Praise ye YHWH, Praise ye the Name of YHWH; praise Him O ye servants of YHWH, ye that stand in the house of YHWH, in the courts of the house of our Elohim, praise YHWH; for YHWH is good: sing praises unto His Name for it is pleasant.  Thy Name, O YHWH, endureth forever; and thy memorial, O YHWH throughout all generations.  Psalm 135:1-3, 13.

As we shared in the previous update, we were in El Salvador for a week in November to speak at a one day retreat for 20 pastors and their families.  While there, we decided to take the opportunity to see what God has been doing through the team He brought together to represent and establish Raven Ministries in El Salvador.  We were unable to see Jose Elias, who handles the logistics for Raven Ministries.  He feels the LORD calling him to Morocco as a missionary and was in Africa at that particular time seeking God’s direction for his future.  We were able, however, to spend time with Roberto Choto, the business representative for Raven, and Pastor Gabriel & Berali Aguilar who are the ministry representatives.  What a blessing it was to see their heart for pastors and how God has been using them to serve in this area.  Pastor Gabriel set up meetings with pastor groups, visits with pastors & wives as well as opportunities for Ron to preach during the week we were there.  He also organized a meeting with the leaders of FIBAM, in which they shared the vision to work with their churches to develop a culture of caring for pastors and their families.  (FIBAM is the family of 35 Baptist churches we have been working with in the San Salvador area.)  The leaders thanked us for the DVD Raven Ministries sent of Ron teaching and Pastor Nelson translating in Spanish the Biblical Principles of being Armour Bearers for Pastors; explaining that they brought over 100 deacons together last year to view the message and discuss how to address this area in their respective churches.  It was awesome to see how God continues to develop and fulfill the vision He shared with us 5 years ago: “to raise up people in El Salvador that support and encourage pastors.” 

Pastor Gabriel organized a time with the FIBAM Pastors and their wives, as well as a separate gathering of the deacons and leaders.  The purpose for the first meeting was to encourage the pastors, while the intent of the second was to exhort their deacons to stand with and behind them.  Of the more than 40 pastor couples, 12-15 pastors and five pastors’ wives came to the meeting.  We felt privileged to share with them and know that God is never interested in numbers only the content of the heart (ours and well as theirs).  The attendance at the deacons meeting was very discouraging; only one deacon came.  We (Ron, Luan, Pastor Gabriel and the translator) sat with him while Ron shared all the principles he would have taught to a large group but in a more intimate way.  We never know what God will do in and through one man.  We do not know why the attendance was so small at both meetings: do the groups not respond as well to a pastor from within El Salvador? Are the pastors and leaders tired of the message?  Is God showing us that our major investment of time with FIBAM is finished?  (We know our ministry with FIBAM is not over, we will always support the leadership in whatever way they ask as the LORD allows.  But, we’ve always known that the ministry to which God called us is a concentrated focus of time with a particular group for a season.  During this time He will impress the ministry on the hearts of those who are to pick up the mantle for it and then we will become a support to the individual or group that takes on the daily ministry.)  While we know that satan will use whatever circumstances he can to discourage us and that the pride of our own hearts wants to embrace his lies, we stand firm on the fact the God is in control and that He has a purpose for everything.  We are sure that He is working out that purpose in and through us.  Not because of who we are but because of who He is.  Praise His Holy Name! 

Ron had the opportunity to preach twice and to speak at the 37th Anniversary of the Miramonte church (the mother church of the FIBAM group).  In one church where he hadn’t preached before, Ron was introduced as being with Pastor Gabriel.  It was exciting to see this shift as people in the various churches come to know the ministry of Raven through Pastor Gabriel.  We visited seven of the pastor couples we served while living in El Salvador for nine months during 2003 and 2004.  After hearing one of the couples share, Ron told them to remember Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”  He said even as the LORD is blessing their ministry, satan is and will come against them to discourage them.  The pastor said “we know that God always sends you here with a word of encouragement for us at the right time.”  Another pastor couple we visited has been out of the ministry for a couple years due to problems in their personal life.  They shared how much they appreciate Pastor Gabriel & Berlai because they continue to come all the way from San Salvador to encourage them.  Another pastor’s wife we met with said the LORD used something Luan shared with her during the time we lived in El Salvador to stir her to work with women.  She has since trained women to be discipleship leaders and they are now discipling 60 women in the church.  The pastor’s wife was very excited and Luan was amazed and blessed because she can’t remember anything she ever spoke about that addressed working with women.  LORD you are so good!  You speak to hearts in specific ways that many times are vastly different from the topic being shared by the speaker.  Thank you for your faithfulness!  Yet another pastor couple, after we finished a conversation with them said, “thank you very much this is the wisest council we have received.”  The amazing thing is what we shared with them wasn’t exactly easy advice to hear.  We talked about the principle of blessing our “enemies” and how God works to change our hearts if we are obedient.  Praise Your Holy Name, YHWH!  You are the Great Shepherd who leads us and prepares the table before us (Psalm 23) and YHWH Elohim who gives us the words of experience to speak to one who is weary at just the right time (Isaiah 50:4).  Thank You for Your amazing grace!