PROVISION FOR TWO CHURCH BUILDINGS

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Published: Thursday, 21 June 2012 13:31

Jose Andres and his wife Alina were gloriously converted to Christ 5 years ago. Jose was a computer technician and his wife was a medical doctor. After their conversion, they plugged their lives into Maranatha Baptist Church and begin to blossom for the glory of God. Three years ago, Bro. Garry and I taught “Christ-Centered Evangelism” for the missionaries and cell group leaders of the Holguin District. It was during that week, in the conference, that the Holy Spirit called Jose and Alina to be “full-time missionary church planters”! Both of them surrendered to the call of the Lord; and they both left their careers behind, to give their lives to be one of the 25 church planters under Maranatha Baptist Church, which we have the joy of supporting! After some intense training, they were placed in a house mis-sion church in an area called Mayabe. During the last two years there have been 27 men and women who have been converted and baptized; and 21 more adults have testified of conversion and are in the process of a ‘15 week disci-pleship study’ in preparation for their baptism. They have 71 active members in this mission. For Sunday school and worship services they were meeting in a dilapidated building with a very flimsy wooden roof and partial walls. Just as in all my past trips to Cuba, I brought over $5,000 beyond the regular expenses for the conference, for the purpose of meeting specific needs that might open up before me, during the week. As I stepped onto this property of this mission at Mayabe, I knew in my heart that this was a Divine appointment to meet some of those financial needs. I knew that this was one of the places, to which the Holy Spirit desired for us to be an additional “channel of blessing” to our brothers and sisters in Christ. I asked Pastor Jose, “Have you considered building a concrete structure on this property?” He told about some plans that he had compiled and given to the senior pastor. I asked him how much the church building would cost! He replied, “2,300 Euros”, which is almost $3,000. When Garry and I walked into the wooden shack that they were presently meeting in, there was a group of church members assembled, which greeted us with 2 of my favorite Spanish Christian songs. Then pastor Jose begin to read from John 14, where the Lord Jesus promises, “I go to prepare a place for you”. He encouraged us for a few moments about our eternal home, which is awaiting us in Heaven. But as he was teaching, I knew in my soul that I was to be used as a channel of provision to meet their desperate present need for a building, in which they could worship the Lord, disciple believers and reach out to this area with the gospel. When Bro. Jose concluded, I responded to Jose by saying, “Pastor, the Lord Jesus has not only prepared a place in heaven for you; He has also provided a place for you here, on this property; because the Holy Spirit has laid on my heart to give the entirety of the funds needed for a concrete building today!” The con-gregation began to weep and rejoice in one accord. Jose said, “Last August, I called the church together and ex-horted them to begin praying for God to supply us with a concrete building. We would have never raised this amount of funds in the extreme poverty in which we live. But, I told them that we are going to ask the Holy Spirit to send a man who will be a channel for God to provide. Our Father has answered our prayers today! Glory to GOD!

Garry and I also had the great joy to visit “The Mount of Olives Baptist Mission” in Las Anguilas. Last year, once again because of your faithful giving, we were able to give the entire funds to purchase a house and two acres of property, for the purpose of converting it into a local Baptist church facility. The mission was meeting in a number of houses. But now, they have a facility in which to worship, to disciple and to reach out to this needy town. This pastor, “Bro. Eddie” and his family, also have made a portion of this house to be their full-time home. So now, Pas-tor Eddie and his wife are able to live among the town that they are reaching out to, with the gospel. The Lord also allowed us to be a channel of personal financial blessing to a number of the missionaries to meet immediate personal needs. Support was given for the senior adult ministry that Maranatha Baptist Church conducts on a weekly basis. In this outreach they evangelize and disciple elderly people who live in local communist facilities in the Hol-guin District. The Lord has opened amazing doors for this church to reach out into senior adult facilities that were preciously closed to ministry. Many of them are being converted, baptized and discipled! God also used many of you to supply the entire expenses for the food and the other provisions for the conference, in which hundreds of church planters, pastors and cell group leaders were fed each evening, with not only spiritual food, but with physical food! They are so many other stories to tell about this trip, but I will just end by saying, all glory goes to our God and our King.