ADOPTION AND A NEW IDENTITY

Dear Family and friends. It has been a while since you last heard from us. We apologize, but we literaly have not had time to write. We have many great news.

The Lord has blessed us with a new birth. He has adopted one more son as His own. Last Sunday night we went to the local beach to baptize Luis Felipe Cordova. He is twenty years old and a new baby in Christ. I have been having breakfast with him since December and after the breakfast a Bible study. We also study with his whole family Friday nights.

Lately we have been thinking a lot about adoption. Last Monday we were invited to dinner by Andy and Belinda Garcia. We finally were free that night and accepted gladly. Their daughter came to dinner as well. She works at an adoption agency called Shepard Care. She shared with us a case that was on her mind about two beautiful kids that were put up for adoption. The boy 9 years old and the girl 7 years old. Maribel and I looked at each other and it was as if we both knew what we had to do.

Later that Friday we were at a meeting with the director of the adoption agency discussing the possibility of adopting the kids. "They have been through a lot, specially this last two months" he said. Their adoptive parents took them because they had a natural born son that is autistic and they could not handle the three of them. With tears in their eyes the agency took them and we believe the Lord put them in our Hands.

"We are going to give them a new name!" we said. And we are going to love them and tell them they are the most special thing that the Lord has given us in a long time. But most of all we are going to tell them about Jesus and the Love He has for all of us.

We come to Christ much like this. He takes us in the way we are. He gives us a new name. He gives us a new position. He showers us with love. And is up to us to remember what He did when He adopted us. Sure we can't erase the past, but we can live the present knowing that there is no greater love than the one that God shows by adopting us through Jesus.

A new name, a new family, a new identity. A new life full of hope and hope in Christ, the name above all names.

MAN DOES NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE

After a long absence due in part of lack of time, we come to you with some updates about new years resolutions. Well one of them was to start a strict diet to loose the pounds aquired mainly during our stay in Arkansas. That hasn't worked very well, but is not all a bad thing.

We are getting together with people in their homes to share a meal, and also I Carlos have breakfast three times a week with two college age guys and a 40 year old single dad. We eat first sometimes and then have a Bible study. Sometimes at the homes we have the Bible study first and then we eat.

I have a Bible study breakfast Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And Maribel and I have a Bible study Dinner Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays sometimes lunch study as well. But you see we get to know the people while we eat, and we get to share the most important food of all the word of God. This is the food that fills us up.

We praise God for Physical food, (specially me). But we praise him even more for the spiritual food, the one that is everlasting.

So you see we haven't been able to start our diet, but at the same time we are having the Lord's diet when he said to the disciples in John 4 "My food is to do the will of God, and to finish His work". (par)

Until next time. Right now we are getting ready to buy some food.

In His Love;
Carlos and Maribel

From Rags To Riches

Ana is a native from Cuba that arrived to the United States three months ago. That's when we met her. We have developed a friendship with her and Osmani her husband, Grabiel their son and Jenny their four year old daughter. Maribel and I were invited to their house to eat and we brought her a coffee maker. She did not know how to use it. "When I lived in Cuba I lived in extreme poverty" she said. Later that day we took them to the building for and english class and then a Bible study. Their very first one.
The next day there was a ladies class in the building to learn how to make quilts and other things. The rags or little pieces of cloth were all over the place. As soon as Ana came in the door she was welcomed by three of our english elderly sisters with all the love of Christ. They hugged her and welcomed her and as soon as she sat down one of them opened her sawing machine and gave it to her to use it. Ana's eyes lit up and immediately she asked Maribel for help to learn how to use the automatic singer. She said that in Cuba she used a tractor to saw.
After the class on the way home Ana said to us "I felt rich by being there today. I have never felt so special. Those ladies were very nice and even let me use their machine without knowing me."
She felt the love of Christ and the real riches in this Life. She went from rags to riches in a couple of hours from something that was done over 2000 years ago.
"For you all know of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich" 2Corinthians 8-9.
Let us all go from rags to riches in Christ.
Love always;
Carlos and Maribel Preciado

GOOD INTENTIONS

Last Thursday I had breakfast with Tony the person that sold us the ad we run in a local newspaper. I gave him directions to get to the place, but my directions were wrong. He could not find the place for half an hour until I realized I had given him the wrong directions. My intentions were good, because I wanted to get him where we were going to have breakfast, but the directions were wrong.
After breakfast we had an informal Bible study, and I told Tony that though our parents had good intentions of showing us the way to God, they were giving us the wrong directions. Jesus said that "He is the way, the Truth and the Life and noone comes to the Father but through Him."
He had to leave suddenly after he recieved a call, but that day we both learned something. It does not matter how good your intentions are, if you do not know the correct way, you will always be lost.

HEALTH EXPO

Our dear friends, brothers and sisters in the Lord. We have been blessed throughout this first month of January meeting lots of people that will Lord willing will get to know the Lord.
We have been praying, planning and preparing for an event we will have this saturday 21st of January. It will have as the main theme Health. We will have three speakers talk about the physical, mental and most important spiritual health. These will talk about the importance of a wholistic need with Christ being the center and main focus of all. We have been promoting the event throughout Broward county with flyers, posters, newspaper adds, T.V., and word of mouth. We will have booths that will have information about all the health related themes and in the spiritual booths we will have all the ministries offered at the Griffin Road Church (Iglesia De Cristo). The event is targeted to the growing hispanic community and we expect as many as 300 in attendance that day. We will have a follow up Bi-Lingual Service the next day and hopefully many Bible studies.
Pray for the people that will get to hear the Lord's word and for all of us that we may use it according to His will.
Also pray for Enrique, Marisela and Rosita a new family from Mexico that we are studying the Bible with. Also for Jose and Leonor that will attend Church services for the first time this Sunday, also Felipe and Maria de los Angeles that we will pick up on Sunday to attend for the first time as well. They too are from Mexico. Also for Daniel and Sarah whom we met at a "Pollo Tropical" (a fast food cuban chicken place) who were looking for a Church to attend that started at noon and will start comming with us this Sunday. Also pray for Silvia, Maritza, Jessica, Melva, Elsa, Ana and Omar, Ruben, Ademir and Henry who we are talking to and getting to know to one day soon start a Bible study with them.
We are still looking for our home, but we are greatful in the meantime to be blessed with many people that are looking for him to cover all aspects of our health.
May He that can do imeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, keep you with all His peace, mercy and love.
We love you.
Carlos and Maribel Preciado

EXPO-SALUD

Estamos empezando un 2006 emocionados, confiando que Dios tiene grandes planes para el Sur de la Florida. EXPO-SALUD es el evento que estamos trabajando y promoviendo,y tendra lugar el 21 de Enero en las instalaciones de la Iglesia, aqui en Griffin Road. Hemos hablado con muchos negocios locales y nos han dado su apoyo. Seguimos orando por el desarrollo exitoso de este evento, para la gloria de Dios! Y por muchas oportunidades de mostrar el amor de Dios a la comunidad latina aqui en Broward. Cuerpo, Mente y Alma, sera el tema central de este evento y trataremos de mantener una informacion-educativa del mismo tema todo este 2006!

Bendiciones para todos en esta nueva etapa! Nuevo caminar...pero recordemos que hay un solo destino....DIOS!

Chit Chat

Monday right after christmas, Maribel and I went to get some gas at the gas. I went in to get a reciept after pumping gas and then I walked out. I decided to use the restroom so I went back inside and there was a guy waiting to use it for it was occupied. We started talking and it turned out he was visiting from Fort Myers for the holiday and was on his way back. I told him tobe careful on the road back and told him about our dear Jim. I told him we were missionaries and that we taught the Bible and gave him my card. Also that if he was interested in learning more about Jesus to call me, because I had a friend that was getting together witha group to study the word.
Tuesday evening came and I recieved a call from Marvin the guy at the gas station that I met the night before. He told me if I could call my friend, because he wanted to study more about Jesus. I had called my friend already and told him "wait for his call".
Wednesday night I was at a retreat for leaders in Eustus Fl. and I got a call from Roberto my friend the minister from Naples Florida, and he told me that someone wanted to speack to me. It was Marvin. I got so excited tears came out of my eyes. He thank me for telling him about the studies and told me he had been with Roberto the whole day telling people about Christ. I told him that the Lord was looking for him and that I was only an instrument. And with a little chit chat we both found that out.
Praise God for using us in His Kingdom.

Hand Dipped Ice Cream

Last Saturday we picked up from the port of Fort Lauderdale Jim and Charlotte Mabery. We asked them if they wanted to have something to eat and Jim said he wanted hand dipped ice cream. I did not know what that was, but when he told me we went looking for a place that had it at 10 in the morning. Thank God we found it and Jim had what he wished for. I think our Lord gave him the desires of his heart. We were listening carefully as they told us all about their experience in the cruise, and then as he often did Jim told us a poem. It was about a magnificent sailboat that a crowd was watching as it sailed until it got lost in the horizon. Some were sad because they could not see it anymore, but others were happy thinking that one day they would see it again. He told us that we as christians should not be sad when one departs, because we know we will see each other again someday.

I wish we could say that we were not sad when we heard the news about Jim. Just the morning before he had called us to tell us that there were two baptisms in the spanish group. He encouraged us to keep the good work and keep preaching the gospel of good news. He was actively being a christian until he was called up by Christ. We are grateful to our Lord that we had the priviledge of getting to know a true soldier for the cause of Christ. And we know he got his hand dipped ice cream like he very much desired it, but more than that we know the Lord gave him his biggest wish to see Him face to face. To be with him forever in eternity.

See you later Jim Mabery. A true example to follow the way he followed Christ.

We pray for all his family to be like that crowd that was happy watching as the sailboat disapeared in the horizon, knowing that on the other side is much prettier and that one day they too will see him again.

We love you very much.

Carlos and Maribel Preciado
Proverbs 17:17

Nacimiento de Jesus

Estamos impresionados del fenomeno que ocurre en estas fechas aqui en el Sur de la Florida. Muchas personas llenan los Centros Comerciales, buscando ofertas, comprando y comprando...pero, y... Jesus? No se trata de El esta celebracion? Bueno, no se, pero la gente no tiene tiempo de estudiar la Biblia... pues esta "ocupada". Amigos y hermanos aprovechemos este tiempo que la publicidad habla de Jesus, y hablemos de Jesus, compartamos de El. En un mundo lleno de prisas...detengamonos a reflexionar sobre aquel que NACIO para MORIR en una cruz por nosotros. Tambien moriremos... y adonde iremos..."separados de mi, nada podeis hacer" dice Cristo.
Bendiciones
Carlos y Maribel Preciado

Upgrades

This last few days we have seen all we can take in apartments. As is one sign says. Completely remodeled with all the upgrades says another one. It got us thinking about our lives. The Lord takes us as is, or rather as we are. But He wants us to be like Christ with all the upgrades.

We have been very fortunate to look at lives becoming from as is to the potential they have in Christ. This week we started Sunday with the baptism of a 19 year old from Honduras. Enoc is his name and he had been studying with Wilfredo one of the spanish members at Griffin road. We met him the first weekend we were here and studied with him just a couple of times. His heart was ready to be remodeled and changed by the Love of Christ.

Tonight another soul was rescued by God from this world. Consuelo a native of Guatemala in her 50's accepted the Lord as her Savior and was baptized. Brother Alan MaCafee had been studying with her and we studied with her also. After the study tonight she told Maribel and I "I want to be baptized".

Praise God for the as is sign. We will buy an apartment this Saturday Lord willing as is, but we already saw the potential of what it can become. Just as the Lord takes us as is, and sees the potential of what we can become in Him with all of the upgrades.

Friends And Family Visit South Florida

We are so greatful for the encouragement we recieved from Dave and Karen while they were here. We felt very loved and apreciated their visit even though it was for a few hours. It meant a lot to us that they drove almos a days work to see us.

Also last Saturday we picked up at the airport Jim and Charlotte Maybery whom we went to eat lunch with before their departure to the Caribbean. We enjoyed our visit and were encouraged by them also.

The Lord blesses us with relationships that we may feel loved by him through them. Thank all of you who take the time to call and write and pray for us. It makes us feel that we are still there with you.

We love you very much.

Carlos and Maribel Preciado
Provervs 18:24

When The Trees Fall The Lord Picks Them Up

We have had some time now to adjust. We are still looking for a house, but like one of the elders said to us we shall wait on the Lord. Honestly, sometimes we get side tracked when we start consentrating only on the physical. And even though we still do not know where we will live, we already have an idea where the next church plant will be Lord willing.
We celebrated our 8th aniversary going for a stroll by the sea at Bay side mall in Miami. We had fun looking back to how the Lord has always helped us up when we were down. Today we had breakfast with a couple from Cuba that encouraged us very much. We went over to their old house that they had just sold to help them lift up a tree that had fallen down with the hurricane. That's when we realized that the Lord always helps us when we fall. He sends people, sons and daughters, friends that help us to get up. That tree was standing up when we left, but it is held up by a pbc tube until it can get rooted again. We will always have Christ holding us until he calls us to him.
We are greatfull to our Lord for the falls we've had while we've been married and how we can clearly see how He and only He got us back up to continue standing.

Open Hearts

This week was a blessed week. We began two Bible studies with two different couples. Roque and Guillermina are new christians and Roque's sister is not yet. We are studying with them on Wednesdays nights just before the service. Also Luis and Rocio who have been attending for about five months, but are not yet christians. We study with them every Friday from 6 to 8 p.m.. Next time they will have their neighbor Ana in the study. We pray that the word of the Lord brings forth fruit soon.

We also met many people this last week. Patricia is a hair dresser from Colombia. She moved to Florida last year after living in New York City for 24 years. She says she likes it here but could live without the Hurricanes. She wants to come to Church and is open to study the word in the near future.

A very good friend Pablo Escuza came this last Sunday to Church. He lives about 45 minutes away. He is a devoted Catholic. We pray we can continue looking at the word with him. We feel very happy that he attended the service.

Last Saturday we had a lunch to thank some of the brothers and sisters who supported us this year. The whole team was ther to help us serve and it was a great time of fellowship. We thank God for the hearts of service that these brothers and sisters have.

We wish evryone a happy thanksgiving! and May the Lord keep showing you His Love.

"Arboles Caidos"

Queria compartir algo impresionante de la llegada a la Florida, toda la ciudad de Broward y Miami, estaba llena de arboles caidos, por las calles se veian solo destrozos...los arboles mas fuertes arrancados de raiz! Increible! Para decir la verdad, nuestra llegada, con ese ESCENARIO no fue muy alentadora, senti un poco de tristeza y pense: "no se si este sea el mejor momento para haber llegado". Ese mismo Domingo el hermano Allan Mc Afee predico acerca de Ezequiel, y la vision de los HUESOS que al escuchar la palabra de Dios, se volvieron cuerpos... y pense que Dios nos estaba dando una leccion; en medio de esos "arboles caidos" esta la esperanza, la gente esta buscando respuestas, y aunque la ciudad no se vea BONITA, la belleza esta alli, esta ciudad con la palabra de Dios puede renacer y lucir mejor, es la palabra la que transforma las vidas, las apariencias cambian... Dios es quien actua, nosotros somos los instrumentos. Seguimos orando por corazones dispuestos, y cada dia conocemos a alguien que quiere saber del amor de Dios! GLoria a El, por que de EL, por El y para El son todas las cosas!! Bendiciones, Carlos y Maribel Preciado

We Were Blind, But Now We See

This first week has been full of emotions. There is no doubt that we are back to reality. For the past ten months we were secluded in Abilene, and Hot Springs Village were the fear of the Lord is present in many hearts. Now that we are back we notice even more the need to reach out to the community in South Broward.

This week we met Ana, a Cuban Mother of two that arrived to the U.S. a month ago. We also met a Peruvian ladie in a supermarket that came here for a better life, and soon found out that what that means is to work 70 hours a week in orther to make payments. We met Carlos a Cuban that works at UPS while we were lost or so we thought. We were turning at a light and here we see a man pushing his beat up car from one light across to a gas station. He ran out of gas and being late friday was without money and nowhere to cash his check.

We ran into an old friend in Taco Bell and invited him to Sunday Service to which he accepted gladly to much of my surprise. Ruben is his name and he is Dominican. I wrote an e-mail to a friend from Ecuador this week telling him of my return and inviting him to come next Sunday to hear me preach. Pablo is his name a devoted catholic that accepted the invitation. We met an American teenager Ryan, he is a junior in High scholl and invited him to a youth devotional Tuesday and he accepted to go.

We can see the people ready for good news. Ready for a change. Searching for something to filled them up. And the only one that can do that is Christ our Savior. There is a 19 year old young man from Honduras visiting the Church. His name is Enoc. He has been coming for three months and today talking to him after the sermon said that he was thinking about getting baptized.

Praise the Lord for this week. We had a spiritual retreat with the core group Allan an Margarett McAfee, Joe and Eileen Garcia, Andy and Belinda Garcia, Dave and Mirti Murray and us. It was a time of prayer, singing and planning for next year. We came closer to each other and enjoyed the time with our Lord.

We are still waiting for the aproval from the mortgage broker. But we know that our Lord will take care of that and He will put us where He wants us to be.

Next week we are visiting with some of the visitors and new converts and we hope to begin some Bible studies.

We love our Lord. We love what He is letting us see. The fields are white and He is sharing like always His love, Mercy, Grace and Joy with His children.

We miss our brothers and sisters from Texas and Arkansas.

We love our family. We love the Lord.

Carlos and Maribel Preciado

The Trip Back

We finally made it to Broward county Saturday night. We first stopped for the night at one of our best friends place Leoncio and Amy Dominguez in Brentwood TN. The next day we drove to Johnson City, TN. where my alma matter is E.T.S.U.. We left to continue our trip and stopped for the night at Clemson. Maribel's aunt is a Spanish teacher there. We traveled to Tampa the next day, where we spent the night with Maribel's relatives and the next day we stopped briefly to have lunch with some brothers in Christ from Naples.

That night we arrived at Joe and Eileen Garcia, where they and the MacAfee's, the Murray's and the Garcias' too, had a welcoming pizza party for us. We prayed together and agreed to meet the 12th for a spiritual retreat at Andy and Belinda Garcia's house. We will plan the calendar for the year and have some bonding time.

Sunday was our first worship service at Griffin road. We had 44 in attendance, and 29 for Sunday school. We praise God and brother MacAfee had a welcoming prayer for us. That evening the church got together at Andy and Belinda's house where they hosted a welcoming party for us. We sang songs and prayed thanking our God for the blessing of being here to start working together with this group of brothers and sisters that love the Lord.

We were also blessed with the news of another baptism from one friend that we invited to Church and had been attending for this whole year at Hialeah.

Praise God for what He is doing here in South Florida.

We love the Lord and we love His Church and the ones to come;

Carlos and Maribell

Please pray for us as we search for a place to live permanently.

Despertar y Despedida

Esta mañana fue nuestro ultimo amanecer en Hot Springs, me desperte temprano, y observe el lago tan precioso que Dios nos ha permitido disfrutar en estos dos meses aqui en "La Montaña". Cada día Dios nos dibuja un paisaje diferente, solo por que nos ama. Estamos tan agradecidos de como nos ha traido todo este año. Del mar(Florida) al desierto (Abilene), del desierto a la Montaña (Arkansas) y ahora vamos de regreso. Quisimos mirar y mirar el paisaje para guardarlo en nuestros corazones y en los momentos que nos sintamos sin aliento, recordar esos colores, ese dibujo de Dios y sonreir... El paisaje cambia pero el amor de Dios no, ese es para siempre... I Pedro 1:24-25 24 "Porque: Toda carne es como hierba, Y toda la gloria del hombre como flor de la hierba. La hierba se seca, y la flor se cae; Mas la palabra del Señor permanece para siempre."

Dejamos la VILLA, y vamos hacia la GRAN CIUDAD. Esperamos encontrar los corazones en los que Dios ha estado trabajando para compartir su amor!

Bendiciones

Carlos y Maribel Preciado

Precious Time

It was a great time Sunday night at our home. Jimmy Mitchel and about 35 members of the youthgroup came over for a devotional time, celebration of b-days and goodbye's. We are greatfull that our Lord let us have this time at the Village. It reminds us that our time on this earth is short, and we must utilize it to the max. This is not our permanent home.

We had a great visit from our kids Manuel and Alvaro whom helped us with the newly started spanish service. Manuel lead singing and Alvaro prayed. They too enjoyed their short but active time at the Village. Thank you to all that recieved them and showed them around with so much love.

We will miss everybody at the Village.

A Beautiful Stay

With mixed feelings we say goodbye to our family in Christ at the Village Church Of Christ. They are a true example of unity and love in Christ, and we have been blessed to have spent two months with them.
Our good Lord has tought us many things in our time in the Village. The first being that we needed to know someone in the Village to be able to get in there, just as we need to know Christ to get into heaven.
This time we spent here we have seen many changes around the area. The trees have changed from green to various colors such as red, orange, lime, yellow. And we are like those trees in our christian walk. We need to change and be different from the world. In the mornings at the condo where we were staying there is a lake that is covered with fog. But half would be clear and reflect all God's creation. We thought how we as christians should reflect Christ's face as well.
One day I had an opportunity to work with a brother and a friend laying stone in a garden. After five or six hours I was ready to quit, thirsty, tired, and I looked over and saw our car. This car had been given to us this year as a gift and I looked at the sky and said Lord thank you I owe you, a few minutes later I had to take out form the ground three four by four slabs. I used a pick and I had to bring them down hill. As I was carrying them down I looked up at the sky again and I said, "Lord I'm sorry I don't owe you for my car I owe you for my life, for you carried your own cross and you did it for me."
And there are lots of many other things that our Lord tought us during our time in the village. Do not turn off your light, because you need light to see. The light of Jesus will guide you as He did us during our time at this paradise the Village.
We love you Village Church of Christ. We will miss you and the new hispanic work that the Lord has blessed us with. We will pray for you as we know you will for us.
Your servants and the servants of the Lord, Carlos and Maribel Preciado
Mathew 25:34-36