because of lots of red tape that we didn't know about going in. Anyway, the Lord's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts far beyond ours right ? SO I think that last November wasn't His timing, but I am praying that this September will be! And I am asking you guys to join me in praying for this trip. All the important paperwork is done, and it has all been submitted to the El Salvadorian government. At this time we are just waiting for the official "green light" from them. Please pray that we will get that soon, and that we can go ahead with the final planning and preparation for this trip. As in all trips that we do, we want to see Jesus magnified and exalted amongst the El Salvadorian people, and we are going to use free medical care as an open door to tell them about our glorious God and Savior. We will be able to meet some of their physical needs, and most importantly get a chance to share the gospel, and pray for them all while they will be at a Bible teaching church in their mountain village (where the clinics will be held). SO I am very excited about this opportunity but we certainly need your prayers for this trip - for right now in particular, so that we can get the approval from the government to host these free medical clinics. I will keep you guys updated on the status of everything as I get more information. Thanks for praying!

Secondly, I just waned to share with you a great resource that my buddy Matt Ellison from 1615 told me about. The book is called "From Akebu to Zapotec" and although I think it has been around since 2002, I have just learned about it recently. We just started carrying them here at the bookstore at C.C. Philly. The book is basically a children's book with illustrations and info on Bibleless peoples going from A to Z. Each people group has their own page with a beautiful illustration and then a story about life in their culture. It's a great way to get our kids to be thinking about these peoples, to be praying for them, and also for the Lord to send someone to give them the Bible in their language. Those of you who know me know how close to my heart that is. This is just another tool, another resource which enables us to talk to our kids about the importance of sharing Christ and His Word with those who have never heard. Check it out, I know you will not be disappointed !

The true story of Tokich Ishii

2009-07-01T15:07:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone, like I mentioned in my last post, I wanted to share with you guys a little more from the book "A Gentleman in Prison", the story of Tokichi Ishii. If you haven't been on here in awhile scroll down to the last post and read that first. You guys know his story by now, but I just wanted to post some excerpts from his journal. The first talking about how exactly he came to believe in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, and the second talking about some "divine favors" that he has realized are his IN CHRIST JESUS.

I went on, and my attention was next taken by these words: "And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do". I stopped: I was stabbed to the heart, as if pierced by a five-inch nail. What did the verse reveal to me ? Shall I call it the love of the heart of Christ? Shall I call it His compassion? I do not know what to call it. I only know that with an unspeakably grateful heart, I believed. Through this simple sentence I was led into the whole of Christianity. This is how I thought it out: I suppose a man's greatest enemy is the one who seeks to take his life from him. There is surely no greater enemy than this.

Now at the very moment when Jesus' life was being taken from him, he prayed for his enemies to the God of Heaven. Father, forgive them for they know not 'what they do. What else could I believe but that he was indeed the son of God ? I argued that an ordinary man is filled with anger and hatred and every other spiteful passion on the slightest provocation. Jesus, on the other hand, prayed for his enemies at the very moment his life was being taken, that life which was so precious that nothing could take its place. Was an act like this possible for an ordinary man? I do not think so. Then we cannot but say that he was God. Again, chaplains and pastors, and those who see men die, agree that the last words a man utters come from the depths of his soul, and that he does not die with lies upon his lips. Jesus' last words were, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do, and so I cannot but believe that they reveal his true heart.

I can't help but think about how powerful the Word of the Lord is. In the chapters before this, Tokichi Ishii tells of how this missionary Caroline MacDonald had come to his cell and given him a New Testament. He said she would come by and share about the words of Christ, but that he really didn't give any thought to it. He didn't read the New Testament for a long time, but eventually started reading it out of curiosity. After the third time picking it up, he came across those words "Father forgive them", and he was saved. Let us remember the power that is in the Word of God, and how even a simple act of sharing His Word can have eternal value to it! Here is the next quote where he shares about what the Lord has given him in Christ Jesus.

I want to tell you what divine favors were given me after I became a believer in Christ. First I received the imperishable and everlasting salvation of that most important part of man, his soul. As it is written: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life'. And again: "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out". If we believe these words then we know that God has not forsaken us but has saved our souls forever.

I shall now speak of a second favor in which I have received from God. When I was free I travelled about west and east out in the world, and saw and heard many things, and had varied experiences. Today I am sitting in my prison cell with no liberty to come and go, and yet I am far more contented than in the days of my freedom. In prison, with only poor, coarse food to eat, I am more thankful than I ever was out in the world when I could get whatever food I wanted. In this prison cell, only nine by six feet in size, I am happier than if I were living in the largest house I ever saw in the outer world. Whatever agony is in my heart I can now overcome. No matter what discomforts I endure there is only gladness in my heart. The joy of each day is very great. These things are all due to the grace and divine favor of Jesus Christ.

I wish to speak now of the greatest favor of all, the power of Christ, which cannot be measured by any of our standards. I have been more than twenty years in prison since I was nineteen years of age, and during that time I have known what it meant to endure suffering, although I have had some pleasant times as well. I have passed through all sorts of experiences, and have been urged often to repent of my sins. In spite of this, however, I did not repent, but on the contrary became more and more hardened. And then by the power of that one word of Christ's, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do, my unspeakably hardened heart was changed, and I repented of all my crimes. Such power is not in man.

I love what he says about being content. I wish the world (and also us as believers) could understand and apply that truth to our own lives. Here is a man who had no freedom at all, and without the Lord was always longing to be a free man. When that so called freedom arrived, without the Lord it was just an allusion, and it quickly became more bondage. Now in Christ Jesus, this man who (in the world's eyes) was locked up with no freedom at all, and awaiting certain death in this world is experiencing true freedom because he has been set free from sin and death! What a lesson. Are we experiencing that life in Christ Jesus today ? Are we filled with the joy of His salvation, or are we longing for something else in this world ?

Keep checking back for some more on Tikichi Ishii!
Many blessings,

Carlos

A Gentleman in Prison

2009-06-25T15:25:00.004-04:00

Tokichi Ishii

Hey everyone, as I mentioned in my last post, I finished a book last week called "A Gentleman in Prison", and I must say that it was fascinating. It's a book that was translated from Japanese to English, and then printed in 1920. The book is basically just the English translation of the journal of Tokichi Ishii, a famous Japanese thief, and murderer, who before being sent to his death wanted to write about how he received Christ while in prison the last year, and how he was a new creation in Christ Jesus. He explains how much of a sinner he was, and how much he loves Jesus for dying in is place, and for giving him a new life in Christ. He also then writes his testimony and how he came into this life of crime. Lastly he writes about the Lord, and also comments on scripture that has meant allot to him while waiting for his death. The book would have been great if it was just that, but the way in which Tokichi Ishii was given the death penalty, and the way he came to know Christ is perhaps one of the most famous stories in all of Japan. Here it is, summed up by Ms. Caroline MacDonald, the missionary that the Lord used to reveal Himself to Tokichi Ishii.

"The case itself was an amazing one in all its ramifications, the most extraordinary one, it is said, that ever passed through the Japanese courts. A geisha was murdered near Tokyo, and her lover was charged with the murder, and arrested. He confessed to the crime in the police station, but at the public trial, denied the charge, alleging that torture had been used by the police to extort the confession. There was strong circumstantial evidence against him, however, for he was the last one seen with the girl before her murder, and it was known that they had quarrelled. He was convicted and sentenced to be hanged. Before the sentence was carried out, however, a notorious criminal, Ishii by name, was arrested for a petty offence committed in Tokyo and thrown into the police cells. Seven or eight other men in the same cell were discussing the underworld of Tokyo and they
mentioned that a certain man had been convicted of the murder of a geisha called Oharu and condemned to death. Upon hearing this, Ishii confessed that it was he and not the man already condemned who had committed the crime. The confession created a great sensation. The other man was let out on parole and a new trial instituted. The court failed to find the slightest circumstantial evidence, however, to connect Ishii with the crime, and acquitted him in spite of his confession. The man himself protested against the acquittal, the public procurator appealed against the verdict, and the case was reopened in the appeal court. The trial dragged on in the courts and gained great notoriety. Newspapers were filled with the details of its xtraordinary ramifications. A man confesses to a crime, later denies it, but is sentenced to death on circumstantial evidence. Another man appears, confesses to the same crime, but is acquitted despite his confession. During the appeal trial, however, evidence was adduced which confirmed Ishii's confession to its minutest detail, and he was sentenced to death. As he says himself in his writing, he was thus able to make some amends for his sins and at the same time to save an innocent man from death.

He was a man forty-seven years of age, with practically no education, but with a remarkably clear mind. He had lived a life of crime, as his own story will tell, but marked as he was by the ravages of sin, his eye was clear and his purpose steady during his trial. I saw him often during those days, and on the morning after the death sentence had been given, he said to me very quietly, "It was God's own judgment and I am satisfied." During the days of waiting he took up his pen to write down the circumstances which led him into crime, and the story of his repentance. He worked night and day until his task was finished, for he did not know when the end might come. I saw him for the last time just a few days before his execution and his face was radiant; but of that day and of the end I shall write when the man has told his own story. The sequel is merely the translation of the manuscript I received from him through the prison authorities, and is reproduced, as far as possible, with the same straight forward simplicity as the original. I have not hesitated to depart on occasions from the literal translation, but I think I have not departed from the spirit. "

SO it was Tokichi Ishii's own confession that brought him the death penalty, but he was so lost in his own sin, and guilt of that crime, he writes that this was the only way he thought he could find peace. Little did he know at that time, that the Prince of Peace was knocking on the door of his heart, and soon he would know what perfect peace felt like! The lessons learned from this man are many, and in the next couple of posts I will be writing about some of the things that spoke to me about this mans story. I will also be adding some excerpts of his journals - many which are very inspiring. His childlike faith, and deep gratitude unto the Lord has sparked a flame in my own heart, and I pray that as you read some of his insights, the same will happen to you.

Blessings,

Carlos

Philly, Summer '09

2009-06-19T14:38:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone, I just wanted to write a little bit about some outreach opportunities that are taking place here in our own city of Philadelphia this summer. Usually the summer is a time when our church family as well as our Jr. and Sr. High students go overseas to help our missionaries, and to share the love of Jesus in a cross-cultural setting. With the current economic situation in our country, and more importantly, with a prompting from the Lord, C.C. Philly (the church body, and both the Jr. and Sr. High) has decided to stay in Philadelphia this summer to share the love of Christ in our own city. This will be taking place in various forms of outreach, and at various times, in various places around our city.

C.C. Philadelphia has birthed 3 Calvary church plants in the past couple of years, and we are all very excited about what the Lord is doing in each of them. Part of our outreach to our city will be coming along side of these church plants and helping them out in any way that we can - from painting and fixing things up, to helping them with VBS, to street evangelism etc. The Jr. High and Sr. High will both be doing 2 week trips to the city to come alongside these churches.

In addition to all of that, we have some opportunities that are available to those in our congregation, as well as others around our city that have a burden for Philadelphia to be reached for Christ. Once a month we will be meeting at C.C. North Philly (meets at the YMCA at Broad and Master) at 10a.m. for worship and prayer, and then from there, we will go out on the streets to share the love of Jesus with those that the Lord directs us to. The next time we will be meeting is on Saturday, July 18th. Please pray about joining us!

We all meet there this past Saturday, (June 13th) and hit the streets afterward. With my team was a brother and his wife from C.C. Philly who is an incredible painter. He brought two huge paintings of his that depicted the crucifixion, one of them he was still working on. Our group of around eight people set up at Love Park in Center City, and as Ryan set up his paintings, and was working on them, many people stopped to look at them. As they were standing there we then began to share with them about what they were looking at and the importance of Jesus' death and resurrection. It was a great time, and the Lord called people to Himself that day - what a privilege it was to see God move that day! For the next event, I think Ryan will be working on painting the story of the Prodigal son. Please pray that the Lord anoints him to paint it according to the way He desires it to be done! I'm really excited about all of the outreach in Philadelphia this summer, and I'm asking you guys to pray for our city - that the Lord would do a great work in peoples hearts, and that the power of Christ would free people from the bondage of sin and death. Pray that they would treasure Him more than anything else this world would seek to give them, and please pray for us- that we would be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and that we would be filled with His strength as we go out and share Jesus during these events.

As a side note, I just got done reading a book called "A Gentleman in Prison", which is the story of a Japanese criminal named Tokichi Ishii who came to know Christ while in prison. While he is awaiting his death by hanging,he writes down all that the Lord has showed him, and I must say, it is a powerful book. In my next couple of posts I will be writing about his story in more detail, as well as some things that I have learned from reading it. I promise it will be sooner rather than later : ) !

Blessings,

Carlos

The late Ralph D. Winter

2009-05-22T13:18:00.002-04:00

At 9:05 PM, May 20, 2009 Ralph Winter, the founder of the U. S. Center for World Missions went home to be with the Lord. I never met this man of God, but I have been deeply touched by his ministry. In many ways it directly impacts what i do on a daily basis. You see it was Dr. Winter that first talked about the term "unreached peoples" at the Lausanne Conference on World Evangelization in 1974. The shattering truth that was revealed at this conference was that in spite of the fact that every country in the world had been penetrated by the gospel, four out of five non-Christians were still cut off from the gospel because the barriers are CULTURAL and LINGUISTIC, not geographic. He called not recognizing this fact as "people blindness", blindness to the existence of separate peoples within countries. In 1982 the term "people group" was then translated as

" a significantly large grouping of individuals who perceive themselves to have a common affinity for one another because of their shared language, religion, ethnicity, residence, occupation, class, or caste, situation etc. or combining of these. It is the largest group within which the gospel can spread as a church planting movement without encountering barriers of understanding or acceptance".

Thank the Lord that since then, many, many churches and ministries have been focused on reaching the unreached that was defined back in 1982. Dr. Winter and his team at the U.S. Center for World Missions have written out the stages of reaching these people groups in the following summary.

Stages in Reaching an Unreached People Group

Stage 1-"Reported" The people group is brought to the attention of a Christian research group which strives to verify them as unreached and lists them as such.

Stage 2-"Selected" A denomination or mission agency, capable of reaching the group, accepts responsibility to reach them and mobilize churches and Christians to adopt this people group so that a church may be started in their midst. They are actively recruiting churches and fellowship groups to adopt this group and partner together to reach them.

Stage 3-"Adopted" One, or several, churches or fellowship groups (could be a mission fellowship, student group, Sunday School class, etc.) has made the establishment of a strong church among the unreached people group their personal goal. They agree to support the work with prayers and finances. This is done with their denomination or in partnership with one or more mission agencies.

Stage 4"Engaged" The work has begun and cross-cultural workers are "on site" with the goal of establishing a "viable, indigenous church-planting movement."
A people group may already have been engaged when a church or fellowship group chooses to adopt. The church then commits itself to partner with the "on site" workers.

Stage 5-"Reached" A strong, indigenous church-planting movement has been established that is of sufficient size and strength to evangelize the rest of the group with no (or very little) outside help.
"Reached" does not mean the work is done, but the missionary thrust is closing and the evangelistic phase has begun which is now the responsibility of the indigenous church. They have moved from unreached to unevangelized.

This is something that C.C. Philadelphia believes in, and is currently supporting with our work among the Tarahumara in Northern Mexico, as well as the Tabwa people in the Katanga province of the DRC. Please join with me in praising the Lord for all the ways that He has used Dr. Winter, and to also pray that more and more churches, believers, and ministries would join hand in hand with these efforts to see Christ treasured among those who have never heard.

To know more about the U.S. Center for World Missions check out their website HERE.

Blessings,

Carlos

Ron and Bridget Wint speaking at Missions Prayer tonight!

2009-05-21T13:23:00.003-04:00

West Indies Sunset - A light in the darkness.

Sorry this is so last minute, but among other things I want to write about, I just wanted to let everyone know that Ron and Bridget Wint will be speaking at our Missions Prayer tonight at C.C. Philly in the Prayer Room. They haven't been home since they left to go to Zambia as full-time missionaries over 3 years ago. If you can make it out, come and listen to them share about what the Lord is doing there in North-Western Zambia.

Since my last post I have been in the West Indies close to Trinidad and Venezuela, as well as in Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay at a Pastors Conference for Calvary pastors up and down the East Coast. We had the privilege to hear from some incredible men of God including one who is 86 years old and has been serving the Lord in full time ministry for over 60 years. I'll be writing more about the things the Lord showed me through these guys in my next post, but for now, I wanted to finish with my thoughts on those verses in Romans 13 that I was previously writing about.

While traveling around this past month, and having lots of time to spend listening to the voice of the Lord, it seems like He has been impressing on my heart this one theme - that the "night is far gone, and the day is at hand, so then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light". I was talking with my son the other day about why he is scared to go upstairs by himself. He told me "Dad I don't like to go upstairs by myself because it's to dark up there". I told him "Evan, you don't have to be scared of the dark, just turn the light on, and go upstairs"! I then began to talk to him about how Jesus called Himself the Light of the world, and how as believers we are called to be light in a dark world. I'm not sure if he totally grasped all of that yet, but it was just another reminder to me to make sure that in ALL that I am doing, I MUST be putting on the armor of light. I began to pray and ask the Lord to make me shine in EVERY situation. Every area of my life must be given to the Lord in order to let Him shine through me to this dark and sinful world.

The day is at hand - I really believe that brothers and sisters. The Lord desires so much to use our lives as a beam of light in our world. And the darker our world or our country gets (and it's getting pretty dark out there), the brighter our lights will shine. It's hard to try to write down all the things the Lord is showing me personally about this subject, but I do know that it's been a theme in my life as of late, and I just want to encourage you guys to make sure that in all areas of our lives, the Lord is shining through to the world that is constantly watching us. The time has come, let us cast off all works of darkness, and put on our Lord Jesus Christ!

"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." Daniel 12:3

Blessings,

Carlos

Romans 13:11-12

2009-05-01T15:11:00.003-04:00

" Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light."

I'm in Romans in my personal study in the Word - in fact, I've been in Romans for almost a year now. In reading through chapter 13 again this morning, the Lord was just pressing upon me the importance of "waking up from sleep". Now, we know that this letter was written to believers in Rome, and in particular this statement is meant for the Christian. The Bible speaks of those who don't know Christ as "dead", it doesn't refer to them as not sleeping, so we know this is for the believer. Now after further reading, I was thinking about in the physical, what causes people to sleep when really they should be awake - I thought about eating to much, over indulging I guess you could say. Also, being bored can be an excuse to just sleep, or maybe a listless attitude towards things could cause some to just sleep and not worry about life. I'm sure there's a lot more that I missed. Now if we apply these things spiritually, we can see how these things can so easily creep into our lives to cause us to spiritually "fall asleep". I was reading Barnhouse on this section and he wrote,

"Have we indulged of the stupefying things of this world and thus fallen asleep ? Have we been living in the close atmosphere of worldliness instead of breathing the fresh air of prayer? Have we been so lazy that we yawn in the face of God? Are we so involved with self that we try to force the knowledge of God below our conscious minds ? "

God calls us to wake up,to be alert. Paul says that the "night is far gone, and the day is at hand". The "night" is the world that we live in today, with all of it's sin and pride and the "day" is that day in which Jesus will come and reclaim this world which is rightfully His. Now Paul says that the "day is at hand" and obviously it is more "at hand" today then ever before. We read all throughout the N.T. verses about how the return of Christ should have a purifying and sanctifying affect in our daily walk with Jesus. Looking around the world today, I really believe that more than ever we as believers must "wake up". Instead of falling asleep in my comfortable life, or getting so caught up in the things of this world (whatever they may be), now more than ever, we should be awake, and telling others of the "day" that is at hand!

I want to write about this passage a little more in the next post. Be praying for those who have never heard, and also pray that you could have the privilege to go and tell them the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ. With God's grace brothers and sisters, let's do it!

Blessings,

Carlos

Missions Blog 2.0 !

2009-04-24T10:28:00.004-04:00

Well, if your reading this, you can see that our Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia Missions Blog has undergone a major (and much needed) upgrade. Much thanks to Bill who put lots of time into this new layout, and design. With this new look will be coming a renewed commitment (on my end) to post more about what is going on here at C.C. Philly in regards to fulfilling our missions vision, as well as more post of articles that will help to equip us all for the task at hand - completing this Great Commission!

Now, speaking of finishing the task at hand - I wanted to share with you guys a great website appropriately named "Finish the Task". You can get to it by clicking HERE. The purpose of the website is to get the church to engage in reaching those people groups around the world that currently have no churches working with them, and no witness for Christ among them.

"Today there are currently 639 unengaged, unreached people groups with populations over 100,000, together numbering over 535,000,000 souls that are still beyond the reach of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are spiritually lost, and helpless like sheep having no Shepherd. Among them Christ remains unknown, unacknowledged, and unadorned."

Go on their site, it's great. When you go on, you can also see some updates on some of these groups, and how they have now been adopted by some churches. That being said, though they have been adopted, the work is far from over! I think on average your looking at a 30-50 year commitment to really influence these people groups in all areas regarding the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm praying that this site will motivate you to pray for these groups, and also to ask the Lord what part you should play in getting the gospel out to them. I can tell you that our church will be adopting another people group to go along with the Tarahumara of Northern Mexico who we adopted years ago and have seen the N.T. translated, and Lord willing will soon see the complete Bible translated in their language. We are praying about two specific groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that are very closely related to the groups that we are working with in Northern Zambia. The difference is that no one is currently working with these groups (one of them is 800,000 strong) ! Please ask the Lord to give us wisdom on choosing this people group, and then wisdom as we begin to start forming a plan to reach them, and to begin to share with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The area that they are in is extremely remote, so please also pray that we can make the right connections in regards to traveling to them in the most safe and timely manner.

I'll be keeping you posted in regards to this group, as well as what we will be doing this summer. All very exciting stuff ! Check back soon for more updates.

Blessings,

Carlos

Little Nuggets from Israel.......

2009-04-08T10:54:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone, as I mentioned last month, I wanted to have a couple of people write about the things the Lord showed them while on our trip to Israel. After being home for a month, I still constantly find myself thinking about the trip, and the things that the Lord revealed to me while there. I'm starting to think that it really does take at least a month to process all of the information given, and all the things that the Lord showed us. Anyway, our first "little nugget" comes from Megan Petock.

Before traveling to Israel, several friends who had been to the Holy Land, told me it would be a life changing experience. While excited about the trip, I doubted it would be life changing. “Israel is just a place,” I thought. However, a few weeks later, as my plane touched down on Israeli soil, I had the distinct feeling that I was about to be proven wrong.

******

On my third morning in Israel, I headed to the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee, carefully carrying a hot cup of coffee and a napkin filled with pita and hummus. I found a large rock by the water, used my rain jacket as a picnic blanket, and sat down. I opened my Bible and began reading. Like the disciples who lived 2,000 years before me, I was having breakfast with Jesus on the Sea of Galilee.

I turned to Matthew 14, the story of Jesus walking on water. It was a story I had heard since I was a little girl, but being there gave it a new and deeper meaning. Looking out at the water, I could almost hear the voice of Jesus calming speaking to the frightened disciples, who sailing on a fishing boat, “"Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." I imagined the calm water suddenly becoming stormy, and wondered what Peter was thinking when he stepped out onto the violent Sea. As my friend Sara put it (when she first saw the Sea of Galilee), “It’s real water.” I was looking at a real Sea, with real water, and real sand. Peter had some serious faith.

All morning, the words of my Bible came alive. I no longer had to imagine their scenery the way I had to imagine Narnia of Middle Earth. I was seeing it with my eyes. It transformed what I was reading.

This was one of many similar experiences, as numerous Biblical passages were given new life and depth, as I walked where Jesus walked. Throughout my time in Israel I prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, stood at the temple gates, gazed at Golgotha, and walked inside the empty tomb. With each experience, I gained a greater appreciation for the authenticity of Scripture and the faithfulness of God. I was tasting and seeing that every Word of His is truth, and every promise He has made has been kept.

When I walked on Israeli soil I knew in my heart that Israel, both the land and the Jewish people, were set apart unto God, and being in Israel was, in fact, life changing. Not because if it’s beauty, history, or Biblical context. It was life changing because Jesus had been there and still was. This was the setting He used as a background to His story of redemption. Through that land and people, He chose to bring Salvation to the entire world. It’s a truly Holy place.

*******

Standing in the Philadelphia airport waiting to receive my luggage, I fiddled with the silver ring I had purchased in Jerusalem. It was engraved with the Hebrew words for the phrase, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” I was quietly amazed as I thought about my experiences in Israel, and realized that the same God that orchestrated the plan of redemption and faithfully preserved His Word over of thousands of years, was my shepherd. He was leading and guiding me today, and He is life changing.

Whether your in Israel or Philadelphia.

The Video from our most recent trip to Zambia - Enjoy !

2009-03-13T13:37:00.005-04:00

Link to Pictures....

2009-03-08T21:29:00.003-04:00

Hey guys, I just wanted you to know that I set up a separate website to display my pictures from our missions trips, as well as some of my personal projects. The pictures from Israel are on there now, and I will also be posting a series of galleries from Zambia in a couple of days. I hope you enjoy it.

The website is www.ckimaging.zenfolio.com

Or you can just click here.

Blessings,

Carlos

Our Jordan Adventure !

2009-03-01T13:38:00.002-05:00

The famous "Treasury" in Petra, Jordan. I am so glad that I got to see one of the modern "Seven Wonders of the World". This place is incredible, and I'll be writing more about it, and it's significance for future events when I get home.
This is the river Jabook, where Jacob crossed and wrestled with the Angel all night. His name was then changed from Jacob "Heal Catcher", to Israel "Governed by God". This was one of the most beautiful area's in all of Jordan!
This is the remains of the Temple of Artemis, in Jerash. Jerash is one of the decapolis cities from the Roman era, 2,000 years ago. The false god Artemis is similar to the "goddess diana" the the goddess of fertility that was worshipped in Ephesus......and we all know the problems that happened in Ephesus relating to the sales to this goddess declining!
This is an overview of the city square of and the main North/South road that was going through the city. Jaresh is the most in tact Roman city (2,000 years old) outside of Italy. The original roads, the amphitheatre, the temple to Zeus, the temple of Artemis, the city center - it's just about all there and in tact. This was also an amazing experience. To see what a city would have been like during the times of Paul and the apostles - it really paints a picture when I'm now reading through the book of acts.

The Lord has been so good to us over the last two weeks. I'm now sitting at the airport just thinking about all that the Lord has showed me over this trip. Jordan was certainly an adventure. We hit a rain storm, a snow storm (that almost got us stuck in the mountains of Petra), and a dust storm going to the dead sea (a full white out)! Our guide said that it was certainly not the norm for Jordan in four days! Please keep checking this site for a series of posts about highlights of this trip from myself, as well as some others that were on out trip.

Shalom!

Carlos

Jerusalem and the Judean Dessert

2009-02-24T14:23:00.002-05:00

This is on the top of Masada. These birds were just caching the updrafts and soaring all around us. Our guide told us they would eat bread right out of our hands......she was right! We were treated to an air show by two Israeli F16's that were circling around us and "showing off" a little!
The famous "Western Wall" in Jerusalem.
Yesterday in the Muslim quarter of Old City (Jerusalem), I got to have a fresh cup of pomegranate juice.....ah, antioxidant heaven! This was on top of the fresh squeezed orange juice I had about 2 hours earlier. The pomegranates and oranges are grown in Israel, along with just about every other tropical fruit!
One of the highlights for me on the trip was the Garden of Gethsemane . Here the Temple Mount is in the background with one of the 2,000 year old olive tree's from the garden in the foreground. Right in the middle is the Eastern Gate where one day the Messiah, Jesus Christ will walk through that gate and rule and reign in this, His Holy city!
This is on the Mount of Olives.

Jerusalem !

2009-02-22T14:15:00.002-05:00

The Western Wall with the Temple Mount in the background. We went around the Jewish Quarter of the Old City today - the Lord held back the rain for most of the day!
Here is a group of us from C.C. Philly praying in the traditional spot for the "Upper Room". A large Byzantine church was found right below us in the very spot. It could very much be where the early church met! We had a sweat time in the word and in prayer.
Old City - Jewish Quarter.
Myself with Pastor Aaron Campbell from Antioch of Calvary Chapel, and Pastor Mark Abrams from C.C. North Philadelphia. We're standing right in front of Gideons Springs, the very stream where the Lord stripped Gideon's army down to 300 men!

Hey guys ! I have some internet access for a couple of minutes so I wanted to post some pictures. The pas couple of days have been incredible. Our first look at Jerusalem was very emotional - it's hard to describe it, but it was something I will never forget. Please pray for our team tomorrow and the next couple of days as we go to some very important spots here in Jerusalem - the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, Golgotha, the Garden Tomb. Pray that the Lord would have his way in our hearts over the next couple of days - that we would all leave here taking back with us something special from the Lord. I'll continue to post more pictures and thoughts soon.

Blessings,

Carlos

Some more pics of the C.C. Philly Israel Trip

2009-02-20T12:44:00.002-05:00

This picture is looking at the U.N. "presence" on the border with Syria (directly behind the buildings). Our guides told us that it is an unarmed U.N. camp. Damascus is 40 miles directly behind those buildings. You can't see it, but behind me in this picture is a large hill (one of 3 on the Golan Heights) in which Israel has placed a strategic intelligence base. It's said that from here they can see directly into Damascus, and are very well informed if Syria tries to strike. Because of this, the border with Syria is now one of Israel's calmest borders.
This is the oldest free standing gate in the world. It's the entrance to the city of Dan which Abraham walked through when he chased after the "Kings of the North" to get Lot back (Gen. 14:14). Back then it was the ancient Canaanite city(I think) of Laish. The gate is over 4,000 years old! Dan was the first tribe to fall into idolatry, and we got to see the remnants of a temple that they set up to worship a golden calf there instead of worshiping the True and Living God in Jerusalem.
Here is our group listening to the history behind this 4,000 year old city. It was incredible!
This is a column from a temple worshiping the false god "pan". It is in Caesarea Phillipi, right next to the cave where the spring forms that becomes the Jordan River, this is in Banias, at the foot of Mt. Hermon. This area was beautiful with the crystal clear springs, and the mountains behind it. It was in Caesarea Phillipi that Peter made his statement that Jesus was "The Christ, the Son of the living God".

So we are leaving the Galilee region tomorrow morning and will be making our way up to Jerusalem by tomorrow afternoon! It's the Sabbath now, and I am just sitting here reflecting on all that the Lord has been showing me over the past couple of days. It's so hard to take it all in - I feel like my head is going to explode. In the midst of all these sights, the Lord has been faithful to teach me, and speak to me. I was thinking about the tribe of Dan today as we were checking out it's false temple of worship. Our guide told us that they left their allotment that Joshua gave them because it was in the middle of what would have been a constant war zone between the inhabitants of the land, and the tribes of Israel fighting them. Because they didn't stick to where the Lord wanted them to be, they got involved in all kinds of trouble and eventually became the first tribe to fall into idolatry. Relating that to my own life - I want to be faithful to where ever the Lord has me - whatever circumstance, whatever place, whatever situation - trusting by faith that He knows what He is doing, and has the BEST plan for my life - even when on the outside it looks like a crummy allotment! I don't want to miss out on the Lord's blessings because I left His will for my own! Lord please give me the faith to do this! This is just one of the thousands of things that I have been thinking about today. Anyway, please continue to pray for us as we head up to Jerusalem tomorrow and will be there and South of there for the next couple of days. I am really looking forward to something special from the Lord while there.

Blessings,

Carlos

Israel Trip - Second Touring day !

2009-02-19T11:35:00.003-05:00

Pastor Aaron Campbell from Antioch Calvary Chapel in West Philly, and MJ from CC Philly.
We loaded up two of these boats and had worship and a teaching out in the Sea of Galilee.
This is a synagogue that they uncovered in Capernaum that dates back to 300 A.D. The one that Jesus taught in lies underneath - we saw parts of it.
Myself with Don and Jeanne McClure overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Don has stepped in for Joe since he couldn't make the trip.
This is where many believe Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount. Down by the banana trees there is a natural amphitheatre, your voice can be heard throughout that small valley. We had worship and a teaching by Don here as well.

Israel Trip - Calvary Philly

2009-02-18T16:02:00.005-05:00

This is the town of Joppa - 4,000 years old. Where Jonah loaded a ship to Tarshish, and where Peter had his vision to "kill and eat".
This is overlooking the modern town of Nazareth. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth" - yes, He has come, our Savior and Messiah !
This is on top of Mount Carmel where Elijah had his confrontation with the prophets of Baal. Behind it is part of the Valley of Migido" - Armegedan! This view was incredible!
Here is the ampitheatre where many believe Paul gave his defense to Agrippa in Ceasarea by the sea.
This is the Mediterranean Sea at sunset - this is in Tel Aviv.

So here are just a couple of pictures from yesterday (the day we landed), and today, our first touring day. I think it's safe to say that my mind is already blown. Their really is something special about walking this land - the promise land. It's hard to describe in words, but when you come, the feeling is unmistakable. I think the two biggest things that struck me today were being on Mt. Carmel and thinking of the showdown that Elijah had with the 450 prophets of baal. It must have been a remarkable sight to see "all of Israel" gather on that mountain top and to see the Lord ignite those sacrifices. What a testimony of His power. The other thing that blessed me today was to look out over the town of Nazareth. The very place where our Lord grew up and spent most of his time here on earth. My mind began to wander as I though about His humanity as a child growing up, but also to think about His deity, and the fact that He was God in the flesh - even as a child - awesome stuff! We have 2 times in the Word as a group and times to worship the Lord together - He has been faithful to bless us so much, and t's only th end of the first full day. I will try to post some more pictures tomorrow so please stay tuned for more! Pray that the Lord would meet al 100 of us tomorrow in a powerful way. We will be worshipping on the sea of galilee, and also sitting on the hill where Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount, as well as having a time of baptism in the Jordan river! Pray that our hearts would be open to not just see these amazing sights, but more importantly, to hear from Jesus - to be changed by Him. We all want to leave Israel and go home like what the name Israel means - Governed by God, please pray that the Lord would grab hold of our hearts this next week. I'll update as soon as I can. Good night all.

Blessings,

Carlos

A couple more pictures.....

2009-01-21T22:19:00.008-05:00

One of the four antenna's at the top of the radio tower pointing towards the center of Kasempa.

Ron and Bridget Wint, with there baby Sekela sitting in front of the new radio station!

Chris and I at the top of the 100ft. radio tower. I think it's safe to say that this is the best view in town !

We're back.......Missions Prayer tomorrow night 1/21 at 7:00 !

2009-01-21T17:39:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone, I just wanted to take some time to talk a little about our trip. First off let me tell you that it was VERY difficult getting updates on here. There was no internet access in Kasempa save a little rigged laptop with a cell phone modem, and then when we got to Lusaka, the two internet cafes I went to were so slow that I couldn't even load this site in order to update. So I apologize for the lack of posts, but truly this time it was beyond me! Let me also write a special thank you for all those that had been praying for us. Our entire team felt your prayers, and we were all so encouraged to know that our CC Philly family back home was interceding on our behalf. So many things that could have gone wrong and slowed down or stopped our progress were bypassed by the Lord. I'll just mention a couple so we can all praise the Lord for His mercy on us.

1. Around 10 hours into our 13 hour trip there (driving from Lusaka) I noticed a steep lack in power with our van. We kept driving thinking it was because we were going up some big hills, but later after we arrived we found a huge problem with our fuel filter. We should have been stranded in the middle of the bush (at night) but the Lord carried us that last 3 hours to our final destination. And I won't even talk about how the Lord gave our guys wisdom on fixing the problem with the rubber from a stethoscope!

Also, 2. one of the key pieces for us to set up the radio tower, a 10 ft. steel jib pole was not in the container when we got there. We just happened to find a 10 ft. piece of pipe in someones back yard there in town. This was a huge miracle, as metal like this is pretty much non existent in this small village in Zambia. This enabled us to set up the pulley system to pull each 10 ft. section up to the top of the tower.

3. The rains were held off during the day. Ron and Bridget told us that each rainy season there is usually a week or two where a reprieve is given and it doesn't rain during the day. It just so happens that those two weeks where when we got there to set up this tower! If it had rained (poured) during the day everyday as it usually does during this time, we wouldn't have gotten the tower up. I could talk about tires that were down to the metal and still not blown, or crucial pieces needed for the radio station that were missing, and how we found them in Lusaka, and then how we found a driver ( from a nearby hospital) that just "happened" to be 13 hours away in Lusaka, and driving up to Kasempa the day we needed the parts ! From every angle it was clear that the Lord was guiding us every step of the way, and we thank you guys so much for laboring in prayer for this trip! It couldn't have been the success it was without your prayers!

So when we left Kasempa to head back to Lusaka, it was 4:00 A.M. on Thursday. As we pulled out we saw the light on top of the 100 ft. tower blinking. We passed the radio station which was working at 100% capacity, and we turned our radio to 90.7 F.M. to hear Pastor Joe sharing the Word! It was a moment that I will not soon forget.

I will post more on the visit to the leper colony, our day with the orphans, and the times of teaching in a couple of days. Also, look out for a couple of guest posts from some of the team that were on the trip.

Blessings,

Carlos

The Tower is Complete !

2009-01-13T05:45:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone, sorry for the lack of updates. the small "internet cafe" in the town has been down for weeks now. I was able to rig something up with a top-up phone card and laptop in order to get online for a couple of minutes. Thanks for all of your prayers. Things have been going really, really well. On the tower side of things, the tower (all 100ft) of it is all up. The antenna's and wire are all connected, and we are now working on connecting everything in the actual radio station room in order to get everything running. We will be making some test broadcasts later today (Tuesday). The town is very excited, and when up and running will be sending signal 40 miles away ! This again will be the first F.M. radio station in the entire area!

On the teaching side of things, I have been able to teach to different pastors and church leaders almost everyday including at the School of Ministry at Lumba Ministries. It's been a blessing to seek the Lord with these pastors - some of them having walked 30 miles (2 days) to attend the day of teaching! Tomorrow we will travel to a village 60 km away to meet with pastors and teach the Word, and seek the Lord together (it's close to Kafue National Park) way out in the bush! We ar expecting many to come. Please keep that in prayer.

We spent an awesome day with the orphans on Sunday. We had a great time playing ball, and other games. We had a great big meal for them, and then passed out some Calvary Cougars shirts as well as other supplies. The joy in the eyes was very evident! We ended with a time of teaching from the Word, then some worship and prayer. It was a great day.

Please continue to pray for wisdom to finish the final touches with the radio station so that is can be fully functional before we leave. Please also pray for a safe journey as we head back to Lusaka on Thursday or Friday. I will try to update when we get to Lusaka. Thanks again for all of your prayers, we have felt them, and seen the power of God taken place in so many areas! (I'll share those stories later) !

Blessings,

Carlos

News from the Team Kasempa

2009-01-10T12:31:00.011-05:00

Here is the latest update from the team:

After arriving in Kasempa in the middle of the week, the team dived right into the work laid out for them. The radio tower is up to 90 ft. (out of 100) already, and is now almost complete. Everything has gone great with the building of the tower, and the rains have held off (which is key). The heat has not, however, and the guys climbing the tower are getting red being up there! But everyone is rejoicing that the Lord has prospered their work so far. Lumba Radio 90.7 FM is a joint effort between Calvary Chapel Philadelphia, Galcom International, and Lumba Christian Ministries, and many other friends and prayer partners. This is the only radio station in the area.

Carlos taught the weekend gathering of the school of ministry friday night and saturday night. The men were excited to receive handouts with Carlos' study on missions. There was a very large turnout on friday night especially.

Today some members of the team were able Got to visit the nearby leper colony. They found that a family of hippos had recently come up and destroyed the crops which support the little community, and they are now struggling to eat. Ron & Bridget and the local missions hospital (Mukinge) will be working to help repair the fields. Carlos is planning to return to the leper colony tomorrow.

Information and pictures are also being posted by ron at the Lumba website.

Please continue to pray!

Finishing up the tower...Kasempa, Zambia !

2008-12-27T21:17:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone, I know it's been awhile since my last post. I apologize, and I will be making regular posts in 2009 ! So, the past couple months have been very busy preparing for a medical trip to El Salvador, our trip to set up the radio tower in Zambia, and also preparing for a trip to Israel and Jordan in February.

Myself, and a small group of engineers, radio installers, and laborers will be leaving to go to Kasempa, Zambia on Sunday, January 4th. We will be going to the property of Lumba Christian Ministries to set up the first F.M. radio station in the entire area. January isn't exactly the best time to travel to Zambia as it's smack dab in the middle of their rainy season, and also the middle of their summer. We had no choice to delay our trip as the extension for our radio station permit expires the end of January. So we're praying that the Lord will give us a couple of days without rain so that we can set up this 100 ft tower. I really don't want to be climbing that thing in the rain!

During our 12 day stay I will also be doing some teaching which I am excited about. I will be teaching on missions with the pastors from the Bible School for two days, as well as teaching at various churches that have invited me to share with them and to seek the Lord together. In addition to setting up the radio tower, setting up the actual radio station, teaching at the Bible School, and at various churches, we will also be working with the local hospital "Mukinge Hospital" which is a ministry of Samaritans Purse. We will be partnering with them to help with the leper colony that we were working with during our last medical trip in November of '07. This year in '09 we will be providing the funding to supply the vilage with enough food for them for an entire year!

So as much as I can, I will be updating this site with pictures from our trip. Please be praying for a couple of things :

Safe Travels - not only our two flights, but also our 12 hour drive once we get to Lusaka. It's rainy season, so we may be battling heavy rains while driving. Also, this will be my first time driving there without anyone guiding me. Please pray that I can find my way there!

Quick set-up of the Radio Tower, and Station - Pray that we would have all of the tools necessary, as well as the proper know how to get this 100 ft. tower, and the radio antenna installed. One small problem can be a HUGE problem in the bush where the nearest town is 2 1/2 hours away!

Effective Ministry - Pray that the Lord would use His Word to minister to the pastors that I will speak to a the Bible School. Please also pray that the Lord would meet us as we gather (the local churches) to seek the Lord, and study His Word.

Team Unity - Pray that the Lord would take a team (1 from Canada, 1 from Arkansas, and the rest from Philly) and build us together in Him. I'm really praying that we will have a sweet time of Christian fellowship each day throughout the trip.

Something personal from Jesus - Whenever I get back from a trip, I always say that the Lord always does more work in my heart then anything that I could ever give to the people I have ministered to. Pray that each of us would come back with something that the Lord has showed us, something He has done in our hearts and lives while there.

Keep checking back, I promise I will be writing! Thanks in advance for your prayer.

blessings,

Carlos

5 months later........

2008-10-17T10:29:00.003-04:00

I am very excited to write that after 14 months since first purchasing our 20 ft. sea freight container, it has finally arrived in Kasempa, Zambia! It took around 5 months from the time it left New York (check out my post on April 22nd) until the time it arrived at Lumba Christian Ministries in Kasempa, Zambia - that was partially because it was stuck in Mozambique for 2 months due to contract negotiations with our trucking company. I was so relieved to read in the email from Ron Wint (Founder of Lumba Christian Ministries) that not only did the container get there, but that the security lock had not been tampered with, and everything that we had filled the container with (to overflowing) was still there, and accounted for. Praise the Lord !

So now, we are planning on arriving in Kasempa, Zambia in early January with our team to install the radio tower, and set up the antenna, receiver, and radio station there on the property. 1,000 solar powered radio's with a fixed signal to their radio station (90.7 f.m.) were donated by Galcom, and between the radio's and the setting up of the first ever F.M. radio station in Kasempa, we know there will be a "buzz" all over town when we get there in January. Please continue to pray that we can set up the tower and antenna with no problems, and that everything would run smoothly before the end of January, which is when their permit expires! They will not be able to extend it after that if something would go wrong !

Thanks for all of your prayers regarding this container. I know that the Lord has heard all of them, and in response has done what at many times I considered to be impossible ! Please continue to pray that the Lord would be glorified in this project, and that MANY, MANY, MANY would come to know Him as their LORD through the broadcast of His Word 24/7 in Kasempa, Zambia.

Blessings,

Carlos

The Great Comission, Great Commandment, and Great Compassion

2008-09-25T13:15:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone, I was reading a book about the Missionary Call and the author mentioned how part of the missionary call is a burden for these three things. I really enjoyed what he had to say, so I figured that I would take a little time to write about them.

If your reading this, I am assuming that you know what the first of these three is, the "Great Commission". This is the command of Jesus to go to the nations (ethne) and make disciples - it is recorded in every gospel and the book of Acts. (Matt 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:74, John20:21 and Acts 1:8). I think most people would say that in order to be a missionary you just need to have a burden to fulfill this call of our Lord to go into every people group and to make disciples among them teaching them to obey all that the Lord has commanded us. I think that is certaily a main piece, but I also believe that they must feel a burden to fulfill these two other area's mentioned above.

Matt. 22:33-40 explains what the "Great Commandment" is.
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Not only are the law and the prophets summed up in these two commandments, we also see the start of the missionary calling in them as well. The author I was reading say's "When you love the Lord, you long to glorify Him, and see the nations fall at His feet in worship. When you love your neighbor as yourself, you share the gospel with him and seek to meet his needs in every way you can, which includes seeing them fall at Jesus' feet in thanksgiving for salvation."

Lastly, we read of "The Great Compassion" in Mark 6:34 which says
34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.
When our heart is united with the Lord's heart, the great compassion will be part of our everyday life and actions. When each day that goes by is filled with burden of the nations being lost and without any hope, we then can say, "Here I am, send me"!

I believe that hearing the Lord's call to missions will include a burden to fulfill the Great Commission, and a deep desire to obey the Great Commandment, and lastly for all things to be guided by the Great Compassion. I pray that these things will be able to guide us and direct us to exactly what the Lord has for us, in the places He desires us to be in. I am praying in my own life that these three things would be in the forefront of everything that I do, from how I spend my time and money, to how I relate with other people. Praise the Lord for the power of His Word, and His Holy Spirit to guide us into all Truth.

Blessings,

Carlos

God's sovereignty

2008-09-11T13:23:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone, I just wanted to give you guys an update on the freight container to Zambia, as well as our trip to set up the radio tower for Lumba Christian Ministries over in Kasempa, Zambia, which by the way have had a direct affect on my lack of postings lately!

Unfortunately the news is bad regarding both the freight container, and our trip to Zambia that was to leave on the 18th of September. The freight container is still in Beira, Mozambique and for reasons that I cannot comprehend, or at this point control, we really don't have a time on when it will be shipped to Kasempa, Zambia. From what I am being told, there is a dispute between the trucking company taking it to Zambia, and our shipping company who is to pay them. It has something to do with contracts and money and all that stuff, and unfortunately, without me actually going to Mozambique, we may just have to wait it out a bit. Of course that means that I had to cancel our tickets for our trip to go and set up the radio tower from September 18th -28th, but I am trusting that this is the Lord's will, and that He will have us there in His perfect timing. Also, the longer that this container sits in one place, I think it has a greater chance of looters getting to it, and the contents being stolen. So I am asking you guys (and anyone else that you give this to) to please labor in prayer for this container to leave Mozambique quickly, and arrive in Kasempa, Zambia with all of it's contents still in there. I would love to see a miracle take place, and the Lord to receive even more glory for what has taken place, so that's what I'm praying for.

Regarding God's sovereignty, I really believe that He is in control in this situation. One of the reasons is that now, the Lord has freed me up a little more to concentrate on our El Salvador medical missions trip this October 31st - November 8th. There are allot of details in regards to getting the proper licenses, and approvals for our trip, and it is taking up more of my time that previously expected. I am very excited about this trip as it is our first medical trip to El Salvador, and the Lord has opened up many doors to minister the love of Christ in various Calvary Chapel church plants throughout El Salvador. Please be praying for this trip as well - that we would receive all of the medicine that we are trying to collect (if you know anyone who is a pharmacist, or works in a hospital or a drug rep that could help in donating medicine please let me know), also pray that the Lord would continue to unite our group as we meet and pray, and prepare for this trip.

I really appreciate all of your prayers, and please feel free to pass this link on to others who can be praying for us. In a couple of days, I'll be posting on

"The Great Commission, the Great Commandment, and the Great Compassion".

blessings,

Carlos

Recent articles and thoughts on the persecuted...

2008-08-20T13:35:00.003-04:00

ERITREA – Students Imprisoned in Shipping Container, Bibles Burned
On August 5, Eritrean authorities locked eight high school students in a metal shipping container and burned hundreds of Bibles at Sawa Defense Training Centre. According to Compass Direct News, the students were imprisoned in the container after they objected to authorities confiscating and burning 1,500 Bibles taken from new students who arrived at the training center for the new 2008-2009 school year. “During the time that the Bibles were set on fire, the Chief Commander of Sawa, Col. Debesai Ghide, gave a warning to all the students by telling them that Sawa is a place of patriotism, not a place of Pentes [Pentecostals]. Eight male students to whom God gave boldness to speak against the burning of the Bibles have been taken into custody in one of the metal containers that the military uses as prison cells for Christians who have been found practicing in the center,” Compass reported. The Eritrean government cracks down on Christians, often placing believers in metal containers which are extremely hot during the day and cold during night. Nearly 1,800 Eritrean Christians are believed to be under arrest because of their religious beliefs, held in police stations, military camps and prisons in 12 known locations across Eritrea. It is believed more than 28 clergymen are being held. Jailed Christians are routinely subjected to physical beatings and severe psychological pressure to deny their religious beliefs. Police and military authorities continue to demand the prisoners return to one of the three “official” Christian denominations recognized by the government. But even the legally recognized denominations-the nation’s historic Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran churches-have come under government disfavor in recent years past year, incurring threats and even jailing by security police officials.

ERITREA – Christian Woman Dies in Prison
On July 23, an Eritrean Christian woman, Azieb Simon, died of malaria in the Wi’a Military Training Center after being imprisoned and tortured for months. According to Compass Direct News, “Simon, a member of the Kale-Hiwet Church in Assab, was weakened by the mistreatment she sustained since her arrest in December, 2006. Authorities reportedly refused to treat her for the disease, which she contracted only a week prior to her death. Other Christians imprisoned in the center are under constant pressure to recant their faith.” Compass also reported that eight Christians being held at the Adi-Quala prison were tortured by military personnel at the camp and had to be taken to the medical emergency facilities. Earlier this month in the port city of Assab, 32 Christians were imprisoned and taken to Wi'a Military Training Center. Ask God to fill those who mourn for Azieb Simon with a peace that surpasses understanding. Pray for the safety of those still in prison, and for their quick release. Pray that Eritrean Christians will remain faithful in the face of pressure to deny Christ.

In light of China being in the news, and the Olympics in front of my eyes every night, I (I'm sure you all as well) have been thinking and praying more for the persecuted church. I was reading the other day and was really blessed by a section in the book talking about what suffering and sacrifice really is. Here are a couple quotes.

"Love labors, and if need be, suffers to enthrall us with what is supremely and eternally satisfying, namely, God. This is true for Christ's love, and it is true for our love. Christ loves by suffering to give us God. We love by suffering to give God to others. Giving ourselves without giving God looks loving o the world, but it isn't. We are a poor substitute for God. " "One of the radical implications of this book is that if we would love like Christ, we will bear whatever pains it takes to make Christ's glory seen. The aim of love - whether by gospel word or giving up our life - is to enthrall the beloved with the glory of Christ in the face of God forever".

When reading these words, and reading about those being persecuted for Jesus's sake, it just reminds me again that Jesus (and He only) must be our supreme, all-satisfying, and everlasting Treasure, and he must be shared, and proclaimed to the world around us.

East Coast Missions Conference 2008 now online !

2008-07-31T11:04:00.003-04:00

Sorry this is so late. Soon there will be a link on C.C. Philly's homepage, but for now, log on to http://www.ccphilly.org/, then click on the Audio Resources link on the top of the page. From there, go to "Search by Topic", and the East Coast Missions Conference will be there. You can choose from 10 messages. Also, if you would like these messages on one MP3 we can make some and send it to you as well. Just call the church, and get transferred to the tape department. I will be updating soon on some things that the Lord is doing here, and things that He is showing me in His Word.

Blessings,
carlos

Medical Missions Trip to El Salvador

2008-07-24T14:53:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone, I know it's been awhile, and I hope everyone enjoyed reading about our trip to Mexico. I also wanted to say that those of you who have been looking for the messages of our missions conference this past May will find it on C.C. Philly's homepage in the next couple of days, I promise. Anyway, I just wanted to write a quick note about a medical missions trip to El Salvador that I am praying about doing this October 19th - 27th. You guys will hear about it on Sunday, and it will be in the bulletin next week, but I wanted everyone who reads this to know about it and to pray that the Lord will raise up those from our congregation that He desires to come on this trip. Of course it's coming up soon and I'm behind on the planning, but I really feel like we are to do this, and things are already coming together really fast, praise the Lord! As mentioned above, the tentative dates are October 19th - 27th. It's an 8 day trip as opposed to a 14 day trip to Zambia. The good news is that it only takes about 5 hours to get there, and once we are there, we're there - hardly any travel time! We are looking for nurses, dentists, hygienist's, and Md's to do some medical clinics in the mountains of El Salvador. We will be working with three smaller Calvary's that we have developed a relationship with over the past couple of trips that we did there. I'm thinking we may do two days of clinics at each place. Also, we may work one day at the Children's Hospital in San Salvador, and go to a service at the main Calvary Chapel there as well. Anyway, I wanted you guys to know, and to start praying about it if the Lord leads. Anyone who is interested can contact me at church, or can shoot me an email. Of course our main goal is to come alongside of the local Calvary's there, and to tell people about the One who can cleanse them from sin and death. We want to see people saved, plugged into the local church, be rooted in Christ, and we will be using this medical outreach to facilitate that. So, if this trip is for you, pray about it, and contact me -

blessings,
carlos

Super Special Sunday

2008-07-14T23:19:00.006-04:00

We had a full day ahead of us. It would begin with worship & the Word with our brethren at Capilla, continue with the wrap up of VBS, go karting at Crash Run park and conclude with the presentation of an original song written and played by team member Corey Walters.

We first began ministering with Capilla during the summer of 2001. Every year we’ve returned we have rejoiced at the growth of the congregation in both quantity and discipleship. The sanctuary was full and more precious people were still arriving. We rejoiced to see faces of individuals who received Christ during the week. Capilla’s worship team led us in praise singing & then Doug and Donna Walters led the congregation’s singing of Breath & Open the Eyes of My Heart in Spanish.

We were honored that our ministry coincided with a mini Tarahumara missions presentation. Mission works in La Mesa, Cuiteco, & Sigurichi was displayed in the various children’s ministry room. Here are the missionaries & their families. Please pray for an Jesus movement among the Tarahumara & open doors to reach them in the cities, villages & mountains.

Once more I was given the honor of dedicating a son of Enrique & Laura Robledo. In 2006 it was Aaron & on Sunday it was Adrian. I don’t know what goes through pastor Joe Focht’s mind during a baby dedication but the persistent thought in mine was “Lord, help me not to drop this baby”.

I then had the privilege of sharing God’s Word with congregation. My interpreter Andres did an excellent job.

After the study it was the close of our VBS. There was an inflatable, clown, train, candy, & lots of laughter.

In the early evening we strapped into the one & two passenger go karts at Crash Run & the race was on. When we returned to Capilla we gathered to hear a song Corey wrote and played-what a precious & powerful song. The team rejoiced together at what the LORD has done & is doing in each of our lives.

All on the team are doing well (spirit, soul & body). We plan on leaving Capilla to drive to El Paso on Tuesday morning at 10am (Noon EST). Thank U for praying with & for us. The LORD has done, is doing & will continue to do great things in, with, for & through us.

MAY THE LAMB RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING!

The Great Hand of our God

2008-07-14T23:11:00.002-04:00

On Friday evening we were excited about returning to Overlook Park to represent Christ & present His Word. After setting up sound and preparing to start we noticed ominous clouds & rain moving from the distance to where we were. We could see the rain pouring & lightning. We called upon the LORD & He graciously answered and held the sky above our ministry site free from rain, thunder & lightning. If a picture is worth a thousand words then look at this one.

The Champion team remained dry, thanks be to God.

Here is a new brother & sister in Christ. The fruit of God’s working on our behalf.

Pray that the LORD would lead them to a fellowship of believers to be fed & discipled. To God be the Glory, great things He has done, so loved He the world that He gave us His Son.

MAY THE LAMB RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING!

Downtown Gym Karate Outreach

2008-07-12T23:12:00.010-04:00

The two days of VBS have been wonderful. On Friday night we returned to El Mirador (Overlook Park) for another ministry site and people came to Christ. There was a tremendous storm brewing all around us: dark clouds, visible rain with lightning & the LORD graciously gave us a canopy of storm free sky until our ministry was completed.

Capilla had obtained the use of the gymnasium in downtown Cuauhtemoc for a 2 session martial arts demo featuring our Doug Walters (4th degree black belt master) Tae Kwon Do, American Kempo & kickboxing. Doug, his wife Donna, and son Corey have worked with other members of our team (Zach, Ed, Austin, & Josh) to assist them in demonstrating self defense, board & brick breaking for the two scheduled presentations. They’ve been interviewed by local television twice this week and a city paper came to one of our ministry sites to speak with them and take a photo of the team.

This morning we arrived at the gym with a bit of bedlam surrounding the building. Although the facility had been reserved many weeks before there was a government assistance distribution taking place in the lobby involving hundreds of folks in long lines. Where there will be blessing there is usually a battle. We used the side entrance to unload the equipment and materials. Carpet was unrolled at center court where the board & brick breaking would take place & we walked the gymnasium praying for those who would attend. While the two Champion drama teams received their make up the remaining team members walked a couple of blocks to a downtown park called the Plaza to hand out flyers and invite folks to attend the free event. Two programs were scheduled, a Noon & 3pm program. The Champion drama was presented before the martial arts and Christ was powerfully represented.

The Demo team went to work & there hard work preparing was blessed of the LORD. Here Doug is demonstrating a self defense technique and Zach feels it. Zach has done an amazing job the past couple months training to represent Jesus using martial arts as a platform.

Ed had never broken bricks before but here he goes through a stack of five.

There was an exhortation from God's Word & invitation to Christ given by Doug at each presentation.

After the invitation, our MIG (ministry teams) would engage people on the floor & in the stands sharing their faith, answering questions and praying with people.

We had the joy of praying with children, youth and adults to receive Christ & gave out over 175 new Testaments. A precious moment for me was meeting a female police officer named Reina who had just received Christ and then both of us remembering she was a cadet at the academy in 2005 when some of our CC law enforcement held a couple days of training in police procedures as well as sharing their faith in Christ. It was a sweet moment. Here is one of our many new brothers in Christ.

This is our new brother Salvador (on the right) with Enrique Robledo, one of Capilla's pastors.

Great is the LORD & Greatly to be Praised. Thanks for praying for & with us-please don't stop.

MAY THE LAMB RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING

Overlook Park Outreach

2008-07-11T18:48:00.004-04:00

For the first time we had city permits to do ministry at the Overlook Park (not what it’s called in Spanish) the highest point in the city. We loaded the vans and headed out not knowing what to expect & having no idea the beauty we’d behold as we could see for miles in various directions. We took our team picture along with the brethren from Capilla who have been doing ministry with us.

The park was a place for families to stroll, bikers to bike, sk8teboarders to skate, athletes to work out and people to chill as they beheld the sublime beauty of the mountains before them. We set up our equipment, invited folks to join us, cranked up some tunes and prayed for the Holy Spirit to draw Whom He would & make much of Jesus in & through us.

As a crowd gathered Dean introduced our team. The Doctor skit broke the ice & brought much laughter. The martial arts team gave an exciting & skillful demo which led to the Champion drama. After the drama, Ed presented the Gospel and gave an invitation to come to Christ. No one came to the front but some raised their hands and our ministry teams engaged those who remained & preached Jesus. The LORD was with us & drew many to Himself.

Here are some of our new brothers & sisters in Christ. The first group of young men who responded was a coach & members of a team that plays American football. They were at the park to run hills but by divine appointment they now belong to Christ. Pray that they would each grow in the grace & knowledge of Jesus.

Pray that the LORD would lead them to a fellowship of believers to be fed & discipled.

We will be returning to the Overlook Park for a second night of ministry on Friday at 6:30pm. We covet your prayers.

MAY THE LAMB RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING

Rojo, Amarillo, Negro Y Blanco

2008-07-11T18:33:00.003-04:00

That's the title in Spanish to the children's song Red, Yellow, Black & White that our team will be singing to the children during VBS. Thursday morning began Capilla’s three day VBS. We were expecting 45-50 children for the first day but 78 actually registered. The ages ranged from three to eleven years old. Our CrossWalk team works in partnership with Capilla’s children’s ministry to host this event.

The 3 hour session would include praise singing, bible lesson, snack, ballooning, face painting, self defense, nail painting, sports & games. The staff and students were marvelous in their loving care & joyful play with each child. As I observed the various stations I would have been hard pressed to judge who was having more fun-the children or M2M team.

MAY THE LAMB RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING!

Nursing Home & Youth Detention Ctr Outreaches

2008-07-10T19:20:00.003-04:00

That's the view we are blessed by each morning from the view of our dormitory at Capilla

In the morning we took our convoy of vans to a nursing home to be with, care for, show Jesus’ love & share His good news with the residents. While a some team members played guitar and song praise songs in Spanish others were Jesus’ hands & feet to individuals as they their brushed hair, lotioned their hands, listened to their stories (such as meeting Pancho Villa as a child) and told them the good news of Jesus. This is a picture of Manuel, who is now 98 years old. A few years ago in 2005, while he was 95 he received Christ as Savior.

This gentleman was deeply touched as these two students patiently shared the gospel & prayed with him to receive Christ. I had the privilege of standing near them & watching them love & lead him to Christ. How the angels must have Raised the Praise as He was born again.

After lunch and a rain shower we loaded up to visit the Ceremi, Cuauhtemoc’s youth detention center. It had rained much of the day so our plans to play basketball, volleyball & soccer with the residents didn’t pan out. In 2005 I blew up my knee playing on a dry court who knows what would have happened to me on a puddle covered surface (LOL).
The director of the center cleared out the front lobby area so we could come be with and share our ministry with the residents. Our presentation consisted of the martial arts demo, a couple testimonies and the Champion drama. After the drama Zach explained the gospel and invited the young men to give their lives to Christ. The four in attendance prayed to receive Christ and became our new brothers. We were blessed with some beautiful soccer shirts with the Icthus (Jesus Christ God’s Son Savior) on the back. Pray for the young men below that each would continue to grow in the grace & knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Upon returning to Capilla some of our students assisted our team electrician Francesco in digging a trench crossing the driveway from office to café. I must take off my hat to those who dug ditches for a living. Electrical cable was laid, connection was made & driveway lighting was installed.

MAY THE LAMB RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING!

Esperanza Park Outreach

2008-07-10T18:37:00.004-04:00

We loaded the vans with equipment, literature, & our team and headed to a sports park near Capilla (local Calvary Chapel). By God’s grace it was prime time: people playing soccer, basketball, children in the playground, an addictions rehab class letting out & folks just chilling in the park. We set up our sound equipment and blasted out some tunes in Spanish by Michelle Bonilla. As folks began to gather to check out what’s going on, we were introduced to the crowd.

The team then presented our ice breaker skit, “The Doctor’s Office”. This was followed by a presentation by our martial arts demo team led by instructor’s Doug & Donna Walters. They wowed the crowd with their kata forms, self defense moves and board breaking by three other members of our team Zach, Austin & Ed. The demo’s climax was Doug breaking a stack of boards. Austin then shared his Jesus Story (testimony) with the crowd.

The evangelistic drama The Champion followed the testimony. This team of students represented hard core for their KING. The drama proclaims the victory of Christ Jesus over death & Satan.

After the drama the gospel was explained and an invitation to Christ extended. Individuals (children, youth & adults) began to come forward to receive Christ. Our ministry groups then went among the crowd and folks around the park to share literature and present the gospel. The presence of Jesus was sweetly apparent. People prayed to receive Christ throughout the park. One worker from Capilla was praying for words to begin a conversation with a couple she saw and as the approached them before she spoke to them, the couple said she was told “we heard the message we want to receive Christ” What a joy to be fellow workers with Him Who loved us & gave Himself for us. Thanks for praying for us-don’t stop.

MAY THE LAMB RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING!

Marvelous Monday Morning Ministry

2008-07-09T15:55:00.005-04:00

We awakened Monday to a delicious Mexican breakfast prepared by a few of our sisters @ Capilla. After our personal quiet time in John's Gospel our team gathered to Raise the Praise (sing unto the LORD)

One of the many privileges the LORD has granted us on this trip was transporting Mega Voice (solared powered Mp3 players) loaded with the New Testament in the Tarahumar Baja dialect. These will be used by the translation team (Don & Marie Burgess) and missionaries to this people group to evangelize, disciple & train indigenous leaders. What a joy to be a small part of Tarahumara hearing the good news of Jesus in their own heart language. Join us in praying for the Tarahumara that their ears & hearts would be prepared to hear, believe, receive & enjoy the One Who loved them & gave Himself for them.

Our ministry in Cuauhtemoc is in partnership with Capilla Puerta Del Manzano. Here are some of the adults & students serving Christ with us doing work projects, evangelism, & mercy ministry.

Monday morning we mixed cement, poured walkways and painted the skatepark & cafe walls. I don't usually enlist our junior high students in painting in the U.S. (LOL) but they did a wonderful job painting South of the Border.

MAY THE LAMB RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING

IF GOD BE 4 U

2008-07-09T15:46:00.002-04:00

We set out from El Paso on Sunday morning for a 6-7 hour drive to Cuauhtemoc City, little did I know we would arrive in the wee hours of Monday morning. Our convoy of 6 vans crossed into Mexico at Santa Theresa and headed into the Mexican immigration building to get our visas and van permits to enable travel into Mexico’s interior.

As we got onto the highway heading for a welcome lunch in the town of Via Ahumada we were stopped at a checkpoint and found out there was an error with two of our vehicle permits (VIN# didn’t match what was on the permit). The federal officer told us the vans would have to return to immigration office to have the matter resolved.

While three of the vans proceeded to Via Ahumada, the two vans headed back to get the proper permits to travel to Cuauhtemoc. This took almost four hours of travel, conferencing with officials and much prayer. When we met up with the team in Via Ahumad (they were prayerfully & patiently waiting 4 us) it was a comforting reunion.

Not only did the LORD work on our behalf to obtain the corrected vehicle permits, to the glory of His Son, He used the time in Via Ahumada for the team to be salt & light to the restaurant staff. Before we drove on to Cuauhtemoc, two precious young women at the restaurant received Christ as Savior & Lord. What the enemy works for evil the God of all Grace turns for His glory & our good. Here’s a picture of our two new sisters in Christ. Antonia Torres & Alma Torres

MAY THE LAMB RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING!

Long Day-Blessed Day

2008-07-06T12:58:00.002-04:00

We met at Calvary Saturday at 2:30am to be transported to PHL for our 6am flight. U never know how many bags U really have on a missions trip until U have to check them in.

There wasn't much to say as we flew to Dallas Ft. Worth. Junior high students this quiet-Priceless. Our bodies were tired but our hearts were joy jumping in expectation of what Jesus has for us as we grow in knowing Him & making Him known.

What a difference a little lunch, some siesta, & most of all Raising the Praise singing to Jesus made in our day. I had the joy of watching young people sitting in various places throughout the motel complex with Bibles open, journaling, praying, & waiting upon the LORD.We are departing for Mexico in a few minutes. We covet & cherish your prayers.

MAY THE LAMB RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING IN, THRU & BY US!

Set Apart for His Work & His Son's Glory

2008-07-04T18:11:00.002-04:00

M2M (Mission 2 Mexico) 2008
Tomorrow (Sat.) morning we depart Philly for El Paso & the 7-8 hour drive Sunday morning to Cuauhtemoc City, Chihuahua State, Mexico. Our team of 45 consists of adults, junior high & high school students. On Wednesday night we were blessed to be prayed for & encouraged by Pastor Joe & the congregation at Calvary Chapel Philly.

Our tentative itinerary is as follows:

Saturday, July 5th
· 6am Fly to El Paso, Texas to pick up our 4 passenger & cargo van.
· Rest of the day: ministry site prep, fellowship, feast & a good nite’s sleep
Sunday, July 6th
· Morning: Enter Mexico via Santa Theresa, NM. & travel 7 hours to Cuauhtemoc.
· Evening: Meet with leadership of CPDM (Capilla Puerta Del Manza
Monday, July 7th
· Morning: Construction/Painting with Capilla
· Evening: Outreach @ Esperanza Park (includes karate demo, skits & drama)
Tuesday, July 8th
· Morning: Neighborhood clean up & evangelism
· Rest of the day: (includes karate demo, skits & drama)
Outreach @ CEREMI (youth detention center)
Outreach @ Nursing Home
Wednesday, July 9th
· Morning: Adventure Day @ Crash Run Park
· Evening: Service @ Capilla (Team will sing & Gil will teach)
Thursday, July 10th
· Morning: VBS for 150-200 children @ Capilla
· Evening: Outreach @ San Antonio Park (includes karate demo, skits & drama)
Friday, July 11th
· Morning: VBS @ Capilla
· Evening: Outreach @ Mirador Park (includes karate demo, skits & drama)
Saturday, July 12th
· Karate demos @ the city’s downtown gymnasium at Noon & 3 pm. (There will be face painting & balloons for children/youth, fun giveaways, drama & evangelism)
Sunday, July 13th
· Morning: Service @ Capilla
· Afternoon: Conclusion of VBS
· Evening: Outreach @ San Antonio or Esperanza Park
Monday, July 14th
· Morning: Team Debriefing
· Afternoon: Fellowship Feast with CPDM’s young people
· Evening: Prep for return journey to El Paso
Tuesday, July 15th
· Morning: Depart for El Paso
· Evening: Raise the Praise & Rejoice 2gether in the Greatness of our God
Wednesday, July 16th
· Depart El Paso @ 8 am & Arrive in Philly 4:45 pm

PLEASE PRAY 4 & WITH US

· The unity of the Holy Spirit 2 bind us together in genuine and fervent love 4 each other-that we would be known as disciples of Christ.
· That our devotional times chewing on the Gospel of John would be fresh, alive, satisfying as we are to Jesus Christ & captivated by Him.
· Safe travel as we drive the highways & streets of Mexico.
· Physical, emotional & spiritual health of each team member.
· A Holy Spirit stirring upon and among the people of the colonia (neighborhood) surrounding CPDM.
· The LORD to touch individuals with His love, grace and power at the open air ministry sites.
· Joy, strength and energy for our Karate demo team members & unction to preach Christ.
· That our drama “The Champion” would communicate the gospel simply and powerfully through the Holy Spirit.
· Most of all - that we would each apprehend that for which Christ Jesus has apprehended us. Growing greatly in our personal desire for Him, devotion to Him and delight in Him.

MAY THE LAMB RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING

2008-06-26T21:55:00.004-04:00

After 2 airplanes and a van ride, we arrived safely at C.C. Philly at 10:30 on Wednesday morning. All of our personal bags arrived, and all of our equipment arrived in one piece as well. Sorry I didn't write earlier, but between sleeping and hanging out with my much missed family, I really didn't think about it. I have many good things to write concerning this trip, and I will also ask some of the kids to write about the moments that impacted them the most while in Brazil. So please continue to check this site for more updates, as well as some updates on our team that will be leaving for Mexico in a week or so. I will try to post some more video, and pictures as I have the time. Thanks again for all of your prayers for this trip. I really believe that you all were a part of this team, and that in eternity you will receive crowns for the fruit that was borne during this trip to Brazil. Stay tuned.

Above - The first high school outreach that we did while in Campo.

Above - The fourth high school outreach we did while in Campo.

the waterfalls !

2008-06-22T22:30:00.003-04:00

Our group at the beginning of all the different waterfalls here at the park !
This is what greets you at the end of the trail. Words cannot describe how incredible this is.
I forget the name of this animal, but it stole Taylors cheeseburger right off of her plate while she was sitting down and praying for the food !

They gave her another cheeseburger by the way. Today was a great day to just relax, and to stand in awe of God's creation! The team got to spend time at the park where all the falls are, and then we went to another little park where all three countries meet together (Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil). Later in the day we went to Tim's house for their Sunday service (Brazilians have church on Sunday night, and not in the morning). It was a great time to fellowship with the believers there, they really have an awesome church ! We also had a great time at the church retreat yesterday (although it was a little cold). It didn't rain, so that was a blessing. We got to worship together, study the Word together, eat together, and of course play soccer together......which I may add that our American team beat the Brazilian team 3 to 2, thanks to an own goal on them in the first minute, and Brain being on fire in goal! Of course I understand it was pure luck.
Please pray for us tomorrow as we go to our last English School in the afternoon. Pray for open doors to be able to share about our relationship with Christ, and how He has changed our lives, and can do the same for them. We all really appreciate your prayers. We know the Lord has been so faithful to answer them. Ok, I'm going to bed now, many blessings to you guys.

carlos

2008-06-20T21:32:00.002-04:00

A small of group of us went out on the streets this morning to pass out tracts and talk with the people of Foz. It was a very fruitful outing with lives turning to Christ, and others wanting to know more about the church here.
In the afternoon the entire team went to a school to minister to kids from kindergarten to third grade. We broke up into three groups and went into six different classrooms for about 15 minutes each. The three groups were broken into Portuguese music, dramas, and English music. They all ended in a presentation of the gospel, and God's love for them made manifest by the cross of Christ. The kids were so cute, and absolutely melted all of us.
Hannah, and Bethany showing the kids the "sin chair" skit. Later on when Mike asked these kindergarten kids if they new what "sin" meant, one little boy proudly proclaimed "It's what's on the novellas (soap opera's)." I would agree with that answer !
These are some of the kids that we got to spend the afternoon loving up! They were about to do a little performance in honor of their first day of winter (that's why they have hats and gloves and all that stuff). I felt a little out of place with my rainbows, and a t-shirt on.

Tomorrow we will be in the outskirts of town where we will have the church retreat. Please pray that the Lord would encourage the church, and that we would have good weather (it rained today). I'll update some more tomorrow night, or Sunday Lord willing.
Blessings,
carlos

Goodbye Campo, Hello Foz

2008-06-19T22:45:00.002-04:00

Our team this morning as we left beautiful Campo Mourao, and made our way to Foz do Iguazu.
Pastor Tim Rogers as he introduces our team from Philly to the rest of the congregation gathered for their mid-week study.

Hello everyone, I apologize for not updating sooner, but the internet went down the last two days that we were at the Bible College, and today we spent the day traveling to Foz so it's been a little busy. Everything is going really well - the Lord really blessed our last couple of days in Campo, and now we are excited to be here at Foz do Iguazu to help out Tim Rogers, and the Calvary here in Foz. Tonight we had a chance to spend time with the church for their mid-week study. We worshiped in Portuguese, and then Brian shared the Word - it was a powerful exhortation, and we were all blessed! I want to let you guys know some of the things that we are going to be doing the next couple of days, so that you can continue to be praying for us.

Tomorrow morning we will split up into three different groups. Some will be going to a boys prison to share the gospel and some music with them, others will go out on the streets witnessing, and passing out tracts, and others will be going to a special needs school to love on the kids there. In the afternoon, we will all be going to a kids school, where we will be doing skits, puppets, crafts, and of course sharing the gospel with them ! Tomorrow night we will be on the streets again witnessing, and sharing with the people of Foz.

Saturday will be the day that we have the "Church Retreat" with Calvary Foz. We are going out into the countryside where are team will get a chance to fellowship with the church here. We will have a couple times of teaching, worship and prayer as well as a time to fellowship witht he church....in the form of a soccer game, and grilled meats ! Please pray that this day will be a blessing both to the church here and to our kids. Everyone is doing great. Please continue to pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives, as well as on the city of Foz. We recognize how the Lord has been faithful to answer your prayer, and we ask that you continue to labor in prayer for us in the second leg of our trip. Thanks.

carlos

2008-06-17T12:50:00.002-04:00

"The band" playing some music at the first school yesterday morning.
There was easily 250-300 people packed in the gym in the morning.
This is at the same school but in the afternoon. It was a totally new set of kids - they were a little younger then those who were there in the morning.
Dimas (one of our translators who came with us from Philly) saying something funny.......

I don't have a lot of time to write now, but I do want to let you all know that the last day and a half have been incredible ! The outreach to the English schools, the boys prison, and the college have been the most fruit that I have seen on a missions trip in a long time ! So many kids, and teenagers have given their lives to the Lord, that in all honesty I can't even give you a number - it's definitely in the hundreds ! The music has been great, and the kids especially liked it when we taught them some of the English songs. The kids have been sharing their testimonies at each outreach, and the Lord has used them in great ways. The skits, and drama presentations have been excellent, and many people have responded to the gospel as it has been given out at the end. I'll put up some more pictures of the "youth outreach" later on tonight when we get back. The boys prision was great, but we were not allowed to take in our camera's so sorry, but I don't have any pictures of that.

Please pray for the youth outreach tonight. It will start around 7:00 U.S. time. We have been inviting people to come to this event since we first got here, and we are praying that many will come out tonight to hear the Good News about our King. Please pray that many would come to know Him as their Lord, and Saviour, and that they would get plugged in to the Calvary that meets there each week. God's has been blessing so much, and we covet your prayers for tonight. Thanks in advance for laboring in prayer with us this evening. Everyone is doing great and we are all getting fat from too much incredible Brazilian food. At each meal, everyone says "this is the best thing ever. why don't we have this at home" ! Anyway, thanks for lifting us up, and I'll update soon.

blessings,

carlos

2008-06-15T23:01:00.002-04:00

The local soccer team from the village by the the Bible College.....some of us played with them !
Tonight we ended everything at "Pizza Brazil" a local all you can eat pizza place. The chocolate and banana were my favorite!
Mike Focht sharing with our kids and also the church here in Campo tonight.

We met outside in a little square close to the center of town. People walking by stopped, and we were able to share with them. People got saved both last night and tonight as we went around and shared the gospel. Please pray that these guys and girls would get plugged in to the Calvary here in Campo that meets in the town.

Everyone is doing well, and we are asking that you guys would pray for us tomorrow (Monday). We have a very busy day, as we will be sharing music, testimonies, drama's, and the gospel at three different schools, one college, and a local juvenile boys prison starting at 9:45 tomorrow morning. Our last school will be at 9:00 at night so please pray for the Lord's strength, and endurance as we minister the entire day. Please pray that many will come to know the Lord tomorrow as they hear of the Good News, and as they hear testimonies from our kids that love Him with all their hearts. I will take pictures throughout the day tomorrow, and hopefully will be able to post some video of what took place throughout the day as well. Thanks for your prayers, and please continue to lift us up before our Father, we indeed covet your prayers!

carlos

2008-06-14T22:44:00.002-04:00

Mike trying his hardest to keep the Brazilians from scoring on us !
The parachute was a huge success today - the kids loved this............even the Brazilian kids !
Hannah painting a snake on the arm of one of the boys. The snake was the most popular animal for paining among the boys. I guess it's the most masculine ?

Hello everyone. We just got in from a full day of ministry here in Campo. We started the day off with breakfast, then we gathered together for a time of worship, and prayer, and time to sit before the Lord. We started the kids outreach around 1:00 and were there till 5:00. About 150 kids from the underprivileged community came out and we played soccer, baseball, and other games with them. We also had face painting, crafts, and nail polish for the girls. We ended the day with the puppet skit, a drama, some kids songs, and of course the gospel. We held the event in a facility where they have a bi-weekly Bible study and outreach for the neighborhood kids, so we are praying that this event will help these kids to get plugged in to the ongoing ministry that is currently being held there. After dinner we went out into the town of Campo, and walked around passing tracts, and talking with teenagers. People got saved, and we invited many out to some more events that we are holding in town later in the week. Please continue to pray for our team, and for the time we have with the church tomorrow (Calvary Campo). We are running the service, and then will hang out with the church throughout the day getting to know them a little more.....and getting killed by them as we play a game of soccer ! Later tomorrow night, we'll go back into town to hold another outreach. Everyone is doing great, and we are excited to see what the Lord is going to do throughout our time here in Campo.....He has already done so much. This was our first full day here in Campo, and it was such a blessing. I will try to update this site in a day of two with more pictures, and some video if I can pull it off.

many blessings,
carlos

We made it !

2008-06-13T16:59:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone, this is just a quick note to let everyone know that we made it to our final destination in Campo this evening around 4:00 p.m. We are currently one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Everyone is doing great (although a little tired), and we are planning on meeting later tonight for some worship and prayer, and a chance to once again set all of our plans before the Lord, and ask for Him to take control and to bless. I will try to update tomorrow with some pictures of a kids outreach that we are going to be doing starting at around 1:00 p.m. here in Campo. Thanks for your prayers, and I will update some more when I am a little more together !

blessings,
carlos

Sr. High Brazil trip, June 12th - 25th, 2008

2008-06-11T22:00:00.006-04:00

above - Pastor Joe praying for our team before we leave.

Well, the time has indeed come for us to leave. Lots of preperation and prayer have been put in over the last couple of weeks, and our departure is rapidly approaching. There will be an insert in our bulletin this Sunday with a prayer guide so that the congregation can pray for us each day, and for the specific ministries that we will be involved in. I figured I would post it up here as well. I will aslo be posting pictures and having some of the kids write on the blog during our trip, so please continue to check this site during the next two weeks.

Campo Mourão (where the Bible College is) • 6/13 - 6/ 18

Friday June 13
4:00 pm Arrive at Bible College in Campo Mourão
Rest of day: Rest, prepare for ministry

Saturday, June 14
Ministry in nearby underprivileged village (Including Evangelistic outreach)
Night: Street evangelistic in Campo Mourão

Sunday, June 15
Morning Church Service at College
Afternoon Church/Evangelistic Service in a park in Campo Mourão
(Mike, Carlos or Brian will be teaching)
Evening: Street evangelism in Campo Mourão

Monday, June 16
3 Outreaches to 2 shifts of students at a high school in Campo Mourão
Boys Prison outreach (Men only)
Ministry with a College English Class

Tuesday, June 17
High school outreach
Evening: Youth Night at Church in Campo Mourão
(we'll be inviting all young people from high schools to this event)

Wednesday, June 18
2 VBS programs for children from underprivileged village near college
Evening: Church Service at Bible College (Mike, Carlos or Brian teaching)
Evening: Church Service

Iguazu Falls • 6/19 - 6/24
Thursday, June 19
Travel to city of Iguazu Falls (Foz do Iguacu)
Evening: Service at Calvary Chapel Foz

Friday, June 20
Street Evangelism in Foz

Saturday, June 21
1-Day Church retreat for Calvary Chapel Foz
(Mike, Carlos, and Brian Teaching)

Sunday, June 22
Morning: Street Evangelism in Foz

Monday, June 23
High school/English outreaches in Foz

Tuesday, June 24
Free Day. See Iguazu Falls and prep for return journey.
Evening: Depart Foz to Sao Paulo.
Night: Depart Sao Paulo to JFK

Wednesday, June 25
7:30 am Arrive at JFK

Please Pray for:
• Opportunities, boldness, and the witness of the Spirit on the streets & in the high schools

• Many young people to respond to the gospel and the invitation to youth
night on Tuesday 6/17

• The edification of the churches in Campo & Foz, and the unity, health, and saftey of our group.

I saw this the other day, and thought it was great.

2008-06-09T14:09:00.001-04:00

10 Ways to Help Kids Love Missions

There are things we can do to help our kids love the nations and the cause of Christ, even though a heart and calling for the Great Commission is ultimately something only God can grant. Here are a few ideas from Ryan and Anna, who are currently preparing to serve in Asia with their two young daughters.

1. Pray for missionaries as a family. We keep a stack of prayer cards on the dinner table and rotate through them during mealtime prayers.

2. Read missionary biographies to your children. The stories of Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, William Carey, Gladys Aylward, and other missionary pioneers are captivating ways to orient a child’s heart on the most important things in life.

3. Draw the whole family into supporting missionaries financially. Teach your kids from a young age that being a good steward of their money involves channeling resources toward the the cause of Christ in missions. Older kids can donate some of their lawn mowing and babysitting money. Younger children can earn money doing chores around the house which can be set aside for missionaries.

4. Find your child a missionary kid pen pal. Many children of missionaries around the world would be delighted to get mail from a child their age in their parent’s culture. Your child (and the whole family) will learn valuable insights about living abroad through the eyes of a child. Additionally, when the missionaries visit your church, your child will already have a relationship with the MK and will be able to include them more easily.

5. Entertain missionaries in your home. Inviting missionaries over will be as much of a blessing to your family as to the missionaries. Host them for dinner or for a whole furlough. Build or buy your house with this in mind.

6. Take risks as a family. There are ways to live life which help children grasp the reality that discomfort and suffering are normal and rewarding parts of the Christian experience. Volunteer at a rescue mission; house a single mother; move to the inner-city.

7. Affirm and nurture qualities in your children which could serve them on the mission field. As your children grow in knowledge and skill, encourage them to think about how they could use their gifts in missions work. Then, if God says, “go,” release them to go!

8. Teach your children to be world Christians. Don't expose them to only the American perspective on news and realities around the world. Go out of your way to make them more aware than the average American Christian about geography, world history, and the plights and perspectives of people across the globe.

9. Read missionary prayer letters to your children. Ask them questions about the content and look up facts about the missionaries’ location on the Internet.

10. Use missions fact books and resources such as Operation World, the Global Prayer Digest, the Joshua Project, and Voice of the Martyrs (VOM). Kids of Courage is the youth-oriented arm of VOM and offers activity books, spotlights on the persecuted world, and more.
Most of all, pray every day that your kids will develop hearts that mirror God’s compassion for the nations and love for his glory in them!

2008-05-26T11:14:00.002-04:00

Hey guys. I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their help with the missions conference last week. So many people helped out with either food preparation, passing out bulletins, setting up chairs, making signs, picking up our guests from the airport, housing our guests, and the list can go on and on. I especially wanted to thank all of you who committed that day to prayer. The Lord honored those prayers, and He once again proved faithful to glorify the name of Jesus, and pour out His Spirit on those who gathered together that day. *Please note that all of the sessions including the workshops will be available for free on our website in the next couple of days. Log on to www.ccphilly.org to listen to them.
Immediately following the conference, myself and the rest of the pastors at CC Philly enjoyed three days down at Sandy Cove Conference Center in Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay for our annual East Coast Pastors Conference. Joining us were pastors and leaders from Calvary's up and down the East Coast (some 900 of them). After three days of worship, and study of the Word, I finished the week trying to catch up on emails, while continuing to prepare for a Sr. High missions trip to Brazil - we leave in 2 weeks (I will be talking about that in my next update) .

I must say that in the light of the Missions Conference and the East Coast Pastors Conference, and in finishing “To the Golden Shore”, the biography of Adoniram Judson (yes I did finish it) the Lord has impressed upon my heart with renewed fervor both the frailty of this life we live, but also the sweetest call that we could ever desire – to know Him, and to make Him known. I’m not yet 30, but I can look back on my life and see how much time has been wasted on selfish, self gratifying, temporal delights. Many of those things were not bad in and of themselves, but they were just more things that led to a distraction from the best things that the Lord had for me.
I was watching a little of "The War" last night on PBS, and as I watched and heard the stories about D-Day and Iwa Jima, I couldn't help but to make the analogy of how missions in the mid 1800's was seen in almost the same light. In the mid 1800's men and women from America, and Britain were basically throwing themselves to the foreign fields with the desire that the "nations" would come to know the Risen Savior, and would enjoy a relationship with the King of Kings. With the vigor of a "D-Day" confrontation scores of missionaries arrived at foreign shores knowing that the probability of them surviving even a couple of years would be 50-70% in some places! William Carrey, Hudson Taylor, David Livingston, Adoniram Judson are just a few of the more popular names during this time who survived long enough for us to know about how the Lord used them in awesome ways. With the calling of our Savior, and a "Great Commission" to obey, they trusted in the sovereignty of God, and the battle they were heading towards was for His worth being known and embraced by the those who were trapped in darkness. As I finished Adoniram's biography, the words of our Lord, and the truth behind them became very clear to me. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for Mysake shall find it", or "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. " As I read about these saints that have died to this world in so many ways, I am overwhelmed at the fruit that has been borne, and how even 150 years later I am benefiting from their lives. Lord, please keep our eyes focused on the eternal, and our hearts aligned with Yours. There is so much more I can write about the life of Adoniram, but I woud rather just encourage you to pick up a copy somehow, somewhere (it's out of print, but you can still get a copy if you search hard), and read it for yourself. I'll update in a couple of days about our trip coming up to Brazil on June 12th. Please remember to be lifting that up in prayer as well.
Blessings,
carlos

1 week until the Missions Conference.....please pray !

2008-05-09T13:36:00.005-04:00

"The greatest cause in the world is joyfully rescuing people from hell, meeting their earthly needs, making them glad in God, and doing it with a kind, serious pleasure that makes Christ look like the Treasure He is".

Hello everyone. If I may, let me ask you guys to read that quote again, and to spend some time pondering what it really means, and what our lives would look like if we lived in that manner.

My apologies to those of you who check this blog daily as the needs and details of our missions conference next week have gotten the best of my time as of late. I do want to encourage all of you to register if you haven't yet, and to tell others about this opportunity to come and hear about what the Lord is doing around the world, and what still remains to be done. I am also asking that you would bathe this conference in prayer. Pray that the Lord would gloriously lift up His Son Jesus, and His Great Commision - that peoples would know Him, and glorify Him, and live for Him with all that they have. Pray that this conference would also be a day where the Lord calls those that He has chosen to take this cause to peoples who haven't heard, and maybe to those who don't want to hear, and those who don't even want you in their countries. I'm praying that on this day we would count the cost together, and in the light of His glory, corporately acknowledge Him as our all sufficiency, and our Treasure. Please join with me this next week asking the Lord to do awesome things here at Calvary Philly on Saturday, May 17th.

2008-04-22T10:38:00.008-04:00

Fred and I standing in front of our 9 month project !
This was pretty interesting. I'm glad someone knows how to do this type of thing...cause I don't !

A freight container and Adoniram Judson
Hi everyone. Well, your probably wondering what our freight container going to Kasempa, Zambia and Adoniram Judson have in common. Probably very little besides the fact that Adoniram could only dream about how quickly we would be able to take things around the world, and how safe and common our transportation is these days. Let me write about the freight container first, and then I would like to close with maybe a quote or two from Adoniram's biography in which I am still reading (it's about 550pgs).

About nine months ago we put out to the congregation that we were looking for a radio tower to set up in Zambia - our missionaries Ron and Bridget Wint who are serving in Kasempa (Northwest Province) obtained a permit to set up the first F.M. radio station in the entire area. Someone from our congregation purchased one and from there it was a matter of how we were going to get it to the middle of the African bush. We decided to purchase a sea freight container in which we could not only fit the radio tower, but also basically everything, and anything else that they needed. It took awhile to get everything donated, and then to get the proper permits from the government to ship this radio equipment, but I am happy to say that finally this container is on it's way. Those in our missions prayer group know the trials involved in this project, and are rejoicing with me that the Lord has answered our prayers in getting this out to sea. So now that the easy part is done, I'm asking that you guys be praying for a safe journey, and that this container would get to it's final destination quickly, and without the problems of looters stealing from it, and government officials seeking bribes to get it through their countries! It will leave from New York (Lord willing on Thursday), then it will travel by sea to Durban, South Africa. From there, please pray that our shipper can arrange for an honest, quick, reliable driver to drive it across three countries (South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia) and to get it to Ron and Bridget in Kasempa in one piece! Please be praying for this - the fruit that will come out of a 24 hour Christian Radio station (the only station in the area) that will be broadcasting the teaching of God's Word both in the local dialect, and in English will be huge. I know that the enemy will try to do everything in his power to delay this container from getting to them - please be praying!

So back to Adoniram - as he and wife Nancy arrived in Calcutta, India they heard nothing but horror stories about Burma, and all they had come in contact (missionaries as well) told them that the savages in Burma could never understand the gospel and be converted. Despite all of this, Adoniram writes,

"The poor Burmans are entirely destitute of those consolations and joys which constitute our happiness; and why should we be unwilling to part with a few fleeting, inconsiderable comforts, for the sake of making them sharers with us in joys exalted as heaven, durable as eternity! We cannot expect to do much, in such a rough, uncultivated field; yet, if we may be instrumental in removing some of the rubbish, and preparing the way for others, it will be a sufficient reward. I have been accustomed to view this field of labor, with dread, and terror; but I know feel perfectly willing to make it my home the rest of my life."

Within 2 weeks of their departure from Madras,India to Rangoon,Burma Nancy would give birth with no help on board to a still born baby. Within the next two years in Burma they would see the wife of their missionary partner Felix Carrey, and their two children drown due to a capsized boat, as well as their second child Roger enter eternity with Jesus at the age of 6 months. Through all of this, and with much grace, the Judson's remained steadfast to the call of the Lord.

Adoniram Judson

2008-04-17T10:25:00.007-04:00

Hey guys, so sorry for the delay in my posts. Just wanted to remind everyone if they haven't registered for our Missions Conference on May 17th, to do so by going to the right and clicking the link in yellow. To register you simply need to fill out your name and email, and how many people are attending. As you already may know, the conference is free.

I've been re-reading Adoniram Judson's biography called "To The Golden Shores" by Courtney Anderson and I must say it's rocking me. The passion, and determination that is displayed is incredible. He was a genious, and gave himslef for the cause of Christ being known by those who had never heard of him in the region of what we now call Myanmar (Burma). I think over the next couple of posts I will quote some parts of this book, and talk a little about them.

When writing about the day Adoniram sensed God's call on his life for missionary work, Anderson writes, "He never recorded the day or time of day. We know that it was during a solitary walk in the woods behind the college in February of 1810. Adoniram said, 'While meditating and praying on the subject, and feeling half inclined to give it up, the command of Christ, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, was presented to my mind with such clearness and power that I came to a full decision, and though great difficulties appeared in my way, I resolved to obey the command at all events.' Every urge, every experience from the beginning of his life, had brought it's influence to this one focus. From this time on, he never doubted his destiny."

This next quote is crazy. When asking his future Father-in-law to consent to letting Adoniram marry his daughter Nancy Hasseltine, Adoniram's letter read like this.

"I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and suffering of a missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degredation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of Him who left His heavenly throne, and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the crown of righteousness, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Savior from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair? "

Would you consent? Would you go?

I will write more about Adoniram's life and how God used this man for His glory in ways we may not have expected. Oh yeah, you probablly already guessed that the picture above is Adoniram Judson.

Blessings,

Carlos

Check out our promo video for the Missions Conference

2008-04-03T11:07:00.003-04:00

Central Asia Adventure Part II

2008-04-01T21:49:00.004-04:00

Reminder that Missions prayer is this Thursday at 7:00 P.M. in the Prayer Room. We will be having Fran who is home on furlough share a little about what's going on with Nepal, and with the girls home there. She will also be giving us some updated prayer requests. See you there.

This is the second of a two part post about Lilly and her adventure in a certain Central Asian country. She was gifted two weeks off from work, and I asked her to briefly write about what she felt called to do with those two weeks, and how the Lord used it for His glory. If you haven't read the first part, go back and read the last post.

Lilly continues and writes

" While there, I stayed at the home for the girls and participated in the activities they do, such as visiting a pediatric long term special needs facility, and visiting an orphanage which also serves as a refugee shelter. It was heart breaking to see kids that are so tiny in stature that kids that are fourteen year old appear no older or larger than a six year old. The hair of every child there is kept short because of lice. The overall hygiene conditions were better than some orphanages/boarding schools I’ve seen but there are still some very serious problems concerning their care. One in particular that broke my heart was to see how the children are sat in rows in front of the TV all day! They receive no stimulation, no one plays with them, and those who have a simple learning disability are treated equally as those who suffer from a severe disability. However, there were a handful of older boys that were doing landscaping around the facility. Fortunately, within the last two years money has been poured into the facility and it is in much better shape compared to other facilities I saw there.

I also came along for a the routine weekly visit at a psychiatric facility that houses over 900 people, starting from age six all the way to geriatrics. This facility can best be described as “Byeberry”. The children’s ward did receive some government funding and is recently renovated. The children there were excited to see the familiar faces of their visitors, and to also eat a cookie which we brought for each of them. The geriatrics ward was in poor shape and so were the people. The inside of the building was at least ten degree’s colder than the outside; causing the team I was with to shiver in our coats as we shared pastries with the patients who had on their sweaters. We were able to distribute some warm clothing to the patients but in the end the staff quickly snatched them away. A mini miracle happened when one of the head nurses of the women’s ward not only let us come in, but also distribute clothing and cookies directly to the patients. Walking through the ward was heart breaking. These women are much like special needs prisoners that have absolutely no hope of rehab or being allowed outside to be in the sunshine. The living conditions were deplorable.

On a high note, in the end I was rather surprised to see why God had led me to come to this country. You see, the Lord showed me that it wasn't necessarily what I could "do" there, but rather more about just "being" there for the missionaries . The long-term missionaries here are going through trials from every aspect of their lives. The death of an infant, change in leadership, change in housing, a possible miscarriage, and just regular discouragement in ministry were laying heavy on the hearts of many there. For the heart and soul that is cast down, sometimes the best medicine is a listening heart, scripture, and prayer. A random foreigner visiting can not heal the broken hearts and strengthen the feeble, but the eternal God who is sovereign over everything most certainly can. The Holy Spirit can comfort the broken and guide those who seek direction. The Holy Spirit can come like sweet rain and rushing water, and all that has been invested and planted into the people of this country, I believe will bare a bountiful harvest. Being supported in prayer and being encouraged by the church are the greatest needs here for the long term missionaries. Please be praying for them. I know how much they need it right now. Oswald Chambers said it best, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work.”

Amen, thanks so much for writing this Lilly, and for pouring out your life for our Savior !

blessings,

carlos

Actually this is Thursday, March 27th - Blogger is messed up !

2008-03-22T17:14:00.007-04:00

Hi guys, I pray that you all had a great Easter, and that you had a great time reflecting on our risen Savior. Recently the Lord opened up the doors for a sister from C.C. Philly to get an opportunity to travel to Central Asia to visit one of our CC Philly Missionaries serving on the field there. She was able to encourage her, as well as help out with the various ministries there. I asked Lilly to write a little synopsis of her trip which I will post in two parts. What are we doing with our free time ? Here is a little glance at an awesome way that the Lord used Lilly and her free time to bring comfort and encouragement to missionaries serving in a lonely land.

"My workplace decided to gift me two weeks vacation, which is very atypical. I was really hoping to visit some family that I have in South America but unexpectedly the opportunity to do that was gone. The more I prayed about what to do with my time, the more I became certain in my heart that my time off from work was not only a gift from God but it needed to be invested into eternity in some way. After hearing from Carlos that there were several opportunities to go serve abroad, I prayed about what to do, and started to have peace in my heart to go to this country - a place where I hardly knew anyone, or the needs that could be met. What I did know is that I was being called to serve my God there in whatever opportunity presented itself.

The culture that I was surrounded by was amazing. It was a beautiful mix of Russian and Persian culture. There is a predominant Muslim culture arising from the people, but many of the people here claim Islam as their root heritage but subscribe to no real religion. There are some strict cultural rules of behavior, such as when it is appropriate for a woman to look up at a man, who gets to sit on the bus, how to behave in public, and what times of day it is appropriate for a woman to be out of her house. There are laws that forbid anything that might resemble proselytizing to anyone under the ago of sixteen. I stayed in the capital city which was very busy, booming, overflowing of people and cars, dusty, and extremely environmentally unfriendly. I have never been so close to so many oil wells, rigs, and tankers in all my life. Driving down the highway, on both sides of the road for miles on end are oil wells pumping oil twenty four hours a day. The ministries that I was involved with are multifaceted and work independently of one another to help protect the people that are out serving on a long term basis. There is an NGO that helps run a home for girls that are too old for the orphanage and who want to be trained to become part of society. The love of Christ is poured out into their lives and some have come to know Him and some are learning about God for the first time. The ladies who run the home do not impose anything religion onto the girl’s lives, thus allowing the home to continue as an NGO, but they consistently and constantly shower the girls with God’s love and life skills. This "aroma of Christ" is very effective in presenting the Truth. Also, being that these girls received an extremely limited education, I was given the chance to teach several classes on health and the human body.There is also an English language teaching program here as well as a small medical team here, all of which participate in multiple activities that are focused on simply sharing the love of Jesus by their deeds and sometimes by their words. "

Please check the blog in a couple of days for the conclusion of Lilly's summary of her trip. In it, she'll write about what she was able to do there, as well as what the Lord showed her through all of this. We'll be informed on how we can be praying for the people there, as well as the missionaries that are pouring out their lives for Jesus, and for the sake of the gospel being spread in that area of the world.

The Hope of Resurrection Sustains the Promise to the Nations

2008-03-22T17:14:00.003-04:00

A couple pictures of the "kaonde" people of NorthWestern Zambia

Hello everyone. On this Saturday night before Resurrection Day, I started thinking about the resurrection, and the obvious impact in our lives as believers, but then I started to think about what it meant for the nations (by now you guys should know that I mean "people groups", not political countries). Hopefully this will make sense as I begin to write down some thoughts that have been circling in my brain today.
1 Corinthians 15 is such a great passage talking about the resurrection, and at least 6 gifts written about because of the ressurection, but I want to briefly just look at one or two verses before I get to my main verse in Isaiah that I was thinking about. 1 Corinthians 15:17 " And if Christ had not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins." And verse 20 says, "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." It's very true that if Jesus was not raised from the dead, we would still be in our sins.....heading to hell. Our sin has separated us from God, and really unless we are forgiven nothing of God's promises and blessings can be bestowed to us. " ....Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures" Paul says in verse three of that same chapter in Corinthians. But it doesn't stop there - Romans 4:25 says that "He was handed over [to death] on account of our transgressions, and he was raised on account of our justification." Thus meaning that His death paid the penalty of our sin, and purchased our justification. Then to validate His Son, and this great victory over sin and death, God raised Jesus from the dead ! Awesome stuff.

I then started thinking about how awesome and incredible this is - not just for me his son, who already is in the family, but looking at the world, it's His resurrection that actually sustains the promise that "in him shall all of the nations be blessed". Without the resurrection, not only would I still be in my sins, but the nations as well. So if we reverse that thinking, now with the resurrection, we can thus fulfill the "Great Commission", and tell those who have never heard that Jesus died for their sins, and was raised for their justification (Rom. 4:25) !

Anyway, here is my main point in all of this, and what I started to think about today. In Isaiah 53 talking about Jesus' death, verse 11 says "He will see it and be satisfied." But what is the Son satisfied with? Verse 11 says, literally "He will see [it and] be satisfied." here is what I wa thinking though. Verse 10 says, "He will see his offspring." I truly believe that part of Jesus' satisfaction in the resurrection is looking out on a great assembly of people from every tribe and language and people (s) who have trusted Him and been forgiven and justified, and are now part of the family of God enjoying Him forever !

Therefore I write that the hope of Resurrection sustains the promise to the nations. Let us be praying for them this Resurrection day, that this next year whether through us, or through someone else (Lord let it be through us), those who haven't heard of Him, who have never experienced true faith in Christ, and forgivness of sins throught Christ's death and resurrection, will hear and put their complete trust in Him.

blessings,
carlos

Missions Prayer - this Thursday !

2008-03-18T14:31:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone. Let me start by apologizing for the lack of posts recently. I had the flu, and was in bed for about a week. When I got back to church, I had allot on my plate with regards to finalizing our Missions Conference on May 17th, and then also with finishing up some details on the Sr. Highs missions trip to Brazil. Anyway, my goal is to update this site at least twice a week so I'm back on track now, and will be updating some more later this week.

Before I go into the missions conference, let me finish my thoughts on people groups. I hope that you have enjoyed thinking about these verses, and exploring this topic together with me. I want to just mention a couple verses in the gospels that shed some light on "people groups" and God's desire for them to hear the Truth, and for a representation from "every tribe and tongue" to be in heaven giving glory to Him. The first is in Mark 11:17 (which is actually a quote from Isaiah 56:7). When Jesus cleanses the temple he says,
"Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'".
This is a great verse because I believe it sheds some light on how Jesus interpreted the O.T. regarding the worldwide purposes of His Father. In Isaiah, that word nations "pasin tois ethnesin" is the Hebrew word for "peoples". Isaiah says that there will be converts from "all peoples" that will enter the temple to worship! Jesus uses this verse when going to the temple, and cleansing it from what was a misrepresentation of His Father. It was a place that was going to be for "all nations", but instead became a "den of thieves".
There are many more verses that have this type of language : John 11:51-52, John 10:16, John 17:20, but I want to end with this one. Luke 24:45-47.

"Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.'"

We see here that Jesus opens their minds to understand the scriptures, He then teaches from the O.T. three specific truths - 1. That Christ is to suffer, 2. that He is to rise on the third day, and 3. that repentance and forgiveness of sins are to be preached in His name to "all nations". So Jesus is saying that His commission is to take the message of repentance and forgiveness to all nations - and that the O.T. teaches that. When he opened their minds to the scriptures, he was showing them the truths of the O.T. where this "all peoples" Theology is clearly seen. (Go to my post on 2/29/08 for more O.T. verses)

Therefore, going back to this "Great Commission" that we looked at in Matt 28:18-20 in my post on 2/29/08 - the term "of all nations" panta ta ethne can be clearly seen (by looking at O.T and N.T. references) as meaning to make disciples not just from as many gentile individuals as possible, but rather reaching and making disciples in all the people groups of the world. One would have to go totally against the flow of all the evidence on translation of that phrase to suggest that it would simply mean "all gentile individuals". So I believe that there is a distinct calling on the church to do this frontier missionary work among all the remaining unreached peoples of the world. I believe that we should be praying about our part in this "Great Comission" and if the Lord would indeed want to use us to bring the light of the glorious gospel to those who have NEVER heard. This Pauline type of ministry is greatly needed - Lord, I pray that You would reveal Your heart regarding these things to us, and that You would burden our hearts for the nations.

I'll talk about our Missions Conference on May 17th in my next post. If you want to download the brochure go to www.ccphilly.org - it's right on the homepage as a link. It's all very exciting.

blessings,
carlos

A few more thoughts......

2008-03-05T22:48:00.002-05:00

Before I forget - MISSIONS PRAYER IS THIS THURSDAY (3/6) AT 7:00 PM IN THE PRAYER ROOM.

I hope your enjoying these posts regarding unreached peoples, and the places in scripture that point to God’s heart to reach them with the gospel. I know the posts are long, but I think it is a very important topic, and it warrants a healthy, fair, look at these verses. To start with what I left with in the last post…..In Exodus 19:6, the Lord calls Israel a “Kingdom of Priests”, and I think the meaning behind that name gives much insight into what Israel was to be to the nations around them. In a sense I believe that Israel was to be the missionary, representing the True and Living God to the nations around them – after all that is what a priest does, he represents God to man. We see this in the plagues given to Pharaoh in Egypt right before the deliverance of God’s people. Each one of the those plagues had to do with the things that the Egyptians worshipped as gods (ie. The Nile river, cows etc.) The purpose was to show the Egyptians that Jehovah is the True and Living God, and there is none other. And it worked. We read in Exodus 12:38 that as the Israelites we leaving Egypt following the passover, that “a mixed multitude also went up with them”, meaning Egyptians that saw the God of Israel, and all that He had done, and began to follow Him, leaving Egypt with the Israelites. And when Jethro (the father-in-law of Mosses) comes to bring Mosses his wife Zipporah and their sons in Exodus 18, after hearing all that the Lord had done to Egypt, and Pharaoh, he replies by saying “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods..” . He then brings a burnt offering and sacrifices to the Lord. What an awesome example of our God being a missionary God – by His mighty acts Egyptians came to know Him, and Jethro a Midianite worships the True, and Living God.

But we were supposed to talk about Paul for this post. I can give you many different references in which Paul points us to his “all nations” theology, but I will only talk about a couple in this post. The first is in Romans 15. This chapter gives us remarkable insight on Paul’s heart, and passion for unreached peoples. In verses 8 and 9, we read that Christ became a servant to the circumcised (his purpose in coming to the world) in order that 1. He would confirm the promises given to the patriarchs (Gen. 12:3), and 2. That the gentiles (ta ethne – NATIONS), might glorify God for His mercy. And to support what he just wrote, Paul gathers four O.T. verses that speak the same type of language regarding the ethne – and God’s plan for them.

"Therefore I will praise you among the nations (ethnesin), and sing to your name."
10And again it is said, "Rejoice, O nations (ethne), with his people."
11And again,"Praise the Lord, all you nations (panta te ethne)and let all the peoples extol Him."
12And again Isaiah says "The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the nations (ethnen); in him will the nations (ethne) hope."

If you look up each of these references in their O.T. location the Hebrew word “goyim” is found meaning people groups, not just gentile individuals. Secondly, in the same chapter, Romans 15:18-21, we see another fine example of Paul’s mindset regarding the gospel going out to unreached people groups.

18For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21but as it is written, "Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand."

Jerusalem to Illyricum stretches from southern Palestine to northern Italy, and Paul says that he has fulfilled the gospel in that entire area. That is an amazing statement. What did he mean by that? Certainly everyone in that entire area did not hear the gospel in 10 to 15 years of ministry. And we know that Paul still knew that work needed to be done in those areas because he left Timothy in Ephesus, and Titus in Crete. Paul was set on going to people who have never heard ! He saw the O.T promises of the nations being blessed, and he knew that his calling was to go to the gentiles, and more than that, to people groups. In Acts 13:46-47, Paul quotes Isaiah 49:6 as his calling after the Jews received not the gospel. “I have set you to be a light for the gentiles (ethnon – nations) that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth”. In the Isaiah passage that Paul quotes, the word we have in Acts 13:47 as “gentiles” is the word “nations”, in Hebrew the word is again goyim, meaning "people group". I would encourage you guys to read through Romans 15, and think about some of these things - it also contains a great verse regarding raising support to go out into the field ! In my next post we’ll wrap up all of this with a couple passages in the gospels.

blessings,
carlos

2008-02-29T14:38:00.001-05:00

I wrote in the end of my last post that I would describe in more detail what I believe is a Biblical mandate to bring the gospel to every people group on earth. Or to put it another way, that the Lord’s desire is that the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ would be proclaimed to all peoples, down to distinct people groups. It is not sufficient to limit “missions” as simply an effort to reach as many individuals as possible in places different from our own. Of course seeing lives changed by the power of the cross is what we all want to see, and I am not belittling the ministries of outreach that happen around our city, or around the world to peoples that would be considered as “reached”. That must happen, it needs to happen. I am not saying that this is an “either, or” scenario, but rather a “both, and” scenario. But the fact still remains that only 1% of all missionary activity is aimed toward unreached peoples, and I feel this is something we all need to take a hard look at why it is this way, and then pray and ask the Lord if we are looking at “missions” the way He has revealed it through His word. Because of the magnitude of this topic, we will take a couple of posts to look at this idea of unreached peoples.

In the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus tells His disciples to “make disciples of all nations”, and He then gives them the promise that “I am with you always even to the close of the age”. That promise is given to sustain the command to make disciples of all nations. This was not just for the apostles, as they died in one generation, but rather for the church because the promise given extends to “the end of the age”. This commission is for the church who will endure to the end of the age. To fully understand what the missionary task is for the church, we need to look at the phrase “make disciples of all nations”, and more specifically, the words “of all nations”, which in the Greek is translated ‘panta te ethne’. Of the 18 times this phrase is used in the N.T. in only one circumstance would it demand the meaning of “gentile individuals”. The rest of the 17 uses of that phrase would suggest the meaning of distinct people groups.

In Genesis 12:1-3, God makes a promise to Abram in which He states that in him “all of the families of the earth will be blessed”. The word for “families” translated in the Septuagint is phulai, which is our word meaning “tribes”. So the blessing here is intended to reach down to a small grouping of peoples. This same verse is quoted in the N.T. in Acts 3:25, and the Greek for “all the families” is pasai hai patriai, which is another reference to “people groups”. The writer of Acts understood that the promise given to Abraham was not just for gentile individuals, but for distinct people groups. We read throughout the O.T. and find verse like Psalm 96:3 “Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among the peoples”. Or Psalm 117:1 “Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples!”, or Psalm 67:1-2 “May God be gracious unto us, and bless us, and make His face to shine upon us,(WHY) that Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving power among all nations”. When we read these verses we can see very clearly that the promise of salvation is to come to every tribe, and tongue, and nation. This O.T. hope was the very foundation for the Apostle Paul’s work as a missionary, he understood the promise of Abraham was to go to every people group, and that was what he aimed to see accomplished – that was his goal. We’ll look at Paul and the way he viewed the great commission, as well as other N.T. examples of this “All Nations” phrase in my next post. In the meantime, I would encourage you guys to look over some of these passages yourself, particularly in the O.T., and ask the Lord to show you more of this promises for the “Nations” to be blessed. I’ll leave you with this. In Exodus 19:6 the Lord says to Israel, “…and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…”. What did the Lord mean by calling Israel a kingdom of priests? What was Israel to do regarding the nations around them, and how does that fit in with what we have been discussing?
Think about it.

blessings,
carlos

Some Statistics ..........

2008-02-23T12:15:00.002-05:00

I love statistics. I find them fascinating, and at times a little hard to comprehend, and swallow. These would fall in that category. I enjoy reading statistics with regards to anthropology, and world missions. Here are some statistics that I recently came upon that were shocking to say the least. I pray that these will help in directing our prayers for the cause of His name being known throughout the world - that from every "people group" there will be those who have come to know Christ, and will praise Him forever.

There are 16,256 "People Groups" - (peoples by country ) making up 6.61 billion people

What is a people group ?
A people group is the largest group within which the Gospel can spread as a church planting movement without encountering barriers of understanding or acceptance. In most parts of the world lack of understandability acts as the main barrier and it is appropriate to define people group primarily by language, with the possibility of sub-divisions based on dialect or cultural variations. Such a list may be referred to as an ethno-linguistic list of peoples. In other parts of the world, most notably in portions of South Asia, acceptance is a greater barrier than understandability. In these regions, caste, religious tradition, location, and common histories and legends may be used to identify the primary boundary of each people group. Language can be a secondary boundary. Taken from Joshua Project list of definitions.

Of those 16,256 there are
6,877 "Unreached" people groups making up 2.72 billion people.
(Unreached means there is no reproducing church or steady witness for Christ from within their own people group)

There are 639 people groups that consist of 100,000 people or more (some in the millions) that are currently "unreached", and "unengaged" (no church or missionary group is working with them).

That means that 41.1% of the worlds population fit into that "Unreached" category.

42% of the "Unreached" people groups are Muslim
25% of the "Unreached" people groups are Hindu
12% of the "Unreached" people groups are Buddhist

Less than 1% of the 455,000 foreign missionaries are working with each of these three people group blocs.

If you were to combine the population of the Muslim bloc, the Buddhist bloc, and the Chinese bloc, it would come to over 2 billion people - 1/3 of the world population ( of which less than 1% of our 455,000 foreign missionaries are ministering to).

Did you know that while you pumped gas today (estimated 5 mins.)
1,294 souls began life. 574 souls met Jesus face to face. $218,648 was given for foreign missions, while $228,154 was embezzled from Christian funds by leaders. 1,816 people migrated internationally, and 67 children became homeless, or family-less.

Or that in the last 2 hours....
9,100 rural people migrated to cities. 4,560 people moved to urban slums. 274 people began supporting themselves only by collecting garbage. 5,430 children under age 5 died from preventable starvation related causes. 13,600 people became new viewers to Christian Broadcasting, and 40 Christian died for their faith.

We need to pray, and ask the Lord what our part should be - either in going, or in supporting those who are reaching the least reached peoples of the world. I will give what I believe is the Biblical mandate for this in my next post. Think about it.

blessings,
carlos

Pray for the work in Nepal

2008-02-17T17:09:00.007-05:00

I know many of you are familiar with PUMA, and all the great stuff that is going on in Nepal through their ministry- the medical clinics, the childrens home in Katmandu, the churches planted, the Pastors Conference recently held there, etc etc. PUMA is one of CC Philly's missions partners, and they are requesting prayer at this time. I got this email today from Mary Ellen who overseas the childrens home in Kathmandu. Here is what she says....

We're asking for prayer here. The news has shown that good ole Kathmandu is out of fuel, well almost, but life in general is at a slow pace. There are not many vehicles barreling up and down our road, because there is no fuel. This crunch is beginning to hit us here in the children's home. There is no fuel to drive the tankers that carry the water and cooking gas to our homes. These are services we have on a weekly basis, but it's all stopped now. As I was searching the newspaper this morning, it's amazing how quickly people in Nepal revert back to their ox pulled buggys and transporting stuff on animal or man pulled vehicles. Nepal is always ready to take a step back in time to before civilization, how surprising this is to an American. It's so not the American way. These folks know their country and know if all else fails we can go back to the middle ages. Please pray for us, we're out of fuel, (1 canister left at the girls home and 1/2 canister left at the boys home & water supply will be dwindling, not a problem yet, but we're making plans to preserve what we have) The boys actually had to cook their dinner on a wood fire outside last night. Oh dear! But on the upside, hey it's like camping out, right? Many schools are closed because there is no gas for the buses that carry the kids to school. Our kids are still going to school, as of yesterday, but we'll see what tomorrow holds. We expect that if something doesn't give, that'll stop too.Please pray for the country of Nepal.
Thank you,
Mary Ellen

So I would ask you to pray that the Lord would be with Mary Ellen, and with Franny there at the girls home. That He would give them wisdom on how to prepare for what may be a crisis, but also, that the Lord would work everything out for fuel to again arrive in the city. I'll keep you guys updated as soon as I hear more.

blessings,
Carlos

Back from Brazil.....good things coming up.

2008-02-17T17:09:00.005-05:00

Sorry about the delay in my updating. There is always so much on my heart that I want to write, I have to just make the time to sit and type it all out. Let's see.....the rest of our trip in Brazil was great. We ended the conference with communion, followed by a baptism by this incredible waterfall on the property of Calvary Chapel Bible College - Brazil. It was a sweet ending to what was an incredible week. We were encouraged to take communion with someone else from another Calvary other than our own, and I got to take communion with the Pastor of the Calvary Chapel in Porta Alegre, a town in which my father was born, and I still have relatives in. It was great to pray together, and thank Jesus for the cross, and for the new covenant established in His blood. It was a great week of making new friends, reconnecting with old ones, worshiping in another language, and watching as the Lord continued to fullfill His promise made with Abraham in Genesis 12:3 that throught his seed, "All the families of the earth (nations) will be blessed".

Our trip home was uneventful, and it was great to come back and tell everyone about all the great things that the Lord is doing in Brazil. I really feel, (and am praying) that the Lord is going to use the Bible College in Brazil to raise up and send out an army of missionaries to other areas in Brazil as well as other neighboring countries like Argentina, Paraguay, and Uraguay - in which there are no Calvary's at this point.

Please keep on checking this blog, as well as the C.C. Philly site for information on missions trips that will be going on this summer. Nothing is formally set at this time, but we are working on trips possibly to Zambia, Germany/Hungary, El Salvador, and Brazil. As soon as the dates are set, I will list all of them here on the blog - and will write about what the focus will be for each. Lastly, I would ask you guys to pray about the possibility of having a Missions Conference at Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia this coming May. Nothing is finalized yet, but we are in the middile of trying to work this out. If it does happen it would be an all day event open to all of our congregation, as well as all the other Calvary's (and other churches) in the area. Some speakers would be K.P. Yohannan, Matt Ellison, Jeff Jackson, David Guzik, Dave Sylvester, just to mention a few. I will keep you guys updated as soon as the details get finalized. Pray that this could all work out - it has the potential to be huge !

Blessings,

carlos

Calvary Chapel Bible College - Brazil

2008-02-04T10:40:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone. Our trip to Brazil has been going great. We're now at the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Campo Mourau, Brazil. The annual Calvary church conference is being held now. Basically it is a time for all of the Calvary Chapel's in Brazil (those who can travel here) to get together and fellowship/ worship / and study the Word together. Traditionally most churches in Brazil will have their conferences during "carnival" to escape the madness in their cities - and that is what the Calvary fellowships are doing now annually. It's been a blessing to hang out and fellowship with the pastors of the different Calvary Chapels here in Brazil, as well as to get to know their congregations represented here. The Lord is doing a great work here in Brazil, and with less than 8 Calvary Chapels, in a country the size of the United States, the owrk has only begun!

It's great to have a Calvary Bible College here in Brazil now. I really believe that the Lord is going to use this place as a sending hub for more missionaries going out all over South America. I think that more laborers will go out to help the works that are currently started, as well as to start new works here in Brazil, and in neighboring Argentina, and Paraguay. You can learn more about the Bible College at http://www.ccbcbrazil.com/ . The property is amazing. Everything is manicured - from the grand atrium in the main building, to the pool area, to the soccer fields, and the coffee shop, and student dorms. You can tell that a lot of hard work has been poured into this property - it's a blessing to be here, and to be able to study the Word here.

Please continue to pray for the rest of the conference today and tomorrow. I really believe that the Lord wants to do more in the hearts and lives of those here. Pray that no one would leave tomorrow without really hearing from the Lord, and if they don't know Him, that they would surrender their lives to Jesus while being here. Please also pray for our travels back home on Wednesday. We'll be on three different flights, and will get back to the States on Thursday morning. I will update some more on the trip in a couple of days, and will share about the trip at MISSIONS PRAYER on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7th in the PRAYER ROOM.

picture 1 - the atrium inside the main building

picture 2 - the outside of the main building

picture 3 - worship last night during the conference

Calvary Chapel Iguazu Falls, Brazil

2008-01-31T20:31:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody, I just wanted to update everyone on my trip to Brazil. My self and another brother from C.C. Philly are here in Iguazu Falls, Brazil visiting a dear friend of mine Tim Rogers who is the pastor of the Calvary Chapel here at Falls. This is his second church plant here in Brazil, with the first church in San Vicente under national leadership now. I got to speak at the mid-week service tonight which was a great blessing.....for me anyway! The service was in their backyard under the deck - what an awesome night, worshipping the Lord together in Portuguese! Iguazu Falls, has a large population of Chinese, and Lebanese folks, so that would explain why I had one of the best swarmas of my life for dinner today here in Falls. We will be going up to a Calvary Chapel Brazil - church conference at the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Campo Mourao, Brazil http://www.ccbcbrazil.com/ (about 5 hours away from Falls). The conference will be from Saturday - Wednesday. I would ask you guys to pray that the Lord would give us wisdom, on how to encourage those that we meet at the conference, and that He would continue to show us how He may want us to get involved with the various church plants here in Brazil. I should be able to update in a couple of days. Thanks in advance for your prayers.

PICTURE 1 - The beautiful Iguazu Falls !

PICTURE 2 - Me with Tim and his 2 little ones Bethany, and Abraham, and Jenna Faehl (CCBC Brazil student......and part of our C.C. Philly family)

PICTURE 3 - Overview of part of the falls

I'll leave you guys with this question.

TRUE or FALSE

Tomorrow we will have breakfast in Brazil, lunch in Paraguay, and dinner in Argentina ?

blessings,

Carlos

Missions Focus Night - This Sunday Night !

2008-01-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone. I just wanted to let everyone know about what is happening at C.C. Philly this coming Sunday night, January 27th.

Starting at 7:00 P.M., we will begin our "Missions Focus Night", where we are going to devote the entire night to talking about "Missions" here at our church. We will be sharing about the past couple missions trips that we have just gotten back from (Zambia, El Salvador), showing pictures and videos from those trips, and having some people who went on those trips share a little about them. We will also have one of our missionaries who is home on furlough share about her work in a Central Asian country. A portion of the night will also be given to sharing about the doors that the Lord has opened up for our church regarding "local outreach". Pastor Jerry will be sharing about the upcoming Harvest Crusade, and Buddy Osborn from Rock Ministries will be sharing about what they are doing to reach kids for Christ in the inner-city. Lastly, we will be talking about future missions trips for the church this year, as well as other ways to get involved in any of the areas mentioned above. All of the kiosks in the front hallway will be filled with pictures of our recent trips, and staffed with those who have gone on those trips in case anyone had any questions.

This is going to be a great night, so I would encourage you guys to come out, and to tell others to come out as well. This will be for the edification, and encouragement of the entire body at C.C. Philly, not just those who are "missions people". We all need to know and be reminded that the entire church body has an active role in this "Great Commission" ! See you guys on Sunday night.

January 6th - Home sweet home

2008-01-06T18:33:00.000-05:00

Our last couple of days of the trip were some of the best. We spent all day on Thursday at the orphanage in San Martin that is run by Potter's Field and the main church in San Salvador. We had a great time hanging out with the kids. Someone from our church had given us new baseball gloves, bats and balls to give out and they had a perfect place to play there on the property. Some of the kids were naturals to say the least. They also have a Calvary that meets there on the grounds and the day we were there was the kick off to their after school ministry that they were starting, so were were blessed to be able to jump in and help with that. Rob and I both sensed the Lord's blessing there in a great way and we are really excited to see what the Lord is going to do there.
Friday was going to be our day off, but because of the high winds we were not able to do a couple of things that we wanted to, but that was the Lord's plan all along. We were able to get into the only children's hospital in the country and minister to the kids on the blood disease floor. There is a sweet lady from the main church whose son spent a lot of time on that floor before the Lord totally healed him and now she goes back to minister to the parents there, so it was awesome to minister alongside her and her son David. The kids were really sweet and our guys brought some bright light into an otherwise depressing place. The puppets, baloons, stickers and songs were enjoyed by everyone and we all left there more blessed than the kids no doubt. We had such a great group of people who even in the midst of a difficult place to break the ice were never hesitant to bring the love of the Lord.
The Lord also blessed us with a great hike up to the top of a huge cliff with views that were breathtaking.
The trip home was wonderfully uneventful and we are really glad to be home with hot water and a quiet place to sleep.
Please continue to pray for the work of the Lord in El Salvador. There are some amazing, faithful people there and I have no doubt the Lord's blessing will be upon the things He calls them to do. But like anywhere there a planty of challenges and hardships so lift up them and their families, there is a wonderful group of our brothers and sisters living there and desiring to share the love of Christ with the people of El Salvador.

Wednesday, January 2nd

2008-01-02T22:59:00.000-05:00

This is Pastor Jaime from one of the outreach churches in the southern part of the country. We were there all day yesterday and had a great time. Our main work project was to try and rid the local soccer field of rocks, we were there for about three hours and only got 4. That might sound pathetic but each rock weighed about 200 pounds and we were trying to dig them out with poles made out of rebar and pick axes. The last one we got took all 8 of us guys to get it out of the ground and start rolling it off the field. The church here has found a great open door through soccer to minister to the community and many of the people from the church came out as a result of the soccer league.

After a futile attempt at the soccer field we focused our attention to a community outreach. Kids club went great, the children responded well to our team's drama, crafts, and activities. As usually the night ended with children running around with Ruth Riddel's baloons and faces all painted up. Rob and the girls played for the adults, they put the stage right in the middle of the dirt road in front of the church.

Today we went to another town which was more like a tourist town with beautiful old spanish buildings and churches. The leader of the home fellowships in the main church has started a church there so we came to help him. After a morning of painting, we got to play a 6 on 6 game of soccer against a team from the church and I am proud to say that we got a tie. Later in the afternoon, we did an outreach for the church, they rented a local disco club which was interesting to say the least. Probably the only event of its kind held there. The kids loved it and the adults were blessed by the music. Alde seemed to definitely have an impact on some of the younger kids who were there when he shared his testimony.

We are still injury free and sickness free so thanks for the prayers. We are heading to the orphanage tomorrow for a day with the kids and then they invited all the kids in the town to come over in the afternoon so we can share with them, so continue to pray that we have an open door. Thanks

December 31 - New Year's Eve in El Salvador

2007-12-31T23:41:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay but things are always busy. Saturday night the team was at Calvary Chapel San Salvador helping with the sunday school while Rob and the girls sang in the main service. Alde also got an opportunity to share his testimony at each service.

Sunday morning we got to the church early to help feed some of the neighborhood kids and then joined some of the girls from the church who take sunday school into the streets and some of the tougher neighborhoods in San Salvador. Their heart for the kids and their dedication left an impression on all of us as well as some of the sweetest kids ever.

Today was crazy, from start to finish worked hard and saw the Lord really bless in some cool ways. We started by driving to one of the smaller Calvary's. They were in need of a new building so we helped out by digging the footings and putting up the structure needed for the new building. The project was led by Craig and Ruth Riddell with help from Justin, Matt and Preston. After that we left to the center of town to do an outreach with the kids and adults which was the best one so far, the kids were great and we had a lot of cool opportunities to talk to people. We were also treated to a great sunset. A great way to ring in the new year!

Speacial thanks to Hannah Rissinger for her help with the blog.

pictures from tonight

2007-12-29T23:40:00.000-05:00

A VBS outreach today held at a local market.
Pastor Rob and Haidee Ortega leading worship at Calvary Chapel San Salvador's saturday evening service.
Alde Ortega sharing his testimony at Calvary Chapel San Salvador's satuday evening service.

Pictures.............

2007-12-29T22:03:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from the first outreach at the Calvary Chapel of Santa Maria.
Playing the "Parachute" game in Santa Maria - during the kids outreach

Lizzie Savar enjoying some face painting in Santa Maria
Pastor Mario, and his wife. He is the Pastor of Calvary Chapel of Santa Maria, El Salvador - a 2 1/2 hour drive from the capitol of San Salvador.
Here is Craig and Ruth Ridell making balloons for the kids during the outreach.

Please continue to pray for the team as they will be involved in outreaches, and construction projects during this next entire week. Trevor wrote today and said that Pastor Mario was encouraged by over half of the children and their parents that came to the church after the outreach to the children that day. Please continue to pray for their saftey, for their health, and for the Lord to continue to work in the hearts of each team member, as well as those that they will come in contact with throughout the week. Pray for the salvation of many El Salvadorians this week ! I will continue to keep you guys updated as I hear from the team.

blessings,
carlos

December 29th - El Salvador

2007-12-29T19:38:00.000-05:00

Everything is going great down here, yesterday was our first real outreatch of the trip. We drove almost 2.5 hrs which is half way across the country to the town of Santa Maria where pastor Mario and his wife have been leading Calvary Chapel Santa Maria for 6 years. They were such great hosts, he rode all the way to our hotel on a bus, then rode with us out there only to turn around and lead us back and then take the bus back early this morning and bus travel is what you might expect in a country like this. We did an outreach with the kids in the area which was great and they invited the parents to stay when they picked up their kids and Rob and the girls did a great concert. Half of the kids and parents who came out, it was there first time at the church and pastor Mario was really excited. The sign by the church says the church who worships the god of Israel, that was very cool. We got back late to San Salvador, tired but very blessed by the whole day.

December 27th - Arrived in El Salvador

2007-12-27T20:45:00.000-05:00

Well after the usual last minute packing frenzy, crazy bus ride to JFK and all the joys of air travel this time of year, we are all very blessed to be at our hotel in San Salvador on schedule and with no major losses or injuries. We are staying in a pretty updated part of downtown (Burger King and Pizza Hut are within walking distance), but no one could mistake the change as we drove the hour from the airport to the capital and were witness to rural living in Central America, filled with shacks and people trying to make a living however they can. Tomorrow we are heading out of the capital to one of the smaller churches which is in a more remote area of the country. Our desire is to encourage the Church that is there as well as help them reach out to the community and share the love of Christ. So if you would pray for us that would be great, the Lord has already answered little and big prayers alike in amazing ways. Now we are looking forward to seeing what doors He will open up for us as we go out.
God Bless,
Trevor Steenbakkers

Merry Christmas....pray for the El Salvador trip !

2007-12-25T16:19:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone.

Isaiah 9:2 says "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined."

As we celebrate the birth of our Lord today, I can't help but think about so many peoples (ethnos) who have never heard or read about this "Child that was born, this Son given". Hundreds upon hundreds of people groups who will not celebrate the joy of Christ with us today, not because their hearts have been hardened to the glorious gospel of Christ, but because they have never heard about Him. I pray that the continual goal and aim for us as believers in Christ would be to " Make known His deeds among the peoples, and proclaim that His name is exalted" (Isa. 12:4). That we would join in with Psalm 96 and "Sing to the Lord, bless His name, tell of His salvation from day to day. Declaring His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples". Please join me today in praying that the Lord of the harvest will thrust out more laborers into His harvest field - for His glory !

I also wanted to ask that you pray for our team of 22 who are going to El Salvador from Dec. 27th - Jan. 5th. I will be updating the blog with pictures and more information and prayer requests throughout their trip. They will be coming alongside of the local Calvary Chapel church plants in remote area's of the country in both construction projects, and outreaches in which they will get to share the gospel through music, drama, video, and of course the Word of God. Pray that they will be a blessing to the local pastors, that many would come to know Jesus through the outreaches, and that the Lord would do great things in and through all who will be going.

blessings,
carlos

John 15:5

2007-12-16T22:02:00.000-05:00

Prayer is the translation into a thousand different words of a single sentence: " Apart from me (Christ), you can do nothing". How we need to wake up to how much nothing we spend out time doing - John Piper

In one of the books that I am currently reading, I came across this statement, and I must confess that the Lord challenged me about the truth of that statement written above. We all know John 15:5, but I guess the thing that the Lord spoke to me about was, do I believe it. If I truly did believe it for all that it is, I would so often have another answer to the daily tasks of my life. The emails that have to be answered or written, or to the phone call that needs to be made, or the people that need counsel, or the meeting I have to run to, all the while His voice calmly speaking, "Without Me, you can do nothing". How I long for that extra hour or two to spend in His presence. How I need it.

Though during this time of the year we are filled with joy, and love, and we reflect upon the "Child that was born, the Son that was given", I also personally know that we can often be overcome with stress, and we often are running here or there, or trying to finish this or that and all the while the Lord is saying "your anxious, and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary". Let us labor to spend time with the One who alone says, "without Me, you can do nothing".

blessings,

carlos

2007-11-24T22:03:00.000-05:00

I know it has been a week since we got back, but it took a little while to get back into the swing of things. I figured an update would be appropriate. I really just wanted to thank everyone for praying for our team, and the trip as a whole. We saw the Lord provide for us in incredible ways, and we were encouraged to know that we had our brothers and sisters praying for us back home. The foundations for the radio tower were poured (all four), the Inductive Bible Study was a great blessing and the pastors and church leaders were all excited about putting this techinique to use. The Lord opened up a huge door to continue ministering in the Leper Colony, and our relationship with Mukinge Hospital continued to grow as we partnered up with them for our clinics in the villages. Our two lost bags were found, and the hospital was able to receive them - they contained a large amount of much needed medicine. We got to debrief at Kafue National Park where we had the pleasure of seeing lions, hippos, crocs, zebra, and even a leopard. It was a great trip, and the Lord is still showing me things that He is desiring to teach me through our experiences over the last three weeks. We will be showing a short video in the next couple of weeks at Calvary highlighting some of what we did.

I'll post some video on our dropshots site soon, but for now, you can check out some pictures that I loaded on www.dropshots.com/ccphillymissions

Blessings,

carlos

Medical Trip Update: Pictures and News

2007-11-13T10:48:00.000-05:00

With the main part of the work over, the team traveled south and arrived safely back to Lusaka on monday and will be staying in a hotel. They will then proceed to Kafue National Park and stay there overnight before heading home.

In an answer to prayer, British Air has agreed to fly the two lost bags out to Mukinge hospital (the mission hospital near Kasempa) where they can be put to good use.

Below are pictures from the visit to Kasempa's chief and the medical outreach in his village. The first two are of Chief Kasempa (and a guard) and Bridget Wint in the official courthouse of the Chief, where the medical clinic was held.

The Lord is good !

2007-11-09T10:07:00.001-05:00

Hello everybody, it is Friday afternoon here in Kasempa, Zambia, and I am writing from an internet cafe that just opened up yesterday ! It's not anything to write home about, but it will do. Today was our last day of medical clinics, as well as the last day of the "Inductive Bible Study" workshop that Harry has been doing. Over the past week, we have held clinics at the leprosy colony, a rural village, and then the village of the Chief. Everyone has been blessed by the medicine, the prayer, and the gospel going forth. We all have lots of stories to share about each of those things when we get home. Rosa may be broken for good.......we found out that the engine block cracked - please pray that the Lord gives us wisdom on what to do next with that. Thankfully, He provided a brand new VW mini-bus to rent in Rosa's place. It's much faster.

I would ask you guys to pray for the Pastors Conference tomorrow, as well as the day with our orphans on Sunday. I have to go, but just wanted to post a quick blurb to thank you all for your prayers - it has been an incredible week of watching the Lord move both in our hearts and lives, as well as in the hearts of those who we ministered to. Please continue to pray for us, that the Lord would continue His work in us, and that he would allow us to be a blessing to those in Zambia. I look forward to seeing you all soon, and sharing about our awesome God, and what He has done !

blessings,
carlos

Medical Trip Update: Prayer Requests and Photos

2007-11-07T10:17:00.001-05:00

Carlos met with the Chief of the Kasempa district, who was excited about the visit, and asked if a medical clinic could be conducted in his village. The team now has that clinic planned for Friday.

Today (they are six hours ahead of us) they visited the leper colony and ministered to about 20 families with 2 doctors. There are many opportunities for future ministry among these people.

The team is asking for prayer that the rain let up. It is currently down pouring, and it is hampering a few of the team's activities. Harry Pressley begins his Inductive Bible Study course today, but only about 25 of the 100 people registered came for the first day of instruction because the rains make travel so difficult. Also the next days clinics will fair better under dryer conditions.

Otherwise, everyone is well and blessed.

The photos posted here are also available at the Lumba Ministries website. Pictured below is the team sorting medications for the upcoming medical clinics.

The ministry bus our fellowship helped purchase has been struggling. Please pray for it to run well!

The doctors and workers at Mukinge hospital received the gifts from our church gladly. Mukinge is a mission station and hospital about 30 minutes away from Lumba by car.

This is the new guest room that has been built on the side of the Calvary Center (which our church financed and helped build in the Summer of 2006).

George Berkin with a child in one of the local villages.

The medical clinics have included eye care.

The team ministered today at a leprosy colony.
This woman walks on her knees because of her leprosy.

Workers prepare the site, and Fred and Harry inspect the newly poured base for the radio station tower. When Lumba's tower is finished, it will broadcast the only FM station in the area, carrying Bible teaching to the people of Kasempa.

Harry Pressley began his Inductive Bible Study course today.

Medical Trip Update: Two Prayer Requests

2007-11-06T14:33:00.000-05:00

Carlos is visiting the Chief of the area around Kasempa today, with gifts from our fellowship (Pastor Joe's MP3 teaching set and a player with batteries). The chief is very open to hearing about Jesus and what the Word says about being a believer, please continue to pray for him.

Also, tomorrow the team will do work in a nearby leper colony. Keep praying!

Medical Trip Update: Team in Kasempa

2007-11-04T15:26:00.000-05:00

The team has arrived in Kasempa. Everyone is safe and ready to get to prayer and work (after bed tonight). Please keep praying for the arrival of the two bags they haven't yet received.

Zambia Medical Trip Update

2007-11-03T10:20:00.000-04:00

The team has arrived safely in the capitol, Lusaka. Please pray for the little bus that transports Ron, Bridget, and our teams (known affectionately as "Rosa")--as of Saturday afternoon it is out of commission again with an unknown problem. But the Lord has provided: the man who sold them the bus is delivering a new bus to them for the trip and taking Rosa to get fixed.

Also, please pray for the arrival of two bags that didn't make it to Lusaka with their flight. The good news is that the bags were located in London, and will arrive later, so someone will have to travel back to Lusaka to get the bags. They both have medicine and supplies for the clinics the team plans to run.

Everything else is good. Keep lifting them up!

The Team........less two

2007-11-01T10:42:00.000-04:00

Well, the above pictures were taken yesterday night at Calvary. Pastor Joe praying for our team, and then a picture of our team while packing the luggage. The two that were missing were George Berkin, and Pastor Harry Pressley. Harry will be doing a three day Inductive Bible Study workshop, as well as teaming up with me to teach at the Pastor's Conference that we will host while there. Also, I just wanted to give a quick itinerary for those who are committed to be praying for us throughout the trip.

Thursday night - Friday morning (Nov.1st-2nd) = Flying to London

Friday Night - Saturday morning (Nov. 2nd -3rd)= Flying to Lusaka, Zambia

Saturday morning - Saturday Evening(Nov. 3rd) = Driving to Kitwe (1/2 way point) where we will spend the night at a hotel (Hotel Edinburgh)

Sunday morning - Sunday Evening(Nov. 4th) = Finishing the drive to Kasempa ! Our final destination.

Monday - Tuesday (Nov. 5th - 6th) = we will be helping Ron and Bridget with some odds and ends painting that needs to be finished, as well as helping with other projects that may need some work, and visiting Mukinge Hospital.

Wednesday - Friday (Nov. 7th - 9th) = Our medical clinics in the villages.

Wednesday - Friday = IBS workshop lead by Harry

Saturday (Nov. 10th) = Pastor's Conference (Pray for an outpouring of the Holt Spirit on the teaching of His Word. Pray that many would come, and be blessed by the Lord this day !

Sunday (Nov. 11th) = church / a day with the orphans from Lumba. Bible stories,crafts, food, games...etc

Monday (Nov. 12th) = Drive back to Lusaka

Tuesday and Wednesday(Nov. 13th - 14th) = Staying in Kafue National Park for Safari !

Thursday (Nov. 15th) = Leave to go home

I will be trying to update throughout the trip. Please do pray for our travel (planes, and our long bus ride...yes the bus is running ) , and also pray that all of our bags get there. Other things to pray for are on the right hand side . Most of all, pray that our King will be glorified throughout everything that takes place on this trip, that many would come to Him for salvation, and that He would accomplish a mighty work in our hearts while there - all leading to giving Him more glory and praise for all that He has done.

blessings,

carlos

A few things......

2007-10-27T12:08:00.001-04:00

C.C. Philly will be going to El Salvador once again. The dates are Dec. 27th - Jan. 5th. El Salvador is one of the countries where we will be involved in for long term ministry - ie. multiple trips a year that are open for the body to participate in. We are partnering with C.C. San Salvador, and will be coming along side of their multiple church plants that are in remote villages and towns throughout the country. Ministry will include music ministry, evangelism and drama, and various construction projects. If you have any questions, or feel like the Lord may be directing you, please see Trevor, Rob Paoletti, or myself for more information.

Also, please feel free to check out www.dropshots.com/ccphillymissions

This will be a page where everyone can look at recent pictures and video from our past mission trips. Right now we just have our last Sr. High trip to Zambia, but in the next couple of days I will add El Salvador pictures, and pictures from the College and Career trip to Montreal.

Lastly, I just wanted to give an update on one of our prayer requests for our Zambia trip - "Rosa" our ministry vehicle while in Zambia hasn't started in a couple of months and the village of Kasempa has NO mechanics at all. I spoke with Ron Wint yesterday, and he said he got the bus to start, but it is far from being fixed. Please pray that the Lord will give Ron wisdom on what may be wrong, and that He would provide the means to fix the problem. Ron and Bridget have less than a week to fix the problem so that they can drive the 14 hours to come and get us in Lusaka! Please continue to pray.

Blessings,

carlos

11 days to go.......

2007-10-22T18:08:00.000-04:00

Like the title states, we have 11 days before leaving for our medical missions trip to Zambia. The dates are Nov. 1st - 15th. Our team consists of 4 nurses, 1 optometrist, 2 pastors, and 3 support people. We'll be conducting free medical clinics in the outlining villages of the Kasempa district in the North West Province of Zambia. While the villagers are waiting to be treated a full presentation of the gospel will be given, with opportunities for prayer and the handing out of Bibles and other literature. (That's what it is all about right !) The clinics will be held in local churches so when people get saved, we plug them in at the church where they are at. We'll also be hosting a 3 day Inductive Bible Study workshop lead by Pastor Harry Presly from CC Bellmawr, and a Pastors Conference where local Pastors and church leaders from all denominations can come and hear the Word of God taught verse by verse. The website for Ron and Bridget Wint of Lumba Christian Ministries our missionaries on the field) is
http://www.lumba.homestead.com/ if you want more information on what else is going on there.

I'll post all of the things that are happening in Kasempa, Zambia with Lumba Christian Ministries (orphanage, school of ministry, farm, radio station) when we get back from our trip. Please continue to check back for pictures of our trip, and for posts / prayer requests while we're in Zambia. We need your prayers ! Below is a list of things we are currently asking you guys to lift before our Father.

Oh yeah - the pic's are from our last medical trip to Zambia - March, 07

Blessings,

Carlos