Looking Back at the Pastor’s Conference

¡Gracias a Dios!

Now that Pastor Kenny and Joe Torres have made it safely back home, Lynn and I have had a chance to reflect on the past week.  Thanks to all of you who have been praying for our first conference.

In all, we had about 21 attendees.  Some came from as far as an hour away.  Most, however, have churches within 15-20 minutes driving distance.  Several of those men also happened to be “pastors-in-training”.  Those young men were incredibly attentive throughout all of our sessions.  The men ranged in age from 16 – 70.

We gave the men Sed de Dios (Desiring God) as a conference gift.  Pastor Kenny utilized the book quite a bit in his sessions.  In all, we had 7 teaching sessions.  One was taught by me on the high calling of ministry.  The rest were taught by Pastor Kenny.  Pastor Kenny’s spontaneity and eagerness to engage people made for a terrific combination while speaking with the conference attendees.

The men asked questions throughout the conference as they quickly came to respect Pastor Kenny.  Wisely, Pastor Kenny began the conference by reaffirming the Bible as our only sure ground in the midst of experiences.  From there, God’s sovereignty behind all that is dominated much of the time.  This theme threaded through Satan’s involvement in our lives, God’s involvement in suffering, how to appropriate emotions, and God’s ultimate aim to bring glory to Himself.

The men left well-fed (thanks to Nelly, Olga, Cristina, and Dania), refreshed, and eager to return.  Pray with me that God will continue to be glorified through the ongoing effects of this conference on these men as they return to their churches.

Click on the picture above or follow this link to see a slide-show of photos from the conference.

Prayers are already being answered

There’s power in prayer.

Pastor Kenny and Joe Torres arrived safely last night.  Thanks to all of you who prayed for their good travel over land, water, and borders.  The conference itself is set to begin at lunchtime this afternoon.  Last I heard we have around 15 pastors coming.  Praise God!

Upcoming Pastor’s Conference

A passion for equipping men to minister the Gospel burns in my heart.

You may have already seen in the most recent Riverbend newsletter that we will be hosting a pastor’s conference.  The conference begins a week from tomorrow and will last for three days.  Early last week we went out and invited 30 pastors to the conference.  Some of those men promised to pass on the invitation to other pastor-friends that they have.

Pastor Kenny St. John will be the primary speaker for the conference.  Our topic is a little broad: the Gospel and a thirst for God.  I am thrilled that Pastor Kenny will be coming to encourage these men.  Plus, God has answered our prayer for a skilled translator in the person of Joe Torres.  Joe is a native Spanish-speaker with a heart for the doctrines that we teach.  I believe Pastor Kenny and Joe will be a potent combination.

As the conference approaches, I want to ask you readers to be in prayer.  Many pastors in Honduras have a second job in order to cover all their expenses.  Therefore, it may be difficult for certain men to attend.  Please pray that a way will be made for the pastors to attend.  Ask God to safely deliver P. Kenny and Joe to Honduras and then back again to their families.  Petition the Lord to encourage and strengthen the pastors in His word through our conference.  And please pray that all the little things to prepare our time together would fall into place.

Thanks for the commitment many of you have made to pray for our ministry here in Honduras.  Continue on in lifting us up before the throne of grace.