Mrs. Alice Berry, a member of Bethel's Church shares her experience with the teens and young people in Christina school, where they are taught the Word daily in a devotional period and twice in the classroom.She said:
"Working with the Building Family Values" in the Verbo School has been a tremendous experience, just by getting close to young people who are so excited about life and are looking for answers.
While working with approximately 300 hundred kids within the age range of 11-20 years old, I have learned that family values is sadly lacking in our society and teenage involvement in sexual activity is a result of the emptiness in their lives.Among the things I have learned during the six week period of working that:
1.They all need to be taught the basic facts of life, love and God.There is a need for intense work in building self-esteem.
2.Approximately more than 50% of the youth are involved in sexual activities and really don't care who is hurt in the process.
3.There has been an openness in the majority of the young people who apparently are desperately searching for someone in whom they can trust.
An incident that really shocked me was the story of a young girl, of only 11 years old, was induced to leave her home by a young man of 19 years old.She left her home and was sexually involved with this young man.We visited the family and spoke to the girl personally about the consequences of her behavior, also advising her about the way she should take care of herself.
I pray that God will continue to give us the wisdom and love to share as we work with the children in Bluefields, Nicaragua."
Saturday, July 24, 2004
Thirteen teenagers met on Saturday, July 24th for the first Youth Ministries Group's meeting.That core group has met before through different activities, like Sunday School and games in the church.But at this time, we knew that they were ready for the work of ministry in order to develop their different gifts for the Kingdom.Twice a month, they will be involved in a Bible Study, to get them ready for their calling as disciples of Christ.One Saturday of the month, they will visit a friend who is in need and the last Saturday is to play, to paint, to cook, etc.At this point, Ketly is leading the group because none of the church's members has experience in that area.
In that first meeting, Ketly asked them to identify needs around them so we could go to minister accordingly.Surprisingly, the first visit was to an older man who lives alone.They were really looking out!An evidence of that is the way they were able to share of what they have to bring to the man.Their hearts were more open than I thought because they also shared of their resources with the old man.For that reason, we should continuously expose teenagers and young people to such ministries in order to nurture what God has already given to them, if not, Satan will come and rob these beautiful gifts that they have and they will grow to look only inward and not outward.
Please, pray for this group of young people who are disciples of Christ, but who are being tempted everyday by their peers to deny Jesus Christ.Just like Jesus prayed for Peter, continue to pray for them so they could stand firm in their relationship with Christ, so they will become the great evangelists, missionaries, pastors, for this town who desperately needs a spiritual renewal.
We know that you have the same challenges in the USA and Puerto Rico; therefore, we highly recommend you to expose your teenagers and young people to Work and Witness Team at home and overseas.They are great opportunities to recognize, to nurture and to expand the gifts that God has given them so God will change their destiny for Himself and for His glory.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Every Tuesday from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Vital started a Discipleship Class with eleven people on July 27, where eight of the people are new in the church – Praise the Lord!That class takes approximately two years in order to finish the four books of MasterLife. We pray and trust in the Lord for their keeping in His hands so they will continue to be with Him and bring others to His light.
Six of them are part of one family, including father, mother, daughters and son in laws, who we have known through a child that they had in the After School Program.Approximately, three years ago, we visited their home and shared the Gospel.The seed grew and they were ready to harvest.This time, they came every Sunday afternoon to the swimming pool, but one Sunday, they decided to stay for the afternoon Worship Service, and since then, they have not stopped coming to church.The Fletes' family has their own business in the market and they are very busy people.In spite of their busy schedule, they are on time for the class because their hungry for the Word and they are being satisfied because Christ is doing the changes in their lives.Praise the Lord!
Please, continue to pray for that group that is growing spiritually.
July 30, 2004
"Dona" Flora came and her son, of approximately 26 years old, came to church on Sunday, July 25th and on the Friday, July30th he was being buried, our first burial ceremony in Bethel Church.In our prayer time in the worship service, he stood up and asked for prayer because he wanted to be reconciled with the Lord, also asked for healing.On Monday, he went to work in the sea and on Thursday, they found him drown.That is one of the common accidents in the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua.
Through his death, the family of "Dona" Flora has been coming to church regularly.The church family had the opportunity to minister to their lives and the Lord is bringing them one by one.Dona Flora's grandchildren and a daughter in law, Yoconda, have accepted the Lord and have been coming regularly to church.
That painful experience of physical death has brought spiritual life in the family and the church.
August 7, 2004
Five of our teenage boys that have been coming to church since our beginning were giving problems.None of these boys have a father figure in their homes and their mothers don't know what to do with them.Therefore, Vital started a discipleship class with them on Saturday, August 17, before the Youth Ministries' Group.
While Vital is with the boys, Ketly is also teaching three teenage girls that are in the same situation of broken homes.One of Ketly's girls is Yamileth, who was abandoned by her mother and she is living with her father, brother and stepmother.She is a very sad 15-year-old girl, but we are praying and trusting for His touch to fill her lack with His love.God is able to do more than we ever expected.
Mrs. Emelina has been giving Discipleship Class to Daisy, a 15-year-old girl who came to church through a team that came to practice soccer in our court.Through Daisy, her whole family is coming to church.Please, pray that her parents will take the step to get married.That is one of the big problems in Bluefields – the majority of people are not married; which gives them the freedom to jump from one woman or man to another woman or man.This situation has created a lot of insecurity and lack of commitment in the family.
We are trusting in the Lord, who will make a difference in the lives of these children and young people that are being ministered in the church.
Sunday, August 22, 2004
When Shelly entered to the church for the Worship Service at 5:00 PM, she asked:"What do you have tonight?"Since the month of July, God has been showing us that the harvest is ready; therefore, we should go and see which fruit is ready so we could harvest it.For the last four years of existence of Bethel, the Lord has given us the opportunity to sow so much seeds to the children in Bluefields through the After School Program and to their parents through regular visitation.Therefore, the answer to Shelly's question is that:"God is calling His people to Bethel".We are reaching a point that for Sunday School in the morning and for Worship Service in the evening, we don't have any more chairs.We just ordered a carpenter to make 50 more chairs.Please, pray that very soon, all the 50 chairs will be filled with His children.
Since we returned back from the United States, we have taken the time with each person that is coming to the church and have a debriefing time with them.During this year that we were out, they needed this time to empty out their hearts, so God was cutting dry branches so they could start bearing fruits.As a church, we have practiced to empty out in confession before the Lord and each other so the Lord will fill us with His blessings in all areas of our lives.Any time that we are emptying us out and dying to selves, we are allowing the life of Jesus to be obvious in our lives and others around us will desire that life flowing inside of us.
We praise God that in such a short time, we are already experiencing the blessings of having new people in the church.Please, continue to pray for the church so we would never stop with this process in order for God to use us to be a blessing for the people in Bluefields and around the world.