Castro Family Update- Month of September
The past few months have sped by and we're ashamed to say we've not given an update about our ministry here in Colombia. The first of September marked the completion of our first year here and so much has happened in the last few months that we just realized how much we needed to update you all!
Our Ministry:
The church is growing steadily. We are excited to have several new visitors each week! Even more exciting is that many of them are making the decision to continue along with us as their church family! Our monthly baptisms are going well, we have an average of about 5 people or so to be baptized each month. A few weeks ago, the church held a "small group fair" which was a promotion of our small groups. Several new small groups have commenced and many people have joined a small group for the first time! In addition to this, the church discipleship classes are now taking place every Sunday morning before church and there have been about 60 people or so in attendance at these classes weekly!
We were finally able to finish the floors in the sanctuary and we are now working on raising the final funds necessary to complete the church bathrooms. We are short about $5,000 USD to complete the bathroom project and have been conducting fundraisers weekly within the church through t-shirt sells, lunch sales, snack sales, etc. along with asking our members to make monetary pledges. The construction is supposed to be completed in the next two weeks or so and we are trusting God for provision to complete this project.
The next big project we are hoping to complete is the purchase of and installations of the air conditioners within the church sanctuary. Since closing the church many years ago in anticipation of the air conditioning, the heat can be overwhelming and stifling even with the use of fans. Each air conditioning machine and installation costs approximately $3,000 USD and we need a total of six. Once this stage of construction is finally finished, the church will be better suitable for events and activities such as conferences, leadership trainings, school events, etc. Please just continue to agree with us that God will provide for the needs of our church!
Our Family:
Sergio has recently taught several sermon series that have been very anointed. He recently finished up a series called "Mi Iglesia"(My Church) in which he presented the vision of the church to the congregation. He is currently preaching a series called "A Life of Blessings" where he's teaching our church about how to live a blessed life in all aspects: our finances, spiritually and in our relationships.
In the month of October, we will be having a special night to honor Sergio's parents for their many dedicated years of ministry. This night will also serve as Sergio's official installation as lead Pastor of Camino, Verdad, y Vida.
Kristi officially begins her maternity leave this week. She is now trying to make up for our busyness by hurriedly making preparations for our sweet Gabriella Faith. We are now playing the "waiting game". She is now seeing the doctor weekly now and hopefully Gabriella will be making her appearance soon.
Isabella has grown so incredibly much that most of you wouldn't recognize her. It's bittersweet to think that she'll be two and a half on the ninth of October! Where has the time gone? She's still attending school daily and she's speaking both languages easily and without difficulty. Her vocabulary in both languages amazes us on a daily basis. She's developed quite a strong-willed personality and keeps us on our toes. We're excited to see her in her new role as a "big sis-tur"... we know she's going to be a great one!
Once again, please forgive our lack of updates. We promise to do a better job of keeping you all informed about the happenings here in Colombia. We appreciate all of your support: through finances and prayers. If you're interested in learning about ways you can partner with us in any of our projects within the school or church, or if you're interested in ways you can support us, please don't hesitate to contact us. Or, if you need prayer or we can be of any service to you all, please let us know.
We love and miss you all!
God Bless!
Email Us!
Follow Our Church on Facebook
Our Ministry:
The church is growing steadily. We are excited to have several new visitors each week! Even more exciting is that many of them are making the decision to continue along with us as their church family! Our monthly baptisms are going well, we have an average of about 5 people or so to be baptized each month. A few weeks ago, the church held a "small group fair" which was a promotion of our small groups. Several new small groups have commenced and many people have joined a small group for the first time! In addition to this, the church discipleship classes are now taking place every Sunday morning before church and there have been about 60 people or so in attendance at these classes weekly!
We were finally able to finish the floors in the sanctuary and we are now working on raising the final funds necessary to complete the church bathrooms. We are short about $5,000 USD to complete the bathroom project and have been conducting fundraisers weekly within the church through t-shirt sells, lunch sales, snack sales, etc. along with asking our members to make monetary pledges. The construction is supposed to be completed in the next two weeks or so and we are trusting God for provision to complete this project.
The next big project we are hoping to complete is the purchase of and installations of the air conditioners within the church sanctuary. Since closing the church many years ago in anticipation of the air conditioning, the heat can be overwhelming and stifling even with the use of fans. Each air conditioning machine and installation costs approximately $3,000 USD and we need a total of six. Once this stage of construction is finally finished, the church will be better suitable for events and activities such as conferences, leadership trainings, school events, etc. Please just continue to agree with us that God will provide for the needs of our church!
Our Family:
Sergio has recently taught several sermon series that have been very anointed. He recently finished up a series called "Mi Iglesia"(My Church) in which he presented the vision of the church to the congregation. He is currently preaching a series called "A Life of Blessings" where he's teaching our church about how to live a blessed life in all aspects: our finances, spiritually and in our relationships.
In the month of October, we will be having a special night to honor Sergio's parents for their many dedicated years of ministry. This night will also serve as Sergio's official installation as lead Pastor of Camino, Verdad, y Vida.
Kristi officially begins her maternity leave this week. She is now trying to make up for our busyness by hurriedly making preparations for our sweet Gabriella Faith. We are now playing the "waiting game". She is now seeing the doctor weekly now and hopefully Gabriella will be making her appearance soon.
Isabella has grown so incredibly much that most of you wouldn't recognize her. It's bittersweet to think that she'll be two and a half on the ninth of October! Where has the time gone? She's still attending school daily and she's speaking both languages easily and without difficulty. Her vocabulary in both languages amazes us on a daily basis. She's developed quite a strong-willed personality and keeps us on our toes. We're excited to see her in her new role as a "big sis-tur"... we know she's going to be a great one!
Once again, please forgive our lack of updates. We promise to do a better job of keeping you all informed about the happenings here in Colombia. We appreciate all of your support: through finances and prayers. If you're interested in learning about ways you can partner with us in any of our projects within the school or church, or if you're interested in ways you can support us, please don't hesitate to contact us. Or, if you need prayer or we can be of any service to you all, please let us know.
We love and miss you all!
God Bless!
Email Us!
Follow Our Church on Facebook
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