Camp 2014

We're in the middle of spring break here in San Pedro and as we do every year, we held our youth camp from Tuesday-Thursday last week. We had over 100 youth from ages 12+ attend the three days of activities and services and God moved powerfully in the lives of many. Here are a few pictures; I will be posting more over the next couple of weeks as they get organized.

Day 1: So. COLD. No, really, it was freezing cold and windy but we were out at 7:30 running around the property to wake up.

Cross the ropes without falling....

Through 2 hanging tires...

Across the monkey bars...

Down the slide...

After crawling under a muddy log....

Jump!

Tire run, which is harder than it looks!

Across the pole (again, no falling!)

Under the ropes...

Running back from the park...

Through the spiderweb...

 Day 2: Weather still cool, time to play!

Throw and catch water balloons without breaking them (not done very successfully!)

Hug a water balloon and drop it in a bucket...

Just like this...

Crawl 15 feet without dropping the balloon....

Group prayer in Bible study.

 Day 3: Photo rally! Each team had 2h to take 34 photos and videos.

"I can't believe we all fit here" (20 people in the baptism tank)

"Picture of all team members in a tree"

"Picture with firemen" The San Pedro fire department are always good sports about this one!

Kick a soccer ball across a wet, soapy piece of plastic, score a goal, do not fall.....

Happy April

It's April! We're getting ready for the switch to Daylight Savings Time this weekend (I know, a month behind the rest of the continent...). We're also gearing up for our youth camp from April 14-17 (15 hours a day of running! yelling! playing! competing! and very little sleep....).

This past weekend El Calor traveled to Guadalajara and won 2-1 against Atlas, bringing their season total to 6 wins, 4 ties and 0 losses. They're in 2nd place in their group and are guaranteed a place in the playoffs, which are coming up in May.

Post-game prayer in Guadalajara.

Club G-VI had another successful session on Saturday (in spite of heavy winds and dust. Lots and lots of dust). We're planning a special event for Children's Day at the end of the month and are hoping to invite all the parents to see what their children are learning and doing each week.

Aslan and Club GV-I kids waiting to go to their classes.

Very happy with his craft!

Please...no pictures!

Explaining a group competition.

Update!

Just a quick update for you as we're nearing the middle of another dusty, windy week here in San Pedro. This past weekend El Calor played their 9th game of this season and are still unbeaten, with a 2-1 win over Necaxa. They are in 3rd place overall in their group and will be traveling this weekend.

Starting lineup against Necaxa, March 22, 2014.

Our children's club, G-VI (Generación de Vida) continues on Saturdays from 10am-1pm and is growing. We have at least 80 children attending each week, and this after a month of sessions.

Last Saturday, playing games in G-VI.

Please keep these ministries in prayer!

Evangelism

Last week we held two special events, a youth outreach in the village of Nueva Candelaria (NOT Candelaria, as we found out after heading down the wrong side road......) on Friday and a women's event at TCL on Saturday afternoon. In Nueva Candelaria we presented dramas and music, painted faces and handed out balloon animals to the children who came. At the women's event we had a time of fellowship with hairdressing, manicures and hand massages, as well as praise and worship and a message.

Mostly women and children attended the presentation.

An action song for the kids.

Youth drama team.

Face painting!

Prayer.

Watching dramas outside a local primary school.

 And some images from the women's event....

Manicures.

Professional hairstyling....

More manicures and hand massages.

This week

Yesterday was another busy day in San Pedro. El Calor played and won 3-0 against Santos Mochis, and are in 2nd place in their group of 14. Next week the team travels to Guadalajara to take on the current #1 team.

Also, yesterday was the second week for our new children's club, G-VI (Generation of Life). We had another great turnout of over 50 kids who enjoyed sports, Bible stories and cooking class (cupcake decorating this week!). Please keep praying for the ministry team and the children who attend.

Upcoming Events
This week: On Friday the TCL youth group are planning another outreach to a local village with music, dramas, testimonies and ministry time. On Saturday we're holding a special women's event at the church, a mini spa day for any woman who would like to come and be pampered for a couple of hours (who wouldn't??) and also receive encouragement and prayer from the ladies of TCL.

April: Please keep our upcoming youth camp (April 14-17) in prayer as we are planning and preparing for the over 100 12-18 (and older!) young people who will be taking part.

May: On May 11, instead of our regular morning service, we will be heading downtown to do ministry in and around the town square. We have groups that will do face painting, music, prayer, car washing and in general minister to the people who we find.

Update

Good morning! Here's a quick update from San Pedro.

• El Calor have begun the second half of the season and are at the top of their group with 3 wins, 3 ties and 0 losses. We are still praying and looking for partners who will join with us to keep this unique ministry running. This coming Saturday the team plays at home vs. Santos Mochis, the 2nd division branch of the local premier league team. 
  
• Yesterday was the first day of our new children's ministry, Club G-VI (Generación de Vida...Generation of Life Kids' Club). We had more than 50 children attend a mix of classes, workshops and games, and are hoping to see the numbers increase each week. The club runs on Saturdays from 10am-1pm.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Now that winter is over, the youth group has again started to go out and do evangelism in nearby towns. On Friday they visited San Francisco, about 20 minutes from San Pedro and presented dramas, music and the Gospel.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

This Week at TCL

Here's a quick overview of the events going on this week at the church.

• Monday: semifinals of the street soccer league. TCL's team has made it to this point...will they win tonight?
• Tuesday: cell groups
• Wednesday: Bible institute and choir practice because...
• Thurday: Christmas party! Potluck, music, and special activities to celebrate Jesus' birth.
• Saturday: youth Christmas party!

I'll be posting pictures from as many events as possible, so stay tuned!

As Promised...

Here are some pictures of the baptisms I mentioned in the previous post!

El Calor was eliminated from the playoffs after the first round (but at least they got a trip to Cancún....). They're back training regularly but will soon have a few days off for Christmas. Pray that they will be testimonies to their friends and families as they travel back home, and please continue to pray for the team as they prepare for the second half of the season.

All the boys who were baptised.

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!