October Prayer Calendar

"I call on you my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer." Psalm 17:17

We are continually so grateful for those who journey with us on mission in the Dominican Republic and Haiti with GO! I am always so encouraged when someone asks how they can pray for us. We will begin posting a monthly prayer calendar that will feature praises from the month past, prayer focuses and highlights with our teams, daily focused areas of ministry, and family life!

Join us in praising and petitioning our Father, who hears our prayers!

With love,
The Perez Fam

What Does it Mean to be a Good Man?

As I was teaching yesterday to one of our 13-14 years old groups from our baseball ministries, a class called Disciples 2, we were learning about the life of Jesus’s disciples before and after they met him. We happened to be talking about one of the disciples, and that scriptures and traditions mention him, being from Cana of Galilee. This happens to be the place were Jesus performed his first miracle according to the scriptures, the changing of water into wine. Was it real wine or something else?  I honestly don’t know and don’t care. What I really care about, is that Jesus was among Jews, and that Jewish’s traditions mentioned that when the messiah would come, he would had authority over all things, and creation itself would submit to him, what just happened in that case.

So one of the students, (who happen to be name Jesus), asked me the questions, “if Jesus was a good man, why did he make wine? Wine and alcohol are bad, what does it means then to be a good man?” Honestly that caught me out of guard, I was not expecting that one. So I ask him to wait till the last 10 minutes of the class and I will try to answer his questions. So when the time came, I ask him another question, told him that what you did in scriptures, you answered questions with questions, to which he smiled. I said, “is eating bad?” His answer was “no.” I responded “can food make you fat?” He said “if you eat more that you are supposed to,” I said “so it may be the same with drinking, alcohol and wine.” I said “you see, it means something else, what he said? That the problem is not wine or alcohol or food, it must mean then that we are the problem, and poor Jesus and poor creations that have to pay our wrongful deeds.”

So what does it means to be a good man? First it means that we have to recognize that we have a problem, one that could separate us from God for eternity. All of the students asked if we could take the last 10 minutes of every class to try to understand, according with the scriptures, what does it means to be a good man?

Freedom

(photo credit: http://www.wtcnc.org/tag/world-trade-center-building)

I will never forget. I was 19. I had two jobs. I worked for my grandparents construction company and I had just helped my mom and stepdad launch their new business venture. It was 7am on that Friday morning and as I walked into the workplace I immediately felt a sense of urgency… no it was more like fear… and panic. My uncle was struggling to carry a clunky oversized old school TV into the estimating room. Once it was set up and turned on we all watched in disbelief as the newscasters were frantically announcing a terror attack on the US. Two planes flew into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center. Within a couple of hours, both towers came crashing to the ground. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon while a 4^th plane crashed into an open field after being taken down by passengers on the plane who refused to be a part of another attack. We watched in disbelief as our tiny protected world came crashing down around us. Accusations poured in… video clips began streaming.  Tears streamed too.

That day, September 11, 2001 became a day we, our Nation, will never forget.

And now, 14 years later as I remember, I am led to wonder how many September 11’s exist in the minds of people in other countries around the world? Something so terrible, such a horrific attack on mankind… something that shapes us and our thinking, our culture, who we are and who we are to become. How many mothers and fathers around the globe have lost children or loved ones in terror attacks? How many sisters, brothers, family members live each day through the pain and struggle of losing someone in such a horrific manner.  

While I reflect on that day so many years ago I am filled with sorrow for the families who lost loved ones… to those who bravely took down a terrorist plane before it could be used in another attack. I grieve for those who struggle through each day 14 years later with heartache. I am also grieved for mankind. I am grieved for each day that represents a September 11^th in many hearts around the world. I am grieved for the sins of each one of us that remind me how desperately we need and must seek the grace and mercy and forgiveness of our Father. He is the only one who can heal our wounded hearts. Our fragmented lives. Our wounded countries. Only he can unite us.

We call America “the land of the Free.” We take extravagant measures to protect our freedom, and I am grateful for the men and women who protect us from evil and the darkness of this world.  They are few and far in between who would put the lives of others above their own. This is a special kind of bravery.

Today I take great comfort amidst the sorrow in knowing no matter what country we were born in, or our circumstances, we all can share in the same freedom found in Christ. Our greatest freedom above all, is found in the One who gave us our very breath. It is found in the One who created time, who formed us from dust, who knit all the intricate details of the fibers of our very beings together (Wow!). Who gave us a hope and a promise through his son, Jesus Christ. The greatest freedom we have, is one that can never be taken away, even if our lives are taken from us, they cannot take away the promise we hold of eternity with Him. Nor is this promise determined by where we were born or which country we live in, but rather who's name we proclaim. His promise is for each of us who chose Him.

Today my heart is both grieved by the sins of us all and grateful for his radical redemptive forgiveness and that there is a day coming that will never end, Eternity is its name, and God’s promise of that is enough to heal the wounds of our hearts.

"...if you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples. And you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free." John 8:32

(Photo credit: http://www.ooyuz.com/geturl?aid=8280456)

I thank my God every time I remember you. (Philippians 1:3)

So, here we are again, another summer is over in our ministry. Summer is the busiest time of the year for us as ministry, we have a constant flow of partnerships development teams for 10-14 weeks, it requires all of our staff to step aside of our areas of ministries, and help facilitating, in one capacity or other, all of our visiting teams, God`s people is amazing and we see, sense, and feel that every summer. And this summer was no exception.

As we (Jackie and I) have the opportunity to experience all of the wonderful things that God is doing in this Island, we think of you very often, and we thank God for you, and your love, friendship, prayers, and your support to our family. 

And so we pray for you; that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. So that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ. Filled with fruit of righteousness that comes thorough Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-10).

So thank you, we are always joyful, humble, challenge, and committed for this gospel and the partnership that we share in. 

We'll be back soon with more specific stories of God's power to transform lives and his radical grace that we are so in awe of!