Dear M.M.M. Friends & Family,
It is always our privilege to share with you our blessings and experiences here in the mission field. God has been so very good to us over the years. This is a very special edition newsletter, dedicated primarily to the work our student missionary trainees are doing. We know that you will be blessed reading the stories and testimonies from our friends, students and volunteers. Before you begin, let us share with you this message from our Lord, who tells us; “God does not design that His Human channels shall be uncouth. It is not His will that man shall belittle or degrade the heavenly current that flows through him to the world. They will be educated in patience, kindness, affability, and helpfulness. He (God) has given us a great work to do. Let us do it with accuracy and determination. Let us show in our lives what the truth has done for us. Everyone who accepts Christ as his personal Saviour will long for the privilege of serving God. Contemplating what heaven has done for him, his heart is moved with boundless love and adoring gratitude. He is eager to signalize his gratitude by devoting his abilities to God’s service. He longs to show his love for Christ and for His purchased possession. He covets toil, hardship, sacrifice.” COL, 336; GW, 97; 6T, 418.; MH, 502.
Sharing His Love
by Miriam Flores
It was only a short time since arriving to that town….small, hot, and without friends. But God always knows how to guide us to just the right people. A new found friend, Nelson invited me to go to La Zona. “I’m going to take you to a place that I’m sure you will like” he said. And he was right; La Zona seemed to me like a paradise! It was cooler temperature, more isolated and nestled in the mountains of Santa Barbara. It was here that we met his friend Elsa who along with her husband Joe Willis, run a medical missionary outpost right there in that mountain village. They shared how in their dependence upon God, He had led them to this very spot.
So that very afternoon we went to their beautiful house of prayer for the afternoon program before heading back to Santa Barbara.
Two years later I got the news: “Dona Elsa is planning to open a vegetarian restaurant in Santa Barbara”. And sure enough a couple of months later we were sitting down with some of my co-workers enjoying the delicious vegetarian meals at "La Canasta de Vida"; while in Santa Barbara I would try to eat there every week. I was later moved to Tegucigalpa, but whenever work brings me back to Santa Barbara, guess where I eat my breakfast and Lunch? Yes, at “La Canasta de Vida!” The restaurant is peaceful, relaxing, and the food is healthy. Little by little I have personally witnessed how interested the people of this town have become in their health, and in receiving the advice that is shared with them, and they look forward to the times when they can chat with our very busy friend Dona Elsa.
The volunteers that work at the restaurant are always very pleasant and kind and ready to answer all the questions that we ask concerning health. A very beautiful couple by the name of Ariel and Johanna arrived in the later part of 2008 to work at the restaurant. And as usual it is impossible not to feel that all that work with the Willis’s in their ministry are “our friends”, and this couple was no exception. One day Ariel said “sister, when are you going to visit our church?” I quickly responded that I had already visited and now it was their turn to visit ours. That very next week he informed me that he had talked to Dona Elsa and his wife and they would love to go, but that they would want to be useful and share something about health with the people. I quickly contacted the lady in charge of health ministries who made arrangements for Ariel and Johanna to travel to Tegucigalpa for a weekend of sharing.
That Sabbath afternoon they shared some very important health and nutrition information, and early Sunday morning they did some practical hands-on training on how to give a massage. They were truly a blessing. They demonstrated such peace, and the desire to simply serve and reveal God to others. Ariel and Johanna stayed in the home of Aracely de Escoto she shares the following “This couple taught us very practical lessons on massage, nutrition and lifestyle changes. We were personally benefited by some organic gardening videos they left with us. They truly revealed the spirit of unselfish service. As a family we felt that we had gained two new friends. We still keep in touch through e-mail, and I pray that God will always bless their ministry. Rebecca another one of our church members says “what I liked about Johanna and Ariel is that they had such good knowledge of health and were so willing to share it with others. I was impressed with the wonderful benefits of natural remedies which we have right at our hands. I liked the class and I hope they can come back and share more with us.”
I always feel like God allowed me to go to Santa Barbara so I could learn more about Him. One of the most edifying lessons that I have learned is that we are in this world to serve, and to reveal the character of God through our lives; that God can give us peace in the midst of the frenzy of this world. When you have God in your life, there is no place for selfishness, but a desire to share what you know and have for the benefit of others. This is what I have learned from that small but great woman who is willing to do whatever God tells her… Dona Elsa Willis, along with that special couple Ariel and Johanna, and all the rest of the volunteers that work at the restaurant.
It never ceases to impresses me to see their willingness to serve and go wherever God sends them. So kind in their ways, their lives reveal with such certainty that we are in this world to serve and reveal God to others. I have seen how God has blessed the work of Maranatha Medical Ministries here in Santa Barbara; first with the clinic, then the church, then the M.I.C.E. (the school) and now the restaurant, which I have seen prospering little by little. I have learned that when we place ourselves in the hands of God, He can do great things. Dona Elsa and the missionaries here in Santa Barbara are a living and faithful example of what God can do. Not only have they made an impact in the lives of the people in this small town, but from that remote mountain village of La Zona, they have made an impact in the lives of people in the busy capital city of Tegucigalpa! They have chosen that better part, which will never be taken from them! May God bless this ministry and their workers wherever they go in obedience to God’s voice.
Our Student Missionary Trainees
Our young students of the Missionary Training Center have been learning how to effectively minister and witness in all areas. Recently, they all went through numerous medical classes. At first, we weren't sure whether they would be able to grasp all of the information given them. But they surprised us by eagerly engrossing themselves in everything taught. I think these photos speak for themselves:
Just listen to Rene’s testimony:
““My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up.” Psalms 5:3
I would like to tell you about one of the greatest and most wonderful experiences the Lord has given me as I am being trained as His servant. This is the experience of communing with Jesus. I had never had such a close communion with the Lord until I truly understood what the Lord’s purpose for my life was.
“My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O LORD…” I had never understood the great value, the importance of spending time with God each morning until one day I experienced it, and that day was for me the most beautiful and perfect day I had ever had. I felt the presence of my God by my side, His strength to overcome evil and that fear to commit sin. Thanks to God, that was not the last time I felt that need to seek Jesus. Now, every morning the Lord hears my voice and is always there to instruct me by His word, to strengthen me so that I can be ready to overcome in the day that is ahead of me, and that is the reason why we all must have that communion with Christ. This place, this school, has been a great blessing to me. I feel my relationship with Jesus is deeper and that I am growing in His grace. I feel that friendly hand that gives me strength, love, and a desire to go forward. When you have a personal relationship with Christ, everything changes and your greater desire is to always do His will and allow Him to direct your life. As young people, we need to have this relationship with Christ because we face a real challenge to maintain our communion with God and gain “victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:57) The Christian young person must make use of all the means of grace God has made available for him to be victorious in the good fight of faith. Personal consecration, this is what God requires of each one of us. The Lord has really blest me so much since starting this new year at “Maranatha Missionary Training” Center. I would like to share one more experience. One of my duties is to teach Ruthie, she is in third grade. In geography class she was to learn about our country of Honduras, with all it´s demographics. And one morning as I prayed asking God for wisdom, he impressed me to teach her about Honduras by doing a comparison with that better country whose maker and builder is God.
We talked about the size of Honduras, it´s mountains and rivers, and It’s capital of Tegucigalpa, but at the same time I was sharing about the new world and it´s capital: the New Jerusalem, It’s size and foundation, the crystal river of life and the tree of life. I saw that Ruthie was very interested, and she remembered all the information. I knew that God was by my side teaching that class. These are just a few of the many experiences I’ve had with the Lord Jesus at this school that the Lord has established. This is where I want to be, it´s where I will learn to serve others, where I can be taught of God to become a man of courage, filled with His Spirit and always ready to say ¨Here am I send me¨. Words can’t express how happy and thankful I am for this opportunity …for this missionary training Center. My desire is to honor the Lord by giving Him my whole being and allowing Him to use me, remembering always that the success in the spiritual life depends on us maintaining that relationship with Jesus, and staying connected to Him. There are so many beautiful experiences that I have gained since beginning my training this year. God has done so much for me, and I want to share just one of his latest blessings.
My desire has always been to serve and be a help and a benefit to my community, to my country and in this world. And God has answered my prayers. He has allowed me the opportunity to come to this school…”the school of the prophets”; here by His grace, I am forming a character in the likeness of my Saviour Jesus, and being trained, so that by His help I can accomplish the work that He has given me to do. In the last few weeks “el doctor “ (Mr. Willis), has been teaching us how to take vital signs and specifically how to correctly and intelligently take blood pressures; and thanks to God, I learned so that I can share this knowledge with others. When we got ready to put our knowledge into practice, we went down into the village of La Zona, and I felt so happy as we went from home to home taking the people’s pulse and blood pressure, and sharing some advice with them. I also saw that this work opens the doors to present the word of God. Another week later we had the opportunity to go down to the restaurant and do the same thing. What a marvelous experience...to be of service in my community. God has a special purpose for every person in the world, but few realize this purpose. God wants to use especially the young people to shed His light in this world of darkness, and only as His light, His Glory is reflected in our lives, will we be able to lighten this world. I am very thankful and blessed to be here at MMTC.
Freely You Have Received, Freely Give
by Elsa
After returning from a short missionary trip to Belize, I was greeted with all the happenings during my five day absence. Teresita shared all the happenings with the students, and was very excited to share that just the day before my arrival a little girl from the mountain of ¨Piedra Hancha¨ had come down with a large cut on her leg which required stitches. Our young men from The Maranatha Missionary Training Center had just finished their first aid, injections and suturing training two weeks prior. So when Jorge saw the need, he quickly volunteered to do the job. It was their first suturing experience without Joe´s supervision. They prayed and nervously but confidently went to work. It required six stitches, and Jorge, Danelia and Ruby took their turns suturing. I know Joe would be proud of them. Jorge described how he injected the Lidocaine, because he had to make sure that he cleaned the wound well, and there was a piece of skin that had to be lifted up in order to get all the dirt out. They also remembered to keep all the knots to one side of the cut, and Jorge kindly share with the young girl some of the herb capsules that Joe had given him a few weeks prior when he had to have stitches himself, he has learned the principle of freely you have received, freely give. This is one of our emphasis at this missionary training center, that whatever they learn and receive, they must in turn share it with others.
The young girl came back a couple of days later and I got a chance to see their suturing job and I must say that they did a beautiful job, it was neat and clean and there was no sign of infection. But my greatest joy was to see the genuine care, interest and compassion with which Jorge treated the young girl. I could see the joy in Jorge´s face, because he had been able to help someone in need.
You can only imagine how proud we are of our young missionary trainees. They have grasped the knowledge given them and applied it in true service for God. They are now prepared to go out into the community and mountain villages using the “entering wedge” to reach the hearts of the people. Can you imagine what could,...and would happen if all of our youth were trained in service for God? “Above any other agency, service for Christ’s sake in the little things of everyday experience has power to mold the character and to direct the life into lines of unselfish ministry. The spirit of ministry is the spirit of heaven, and with every effort to develop and encourage it, angels will co-operate.” MH, 401
Medical Missionary Training
by Joe
It was an intense two days of training, but these students excelled above and beyond all expectations. While we may now only have a very few students in our classroom, I predict that God will impress others, young and older, to wake up to the seriousness of the times we are living in, and decide to devote all of their time, energies, and efforts to the finishing of His work.
“Upon us is laid a sacred charge. The commission has been given us: “Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” If you are dedicated to the work of making known the gospel of salvation, heaven’s perfection will be your power.
Teresa Jimenez is one of our full time missionary volunteers. This is what she wrote: “Dear Brother Joe, Thank you so very much for the classes you gave to us. They were such a blessing, and we are happy and excited about the knowledge we were able to get, which will be used to serve others and our Lord. I took the stitches out of Jorge on Wednesday, and he is doing well, thanks to God. After we removed the stitches, we were able to better understand the previous theory classes. Thank You!! May our Saviour bless you much, much more. It has been such a blessing and we just want to keep on studying, learning and practicing. This note of thanks is not just from me. I believe all of the students are as thankful as I am.” It is always rewarding to hear words of thanks; To know that our efforts to train young people will take root, and they will be of great service to God and His work of teaching, healing, and saving those who are lost.
I have always told my students - “First you watch me,...then I watch you.” I can’t begin to tell you how thrilling and rewarding it is to see young people put to practice what they have just learned. They went through two days of long in-depth training in basic medical procedures and first aid, giving injections, suturing and more. With this information under their belts, they immediately wanted to use what had learned. It just so happened that Jorge had an area on his right shoulder that needed minor surgery. Each student had a particular job to do in the surgery. Two of them administered the anesthesia, and three did the suturing. They really did a fantastic job.
There is Power in Prayer
“Christ gave no stinted service. He did not measure His work by hours. His time, His heart, His soul and strength, were given to labor for the benefit of humanity. Through weary days He toiled, and through long nights He bent in prayer for the grace and endurance that He might do a larger work. With strong crying and tears He sent His petitions to heaven, that His human nature might be strengthened, and that He might be braced to meet the wily foe in all his deceptive workings, and fortified to fulfill His mission of uplifting humanity. To His workers He says, "I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done." MH, 499-500
Prayer Corner
Please remember these dear souls in your prayers -
Ryan Sanchez—Health & Healing
Maranatha Missionary Training Center—God’s continued direction
Standish Family - Strength to see beyond all obstacles.
Patricia Smith—Health & Healing
The Willis Family - Health, Healing, and full surrender to God.
God’s faithful workers around the world.
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