Church Ministries International

I wanted to take a break today from things in Nicaragua to share with you about another ministry that we are involved with - Church Ministries International. I, Bob, have been on the board of directors for 3 years and in doing so, have seen more of the different ways that God works in His kingdom. CMI is not anything like what we do in Nueva Guinea, but at the same time it fills a vital need in kingdom work in Latin America. Pictured here is the first services in the unfinished Cumbayá church.

CMI was birthed from LeTourneau Ministries with the vision to help establish solid churches in middle class neighborhoods of the capital cities in Latin America. CMI would raise funds to finance a good portion of the original buildings and land purchases, and as the church planted their daughter churches, less and less money was given by CMI. The idea is that over time, with a strong base in the capital city, the churches can reach the nation and cover all of the financial requirements. The model has been wildly successful in Perú, and now the emphasis is in Ecuador.

In Quito, the church "El Batán" was planted, followed by "La Republica", "Cumbayá" (sorry folks, that is really the name of the barrio), and just recently, a new church en "El Puembo" was dedicated. There is also a work in "Valle de los Chillos" and a new one coming on board en "Condado". The Ecuadorians are on fire to evangelize and plant new churches.

I'm describing this in my blog just to let you know another of the awesome things God is doing. We are completely dedicated to the task God has given us in Nueva Guinea, but we are also priveledged to be able to support CMI. For more information, visit their website: www.churchministries.org.

May God continue to richly bless you.

Language Learning

As we teach the kids in the home English, we have flashbacks to our first days in language school - we wanted to learn, but we had no idea how much patience and work was required. I've heard so many people tell me that they want to learn Spanish, but the truth is, it's a process of time and you can't give up.

One of the things they did at language school was to have us memorize things and then tell them to Spanish speaking people (often to our embarrasment). I'm including a line that Eduardo learned in English for all you "Princess Bride" fans Eduardo

Thoughts on marriage

Sigue una versión en español:


Today, more than ever, marriage is under attack. As a Christian, it is obvious to me that weak marriages make weak families and ultimately, weak societies that not only lose a proper perspective of life, but this bad perspective becomes generational.

This week, however, as we are evaluating our first months of kindergarten and as we made our final decisions on hiring our first teachers and principal, I was reminded of another reason why it's important to have strong marriages - to accomplish our purposes in the kingdom.

I am very aware of what I think God has called me to do, especially in this new phase of our lives and ministry in Nueva Guinea, but I am continually aware of my shortcomings and how we need the giftings of other people. In this gifting mix, my wife stands out as the exact gift God has given to me and the ministry. She never ceases to amaze me with insights and plain old hard work and persistence. We see how if our marriage is strong, not only are we blessed, but the kingdom work advances. When our marriage is weak, we may survive, but the kingdom work does not thrive.

A short exhortation to all you husbands and wives. Go ahead and live, discuss, disagree, but go forward respecting the gift that God has given you, not only for your benefit ant that of your children, but for the kingdom. May God richly bless you in all ways.



Hoy día, más que nunca, el matrimonio está siendo atacado. Como cristiano, a mi me es obvio que un matrimonio débil produce una familia débil y a fin de cuentas, una sociedad débil que no solamente pierde la perspectiva de Dios, pero llega a ser algo generacional que se pasa de una generación a otra.

Esta semana, pues que tuvimos que evaluar los primeros meses del pre-escolar y tomar las decisiones sobre los maestros y director que vamos a contratar, Dios me recordó de otra razón por la cual el matrimonio fuerte es importante – para poder lograr nuestros propósitos en el reino de Dios.

Estoy muy consciente de lo que Dios me ha llamado a hacer, especialmente en esta etapa nueva de nuestras vidas y ministerio en Nueva Guinea, pero en esto estoy continuamente consciente de mis fallas y debilidades y como necesito los dones de otras personas. Dios nos ha dado un equipo excelente con el cual trabajar, pero entre ellos sobresale mi esposa, porque ella es la “ayuda idónea”, o sea, no solamente alguien con talento, sino la persona exacta que necesito. Veo que cuando nuestro matrimonio es fuerte, no solamente somos bendecidos y vivimos en paz, sino también, la obra del reino avanza. Cuando nuestro matrimonio es débil, puede ser que sobrevivamos, pero la obra del reino no florece.

Una breve exhortación a ustedes – esposos. Vivan sus vidas, platiquen, aún estén en desacuerdo cuando es necesario, pero que siempre sigan adelante respetando el don que Dios les ha dado, no solamente para su propio beneficio, sino para el del reino de Dios. Que Dios les bendiga ricamente en todo.