La Familia Navarrete Vargas

La Familia Navarrete Vargas

martes, 21 de mayo de 2013

May: A time to grow in faith


Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We give thanks to God because He makes sure to confirm to us on a daily basis that He has called us and He has chosen us. We want this letter to be an offering of thanks where we tell you some stories of how God gives us a daily pat on the back and reminds us that His will in having us in His service is good. Glory to God!
Last year when we began our studies at the university, I met a classmate, Sandra, who is Colombian and is married to an American. We knew each other for around 3 months, she and her husband came to Carpio around 3 times, and we began a beautiful friendship. Last December, they invited us to go to Panama, where they are living now. The way that they treated us and made us feel loved was incredible, they took care of all of our expenses and it was a time of refreshment. While we were there, they told us that they had a car in Costa Rica that they weren’t going to use and that they wanted to give it to us. It was a huge blessing because for a few months we had not had a car and we took too long to get to the university campus and church. We have had the car for a few weeks now. Even though I try not to be materialistic, I cannot describe how marvelous it has been to have a car again, we can do so much more with our time now because it doesn’t take an hour and a half to get to campus anymore; now it only takes us around 25 minutes.
For some months we had a 17-year-old girl, Michelle, living with us. She was living with a family of missionaries that went to the United States for 6 months and she could not go back to her family. We let her stay with us, with a little fear because it was more expensive in every sense, but at the same time remembering that God would take care of everything. Well that is exactly how it went; during that time God made sure that we were not lacking anything. Even more, I firmly believe that we are in “His business” He supports us in a surprising way, and that is exactly how it was during all of those months. Michelle has already gone back to the missionary family that returned, and even though we miss her, we know that God has marvelous plans for her
About a month ago, I had a day where the whole world went into crisis, I was supposed to help a student with her boyfriend and her mom, another student with problems- honestly it was a day completely full of chaos. At 5:30 when we were on our way to campus, with tears in my eyes I told Alvin that sometimes I was worried about spending so much time resolving issues without knowing if the Word that we have planted in their hearts was bearing fruits. My expression was, “I feel like a firefighter, I’m only putting out fires.” About an hour later in class, I looked at my Facebook messages and one of my students had written me. He is a student that has parents that use and sell drugs and steal, and he is fighting against his family because they don’t want him to study, to the contrary, they want him to do what they do.
The message said, “Chio, I can’t take it anymore, I want to end my life, but I am looking for your help because I have found in you and Alvin the family that I don’t have and I know that you can help me.” I felt fear and anguish, so I called him immediately. We talked for a good while and the next day we met up for a while and we saw each other constantly to spend time together. But what I really want to get back to is wow, God’s humor and His way of acting is so unexpected, that in a moment of anguish God answered my doubts through a suicide note. How faithful is my God, how sensitive that He listened to me in the middle of my doubts and fears and made sure to remind me that His will for my life and Alvin’s is good, pleasing and perfect.
A few weeks ago, Alvin was talking with one of the boys who was in the newspaper when we had the activity with the Costa Rican soccer team. The boy told him, “Alvin, I am proud to see my picture in the newspaper. When my friends and family end up in the newspaper it is in the crime section because they are killed or someone killed them. But my story is different, I am in the sports section.” I think that as a team, we are sucessfully impacting the lives of so many boys and girls and introducing them to a God that, when He enters their lives, does marvelous things. He changes people and their stories as we would never think possible.
So there are a lot of life stories that remind us that He has called us with a purpose, and that the work done in His service no is in vain. If we did this same job for ourselves, we wouldn’t accomplish anything, but He reminds us that He chose the most unworthy places in the world to show His power and greatness. Who are Alvin and Chio? Why are they so special? Who is the team that works in Carpio? Why are they so extraordinary? I’m sorry to let you down if you were waiting for a good response, but we don’t have anything, we are no one. Wait- we do have something- we have sin, pride, ego and many other things that are part of our human nature. And as sinners, God chose us and when he shows us how weak we are is when we remember that we would not accomplish anything without His power showing itself through our weakness.
I am not lying to you when I say that many times I have wanted to resign, many times I have wanted to throw in the towel when I see that I am surrounded by other human beings who have as many defects as I have, but God has made sure to renew our strength every day. He through text messages or messages on our Facebook walls has reminded us with the words of the boys and girls of La Carpio that His will is to have us here. It doesn’t matter now weak we are because He chooses the weak to defeat the strong of this world.
I think a lesson that we learn every day (and I say every day because sometimes we forget) is that when we think that we are doing everything right, that we are too good, it is time to think and remember that we are here because we are weak and because there is nothing special about us. But the little that we have in the hands of God turns into something big and powerful, with the ability to impact lives. Now my question for you all, my friends, is why did God choose you? Is it because you are too good or He is too good?
Again, we want to thank each and every one of you for being part of this ministry. Without you all on our team, none of this would be possible. Thanks for letting God use your prayers or offering for us. Every prayer, every thought, every word of encouragement and each offering has made this dream a reality. You are very important to us, from our heart, thank you!
We would like to tell you some good news and prayer requests that we have in the most concise way possible:
·         Three of the students in the Institute passed their exams to graduate from high school and for the first time, we have students who are graduating from all of high school. Pray for the process of trying to get into college.
·         We have 2 computer labs, and they’re beautiful! Pray for the classes that start this next week.
·         Our visa application to go to the United States to visit our supporters was denied, we pray for provision and a positive response in the next appointment that we might have.
·         We have a ton of new volunteers! Pray that they will be a blessing and that we can bless them as well.
·         July 25th-29th we will have a camp for the leaders, we pray that it will be a time of refreshment where we spend time together as brothers and sisters.
·         The students have taken their exams and we are waiting for results, let’s pray for the next semester.
·         Some plans that we have and will be telling you about soon, we pray that God gives us direction. 

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