July 9, 2011~ Dominican Republic

Today has been full of great things. We started off eating breakfast down at Chez Irene. We invited Julio and Mercy this morning so they could meet Irene and continue the relationship after we leave. They have already invited her to a local church they attend here in the area.

After breakfast we headed to Boca Chica to check out all the baseball games that were being played by the players who are at the baseball academies that are owned and operated by the big leagues. We were able to see the Reds, Diamondbacks, Orioles, Twins, Cubs, Marlins, Rangers and Mets organizations. You can see pictures here

When we left there, we headed to eat lunch with Vincent and his friend Max. Vincent is a close friend of Julio and Mercy. He is from Italy and comes here for business mostly but sometimes he visits just for pleasure. This trip is just for pleasure. Vincent is a great guy and his friend Max served as a representative for the Italians here in the Dominican for a while but he has ventured out on his own into some other areas of business, mainly helping people see what this country is all about. Did I tell you that Max speaks like 4 or 5 different languages? These two connections were great to make and we will be spending some time with both in the near future.

We left lunch and headed towards Monte Largo, where we were able to meet with Pastor Manny and discuss some ministry projects. We also had the privilege of being able to provide a meal for this community. For many of them, it was probably the only meal that they were able to eat all day. There are some pictures of the church and the people here

We ended the evening down the street at La Movida, where I had Hawaiian Pizza with fresh pineapple and ham on it. It was by far the best Hawaiian pizza I have ever had. We spent the night continuing conversations about our future ministry trips and ministry partnerships. I love these people

July 8, 2011~ Dominican Republic

Today has been a great day of amazing Gospel centered conversations. We went back down to Chez Irene for breakfast and continued our conversation with Irene, our new 75yr old friend from Sweden who runs Chez Irene out of the front of her house. She thinks the Bible has a lot of great things for us to think about but doesn't necessarily believe that there is anything that is 100 percent true. She loves and studies humanistic thinking, even though she was once married to a pastor and grew up in a pentecostal home.

After breakfast we headed to Santo Domingo where we met with the headmaster of a walked christian school in town that educates close to 180 students from K-8th grade. This school reminds us a lot of GCS back home. They have learned to do a lot with a little. The headmaster is a man who loves the Lord and frequently told us that everything they do at this school is based on the gospel. you can watch the video here



We then headed to Boca Chica where we ate lunch and talked with Julio and Mercy about all the the Lord is doing and dreamed about future ministry together. We then went to what they call the Boca Chica Baseball Complex. This is where many of the major league teams have some of their farm leagues. as we drove through a portion of the complex we saw the Cubs, Soxs, Twins, Reds, Orioles, and Diamondbacks field houses. They start games at 10am tomorrow, so after we go down and visit with Irene, we will head to Boca Chica to watch some baseball.

We ended the evening with dinner at BocaMarina which is awesome. There is a picture posted on my Facebook Page . I have always loved the Dominican Republic but I am falling more and more in love with it daily. I love the conversations we are having about the gospel and ministry opportunities that lie ahead of us in the near future.

Tomorrow, we will be heading out to see Pastor Manny and his church plant in Monte Largo. We are actually going to be able to provide a meal for the people there. I am excited about sitting down with Pastor Manny and talking about what all the Lord has done since our last visit in December. He has already expressed the need for shoes for the people of Monte Largo. This will be something we will be looking at in the very near future.

July 7, 2011~ Dominican Republic

I am back in the Dominican Republic. We will be bringing some students here in December and we are trying to put some final details together for that trip. I woke up this morning and was able to spend some time studying the scriptures as I gazed out over my balcony into God's beautiful creation.


I love spending time with Julio and Mercy, they are great friends and serve as amazing ministry contacts here in the Dominican Republic. We are praying for some very big God sized things to take place in the future.



We walked down the street this morning looking for some breakfast. I noticed a sign that said, "we speak English, Spanish and French". I walked up to the lady and asked her is they served breakfast. She replied, "what do you want? would you like eggs and ham and coffee?" Of course, I could not refuse so I tole her yes. We sat down and I watched her walk down the street to the market and come back with some eggs. Not too long later, I had fresh scrambled eggs, ham, bread and hot coffee sitting in front of me.

As we ate, we carried on a conversation with Irene. She is from Sweden and has lived her since 2000 when she moved here with her husband. After talking for a little bit, she told us that her husband had passed away in 2002 and she has been living here ever since running this bar cafe'/bar out of the front of her building. We asked her how often she makes lunch, since breakfast was so good. That is when we found out that she doesn't really serve food anymore, because she leases out the space next to her to the restaurant that wasn't open at that time during the morning. I have to be honest, I love the fact that she made us breakfast. The people here seem to be so real. Of course, lets be honest she knew we were not from here and knew she could make a few bucks. So after spending 3.00 on breakfast, we continued our conversation which led to her telling us that she was a retired teacher. We told her we were teachers and that I was a pastor and she began to tell us how she grew up in a pentecostal family.

After several minutes, she told me that she had studied religion but in the humanistic sense. She said she knew nothing was 100 percent true but she knew the Bible had a lot of great things in it to align our lives with. I plan of going and having breakfast a few more times this week, so I can continue my conversation with Irene. Will you pray for her? Will you pray for more gospel moments with her? Will you pray for more gospel centered conversations for us, while we are here?

We went to lunch with Julio and Mercy and then spend some time driving around looking at possible lodging for our mission teams. We will be looking at some other possible ministry sites as well. Pray for our time with the schools we will visit and our time in Monte Largo and Dos Hermanos.

Reflections From Sunday

This past Sunday at Gateway Fellowship, we discussed Altars and Monuments. If you missed the service you can catch it here at June5@GatewayTV . This week we looked at what it means to live our lives in such a fashion that we are SENT. We also reflected on all of the altars that have been built in our individual lives and the life of Gateway Fellowship Church. God has been good!! If you were not able to be here this past Sunday, you can catch the service here at June12@GatewayTV

We gave ourselves a challenge a couple weeks ago. We submitted ourselves to reading the book of Philippians as a way of reminding us about rejoicing and joy. The words "rejoice" or "joy" are used more than 15 times in this 4 chapter letter that Paul writes to the saints in Philippi.

Here is a link that you can use to read this letter this week::
Philippians

Here are a few ways to stay connected with our church::

Gateway Fellowship Facebook
Gateway Fellowship Twitter

Here are a few things coming up in the life of our church::

...Men's Breakfast, Saturday, June 18 @ 8am @GFchurch
...Jammies & Java, Saturday , June 25 @ 9am @ The Fonfara's
...Family Luncheon, Sunday, June 26 immediately following the service


ConnectGroup Schedule::

WedNite @ 7pm @ The Brown's
ThursNite @ 7pm @ The Snow's



I love our church
I love our people
I love our team
I love what He is doing in us
I love what He is doing to us
I love what He is doing through us

Reflections From Sunday

Two Sundays ago, we discussed living a life of Joy. We looked at the statement found in the Wesminster Confession that states, "the chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever". We read Galatians 4 and 5 and walked through some things that rob us of our joy. We talked about things like unmet expectations, unresolved conflict, and unconfessed sin. If you missed the service you can catch it here at GatewayTV . This week we looked at the story of Joshua and building the altar at Gilgal as a reminder of the hand of God on the Israellites and how He continued to be a rescuer for them. We asked ourselves questions like, "when was the last time God dried up the ground for you to walk on?". We also reflected on all of the altars that have been built in our individual lives and the life of Gateway Fellowship Church. God has been good!! If you were not able to be here this past Sunday, you can catch the service here

We gave ourselves a challenge last week. We submitted ourselves to reading the book of Philippians as a way of reminding us about rejoicing and joy. The words "rejoice" or "joy" are used more than 15 times in this 4 chapter letter that Paul writes to the saints in Philippi.

Here is a link that you can use to read this letter this week::
Philippians

Here are a few ways to stay connected with our church::

Gateway Fellowship Facebook
Gateway Fellowship Twitter

Here are a few things coming up in the life of our church::

...Men's Breakfast, Saturday, June 18 @ 8am @GFchurch
...Jammies & Java, Saturday , June 25 @ 9am @ The Fonfara's
...Family Luncheon, Sunday, June 26 immediately following the service


ConnectGroup Schedule::

WedNite @ 7pm @ The Brown's
ThursNite @ 7pm @ The Snow's



I love our church
I love our people
I love our team
I love what He is doing in us
I love what He is doing to us
I love what He is doing through us

Reflections From Sunday

This past Sunday, we discussed living a life of Joy. We looked at the statement found in the Wesminster Confession that states, "the chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever". We read Galatians 4 and 5 and walked through some things that rob us of our joy. We talked about things like unmet expectations, unresolved conflict, and unconfessed sin. If you missed the service you can catch it here at GatewayTV

We gave ourselves a challenge this week. We submitted ourselves to reading the book of Philippians this week as a way of reminding us about rejoicing and joy. The words "rejoice" or "joy" are used more than 15 times in this 4 chapter letter that Paul writes to the saints in Philippi.

Here is a link that you can use to read this letter this week::
Philippians

Here are a few ways to stay connected with our church::

Gateway Fellowship Facebook
Gateway Fellowship Twitter

Here are a few things coming up in the life of our church::

...Jammies & Jave, Saturday, April 28th @ 8am @GFChurch
...Family Worship, Sunday May 22nd @ 10:30am
...Family Luncheon, Sunday, April 22nd immediately following the service


ConnectGroup Schedule::

WedNite @ 7pm @ The Brown's
ThursNite @ 7pm @ The Snow's



I love our church
I love our people
I love our team
I love what He is doing in us
I love what He is doing to us
I love what He is doing through us

Happiness and Holiness

How is it, people often ask, that so many professing believers have so little happiness in their religion? How is it that so many know little of joy and peace in believing, and go mourning and heavy-hearted towards heaven? The answer to these questions is a sorrowful one, but it must be given. Few believers attend as strictly as they should to Christ’s practical sayings and words. There is far too much loose and careless obedience to Christ’s commandments. There is far too much forgetfulness, that while good works cannot justify us, they are not to be despised. Let these things sink down into our hearts. If we want to be eminently happy, we must strive to be eminently holy.

~ J.C. Ryle

As the Westminster Confession states, "the chief end is the glorify God and enjoy Him forever". Do we as believers in Jesus Christ live our lives in such a manner that is worthy of the gospel of Christ? Do we honestly believe that Christ is more glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him? The scriptures call and compel us to live our lives as holy and pleasing unto Him.

Challenge: Live your life in the Freedom that Christ has given you. You are not shackled by your circumstances. Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever