WE MAKE PLANS BUT THE LORD STRAIGHTENS OUR WAYS

We had planned a whole week of activites focused on reaching out to the lost months before a group of Hot Springs Village Arkansas came, but the Lord showed us that no matter how much we plan we still depend on Him for things to happen. Some of the ladies in the group said they wanted to do a health screening. We talked to three young men that we knew would take advantage of that on hosting it in their communityin Pompano. The day we were going was Thursday evening. We talked to them again that Saturday and Sunday before to remind them we were coming the following Thursday. Everything was fine until Monday afternoon. We had taken Monday as a day off and I received a call while at the beach from Allan one of the young men from Pompano. He told me that their landlord said that if we set one foot in their apartment they would be kicked out. Naturally I told him not to worry about it we wanted to serve not to bring problems.

The next morning I went down on my knees and asked our Lord to lead us to where he wanted the health screenings. That day after lunch Victor Lopez a recently baptized brother came to eat with us from his break from work. I sat down to talk to him and he told me he was sad because he had a friend that had just been convicted for seventeen years in jail, and that his sister who lived in Pompano with five kids was very upset as well. I asked him if he thought she would like for us to go and cheer her up, and do some health screenings in her community. He smiled and called Martha right away and she said to please come. We did not know her, but the Lord knew she was hurting. We had many people that day take advantage of the health screening. Some were fromm Mexico, others from Honduras and some were even from Haiti. We thought of three young men, but the Lord saw a whole community needing His touch. That day Forest and I sat down with Cruz, Jose and Felipe and had a Bible study. This Thursday we will go back to continue our study. Many more are there, and Martha shared with us she has been praying to God for a Church to come and minister to the community.

PAUL PLANTED, APOLLO WATERED, BUT GOD MAKES IT GROW

Hello dear friends. God is great and active in our lives today as has always been. Last week Noemi a sister that came to the Lord last September, told us about a co-worker named Victor. He works with her at a local supermarket, and she had just met him for they had transfer him from another location. They sat down at lunch time and talked a while about Jesus.

She then told us to go and visit him at the market so that we could meet him. We went and met him and that same day he called me and asked me if I could meet him the next morning for a Bible study. We spent 3 and a half hours that day going through the book of acts. He told me he had been wanting to get baptized for a while now, but thought because of what others had told him he had to go through a three day retreat first and he didn't have three days to spare.

The next afternoon after work some of the church gathered to witness his baptism and welcome a new brother in Christ. The Lord had been preparing his heart for this moment, and with tears of joy he confess Christ as his savior and said he wanted to be obedient to His word. Praise God!

The Lord never ceases. He works all the time. And He shows us we just have to plant and water, because He'll make that seed grow in time.

We love you

Preciado's

WE BETTER WATCH OUT FOR NEVERLAND

Two Sundays ago on Mothers day was the first time I saw Pablo. He is a 45 year old man from Nicaragua in search for the Lord and His family. He will tell you how he got to Griffin road with a characteristic smile on his face. He was invited to services at the Sunset Church Of Christ in South Miami, by a friend of his. She did not show up that day, but he did. He attended the next Sunday, but it was an hour away from where he lived so he called the Church's secretary to find out about another Church closer to him.

He left a message because the secretary was out, but said he did not get a call back. He called again and this time he got an answer by the spanish associate minister Rolando who was very kind telling him he would get the information for him, but to this day a month later hasn't gotten back to him. He called his friend that had invited him, and asked her if she could call and find out for him. She called the Church's secretary and she gave her two names, one of which he called but the brother was out in Cuba and he couldn't get back to him. Then he called us and for some reason we did not answer the phone and he left us a message. When we discovered the message we called him right away, and sure enough gave him the address where we where located and the times.

He showed up that morning early, but I wasn't there yet because I had to go pick up people in Deerfield beach. He told me that he was at the nearby shopping center because he had a flat tire and he was changing it.

He finally made it and that same day after service we had him over at our home. We talked for about four hours. Scince then he has been attending and we will start a Bible study next Wednesday. He comes from a Catholic background, but is open and eager to learn about a personal God.

We better watch out, because I don't know many like Pablo. He was truly searching, but there may be others that even if they are and feel they have been turn down, could end up quiting. Who would be at fault?. Only our God can say, but as for me I know I better be more alert and watch out for the ones that the Lord is calling, otherwise they may end up in Neverland.

GO AHEAD, IT HAD TO BE GOD

Hello friends, once again I apologize for the long absence for those of you who still check on us through this pages.

Last thursday we had a very long work day. The kids had to go to work with Mom and Dad day at school, so Maribel took them with her to a 9:00 a.m. Bible study she has with a lady from Venezuela, while I went to my regular Bible study at the Library with Henry.
After that around 11:00 a.m. I picked them up and took them to Wal-Mart where a sister was going to pick them up to go to her house while Maribel spent some time with her grand parents that are catholic.

I went to have lunch with a brother that just lost his Mom and I wanted to spend some time with him. We were finished by 2:30 p.m. a long lunch and a very good time for sharing and then I went to North MIami to meet with a teen ager that is going through a rough time. When I got back at 5:00 p.m.
I picked up Maribel and the Kids and took them home where Mari hosts a ladies Bible study every thursday night, and I took of to go to Pompano to meet with four young adults to study Go'ds word. We finished around 10:30 p.m. and I was on my way home.

Maribel called me to tell me to get some milk for the kids because we were out. My first thought was to tell her that I would go early next morning, but I decided to stop at a CVS that I had seen had milk on sale.
Needless to say I was exauhsted from the whole day of work. When I got the milk I went in line and I saw from the corner of my eye a lady behind me with what it looked to be a hair care product. At first I thought to myself, " I'm not going to let her through, I'm tired and I want to go home" But immediatley after that I said to myself "listen to you a christian saying that let her go ahead". So I repented and turned around and told her "Go ahead" with a big smile in my face. she said "thanks". I heard her accent and asked her "are you from Peru?" well that did it. We went outside and talked with her husband, her 17 year old and her for 35 minutes. Carlos, Maritza and Alonso are their names. I invited them to Church, but said they couldn't go because they had to pick up their Mom from a cruise that day.

The next night, Friday we were comming out of a Bible study we have and I took another way home. I was passing through a Mcdonald's and I thought I saw the same car the peruvian family were driving the night before. So I turned into the parking lot, and followed the car around and signaling to stop. They stopped and sure enough it was them. They said they never saw anyone twice in a row and said it had to be God. So this last Sunday they worshiped with us and next wedesday we will have our first Bible study Praise God!.

So the next time you are getting milk and there happens to be someone in back of you, let them GO AHEAD you never know if maybe the Lord wants you to show who he is.

OPEN DOOR POLICY

Once again I have to apologize for my silence. If anything can excuse me is the small amount of time I spend behind a computer. But I wanted to share with you a recent mishap on my part.
Sunday the 18th, after we finished the service we went home as we usually do with the young adults following us. I was almost home when I recieved a call from Victor the brother that was baptized last month. He had stayed at the buiolding with his wife to clean up, but did not have a key to lock it up when he was through. One of the elders, or Andy Garcia one of the deacons, or I always stay to close the building. This time none of us did. I told Victor I would go back and lock up a little later, and told him to pull the door shut. He had called brother Allan one of our elders and he told him the same thing. That evening at seven I remember the door had been unlocked all this time, but english service was at six and it was too late for me to go back and lock it.
That day we recieved a phone call from John. He left us a message, because somehow we missed his call. Yesterday I found his message on my phone and the message said "Hello, my name is John and I wanted to know more about the church. Please call me back." I called him back right then. We went to see him at night. He lives about 20 minutes north of the church building. During our conversation I asked him how he got our number. He told me: "Last Sunday the 18th I was driving by the Church building and I pulled in. The parking lot was empty just a limo was parked outside. I tried coming in the front door but it was locked, but then I went to the other side and found that the other door was open. I walked in all the way hoping to find someone inside, but noone was there. So I took one of your cards and called and you know the rest of the story.
It turns out John was looking for a spanish service. We are the first building of three other churches along the same road, but our building had the door open that day. He found the church, or was it God leading him to us. I want to bilieve that it was all part of His plan. He always has an open door policy, whoever comes to Him and draws near him He in turn daws nearer.
We love you and will tell you more about John. For now pray for Him and for us as we continue to ask for guiadance and be alert to what God is doing and meet Him right there.

THE LORD CONTINUES CALLING

Last Sunday after service Victor Torrico came up by himself and confessed Christ as the Son Of God. He was immersed in water for the forgiveness of his sins and was sealed with the Holy Spirit. The word of the Lord says in John 10 "My sheep hear my voice". Jesus is the good Shepard and he keeps calling his sheep. His word is powerfull and convicts even the hardest of hearts.

Four days later Yolanda Carrillo took on Christ in baptism. She called her closest friends and co-workers, many of which don't know Christ yet to presence and be witnesses of her public confession about her belief in Christ as Lord. Yolanda came to the Church building for the first time last January 21st of the year 2006, when invited by a good friend Noemi who was baptized in September as you may recall. Since then they have been attending regular services and we have been going to their house tuesday nights for personal Bible studies. Roberto was agnostic, but the word has worked in his heart as well. And Martha their neighbor has been attending the Bible studies for about two months now. The Lord keeps calling, and he is patient with all because he wants all to be saved.

Let's keep on praying for Victor and Yolanda as they start their walk with Christ, and for Roberto, Martha, Maria and others around them that the Lord may continue using her and us as His instruments to bring more souls to Him, and glory to His precious name.

We Love you

Preciados'

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

After a long absence we are back to share with you what the Lord is teaching us while working for him in this area. The other day when we were picking up the kids from school, we saw Giancarlo and two other boys with one of the teachers. She was apparently correcting one of the boys for something he had done. When Isabella and Giancarlo we asked them about that boy. He said he is my friend and she said that the boy constantly bothered her calling her names. We got upset and said to Giancarlo "why are you hanging around a boy that is obviously a bad example, and on top of that bothers your sister?". He immediatly put his head down and said, "sorry, I was trying to be his friend and this way teach him about the love of Jesus hoping this way he would stop bothering my sister and change the way he behaves".

The Lord teaches us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, but sometimes we have to be reminded of that by a ten year old boy. We share this with you because we know you might be able to identify with us as parents trying to protect our children of bad influences, but at the same time doing exactly the oppossite by neglecting to apply God's word and his commandment to love one another. So the next time we know of someone not behaving the way God would like him too, we first have to ask ourselves our we?. They have the excuse that they don't know of the Lord's love yet, but we are called to show them that love so we better think twice before we say anything other than what God would want, because our kids, the world and God himself are watching.

We love you
Preciado's

GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING

Talking to someone the other day reminded me of giving thanks in everything. I know that thanksgiving dy is one of the biggest holidays in the United States. I really do think is a great holiday and a great opportunity to be together with family and remember that we owe it all to Christ. I'm not sure that that is what is celebrated in every household in the country. To be honest I'm not sure that that was the purpose of it in the first place.

For us christians we should be celebrating and giving thanks everyday of the year. Because of Christ sacrifice we have evrything we need. Sometimes we forget that there is no greater thing that salvation. And we are distracted by the influence and the things of this world. Even our own holidays. Sadly there are more suicides during this time of the year than there are in the whole year. And it doesn't happen just to non christians.

So let's remember to be thakful always. And look at the words that the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians on the 4th chapter. "Rejoice in the Lord always, and I say it again rejoice" (par) Because we like him have everything we need in Christ, so let's be thankful of that.