JUNE REPORT

Last month, we asked you to pray for…
* Student Leadership Retreat. Thank you for your prayers! What a great time! One of our missionaries who helps with our youth has written a very good detailed report and you can see it here: https://share.acrobat.com/adc/adc.do?docid=8b5740a2-6a7a-4e1b-b618-9ec7320f85eb Also, the report that I put together is here: http://thesilbermans.blogspot.com/2008/06/student-leadership-retreat-report.html.
* Jesús Hernández and Martín Garzón Thank you for your prayers and support. Martin will not be able to go back to the school because the second year is still not available. However, Jesús is packing his bags and will be leaving the last week of August for Oaxaca to Bible School. Please continue to pray and consider how you can help: http://thesilbermans.blogspot.com/2008/06/youth-scholarship-fund.html
* Missionary José Luís Gonzalez our very own missionary in YWAM Mazatlán has been on the field for just over a month. He has been very busy along with other staff with team after team this summer already. He is enjoying it very much. Please pray for him for strength as he is “alone” on the field and also his finances. You can read more about him here: http://thesilbermans.blogspot.com/2008/06/jos-lus-gonzles.html Thank you for your prayers!
* His Place They did a great job doing a number of different jobs, especially welding together a beam and lifting it up 30 feet in the air to set in on the pillars.
* Keyport Bible Church This group painted the beam His Place set and welded together all of the rafters for the roof. Each one spans around 70 feet!
* Highland Covenant is here as I type this. They have been painting the rafters and will have a soccer tournament this afternoon.
* Personal Support. Thank you for continuing to pray for our finances.

Also, Rebecka graduated from Kindergarten on July 4. She did a great job at the local school and we continue to do homeschool in English.

Thank you so much for your prayers. This month, would you please pray for…
* New Generation Day Camp This is a Day Camp that our student leaders put on for the new arriving 7th graders into the youth group. They will have games, food, testimonies, and a Word as they travel to the park in Tepic. (July 11)
* Abundant LIFE Youth Night I have asked our intern Luis to take charge for July and August at our youth night. Pray that God will do some great things! (Every Saturday night; 5pm CST)
* Speed Soccer Tournament Four days of speed soccer to bring towns together, new students in to the youth group, and an opportunity for the team captains to set an example of leadership. (July 15-18)
* Open Air Evangelism in Santa Fe We will be taking our youth group and anyone in the church who is willing to Santa Fe for an open air evangelism with testimonies, the Word, drama, Worship, and games. (July 23)
* Youth Camp We return to La Cruz, Sinaloa (about one hour north of Mazatlán) for summer camp this year. A number of students have signed up. If you would like to help sponsor with the renting of a bus, let me know by email so I can get you the information you need. (July 29-August 2)

Thanks again for your prayers.

Blessings,
Steve, Geña, Rebecka, and Emma Silberman

Student Leadership Retreat

One of the missionaries here in Cofradia who helps with the youth as well, Amber Crafton, has written a VERY good detailed report about the retreat we had last month. Here is a link to her report: https://share.acrobat.com/adc/adc.do?docid=8b5740a2-6a7a-4e1b-b618-9ec7320f85eb

Rebecka's Graduation

Rebecka finished Kindergarten yesterday at the local school. Here are a few pictures of her graduation:

Her class

During a dance

During another dance

With her "Padrinos" (Supporters, Godparents, whatever you want to call them) Mili and Chuy.

With her family

Student Leadership Retreat Report

STUDENT LEADERSHIP RETREAT
JUNE 11-13, 2008
MAZATLAN, SINALOA
“UN PASO MAS…” (“TAKING ANOTHER STEP”)

REPORT:

“So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” (Nehemiah 6:15,16)

Thank you for your prayers over this retreat. We were all blessed during the time we had and God showed himself to us and challenged us in many different ways. It was a success because the Lord had his hand upon us.

“Taking Another Step” was the theme of our retreat this year. Taking another step closer to God in our relationship with Him, taking another step in our leadership by being trustworthy, and taking another step by not believing the lies of the opposition. We spent three days being challenged in leadership and our relationship with God. We also had some time to debrief the past year in areas that we “won” in and talking about other areas where we can do better.

(Discussion Time on the Roof)

This continues to be the most fun time for me as the Student Ministry Director because everyone is blessed during this time by being challenged to “Take Another Step”.

This year, we reviewed Nehemiah spending some time looking at how devoted to God he was and the way that he faced opposition. We included some studies of Moses that show how dedicated he was to God as well; a leader who loved God with all his heart who was hesitant at times, but other times he took charge and “went for it.” We also spent some time talking about being trustworthy to God, His Word, and to each other.

(Breakfast at Pura Vida Restaurant)

(Trust Fall Game)

One of the most exciting things we did was watching the movie, Facing the Giants. This was not only for entertainment, but it was with great intent in order to apply many of the messages this movie has for us in our spiritual life and our leadership as well. Everyone enjoyed it; one student was so into it that he got excited enough and fell off of the bed he was sitting on! If you have not seen the movie, do it and ponder on the messages it has for you and me.

In all, during these three days, our team was able to grow closer to God and to one another. We spent the last afternoon at a water park in Mazatlán before going back to Cofradía. Everyone enjoyed the relaxation and the opportunity to let loose and just have fun. The students arrived home energized and excited about what the Lord had done during our three-day retreat as well as prepared to take the next step in “preparing our fields” for the Lord’s future harvest among our youth and in this entire area of Mexico!

The Lord has been good to us and He has kept us under his gracious hand. We praise Him for his work during the retreat, and we look to Him with expectancy for what He is going to continue to do as we hit the ground running with renewed vision and passion.

Here is a little information on the five students we invited and what they had to say about how God spoke to them individually:

Jesús Hernández is in his second year as a Student Leader and will be with us only for the summer. He plans to attend a Bible School in Oaxaca, Mexico starting in the end of August. Jesús has grown from an influential, quietly-rebellious leader to an influential ministry leader as a positive role model for the younger guys. Students would flock to him and do anything he did, although usually it wasn’t what was asked of him; he had his own agenda and did what he wanted. But that was three years ago. Since then, after attending a discipleship course, he received the Lord into his heart as his personal Savior, was baptized some time later, went on a short-term mission trip to Tijuana, and began meeting with an adult mentor to help him become more responsible and disciplined. He has been doing great and is our lead brick-layer for the new church project as well. His heart’s desire is to serve the Lord with all his heart and see young people give their lives over to Jesus Christ. He would like to be a youth pastor and is taking steps toward that vision. Here is what he had to say about the retreat:

This was a chance for me to get to know the other leaders better and I could see other areas of my life that need to improve, especially the area of believing God. There are various things that the Lord has given me – dreams or goals – but I believe I was a little indecisive, maybe a little fearful, about pursuing them. But during the retreat the Lord put those things on my heart once again, and I know that He is going to be with me and that nothing is impossible for Him.

During this time God responded to a prayer request that I had been praying. I had been praying for quite a while to have a better relationship with Him and to be able to spend more time in prayer and in reading my Bible. During this time, He motivated me to do so, and I feel a greater need to seek God more and to be more committed to Him.

One night during the retreat, I was alone and the phrase “in love with God” came to my mind. I believe that what God is asking of me is that I fall in love with Him. So, I started thinking about what it means to be in love with God, and I could see what it would be like: it would be the inability to be far from Him, in every moment to be with Him, sharing everything with Him, what I do as well as my dreams, to trust completely in Him and to be willing to do whatever for Him and leave everything for Him.

Martín Garzón is in his second year as a Student Leader and will be with us only for the summer. He plans to attend a Bible School in Oaxaca, Mexico starting in the end of August. Martín attended this Bible School a couple of years ago, but the school did not offer the second year, so he stayed here and began to work with the youth. He has been a huge influence in the young men of his town, Arrayanes. He has dedicated his time to reaching out to new students, taking them on camp-outs at the river, and going fishing, hunting, climbing, all the while teaching them about Jesus Christ. He would like to be a missionary to the un-reached tribes of the Cora Indians who live in the mountains at our back door. By going to this school, which has focuses especially preparing for work with indigenous groups; he is taking steps toward that vision. Here’s what he had to say about what God is doing in his life:

God ultimately has shown me that it is time to give up more of my life in certain ways as His disciple and to continue growing as a co-laborer in His work in order to share with others by grace that which the Lord has by grace given to me.

God has shown me strategies to truly and actively continue to link my life in with that of the Lord’s. The primary one is to go out from here to receive training and equip myself to go live and work with the Cora Indians in the remote areas of the Sierra Madre Mountains.

I thank the Lord for the things that unsettle the life of man because it’s that unsettledness that moves us to extend our limits until they completely disappear….because God has no limits.

Sandra Garzón is in her second year as a Student Leader. She has been a great role-model for the younger girls in the youth group and is stretching herself to reach out to new students. She has been part of our youth group for a number of years and has been taking steps towards maturity in Christ by meeting with an adult mentor each week, doing bible studies together and spending time with the younger girls. In her testimony, you’ll see that she is very transparent about her relationship with God and how he spoke to her during the three days.

It was a special time; I believe God had reserved it just so. The truth is that for some weeks now, my mind was in chaos, my spirit was agonizing, it was dying and I really didn’t know what to do. I knew we would go on this retreat, but I wasn’t aware of what would happen there. It was just normal for me to go on that trip. And once we were finally there, yes, I was having fun, but there was a moment in which I reacted and started asking myself these questions: “What am I doing here? What is the purpose of it?’

So, I started praying to the Lord saying these words: “God, do you really think that what we haven’t been able to fix for all this time, we can fix in these 1 or 2 days??” I was really mad at Him. I didn’t want to know anything about anything anymore, and I found myself getting carried away, saying that if He wanted to do something with me, okay. There I was. And if not, then that was fine with me too.

That same day in the afternoon we went to hike up to the lighthouse, and that’s where it all started. The higher we climbed the more convinced I became of the greatness of God and of how small I was in this world. I was also able to hear God saying to me that just as He could take my life with one breath from His mouth, He could also give me that life, and that was a sign to me that something was going to happen. That night we had a time of worshiping God, and His Spirit was with and in each one of us working out the purpose for which He had brought us there. It was in that moment that everything happened. God gave me His breath of Life, and He showed me His great love and mercy. I felt like a renewed person as much physically as spiritually, but at the same time I didn’t know what to do. So I just prostrated myself before the feet of Jesus and I surrendered myself, giving myself completely to Him. When it was all done, I had a spirit of freedom and a spirit convinced of wanting to live and serve the Lord.

The next day in the morning, I got up to have my devotional time, and something incredible happened. The Lord spoke to me through various scriptures. First, he showed me the prayer that I had prayed. It is found in Psalm 39:2-13. I had prayed that prayer without any knowledge that it was found in the Bible, and when I read it, the truth is it left me speechless and tears started to fall out of gratitude to God. I also asked Him what He wanted me to do, and He responded in Psalm 50:14-15. And that’s where I just laugh because my understanding doesn’t begin to comprehend the greatness of God’s love (Job 37:5). And well, after seeing, feeling, and listening to God in this way, I could finally escape the traps and lies in which the enemy had me. “Thanks to the great mercy and goodness of God.”

And well, today I am here in my daily life, and believe me that it is no longer the same, even if I do go through the same motions. God has put in my heart and on my face the happiness that I had lost and that I needed, causing life to be more enjoyable and especially with people I love most. And for that reason it has become infinitely richer.

(Hiking up to the Lighthouse)

(Taking a Break)

("Overcoming The Enemy"[Neh. 4-6])

(Martin and Luis Listening to the Study)

José Soto joins us as a Student Leader this year. Last March he was recognized in the youth group for setting an example as a servant. Whenever there is something that needs to be done, he’s right there to help. Many times, you don’t have to ask him, he’ll just do whatever needs to be done. This past year he has taken huge steps of growth in his relationship with the Lord. He rejoined our worship band playing the drums and at the end of April started helping out with our sound equipment and setting up for services. José is a shy but fun person to be around. God is molding a fine jewel out of him. This is what he has to say about what God showed him:

While on the retreat, God touched my heart and told me how, or in what way, I can be with Him. He also showed me some things that I need to give up and how to talk to people about Him.

I have never felt that way before: that God had called me.

Liliana Garzón joins us as a Student Leader this year. She has been part of the youth group and worship team for many years and has played a huge role in leadership. She just turned 18 and is attending the local high school that started this year in Cofradía. Liliana, or “Mily” as she prefers to be called, is a very energetic person who has a contagious smile and a great attitude. She was recognized a couple of years ago for taking huge steps in her relationship with God and leadership by leading worship while no one else was available. In the past year, she has taken more steps in her maturity with the Lord and is excited about being part of the student leadership team. Here’s what she had to say about what God spoke to her about during the retreat:

God spoke to me and touched me like I’ve never experienced before. He touched my life in a way that just thinking about it makes me marvel at how amazing He really is.

Well, at the beginning I was so excited about the idea of going to Mazatlan, the beach, the hotel, etc. But in my mind I never imagined what God was about to do. Upon arriving at our hotel, yes I was very content, but then as we got into the retreat, I started thinking, “What am I doing here?” Maybe we were all wondering the same thing. Anyway, I said to God, “God, the truth is I have no idea what’s up with me. In the first place, I don’t know what Your purpose is for me, and I think that without purpose, this is going to be rather difficult, don’t You think? So, show me what Your purpose is. If there is a purpose for everyone else, there has to be one for me too.”

And that’s how I spent the first day. But the second day was when God touched me with power. It was then that the light bulb finally went on in my head. Honestly, I was thinking, “Ohhhh!” But that night God told me, “Hey, hold on a sec and relax. For starters, I already showed you my purpose for you. The thing is, you haven’t known how see it or hear it. The fact that you are here is not coincidence. I have brought you with a purpose. Now, listen very attentively every time you pray and you’ll see that my answers are instantaneous.” That was when I realized that He really does listen to me, but it’s we who don’t listen to Him. We are so distracted with other things that we neglect our relationship with Him, our prayer time and reading the Word.

For me, the simple ability to have experienced all of that marvelousness, well there is nothing with which to compare it because now I know that there really is Someone on whom I can depend and that I am important to Him. The simple fact that we are able to feel His Spirit flow over each one of us demonstrates to us that there is nothing impossible for Him and that He can do whatever it takes to make sure I know He loves me.

Now I feel a great peace, responsibility, and, above all, the great privilege of knowing that my Father God is the one who really understands and loves me.

Thanks again for your prayers and those of you who made donations to the retreat. God is receiving the glory!

(Worship Time was Awesome!)

Washington Highlights

We’re back in Cofradía after a very eventful three weeks in Washington.

Our trip started a day early in order to drop our truck off in Tepic, Nayarit and catch a 5am bus to Puerto Vallarta. The bus ride was long and the girls’ stomachs didn’t like it very well. We ended up getting to the airport earlier than the Alaska Airlines staff so we waited and had breakfast at a little café. The banana was $15 pesos ($1.50 US Dollars)!! WOW, we decided not to go there again.

The flight up was good and my parents met us at the airport after arriving an hour late at 8pm. We couldn’t believe that it was still light out at 9:30pm, we had to get used to that. Normally, we’re in bed by 8:30.

Our first few days were spent hanging out and enjoying the beautiful scenery. There are so many colors in Washington! On the 18th, I got to meet with the Keyport Bible Church team that is coming down to Cofradía later this month. They’re excited and so are we.

Dad had his birthday on Monday, the 19th and we went to the ocean at Long Beach together for a couple of nights. That was nice to hang out at the beach and the girls got to play in a sand box in a playground area at the hotel.

After one week of doing “nothing”, I started to feel guilty so I spent a full day at the computer getting things ready for the wedding, catching up on emails, etc. The next day, we went to Sequim to meet with someone and Trisha had her Bridal Shower that evening.

Then, the final week, was a very busy week. We started it out going camping on Memorial Day and spent one night in a tent. This was the first time our girls had been camping and it was really fun! We got to go down to the beach and see all the oysters, play on the play structure, get up close and friendly with squirrels, cook over a fire, and just enjoy one another’s company. It was really fun to have Mom and Dad, Dave, Sheri and Kenny, and Trisha and Joey all show up for s’mores.

The next day our friend, Fabian Gomez, took us flying to the San Juan Islands where we had dinner. It’s always nice to get tossed around like a leaf; Friday Harbor is very windy. We had a blast!

The last couple days leading up to the wedding were, as you can imagine, somewhat hectic. Trisha and Joey Sanchez were married on May 31 at Keyport Bible Church in Keyport, WA. This was the main reason why we went to Washington; Rebecka was a Flower Girl, Geña was the Matron of Honor, and I was the Officiant. They looked spectacular and everything turned out good.

We then shared a little at Christ Memorial Poulsbo in the morning services, went to Sheri’s for a barbecue in the afternoon and managed to make it back out to Bremerton for the evening service at Living Waters Fellowship to share about what’s going on in Cofradía.

What a fun time! It was definitely busy, but we did get to have a few “fun” days. Thanks Mom and Dad, Fabian, Luis, Joey and Trisha, and Dave and Sheri for making our time most enjoyable!

Save A Sole

You may have to make this a little bigger, but here's an article from Tuesday's paper in Sequim, Washington.

Youth Scholarship Fund

One of the most exciting things about working with youth, especially in a small ranching community, is to see their hunger and thirst grow for Christ. We have a number of students who have expressed interest in furthering their education in Bible Schools, Discipleship Training Schools (YWAM), studying music, and what few students here have the opportunity to do…go to university.

Our desire as a staff is to help these students in any way we can to fulfill their dreams of being pastors, worship leaders, missionaries, and strong Christians in the community in which they live. We believe that investing in a Scholarship Fund for these students is one way that you can help as well.

There are currently two students who are pursuing further education at the Victory Bible Institute. This Bible school, located in the state of Oaxaca, “trains men and women called to serve God by developing their spiritual lives, clarifying the understanding of their call, equipping them with occupational training, and planting them in a ministry where they can serve, grow and apply the training they receive.” You may read more about the Victory Bible Institute at http://rocablanca.org/training.html.

In order to realize this call, Jesús and Martin both need to raise individually a minimum of $1500 by September 1 in order to cover their educational expenses. As you read their profiles below, please pray and consider what donation you can make towards this Scholarship Fund and the further training of these two young men.

Jesús
Jesús Hernández is the oldest son of the head pastor in Cofradía. He received Christ into his heart as a youth during a youth event. Several years later, while on a missions trip to Tijuana, he felt the Lord calling Him to a deeper commitment. Shortly thereafter he was baptized and sought a spiritual mentor, and he has grown in discipline and leadership ever since. He is now part of our Student Leadership Team for the youth ministry as well as one our master builders in the construction of our central church facility. He has demonstrated a passion for the Lord and a willingness to serve in every area, and we are excited to see how the Lord will continue to use Him for His Kingdom and glory.

Jesús says, “God has called me to study in a school in Oaxaca in order to learn more about Him so that I am better able to share Him with others. I know this will make me stronger in Him and help me to have an even better relationship with Him by learning more about the Bible and learning how to depend on Him more. I believe that studying at this school will enable me to carry out the vision He has given me: to minister to youth and lead them to Christ. I believe that youth need to learn more about Christ and know Him more in a personal relationship with Him. I would like to one day go to other towns and start youth groups that are solid and founded in the Lord, and I believe that through those youth we will reach even more for the Lord.”

Martin
Martin Garzón is the oldest son of the pastor in Arrayanes, and he too came to Christ at a young age. He has already completed one year of Bible school, and the effects have been tremendous. Besides demonstrating personal spiritual growth and maturity, he returned with a resolve to serve. He has been involved in evangelizing the Cora Indians in Mojocuatula, in the worship band as a bassist, and in the Student Leadership Team in our youth ministry. In addition, he has been instrumental in a harvest of youth in his town through the creation of a drama team and a Christian youth rap band. He is excited and passionate about evangelism and missions with indigenous groups, especially the Cora, and we are excited to see how the Lord realizes this call in his life.

Martin says, “I want to take the gospel to the Cora Indians that live in the mountains. However, I need to learn how to disciple or teach with more depth as well as strategies that motivate others to grow in leadership. I know that in Christ I can do all things and that in Him we can reach every indigenous group of the Sierra Madres, teaching them to know Christ. I believe that a relationship of trust in Christ is the answer and that that relationship is what the Cora
Indians, and all ethnic groups, really need.“

How can I help?
Each of these young men will need to raise at least $1500 by September 1 to cover the cost of tuition, books, transportation, and outreach activities. If you would like to partner with us financially by donating to the Youth Scholarship Fund there are a couple of ways that can be done.

· Send a check made out to “Alternative Missions” accompanied by a separate note with the designation "Cofradía Youth Scholarship Fund" .. Mail the check to: Alternative Missions, P.O. Box 5835, Goodyear, AZ 85338.

· Donate online. Your donation is secure, consistent and automatic. Just click on the link: https://www.egivingsystems.org/support/42705

Missionary José Luís Gonzales

Jose Luis is a product of our Youth Ministry. He attended a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Discipleship Training School (DTS) in Mazatlan last fall. While he was there, he felt the Lord calling him to missions and the Lord opened a door for him to retrun to Mazatlan as a staff member for YWAM. On June 1, Jose Luis was prayed for and sent out from the Cofradia church as our first full-time Missionary. Here is his first newsletter. If you would like to be added to his contact list, please let me know and I will give him your email.

Hello, I hope that you are doing well. I’m writing you from my home in Cofradía, Nayarit, México where I feel very blessed for having learned so many things about God this past year. My purpose for writing you is that I want to share with you a personal need.

Last year I attended a Discipleship Training School (DTS) with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Mazatlán, México. During that time, I learned a number of things; one of which was in my relationship with God. My relationship with Him was not very good and while I was in Mazatlán, I was able to experience how to listen to the voice of God and learn about His character. Now I know better how to have a stronger relationship of obedience to Him. God has given me a greater desire to share His love to other people who don’t know Him.

During the outreach phase of the school, I had the opportunity to go to Tunisia, Africa. God spoke to me there about what He really wants from me. He told me to return as a member of the Staff in YWAM Mazatlán because I will be able to take greater steps towards Him in being responsible in my relationship with Him, in my personal life, and without a doubt I will grow in Leadership. This is something that I’m really excited about.

While I am in Mazatlán on Staff, I will have a financial need of $350 (usdollars) a month. Today, I am asking you to join my support team with financial donations and prayer. Please take a moment and ask God how much you could donate monthly or with a special gift. By doing this, you will be ministering along side me to the students who come to attend YWAM Mazatlán. Thank you so much for your consideration of becoming part of my support and prayer team and may God bless you!

Your Missionary,

José Luís Gonzáles Linares

Please send your donations* along with a separate note designating it for “Jose Luis Gonzales in Mazatlán” to:
YWAM El Paso 4444 Edgar Park Ave. El Paso, TX 79904 USA

*Make checks payable to YWAM.

Translation by ss.

Steve Clark

A good friend of mine from College passed away last Monday. His wife, Veronica, called yesterday to let us know. Please pray for her comfort and that she would sense the Lord's presence at this time during her loss. Steve was a great man of God, I remember him as always happy and excited about people, he loved people. We'll miss him.

To Washington

We're off. This afternoon we'll drive to Tepic (1 1/2 hrs south) and stay the night. In the morning we'll leave our truck at Gena's cousin's house and we'll get on a bus for a three hour ride to Puerto Vallarta where we'll get on a plane around noon. We arrive in Seattle tomorrow night. It will be nice to see some of our friends again and look forward to spending time with the family. Rebecka and Emma cannot wait to see Grandma and Grandpa! Thank you for your prayers, see you soon!

APRIL MINISTRY UPDATE

Greetings everyone!!!

April is gone and May is here and the past few days have been hot, hot, hot! May is known for it’s dry heat while as the rain comes in June it starts to get humid. By August, the ground is so saturated that it’s humidity seeps into the air—what fun!

The Lord is blessing His work here and we’re excited to be a part of it and have you as a prayer/financial partner as well…

Last month, we asked you to pray for…
* Emma Rose as she turned TWO on April 10. What a great time, she laughed and laughed at the candles when she blew them out. When she was done laughing, she all of the sudden stops, looks at the candles, and motions to mommy with both hands to come and light them again (still looking at the candles). This went on for a while and everyone enjoyed it. Here is a post on our blog with pictures: http://thesilbermans.blogspot.com/2008/04/emmas-birthday.html
* My Parents as they celebrated 40 years of marriage on April 12. Not many people these days can say their parents have been together for that long and I feel incredibly blessed to have the parents God gave me. They have been an excellent example! Thanks Mom and Dad for that special gift!
* Missionary Care Week. In mid-April we had some professional Christian Mental Therapists come down just for our staff. This is something that is happening throughout Alternative Missions. Next week it will be happening in Honduras with their staff. It was a great time of reflection and getting to know the team better and how each one of us communicates. Click here to read and be directed to more about the week: http://thesilbermans.blogspot.com/2008/04/missionary-care-team-mct.html

Thank you so much for your prayers. Other activities that happened during the month were: Pastor Goyo’s wife’s successful surgery; she had a tumor in her uterus removed and is doing very well now. We had an Evangelistic Open Air Meeting in one of the towns close by that the pastor and some others have been working in lately. It was a great time and many people responded for prayer at the end. We also got to visit our friends Roger and Hazel Reeh in Mazatlán for a few days. What a treat! It was a much needed break and I feel refreshed. Click here to see Rebecka and Emma in Mazatlán: http://thesilbermans.blogspot.com/2008/04/needed-break.html

This month, would you please pray for…
* April LIFE Night. We have invited some friends/youth groups from Sinaloa to come and join us for our next LIFE Night. (May 3)
* Trip to Washington. We’ll be returning to Washington for three weeks on May 14 for my niece’s wedding. Please pray for safe travel as we’ll be flying and a place to park our truck in Puerto Vallarta for the three weeks. We are looking forward to seeing everyone.
* Trisha and Joey. For the beginning of their life together starting on May 31. I will be officiating the wedding.
* Abundant LIFE, This is the weekly youth meeting that meets on Saturday nights. (May 10, 17, 24, 31)
* Student Leadership Retreat. Once again we’ll be taking our student leaders on a retreat to orientate them on leadership, teamwork, and ministering to the youth. It should be a very fun time! Please pray for God’s hand to be upon this time. Last year’s retreat was the beginning of change in our youth group—it was really good! Also, pray for our funding of the trip; we’ll need $1,000 USDollars. (June 11-13)
* Personal Support. Please pray for our finances. Click here if the Lord moves you to give: http://thesilbermans.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-donate.html

Thanks again for your prayers.

Blessings,
Steve, Geña, Rebecka, and Emma Silberman

A Needed Break

This past weekend we went to visit some friends who are leaving back to the states soon. This was the only opportunity we had to see them, so we took off on Saturday to Mazatlan and came back on Monday. It was a great break; we wish it could have been at least one day longer, but we sure enjoyed our time with Roger and Hazel. Rebecka did not want to get out of the pool at all, she has such a fun time swimming and playing in the water. We also went out to the ocean and rode some waves, walked along the beach, and enjoyed one another's company. Thank you Roger and Hazel for time well spent.



Last week was a hard week. After the Missionary Care Team left, I realized that I was a candidate for burnout. I have felt fine for the past year, but really tired. It may have been psychological, but last week I felt like I couldn't go on; I was so tired that I lost the joy of the ministry. Taking a couple days off really helped. Amber took care of the youth meeting and Dave who was already on the schedule to lead worship, led on Sunday. We have an event with the youth this weekend and some visitors from Sinaloa coming, but I feel energized and am excited about this weekend. This week has been good. Thank you for your prayers.

The Beach

Yesterday, we went out to the beach with Geña’s brother’s family and her mom. It was a very nice day, but the “no-see’-em” bugs ate me up! I counted over 30 bites on each arm from my elbow down.

We had a really good time with the family. We go there at lunchtime and ordered fish while Rebecka and Luis played at the water’s edge. Emma stayed close by in the shade, playing in the nice soft, cool sand. The restaurant we parked at rented boogie boards for just over $2 an hour, so we rented three and went out to catch some waves. Rebecka even caught a few of the waves as they were trickling up to the shore. After a while, Hugo and I tried out the two poles my dad gave me back in January. They worked just fine, but the bait didn’t. We saw a couple fish jump as we were wading about waist high, but they didn’t like what we had to offer them.

What a great time! It was a nice way to get out and relax a bit.

Missionary Care Team (MCT)

This year Alternative Missions has started something new called "Missionary Care". The dynamics of working together as a team with various personalities in a foreign country can be taxing at times. We have an awesome team and I have seen huge healthy growth in past couple of years. Having this time was very helpful and it brought back a number of memories as part of the Resident Life Staff in College. Some of the activities of self-disclosure were very similar and helpful as a team. What a week!

Here is a link to the site where you can get more information on what it's purpose is and see some pictures: http://teamhackett.vineage.com/home/missionary-care-team-trip-to-mexico-april-12-19/#comment-94

Blessings everyone!

Emma's Birthday

Emma turned two years old on Thurdsay, April 10. If you ask her in spanish how old she is, she'll hold up two little fingers and say, "do" for "dos" (two). We invited a few youngsters over for the pinata, hamburgers, and cake. It was a lot of fun and we have some great video. I was unable upload the video because it's too big a file. However, we have some pictures as well.

Correction in March Update

My parents will be celebrating 40 years in marriage this Saturday, not 39! Thanks for the great example Mom and Dad!

APRIL NEWSLETTER

¡SALUDOS!
Greetings everyone! We pray that all are well and that Christ is continuing to make himself real in your lives. We have lots to share with you.

MINISTRY NEWS
In February, we had two family conferences directed by missionaries Doug and Jan Taylor. The first one was specifically for married couples while the second one was directed towards youth and also parenting. They did a great job and many of our youth commented on how the message spoke to them. A message on how we tend to believe the lies of the enemy instead of what God’s Word says about us.

We also had a Student Leadership Conference with some pastors from Texas. This was the third year for this conference and the message was focusing on what the Kingdom of God is, where it is, and how we can tangibly share it with others. It was very good and made an impact when we walked through the streets brainstorming. At one place we stopped in front of the Jr. High/High School where there was garbage strung out everyone; it was very messy. What message are we telling God about his creation by littering the streets? What message are we communicating to the townspeople by littering the streets? What message would we be sharing if we picked up the garbage and stopped littering? Interesting topic and it’s something that hit home.

In March, those same pastors brought their students to work alongside our students in an effort to take the Kingdom of God to others. We had an Amazing Race style event where they were to run all over town to gather items for their final challenge—making a meal for a needy family. In this event, they cleaned town hall, milked a cow, went fishing with a net in a semi-dry river, and a few other “fun” things. It was a great way to experience working together as a team, experience new things, and serve a family in the process.

Making tortillas for the family.

The next day they served a town by cleaning up the park. When we got there, the park was completely overgrown and in two hours, the place was clean and all the brush was burned. They were able to make a difference by meeting the need of a town. Two nations working together to serve; it was great!

The clean park in Las Pilas.

Construction on the new church facilities has been rapidly progressing. With the last two short-term mission teams, the whole roof of the first story has been poured. That will allow progress on the second story.

FAMILY NEWS
We have all been doing very well. Some friends of ours who were vacationing in Puerto Vallarta came to stay at our house for a couple of days in February. It is always such a blessing to have friends and family from home come to visit! We want to encourage all of you to come and let you know that our doors are open for visitors! If you have plans on vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, or Guadalajara, please let us know; those cities are anywhere from 3 to 4 hours from us and we’d love to have you. It is a special time for us to have an opportunity to get to know you more and you can have a first hand experience of what our ministry is like. Sometimes it can really be hard to explain on paper or describe in a visit at home with pictures. Come live it with us! Thanks for coming down Jack and Vicki!

We also want to encourage you to pray about how you can support us. We have been low on finances lately and would like to invite you to become part of our support team if you are not already. See the box below on how to send financial gifts. If a tax-deduction is not an issue for you, feel free to send it directley to our “home” address in the letterhead. Thank you so much!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY.

May the Lord bless you all,


Steve, Geña, Rebecka and Emma Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
Alternative Missions

Written: April 4, 2008


SUPPORT ADDRESS
Thank you for continuing to be part of our team and supporting our ministry. If you haven’t yet joined our team of supporters, please consider joining.

· Send to:
Alternative Missions
PO Box 5835
Goodyear, AZ 85338
· Checks made out to ALTERNATIVE MISSIONS
· Send a note on a separate piece of paper indicating that it is for Cofradía Staff Members: Steve and Efigenia Silberman.
· You can also donate online at the alternative missions’ website under the “Donate Online” tag as you place the mouse over the “staff” heading.
· Thanks again for being part of our team!


†MANNA†
I have been teaching a series on Jonah to the youth. In our last newsletter, I shared about the final verses of the book and how my life related to Jonah’s selfishness. There have been so many things that I have seen in Jonah that I haven’t heard many preach about. Take a moment when you get a chance and re-read Jonah and ask yourself some questions. Why did Jonah go in the opposite direction? What was the issue? Was he just scared? What kind of picture does chapter one paint for us about the consequences of sin; how it affects us as well as others? Was Jonah really repentant in chapter two, or was it a prayer of thanksgiving? Did he willingly go with a changed heart to Nineveh in chapter three? What is the main theme of the book? I was a little surprised at some of the things I’ve learned as opposed to what I thought I knew. What do you think?

March Monthly Update

Greetings everyone!!!

Once again, we have the opportunity to share with you what God is doing in the lives of the young people here. We really appreciate your prayers; these students are making a difference!

Last month, we asked you to pray for…
* Dentists. We had a number of dentists come to visit and spend a couple of days pulling and filling people’s teeth. This is always a huge opportunity for us to meet the needs of the town of Cofradía and many others in the surrounding area. This year, there were two teams of dentists. One team stayed here at our dental clinic on the mission base while the other went up to the indigenous community of Mojocuautla for the first time. Praise the Lord for the seeds that were planted and the needs that were met. The Founder of Alternative Missions was here with the dentists and wrote a report with pictures on his blog: http://teamhackett.vineage.com/home/cofradia-nayarit-mexico-dental-trip-march-5-9
* Cy-Fair Christian Church. In the middle of March, this team from Houston, Texas came down to work alongside our youth in various different activities. Lately, in both youth groups, we’ve been talking about how we can bring the Kingdom of God to people who don’t know Christ in order for us to show them God’s love.
As soon as this team arrived in Cofradía, they came down to our house as guests to our weekly Abundant LIFE youth group meeting. We had a pretty normal meeting and the added barbecued hotdogs were great! Martin shared about running the race and not giving up or letting obstacles that get in your way make you want to quit. You can read more about that evening on our blog: http://thesilbermans.blogspot.com/2008/03/cy-fair-team-day-one.html
The first activity working together was through an Amazing Race style event, they were to gather supplies and at the end, cook and serve a meal to a family in need of God’s love in the town of Arrayanes. It was amazing and you can read more here: http://thesilbermans.blogspot.com/2008/03/cy-fair-team-day-three-mar17.html
The next day we went to clean the park of the town of Pilas. It was completely overgrown and the job looked like more than we could handle at first. To my own personal surprise, we completely cleaned the place in two hours! And left the park and town looking like a better place. See pictures and more comments here: http://thesilbermans.blogspot.com/2008/03/cy-fair-team-day-four-mar-18.html
Finally, we had a student awards night that Cy-Fair started with us three years ago. Our students really enjoy this and it has encouraged them grow closer to the Lord and change some of their perspectives on life. We gave out five awards this year:
· Most improved Band Member
· Spirit-Enthusiasm
· Servant
· New Generation
· Braveheart
It was a very special night. You can see pictures and find out who received awards on our blog. http://thesilbermans.blogspot.com/2008/03/cy-fair-team-day-six-mar-20.html
* Doug and Jan Taylor left on March 24 for the six month stay back in Canada. We will all miss them.
* March LIFE NIGHT. A lot of fun and great to see the two nations coming together here. This was the first time that this specific team has had a chance to spend time with our youth. Click here to read about it: http://thesilbermans.blogspot.com/2008/04/march-life-night.html
Thank you so much for your prayers. Other activities that happened during the month were: Jack and Marianne Elias (Dave’s parents) arrived this month and will be here for a couple more months. They are a huge blessing and spend all of their time serving in hands on projects such as painting, fixing things, building various items like benches, etc. We’re glad they’re here. Also, I had the opportunity to preach on Easter Sunday and it went really well. I have shared the idea in other places of making a decision today to change who you will be in one year from now. I used our five students as well as the five leaders as examples of who they were a year ago and who they are now. At the end, we had the five student leaders pray for people as they came forward at the altar. It was exciting!

This month, would you please pray for…

* Emma Rose as she has her second birthday! (April 10)
* My Parents as they celebrate 39 years of marriage! (April 12)
* Missionary Care Week. We will have some visitors who are coming down to share with us ideas on how to deal with certain stresses of being a missionary. This is the first time for something like this and we’re expecting a great week. (April 14-19)
* April LIFE Night. We have invited some friends/youth groups from Sinaloa to come and join us for our next LIFE Night. (May 3)

Thanks again for your prayers

Blessings,
Steve, Geña, Rebecka, and Emma Silberman

March LIFE Night

This month we had visitors at our monthly LIFE Night meeting with the youth. We all went to Arrayanes and we broke up into two guys groups and two girl groups. Unfortunately, many of our girls were unable to come for whatever reason and we had 6 of our girls to our visitors' 20. We combined Mexican and Americans on teams in order for them to get to know one another. This was the first time this team has had an opportunity to do something with our youth in the five years they've been coming. I really didn't know what to expect, but I saw a number of our students doing their best to get to know the Americans. I was proud of them. I think everything went as smooth as it could have.

We began the evening with some get-to-know you games, then moved to have them work together as a team and on to competing as a team against the other team. One of the team activities was Tic-Tac-Toe...

we would call out a number and if it was your number, then you had to run and choose a chair to sit on. We had nine chairs lined up as a Tic-Tac-Toe game. It was a lot of fun.

Another game was the Coca Cola race that we have done a number of times with our youth already. One of our youth even mentioned, "this game is becoming a classic!" What they had to do was have two people carry one other teammate about 50 feet and have someone give them some coke.

They could not drink it, but had to return it to the rest of their team where the leader had a cup for them to pour (spit) the coke into. The first team to fill the cup won.

Later on that evening, we all went inside for worship and Jose Luis shared a little bit with everyone about his time at YWAM and how the Lord really changed his life in regards to his relationship with him. He is growing quite a bit and it's great to see!

New Generation Discipleship

Last Saturday was the last week of level one of the discipleship class "Milk and Honey." The Student Leaders led the whole level, taking turns between the four of them. They all enjoyed it and were able to develop a good relationship with the new students. Just like most discipleship groups, they started with over ten students and five finished. They did a great job!

Back (L to R): Martin (leader), Chuy, Fransicso, Julio (leader), Chuy (leader)

Front (L to R): Diana, Gaby, Aide

Not pictured: Sandra (leader).