Pavement!

We have pavement again!  This is the best it's ever been!  The road from the Interstate all the way past Cofradía to Santa Fe has been repaved after months and months (over a year) of potholes and canyons.  We're all excited about this, especially the vehicles as they breathe a sigh of relief.  This is the first time they've actually painted the stripes the way they should be, we're hoping that all this new pavement lasts through the rainy season.  What a blessing!

They Smell Like Sheep by Dr. Lynn Anderson

They Smell Like Sheep by Dr. Lynn Anderson is one of the best books I've read in a long, long time.  I think it's a must read for Pastors, Elders, Deacons, any Leaders in the church.


He focuses on the simplicity of what it means to mentor someone, what it means to pastor someone, and ends with the authority that a Pastor has (or doesn't have) amongst the sheep.


It's an easy read and very interesting.  I highly recommend it!

June Update

Greetings Everyone from Cofradía Mexico!  We had a great time last weekend (May 27-30) in Sinaloa.  Our family went to Mazatlan on Friday and we stayed the night at a hotel as we had promised the girls a trip to the beach since last April.  Well, they were more excited about the pool than the beach...we only saw the beach, didn’t even touch the sand!  They loved their time there!  The next day we went to the wedding of one of our students who married a girl from Mazatlan.  We are very proud of them for setting a good example.  You can see their picture here.  Sunday I spoke in the two services of Cosecha Final La Cruz church with my friend, Pastor Héctor Robles.  It was a great blessing to be part of their services and see what God is doing there.  Soon, our students will be attending camp there at the end of July.  Monday, we headed back home.

Last month we asked for your prayers concerning...

• Alternative Missions Staff “as we work through a transitional period.”  Dave and Kathy Elias have been in Mexico for over 20 years with most of their time here in Cofradía.  They have felt a call to return to their home in Canada.  Dave is the Area Director of Alternative Missions Cofradía and both of them have a big influence in many areas.  To fill their shoes is a huge task and something that our whole Missionary Staff and the Church body will need to work together in order to step up and take over responsibilities.  I have already been appointed as the new Area Director and we are moving forward in a positive way with this transition.  We are excited about what God can do through this, yet sad that the Elias’ will be leaving.  July 20 is their departure date.
• Pastor Gollo “for wisdom as he guides the church, it’s leaders, and the home groups that meet during the week.”  I was at a leadership meeting that Pastor Gollo held last night and the energy for being positive, strong leaders was very present.  He is doing an excellent job, the home groups are going well, and the Cofradía church is moving forward.  We have some quality people!
• Sandy Garzon will be joining our staff on June 23.  She has written a support letter that you can see here.  We are so excited about this new addition to our staff as she will be working with Short-Term Mission teams, helping with the administration of the church, and living on the Mission Base as a caretaker.
• Our Personal Support We have not received a response since last month’s update concerning our monthly support.  Here is what we wrote about it, “A few months ago we were seeking to raise our support $600 a month and asked you to give towards our immediate need of Health Insurance.  Many of you have given and others have started to faithfully donate each month and we thank you very much for that.  We are still short of our goal by around $200 of monthly pledges.  My home church, Gateway Fellowship, has generously made a commitment to match $1 for every $2 of pledges to help us finish reaching our goal.  Please let us know by responding to this email about how you can help us reach our goal.”
  

Follow these links for more...
TenBrink Update— The TenBrinks are fellow Missionaries in Cofradía and have done a great job of bringing things up to date.  
April Video Update
Most Viewed YouTube video of ours (New Church Inauguration)
Facebook—if you’re on Facebook, I’d love to get in touch with you!

This month, would you please pray for...

• Transition Please continue to keep our staff and church in your prayers as we adjust to the change.
• Sandy Garzon for support as she will be joining our Missionary Staff.
• Our Personal Support as I’ve mentioned above.
• Mily Garzon who will be working as an intern in San Martin Peras, Oaxaca for two months with a mission called “La Embajada.”  She leaves on June 26, here is her letter explaining her trip.
• Short-Term Missions teams Canyon Hills from Bothel, WA will be here June 25-July 4 and Gateway Fellowship from Poulsbo, WA will be here July 5-July 14.  Pray for their safety and influence amongst the locals and everyone they come in contact with.
  

Thank you very much for partnering with us through your prayers and financial support.
Click here to donate.

Blessings,
Steve, Geña, Rebecka and Emma Rose Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
SKYPE: “srsilberman”

Sandy Garzon's First Newsletter

Luis & Rakel

Luis Aguilar and Rakel Melendrez were married on Saturday afternoon in Mazatlán.  We are very proud of them both and excited for them.  Luis has been part of our Student Ministry for a few years and occasionally helps lead worship for us.  His twin sister, Veronica, was married two months ago.  Rakel lived in Mazatlán where her dad pastors a church in the Colonial Flores Magón.  Congratulations Luis and Rakel...Felicidades!!!

TenBrink Update

Here is an update from Cofradía Missionaries, Jay and Faith TenBrink.  Jay's done a great job bringing things up to date.

Mily Garzon to Oaxaca

Mily has been serving as a Student Leader for the past four years and is taking steps forward towards her desire to be a missionary.  She will be heading to San Martin Peras, Oaxaca for a two-month internship (July and August) with a ministry called "La Embajada."  Here is a translated letter explaining what she'll be doing and her needs (click to enlarge):

Sandy will join the staff in June.

Sandy Garzon who has been part of our Student Leadership Team for 5 years, will be joining our missionary staff on June 23.  We are extremely excited about this and so is she.  She will be a huge help with Short-Term Mission teams and the over-all Church Ministry.

Sandy will come on board as an Intern for three months with continuing to stay on staff in mind after her internship is over.  Please consider how you could help her out in the next few months.  Donations can be made online here.  Select Ministry Location Cofradia and write "Sandy Garzon" in the note section.  Or, you can send a check to Alternative Missions / PO Box 5835 / Goodyear, AZ 85338 with a separate note indicating that it's for "Cofradía: Sandy Garzon".

New Staff Member: Sandy Garzón

Sandy Garzón has been one of our Student Leaders since we started the Leadership program.  She is an incredible young lady and we would like to bring her on as a Missionary Staff member at Alternative Missions Cofradía.  Here is a letter of interest.  Please email me here for more information.  Thank you!

MAY UPDATE

Greetings Everyone from Cofradía Mexico!  This is what’s happening...

Last month in our video update we asked for your prayers concerning...

• Student Ministry Missions Trip to Puerta Colorada.  We mentioned that our plans were to go for three days.  In our scouting trips, we noticed that the Lord had not opened the door for us to be there and stay the night, so we changed it an evening of Missions Preparation and we spent the whole next day in Puerta Colorada serving the town, families, and children.  We cleaned yards, removed a wall, cleaned a kitchen, put a roof on a bathroom, cleaned the streets, set up inflatable games for the children, shared a story with the children, held an open air evangelistic meeting and the best part was watching our students scattered througout the plaza praying and ministering to the people.  Here is a 3 minute video report.  
• Student Leaders Some of our leaders are struggling with either personal issues or decisions they need to make that have the potential of affecting their future.  Please continue to lift them up in your prayers.
  

Follow these links for more..
New Staff Member—We are looking forward to adding another member to our Alternative Missions Staff.  Sandy Garzon has been working as a Student Leader for a number of years and senses a calling to come on Staff.  We are very excited about the potential of having her joining our team as she would be a huge asset to us.  Here is a letter explaining her needs, please consider how to help.
April Video Update
Inauguration Video
Facebook—if you’re on Facebook, I’d love to get in touch with you!

This month, would you please pray for...

• Alternative Missions Staff as we work through a transitional period.
• Pastor Gollo for wisdom as he guides the church, it’s leaders, and the home groups that meet during the week.
• Sandy Garzon for support interest as we hope to add her to our Missionary Staff.
• Our Personal Support A few months ago we were seeking to raise our support $600 a month and asked you to give towards our immediate need of Health Insurance.  Many of you have given and others have started to faithfully donate each month and we thank you very much for that.  We are still short of our goal by around $200 of monthly pledges.  My home church, Gateway Fellowship, has generously made a commitment to match $1 for every $2 of pledges to help us finish reaching our goal.  Please let us know by responding to this email about how you can help us reach our goal.
  

Thank you very much for partnering with us through your prayers and financial support.
Click here to donate.

Blessings,
Steve, Geña, Rebecka and Emma Rose Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
SKYPE: “srsilberman”

Puerta Colorada 2011

Here is a three minute video report of our Student Ministry's one-day missions trip last week to Puerta Colorada, a town about 1/2 hour south of here.

April Video Update

Greetings Everyone!  I made another video for the events in March.  I hope you’re able to view it:   


Follow these links for more..
March Video Update
Inauguration
Coffee Farmers
Facebook—if you’re on Facebook, I’d love to get in touch with you!

Thank you very much for partnering with us through your prayers and financial support.
Click here to donate

Blessings,
Steve, Geña, Rebecka and Emma Rose Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
SKYPE: “srsilberman”

Short Term Missions with Cy-Fair Youth

Cy-Fair Christian Church has sent down youth teams every spring break for almost a decade.  Our students have developed a great relationship with the students that come down and this year those relationships continued to grow strong.

For the past few years, we have worked together to reach our community.  While the team spends their time in the morning with construction projects, our students are in school.  This year, those projects included some who painted the second floor railings, the stairs, doors and windows while others set the tile in two children’s classrooms.

Each year, the Cy-Fair team serves our students a meal during our Student Ministry Awards Banquet.  This is a great time to reflect on the past year and recognize our leaders and the Award winners amongst the students.

There are four awards that we give out:

The Spirit Award-this student is enthusiastic when it comes to participating in events and games.   Not only does this person participate with a good attitude, but encourages others to participate as well.  This year’s winner is Jonathan Elias.

The New Generation Award-this student is a newcomer to the youth group who was in Elementary school the previous year.  They stand out with leadership potential and have a good attitude.  This year’s winner is Cecilio Rodriguez.

The Servant Award-this student stands out with a servant’s heart and helps to meet needs without being told.  Leadership is inevitable with this attitude.  This year’s winner is Jesús Orozco.

The Brave Heart Award-this student has grown in the Lord and their leadership skills in the past year.  This is the only category in which our Student Leaders have the opportunity to be nominated.  This year’s winner is Gregorio Hernández.

The team had four other nights of activities with our students.  Two of those activities will stand out as highlights.

The first was a community service project that we work together on.  This year, we painted the bridge that connects Cofradía to the rest of Mexico.  Some were scraping, some were sweeping, some were mixing cement, some were painting, and we even had flaggers to direct traffic. 

The Bridge from down under.

Scraping

Painting

Pastor Jeff adding reflectors

Finished!

The other activity was a Life Application Cultural experience as we took everyone out to visit a man who makes bricks.  As Pastor Luis interviewed him, he explained the process of how to make them.  He mixes clay-like dirt to mix with his dirt, manure, and water.  Then, he stomps on it to make a milky mud in order to place it in the forms.  He lets it sit for a day and a half to dry, then stacks them in preparation for the fire.  The bricks are in the fire for 8 hours, and then they’re ready. 

Mixing it all up.

Adding water

Pouring the mold

What an amazing teaching!  We met in small groups afterwards as we talked about how this applies to us.  We are like the bricks as God is forming us.  Those who are closer to the fire become stronger and can withhold more.  Every brick has a purpose—to be used and not forgotten or left alone; they are meant to be together.  Those are just a couple of many applications that we talked about.  I’m sure you could think of more.

In the end, the team did a great job in making connections again.  Our students really enjoy having them here.  Thank you for your prayers.

Hermano Magdaleno

Para los que hablan Español, Hermano Magdaleno es de Arrayanes y compuso esta canción.  La cantó en la inauguración de la nueva iglesia.  Está chistosa!  Espero que la disfruten.

March Update by Video

Centro Cristiano Cofradía Inauguration Day

We had a great time celebrating the Inauguration of the new Church facilities in Cofradia.  Thanks to so many of you who donated your time and resources to help this community have a church of their own.  You are well remembered by all those who make this their home church and the congregation is very, very thankful for the generosity of all who participated.  We celebrated by starting with a normal service of worship and a message by Pastor Gollo.  Everyone was fed and the birria was delicious!  In the afternoon, the congregation took part by sharing testimonies and songs and as you will be able to see, there is a variety of style!  The lady with the white shawl is a Huichol Indian and she's singing praises in her own language. Great stuff!  Great day!  To God be the Glory!!

Student Ministry

This is a typical Saturday evening at our Youth Group meeting with hang out time, organized games, worship, bible studies, and small group time for prayer and reflection.

Coffee Farmers

Here is a clip of a trip we took up to Puerta de Platanares near Ruiz, Nayarit to see the Coffee Farmers process the coffee just after it was picked off the plant and as they got it ready for drying.

Final Church Service at Mission Base in Cofradía (37 sec.)

This is a short clip of our final church service at the Mission Base in Cofradía. It's been nearly 20 years since the mission started. Finally, we are moving the church to their own building. The Inauguration of the new facilities is this Sunday, February 27.

Coming Soon!!

FEBRUARY UPDATE

Greetings Everyone!  We are back in Cofradía!  We drove slow and we were able to visit some friends and family along the way and the time in Washington was productive and...cold.  Thank you so much for your prayers as we travelled.  It is great to get back into a familiar routine and we are so excited about what’s going on with the Youth, Worship, and New Church Grand Opening coming up!

Last month, we asked for your prayers concerning...

• Health Insurance The underwriters did not accept my knee condition.  We do have Health coverage now, but with an exclusionary rider on my left knee.  It by-passes “pre-existing condition” and goes straight to “excluded” meaning it will never ever be covered.  I’m disappointed with that, but to my knowledge I cannot do anything about it.  I know that some day, I’ll need an MRI to see if everything really is ok as it still bothers me sometimes.  Thanks for you prayers.
• Monthly Support Thank you to all of you who have responded to our request of 30 commitments of $20/month.  There are 22 commitments filled and we are on our way to covering the expenses of our Life Insurance and Health Coverage.
• House We are still saving money so we can get this started.
• New Church Facility We received a couple donations that have helped continue with tying up some loose ends as we have a number of people working on this project right now getting it ready for the Grand Opening on February 27.
• Geña’s citizenship  Praise the Lord!  Geña is now a gringa!  She was able to go in and take the Naturalization Oath on January 11 and everything went really smooth.  Thank you so much for your prayers in this as it will make travelling a lot easier.
• Our Return to Mexico Thanks for your prayers; we arrived February 4 and are getting settled.
  

Follow these links for more..
Newsletter Brochure—Page One; Page Two
Inauguration—On February 27, 2011, we will be inaugurating the new church and beginning our weekly services there:  Page One;  Page Two
Facebook—if you’re on Facebook, let's get in touch!

This month, would you please pray for...

• Monthly Support We still need $160 more a month: 8 commitments of $20/month; or 4 commitments of $40/month.
• House We are continuing to raise money for the construction of two rooms in our house in Cofradía.  Pray for the funds to come in.
• New Church Facility Continue to pray for the remaining funds to come in, in order to finish the project.  Also, for the church to see this as an opportunity to take another step towards ownership.
• Inauguration We are looking forward to this long-awaited Grand Opening of the New Church.  Please pray for wisdom as we plan the details and safety over those who will be travelling here to be part of this great historical event!  (Feb. 27)
  

Thank you very much for your prayers and continued support.
As you give, you are investing in the Kingdom of God.  This is an opportunity for you to further His Kingdom, thank you so much!  Click here to donate


Blessings,
Steve, Geña, Rebecka and Emma Rose Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
SKYPE: “srsilberman”

Church Construction

Jay TenBrink has put together an informational web-site with detailed specifics of the needs in order to finish the new Church facility that we'll be inaugurating on February 27, 2011.  Please check out the web-site, enjoy the personal message from Pastor Gollo by video, and consider how you can be part of this project.  Thank you.

JANUARY NEWSLETTER

CLICK ON LETTER TO ENLARGE

Efigenia Silberman, United States Citizen

It's been a long wait, but it's finally here.  Geña went in for her Test and Interview today and made an oath along with 75 other applicants from 31 different countries to the United States of America.  The Interview went really well, it was quick and easy.  We were a little concerned for our unique situation with not having official documents of our travelings across the border as well as one more document that we were missing.  The Official didn't ask for anything, just asked a couple of questions about the weather, our organization, and when she'll return to Mexico plus 6 Exam questions and in 15 minutes she was finished.

Thank you for praying!  We are excited; once we apply for an expedited Passport, we will be making our way south to Mexico sometime next week with hopes to be in Cofradía the first week of February.  One thing we are so excited about is knowing that we're going to be able to be part of the biggest step in the ministry's history in Cofradía on February 27 as we inaugurate the new church facility.

Steve

Citizenship Test/Interview

Geña goes in for her Naturalization (Citizenship) test and interview on Tuesday morning (1/11).  Thank you for your prayers.  Our hope is for her to have the opportunity to make the oath that same day which will allow us to return to Mexico ASAP.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year!  We are enjoying our time here in Washington with our friends and family.

Last month, we asked for your prayers concerning...

• Health Insurance We have found a Health Insurance that is suitable for our family.  We are waiting for the underwriter’s thoughts about my knee surgery in 2009.  Thank you for continuing to pray about this.
• Monthly Support Thank you to all of you who have responded to this request.  In order for us to purchase and keep the Health Insurance, we are in need of raising our monthly support. We are looking for 30 monthly commitments of $20.  That will raise our support $600 a month.  If you can help with this, we would really appreciate it.
• House Thank you to all who have helped us in this area.  We are raising money to add two rooms and a bathroom to the upstairs of our home in order to host visitors and students.  If you would like more information, please contact us.
• Geña’s citizenship  Geña’s Naturalization Interview is set for January 11.  Thank you for praying for her in her preparation and during the Interview at 8:45AM.
  

Follow these links for more..
Newsletter Brochure—Page One; Page Two
Inauguration—On February 27, 2011, we will be inaugurating the new church and beginning our weekly services there:  Page One;  Page Two
Facebook—if you’re on Facebook, I’d love to get in touch with you!

This month, would you please pray for...

• Health Insurance Pray that the underwriters will accept my knee condition.
• Monthly Support Pray that our support will be raised and pray about being involved as a donor.
• House We are continuing to raise money for the construction of two rooms in our house in Cofradía.  Pray for the funds to come in.
• New Church Facility Pray for the remaining funds to come in, in order to finish the project.  Also, for the church to see this as an opportunity to take another step towards ownership.
• Geña’s citizenship  Geña’s Naturalization Interview is set for January 11.  Thank you for praying for her in her preparation and during the Interview at 8:45AM.
• Our Return to Mexico If Geña can make the oath the same day, our plan is to return on January 17.  Please pray for safety in our travels and the Divine Appointments that God has for us on our way.
  

Thank you very much for your prayers and continued support.
As you give, you are investing in the Kingdom of God.  This is an opportunity for you to further His Kingdom, thank you so much!  Click here to donate.


Blessings,
Steve, Geña, Rebecka and Emma Rose Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
SKYPE: “srsilberman”

Iglesia Hosanna

Acabo de agregar un vínculo a la derecha para la "Iglesia Hosanna."  Pastor Rafael Gradilla es muy buen amigo mío y le tengo mucho respecto.  Disfruto escuchar sus mensajes.  Él ha viajado a Cofradía varias veces y es un hombre que Dios ha usado grandemente.

I have just added to the right a link to "Iglesia Hosanna."  Pastor Rafael Gradilla is a very good friend of mine and one of my favorite speakers, I have a lot of respect for him.  He has travelled to Cofradía many times and God has used him greatly.

Youth Christmas Party in Cofradía

Enjoy the pics from our Student Ministry's Christmas party in Cofradía.  Click to enlarge.

DECEMBER UPDATE

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We are enjoying our time here in Washington with our friends and family.

Last month, we asked for your prayers concerning...

• House Thank you for continuing to keep this in mind as we are looking forward to adding a couple of rooms upstairs.
• Personal Finances Thank you for those of you who have been so generous!
• Geña’s citizenship The fingerprinting appointment was pretty simple. Her Interview is set for January 11.
• Time in Washington So far we have really been enjoying our time. The girls were so happy that it snowed the other day and we all got to play in it. Please keep us in your prayers.

Follow these links for more..
1OTH ANNIVERSARY!!--Geña and I celebrated our 10th Anniversary on November 18th with dinner at the Space Needle!
FUN IN THE SNOW!
COFRADIA STUDENTS REPORT
EL RETO 2010 FINAL VIDEO
Inauguration—On February 27, 2011, we will be inaugurating the new church and beginning our weekly services there. Come join us!!!
Facebook—if you’re on Facebook, I’d love to get in touch with you!

This month, would you please pray for...

• Health Insurance We have been advised to acquire Health Insurance. Thank you for praying as we make this decision and that God would guide us to the right plan for us.
• Monthly Support Because of the added expense for Health Insurance, we are in need of increasing our monthly support $600. Will you help us by donating $20, $50, or $100 a month? If 30 people started donating or increased their donations $20 a month, we could reach our goal. Thank you in advance for your faithfulness and generosity. Together we will make a difference.
• House Thank you to all who have helped us in this area. We are raising money to add two rooms and a bathroom to the upstairs of our home in order to host visitors and students. If you would like more information, please contact us.
• Geña’s citizenship Geña’s Naturalization Interview is set for January 11. Thank you for praying for her in her preparation and during the Interview at 8:45AM.

Thank you very much for your prayers and continued support.
As you give, you are investing in the Kingdom of God. This is an opportunity for you to further His Kingdom, thank you so much! Click here to donate

Blessings,
Steve, Geña, Rebecka and Emma Rose Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
SKYPE: “srsilberman”

Cofradía Student Ministry Report--November '10

Here is a report of the latest Youth Event in Cofradía written by Sandy. Scroll down for the English version and photos.

El día 27 de Noviembre tuvimos un concierto con la banda de la iglesia y los cantantes de Rap del grupo de jóvenes; Rubén (NAVY) y Raudel (FR) acompañados de un nuevo cantante! También de nuestro grupo, llamado Cecilio el cual causo mucha impresión ya que este muchacho en particular es muy tímido y nunca había hecho algo así y mucho menos en público. Todos creemos que Dios tiene algo grande preparado para este joven.

Bueno este día empezó un poquito mal ya que planeamos empezar a una hora y lo hicimos mas tarde, decidimos hacer unos juegos antes y no sucedió, y cuando empezamos el concierto había muy pocos jóvenes y esto se debía a que en el pueblo vecino (San Marcos) había un gran baile y los jóvenes simplemente decidieron irse para allá. Pero como nosotros sabemos que Dios hace su voluntad, la mayoria de los jóvenes que conocemos, estaban ahí al final alabando a Dios.

También contamos con la presencia de Max, el estuvo grabando con la cámara que le regalaron al grupo. El estuvo animando a los jóvenes a expresar su gozo por medio de la danza y la alabanza y lo consiguió!

Bueno pues como ya dije, empezamos un poquito mal, pero conforme iba pasando el tiempo Dios iba aumentando la calidad de ese tiempo hasta hacernos sentir su presencia esa noche. Aquí están unas fotos de ese tiempo el cual en lo personal fue muy chido!!!! Disfrútenlas…

ENGLISH:

On November 27, we had a concert with the church's worship band and the Rap group singers; Rubén (NAVY) y Raudel (FR). A new singer who is also from our group accompanied them named Cecilio. We were all impressed because this particular guy is very shy and he's never done anything like this before, and in public! We all believe that God has something great prepared for this young man.

Well, this day started a little unorganized because we planned to start at a certain hour and ended up starting late. We had planned to do some games, but that didn't happen and when the concert started, there were only a few students. The reason for the low turnout was because there was a huge dance in the neighboring town (San Marcos) and the students just simply decided to head over there. But, as we know that God's Will is done, the majority of the students that we know were there in the end worshipping God.

We also had Max with us, he was recording with the video camera. He successfully encouraged the students to express their joy in dance and praise.

As I mentioned, we started a little unorganized, but as time went on, God increased the quality of the time as we felt His presence that night. Here are some photos of our time which for me personally was really cool!! Enjoy...

Worship:

Rapping:

Cecilio:

Joy:

FUN IN THE SNOW

It's been a while since the girls have played in snow and we had a fun time throwing snowballs at each other and making snow-angels...

10th Anniversary!

Geña and I celebrated 10 years of marriage on Thursday, November 18. We had been saving up for this for a while in order to do something without thinking about "how much does this cost?" Instead of going to some exotic place, we went to have a great dinner at the Seattle Space Needle. We were pleased with the service and had a great view LOL! It took a while to get used to the rotating of the restaurant, but it was worth it. The food was great and the best part of the evening was just being together. It was a great afternoon/evening!

November Update

Greetings Everyone! I’m a little late in getting this out, but we are finally in Washington and getting some important things done. It will be great to see many of you! Email us to connect! We also have been given the use of a cell phone...360-265-4545. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Last month, we asked for your prayers concerning...

• House Thank you for continuing to keep this in mind as we are looking forward to adding a couple of rooms upstairs.
• Youth Ministry in General We have reorganized the Student Ministry this past month in order to make a better connection with Students. Check out the post on the “New Look” here
• Washington After 12 days of visiting and driving, we’ve arrived in Washington. We’ll be staying at my parents house as we renew documents and go through the process of citizenship for Geña. We have already sent in the renewal forms for the girls’ passports as well as renewing our Drivers Licenses. Thanks for your prayers as we travelled.
  

Follow these links for more..
EL RETO 2010 FINAL VIDEO
Inauguration—On February 27, 2011, we will be inaugurating the new church and beginning our weekly services there. Come join us!!!
Facebook—if you’re on Facebook, I’d love to get in touch with you!

This month, would you please pray for...

• House Thank you to all who have helped us in this area. If you would like to invest in our family, this would be a great way!
• Personal Finances it is always a big hit when we drive up to Washington. We set money aside each month for our “Border Trips”, but it never covers all the costs.
• Geña’s citizenship She has an appointment for fingerprinting and pictures on December 2. After that, we find out when she goes in for the interview.
• Time in Washington We always enjoy coming to Washington. Our goal is to get back to Cofradía for Christmas time, however, everything depends on when the citizenship process is complete. I really don’t know exactly when we go back. It will be nice to visit with family and friends while we are here. Thank you for your prayers while we are here.
  

Thank you very much for your prayers and continued support.
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Blessings,
Steve, Geña, Rebecka and Emma Rose Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
SKYPE: “srsilberman”

New Look for Student Ministry

In the past month, we have reorganized our Student Ministry.

After EL RETO, we decided that it was time to provide an opportunity for students who have gotten "married" really young and those who have separated from their partner and have children. They range anywhere form 15 years old to early 20s.

We have always had our youth group with all ages all-together (Jr. High, Sr. High, and College age). About four years ago, I began to hand-pick college age students and train them as leaders. That has worked very, very well! This year, we have a few High Schoolers on our Student Leadership Team.

Our Student Ministry is called "VIDA" in spanish which means "LIFE". Our youth night is called Abundant Life and was originally a home group in our house that met on Friday nights. When the High School opened in Cofradía, we started to meet on Saturday nights because the HS held classes in the evenings while JH was in the mornings. Two years ago we moved into a room in the new church because the group outgrew our house.

On October 30, we began a new chapter. We now have three different youth groups; Jr. High, Sr. High, and Young Adults. The Young Adult group is called "MEJOR VIDA" or "BETTER LIFE" to coordinate with the Student Ministry "LIFE". Mejor Vida consists of those who have graduated from High School or are of college age; those who are "married" and are very young, and those who have been separated from their partners. The latter two don't really "fit" in youth group anymore, nor do they "fit" in with the adults (I say that out of observance, they are more than welcome to participate with the adults, but haven't).

We are really excited for this new group. Volunteer Pastor Luis and his wife Mari are heading up this new group that meets during youth group. Everyone meets together for worship, then the three groups disperse and have their meetings in three separate rooms. The High School leaders are Chuy, Jose Luis, and Sandy. I have also asked my brother-in-law, Hugo and his wife Norma to help out. For the Jr. High, we have Mily, Aidé, Pedro, Gollo, and Ruben. I have asked an adult, Magdaleno, to help out with that group.

After the first meeting on October 30, I asked Sandy to send me a report on how it went. Here is what she said...

Our youth group started a good and exciting move! This consisted of separating the youth according to their ages or status. This last Saturday we put into practice what we planned and IT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!!

• About 25-30 students (not including the leaders) came.
• To me, each one showed interest in the games.
• THEY WEREN'T BORED
• The leaders have commented on how impressed they were with the result of the change in our group.
• One specific comment came from the Jr. High. They were almost the whole time shouting, screaming, and enjoying the activities and when asked if they'd like to go back to the old format they said, "No, no we're good like this." So, this confirms to me that this was not a bad idea to change the format.

Here are some photos of the worship time. During this time we struggled a bit because the students were coming and going, but in the end Pastor Luis divided us up to go to our different rooms and each young person stayed with their group.

Here is the Jr. High group. They played games the whole time, they have never enjoyed the games in Abundant Life as much as they did that night.

The High School group was a little more calm, but when they were asked to participate they did very well! They participated even more when they found out that Hugo, who led the games, brought chocolates for prizes!

The Better Life group were having a better life fellowshipping with one another. Even though some are "married" and others aren't, they got along well. I could tell when I saw their smiling faces enjoying this opportunity to have a Better Life with Jesus.

In the end, I didn't get a chance to find out how the small group time went with all the leaders. Personally, for Norma and I, our group went well. We only had two girls, but they opened up and shared their thoughts about the message that Chuy shared.