Aqui Estamos

My family has been stoned, beaten & left for dead. My church has been robbed & broken into. Our town has tried to burn it down a number of times. My son was demon-possessed. My grandchild fell off a sink & should have been left brain dead or severely handicapped. But our church still stands, my family still alive, my son FREE in Christ & serving His church & my grandson perfectly healthy. And here we are.

Can you imagine if this were your story? If you lived this type of persecution everyday? The truth is, most of us never will. We live in either the liberated United States or contemporary big cities. But in the little pueblas outside of Guadalajara these stories are far too real.

It is in these little pueblas that the devil has such a stronghold. People worship out of conviction, not freedom. They are devoted to culture & tradition out of fear, not celebration. And it’s the small little Christian churches, one per town, that have to stand up & fight everyday because they know the truth! They know that we can stand before God, full of sin, & yet He still loves us. They know that we don’t have to come to Him in fear, but out of courage, seeking to love & be like Him by serving & loving His people. They know that we can have a real relationship with Christ that liberates us from the bonds of this world.

And yet they fight, everyday. And they proclaim, here we are. Here we are fighting, taking a stand for God; no matter the trials or hardship, no matter what it might cost us, here we are.

*The group of kids we had for our VBS program at the church. We had to do the program outside, otherwise families wouldn't come.