August 2017

Dear praying friends:

Although the last couple of months have been as busy as always, it is good to sit down and reflect on how the Lord has worked. We thank God for raising another group of dedicated men who are studying in the Bible Institute.  Also, the Lord has been faithful in using Christine to teach the ladies of the church.

As another quarter of Bible Institute begins, José, Israel, and Rolando continue to faithfully study God’s Word. Most of the men who have studied in the Bible Institute have come from modest backgrounds, with minimal formal education. Although this has presented quite a challenge for me, we have come to realize that those with more modest backgrounds are more likely to depend on God. After all, 1 Corinthians 1:27 does say: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise...” In fact, the graduate of the Bible institute that God is using most has 1 Corinthians 1:27 as his life verse.

Pray for us, as we learn to balance the academic with development of character and dependence on God. Up until recently, the Bible institute students have been more intimidated with the academic than with the development of character. This has led them to a greater dependence on God. With Israel (construction worker) and Rolando (shoe cobbler), this is certainly the case. With José (a civil engineer) it is different. Since he has an intellectual background, the concept of depending on God is more foreign to him. We thank God that He can bring men from different backgrounds to the same church, and teach them to depend on God all the same. Please pray for these three men, as they will be preaching in church in the near future.  

Christine recently started the second Ladies Bible Study of the year.  She was talking to one of the ladies about writing curriculum for the study, sharing that it is good to challenge yourself to do something hard. This helps us to depend more on God. The lady took that challenge personally, deciding to do a verse by verse study in her children´s Sunday School class (without leaving out the harder passages).  Pray for Dora as she studies her Bible more thoroughly.  

Our children have been very healthy, and are excited to be close to the end of the Salvadoran school year. They will be done in October, and they are counting down the days until their long “summer” break.  Rosa continues to serve in the nursery, and helps with the children´s ministry. Rosa recently played piano for the first time at church. We are looking forward to her playing more often as she improves.  Caleb is beginning to read the Bible on his own. He has developed a love for reading, and we believe he will develop a love for reading his Bible.  Joshua is still trying to get a good handle on Spanish. Being the youngest, it is harder for him to speak and be as involved with friends as his two older siblings.  We are confident, that with time, he will follow their example.  Thank you for praying for our kids.                                   

                                                                                                                                              Yours in Christ,

                                                                                                                                                             Steve Cerna