Poem By P. Cberg

I have such sorrow in my heart;
For those who believe in God but take no part;
In going to hear the Gospel story,
As told by Jesus in all his Glory.

My sorrow deepens even more,
For those who don't know what's in store;
When they don't believe in God at all;
But the day will come when they hear his call.

And on that day when Jesus returns to earth;
We need to remember upon His birth;
The reason God sent Jesus to suffer so;
Was to pay for our sins, and by doing so show

That the way was in the path that He Laid out,
The only path that we must never doubt,
By the New Testament we must always abide;
For when our time comes we won't be able to hide.

The Gates to Heaven will be open to those;
Who follow the teaching of Jesus who chose,
To lay out the pathway for those who believe,
I pray that I can stay true and thereby achieve.

Being one, when I stand before God on His Throne,
I will be able to stand without fear of hearing I do not belong.
For I know that day will be coming , I know not when,
I just pray that I will be ready both today and then.

P. Oberg

Piano Concert

Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took the small boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE."

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit, keep playing."

Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obligatio.

Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was mesmerized.

That's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't exactly graceful flowing music. But with the hand of the Master, our life's work truly can be beautiful. Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit, keep playing." Feel His loving arms around you. Know that His strong hands are playing the concerto of your life.

 

What Will Matter

Ready or not, some day it will come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten,
will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies
will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks
you lived on at the end.
It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender or skin colour will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built.
Not what you got but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion,
courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to
emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew but
how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter is not your memories
but the memories that lived in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered,
by whom, and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

Convention Gems

Asuncion, Paraguay (December 15 - 21, 2014) - Two brother workers were waiting for us outside the airport when we landed in Asuncion, Paraguay. One of them told me that they were expecting me to be as
old as they are! Don Edgardo is 76 and Don Jose is 70! From the airport we took us to the Convention home where the rest of the crew are waiting for us.

The first workers came to Paraguay in 1962. The work of the gospel is rather slow in Paraguay, but the workers were able to find a few souls that embraced the gospel with all their hearts. We heard about Doña Lorgia, Doña Maria, Doña Emilia, Doña Genara and Doña Cristina..... among the first ones that professed...... All of these ladies finished their earthly journey... very faithful to the end! Some were added thru the passing of years.

The friends here in Paraguay are pretty much separated from one another as far as distance is concerned. We workers scattered around visiting them in various places four or five hours away by bus, usually just one friend in the area, or a family. There were around 40 of us that gathered at our one day convention in Asuncion, the furthest friends to come traveled around six hours by bus! There is only one Convention in Paraguay.

One of our friends, Chingolo, is a baker. They started listening to the gospel in 1999. He was a drunkard and his wife told him at one point, "If you don't straighten up your life, I am going to leave you." He knelt and prayed asking help from God. One time he was at his work and saw a brother worker passing by and as if a voice came to him saying, "That man is the man that can help you". Because he was not free to leave his work, he wasn't able to talk with the brother worker. A few days after that, the brothers were knocking on doors inviting people and the other brother knocked on one particular door.... And a man came to open the door, and it was Chingolo! He right away connected these two men are companions, and he received them in his house. After listening to the gospel, he and his wife felt that the first thing they need to do is to get married.... So they got married and professed! Chingolo's wife and 3 children and a daughter-in-law, and another two men, all professing, were all at the Convention.

Traveling on the bus and going thru the city, it is pretty common to see people carrying a jug of water and a glass with sipping pipe attached to it. They have a national hot drink here they call 'mate' (mateh), or the cold drink they call 'terere'. People are drinking it all the time.... even while they are driving, walking on the streets, etc! They fill the glass with mixture of herbs and pour either hot or cold water and sip!

Traditionally, when someone visit a home, you can tell you are not appreciated when you are not served 'mateh'. If they make sure you drink enough of it, that shows you are very much welcome! They would pass the glass around, each taking a little sip at a time, then pass the glass to the one next to you for his turn. For the country people, it is very offensive to wash or wipe the sipping pipe before you take your sip.... And I lost track how many times OUR glass was refilled and passed around! So i think that tells us we are pretty much appreciated!

Some thoughts shared at Covention:

*We don't want to be in a condition where God can not heal us. If I'm not willing to receive His help, there is no healing.

*The most effective armor is to have the love of God.

*God told Moses to remove his shoes. Our feet is one of the most sensitive part of our body. To not have anything that will protect us from our feelings. God wanted us to feel things at this Convention.

*We don't always understand when God's hands work, but we can always trust in His hands.

*Joseph found himself far from his country, far from his father and brothers, but he is never far from God.

*It takes a lifetime to build a testimony, and in just a moment, we can ruin it.

*The Potter was asked, "When do you know when the clay is in the center of the wheel?" "When the clay stops resisting my hands".

*Jesus said, No one can go to the Father but by me. We have to manifest Jesus in our lives.

*The most precious hour of the day is the hour of prayer.

*We might say, Time is passing quickly, there is no time to pray. That is the reason we must pray... Because time is passing quickly.

*Prayer is our fellowship with God. We can be praying for one hour but if we don't have fellowship with God, its not prayer.

*If we have faith that God is listening to us, this will encourage us to continue to pray.

*Obedience to His will is the greatest expression of our love to God.

*A weapon we just used for the first time in the day of the battle can not be used to overcome the enemy.

What will give us victory is by being faithful in our daily life. 

*God gave a message to the seven churches. He didn't speak about their natural, economic conditions, but their spiritual condition. We should pay attention to the message God will speak to us.

*Change of love is a change of life.

*Sometimes we just see the hardness of the experience because we are looking thru it with our human eye. Obstacles are seen if we keep our eyes on the goal.

*Pray harder when it is the hardest time to pray. When it's hard to pray, it's the time we need prayer the most.

*When Goliath was killed, the enemies went fleeing. Sometimes, the enemy is not that great at all. What is really causing the problem or our struggle is not so great after all. We need to focus on what is really
causing the problem and deal with it.

*We receive help from God according to the measure of willingness we have to what God teach us.

*A sculptor made a beautiful lamb carving out of a rock. The people were awed by the beauty of it. They asked the sculptor, 'what did you do, how did you do it?' He replied, 'I did not do anything. The lamb was inside the rock. I just chipped away what doesn't belong to the lamb!'

*How do you show your love for God? If I allow God to work in me, this proves that I love God.

*Message of hope to the Church in Sardis... 'Thou liveth and art dead. Strengthen things which remain, that are ready to die.' Jairus came to Jesus and said, 'My little child is at the point of death'. A centurion's
servant is sick and at the point of death. Only Jesus can heal them.

*Sometimes the spirit of a little child in us is at the point of death. Saul felt he was very small and God was able to use him. Then he grew in disobedience, he grew in dishonesty. He lost the spirit of a little child
and he lost everything.

*How do we know if the little child in us is healthy? If someone corrects us and we accept and change, the spirit of a little child in us is healthy. If we are offended, the spirit of a little child in us is at the point of death. If they do us wrong and we want to take revenge, the spirit of a little child in us is at the point of death ... If we bear patiently, the spirit of a little child in us is healthy.

We greatly value your prayers!

Your brother, Renante

Another helpful letter from Renante...

Cochabamba, Bolivia (December 8 - 14, 2014) - Greetings from the City of Cochabamba.... The city that never gets too cold, nor too hot! It's 2558 meters elevation.

Traveling thru the main road in Bolivia is quite a sight. Beautiful sceneries.... But also along the road are memorials for people that are killed in accidents on those spots..... And we saw hundreds of them! As we journey along in this life, we are often reminded where others have fallen and we want to be careful in our steps so we can continue to the end.

The workers first came to Bolivia in the late 1950's. They worked in a mountain City called La Paz, but they didn't see much response there, so they left and moved to the City of Cochabamba. They worked in Cochabamba for about five years and they found no response here either. The workers felt that maybe it's not the right time for Bolivia yet....And thought about leaving Bolivia. It was around that time that they met a lady that had taken real interest in the gospel and professed. From there on, a few have been added thru the passing of time. The work in Bolivia has been very slow from the beginning, but in the recent years, there had been quite a few that professed. The meeting was tested at the end of our Cochabamba Convention and there were four that stood up to make their choice known.

Thursday morning, we had a baptism. It seems that the last baptism in Cochabamba field was about five years ago. There were 8 that took the step. The friends were very happy and very supportive. They hired two mini buses for the friends and workers that took us to the baptism place and some friends followed along with their cars. The baptism took place in a very secluded little brook more than an hour drive outside the City. Among those that were baptized was a lady with very bad arthritis, very frail, but we took turns carrying her from the brook back to the bus!

We heard that our Convention in Cochabamba was 155 on Saturday, and 188 on Sunday. Convention was held in a retreat house.... where some of the friends and workers stayed all throughout the Convention. They said it was the first time they used the place.... And it worked out very well. It gave us more time with our fellow workers and friends! The nuns that run the retreat house were very impressed with our group...They told us afterwards that it is the first time they saw people who love to be with one another, enjoyed visiting, well-disciplined children, and orderly people...People who do not only hear the words of God but applying it in their lives!"

Some thoughts shared at Convention:

*Jesus told Peter, "Do you love me more than these?" He reminded him about the sheep, and the need of the sheep. I want to give my life not because I need to but because I love the souls of others.

*Right spirit comes with a great price.

*"Because of thy word, I will cast the net." If we do what Jesus asks us to do, blessing will come.

*Peace is not the absence of afflictions but it is with the presence of God.

*A fire is put out because it’s not being looked after.

*The love of God within us will take us in the place of prayer.

*Jesus separated himself from the multitude...Far from the world and along with His Father. We want to separate ourselves from multitudes of thoughts that could be harmful to our souls.

*Walking in the land of the living. We have a responsibility to take care of our own step.

*Our growth is not measured by things that we left behind but by the things we outgrow.

*Shepherds are abomination to the Egyptians. As long as we are feeding the lamb that is in us, this will keep us separated from the world.

*If we don't separate ourselves from the world, the world will separate us from God.

*Pharaoh told Joseph's brothers to live in Goshen, the best of the land. Going to meetings, meditating on the words of God, being faithful in prayer life.....is like living in the best of the land.

*David protected the lamb from the lion and the bear. We all have lions and bears in our lives, but it is nice to remember that in our struggles, it’s not just about me and myself. It’s about protecting the little lamb.
 
It wasn't easy for us to leave Ariel and Melinda at the airport.... But know they are filling very useful place in Bolivia. Like what Uncle Jim said, if we have a great need of workers in the Philippines, their need is greater in Bolivia. And we are so thankful that they responded to the call with willingness.... Though it came with great price!

Next stop is Paraguay! Thanks for following us faithfully in your prayers.

Your brother, Renante

Merry Christmas

The Sacrifice

Emil attended a convention high up in the mountains in Peru in 1984. During preparations he was looking down into the valley far below and saw someone coming up. Later when he looked again, the person was halfway up, and in another hour and a half she arrived at the convention place. It was a girl of 22 and there was a sheep following her. One of the local workers told Emil she had been a shepherdess from the age of 10, caring for the neighbor's sheep in the mountains every day, but she was very poor.

When she arrived she said, "This sheep is my sacrifice for convention, for meat."

The worker said, "We know you can't afford to buy a sheep like that. Where did you get it?" She explained that two years previously a ewe of one of the sheep owners had three lambs. The third one was so weak and sickly it seemed it couldn't live, so the owner told her that she could have it, if she could bring it through. She said, "This is the sheep." It had grown very fond of her and followed her everywhere she went.

The next day the sheep was to be killed, but she couldn't bear to watch. She put her arms around the sheep and hugged it for a while, and then quickly disappeared behind the building and over the hill. Emil said it took him and the other worker all they could do to hold the sheep from following her. An hour later she came back and saw the skin already spread out on the ground. She stood and looked down at it and a few tears fell. Then she quickly pulled herself together and went into the kitchen and helped cut up the meat. Near the end of the convention she went to the elder worker there and said, "When I came to convention, I brought a sacrifice, but now I want to be a sacrifice."

She was offering for the work and that is where she is now, laboring with the workers in Peru.

B. Simonton

All About Gifts

It isn't the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it. 

Love is, above all, the gift of oneself. 

To perceive Christmas through its wrappings becomes more difficult with every year. 

Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons. 

The Christmas season has come to mean the period when the public plays
Santa Claus to the merchants. 

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all
wrapped up in each other. 

Nothing's as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas. 

Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery. And today?  Today is a gift.
That's why we call it the present. 

God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame. 

The manner of giving is worth more than the gift. 

Christmas is the season when you buy this year's gifts with next year's money. 

A hug is a great gift - one size fits all, and it's easy to exchange. 

The Lord loveth a cheerful giver. He also accepteth from a grouch. 

Love is, above all, the gift of oneself.  May Peace be your gift at Christmas
and your blessing all year through! 

Christmas Gift Suggestions:

To your enemy, forgiveness. To your friend, your heart. To all, charity. To every child, a good example, To yourself, respect.

The Legend Of The Holly

 

The news of Christ's birth soon spread throughout the land.  King Herod had heard of the glorious event and, feeling threatened by this new King of Kings, had sent his soldiers in pursuit of Him.  Joseph gathered together his little family and fled from Bethlehem .

As they were traveling down an old dirt road, Mary heard the sound of the soldiers behind them.  Knowing that they would be searching for a man and woman with a baby, she decided to hide her child until the soldiers had passed.

Looking quickly around, Mary felt her heart sink within her.  There was nothing nearby but a bare little holly bush.  Every second, the hooves of the soldier's horses thundered nearer and nearer.  In desperation, she placed her precious child beneath the bush and prayed.

But then, a wondrous thing happened.  The scraggly little plant burst forth with a crown of glistening, thorny leaves.  The spikey leaved bush formed a roof over the baby, hiding him completely.  When the soldiers rode by, they saw only the couple who appeared to be childless and continued on their way, leaving the Christ Child in safety and peace.

It was then that the Babe blessed the holly so that it would always remain green ... a symbol of hope and immortality to all.  And the berries the holly bore would always be blood red.  For of all the plants that grow, the holly alone, for one brief moment,
had held the Christ Child in its heart.   

Source: mamarocks.com

Pulling The Tares

Peanuts and coffee weed - the leaves of the two are very similar. We learned that when we were very young.
Daddy grew quite a few acres of peanuts every year. We helped weed the peanuts. First was hoeing. When the plants were very young, we could hoe along the rows and in between the plants themselves. When they grew a little larger, we'd pull the coffee weed plants out by hand.
We'd miss quite a few because the leaves are so similar to each other.
As the peanut plants grew larger, the branches of the plant would lie on top of the ground. Little white growths would branch out from the stems, looking much like little roots. After these little white pegs grew into the ground, they started fattening up and each little peg turned into a peanut.
Once the small pegs started, it was the end of pulling weeds. The problem was simple. When the branches of the peanut plants were moved, it pulled the pegs out of the ground, they'd dry up, and the peanut would never form.
When coffee weeds were even larger, their root system was so huge that pulling a coffee weed would totally uproot several peanut plants. Once uprooted, the peanut plant dies and produces absolutely no fruit.
Because of this, it was important that we learn to distinguish the difference between a peanut plant and a coffee weed while they were young small plants. Weeds take nutrients and water meant for peanut plants and where there were weeds, peanut plants produced fewer peanuts. Removing coffee weeds early made a difference in the yield of the plants.
Because of my experience in the peanut fields, the story of the tares and the wheat made perfect sense to me. Although wheat doesn't put out small pegs, the yield of wheat would be less because of the tares (weeds) to the point, like in the parable (below), pulling the tares would uproot wheat plants too.
May I always recognize the weeds in my life before they have a chance to grow large enough to take from me what God is giving me for my spiritual growth.
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”

E.E.L.Smith

"In Jesus Name, Amen"

I grew up hearing prayers that ended with, "in Jesus' name, amen." I knew the verses in the Bible that spoke of asking in Jesus' name. That's pretty serious stuff and I knew it.
What exactly does it mean to "ask in Jesus' name?" I'm sure it doesn't mean to use the words without being aware of the meaning behind them. When I end a prayer with "in Jesus' name", am I thinking about what it cost for me to be able to pray that prayer?
At the time Jesus said to ask in his name (quoted at the bottom), he was talking to his disciples. Jesus had just told them that he would be betrayed. He had been talking about himself and God, that he was going to be taken from them and killed, that God would give them the Holy Spirit to comfort them ... he knew they would need peace. He warned them that they would be treated horribly because of his name. He knew they would not only risk their lives but would be tortured to death because of his name.

His name would bring great pain and suffering into their lives. He was giving them the other side of his name too, the power in his name.
No, he wasn't telling them that they could go do anything they wanted for the rest of their lives and their every single request would be granted if they asked in Jesus' name. They knew that. He knew them and knew that they understood that. Do I fully understand that?
That power was given, in his name, for them to do God's will. It was given for them to glorify God. It was not given for them to live a easy and carefree life, doing anything that struck their fancy, without regard to how it would reflect on God's name.
How aware am I of the power in his name? Am I misusing his name by saying the words by habit without (at the time) being aware of the sacrifice and pain that gave me the right to use his name?
Every time I pray in Jesus' name, may I always be aware of 1) the reason for the power of asking in his name, 2) of the cost, and 3) of the meaning of these words: "in Jesus' name, amen."
"Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

E. E. L. Smith

Christmas In Your Heart

Love so easily understands
What you can see is the smallest part;
You don't need Christmas in your hands
When you have Christmas in your heart.

This time of year is here once more,
gather the family; the pets and all.
It's time to celebrate,
the happiest time of all.

I will honor Christmas in my heart,
and try to keep it all the year.   ~ Charles Dickens ~

It is Christmas in the heart that puts
Christmas in the air.~ W.T. Ellis ~

May you have the gladness of
Christmas which is hope;
The spirit of Christmas which is peace;
The heart of Christmas which is love.

I Love Christmas

The older I get ...

The closer I feel to old friends as
I write my Christmas cards...

The more I cherish old ornaments...

The more fondly I remember
Christmases past...

The longer I hold on to a
Christmas hug...

The more I realize Christmas
is a matter of the heart...

The tighter my throat gets when
I sing "Silent Night"...

The more I enjoy giving
than receiving...

The longer I sit at night
in the glow of the Christmas tree...

The more wondrously beautiful
the Christmas story...

The deeper my awe at
God's infinite love...

The more I love Christmas!

An Old Poem

We all must sail the Sea of Life to some Eternal Port
For some the voyage may be long,
For some it may be short.
He only safely sails the sea
And stems the drifting tide
Who makes the Word of God his chart,
The Son of God his guide.

Author Unknown

The Paradox Of Our Time In History...

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgement; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life, We've added years to life, not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.

We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We have higher incomes, but lower morals; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality. These are the times of tall men and short character, steep profits, and shallow relationships.These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; fancier houses, but broken homes.

It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom.

Love

Do you love other people more than yourself? Do you put yourself down? Remember that Jesus said we were to love others AS ourselves. Jesus EXPECTS us to love ourselves.

We should never do to ourselves what we'd not do to others.

He chose to follow God's will and die for us because he loves us. Shouldn't we love someone who he considers important enough to die for? It is in loving ourselves that we take care of ourselves. When we take care of ourselves, we are healthier, happier, and can spend more time loving and helping others.

Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

E. E. Smith

Shared Thoughts

Another interesting letter from our brother, Renante, in Peru...
Olmos, Peru. (November 17-23, 2014) - Greetings from Olmos, 3000 meters (9,800+ feet) elevation! Coming from two different places from previous Conventions, all the workers here in Peru plus four of us visitors arrived here at Olmos Convention Grounds Monday the 17th. The Convention Grounds is a little further up the hill from where the road is, so we got off to where we started our ascent. Some of our friends with their horses were waiting for us.... And they kindly took our back packs so we could work our way up without carrying a heavy load. Our group managed to get to the Convention Grounds just before the rain poured. It was still raining when the second group arrived a couple of hours later. The oldest sister worker here in Peru, Señorita Sara, 82 years old, still does very well going up and down the hills!
Below is a picture taken from a hill showing both The Olmos Convention tent.... And approximate location of the Coyunde Convention Grounds. Around two hours walk in between these two Conventions.

The nights were cold while we were in Olmos! I got up in the middle of the night and I thought someone poured a bucket of ice water on top of me! I quickly pulled all the extra covers i could find...... But i didn't seem to get enough! It got down to 5 degrees C inside our room! Brrrrrrrr!!! When we went outside, all the fields were white! The leaves are all covered with frost! I got a little bit excited as it was my first time to see frost!
The late Don Amadeo, as I mentioned in my last letter, brought the workers here in Olmos in 1976. This area was then infested by cattle thieves, criminals, bandits, you name it! It was an area where the law doesn't exist. They told about a man who asked another man what time it was as they met along the way. The other fellow didn't answer. The first man draw his gun and shot the other man in the head! Well, Don Amadeo assured the two foreign workers that it will be safe for them to come to Olmos and preach the gospel. He must have been a man with great influence! Many of the people in the area witnessed the great change in Don Amadeo's life.... And many have taken an interest and professed. One man, a close relative of Don Amadeo, where we had lunch in his home said, "We know Don Amadeo as a very very bad man. But after the gospel came to his life, he became a new man. A good man, a godly man."
There were 30 of us workers at Olmos Convention. From Tuesday to Thursday, we divided ourselves into several groups and went out for lunch and visits with the friends, 12 homes each day! So in three days, workers were in 36 different homes.... the farthest would be just about two kilometers from the Convention Grounds!
The Convention Tent in Olmos.

Not long after the gospel was brought in Olmos.... and quite a few have professed in the area, came big oppositions. The workers have been working between Coyunde and Olmos at that time. One day the brothers were to have an afternoon meeting in Olmos. The brothers were working in one of the buildings at the Convention Grounds in Coyunde with Don Carlos, the owner of the Convention place. They planned to work in the morning and then go over to Olmos in the afternoon for their meeting. While they were working, Don Carlos mentioned to the brothers that he doesn't feel comfortable for them going over to Olmos that day. But the brothers said they will go. Don Carlos talked to them later again telling his strange feeling that they should not go to Olmos that day. But the brothers insisted they will go. Don Carlos went to his room and prayed.... "God, I told them about my feeling that they should not go to Olmos today... But I can not stop them. So I am putting this into your hands.... And if there is something bad that is going to happen, please do something to stop them." Just as they were getting ready to go to their meeting, that hot summer day, came a thick black cloud with hail storm! By the time the hail storm was over, it was already past their meeting time. So the brothers said to the man of the Convention place, "Okay, Don Carlos, you won!". Unbeknown to them, there was a group of men that plotted an ambush to the two brother workers that day! They know the exact time the brothers will pass a jungly area on their way to Olmos.... So they waited there well armed! It was while these group of men were waiting for the brother workers to come that the big hailstorm came... Hail as big as a man's fist!.... It battered the trees, and left those men who plotted the ambush badly bruised! Now Don Solomon, who was actually not with those men, but the leader of the 'ronda', (a group of men that patrols the village) knows about the plot and gave them the green light to do so.... listened to the gospel after the incident and professed. Now he has a son in the work!
Some thoughts shared:
*We don't want to be in a condition where God can not heal us. If I'm not willing to receive His help, there is no healing.
*The most effective armour is to have the love of God.
*God told Moses to remove his shoes. Our feet is one of the most sensitive part of our body. To not have anything that will protect us from our feelings. God wanted us to feel things at this Convention.
*We don't always understand when God's hands work, but we can always trust in His hands.
*Joseph found himself far from his country, far from his father and brothers, but he is never far from God.
*It takes a lifetime to build a testimony, and in just a moment, we can ruin it.
*The Potter was asked, "When do you know when the clay is in the center of the wheel?" "When the clay stops resisting my hands".
*Jesus said, No one can go to the Father but by me. We have to manifest Jesus in our lives.
*The most precious hour of the day is the hour of prayer.
*We might say, Time is passing quickly, there is no time to pray. That is the reason we must pray... Because time is passing quickly.
*Prayer is our fellowship with God. We can be praying for one hour but if we don't have fellowship with God, its not prayer.
*If we have faith that God is listening to us, this will encourage us to continue to pray.
*Obedience to His will is the greatest expression of our love to God.
*A weapon we just used for the first time in the day of the battle can not be used to overcome the enemy. What will give us victory is by being faithful in our daily life.
All the best to you and I hope you continue to see encouraging days..... Like me!
The Picasa link for Pictures in Olmos will follow later.
Your brother, Renante