The presence of God
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The presence of God is a interesting topic to think about. The Holy Spirit is with us always, but sometimes we can sense Him at certain points in our life more than others. When we have a strong sense of the Spirit we can become overwhelmed with an awe and worship of our amazing God. The presence of God is life-changing, but also can cause fear and trembling as it did to the Israelites in Exodus 19. It can be comforting and full of joy as it says in Psalm 16:11. It can be a challenge to work toward if we seek Him with all our heart as it says in Jeremiah 29:13. However, most of all the presence of God never leaves us."Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 137:7-10
The sacrifice Jesus made on the cross to take on all our sins now allows us to experience the presence of God (along with the coming of the Holy Spirit) because the curtain that divided the Holy of Holies, reserved only for the high priests, was torn in two. Anyone can now sense God's presence in their lives, it is not just reserved for a specific group of people. I encourage you to take some time to think about the power of God's presence in your life.
Here is a really awesome song from Elevation worship about the presence of God - if you have the time check it out!
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ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A WAY TO SERVE? Join us in serving in Guatemala. How? We are searching for new financial partners in what God is doing here in Guatemala. Together, we can bring light into darkness, plant seeds & go where God is leading us next in this community and around Guatemala. Please pray & let God lead you. If you have more questions or are interested in giving send an e-mail to abrubaker@pushtherock.org or follow this link: Donate. As we look to renting a new building, and continued growth in the program the need for more finances increase. We would love to partner together with you as we spread the gospel of Jesus. We are also so thankful for those who are already partnering with us!
Another way you can serve is by donating school supplies. The kids can earn points in our program and use them to 'buy' school supplies that they use. We are always restocking our 'store' so some of the supplies we use consist of: pens, pencils, erasors, white-out, markers, crayons, small notebooks, glue, paint, rulers, scissors, highlighters, small staplers, staples, scotch tape, pencil boxes, small notebooks, any other other items that could be useful! When we come to visit in December we could bring the items back with us!
Another way you can serve is by donating school supplies. The kids can earn points in our program and use them to 'buy' school supplies that they use. We are always restocking our 'store' so some of the supplies we use consist of: pens, pencils, erasors, white-out, markers, crayons, small notebooks, glue, paint, rulers, scissors, highlighters, small staplers, staples, scotch tape, pencil boxes, small notebooks, any other other items that could be useful! When we come to visit in December we could bring the items back with us!
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Snippets from the Kids
- "A boy named Andi, who is a part of our younger group, when we told him that Día Especial was coming up soon said awww. We asked him aren't you excited for Día Especial and he responded yeah, but I don't want the program to end."
- "We were playing at the court one day doing water relays and Rudy, another boy in the younger group, acting surprised when his pants got wet said, oh no mi pantalon de iglesia (my church pants)."
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We had a blast finishing up the school year with Día Especial
Based on the points the kids earned this trimester they were able to make and put different toppings on their pizza!
The younger group
Christian character and Sportsmanship award winners:
Nicol and Rudy
The older group
Christian character and Sportsmanship award winners:
Carol and Diego
Some more great pics of the day!
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We will be seeing you soon and you get to meet Sammy in person!
Some things to keep in mind:
- Please let us know if you would like to purchase any coffee or chocolate covered coffee beans as we will be making our order soon!
- We will also be bringing the items on this list (scarves, bracelets, t-shirts) which would make great Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers!
- We will be sharing about what God is doing here through Push The Rock Guatemala on Sunday morning December 16th at Dillsburg BIC church at 9:00. We also will be spending time with the Mechanicsburg BIC youth group on Dec 23rd at 5:30.
- If you can't make it to hear us share in the larger group setting, let us know if you are interested in meeting with us, grabbing a meal or coffee, or getting to see Sammy while we are in the area so we can schedule a time with you:)
- We have an awesome video of the after-school program put together by TJ Alvarez, one of our volunteers, that we are excited to show you!
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Things to keep in prayer:
- Our activities with the kids during school vacation - that many kids would come (especially on days where they can invite friends), which would allow us to grow the program when we start back up in January.
- Our travels to Costa Rica, in less than three weeks, for the Latin America Push The Rock summit, and back to the States in December.
- Our planning for the new year - as we evaluate and discuss what needs improved, what was positive, and develop ways that allow the kids to grow both spiritually, mentally, and physically.
- God's guidance for us as we raise Sammy, and grow together in our marriage.
May the presence of God overflow and empower you today!
Muchas gracias de Guatemala,
Andi, Shauna, and Samuel
