Showing posts with label Alternative Missions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alternative Missions. Show all posts

Saturday, June 27, 2020

Pastors' Perspectives 20.2

Every six months, the pastors that are connected to our ministry share an bi-annual update from their perspective on what the Lord is doing in their areas of ministry to let you know what's going on and how to pray. Your investment is making progress in the Kingdom of God. Thank you for your donations and prayers!

___________________________________________________________

Pastor Gregorio Hernández
Lead Pastor of Centro Cristiano Cofradia
Cofradia, Nayarit

The past six months have been somewhat difficult due to the state of emergency that has gripped the world. Because of this, we have not been able to gather as a congregation, but we are sure it is for the best and allows us to minister to the vulnerable.


Specifically, we have begun a men’s meeting centered on the book The Resolution for Men by Stephen and Alex Kendrick, forming small groups of three to four men, with a total of fifteen attending. We have seen growth in these men. One man in particular was experiencing serious trouble in his marriage, but he has been attending for three weeks now and during that time GOD has worked wonders in the lives of him and his wife, to the point that they are now ministering to others together as a couple.

We hope to continue these meetings and inviting other men to join us with the hope of continuing to reach and disciple others. We see that this time has been of great blessing so we want others to have the same opportunity for growth as we pursue our goal of raising up leaders here in the church.
Concerning the leadership school, we hope to resume classes in July, and we will study Traditions and Customs of the Biblical Lands. With God’s help, and yours, we can be part of extending God’s kingdom throughout this region of Mexico.

Friends, I thank you for your prayers, support, and active participation in the ministry of La Cofradía United.

With much gratitude,
Sincerely,
Pastors Gregorio and Maty Hernández-Espinoza


_____________________________________________________________

Pastor Luis Vazquez
Centro Cristiano Cofradia Student Ministries
Maintenance Director
Cofradia Dwellings Director
Cofradia, Nayarit

“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  —John 7:38

This passage has been on my heart during this season. The rivers of His Spirit flow from my heart during this pandemic because I have believed as the Scriptures say. I want to encourage you all to believe, as the Scriptures teach, because if the rivers of the Spirit are not running in our hearts, it is possible we are believing a lie.
At the beginning of this year, with help from God and from you, my faithful brothers and sisters, we were able to complete the construction of our own home. We are so happy and grateful to God and you all for the great faithfulness that has been shown to my family and me in this season.




As you already know, due to the virus that arrived in Mexico around the beginning of March, we have suspended gatherings in our church building, but my family and I have continued to worship together in our hearts and our home, as well as with those whom we invite over or whom we visit in order to encourage them to follow Christ in the midst of these circumstances. We also gathered with the elders of the church each Sunday to encourage them by means of a discipleship class of 15 sessions that concluded on June 21. It was a season of much internal growth for everyone who attended. In the first week of July, I will begin meeting weekly with two friends in order to lead them through this same book.

Due to the virus, we are anxiously waiting to see if we will be able to do EL RETO this year. I have been thinking about some ideas for the event, but have not decided on anything concrete yet. We continue to hope that God will make a way for it to happen.

Prayer requests:
  • That my daughter would be able to return to her residence at the university so she can continue her studies (she had to leave because of the pandemic).
  • That we would continue united and focused in our marriage and responsibilities.
  • For my son Ángel who is battling with the rebelliousness of adolescence (though nothing serious).
  • That the youth in our church would seek God even at their young age.
  • For our congregation, that fire for God would continue to burn in their hearts because during this season of suspended gatherings, some are struggling in their relationship with God.

As always, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all that you have done for us because of your love and passion.

Gratefully yours,
The Vázquez-Sicairos Family

__________________________________________________________

Pastor Horacio Garzón
Indigenous Ministries
Centro Cristiano Arrayanes Facilitator
Cofradia, Nayarit

Greetings! It is with much pleasure that I take up paper and pen to offer you my deepest gratitude for your generosity toward us. I hope that this letter finds you well and rejoicing in good health. That is the desire of us all as we always remember how much God has blessed us through the knowledge of His love for us. It is with joy that I tell you my daughter, Kennia, completed high school in June. I pray she will find a university program in which to continue her professional preparation and in that way equip herself to serve others even more effectively.



We have also had the opportunity to host another round of the discipleship course Freedom in Christ, based on the book by Neil T. Anderson. For me personally, it has brought more freedom for me and for others. It continues to be a substantial part of my walk with Jesus. I thank God for involving me in this dynamic movement of ministry in this area, and I am grateful for this vision of my pastors and leaders. Brothers, there is much more I could say, but I don’t want to forget to tell you thank you! Thank you for your support and backing. Receive greetings from María and Kennía, and from me my profound gratitude.

Sincerely,
Pastor Horacio Garzón-Orozco

__________________________________________________________

Martin Garzón
Missionary to Cora Indians (temporarily home)

Centro Cristiano Arrayanes Adolescent Ministry
Cofradia, Nayarit

Greetings. Brothers and sisters, here I offer you my gratitude for all that you have done in my life. To begin, I thank God for all that you are doing, and that you are pleased to do. I thank God for all the support received from you. It has been a great help for ministering to the children. I always say that you are a wonderful example to me. I love you with the love of Christ! I also thank God for the money you send because it makes it possible to purchase ministry materials and to host outreach events.



Thank you, brothers and sisters, for all that you do for me. I know that God will reward all your efforts. And so I say may God bless you.

Sincerely,
Martin Garzón-Solís.

__________________________________________________________

Pastor Amado Verdin
Lead Pastor of Casa de Oración, La Hermosa
Director of Restoration Center, El Faro de Esperanza
Rosamorada, Nayarit


In February, we received a donation from a Christian group that does house construction, which we invested in aluminum roofing sheets for the roof of the restoration center.

On March 9, we admited our first resident to Lighthouse of Hope Restoration Center. He has been with us now for three months. According to our admittance agreement, he has already completed the blood testing required by law, and he has complied with all resident regulations. His daily activities begin when he wakes at 6:00 a.m. to prepare for his first devotional; then from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., he attends Bible study classes on restoration, using a lesson book, a study guide, and his Bible. From 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., he attends vocational classes—on Fridays he it’s electrician training, and the rest of the week it’s mechanics training—so that when he leaves the restoration center, he will be able to get a job and contribute to society. At the very beginning, he also took the Freedom in Christ course, which lasted approximately two weeks.
We now have a Facebook page so that more people may find us through social media. Sometimes we post ministry updates there, being careful to protect the identity and security of our residents. Here is a link to our page:
Over the months, we have received calls to admit more residents, but due to the pandemic we are currently experiencing, the State Counsel Against Addictions (CECA) has prohibited us from admitting anyone new until further notice.

Due to the fact that we did not have adequate facilities for our church, we were gathering in a borrowed facility. La Cofradía United blessed us financially for this necessary construction project.

On June 16, we received a donation of one full and one twin mattress for the restoration center.








__________________________________________________________

Pastor Frank Uribe
Paramitas Children Feeding Program Director
Rosamorada, Nayarit
Donation Link (Indicate for "Pastor Frank")

Report Unavailable
__________________________________________________________

Pastor Ruben Perez
Lead Pastor of Restauración y Vida Nueva

Church Plant Pastor in Mazatan, Nayarit
Las Varas, Nayarit
Donation Link (Indicate for "Pastor Ruben")

Hello and blessings to you. My name is Rubén Darío, and I am a son of a pastor of a church here in Nayarit, Mexico. My wife, Carla, and I pastor a congregation, and we have another mission in Mazatán, Nayarit, about an hour from Las Varas. It is very pleasant for us to serve and fulfill the calling that God has designed for us, to go and make disciples. Therefore we go, and we are grateful for your prayers for our ministry. Receive a hug from us and the ministry of Restoration and Life.

Blessings.



Sunday, May 03, 2020

May Ministry Update

The Silbermans
This month's update features... 

  • Where we're at as far as our return to Mexico, 
  • How the Cofradia church is functioning through this stay at home order, 
  • Video updates of our Brick Business and last year's Student Ministry Outreach EL RETO
  • The progress of our Restoration Center, 
  • News about our daughter, Rebecka,
  • And how you can pray this month.
Because of some changes in my computer operating system, I have had to change the way we send out our monthly updates. Here is a link to May's Ministry Update.


Thank you for partnering with us! We appreciate your much needed prayers. We are very grateful to all of you who have contributed to our personal support, especially while we've been in Washington, as well as your investment into the Kingdom through separately contributing to the ministry in Cofradia.

Blessings to you all!

The Silbermans

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD; 
HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!




Tuesday, December 31, 2019

YEAR END MINISTRY UPDATE

Happy New Year from Washington State! We start this message by saying a big THANK YOU to all of you who have partnered with us this year. We appreciate all your prayers, help, and involvement.

During the Christmas season, the word that spoke loud and clear to me was “Immanuel”--God with us! No matter what we may be going through, we can know and trust that the Lord is with us through every pain, sorrow, joy, and provision. He IS...with us.

2019 was a very different year for us as we started it with teams from Texas and Washington. Throughout the year we continued holding and leading Freedom in Christ conferences with the Discipleship series as well as the Grace series. These have made a huge impact on many people within our ministry and extended family of believers.

One of the accomplishments we are excited about is launching a Brick-making business in order for men to not have to leave town to find work; this will allow them to stay with their families all year. This year was also special for the Restoration Center as it became a legal entity in Mexico. In November, we welcomed another team from Utah and the ministry finished the year in preparation for three more teams to start 2020.

While these ministry events were not so “different” for us, what made this past year different was our temporary move to Washington for a one-year furlough. It has been over 16 years since we had an extended stay in the states, so this is very unfamiliar to us and especially the girls. With them in elementary, Jr. High, and High School (among other activities), it has been a challenge to keep up with the fast pace life of the United States. All the while, God is still speaking to us the very same message that he gave us back in April...”Listen”. We are learning what it looks like to trust God in different circumstances.

If I could sum up 2019 in three words, they would be “Listen, Trust, Immanuel”.

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD; HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!

In our last update, we asked you to please pray for...

  1. Short Term Missions Team in Cofradia. The Well Church from Utah is the team that we welcomed in November who built a house for the Solis Huizar family. Some really neat things happened as it was one of the more unique teams we’ve had. Click here to read a quick report and see a video of the House Build.
  2. Steve and Geña as we flew to Mexico to host the team while our girls stayed in Washington with their grandparents. We really enjoyed seeing everyone and accomplished a lot apart from the House Build. 
  3. Rebecka, Emma, and Mackenzie as they stayed with their grandparents which was challenging at times, but good. 
  4. The Grandparents as they ran the girls to and fro for school and other activities. This was probably the most challenging part. Thank you for your prayers (they thank you also). 
  5. The Ministry in Cofradia to have fortified leadership skills, growing confidence, and disciplined direction. They are doing great!

Here are some links to more:


Will you please pray for...

  1. Short Term Missions Teams in Cofradia. YWAM Mazatlan will be spending a week in January and we have two teams scheduled for the first couple of weeks of February from Utah and Washington. Pray for a special impact as they minister to people, build houses, and help with other projects. Pray for the local staff who will be hosting the teams as well as Lain Grant who will be helping us with the team from Utah and Jay TenBrink who will be helping with his home church form Washington. We will not be in Mexico while the teams are there. 
  2. Rebecka as she takes on a heavier load in January with afternoon/evening classes of driver’s education on top of school work and a possible extra Sunday night Missions class at the church. She has been doing very well, but she has also been very, very busy. Please pray for her as she makes a decision on college this next year, too. 
  3. Travelling to other cities and churches in the next few months as we prepare to return to Mexico in the summer. We want to touch base with those who partner with us and our ministry. This may be challenging as we work around the girls’ school schedule. 
  4. Focus as we turn the corner of the halfway mark of our furlough. We will begin to focus on certain projects and aspects of the ministry in the next few months and ways we can help the people and community better. Please pray we are able to be led by the Spirit and not our own understanding.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Thank you so much for being part of our team as we work together to RAISE UP LEADERS IN RURAL MEXICO!!!!

Blessings,













Steve, Geña, Rebecka, Emma, and Mackenzie Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
Alternative Missions
Cofradia Area Director

** JOIN OUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT TEAM **
ONLINE:
Online, you can make a one-time, tax-deductible gift, or set up to make automatic monthly donations to our PERSONAL SUPPORT at this link.
 

MAIL IN A CHECK: 
Send a check made out to Alternative Missions to Alternative Missions / PO Box 3107 / Ferndale, WA 98248.  Indicate that it is for The Silbermans for our PERSONAL SUPPORT.




Thursday, December 05, 2019

The Well Build November 2019

The Well Church from Salt Lake City chose the Solis Huizar family to build a house for in November. Here is their bio that was located on the "Dwellings" tab of this blog...
____________________________

The Solis Huizar Family
Gregorio (Goyo), of Cofradía, and Rafaela, of Rosarito (a small community in the mountains of Nayarit), are a young couple with two daughters, Mairani and Karla. Goyo’s mother, Modesta, and her grandson Luis also live with them. (It is very common for indigenous families to live together.)

Modesta has no husband, so Goyo has taken on the responsibility of caring for his mother and nephew in addition to his own family.  At this time, he works as a brick layer, earning enough to cover the cost of food and some of their necessary expenses, but that is insufficient for building a house.  After expenses, they have only been able to save enough to purchase just half of the parcel of land where they one day hope to build a house.

They currently live in a borrowed house. Rafaela says it is difficult knowing that at any moment the owners could require the house again, leaving them without a place to live. Having their own home would provide a long-desired sense of stability for their family.
_____________________________

The Well worked hard and was able to finish the house on Thursday evening before dedicating it to the family on Friday morning. This group was unique in that some team members along with a couple of our staff felt a heavy oppression near the beginning. It was a goose-bump making breakthrough when the song "Way Maker" came on at the job-site and with the encouragement of one staff member in particular, they all began to worship in unison along with the song. It was an amazing time! It's so cool to see God doing stuff like this that in the midst of our activities, He is recognized and we can take time to stop and worship Him! He makes a way when there seems to be no way and is working even though we don't see it sometimes!

Enjoy the video...


If you are interested in putting together a team or joining one to help change the life of a family, contact me here.

If you cannot go, will you help sponsor those who can't? We have had donations help teams come up with the funds needed in order for them to go. Click here to donate to our Cofradia Operations general funds and designate your contribution as "Cofradia Dwellings". We have two teams coming up in February. One is fully-funded, the other is not.

Thank you for being part of our team!

Tuesday, December 03, 2019

DONATION LINKS TO ALTERNATIVE MISSIONS COFRADIA

Here are a list of donation links related to our ministry in Cofradia:

COFRADIA MINISTRIES:
  • Cofradia Operations: This is our general fund link where you will specify your contribution in the "notes" section for people or ministries that do not have a specific link. Undesignated funds are divided equally between the Cofradia Church and other Church Planting venues.
  • EL RETO: This is our six-week long youth outreach that impacts over two hundred students in our area each year.
  • Cofradia Restoration Center: This is the Drug Rehabilitation Center in Rosamorada led by Pastor Amado.
  • Cofradia Leadership Development: These funds are designated to reach out to Pastors in our region, Leadership Training School, and Conferences we hold.
  • Cofradia Disaster Relief: This was originally to help those affected by Hurricane Willa in 2018 and serves to help those in special need when/if disaster hits.
COFRADIA MISSIONARIES/STAFF/PASTORS:
IF YOU PREFER WRITING A CHECK:

Make it out to Alternative Missions and please remember to indicate your designation to assure that your contribution makes it to the right place.

Mail to:
ALTERNATIVE MISSIONS
PO BOX 3107
FERNDALE, WA 98248

ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE

THANK YOU FOR PARTNERING WITH US
AS WE EXTEND GOD'S KINGDOM IN RURAL MEXICO
TOGETHER.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

OCTOBER FURLOUGH UPDATE: POST SABBATICAL

Greetings from Washington State! As you know, we spent August and September on a sabbatical rest for the first time in our 16 years together on the mission field. We really enjoyed our time even though we kept ourselves busy with getting settled in our rental and starting school for the girls. We saw the Lord’s consistent faithfulness as He guided us through that time.

I am very thankful for you all who kept us in your prayers which was, and still is, very needed. A big thank you to Pastor Brad Pembleton from Houston as well with whom I kept in contact for accountability and guidance.

Although I set goals with high aspirations, I did hear from the Lord as I focused on the primary goal of “listening” to Him. He spoke to me as I read and studied the Epistle to the Hebrews and read 30 Days to Experiencing Spiritual Breakthrough by Dr. Bruce Wilkinson. I kept a journal and wrote down “Beckons” when I felt the Lord speaking to me. After taking time to review my notes and journal entries, the main message to me was:

“Keep your eyes focused on the finish line with the big picture in mind. Do not get tangled up in the details; trust in the Lord for He is watching over you. Focus on the most important things: Seek God, Love your wife, and Honor your kids.”

We experienced the Lord’s faithfulness through many ways: Your generosity (we have been fully funded through your pledges until we return full-time next summer—THANK YOU!!), Provision for a rental (through people we know and within our church family—and only one mile from my parents’ place), Provision for the girls’ schooling (This was a huge one for me as the Lord blessed us beyond what we could have imagined! All three girls are attending Crosspoint Academy in Bremerton and the Lord is answering our prayers, even ones we didn’t think of!--the school teachers and staff have been extremely hospitable and helpful making our time a huge blessing!).

Geña and I are headed to Cofradia to host a Short-term Missions team from Utah who will be building a home for someone next week. We will return on November 10. I have not had a chance to return emails as I said I would in October. If you emailed me during August and September, I will get back to you as soon as I can.

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD; HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!

Before we disconnected, we asked you to please pray for...

  1. The Pastors and Leaders in Cofradia as they continue to grow and take ownership of the ministry. I have spoken with them and have received excellent reports that things are going well and the Lord is using them to minister to those in need. The administrator I left in charge is doing an excellent job as well. 
  2. Our family over the past couple of months as we Listened to the Lord during our rest, study, and family time. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers! 
  3. School Registration for the girls (Rebecka-12th grade; Emma-8th grade; Mackenzie-2nd grade). Please pray the Lord will guide us to the right school for all three of them. HE DID IN A BIG WAY!! 
  4. Martin as he house-sits for us during our time in Washington. We are grateful for him and cannot think of someone we trust more. Martin had a couple struggles with the electricity as it was out for three weeks in August, but things were resolved and we look forward to visit with him more.

Here are some links to more:


For the next few weeks, will you please pray for...

  1. Short Term Missions Team in Cofradia. The Well from Salt Lake City will be building a house for the Solis-Huizar family the first week of November. Please pray for safety and a fun experience for everyone as we give this “unmerited” gift as an evangelistic tool. (November 2 – 9) 
  2. Steve and Geña as we fly down on Wednesday to host the team. We are excited to see everyone and reconnect. However, we will be very busy. (October 30 – November 10). 
  3. Rebecka, Emma, and Mackenzie as they stay with my parents. Pray they don’t miss a beat with school and have a wonderful time with their grandparents. 
  4. The Grandparents as they run the girls to and fro while we are gone. Pray for strength and peace. 
  5. The Ministry in Cofradia Please continue to pray for the ministry in Cofradia as a whole. Pray for fortified leadership skills, growing confidence, and disciplined direction. They are doing great!!
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever!

Thank you so much for being part of our team as we work together to RAISE UP LEADERS IN RURAL MEXICO!!!!

Blessings,

Steve, Geña, Rebecka, Emma, and Mackenzie Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
Alternative Missions
Cofradia Area Director

** JOIN OUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT TEAM **
ONLINE:
Online, you can make a one-time, tax-deductible gift, or set up to make automatic monthly donations to our PERSONAL SUPPORT at this link.


MAIL IN A CHECK: 
Send a check made out to Alternative Missions to Alternative Missions / PO Box 3107 / Ferndale, WA 98248.  Indicate that it is for The Silbermans for our PERSONAL SUPPORT.




Monday, October 28, 2019

AUGUST MINISTRY UPDATE

Greetings from Washington State! Tomorrow, August 1, we officially begin our two-month sabbatical rest and will excitedly re-connect with our pastors and leaders in Mexico whom we already dearly miss in October. They are doing very well and I have full confidence in them!

Thank you so much for your prayers and partnership with us during this time as we rest, study, spend time with family. God continues to show us His faithfulness as he meets our needs during this time. You all are so generous!!

This is the last email we will send out until October.

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD; HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!

Last month, we asked you to please pray for...

  1. Continued Safe Travels on our way to Washington—It was a very smooth trip with no problems; thank you for praying! 
  2. A place to rent that suits our family for one year—we have a place to rent that is only 5 minutes from my parents’ house. We feel blessed with this opportunity. 
  3. School Registration for the girls—we are still trying to work this out. Please continue to pray. 
  4. Martin is doing a great job house-sitting for us. 
  5. Employment Projects We have received a donation to help start the Bricks Business and Pastor Luis will soon start putting up a fence and begin working on the first 10,000 bricks. This means that someone will have a job in Cofradia and a dad will not need to leave his family to look for work elsewhere! Thank you!! 
  6. Restoration Center. To all of you who have so generously donated to this project, thank you! We really appreciate your help as we are so close to reaching our goal! Pastor Amado and his team have received approval from the government and the organization in charge of all Drug Rehab facilities in Nayarit. They will be officially opening in October of 2019! Yay!

Here are some links to more:

These next couple of months, will you please pray for...
  1. The Pastors and Leaders in Cofradia as they continue to grow and take ownership of the ministry. I am very, very proud of all of them! 
  2. Our family over the next couple of months as we Listen to the Lord during our rest, study, and family time. 
  3. School Registration for the girls (Rebecka-12th grade; Emma-8th grade; Mackenzie-2nd grade). Please pray the Lord will guide us to the right school for all three of them. 
  4. Martin as he house-sits for us during our time in Washington. We are grateful for him and cannot think of someone we trust more.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever!

Thank you so much for being part of our team as we work together to RAISE UP LEADERS IN RURAL MEXICO!!!!

Blessings,

Steve, Geña, Rebecka, Emma, and Mackenzie Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
Alternative Missions
Cofradia Area Director

** JOIN OUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT TEAM **
ONLINE:
Online, you can make a one-time, tax-deductible gift, or set up to make automatic monthly donations to our PERSONAL SUPPORT at this link.


MAIL IN A CHECK: 
Send a check made out to Alternative Missions to Alternative Missions / PO Box 3107 / Ferndale, WA 98248.  Indicate that it is for The Silbermans for our PERSONAL SUPPORT.