I Now Pronounce You...

Okay, I’m not sure that those were the actual words the attorney used, but yesterday, Luz and Fermin were declared legally married!  Although the legal ceremony only took a few minutes, it was the culmination of a long journey. 

Luz signing the Certificate of Marriage as Fermin
and the witnesses look on.

Luz and Fermin have lived together for 30 years.  There have been many ups and downs in their relationship.  There has been infidelity, prison, pain and struggles.  But, God has been at work in both of them, using those very things to draw them closer to Him, and closer to each other.  And, yesterday they made the choice to honor Him through their marriage. 

Even though a lot of couples choose not to exchange rings for cost reasons,
Luz and Fermin exchanged beautiful rings as an outward symbol of
their commitment to love and honor each other.
 

When the short, simple ceremony was over, and Luz had the Certificate of Marriage in her hands, she began to cry.  Over the years there have been plenty of tears, but these were tears of joy.  It was wonderful to see her face glowing with happiness!

Tears of joy!

God transformed an angry, bitter woman who really didn’t want to hear about Jesus, and a man who engaged in illegal behavior who went to prison, into a loving couple desiring to live for Him, and for each other.  What a testament to His power and love!

While this is a significant step in their journey, we know in many ways it is only the beginning.  We also know that as natural leaders in El Callejon, others will be looking at them, and their new legal marriage.  They desire to have their lives be a witness to what God has done in them, and we're so excited to see that desire in them!  Please pray for them as they continue to grow in love for each other, and for our Father.

The wedding party.
Luz isn't going to let go of that certificate any time soon!!  :O)

We’re still working on firming up details for the other two couples, so please continue to lift them up in prayer.  Our celebration on Friday is coming together, and we’re looking forward to sharing the happiness with the community.  So… stayed tuned for more pictures!!

Wedding Planning & Prayers

We wrapped up our regular activities last week, with more Christmas parties and the wonderful LIFT outreach.  Now, our attention has turned to… Weddings! 

Si Dios quiere (the Lord willing) we will have three couples getting legally married in the next two weeks, ending with a reception at the Social Work site on November 30. 

There is a lot to be done, and we’re getting a bit overwhelmed.  So, we need your prayers!

-Please pray for Luz and Fermin, who have been together for 30 years.  Fermin met Jesus while serving a prison term, and has become a ‘new man’.  Luz was once a bitter, hard woman, but God has been at work transforming her.  She glows now, with the love of Jesus, and of Fermin!  It is a joy to see them both eagerly desiring to be married. 

-Please pray for Kathy and Richie, who are a young couple with a one year old son.  Kathy has been coming to the Social Work site since she was a young girl.  She has not had an easy life, but God has been faithful, and both she and Richie have been growing in their faith.  When we asked them why they wanted to become legally married, Richie said he wanted to live right before God, and for love.

-Please pray for Dinora and Luis, who have been together 13 years, and have two children.  Dinora’s dream is to be legally married so that she can be an example for her children, and to live in a way that pleases God.  Luis is still ‘on the fence’ about it, and goes back and forth, one day saying Yes, another No. 

-This morning Daisy, Luz and Fermin will be meeting with the attorney who performs marriages here in Jarabacoa to make sure they can get married.  Please pray for this meeting, that God’s will is done, that any barriers to their marriage are quickly resolved.

-Please pray for the final Reception details to come together – food, decorations, cake, gifts, etc.  It’s a lot to pull together, but we know it is worth it!

Thank you, friends, for your faithful prayers.  We’ll report back soon on how God has been at work in this important part of transforming El Callejon for His glory!

UpLIFTing!

This week we welcomed a team of LIFT students from Camp-of-the-Woods in upstate New York.  LIFT stands for Leaders in Further Training, a semester-long program to disciple a new generation of Christian leaders (ages 19-26).  Check out their website for more about this great program: http://www.camp-of-the-woods.org/lift-discipleship/?view=mobile

The Social Work site is blessed to have Larissa and Laura working with us.  Both are enthusiastic, out-going and really interested in connecting in El Callejon.  They’ve already jumped in with both feet.  Sara, our Bethel Semester Student, has been with us for two weeks now.  She, too, is a great addition to the Site!

Sara (front left) leads an activity
for the teens - the LIFTers!

We started our week with a party – a Christmas Party for our Teens.  (It’s early, but we wrap up regular activities in November to focus on Weddings.)  Even though they don’t speak a lot of Spanish, as the teens arrived Laura and Larissa both began talking with them, doing their best to communicate.  It was so wonderful to see! 

It’s been a good year with our two teen groups, and we pray that as they end the year, they will continue to seek God in their lives.  We know it can be challenging for them, when so much of the world is telling them to live only for their own pleasure.  We’ll be praying for them, and invite you to do so, too!

Some of the girls got more into the growling than others...
but they are all simply adorable, don't you think?!

Today our Little Girls were treated to an awesome craft that Laura and Larissa came up with yesterday.  The Bible story was Daniel in the Lions’ Den, and so they made pie plate lion masks. 

It was great fun – and quite messy! – for the girls to paint with bright yellow, red and orange.  By the end, some of the girls were ‘wearing’ as much paint as their masks had, but thankfully, it was water-based!

In the afternoon, we shared a special time with the women.  We want to end the year focused not on the parties and gifts and extravagances of Christmas, but instead, on the true gift, Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 

We began with a time of praise and worship.  The women love to sing, and it is a joy to hear them lift up praises to God.  Accompanied by Daisy on handheld drums, and the women’s claps and keeping time on the table, they sang song after song.  One of the kind of funny ones talks about Satan being a fireman but he cannot put out the fire of God. 

After singing, we watched a short ‘animated’ video from the Biblia iLumina showing Jesus and the disciples at the Last Supper.  It is in Spanish, and helps the women who cannot always read to understand the story better. 

Daisy then explained that we would be ending our year by sharing in the Lord’s Supper.  She explained the importance of it, how it symbolizes Jesus body and blood given for us on the cross.  Sara read Psalm 51, and Daisy invited the women to pray and confess their sins and then join in remembering Jesus’ sacrifice.

It was beautiful to be sitting in the Social Work site, sharing together in this simple Communion of crackers and grape juice.  Our prayer is that the women continue to grow in their understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice, increasing their desire to live lives obedient to His good and perfect will.

What a privilege to share together as sisters in Christ, across cultures, languages, experiences, and even ages.  We rejoice in God’s work this year, and look forward to the rest of our time with our ‘LIFTers’ as they are known.