NEW YEAR, NEW TESTIMONIES

It is always exciting when we are about to return to San Diego. I can hardly wait and am so glad for the opportunity to see old friends and family and to make new friends. I hope to speak in some churches and be a missionary to my own country for the time we are there. This last trip was no exception, but a fulfillment of my desires. God was so good to us, even to the point of giving us snow for Angie and Nathanael to play in. A few highlights stick out in my mind: In January we had our benefit night and this time Rina made a dinner. Honduran baked chicken was the menu and we spent the week before going around San Diego looking for chicken breasts with bones and wings still attached (because the flavor is in the bones), but we could not find chicken anywhere! Every store in town only sold boneless/skinless breasts. We finally found a butcher at a supermarket that said he could provide what we wanted, and we ordered a chicken breast for each anticipated guest. When we were preparing the chicken for baking, the breasts were so big that they needed to be cut in half. We cooked all of it and when the night was over, we had so much left over chicken that we decided to feed the homeless with it. So Monday, after the benefit, we returned to SDFC and made plates of food for the homeless. Rafee and Gwenn, their kids and my mom joined us in walking Balboa park downtown, praying for the homeless and blessing them with a home-cooked meal. This has been a family tradition of ours every Christmas, and it felt good to share it with some friends. The best part for me, is always to see how happy the homeless are, and eager for prayer. I also enjoy seeing my children get excited about helping others. The connection is priceless.

Our trip to Indiana was a special one. God placed us in a family’s house where we were well taken care of and the family was so special. C1 and Spencer churches went out of their way to get to know us and connect. We were honored at every turn, to know each new person. I am so impressed with the quality of Christians we encountered, and the churches they serve in. Indiana was a treat for us.

Back in San Diego, we visited Las Flores Church of the Nazarene. We entered the foyer right at the end of first service and I could hear the worship inside, “Holy Spirit”. We sing the song in Spanish in Ministerio la Voz. We were in time to attend the second service and I started to pray for God to meet me and fill me. I did not know what would happen, but worship started and every song touched me. The lyrics and the music seemed to pound into my chest. All of a sudden, waves of electric chills flowed all over me and I nearly burst into tears of joy. I felt my Lord just wrapping his arms around me in a way I have not felt for a long time. I asked the music pastor afterwards for the song list and he sent it to me. I then had the privilege of sharing at my mom’s home group. They had asked me if I would lead some worship, since they had no guitarist. Errol, the home owner, lent me a guitar he had not played in 20 years, an Ovation and the most beautiful guitar! I play my late step-father’s Ovation in Honduras for our services. I took the songs from Las Flores church to the meeting and Rina sang them with me. At some point, hearing her voice in worship with mine, I felt like I was floating again and was moved by the Spirit of unity we felt with our new brothers. It was again a heavenly moment.