Thanks

Following our series on the Muna Missions Trip, things have been pretty quite here on disciplemexico.org, but that is not to say that we’re without things to write about. If you’ve been watching our sidebar events calendar, you’ve seen that the Godzwa family has been busy. We’d like to catch you up to date on all of the information with a round-up post:

Evangelism Series

To start, Dave has been teaching an ongoing evangelism series at the Golgotha Christian Center in Mérida. Each Thursday night for the past month, we’ve been meeting to discover the God’s heart for evangelism, returning to the Bible to discover the guidance it gives to those who would join in His search for the lost.

Beyond the teaching, we’ve also been offering opportunities for the members of the church to involve themselves in practical forms of evangelism. The last Saturday in March, we joined with the children of the church to celebrate the arrival of Spring. In the 90 degree heat, the evangelism team handed out bottles of water along with cards that read, “Do you feel dry? Jesus is the Water of Life!” We also handed out copies of Luke’s gospel to those who received the water. It was quite a site to see so many neighbors receiving and reading the information.

Preaching Engagements

Our family was invited to three separate preaching engagements. The first was Palm Sunday with Pastor Natanael Ku. We traveled about 30 minutes outside of the city to spend the day with his family and celebrate the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the official start of the Holy Week. We were able to share with the congregation as well as spend time with many in the community, Christian and Non-Christian, coming face to face with many of the needs that Pastor Natanael faces on a daily basis.

Beyond our time in the country, we were also invited to discuss, at Golgotha Christian Center, an interesting teaching of Jesus during the traditional Tuesday of Controversy. This evening we considered the passage in Matt. 22:15-22 where Jesus displays the conflicted righteousness that man uses to justify his actions in contrast to the freedom that following Jesus brings.

In addition to these events, we spent time in Mount Hermon Church, which sits to the south of the city. There we were able to observe Good Friday with the members of the congregation, observing the work that Jesus did for us on the cross.

Water Baptism

This past Saturday, a highlight of our busy weeks, we were able to witness the baptism of 6 members of our home congregation. With the whole church traveling to the Gulf of Mexico to to take part, the baptismal candidates received their charge, waded into the waters and one by one were dipped below the waters, symbolizing death to their old life and their rebirth with Christ to life anew. We’re including a video attached to this post to for those who visit the site.

Of course, none of this activity would be possible without your prayers and support. Thank you for being involved in what God is doing here in Mexico!

With my running commentary on the state of my health here and here, one can get the impression that we have been shut down for a while on the ministry front. However, although I’d lost a few days in my recovery, we’ve also been active, planning for an upcoming missions team to work in Muna, starting a new semester here at the Bible Institute, and serving in our local church.

One especially noteworthy event was our Carnaval service. Every Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the date that marks the beginning of the Catholic season of Lent (Cuaresma in Spanish), the city of Mérida hosts Carnaval. This event, which is very similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans is one big day of “sinning” before the purification of the Lenten Season begins. Of course, as Christians, we don’t believe in this binging and purging habit when it comes to living a Christian life, so our church offered an alternative Carnaval service.

During the service, there was an atmosphere of celebration for what God had done in the lives of the believers, participation in games and singing, and a wrap-up teaching before we sat down to experience the culmination of the event, sharing some great yucatecan food!

I was in charge of the afternoon’s message. It was an opportunity to share with the people my message on the tongue. (You can read the message in Spanish here.) I was able to share that it is not only sufficient to avoid the apparent sins of the world (e.g Carnaval), but that it is necessary to subject our entire self, all the way to the unruly tongue, to the power of the Holy Spirit.

During the course of the message, I was able to utilize Kelly’s pink dish washing glove as an example of being filled with the Spirit, as well as invite others to try and refill toothpaste tubes as an example of the difficulty that we have in taking back the words that we say. The picture above is of one of the church members, Joel, as he attempts this impossible task. The wonderful payoff, though, was seeing several of the church members come forward to pray for a new experience with the Holy Spirit.

So, yes, we’ve taken a few steps backward due to illness, but we’ve also seen God taking a few steps forward utilizing His power through us. Thank you for your continued prayers on our behalf!

They say, all good things in life must come to and end, and life in language school is no different. There were a several things that came to an end in the past week that we’d like to fill you in on.

First of all, the trimester of school finished this Friday when we said goodbye to 13 graduates and 1 instructor. Fellow Mexico Missionaries David and Carolyn Huneycutt, Ryan and Christie Thomas and Terisa and Fredy Vasquez were among those who said goodbye to Costa Rica to head to their appointed destinations in order to begin their ministries. We wish them well. Also leaving the school was 13 year veteran grammar teacher, Iris Chavarria (pictured in this post from last year). She was our teacher for our two trimesters, and we owe all of our knowledge of the functioning of irregular verbs and the uses of the subjunctive to her. Gracias por todo Iris, será extrañada.

Second, the end of the trimester also means that we received our evaluations from our Oral Proficiency exams that I mentioned in this previous post. Both Kelly and I finished well, scoring above normal for our group. Not that language school is a competition, but the ability to advance more quickly here will mean that we will have an easier time adapting to the language in Mexico when we arrive. We want to take a moment to say thank you to our teachers (pictured above),thanks to you for your prayers on our behalf. Without those, we are certain that we would not have made it this far.

Finally, yesterday meant the end of my 31st year, and what a year it was! We finished our itineration by speaking in over 55 services, travelling by car to each one, participated in the first ever commissioning of new candidate missionaries at the 51st General Council in Denver, CO, moved twice, arrived in Costa Rica in August, and survived a couple interesting trimesters which saw us through sicknesses, and accidents, but also has brought us closer to ministry in Mexico. Through it all, we have to marvel at the faithfulness of God and His people as we have received the help of so many that they would prove too numerous to mention. My 31st year is over, and, if it served as any indication, 32 should prove to be wonderful!

Wrapping this post up, we realize that good things do come to an end, but as we finish one thing, we find that God continues to offer us new beginnings, which bring rewarding challenges and opportunities to view his faithfulness.

Last Saturday, we had the opportunity to visit the volcano Irazú. This volcano, located directly east of San José is most generally known for it’s eruption of March 19, 1963, the day the President Kennedy visited the country. At the summit of this now dormant volcano, one can find a strange, cold and almost moon-like surface. As well as a temperature has been known to create frosts in this tropical country. However, few of the group of students that traveled to visit this natural wonder were expecting to see this placard of US culture waiting for us when we arrived.

It appears that the US Department of the Interior once had an earthquake monitoring station here at the summit of Volcán Irazú, and this metal plate was a remnant of their operations. What at one time may have served as a tool for scientists served on Saturday as a reminder of the thoughts and prayers of family and friends back home for a small group of missionaries. And to those who continue to show their love and support we say, “Thank you!”

We felt no “temblors” while we were exploring the terrain, but we did get some great pictures. Take a look at them now by clicking on the picture to the right or by clicking here.

How does Jonathan, our almost three year old, celebrate a birthday in Costa Rica? By having an operation of course! Tuesday, November 8th is Jonathan’s third birthday, and we spent the last week and a half preparing by spending a lot of time in the hospital.

It started with some symptoms that we found earlier in October that necessitated minor surgery. However, the day after we scheduled the procedure, Jonathan fell and cut his face, requiring emergency surgery as the cut was very close to his eye.

Now all of this is difficult enough to deal with in the states, but try navigating through the emergency room in a foreign language! We were helped by a terrific team, however, and we want to take a moment to thank our doctor, Dr. John Longworth, Jay and Nancy Dickerson, the directors of CINCEL for providing translation and taxi services, as well as the entire school for their support, prayers and concern. Thanks goes as well to those who continue to hold us up in prayer. Your prayers do make a difference.

In this picture Jonathan is preparing for the final surgery, and, as you can see, the injuries haven’t dampened his spirits. Hey, he’s rough and tough right? The surgery went wonderfully well and the stitches in his face were removed at the same time. He’ll be able to celebrate his third birthday injury free!

That’s right friends! You’ve read correctly. We have received the final clearance necessary for us to leave for the field. This means that we will be leaving for Costa Rica on August 3oth in order to study Spanish. We will be living in San Jose and studying at CINCEL, the Assemblies of God language institute for all Missionaries headed to Latin America.

Thank you to you who have helped us with your support, and especially your prayers. Without you none of this would have happened!

It’s been a bit since I have added to the blog, but that does not mean that there hasn’t been activity in the Godzwa household. In fact, we’ve been busier than ever, and we have seen God do some wonderful things. Since our last budget update, we’ve moved to 90% in our monthly support. Adding in the commitments that have yet to be recorded, we have received 97% of what we will need in order to minister in Mexico. We need only $170 to complete our budget. On top of that, our cash is nearly raised!

Although we’ve not received official clearance, we are getting things ready to leave the states by August 28th. We have our house up to rent, and we are beginning to weed out the stuff that we have accumulated through our 13 years here in Missouri. It’s amazing to see how many T-shirts one can collect in that time!

We want to thank everyone who has been instrumental in making this happen. Thank you to all who have prayed for, supported and continue to stand together with our ministry. You are deeply appreciated!

A quarter of our budget that is! Yesterday, following our service @ Highway Assembly in Brighton, MO we reached the 75% milestone. Thank you to Highway Assembly and to our the latest supporters who joined them in helping us make it to this point in our fundraising:

Leaman & Angie Geosling of Springfield, MO
and
First A/G of Tipton, MO

We are now at 73%! We are thankful to these latest supporters who have helped us reach this goal:

First A/G of Park Hills
First A/G of Camdenton
First A/G of Mountain View
and
Charles and Faith Berges of Brooklyn, NY

We’ve been blessed as we’ve been itinerating in Southern Missouri and beyond to be able to foster wonderful relationships throughout our fellowship. We want to thank those of you who have had a part in helping us along the road and those of you who have gone the extra mile to include us into your church family. One such relationship was deepened as we got a chance to share lunch with Matthew and Kristi Mason in Ellington, MO.

Rebekah had a fun time playing with Caitlin while the boys got to play on pastor’s drumset following our excellent lunch at the Orange Blossom. Even more fulfilling was the chance for Kelly and I to share in the joys and challenges that come with following God’s call as we spent the afternoon together. Isn’t this what carrying one another’s burdens all about?

Thank you Masons, and thanks to all who have made our itineration a joy.

We’ve moved that much closer to Mexico. We are at 71% thanks to these supporters:

Russellville A/G
Solid Rock Fellowship A/G of Lexington
Licking A/G

We appreciate all of you that are standing with us!

Folks, we’ve just reached 70%! Take a look at our map of Mexico. We have 40 more squares to fill in order to reach our support goal.

Thank you to our latest supporters:

1st Assembly of God of Fisk, MO
Grace Assembly of God of Florissant, MO
and
Rev Roger and Faith Perkin of Rocky Mount, MO

We are now officially at 68% with the help of these new members of our support team:

Mark Johnson of Saint Louis, MO
Blue Ridge A/G of Kansas City, MO
Life Community Church of Peculiar, MO

Thank you!

We headed over to the Cape Girardeau section of Southern Missouri this weekend for two services, AM in Fisk and PM in Dexter. We had a great time ministering in both services and we were encouraged to see a good response to our message, including several around the altars on Sunday night.

A special thank you is in order for Ronnie and Francine Monehan who took us into their home for some much needed rest on Sunday afternoon. Thanks as well to Mikey, Lizzie, Joshua, and Jason Kohlbaker for readjusting their sleeping arrangements for the missionaries on Sunday night.

Here are some shots of the kids with Pastor Mike on Monday morning. Who says these MKs don’t have any fun?

Thanks to our new supporters, we’ve reached 67%

Thank you to:

Glad Tidings A/G of Middletown, PA
First Assembly of Desoto, MO
High Praise A/G of Bolivar, MO
and
Carol Ann Anderson of Springfield, MO

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” -Heb 12:1

The image above is a map of Mexico that Kelly created to depict what it will take in monthly commitments in order for us to make it to the field. Currently, we require 46 monthly commitments at $50 a piece in order to leave.

We completed the bottom part of the map today, listing those who had committed to us throughout our year-long itineration process. As we did this, we were reminded of the “Great Cloud of Witnesses” who are surrounding us with prayer and the financial support that it will take for us to be successful as missionaries to Mexico.

Last night at our service at First A/G in Carthage MO, Pastor Dan asked the congregation to come forward to pray for us at the close of the service. During the prayer time, it was impressed upon me that we are not going to the field on our own. We will be going equipped with the power of your prayers, and I am sure that as you agree in prayer with the Holy Spirit on our behalf, we cannot fail!

Thank you to all of you who make up our “Great Cloud of Witnesses”, and to those of you who will join with them in our support.

We have made it over the 64% mark thanks to these latest supporters:

First Assembly of God of Herculaneum
Robert and Valo Jones of Nevada
Paul and Judy Miller of Windsor

Thank you for joining the team!

We have new members on our support team!

Thank you to:

Grace Church in Rogersville
Joel and Amy Maxwell
and
Eldon First Assembly and Buffalo Assembly for their monthly support increases

Thank you to First Assembly of God in Ft Myers Florida.  They are the most recent members of our support team!  Their monthly commitment places our support at 61% of what we will need in order to leave for Mexico.  We appreciate each gift and, more importantly, the prayers that accompany them.

Thank you to our most recent supporters:

Souls Harbour Memorial Church of Independence
Westside Assembly of God of Sedalia
Adam Wallace of Springfield
First Assembly of God of Des Arc

The kids have been great as we travel all over Missouri. Thank you, churches, for making visits special for Rebekah, Joseph, and Jonathan.

Happy Thursday Morning! We have great news. Through your prayers and the help of several churches and individuals at District council, we have now reached the 60% milestone. We’re back on track for our August departure deadline! Thank you to our most recent supporters:

Linn Family Worship Center of Linn
The Chapel of Rocky Mount
Life Chapel Assembly of God of Puxico
Rev Carol Brown of Saint Ann
Rev Gordon Maracle of Springfield
Battlefield Assembly of God of Battlefield
First Assembly of God of Bourbon
First Assembly of God of Branson
First Assembly of God of Butler
Harvestime Assembly of God of Carthage
Oak Street Assembly of Carthage
Rev Matthew Rustin of Farmington
Calvary Assembly of God of Festus
Bethel Fellowship of Florissant
Saint Louis Intl Church of Florissant
Assembly of God of Hartville
Cathedral Assembly of God of Joplin
Calvary Temple Church of Kansas of Kansas City
Pebble Creek Assembly of God of Kansas City
Ozark Mountain Assembly of God of Kimberling City
Praise of Kirkwood
Assembly of God of Monett
Assembly of God of Pacific
First Assembly of God of Perryville
Assembly of God of Pomona
First Assembly of God of Poplar Bluff
First Assembly of God of Rolla
First Assembly of God of Saint James
Hope Community Center A/G of Saint Louis
Grace Community Church of Salem
Lighthouse Assembly of God of Willow Springs
Assembly of God of Windsor
Second Assembly of God of Joplin