Pastors' Perspectives 2024-1

These are bi-anual updates through the eyes of the Cofradia United Pastors. Here they share what is going on in their ministries, needs they may have, and prayer requests. Thank you for your partnership with this ministry. Your contributions help them to succeed. If you would like to make a special donation to one or more, please follow the instructions here, and if you would like to send them a note, please feel free to do so here.

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Pastors Gregorio (Goyo) Hernández and Matilde (Mati)

Lead Pastors of Centro Cristiano la Cofradía United

Cofradia de Cuyutlán, Nayarit

Hello to all of you who have been interested in the recent activities of the church of Centro Cristiano Cofradia United. It is our pleasure to extend our greetings and gratitude for all the blessings you share with us. It is a big support to the ministry. Through this ministry, a young man who was lost in alcoholism and whose life was a difficult one is now six months sober and regularly attends the Sunday church services, glory be to God. His mother, who saw her struggling son and wanted to help, is now joyful seeing the transformation of her son and is at peace after the many anxiety-inducing experiences. Apart from attending church, he is currently going to the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings where we get the chance to encourage him in his walk of healing. 

With respect to the ministry for the children’s breakfast, the Cofradia Kitchen, that takes place here in the church, as of last week there are many children who come to have a meal before going to school. Before serving breakfast, we are able to give them a bible story and devotional. This has been a blessing because it has led the children who did not regularly attend church to come to the Sunday services where they are able to grow their knowledge of Christ. 

Last year, the annual theme of the church was “Passionate for God.” With this focus, we have seen many changes with respect to said theme. Many individuals who have attended church for a long time have now stepped in to serve in the ministry. In order to support these brothers and sisters for the growth in their heart to serve, every Tuesday there are evangelical courses of “Freedom in Christ” that focus on the development of being disciples as well as being discipled. This is one of the many things God is doing in the life of His church. 

For this upcoming year of 2024, the theme that we will focus on is “Identity”. With this theme, we hope to grow the church in the knowledge of who they are and to stand firm in their walk towards spiritual maturity. One of the main reasons for this is because as followers of Christ, we need to learn not to be shaken by the lies of Satan, and by knowing the truth, the lies become also noticeable and can be dismissed (John 8:31-32). There will also be activities for couples, marriages, and ladies to attend for this aspect of their walk with Christ. 

God has so much in store for this next year, and we want to reiterate our gratitude for all the support you give and for what you do for this ministry both spiritually and financially. Thank you for all that you have done for us and for the ministry. May God bless you in the spirit. 

Me and my wife Maty and our family also thank you for everything. Be blessed, and thank you for the love you give. 1 Corinthians 13:13, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 

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Pastors Horacio Garzón and María

Indigenous Ministries

Centro Cristiano Arrayanes Facilitators

Cofradia de Cuyutlán, Nayarit

Hello esteemed brothers and sisters. It is with great pleasure that I send you greetings wishing you all the joy and good health. First and foremost, thank you for your financial generosity, prayers, and your hearts for the LORD. 

In the recent discipleship courses, I have learned and given thought to the goals and dreams that I have for my own walk with Christ. The current goal God has for me is to grow in Him and mold to the character of Jesus. For this next year, the goals at hand will help me grow in the love for others and through Christ share with others the salvation God has given us. My prayer is that God will provide for the finances in order for my daughter, Kenia, to finish her journey in the studying of the profession of nursing. Along with this, I want to thank God for the healing in my wife, Maria, who’s health was struggling for an extended period of time. Since she has been better, there has been more peace and joy in the household, and as a family. 

With regards to the work in the mountains, there are two or three individuals who have embraced the Word of God. However, I believe that there is a necessity of reinforcing their learning through the indispensable tool of discipleship. For this reason, I pray that soon there will be more resources for bigger events of evangelism and discipleship in order to establish more strong leaders for the purpose of teaching in places like Mojocuautla and the surrounding areas. 

As for here in Los Arrayanes, my prayers consist of the equipping of the church property we have to pursue the calling of Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. (Steve's input here: Our desire is to make it a Retreat Center for our churches of Cofradia United and other churches as well to utilize as a place of "Refuge" for the purpose of growing as a family and individual brothers and sisters in the Lord.)

As of now, these are some of the many things that I am grateful for, and I hope to write to you all soon again. We send you blessings and gratitude. 

Thank you from Kenia, Maria, and myself Horacio Garzón Orozco. 

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Pastor Amado Verdin and Lourdes

Lead Pastors of Casa de Oración, La Hermosa

Director of Restoration Center, El Faro de Esperanza

Rosamorada, Nayarit

God bless my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ says the word of God in Mark 16:17-18. 

One day on my way to fix a vehicle in a different town, my phone rang, and the owner of the vehicle asked if I could pray for his wife. I said yes. When I arrived at the man’s house, the mother asked if I could please pray for her daughter. I asked what the matter was, and the mother explained that the daughter had gone many months without being able to sleep through the entire night. The daughter then emerged from one of the rooms with an unkempt appearance, disheveled hair, and tired eyes. Once we greeted each other I assured her that everything would be alright. I asked where the best place to talk was, and I was led to a room where my presence was met with the main pastor and four ladies of the church. This caught me by surprise, knowing that their pastor was here and had already prayed for her without success meant that this would be a more challenging mission than I thought. I asked the woman to sit and told her to hold eye contact with me. The reason for this was that in Acts 3:4, Peter and John healed a lame individual, but for this they asked him to keep his eyes on theirs. Like them, after making eye contact, I helped her to renounce any conscious or unconscious pact with Satan she had made from viewing pornography. She explained that some nights there would be a spirit in the shape of a dark shadow that would cover her as she lie in bed unable to sleep.

When praying for her deliverance from the spirit, the demon manifested itself and began to choke me and repeatedly told me to be quiet. While I wrestled with the demon, the pastor sang songs on his guitar and the ladies of the church prayed for the deliverance of the demon and the freeing of the woman. Once the demon in the woman's body was off me, she ran off like a dog on all fours. The demon made its way to the pastor and balanced itself over him and demanded him to be silent. The demon proceeded to try to bite the pastor and I commanded the demon in the name of Jesus to stop, and it stopped. The demon tried to run and escape, but I stopped it and demanded it to leave her body in the name of Jesus. The woman fell to the ground in a faint manner, and she was freed from the demon. Today, her and her husband live normal lives, are attending church, and have become part of the church family.

We had an event at church where an evangelist visited, and I invited a woman who said that she was having demonic appearances. She tried to consult the priest about her situation only to be told that it was an issue she had to deal with on her own. She also looked for help with a pastor, and for some reason he was unable to help her. Her family arrived at the church event, and when they all exited the taxi, they entered the church. However, the woman mentioned that she was afraid of entering the building. I told her there was nothing to worry about. I prayed for her and rebuked any sort of impediment from the enemy, and she was able to enter the place with peace, and she sat down with a tranquil spirit. During the event, the evangelist prayed for her, and she was freed from the evil entity that controlled her and her family. To this day, this is great news to the town they are from.

Pastor Amado thanks all of you for your prayers over his ministry.

(Here is Pastor Amado's most recent update as he asks for help with Room and Board Scholarships for the Interns at the Restoration House.)

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Pastors Ruben Perez and Valeria 

Lead Pastors of Restauración y Vida

Church Plant Pastor in Mazatan, Nayarit

Las Varas, Nayarit

No report available yet.

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Pastors Jimmy Orozco and Perla
Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit

We all have a very special relationship with our Father, and it will keep growing because it is the most important thing forever and always.❤️‍🔥

With my wife and I’s marriage, every day we are learning to love like our Lord. The kind of love that never ends, that forgives, and gives one confidence. 😌 Our kids have grown to know the Lord, the one who has known us since the beginning, and they are learning through reading the Bible and spending time in prayer. We have become stronger, and we venture toward getting closer to the goal!🙌✨ 

We give thanks to God for our pastors Steve and Geña Silberman for they have become an inspiration in our lives moving forward.

We are currently congregating in an incredible area in the Bay, San Juan de Abajo, Nayarit. The people are wonderful, and the pastor is a great teacher and mentor. He mentors us with our marriage. Ernesto and Katy are attentive to detail, and they have so much love towards us, which had been such a gift! 

We are also currently in contact with our church family in Tepic. Alan and Carito are taking their time in their walk in what needs to be taken charge of.😊 

We are currently living in Bahia de Banderas, Nayarit, and God, being faithful to his promises, has opened the doors for us to open our carport this past May for gatherings. Currently, there have been seventeen people saved and today they walk in new life. They have accepted the life of a beautiful relationship with the Lord. This is one of the many things that has been occurring in our place. 

We also finished a project we call Scoop.❤️‍🔥 This project entails that at the beginning of the day from 6AM to 7AM through Zoom; we pray and indulge ourselves in the word of God from Genesis to Revelation. We were able to finish this project on December 29th of this past year, and it has changed our hearts. 

Be faithful to His word and glory be to God!🙌✨ We are expecting great things from God this upcoming year of 2024 and we are excited to see how the year unfolds. We are prepared to know Him more and help others know Him through us.❤️‍🔥🙌 

Blessings to all! 

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Pastors Alan Contreras and Carolina

Tepic, Nayarit

No report available yet.

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Pastors Rodrigo Romero and Annel

Cordero y Leon

Culiacán, Sinaloa

(A need we see for this couple is a vehicle to help them get around. Culiacán is a big city and there is a lot of time spent trying to get from one place to the next by using the buses. Please prayerfully consider how you can help.)

During the Christmas season, their congregation got together for a special dinner.

Here is a video of their most recent update from last summer:

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

This year we had some family and friends over for a small gathering over Geña's deliciously cooked Turkey, fireworks, and games after a quick thought from the Word out of Philippians 2:5-8:

"Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."

Christmas is so much more deeper than a baby in a manger, the celebration of our King's birth. It's God, coming in human flesh, so that he could die on the cross for the payment of our sins and give us salvation and ultimately being raised from the dead taking victory over death and the grave in order to destroy the works of  the devil in our lives. This is a great reason to celebrate!

Blessings to you all and have a wonderful NEW YEAR!

Fruit from the Kitchen

Leonel is entered the youth group this year after a number of years coming to the breakfasts at the Cofradia Kitchen in the mornings before school. He dad is out of the picture and his mom is frequently out of town. Sometimes he stays with his grandpa who is not the best influence in his life.

Leonel is a sponge for the gospel. After sitting and listening to many devotionals by Pastor Goyo and at times Martin during the breakfasts, he began to come to church all by himself. Now, being part of the youth group, he has made some friends and seems to be a happy kid.

He was one of the students who was recognized for his good sportsmanship during EL RETO. At the beginning, the captains pulled names out of a hat and his name was selected by the Green team. When EL RETO started, he came with a white shirt because the White team had invited him to be part of their team. He was never informed by the Green team captain that he was part of their team. So, when he got there, to his surprise, they told him he was part of the Green team, not the White team with his friends.

I saw him walk home and thought to myself that he probably won't be back. To my surprise, and others' as well, he came back with a green shirt on! Talk about being a good sport and following the rules not complaining or anything. We were all impressed with is superb attitude! He ended up being a very important asset to his team as most of them were from out of town. He did a great job!

Leonel is "Fruit from the Kitchen" and continues to do well as he learns more and more about Jesus. During the first night of EL RETO, he was one of the many who responded to make Jesus Lord of their life. Thank you for your partnership with this ministry as your Investment in the Kingdom is reaching out to the children of the Cofradia Kitchen and the youth in EL RETO and Centro Cristiano Cofradia! 

If you have not had the opportunity to partner with us, please click on the button below to see how you can help.

Responding to Jesus

The first night of EL RETO ended with each team individually entering the "voting room" to vote for another team to do chores. Before they voted, we had the opportunity to share with them a very simple Gospel message. The majority of the students do not attend church and have no knowledge of the good news of the Gospel message. This night, almost all students raised their hands amongst their teammates to say "Yes" to make Jesus Lord of their lives and receive his forgiveness. He is the only way to heaven (John 14:6), and it was a powerful night when most of the students prayed.

Thank you so much for your partnership with this ministry. These students "Responding to Jesus" are your Investment in the Kingdom. You are helping change lives. If you have not had the opportunity to contribute, please click on the button below to see how you can help.

"As Light as a Feather"

"As light as a feather" was the response from a young girl (who will remain nameless for now) who was asked how she felt after renouncing past sins, forgiving the offenders in her life, and accepting forgiveness from Jesus.

Just a couple months prior, this young girl of 13 years was in a position in her life that prevented her from seeing any hope. She heard voices in her head to cut herself, so she did, and she proceeded to overdose on pills. Her parents asked for help and when Pastor Amado from Rosamorada came to pray for her, she had no side effects. 

Her and her family began being discipled and she participated in our recent youth outreach, EL RETO. And, most recently, participated in our Freedom in Christ Conference. Now, when she hears voices in her head telling her to cut herself, she tells them "No! I'm not going to cut myself anymore!". Those voices have gone mute.

Thank you so much for your consistent prayers and support of this ministry. This is your Investment in the Kingdom, when you pray and give. People's lives are being changed because of your partnership.

Freedom In Christ Conference - December 2023

It was almost surprising to see that over half of the people who signed up to come, were not able to make it at the very last minute...most of them got sick. If there is anything the enemy does not want is for us to know that he has already been defeated, and how we can be free in Christ through understanding our Identity in Christ. This material is very impactful and every time we do this, people are set free. The battle is in our mind, if the enemy can convince us that he is strong and we have no hope, he has gained ground in our lives. But, it's all deception. Satan is the master deceiver.

For those who came, it was definitely a victory for them. One man shared that for the first time he realized it was his responsibility to teach his kids about God, he always thought that was the Pastor's job. He took home with him some very valuable truths to put into practice.

A lady mentioned that she never took thought to forgiveness. She realized that "if I don't forgive, I'm stuck; I will never be able to move forward!" The Lord healed her of past hurts during the conference.

Another girl who recently attempted suicide was set free from her bondages. While we were renouncing sins, she was so surprised that what she had done was sitting there in front of her on the paper, ready to be renounced. She excitedly got up and told her pastor, "This is what happened to me!!", and with a willing heart, renounced the deceptive lies that she had believed. Now, when a thought comes, she nips it in the bud and says, "No! I'm not going to cut myself anymore!". She is winning the battle! After renouncing, forgiving, and accepting forgiveness, she said she felt "as light as a feather".

Thank you for your partnership with us as we help people change their lives!

Salcedo Valentin House Build Coming Soon!

UPDATE: Christ the King Church from Anacortes, Washington, came and built this family a home, changing their lives for the good in a big way! What an awesome time. Zeferina, the mother, just days before was pleading for her husband to just let her die because she was so sick with a high fever and was not feeling well at all. She had been in bed for days. The doctor gave her some unique medicine and we prayed for her. Within a couple of days, she was walking around, feeding her family, and by the end of the week, you would not have known she was sick. Praise the Lord! 

Here is the video of their House build...

(Information pre-house build below)

Congratulations to the Salcedo Valentin family who has been waiting for almost five years for a house. Eduardo is from Cofradia and Zeferina is from Agua Aceda, an Indigenous Village I used to do Bible Studies in 20+ years ago. She says she remembers when teams would go up to the town and do crafts, movies, and games. She said she was around her daughter's age...eight years old!

I'm excited for this family who will be getting a house. The were elected by the Christ the King Anacortes group who will be here in February to build them a house. They are definitely in need as they have been living in a stick and adobe house with a thatched roof. One of the walls isn't even finished and they use a tarp for cover.

Do you want to build a house for a family in need? Email us for more information.

Cofradia Kitchen Kids 2023-12

Lots of kids have been coming out lately for the breakfasts before school. It is awesome to see so many kids getting blessed by a meal by people who love them and guide them in biblical principals. Mati is doing an excellent job with her team. They are taking a break over the holidays, but will resume once school opens up again. Thank you so much for partnering with us.

Pastors' Dinner 2023

We had a really great time together again as most of the pastors in our fellowship were able to join us for our annual Turkey dinner at our house. We do this to show our appreciation to them and express our gratitude for their service. 

It is always a blessing as we reflect on a few things. I shared a little about Christmas and some history on why the United States celebrates Thanksgiving dating back to when 50 pilgrims celebrated the good crop season together with 90 Indians (including the Chief) over a period of three days and gave thanks to God. I also shared how we can be thankful for what he has already provided for us in His Spirit.

Deuteronomy 6:10-11 expresses that when we are brought into new life, he figuratively gives us 

"...great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you didn't not plant..."

God provides so much for us that is already available, all we have to do is believe it to receive it. Salvation is just that, you receive it because you've believed it.

May this Christmas season be a season of gratefulness and wonder as you ponder on what God has done and provided for you.

Verse 12 says to not forget the Lord.

Please consider partnering with us as we Raise Up Leaders in Rural Mexico. Each donation helps the different pastors be able to Reach the Lost, Bring Freedom to those with Addictions and Strongholds, Disciple Believers, and Develop New Leaders. Thank you so much!