Thankfulness, goals and prayer requests for 2013!

1) Thankfulness!
To the Lord, for His salvation, protection, provision and patience toward me & my family, and the work He let me do for Him and His kingdom.
To my wife and my children, because of their love to me; for walking beside me in my pilgrimage and service to the Lord in this world; and because they are instruments of God to make me mature as a man of god, father, and God’s servant.
To Hope Baptist Church because they gave me the opportunity to serve God among them, and to them; I appreciate their prayers and gifts because of their love toward God is doing by me.
To you, my family in Christ, who estimate what God is doing by me; and pray, give, and encourage me with your concern for my personal, familiar, and ministerial life.

2) Reached goals that I have seen!
I prefer to talk about what God has made, and I could see.  Usually, I wrote letters giving testimony of those things; this time I will do a brief summary.

Leneida, Elisabeth (19), Noé Isaí (11), Segundo Andrés (10), Elena Amada (8) y yo

Family: My children are growing, they are healthy, going forward in their education, and involved in several programs at church.  Noah finished elementary level; Lord willing, on March will start high school.  Segundo Andrew and Elena Beloved are still in elementary level, and got very good grades.  My wife, Leneida, is feeling better.  Her hernia is under control.  She is serving more and more at Church, and among wives of Pastors in the city.  Our marriage is getting stronger and closer.

 Church: Our average attendance is 120 people. 6 were baptized. One family (3 adults and 3 children) was added to the Church. One guy is growing in preaching, and a couple is being trained to counsel marriages.  About 30 people are voluntarily involved at ministries of the Church.  We are giving about 20% of our budget to missionaries and other ministries in which we are partners with other churches.  We made some construction in our building, and bought some equipment to improve our ministry as a local church

The children in the Christmas program and the young, my wife and me walking by end the year!

Other churches and pastors & leaders through Worldwide Baptist Missionary Partnership (in Spanish: COMBI): By conferences and intensive courses we could strength pastors and missionaries.  We are training 150+ pastors and missionaries who are in the field with no theological training.  This ministry has involved 15 pastors to travel and teach pastors and leaders in several areas of Peru. In Peru: we are encouraging pastors and churches to support missionaries; we connect missionaries and churches for partnership. In International missions: We have promoted prayers and offerings for missions in other countries.  God has blessed this work and we have seen people and churches being part of this aspect of the Great Commission.  COMBI had the privilege to channel $3,652 US Dollars from Peruvian churches to Cuba, Macedonia and Equatorial Guinea (Africa).  We know that this amount is only a drop, but we expect to see growth in obedience to the Great Commission.

With the students in my last class of 2012 in Requena!

3) Goals!
1. Personal level: To grow and mature in my position as child of God., husband of Leneida, father of my children, son of my parents, brother of my brothers & sisters in Christ, etc.
2. Chuch level: To keep serving in preaching, teaching, discipleship, counseling and administration.  To help the Chruch in the process to call a pastor.  To help in training two men to preach and teach at church.
3. COMBI level: To keep promoting a worldwide vision to involve more pastors and churches in the real dimension of the Great Commission.  To update legal papers for COMBI.
4. Baptist Seminary of Peru : To invest most of my time and strength to train new pastors and leaders through this ministry.  This Seminary is very important to me.  I am attached even emotionally to this valuable ministry.  I will write another letter with more details of my service at Baptist Seminary of Peru.
5. To keep preaching and teaching about God’s desire to have more workers in His harvest to see more men and women giving their lives to the ministry.  I will explain more this goal in another letter on my ministry at Baptist Seminary of Peru.

4) Prayer Requests:

1. I have noticed that sometimes I waste my time. Pray to grow in wisdom to use my time to get more involved in God, eternity and His kingdom.
2. I will have more work preaching, teaching and counseling.  Pray for improve my personal study, for my own blessing, and to bless those who will hear me (1 Timothy 4:16).  Pray that Jeremiah’s words break with fear my heart and mind each day: Jer. 48:10  “Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully…”
3. For growth in my capacity to train others for ministry, and to learn how to delegate responsibilities to skilled people.
4. For my wife and children.  My ministerial duties in this new year will demand more wisdom to have quality and edifying time with them.  May God help us to be faithful to Him each day on this new year.

Thank you very much, friends and partners in the kingdom of God.  You are very important to me, my family, and my faithful obedience to what god wants me to do.  May God richly bless you and keep you faithful in His kingdom.

With love,

Segundo Rodríguez

Ministerio de Avivamiento de Habacuc