Enciende El Fuego
We are excited and thankful for all God is doing through Enciende El Fuego! We continue to see God’s favor and blessing upon what we are doing. We are seeing kids being transformed and volunteers have a passion for ministry. We will be receiving 50 Samaritan’s Purse shoebox gifts and will be doing a three-month discipleship next year with the materials. Many persons have donated cash, toys, clothing, and other things to bless the kids at our year-end party that we are planning on December 22. During vacation from school here, we will be doing several 3-day mini VBSs in the different neighborhoods where we are working where we will be doing activities and talking about Christ/Christmas. We are also blessed to have a new couple serving with us, and they have already been interceding for us and the ministry. This coming Tuesday our volunteer Valeria from Bogotá will be arriving to help us for a month and will be staying with us. We are excited for all she has to offer!

We have been experiencing a lot of spiritual opposition with the ministry in 17 de Diciembre as well as in our personal lives. We have felt that God wants us to give us our own building/space and have been praying and searching for a place. We are currently considering renting a church building in a nearby neighborhood. This past Tuesday we moved all our things out of the community building as we had been experiencing a lot of conflict with the community president. We will be temporally meeting in another outdoor place nearby until we find our own place. We feel peace in this time of transition and know that God has something super big for Enciende El Fuego and that He will give us our own building!

Life in Santa Marta
God has been teaching us about being grateful in everything. We have realized that we still need to grow a lot in this area. We are also learning to pray, trust, give up control, and let God act and fight for us. God has been getting our attention to raise up in prayer together and individually. We celebrated my 32nd birthday on the 21st and also had a Thanksgiving dinner meal with family and a few others. We were also able to help a ministry volunteer to go on a retreat, and he returned with a passion for God. We even “adopted” a puppy named Lulu about a month and a half ago. We are praying and asking God want He wants from us and what He wants with the foundation. And still waiting and trusting God for our kids to arrive.

“Rejoice always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God for you in Jesus Christ.” – 2 Thess. 5:16-18

In Christ,
Jonathan and María

Enciende El Fuego          
God is doing awesome things among the kids of 17 de Diciembre! We are sure He is doing a whole lot more that we can’t even see yet. We are so proud of the kids and so blessed to be a part of their lives! On October 27 and November 3, we did evangelism with the kids, and God used them to bless others and preach. We divided the kids who wanted to go into three groups and went into different parts of the neighborhood to share the gospel message and pray for the people. The kids did the preaching and praying! We are already seeing a strong desire among several of them for this work! God has shown me several “visions” of what He is doing with Enciende El Fuego in Santa Marta and it is very powerful!

One new thing we have started doing with the volunteers is fasting/praying from 7-9am every other Saturday. It has been a huge blessing! Two Saturdays ago two students arrived super early and prayed with us. We felt led to pray over them individually and God moved and spoke to them powerfully! Many people have seen that our ministry is like a big family. We feel we are “parents” to these kids and great friends with our volunteers. Next year there is the strong possibility of having a Christian school do its service hours with our foundation every Friday afternoon, which would be a huge blessing! We have begun planning and preparing for the year-end Christmas party as well! Valeria from Bogotá will be volunteering with our foundation for one month starting December 10, and we know God will use her mightily here!

We are also giving thanks to God for opening a door in Barrio Divino Niño. I have been working for several months there with a drawing teacher, but I felt the need to do more in this neighborhood. A pastor from a church close-by opened the doors for me to do activities and Bible teaching with the neighborhood kids on Friday afternoons in the church. After just two meetings, we are already seeing that we will soon have large numbers of kids that the church won’t be able to hold comfortably. We are trusting that God has great things in store through this partnership with the local church.

During the week-long break from classes in October, we went to the community of Pica Hueso where one of our volunteers has a kids’ ministry. We did a Bible teaching and had a soccer tournament. It was great! We also did sports activities in Barrio Santana where we have a partnership with two pastors with a kids’ ministry. One thing that God has put on our hearts is the need/desire to form missionaries among the kids and our volunteers…not just disciples and warriors, but also missionaries. We are seeking God about how to best go about this. We hope to sponsor two of our volunteers next year to do the missions training school with Coparena.

Other Ministry
Maria is finishing up her time at El Shadai teaching English. She has grown a lot as a teacher and has been a blessing and a light to so many of the students. She is not planning on returning next year. I have finished my time at the 17 de Diciembre public school for this year. God has used my time there to speak into the kids’ lives and see a bunch of them participate in the foundation. I will probably not be returning there next year. Each Friday evening we are doing sport activities with the kids here in our apartment complex and have been inviting them to our Bible study group on Thursday evenings at our apartment. Our home group that we started about two months ago has had low numbers, but we are trusting God to grow it to be able to reach many people.

We have been supporting the Coparena mission team (one of our ministry partners) in prayer as they are on their mission trip. They have already ministered in Bogotá, are now in the Amazon, and are praying for funds to be able to go to Mexico. God has used them in tremendous ways already, and they are praying and trusting for a miracle as they have only a few days left before going to Mexico. We were honored to be able to meet two pastors from New Jersey a week ago in our church. They were part of a team who had a tragic car accident here in Colombia where two persons died (a missionary and also the mother of our youth pastor) a week and a half ago. It was encouraging to see their faith and resilience in continuing with their mission in spite of all this.

Personal Update
We celebrated a year and a half of marriage this past month! God has certainly blessed our marriage and has used us to be a light and testimony to many people. God has showered His favor upon us in every area of our lives. We feel like our kids and getting closer to arriving, but we are leaving it in God’s hands. After Maria graduates this year from college, we are surrendering next year to the Lord. We feel God has even greater things in store for us and the foundation, and that He will give us speaking and/or ministry opportunities in other cities and even countries. Maria has happily been learning to bake and God has been awakening her desire for missions and the Great Commission! We just know we have to continue to be faithful and obedient in what we are doing and let God do the rest!

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21

In Christ,
Jonathan and María

Enciende El Fuego
God is doing a mighty work in Barrio 17 de Diciembre and is raising up an army of children Christ followers. We have seen that the ministry there is bearing fruit and God is showering His favor upon all that we are doing with the foundation. It is a privilege for us to be chosen by God for this great work! Maria a few weeks ago had a prophetic dream about multiplication, and shortly after we began seeing this multiplication at the foundation and at times have received about 90 kids.

During the month of October we will be teaching on the Great Commission, teaching the kids how to share the gospel, and then sharing the gospel in the community. Three girls who dance in the church are volunteering teaching dance to the foundation girls as well. In November, we will be focusing on the armor of God and teaching them how to use it. Shortly, we will begin planning and contacting businesses and people for donations for our year-end Christmas party and gifts for the kids.

We are so thankful for the amazing staff that God has sent us, persons who volunteer from their hearts not asking for anything in return. God has been reminding us that we also have a ministry to them and their spiritual development and also to ignite their passion for evangelism, ministry, and missions. We had our first staff fast/time of prayer this past Saturday and God poured out his presence and united us even more. We will continue do this every other week as a staff.

I have been working in Divino Niño, another neighborhood not too far from 17 de Diciembre. We have been supporting a drawing teacher (who isn’t a Christian…yet) there and have been teaching the Bible and having soccer games. I feel we need to do more there and have contacted a local church to help in that ministry. We have been invited to visit and consider working in other neighborhoods and will also be visiting a Christian home for indigenous teens who come from persecuted families to see if we will support them. We just ask that God leads us to the right places.

Life is Good
We have really been enjoying life, marriage, and ministry and we are honored to be used by God to be blessings to others! We have recently started leading a home group through our church. Maria celebrated her birthday on September 8 and was showered with much love and blessings! God continues using Maria greatly in her teaching and ministry with the kids at El Shaddai and me at the school in 17 de Diciembre. I also work a few hours most Wednesdays with English assistance at a Christian school.

We have begun having sports activities for kids here in our apartment complex on Fridays evenings and basketball on Monday afternoons. We pray that God gives us more opportunities through this. We were blessed to be able to buy a cheap, nice, used bed for our extra room to be able to house missionaries and others who need a place to stay! God also continues to bless our partnership with Coparena, a missions training school here in Santa Marta. We hope to continue to support them next year as well. God has been so good to us and we continue to see His provision and favor in our lives and marriage. We know that we are laboring only to please the Lord and winning souls to Him!

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” - Galatians 6:7-9

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21

In Christ,
Maria and Jonathan

We continue to see God´s hand in every area of our lives and ministry. He is moving us into a greater level spiritually and in the ministry. We have enjoyed living in our new place and hope to be able to host and bless a bunch of people. The administration team at our complex gave us permission to do games and sports activities with the kids. We are desiring to use this as a way to build relationships with the families here, give awareness to our foundation, and most importantly share Christ! We will start this Friday. Maria continues to teach English at El Shadai and has been a blessing to her students. I continue at the Barrio 17 school and have been able to build greater relationships with the kids.

Enciende El Fuego
Our ministry on Saturday mornings continues to go super well. More kids continue to arrive and we are a bit pressed for space! We are thankful to be able to use the building, but we are declaring and praying for our own space. We have finished teaching the stories of the Old Testament and will be moving into the New Testament soon. We have been receiving a bunch of donations in form of clothes, snacks, and other things to be able to bless others with. We were able to bless and pray for a Venezuelan family with a special needs girl and provide clothing for an orphan boy through the donations we received. We feel God has taken the ministry to the next level and it feels a little overwhelming in a good way.

A few weeks ago we went to support a kids group in a neighborhood called Barrio Bolivariano. We taught about Jesus as healer and played games with them. I also got the chance to visit a tiny Christian school twice to give devotionals to the kids sharing the gospel message and talking about Jesus as healer/miracle worker. I also handed out New Testaments to the kids! There are a few other projects that have been presented to us and we are praying about if God wants us to partner with those projects.

Surprises!!!
We were blessed to be a part of a mission team from Gary Oates Ministries (healing ministry) from the USA in early August. We helped translate and went with them to some of their ministry events inside and outside the church. They visited our foundation one afternoon and blessed the kids of the neighborhood! God opened up some doors for us as well through their time here. Through this mission team we were able to meet the directors of a mission training school and have started a partnership with them. We have taught some classes at the school and will be supporting them and they also will be supporting us in the foundation! It feels like a missions family!

More of Him
We are continually seeking God for wisdom and discernment in what we are doing here. We are learning to accept and be grateful for all God brings to us even though it may be uncomfortable at times. We also continue waiting for God´s timing for our future children. Maria is learning to rest in the Lord and persevere as she is almost finished with her studies. God is doing a lot of work in her heart and drawing her into a deeper relationship with Him. I am learning to receive from God simply by being in His presence and have been enjoying more of His intimate and tangible presence. The more time I spend in God´s presence, the more of God´s presence can be transmitted to others through me.

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God´s will for you in
Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

In Christ,
María and Jonathan

Life in Santa Marta
July has been a fantastic month filled with many blessings. The beginning of July we got the chance to go on a vacation to Antioquia, a state of Colombia. It was a wonderful week of enjoying nature, God, each other, seeing many sights, and resting. God watched over us and really took care of us in all the details during the entire trip. This semester Maria will be continue to work at El Shaddai teaching English part-time. I am continuing teaching PE at the Barrio 17 elementary school on Mondays and Tuesdays and am helping with English classes at a Christian school on Wednesdays. Another exciting change is that we have moved into our new (and bigger) apartment. We have surrendered it to the Lord and know it is His. We hope to use it to bless others and to host volunteers, family/friends, and pastors/prophets/others that come to speak at our church.

In these past few weeks, God has been allowing us to meet and connect with different persons. We attended a three-evening prophetic service two weeks ago. God spoke to us in many different ways and we received a lot from the Holy Spirit. Both of us were unexpectedly able to translate for the prophet and his companion during the prayer tine after the service. Even Maria had the opportunity to translate! There is a missionary team from the USA coming next week, and our pastor asked us to help translate and accompany the team as there is only one main translator for 25 people. The team is also planning on visiting our foundation one day. We are looking forward to what God has in-store for us. We also connected with a pastor/ministry leader from Bogotá who does a lot of missions work in Colombia and South America.

Enciende El Fuego Update
Things with the foundation continue to go great! In Barrio 17, we continue to see God’s hand at work among the kids. This past Saturday, two of our teachers were able to pray for a group of the older kids and the Holy Spirit touched them. Exploradores Del Rey (Royal Rangers of Colombia) has partnered with us, and it has been a blessing having them each Saturday. In December/January, we have a young lady named Valeria from Bogotá that will be coming to volunteer with us for a month. We are excited about having her and trust God has big plans for her while her. Another lady has joined our team. She also does ministry with kids in other poor neighborhoods. We are looking forward to partnering with her in the work she is doing as well. We have seen God’s provision with volunteers and details, and we know it is His foundation and His dream. We feel God wants to do so much more through us and the foundation and feel there is something missing, so we are praying for God’s direction.

God has been teaching us a lot about faith, declaring things in our lives, the power of our words, asking/receiving from God, the prophetic, etc. We both have been enjoying God’s presence more and feel Him so much closer. We continue to wait and pray for our kids to arrive to this world. God has been speaking to and through Maria more and has given her words to speak to others. Last Saturday we prayed for the grandmother of a girl in our ministry who was seriously sick (they believe cancer), couldn’t sleep, and was extremely discouraged. We went to her home and declared her healing and Maria spoke to her words from God. It was beautiful! Another day Maria had a dream about a lady in our former neighborhood and saw her in a wheelchair. Maria spoke to her about the dream and we went to encourage her and declare her healing. God used this same woman to donate things for our new apartment and she wants to support us in the foundation! We continue to see God’s hand in our finances, ministry, marriage, and many other things! We give Him all thanks and praise!

In Christ,
María and Jonathan