GOD BLESS YOU IN YOUR MINISTERS,HOW ARE YOU?
PRAISE GOD MY FAMILY IS OK, MY CHILDREN STARTED THEIR SCHOOL, AND THEY ARE HAPPY,
I WAS WORKING WITH ANOTHER PASTORS HIS NAME IS HERNAN SOSA AND ROSA DE SOSA, I SHARED THE PASTOR CONFERENCE [ABIDE] WITH THEM, AND THEY ARE HAPPY WITH THE MATERIAL, AND CONCORDANCE, THEY SAY THANKYOU VERY MUCH.
LORD WILLING, THE NEXT I AM GOING TO SHARE THE PASTOR CONFERENCE WITH ANOTHERS PASTORS, THEIR NAMES EDUARDO GUDIEL AND BERNICE DE GUDIEL, PLEASE PRAY FOR ME.
YOU GAVE THE MATERIAL (CRAFTS, BALOONS, TOYS.......) I GAVE TO THE PASTORS AND SUNDAY SCHO0L TEACHERS, AND THEY ARE HAPPY WITH THIS MATERIAL. Immer Ramirez
Walk by Faith
Cherokee Legend -
Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage?
His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.
He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.
We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.
Moral of the story: Just because you can't see God, Doesn't mean He is not there. 'For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Brother in Christ
From Immer Saul Ramirez.....
Is wonderful to talk by e-mail also, Lord willing I am going to teach to anothers pastors in this year, the beautiful thing is I have my material, and I am going to make more and more copies.
The picture was when my oldest daugther finished her High School, Praise God.
My Rick and Lisa, thankyou verymuch for the money, thankyou, thankyou.............................I am going to use for the School supplies for my Children (Jeherzely, Andrea, Vicente and Pedro). With all my heart again God bless you in your lives, you are God´s Instruments for to bless many people around the world.
God bless you,
Immer
Chicken Request
While in Guatemala last week, our team did a Celebration Party at the local school, Escuela Rafael Tellez. Pizza and Koolaid was served to over 300 children. Bean bag toss, Go Fishing, Spin Art, Balloon Animals and Face Paint were the booths we set up to entertain the children. The children on our team performed the Christmas Story with costumes for all the Guatemalan children and we danced to the ChaCha Slide. What a fun time for everyone.
Our team this year was comprized of several school teachers. Our teachers and the Guatemalan teachers had a question and answer time together. Our teachers gave them tips on how situations and lessons are handled in America. Toward the end of the meeting - one last question to Guatemala: If you could have one thing, what would that be?
Kindergarten: Reading Books
1st Grade: Reading and Math Books
2nd Grade: A Chicken for each Child!
teacher - ”My children in second grade have to work the fields beginning at 5:30am every morning, then be at school by 7:30. When they arrive they are hungry, dirty and tired. This teacher wants to make a difference in their ability to learn by giving them an egg to eat. Wow - He requested one chicken per child and a coop to house them”
This is an exciting project! - Chickens for Jesus! $7.00 per chicken.
Scatter Christ (Seed)
Jesus' Birthday Party
Tonight was wonderful! We shared Christmas with two families from Choctaw County in our home. After much work and many phone calls, Tikisha Brooks-Graham, the social worker for Choctaw County Schools, was able to get a van and bring a family to Birmingham for the first time. Bobbi Bolden and her six boys, Imani, Edna Brooks (Kesha's mom), Kari, Demondre, and Mrs. Anderson, the school counselor arrived around 6:30pm. Mr and Mrs Santa Claus arrived with gifts and stockings for all of the children. Many friends and family attended to bring good tidings and hugs for these precious children. Bullen and Andrew from the Sudan were here, as well as Ricky Barwick from the Alabama Children's Home. We had chicken fingers, cupcakes and sweet tea. What a blast to watch these precious children look to Santa with respect and love. Rick told the Christmas Story about baby Jesus to all of the children. This will be a night to remember always. Thanks you Jesus for allowing our family to provide many needs to these families. Our prayer is that seeds were planted and each and every person present will know you as their personal Lord and Savior.
Choctaw African Christmas
Tonight was wonderful! We shared Christmas with two families from Choctaw County in our home. After much work and many phone calls, Tikisha Brooks-Graham, the social worker for Choctaw County Schools, was able to get a van and bring a family to Birmingham for the first time. Bobbi Bolden and her six boys, Imani, Edna Brooks (Kesha's mom), Kari, Demondre, and Mrs. Anderson, the school counselor arrived around 6:30pm. Mr and Mrs Santa Claus arrived with gifts and stockings for all of the children. Many friends and family attended to bring good tidings and hugs for these precious children. Bullen and Andrew from the Sudan were here, as well as Ricky Barwick from the Alabama Children's Home. We had chicken fingers, cupcakes and sweet tea. What a blast to watch these precious children look to Santa with respect and love. Rick told the Christmas Story about baby Jesus to all of the children. This will be a night to remember always. Thanks you Jesus for allowing our family to provide many needs to these families. Our prayer is that seeds were planted and each and every person present will know you as their personal Lord and Savior.
Lovelady Center
Tonight I met some new friends. Jennifer, Donna, Amy & Pat. They all live in the Lovelady Center in Woodlawn. Woodlawn is not the best part of city and as we arrived to have a Christmas Party with these ladies - an armed robbery was taking place at the center. Guns were pulled and the ladies running the front desk lost their purses and belongings. God protected us as we went in to minister and share the love of Jesus with these ladies. TCAB provided new Bibles for these ladies as gifts and we had subway sandwiches and chocolate desserts. It was so much fun to talk and share our life stories with each other. Janet Thorn and Janet Tatum will be continuing their Bible study with each of them on Monday's after the New Year. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to come to the party.
Stoves in Guat
What a great story I have to share with each of you reading this blog.
I am the co-leader for our trip to Guatemala leaving on Christmas Day at 5am. This means that for the past 6 months many lists have been made, sermons selected, international phone calls and translators scheduled, parties planned, crafts constructed, meetings with our team, money collected and raised, hours of planning for reservations and travel, etc etc. Mission trips involve much time and effort as you prepare to be Jesus' hands and feet in a third world country.
About the time this journey started, David Platt preached to our congregation about helping the poor and how God commands us to share. Dr. Platt encouraged each of us to take a hard look at ourselves and our material possessions. Great friends of ours, Robin and Jana Roberts, talked with us about donating funds for our trip. Robin told us that God had been speaking to him about giving lifelong gifts such as houses, property for farming, plots of land or something that the families could use for years to come. Robin asked us to check on how to purchase property or land while in Guatemala.
Of course, my wheels begin to turn and the search on google started for housing information in Guatemala. Each search produced information about cooking and stoves in the Mayan Indian villages around Lake Attilan. More research showed that most of the families cook on what is known as a three-stone fire. I found a construction team in Canada that travels each year to Guatemala to do nothing but build stoves. I emailed the "contact us" for information on the Guatemala Stove Project. The response led me to another source located in San Marcos, who selects families and schedules for stoves to be installed as they are purchased. I then began trying to connect the dots between how much do they cost, how do I transport them to Solola, who will build them, who will receive them, how will the family be selected and the list goes on and on. I had no idea where to begin to put this together and was very frustrated by lack of contacts and information. Little did I know (although I should have) that God was at work. He is in control of all things -EVEN STOVES in GUATEMALA.
John to Sudan
A 15 year old boy named John wanted to go to Mundri from Uganda for the holiday's to visit family. The trip is very long (2 or 3 days) and cost about 100.00 usd. Thanks to Western Union (Quick Money), John is on his way to Mundri by bus and taxi. Kamaru Martin - helped John, who is under age, pick up his money transfer. He will visit Andrew's sister in Juba, which is the first stop, while waiting for a taxi to Mundri to be with Andrew's mom and dad for the holidays.
Thank you, Jesus that we are able to help one another in a time of need. We give You all of the Glory.
Ricky Bobby Barwick
As a front row sitter at the 11 o'clock service at The Church at Brookhills, Rick was given the opportunity to meet and pray with a boy named Ricky from the Alabama Youth Home to accept Jesus Christ as his Saviour last year. This 18 year old young man has no mom or dad, has grown up in foster care most of his life, has one real sister a few years older, a brother in Tennessee who isn't his real brother, many health problems, no concept of real life, no clue on how to take responsibility or provide for himself, has repeated the 9th grade 3 times, has lived in every southeast state as foster families passed him on, has lost every job given and all of his stories are exaggerated or fantasized. Ricky has been given a new opportunity to go back and live with a former foster parent in Remlap, Alabama. It is a single divorced man named Commander. Ricky went to Remlap for Thanksgiving and fell off of a 4 wheeler and hurt his arm. After he was returned to the Youth Home, he was playing basketball with the other boys, tripped and fell hurting his arm again. To the doctor - Broken Arm from the 4 wheeler accident. According to social workers - Ricky will be leaving and going to live with Commander forever. Ricky just wants a family and to be accepted and loved. We will see Ricky one more time before he goes to his forever family.