Mid Way Already

IT'S INTENSE!

At IBP our semesters are intensive and short as opposed to the traditional 9 month school year.  In fact it's almost opposite!  This system has worked well for us because it allows the students to work for several months to earn the funds they need to pay for their next term and also for their travel, as distances are great for the majority of our students.  Here in Argentina there are no "school loans" or other "financial aid" that students can apply for, although some students receive assistance from their home churches.

Spiritual Emphasis

So we have already reached the halfway point which is marked by our Spiritual Emphasis week.  This semester we were priviledged to have Kentucky Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Joe Girdler, bring a team of pastors (including former KY A/G Superintendent, Pastor Jim Biram) and pastor's wives to minister to our students for this special week.

L-R: Chuck & Kathy Tidd, Joe Girdler, Betty & Paul Brannan, Joann & Jim Biram, Nita Jones

Pastor Joe Girdler and Pastor Paul Brannan did an awesome job sharing in the daily chapel times and the nightly services.  Pastor Chuck Tidd (in picture at right) taught a creative workshop on ministry to children and Paul Brannan taught a workshop on missions.  It was a great week and, as usual, Eddie did the interpreting for all who did not speak Spanish.  Pastor Paul and Betty Brannan (below left) didn't need an interpreter as they were former missionaries here in Argentina.  Below to the right is Eddie interpreting for Pastor Joe Girdler.


The week ended with a day of rest for both students and pastors at the nearby coastal city of Puerto Madryn.  The following day, Eddie and Martin Jacobson (IBP director) led the team on a ministry tour through the Patagonia where they preached and ministered in churches which were planted by our IBP alumni.  Wow!  It's difficult to put into words the feelings of thankfulness and joy for what God is doing through these precious lives devoted to Him!

To the left is Pastor Daniel Ayelef of Villa Regina.  Below in center is Pastor Fernando Reyes of El Bolson, both from cities in the province of Rio Negro.

This has been a busy time for us at IBP as you can imagine.  As a result of the long days and the very long drive throughout the Patagonia, Eddie came home from the trip feverish and in pain.  That very night we made a trip to Urgent Care where his high fever was treated.  The next day results from lab work and another doctor visit, revealed he had contracted cellulitis.  Doctor's orders are complete rest and antibiotics.  This has been difficult for Eddie, as the semester is in full swing and there is so much to do.  Our prayer request is for quick healing from this illness.

As Eddie prayed this morning, we were reminded that God is in control and that "all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose." Although Eddie cannot be "up and around", he has been able to focus on some work (seated and with leg elevated) such as emails and phone calls - work that he had not been able to get to in recent days due to all of the busyness.  So, some good has come of this situation we initially thought of as a total bummer.

If you are going through something problematic or disappointing, perhaps Eddie's current difficulty can be an encouragement and blessing to you as you remember that God is in control and He never lets go.  As the song by Matt Redman says, "through the calm and through the storm; Oh no, He never lets go, in every high and every low, He never lets go of you!"

We appreciate your prayers!

Fall Faithfulness

It's a beautiful fall here in Patagonia!  The picture on the left is the little dirt road that leads to our home.  God has always blessed us and led us to the just the right places to live in Argentina!  




The Students of IBP are off to a great start! Want to see what that "new" first year classroom looks like filled with our 41 faithful students?


As often as possible, ministry opportunities are provided, usually in conjunction with local churches, for students to participate in ministry in a practical way, reaching out and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ!  Here are the faithful ones - serving!

Holidays in Argentina, at least Easter and Christmas, are not usually celebrated in some of our churches as we were used to growing up. Why this is the case is a mystery to us, but in any case, we scheduled a special Easter morning devotional service at IBP which actually turned out very nice.

Our local pastor, Marcelo Martinez, spoke on the power of the resurrection.  Power, not only for our own future resurrection to eternal life, but power to live in victory today and everyday of our earthly lives. Amen?  Because just as Jesus "steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem" where his purpose for coming to earth was about to be realized, so we also must set our minds to move forward to what we know we are to do!

Jesus knew his purpose and priorities, and He lived by them.  Before returning to Argentina after being home on our last itineration, I (Diana) struggled with the difficult feelings of knowing I would be saying goodbye, yet again, to family and friends and to the culture where I spent more than half of my life.  But God spoke to my heart through a devotional one day.  One particular section stood out and helped me "set my face" once again to God's place for me in Argentina.  The devotional said, "You can't have it all.  You must understand your God-given purpose and keep it in front of you continually.  That way you will know what you must sacrifice, and what you must give yourself to."

As I remember the message that Pastor Marcelo preached on Easter morning, I wonder . . .  What is that still small voice whispering to you? Whatever it may be, in His power - the power of the resurrection - set your face with purpose and determination and go forward to fulfill your purpose in Him!

As we celebrate this season (your spring, our fall), may we all reflect on God's faithfulness.

All Things New! A New Semester, A New Start

In just 10 days, classes will begin at IBP.  With a record number of NEW students, the dividing wall between two small classrooms has come down and will become one NEW larger classroom.

This year we are soooo glad to have back IBP's directors, Martin and Charlotte Jacobson, for a NEW term in Argentina.  They have been greatly missed and with more activity due to the higher population of students, their presence is sorely needed!



This week, previous supervisor, Damian Sarano is helping to train NEW supervisors Carina Ayelef and Fernando Garcia.  Thank you Damian and welcome new sups!


Things are getting busier and busier and we thank God for this NEW day at the Patagonian Bible Institute!

What's New in 2014?

Meet Stephen and Danielle!

In January we were blessed to have a visit from Stephen and Danielle Martinez, youth pastors at Harvest Church in Roseville, California.  These youth pastors are not just any youth pastors, they are our nephew and niece on Diana's side.  They both ministered to the youth at our local church here in Gaiman and had a blast just hanging out with the Gaiman youth.  Language did not hold them back in the least and they absolutely love missions!

Goodbye Felicia!

Also in January, we as a family, said a difficult goodbye to Felicia.  She has returned to the land of her birth (although she considers herself more Argentine) and is getting acclimated to her new life in the states.  Please continue to keep her in your prayers for a smooth time of transition!

2014 Dodge Journey

STL Update!

February brought with it our new Speed-the-Light vehicle.  Thank you NCN Youth!!!  It had been quite a term with one major car repair expense after another.  So we are super excited to have received this huge blessing from the faithful and hard working youth and youth pastors of the Northern California Nevada District of the Assemblies of God.  We look forward to using it in ministry throughout the vast Patagonia!  
   

IBP

Worship during one of the morning devotionals

The last weekend of February, IBP hosted its largest retreat ever, the UAD (Union of the AG) Region 4 Men's Camp.

A total of 163 men from churches throughout the Patagonia converged on the IBP campus for a time of fellowship, worship, and great preaching and teaching.  It truly blesses us to see this campus blessing others.

....And here we are again gearing up for another awesome year of service at the Patagonian Bible Institute.  This year we are seeing the enrollment skyrocket! From last year we are looking at a 40% increase in total enrollment.  This is exciting and also challenging as we are again finding ourselves short on beds and crowded in our first year classroom with 44 students who will feel like sardines unless we make some adjustments.  Plans are underway to remove a wall from two smaller classrooms in order to make one extra large classroom.    

Praise God for those who are responding to His call!!!

2013 Year End

Goodbye Graduates!

Eddie with Grads at local tea house garden

It's amazing how time flies.  2013 was awesome and ended with yet another bittersweet graduation.  This time it was a group of 16  graduates.  It's sad to say goodbye but we know this is also a time when God is guiding each one as they yield to his leading. 

We also said good-bye to our supervisors and good friends, Damian and Emilce Saraño.  As they go forward in ministry to take on a pastorate at a small church further south (about 9 hours) in the Patagonia, a small coastal town named Puerto San Julian,  we know our God goes with them.  And, although we are glad they are moving on in obedience to God's call, we will miss them!  They were a great blessing to IBP.

On a personal note, we've enjoyed these last few months with Felicia.  She has been able to travel some here in Argentina for fun, visiting friends, and also to minister at a few churches.  It was nice that she was here to help interpret for the STL team when they visited.  Recently, our home church threw her a very nice surprise birthday party.  So she knows she is loved and her presence here will be missed.

*  *  *  *

We trust you had a Blessed Christmas!  Our Christmas Eve was spent with special friends, and at midnight, the young people all went out to watch the fireworks.

We leave you with the following wish for a Wonderful New Year!

Visitors and Students (October/November)

STL Team

They came!  The Speed-The-Light team from California was here in the Patagonia for a very special time of ministry and edification!  The team consisted of Steve Edwards, founder of Global Passion Ministries, the Student Ministry Directors from N. and S. California districts, Eddie De La Rosa and Tom Hammel, and four other youth pastors that they brought along.

On behalf of N.CA/NV district, Eddie De La Rosa presented us with the funds for a new STL vehicle.  We are so thankful to have had the honor and privilege of not only hosting and getting to know this tremendous group, but also of working alongside and sharing our ministry with them.  Both Eddie and Felicia had fun interpreting for each team member as they shared with local youth leaders and our students.

Because of their timely visit, the 2nd term at IBP started with a Bang!  The students were blessed to sit under their teaching those first few days of classes.  Thank you for coming Steve, Eddie, Tom, Jessica Cebrowski, Pat McConville, Daniel Martinez, and Jerad Macauley.  The semester took off after that first week with the students ready to dive in and learn from those the Lord prepared in advance to teach this semester.

VEN Church Planting Seminar
                                                                   
In late October we held our regular School of Formation for Pioneer Church Planters - a church planters seminar on our campus.  It was presented by our national church planting department (VEN), and one of the two presenters was one of our alumni, pastor Daniel (& Analia) Ayelef, who was also recently selected to be the national treasurer of VEN.   It was great to see how well Daniel and Analia (center in pic on right) are doing, and how they have been faithful for these many years since they graduated.  In the 15 years since he graduated (1998), Daniel has planted a thriving church and sent 7 students (see pic) to IBP; two of them graduated this year.                                                                    

SPIRITUAL EMPHASIS WEEK

Our Spiritual Emphasis week, during the first week of November, featured pastors Ruben Daconte (our speaker) and Sergio Bonacina (our teacher), both from thriving ministries in Buenos Aires.  They challenged our students to believe God for His help that is available to them every day.  Both pastors focused on evangelism, drawing from their lives rich in experience in that area.  At left is a picture of our students along with both pastors.

YOUTH EVANGELISM DAY

One of the highlights of every school year is our annual IBP Joven (youth) event.

Pastor Sergio Bonacina was previously invited to stick around after spiritual emphasis for this weekend of ministry.

That Saturday,
approximately 200 youth from nearby cities came through our gates for an all day event filled with evangelism training, music, and fellowship, followed by an
inspiring message by our awesome invited speaker.

Springtime in the South - September

Although it's still brisk, we can tell that Spring is trying to put an end to the cold.  We've seen blossoms on trees and the calendar assures us that it will be warm before long.  It does take longer here because we're so far south.  

Gaiman Flourishes

Speaking of Spring, our local church here in Gaiman, just had a Spring outreach with the theme, Gaiman flourishes, where the good news of Jesus was preached on the streets!  The ladies of the church made close to 700 flowers to give out at the event as a tool to approach the people.  Felicia and Jeremy joined the youth and King's Castle kids in doing street evangelism using choreography and skits.  We also united with the local police department to paint the kid's playground which was long in need of paint.

Couples’ Retreat

The couple's retreat that we were invited to speak at in August was a very special time.  We shared on the intimacy that comes naturally in relationships when there is openness honesty and forgiveness.  Thanks for praying.  There hasn't been a whole lot for married couples down here, so we are glad to share on the subject when the opportunity arises.  Just in case you are wondering, Diana and Eddie shared during the afternoon teaching session and Eddie is shown here preaching during the evening service.  Diana is the one behind the camera.

Trenque Lauquen (try saying that 5 times in a row real fast)

Eddie came back from the one-week-long IBP ministry trip, very pleased and grateful for the Lord's guidance and anointing in every detail of the outreach.  Apart from leading a team of IBP grads from 2012 to minister in several churches during the last week in August, he also organized and led the main event of this trip.  On Saturday, August 31st, in the heart of Argentina, in a dairy city called Trenque Lauquen (pronounced, “train-kay, lau-ken”), his team organized and conducted a day of training in creative evangelism for the youth of the area, which concluded with a tremendous service where many young people filled the altars to seek God with greater passion to fulfill the great commission.

Changes

Sometimes changes put a smile on our face and then there are changes which are hard to receive.  One of those is that our administrative secretary, Carina, has resigned.  She is also the pastor's wife of our local church here in Gaiman and senses God calling her to dedicate more time to her church and family.  She is a wonderfully creative and efficient woman and we will miss her at IBP.    

Also, at the end of this year, we will be saying goodbye to our current student supervisors at IBP, Damian and Emilce and their 2 children (and a 3rd who will be arriving any day now).  They have accepted God’s call to pastor a hurting church about 9 hours south of us in a small coastal town known as Puerto San Julian.  In the mean time, Damian is making several weekend trips to the church in preparation for their move.  

Eddie and building contractor, Daniel Garrido, were able to travel with Damian to Puerto San Julian last week to help him build the little 2-room house (future Sunday School classrooms) on the church property where it will become the temporary parsonage.  During this trip Eddie preached 3 times in 4 days at two different churches.  We're thankful for Damian and Emilce's service here at IBP and even more for their friendship. Their presence and spiritual influence on campus will be greatly missed.

STL Team Coming!

Next week we will be privileged to host a STL (Speed the Light) Excursion team.  Speed the Light is the department of the Assemblies of God dedicated to the raising of funds primarily for missionary vehicles but also for audio visual and media.  The awesome thing about Speed the Light is that it is taken care of by the youth of the churches of the Assemblies of God.  In other words, the young people, along with their leaders, are responsible for raising all of the funds for these needs.  This group of seven youth pastors and District Youth Directors will be sharing in local churches and at our Bible Institute chapel services, during the beginning of our new term.

We thank God for each one of you that is able to help us financially and prayerfully.

Pray for us so that we can continue to wisely invest in preparing those workers that God has raised up in the Patagonia to preach the Good News througout the world!

So all can hear,

Eddie, Diana, Felicia, and Jeremy