The Secret Place

At the beginning of January when we were in Puerto Vallarta sending off family that had visited during Christmas and New Year's, I went to a café in the morning to have some coffee and sit and read. That is my secret place, coffee and the Word! I get excited every time I open the Word because I'm constantly hearing the Lord's voice speaking to me.

That January 7 morning, I went to the coffee shop a couple blocks from the hotel and sat down in an enclosed side room where people can sit and read. I was looking forward to some quiet time to listen to the voice of the Lord as I read. Quietness was nowhere to be found in that room. The music was loud, the fans made lots of noise, and the three Americans at the table next to me were talking as if I was part of the conversation. They were having a good old time talking about their apartments, their kids, when they were going back to the states, and their dogs...their dogs that were with them in the cafe. Yes, and they were barking sharply as other dogs walked by outside the glass wall and door. All three of them had their dogs with them. I was tempted to leave, but I thought, "No, I'm going to stay and see what the Lord shows me."

I sat there reading 1 Kings 6:1-10 about Solomon building the temple. Most of the passage deals with the measurements of the rooms, windows, etc. When I cannot see anything that jumps out to me right away, I ask the Lord, "How is this information so important that it made the pages of scripture?". Every time I've asked that, He shows me something. This time, it was in verse 7...

"And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither; so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was in building."

How ironic! I was in an obnoxiously loud cafe with sounds I've never heard in any other cafe and this is the verse that jumped out at me. Solomon did not allow the noise of "neither hammers nor axe nor any tool of iron" be heard inside the temple area.

The Lord showed me that it doesn't necessarily have to be quiet "outside" for Him to speak to you on the "inside". Our temple (body) can be "quiet" on the inside no matter what kind of noise is surrounding us. 

That spoke volumes to me. 

Don't allow the "noise" of this world (actual noise, circumstances, people, worries, job, etc.) to distract you from spending time with him in The Secret Place. What the enemy wants is for us to not have quality time to spend with our Lord. He knows that if we do, He's in trouble. He's already been defeated, but he wants us to believe he's not. Unfortunately, I think he's convicted many of us of that in the church today.

It is in The Secret Place that the Lord speaks to our quiet hearts.

Centro Cristiano Cofradia Church Anniversary

We are celebrating 15 years in our new building. On February 27, 2011, we held our inaugural service in the new church building in Cofradia. 

The ministry has had a presence here for 35 years. Land was officially donated to the Mission on April 12, 1992, a few months after having a number of YWAM DTS students come through. 

That's when things began and we'll be celebrating this special occasion as we invite churches and pastors in our region who we've become friends with as well as all of the pastors and their congregations that make Cofradia United their home.

We do not have a set budget for this occasion, but expenses will be real. Join us in our celebration.

Cofradia Kitchen 2026-02

Thank you so much for your help this past month for the Cofradia Kitchen. The kids have been consistently receiving breakfast before they go to school. The Word of God is being planted in their hearts as well each morning. Here are some pictures of this past month... 

 

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Donate here and make a note for: "Cofradia Kitchen"

 

The Recent Civil Unrest in Mexico

Taken from the bridge near Las Pilas our taco town. (P. Salaiza) 

Some of you have been asking us and wondering how things are going where we live. As you know, just recently the Mexican military captured and killed the leader of one of the biggest drug organizations in Mexico. This caused a retaliation by the drug organization towards the government to bring Mexico to a halt. They succeeded on Sunday, February 22, to freeze Puerto Vallarta, Guadlajara, and Tepic, which had an affect on smaller cities throughout the region. While it still had an affect on even smaller communities like ours, the affects were more of people just being scared.

People are safe. The attacks were strategic in blocking major toll roads and city streets by burning vehicles. Most of those vehicles were buses and taxis...the modes of transportation. Other vehicles included tractor trailers parked sideways and burned. They were taking people out of the vehicles and lighting them on fire. They also burned some businesses, banks, and gas stations (by the way, Costco DID NOT get burned, only vehicles and semi's in the parking lot). As of right now, I have not heard of any civilian deaths, only those who were in the standoff between the National Guard and the drug organization. 

We were supposed to head to Puerto Vallarta on Sunday after church to visit some friends whose cruise ship was docking on Monday. We were going to leave early to visit other friends, pastors, and a church on Sunday evening. Before we left the house, our friends let us know that their ship had cancelled the docking into Puerto Vallarta. So, we did not go and instead enjoyed the afternoon at home and got a few things done around the house.

 

Thank you for all who have inquired about our safety. We are fine and life is pretty much back to normal already and it's only been just a few days. We are not and never were scared because of what was going on. Our trust is in the Lord and we know that He is with us. We appreciate your concern. Blessings to all!

Pastors' Retreat 2026

This, by far, is the most impactful thing we do in Cofradia United! A spiritually healthy Pastor will be able to lead a healthy marriage and have a healthy family. It is foundational to a healthy church and community.

My passion is to help pastors keep the right focus that allows them to be successful in the specific callings they have received from the Lord. I love it when pastors express growth and a deepening of their own personal relationships with the Lord and their spouse. It is amazing to me to hear so many stories of pastors who have been forgotten by their leadership or treated without love.  There are many that fit into this category who do not form part of our team; our hearts go out to them. We have never asked any of these pastors to be part of our ministry; all of them have asked if they could become part of our family.

As for this retreat, it is for our team, the Cofradia United Pastors. Some have history like I've mentioned, but all are living in the freedom of the love and grace God provides. Truth mixed with grace is a sweet savor to life. I heard someone say once that "truth without grace is mean; grace without truth is meaningless."

This year we returned to the same place as last year, the cabins called "Cabañas Mis Amores" en Mazatán, Nayarit. If you ever would like a weekend getaway from your vacation near Puerto Vallarta, this is the place to come. It is secluded, comfortable, beautiful, and the food is delicious!!

We arrived on Friday afternoon and gathered around to talk about the purpose of our time and I shared with them about not neglecting "The Secret Place" we have with the Lord. My approach is not to preach to them, but give them guidance to hear from the Lord. I chose 1 Kings 6:1-10 and 1 Samuel 31:1-7 and had them spend some time alone with the Lord...

When we all came back and met for dinner, our conversation was all about what we gleaned from those two passages in regards to "The Secret Place". Most of the pastors saw exactly what the Lord showed me (I didn't even have to preach to them!). The Lord spoke to each one individually and shared how they were impacted...that excites me!!

The next morning, we met together to talk about "The Power of the Word 'No'". This was a very helpful time as many of us start doing things or making commitments that really don't align with the vision God has given us. Some of these "things" might be good things, but if we don't know how to say "no", we need to consider what the Lord asked us to do in the first place. Saying "yes" to everything usually means we have no vision.

We enjoyed a very delicious breakfast together and spent the afternoon resting and reflecting on the morning's teaching before gathering again before dinner.

After dinner both nights, we spent some time around the campfire talking, worshiping, and playing games.

Everyone expressed deep heart-felt gratitude for this time. Time well spent; time well needed. I believe these times are essential for all ministers. Get away, unplug, take some time to rest, reflect, and get refreshed. 

 

Here is what one of our pastors wrote:

What a joy and what a beautiful blessing to have a spiritual family like La Cofradia United. The love of God can be felt in each of them in such a sincere way, without prejudice and with the desire to be more like Christ.

We look forward to this pastoral retreat every year with great enthusiasm. It helps us to disconnect a little, to look inside and reflect what part of our life must be renewed, and to recharge the battery to continue with the call that God has given to us.

Let us continue to know the Lord more every day in The Secret Place, that is where the key to success is, to know Jesus more and to look more like Him.

   

A BIG THANK YOU to those who partnered with us specifically towards this retreat. Since we did not reach our budget goal (which we actually surpassed), if you give to our general fund at Cofradia United, you have partnered with us. This is where your money is going! Impacting Pastors lives, impacting their marriages, impacting their families, impacting their churches and their communities! A healthy pastor ultimately leads to a healthy church!

The dates are set and reservations are made for next year: February 5-7, 2027. Our Pastors' Retreat 2027 budget is $4,000 US Dollars. Please consider becoming a regular giver towards this ministry. We could not do this without your help.

 

 

If you would prefer to write a check, please send to:

Cofradia United USA

PO Box 91

Tracyton, WA 98393

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! 

Click below to enjoy the video:

 

 

Cofradia Kitchen Kids 2026-01

School is back in session and so is the Cofradia Kitchen! The kids are receiving breakfast each morning before school as well as a devotional by Pastor Goyo before the meal. This month, members of the Christ the King Church from Anacortes joined the kids for a week to visit with them and play with them, something the kids absolutely love! 

Thank you so much for your contributions for the Cofradia Kitchen. Any amount helps as we are very low on finances for it. Blessings to you all.

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Donate here and make a note for: "Cofradia Kitchen"