Praying for Odalys (4-year-old beauty with cancer)

After 1 year and 3 months of intense chemotherapy treatments, 4-year-old Odalys, with cancer, was sent home from the hospital, supposedly permanently.  The doctors say there is nothing else they can do for her – the cancer has metastasized, and she had tumors throughout her abdomen. 

This news came very suddenly for her family: she was, in fact, prepped for an innovative tumor removal surgery which supposedly would remove her one stomach tumor and have her back to full health by March. The days before the surgery, new exams revealed devastating news: the discovery of 4 new tumors throughout organs

in her abdomen.  Instead of promises of a full recovery, the doctors now realized that even more rounds of chemotherapy would not completely remove so much cancer in her body.  Medically, she was declared “hopeless”. 

Honestly, the shocking news brought tears to our eyes. However, the Lord soon reminded us that He is the God of the impossible! He is the Healer God- more powerful than any man or medicine.  And His plans are perfect for His glory. 

We visited the family- as marveled at the peace and faith of the Holy Spirit, even just a week

after receiving this crushing news.  Gaby and Oliver, Odalys’ parents, had just been baptized two weeks before, and they continue to show their faith in their sovereign God. 

Together, we prayed to God, anointing Odalys’ head with oil, and crying out to her Creator and Father for her healing, for her peace, for her family.  We await a miracle- our God answers the prayers of His people.

We also shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Odalys, her brother Jaret, and her cousin Michael.  I fought back tears as I heard Odalys repeat a prayer to trust and follow Jesus as her Savior.  The gift of hope in Jesus is so much more palpable when you sit beside someone facing death. 

Odalys, Jaret and Michael, and even their family members, were overjoyed with their Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes!  Odalys gushed over each gift. When she pulled out a hairbrush, her mother said: “Wow! A hairbrush- for when your hair grows out long again.” And then she pulled out a skirt: “Beautiful! You can wear it when you

get more meat on your bones.” Odalys smiled at the idea of having hair to brush and a healthy waist on her bone-thin body.  We wait together in faith in our powerful, sovereign God, for that day. 

First Children´s Discipleship Class at Calvary

While Friday kids’ Bible club usually has an attendance of 8-10 children, 21 children arrived for our first Samaritan’s Purse discipleship class of “The Greatest Journey” (the program which follows the OCC shoebox distribution event).  Also, 4 adults, who had come to drop off their kids for class, stayed to hear the entire Bible lesson!

I am so excited for each child who is

coming to hear the Word of God!  More children arrived than I had even expected- I have to get more books and supplies for the following week! 

May the Lord continue to draw these children and their families to Him- that they would continue attending and growing each week.

Testimony Time from OCC Events!

En the El Seco region of Puebla, where churches participated for the first time with Operation Christmas Child, we held a testimony time after all the shoebox gift events to hear how the Lord used this ministry in their areas. The brothers were all joyful and thankful for these amazing materials! Every church that attended wanted to give testimony of how they witnessed God work through OCC!

-One pastor shared that he and his family took three shoeboxes to a single mother who had not been able to attend the event with her children.  While the pastor’s daughter shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the children and  the pastor gave them their shoebox gifts, the pastor’s wife was chatting with their mother.  She opened up and starting crying as she shared difficulties in her life.  The pastor and pastor’s wife prayed for her, and

explained that in the middle of all her problems she needed to restore her relationship with her Father and Creator God by trusting in Jesus Christ who died and rose again for her.  The mother prayed right there to dedicate her life to Jesus

-A sister from other church actually brought one of the children who had attended their event, heard the Gospel of Jesus for the first time, and received

his shoebox.  Eleven-year-old Cesar thanked Operation Christmas Child, in the microphone before everyone, for allowing him to know God, and expressed his desire to continue to learn more.

-Another explained that his church is in a dangerous area of drug- and gasoline- traffickers.  During the third discipleship class after their OCC event, a mother and grandmother of

some of the children entered.  The grandmother threatened the Bible teacher to stop teaching Jesus-nonsense, or else she would force the church to stop with her mafia connections.  The mother, however, signaled to the teacher to not release her children from the class at the grandmother’s command. The mother told the teacher after the threatening grandmother had left that she was willing to risk the wrath of her family, because she wanted her and her children to know the True God!!

After many other testimonies, the churches turned in written reports of their shoebox events with pictures that our state team can send to donors in the United States.

We praise the Lord, along with all these churches, for His salvation work through this incredible ministry!

OCC Event at our Calvary Church!

Operation Christmas Child blessed not only other churches in our state, but our own church of Calvary Grace & Truth!  As we have recently moved to a new rented building, the OCC (Operation Christmas Child) materials allowed us to start spreading the Gospel to our new neighbors!

After inviting door-to-door, twenty children arrived for our party.  We

played games, danced to worship music, and, most importantly, shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ (who died to pay the punishment for our sins and rose again to offer eternal life to those who believe and follow Him).  Afterwards, each child received their shoebox gift- as a show of Jesus’ free gift of salvation offered to each of the in love. The children were awestruck!

Jemina was our little helper- dancing

alongside me, shouting “Jesus” and “cross” during the Gospel, giving out shoeboxes, and interacting with all the children J. 

One of the mothers talked with Paco for a while after the event.  Another, Paty, told me that she was excited to send her children to discipleship classes on Fridays- that she wouldn’t be able to take them personally because she studies until late.  She

mused, almost to herself, that for some strange reason she had been released early from school that day, which is why she had been able to bring 4 children to the party.  I laughed inwardly at her comment- immediately recognizing God’s orchestration in getting her and the four children to the party where they would hear the Gospel!

We thank God, and the many OCC

donors of shoeboxes, who made this evangelism in our community possible!

BAPTISMS!!

Baptisms always make me cry: so much joy to see brothers publically express their desire to follow Jesus for all of eternity! Our first baptisms as Calvary Grace & Truth church were extra special. In our still tiny congregation, 6 people were baptized! (a large percentage of such a small group). 

The first to request baptism were Oliver and Gaby, the parents of

Odalys- a precious 4-year-old girl with cancer who had been in treatment for 1 year 3 months.  Their daughter’s illness had opened their eyes for the need for a Savior and a right relationship with God. 

Another family of three, father, mother and 10-year-old son joined the list, after having joined the congregation last May.

Finally, Toño, who had joined the church family a couple years ago, but had not wanted to be baptized until just now.  He says he finally realized that Jesus is the only way, and wanted to show his commitment to be part of Him for

life and beyond.

All those baptized where amazed that the only biblical requirement is repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation (they had imagined they would need to fulfill a whole list of requirements! Oh, the amazing grace of God!). 

Oliver and Gaby recognized that this was such a special day that they even invited their mothers (one from another state!) to witness the event! We were pleased that they could appreciate the value of baptism.

After the big event, and many cheers (and some tears) of joy, we enjoyed a cookout- barbecuing steaks and chorizos; a very special meal to commemorate such a special event. 

Children Presentations

Two new families that joined our church expressed a desire to have their children presented before the congregation and dedicated to the Lord.  Such a desire as a parent!  We were so happy at their request: one from a believer- mother who had not attended church in a long time, and another from a pair of new believers, who have come to the Lord just in the past year.  Their request reveals a desire to commit themselves to

following the Lord and raising their children to do the same. 

Within a couple weeks of eachother, our congregation prayed to dedicate baby Mia (10 months) to the Lord, and then Jaret (3 years) and Odalys (4 year-old girl battling cancer).  May these children be sovereignly and mercifully set apart to follow Jesus their whole lives, and may their parents receive the wisdom they need

from the Holy Spirit and His Word to guide them!

First Kids’ Club Class in New Calvary

Our first kids’ club in our new rented church space had 11 children!  Such an answer to prayer that our children were able to attend though the new building is a block farther away.  Some of them even came running- so excited for Bible class after our two week break for the holidays!

 

I loved having multiple rooms!: I set games up in one room, craft station in

another, and story time on the floor. The added space allows even more fun activities.

I am blessed that Anita, one of the youth girls, continues to co-teach with me.  Still, being mom and teacher at the same time can be a challenge.  Asher wanted to breastfeed right when I was starting the Bible story! (I think the kids at the club are used to me caring for my two babies while

teaching class at the same time by now).