El Calor: Playoffs

As I mentioned in a previous post, El Calor made it into the top-tier playoff group and this Wednesday they played the home game of this first round. First, the bad news: they lost 1-0. Now, a more positive perspective: it was an own-goal, and the loss was against the top team in the group (and El Calor is at the bottom).....so.....is it possible for them to advance to the next round? Well, it's not as impossible as it may seem! The team traveled to Cancún yesterday (trials! hardships!) and will be playing on Saturday afternoon. As always, please pray that God will supply the needs of the team as they play and travel, and that he will be glorified no matter the outcome.

Team photo before game, Nov. 27, 2013.

Also, a note....three weeks ago 9 El Calor players were baptized after a training sessing...praise God that he is continuing to use soccer as a way to bring people to him. There are pictures but I'm having trouble locating them; they will be posted a.s.a.p!

Nov. 27, 2013

El Calor in the Playoffs!

El Calor won their final game of the regular season 3-2 on Saturday, and with the losses of the two teams above them in the standings qualified for the playoffs with rights to ascension (in 2nd Division there are two playoff groups: the Cup and the Ascension groups. El Calor was in position to qualify for the Cup, but now qualifies for ascension to the next division). The team will play here on Wednesday, Nov. 7 and travel to Cancún on Saturday, Nov. 30 for the return game. Please be in prayer for the team, as always, but in particular that God will provide the funds for the trip. It will cost about $8000, as the team will have to fly to Cancún.

Concert: Alvaro Lopez and Resqband

This Friday we're having a special concert at TCL, with Álvaro López and Resqband (pronounced "rescue band"). Álvaro López was a drummer for Luis Miguel, one of the most successful Latin artists of all time, but now travels with his own band ministering. We're hoping that this is the first of many concerts that TCL will host, and that we'll be able to reach many people who wouldn't normally think of coming to a church.

4 more days.....

El Calor update

El Calor is nearing the end of the first half of the season. Last week they traveled to Reynosa and won 3-1. They are in 8th place in the standings and need to win this week, their final home game, in order to qualify for the playoffs (right now they're occupying the final qualifying spot but other teams could overtake them). Please continue to pray for this ministry; an urgent need is for partners, investors and sponsors to help keep the team going.

Standings as of Nov. 11. The top 8 teams qualify for playoffs.

Prayer/Action Groups

In the last month in TCL we have implemented what I'm calling here prayer/action groups. It's a continuation of the march held in October, and the goal is to reclaim San Pedro for Jesus. Groups of volunteers have been formed and every week they go out and pray. In the next couple of weeks I will be doing a longer profile of each group, but for now I'll just give a summary so that you can pray with us. One group prays and talks to people in the main plaza downtown, another prays outside of clubs and bars, another goes door to door praying for each household, one goes to the hospital to pray for patients, and one group takes care of 3 children who have basically been abandoned by their family, taking them to eat and making sure their basic needs are met. God has been opening doors and the people of San Pedro have been receptive so far to this new outreach. Please partner in prayer with us and we will see real change here in the city. Stay tuned for more in-depth information about each group!