A Note from Rev. José C. Hernández, Jr.

As I look back to all the great things we have achieve during this year 2010, I cannot let this opportunity pass by without thanking the Lord for such an amazing year. We have had many challenges; specially in our finances; nonetheless our Lord The Provider, brought the finances necessary in order for me to travel to Asia and Latin America.

I thank the Lord for my wife Ada and my daughter Michelle, because they have to endure challenging times while I was away. Their tenacity and courage is the best testimony of commitment to the cause of Christ my family can provide in the middle of this materialistic society. I also thank the Lord for people like Rev. Joanne Solís-Walker, Chaplain Christine De Jesús, Myriam Vallejos, Rev. Luís Soto, Rev. James Loftin, Laura Messina, Follow One International, Dr. Darrell Riley, the South Atlantic Conference of the Free Methodist Church, N.A., Pastor John Ryberg, the Kairos-Asbury United Methodist Church from Madison Alabama, and all the administrative personnel and faculty from Asbury Theological Seminary, among many, many other people and ministries. These individuals and organizations have been used by the Lord in one way or another in order for us to travel to the ends of the earth with the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Hence, I will have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration because these individuals and organizations have showed me their commitment and dedication to reach out the world for Christ. May the Lord continue blessing each and every one of them, now and forever, Amen.

Holy Spirit vs. Ignorance, Who Shall Win?

Holy Spirit vs. Ignorance, Who Shall Win?

By Chaplain Christine De Jesús

The other day I was a participant of one of the current Internet based social networks, and one status update caught my attention. Actually, it caught the attention of my eye, and it caught the attention of my heart and soul. It did so much so that I memorized it and repeated prayers all day long.

A lifelong friend stated: "Dear Lord, today I return to the doctor for all of my test results, I'm tired of being sick, please make every single test come back positive. When I look at the paper let everything say, positive, positive, positive. Amen."

Well, having had a career in management of a medical office, for 18 years, has afforded me some basic medical knowledge. One of those being that a "positive" test result is not good at all. What is a good report is when one looks down the row and sees all "negative" across the border. As the prayer for my dear friend, and her ailments, intensified and I grew anxious, in comes the manifestation of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God. Here I am praying to the Great Healer, trying to correct my friend's prayer, and here is the Great Healer, setting, yet again, my path straight before me…

As the Miracle Worker that HE is, the Good Lord brought Scripture to mind, giving me that wonderful Peace that HE promised us.

"In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." ~Romans 8:26

So here I am trying to take-on the world of my dear friend, when the Great Comforter was already interceding for us (her & I) through wordless groans. So, again, it is not about me, or the knowledge that I have, or the knowledge that I do not have. It is about HIM, and knowing HIS Word, so that in due time, the task that was began in me, will be completed. The Word is amazing, and will never return void. Greatness, I need not right any wrongs! Holy Spirit vs. ignorance, Holy Spirit wins, and I need not worry, for HE comforted me. Amen!

Thank you for reading.
All of my love,
Chaplain Christine De Jesús

Our God Is An Awesome God. By Chapalin Christine De Jesús

As if coincidences did take place in our lives, Mom just called me to let me know that my cousin Miriam, having recently moved here from PR, has found a Home Church under the care of Pastors José & Ada Hernández, in Titusville. I laughed. Pastor Hernández was one of the leaders during our recent Visionary Trip to the beautiful Republic of China. Our God is not a god of coincidences; HE is very much in control of every situation, even ones that we consider small. The meeting needed no human prompting, for it was guided by the Spirit of the Lord, and when that happens, there are simply no mistakes. This makes me stop and take a look back, at the so many times that “little miracles” have taken place in my life. Actually, when I really stop and take a closer look, I stand corrected, a miracle is a miracle, and there is no such thing as a little miracle. God is good, and God is in control, and if we allow HIM to be in charge of our walk, our ways, HE will take care of our paths. Yes, there is much that we do not understand; I’m one that loves to have these huge long conversations with God. They usually go like this: But, God, blah, blah, blah. But, God, blah, blah, blah. But, God, blah, blah, blah. Since when is God in need of giving me any explanations on anything? All I need to do is read The Book, jump to the end of it if I want, so that I can find out what happens at the end, and all of my answers are there. Okay I’ll give it to you; there is still plenty that remains a mystery; however we have a promise. The promise is that when we see HIM face to face, we will have the greater understanding. I’m hanging on steadfast to that one, and I tell HIM: Lord I want to see you! Oh, yes, and one more that helps most everyone…God wants obedience, not sacrifice. I’ll give you the next one too, sometimes obedience feels like sacrifice, but look at a child under the care of a loving parent, and all of your reservations on this one will fade away. So here is God, again, being a sovereign God, taking charge, and assuring me that he will take care of mine. What a wonderful feeling to know that when one prays for our loved ones, our prayers are heard and the Good Lord takes care of them, and will surely meet us at our place of need. You see, my cousin Miriam just had her Dad pass on to be with the Lord, a man of God; and she needed a place to keep her busy working for HIS Kingdom, and here is the Lord, answering yet one more prayer. God is good, God is good, God is good! Did I say that enough times? God is good. Big items, small details, God is in control of one, when one surrenders. The invitation is to surrender and allow The Master to take control and guide one’s path; for HE will never leave us of forsake us, or make a mistake either… Our God is an awesome God.
Thanks for reading,
All of my love,
Chaplain Christine De Jesús

I Told You So; The Hardest Words Not To Say By: Chaplain Christine De Jesús

Although we live in a society that moves faster than it should, we have adapted to making split second decisions. We have also adapted to having multiple choices, and it is what we do with those choices, what matters. In recent days a dear friend of mine was incarcerated. Having literally played with his life, and with the law, since the age of 14, made this of no surprise. My friend is 39, and soon will turn 40, while in jail; with the possibility of spending 10 to 15 years for his wrongdoing. The injustice here is that it doesn’t matter the result of his trial, in the final analysis he will miss out on the birthday of his kids, holidays, family get together’s, and this will probably be the catalyst that his family finally needed to lose the house, leaving his children homeless. Of course there is nothing that I can do, otherwise I would have, but the truth of the matter is that I feel bad him. The other night while in prayer, I was trying to intercede for this person, and his children. Those that know me know that I am in a constant conversation with God. No, not because I am good, but because I need HIM, desperately. As I was praying for my friend, and looking and the "Domino Effect" that this will have in his life, the Spirit moved me to realize that many of us have been spiritually incarcerated, and didn’t even recognize it. Even worse than that, how many of us are trapped, and chose to ignore it. So I stopped my prayer for him, and started to request God’s will for his life. Unfortunately I had to remove myself from the situation, for it was causing me grief and pain. As always, my parents were gracious enough to step it. I was challenged by the Spirit of God to pray for those that are surrounding me, and unknown to them, are living in a spiritual jail of sorts. Please don’t get me wrong, out-bound missions is super important, but it is time that we recognize the in-bound missions, if improved, will by default, improve out-bound missions. My friend is, right now, a captive audience, and has made a decision for Christ, one more time. Having been a Chaplain at the Sanford Jail since 1987 my Dad, Pastor Sonny, has seen just about everything. In the many years that he has been there, only four people have told him that yes, they are guilty. Everyone else has had a great reason and/or explanation for how they ended up there. It is sad. At one point, during one Service, my Dad had three generations in the same room. Sad it is. When I saw my friend, through the little television monitor, awkwardly talking on the nasty smelly phone, I had to use every single cell in my body in order not to say: I told you so. To my surprise he said, "my parents told me, your parents told me, you told me, even God used to make me feel nervous when I was doing something wrong." I was surprised to hear that come out of his mouth, and I’m glad that I didn’t say a word to prompt him either. As prayer goes, even when praying for others, God brings healing in the midst of it. The healing that The Father allows is like no other, for it penetrates the heart, it discerns the thoughts, and it makes us realize, once again, who is in charge. As I go through my daily routine, I frequently thing about my friend, and consider all of the times that we shared long talks about the Word of God, and in a sense, I am heartbroken. By the same token, I believe that Father God has placed him in there, to keep him alive and well, giving him a chance to re-think his choices. To God’s glory, my friend has done so. Today, as you say your payers, please stop for one moment and think of those around you that are in a spiritual jail. They too need Christ, yet we seem to ignore the fact, and seem to ignore HIM. God cannot be ignored... So the next time that you have 30 seconds to make a decision, stop! My Dad says that when one is in doubt, one should postpone that decision for three months, by then the choice will be clear, or it would have gone away. Daddy is a very wise old man. And of all of the choices that you will be given, remember that there is only one way, and that is through the Son, Jesus the Christ. Don’t do something that will prompt a loved one to say: I told you so, the hardest words to say, when one truly loves.
Thanks for reading,
Receive all of my love,
Chaplain Christine De Jesús

Let's Get Ready Now!!!

A couple of weeks ago, the Rev. Aileen Walther, an Ordained Deacon with the Episcopal Church in Central Florida and Professor of Religions at Valencia Community College went to an event in Texas that had as a purpose the mobilization of the Christian church toward ministering Muslim people. This is what she shared with me:

"Gospel for Muslims was a program I decided to attend because I teach a course on different religions at a community college. Little did I realize how much it would open my eyes to the power of the Christian faith to transform those of a different faith. Being raised in the American Foreign Service, I was taught to respect each culture and religion and those who follow them, even if I might be in a different place and have made different choices. This was an eye-opening experience for me. I saw a woman completely covered in black cloth tell her story. As her story progressed, she through aside this clothing and everyone in the large auditorium saw a beautiful woman revealed before us all. The power of her belief was so strong, she put aside culture and her faith in Christ shone bright for all to see. She showed me how little I have truly proclaimed my faith. I will not make that mistake again."

What you just read above is the reality for millions of Christians in North America. We love to attend to church on Sundays and enjoy a worship service according to our traditions. However, we forget the many people that are having a different spiritual experience. Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists, Hinduists and many other forms of worship are practiced by people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds. The question I have for you is this; Do you feel theologically prepared to speak and defend your Christian faith in the midst of so many other voices calling up for people with problems, addictions, and brokeness.

I personally believe this is the time for the church in North America to rise for the ocasion not just in Asia, or North Africa, but her, in our own neighborhood and backyards. We need to get prepared, I need to get prepared knowing their believes, culture, and traditions in order for us to contextualize the Gospel to them. Moreover, we must understand from top to bottom their religion in order to have a fair debate and proclamation opportunity . It is my prayer, all of us have a solid understanding of the different Muslim social groups in order for us to have

It is my prayer that we can understand the urgency of this message and get ready for some missional work In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The question being, is it that God is not speaking, or is it that I am not listening? By Christine de Jesús

Confession is good for the soul. When we confess our trespasses to one another, we learn, we grow, we pray, we give and receive forgiveness, and we move on… Confession time: Now that the dust has settled, my heart is still in China. And, yes, here we grow again. Not, it is not a misspelled word; here we ‘grow’ again…
In the last couple of weeks my life has turned upside down and inside out, as it is usual during my times of decision making. What surprises me is that I still get surprised. What gives?
The Lord has been good to me, so good indeed, that I simply have to share the Good News of Salvation! My heart has been filled with love for the Republic of China, the people, and there is no turning back. It is the deepest desire of my heart to return there, and do something that I am not exactly sure what it is. Another big question: When will this take place? This time I want to go on a Missionary Trip. I don’t want a taste of the field; I want be a worker of the field. You see, I have so very much to be thankful for, that I must share HIS deep love, I must. Today my Auntie asked me why would I do such a thing like that, since we have so much need here in The States. We do have a need for Christ here in Beautiful America, true, she has a point. However, take a drive down any major highway and you will see the advertisement signs for Churches of all kinds – just one example. (I love the First Amendment, I love the United States of America, and I love that In God We Trust.) Yes, I have responsibilities here at home; I am a single Mom raising an almost 17 year-old boy. I moderate a support group. I do a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, but I always manage to stay busy. I am furthering my education. I am trying to establish a home with a very significant other, making dreams and plans for the future, but the truth must be told. As much as I love my son, and the comfortable life that I have here, all of it is temporary, and will soon come to pass. Don’t get me wrong, I would give my life for my son’s without even having to think about it, but my son has accepted the Lord Jesus the Christ as his Lord and Savior. My mission, with my son, is accomplished. Now it is time for him to live up to his commitment to God and that responsibility is not mine. As I sit in bed in the middle of the night, going through my three books that I am trying to read, I find myself jittery with thoughts of China. If we can reach that one soul for Christ, that one soul can reach others. You see, the Chinese are very diligent people, living with a purpose and a goal. If one can be reached, as in anything else that they touch, they will be diligent about doing the work at hand and completing the task. But something horrid is going on, and this is no exaggeration. For one that is used to seeking HIM, and finding HIM, horrid it is. I keep asking God about my return trip to China, and I am not getting any answers. So, it begs the question. Is it that God is not speaking, or is it that I am not listening? My mind, heart, soul, and even my flesh are stirred up, but Heaven refuses to set my path before me, yet. So I have to go back in HIStory to seek for answers. There was this crazy fellow, his name was Noah, look up the story please, that built an ark. That was crazy, for the Earth had never seen rain. That was crazy, for the ark had been built on a mountain. That was crazy, according to all, but according to The Master, there was a plan. Surely HIS word came to pass, and after it stopped raining, Noah simply had to sit there and wait. He had done according to HIS Father, yet he had to sit and wait. Looking back one would notice that this seems to be a recurring theme of this blessed life of mine. Hurry-up and wait, Christine. Using my imagination, I picture Noah speaking to God. Okay Lord, I did as you told me, and now we are sitting in an unknown place, we haven’t seen the sun, and time seems still. In the process he released some birds in his quest for hope. It was that quest for hope that eventually gave him the go, the little creature, sent on a mission, never returned. No, I do not pretend to compare my life with the life of Noah. However I do picture Noah going crazy inside that ark; thinking to himself, these animals are smelly, noisy, my family is enduring this time of wait with me, they didn’t hear the instructions, only I did, they stood by me, and Lord, now what? So I must confess; I was growing restless. Today, as I explained to my Auntie that I must return to China, it became clear to me. It is not that God is not speaking, HE already spoke. It is not that I am not listening, I already did. It is that I simply have to wait, and learn to wait, and learn to wait...for the right time, HIS time and not mine. Blessed for me I am not trapped in an ark. In your prayers, please remember the Missionaries that are all around the World doing HIS labor of love. In your prayers, please remember yours truly, that the Good Lord will complete the works that HE began in me. Stay blessed, for HE is only one word away, “Jesus.” Call upon HIM and in due time HE will open the doors of the ark.
~Chris

As I Return from Kairos Costa Rica 2010

Familia,
We had a great time of ministry in Costa Rica last week. On Tuesday morning we made the set up at the San Sebastian Prison for the Kairos retreat. We got the help from many volunteers from all over the country and from the neighbor country of Nicaragua. Later that day we started the process of welcoming the inmates that would be participating at this event. We had more inmates willing to come than the volunteers and the space available. Sadly, we had to turndown 23 inmates for the reasons already stated. Most of them came because they have heard we serve good food.

During that first encounter, the members of our team tried to brake the ice and make the inmates at ease, while they had not idea about what would be happening during that weekend. An sense of suspiction and irony was in the air. It was a very difficult 3 hours. When we concluded our introduction and returned to the Missions House for our debrief, I was a little bit dissapointed because I did not see any breakthrough like in previous times. Thus, I took more time to pray and intercede for the success of this retreat.

Wednesday morning came. Three of the most important gangs leaders were part of our group. They did not want to speak at all. As a matter of fact, one of them told to one of our table hosts; “Sir, please, do not talk to me about God. To me God is trash.” Nonetheless, as the day moves along, people begin to open their hearts to God and His Word. Part of my work during this day was to provide pastoral counseling along with pastor Carlos Figueroa. And by the end of that day we saw tears in the eyes of some of the inmates and got the first two conversions.

Thursday was a day of salvation as the Holy Spirit brought conviction in the hearts of those inmates. It was during the presentation about forgiveness, brother Ken Bauer told his testimony of forgiveness after many years battling against the idea of forgiving the man that killed his mother in his presence when he was 6 years old. We got during that evening most of the inmates committing their lives to Christ. Even the three gang members leaders accepted Christ as their Savior. Furthermore, when they went back to their units, they ask for forgiveness to other inmates that they had caused problems and harm. Also, we had the opportunity to have a meeting with the Warden and other high ranking officers of the prison. They are very grateful for all the work done by Kairos, Voice of Liberty, N.A., and the Asbury United Methodist Church of Madison, Alabama. They provided a tour to areas of the prison that most people do not see (unless you are either a inmate or a staff member of the prison.

By Friday morning, the air was jubilant in the room. Anyone could see the transformative power of the Holy Ghost among these inmates. We had several moments of emotional Pentecostal style of worship combined with presentations that appealed their intellect. Later, in the afternoon hours we had a closing of the retreat with a jubilant ending for the volunteers at the church Jesucristo Es El Senor.

On Saturday, we went earlier in the morning to make a visit at another prison located at the Province of Heredia. This is a small faith based prison with 40 inmates since it is an experimental project between the Costa Rican government and the ministry Voice of Liberty, Costa Rica called A.P.A.C. We had a service for the inmates and Dr. George Lyrene, a physician and a member of our team provided medical advice for the inmates. Then, we went back to the San Sebastian Prison to celebrate a Communion Service in which pastor Antonio Rivera preached the Word of God.

We have returned home with the satisfaction the Word of God was planted in people’s hearts and the implications of this fact are eternal. I want to thank all of the people that made this trip for me possible. Donors, friends, and the Voice of Liberty, North America. Without the Lord and them I would not be able to make this journey. Moreover, I want to thank brothers Antonio Rivera and Efrain Rivera for responding to the call. Their work was invaluable. Meanwhile, let’s continue reaching the world locally, regionally, and abroad with the message of Christ. Pray for us as we begin the plans for our next journey in Costa Rica on the Spring 2011 and a Global Connections Medical trip on 2012. Many blessings.

In Christ,

Jose

As I Waited In The Waiting Room... By: Christine De Jesús

A Sister in Christ told me once, that times of waiting are time to/for preparation. Little did I know that I would put that little piece of information to use, over and over and over. You see, once one discovers something as big as that statement, sometimes it has to settle in more than once. During this last week I had a very dear friend of mine very ill in the Hospital. Being that I am very “Hospital Environmentally Friendly,” I have spent countless hours there with friends and family, and also with/by myself. No, they need not return me to English 101. What I am stating is that many times I’ve sat there at the Hospital too, simply in wait. As my friend went into an Emergency Heart Catherization, and gave me clear instructions, do not call my parents; do not call my children, if anything happens, call my older brother… Something was happening! And against every impulse in my Christine personality, I sat there, in wait. I took no action. As I sat there, and the noise of the loud group around me disappeared into the background, I entered into HIS presence. We are mistaken if we believe that we must be in a kneeling position to speak with God, our hearts have to be, but not our bodies. I sat. I waited. I prayed.
I must regress in time to explain myself. About six weeks back I had the honor of being part of a Visionary Trip, and it was nothing but a blessing to my life. During that trip I had many of those moments with The Creator, and what a wonderful time that was. Now the time had come to put to practice some of the things that became clear to me during that trip. Things about my relationship with The Greater Power, that had been hazy before. Yes, HE knows best. Throwing a tantrum, as a two year old would; will not yield a different outcome. Hiding behind ceremonies and religion will fruit anything, except pretty pictures and funny stories. However, humbling ourselves before The Teacher & The Carpenter, yes, that will most definitely change the outcome. The outcome, as I had envisioned it, had nothing to do with the reality before me. Here I am praying for this man, and instead of asking for healing and a miracle, the most common thing for a Chaplain to do, I asked for God’s will. No, it wasn’t easy, it was very hard. My flesh wanted to tell God what to do. My spirit wanted to accept God’s will. My soul was wondering the Heavens, trying to figure out ways of accepting the worst, and or celebrating the best…for my cup is overflowing…always! Yes, yes, I will explain. Had my friend made it out with a great outcome, it would have been good news, and a celebration. Had my friend not made it out, it would have been a great outcome, and a celebration - also. Ask him. He was ready. For that moment of instructions he was at peace, I was at peace, and I knew that there was Someone/Something way bigger than us in total control. As I placed this person that requested a prayer for the will of God to be done for his life before The Throne of Grace, I too was placing myself before that amazing Throne. Countless prayers I have said requesting my will. Countless prayers I have said requesting the will of a prayer seeker. Oh but how simple it is to go to the Father and tell him what to do. Oh but how simple it is to go to the Son and declare a miracle by his stripes, and end with the amazing, Name that is above all names. Oh but how simple it is to remind to the Holy Spirit, Comforter, comfort, now!
Oh but how precious is to go into HIS presence, humbly, and say: I do not know what you want - it is unknown to me what I am supposed to do - I am in awe of your presence - have your way Lord, teach them to me, take control, and let me not just accept your will, but love your will. A simply wonderful burden is lifted when I did that. No longer had I any ownership of the results, and I was able to rest my soul know very well that Jesus the Christ already had made provision for my friend, no matter what/which way it ended up. As it turned out he made it just fine, to which he was both happy and a little disappointed. I was thrilled for selfish reasons, I did not want to place that phone call to the older brother, I confess.
Times of waiting are times of preparation, and I wasn’t being “prepared” to take care of my friend. The lesson here was for me. Christine, yes, the Lord has control of everything. Yes, Christine, hurry-up and wait! So the Lord Jesus the Christ was great to me, yet again, letting me enter into the Holiest of Hollies to conquer my blessing. Yes, if one wants a blessing, one must conquer it. Did you already forget Jacob?

There are Millions that Have Not Been Served Yet

We left our home Thursday at 4:00 A.M. traveled 40 minutes to Winter Springs, Florida. Then, joined Bill and Judy Tillmann in a 10 hour long journey that took us through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, all the way to beautiful North Carolina.

Once you get through the gates of the Cove, you know you are stepping into hollowed ground. The Asbury-Kentucky staff was already in place welcoming the guests that were arriving from all over the country. I got 45 minutes to have a shower, get ready and begin to welcome people at the front desk. However, since Ada was coming along, the plan they have for me was to be there a few hours here and there and enjoy my time at the retreat with my sweetheart.

During this retreat Dr. Tim Tennent presented a powerful presentation about global Christianity and the reasons Asbury Theological Seminary is investing their time and effort in that vision. Also, Dr. Bob Tuttle made an informal presentation about sharing the gospel (personal evangelism). Since Tuttle is Tuttle he went beyond that, speaking also about the Holy Spirit, the speaking in tongues experience, and a repertoire of personal stories. Furthermore, Dr. Michael Matlock had a presentation and Dr. Ellsworth Kalas preached challenging us to be seekers of the truth written in the Scriptures. In the midst of that we got presentations from current students, alumni, and even a donor made a compelling call to the attendants to support the Seminary with our prayers and our wallets.

The music was awesome. We got traditional, contemporary, and southern gospel music. The atmosphere was spiritual and we felt like if we were in a cocoon. The food, oh my sisters and brothers, the food was incredible. I probably gained 10 pounds. They have this glorious ice cream machine next to me and I felt compelled to do quality checks every two hours or so.

We met donors, fellow co-workers, alumni, and friends of this institution that I have never met before. From retired pastors, a alumni from the class of 1950, members of the Board of Trustees, to denominational leaders and people from the business world, the Lord allowed us to have a time together as equals.

In the midst of all of that, brother Tillmann made arrangements for some of us to visit Dr. Bob and Dianne Tuttle home in Fairview, N.C. Their home is just at the other side of the mountain where the Cove is located. It is a dream home with spectacular views from every single angle of that mountain to nature.

But all good things come to an end. The time to come down from the mountain and face the daily challenges and struggles came. We left after a communion service that make a profound impact in me. As Dr. Tennent was leading the liturgy and Ada and I were with another fellow staff members serving the communion, I was listening the voice of the Holy Spirit telling me: "There are 3.8 million Uighurs at the China's Xinjiang Region that have not been served. There are 2 million Tibetans, they have not been served. There have been 3.2 Miao people that have not been served." It was like a movie. As people walked in front of us receiving the bread from Ada and the juice from me the Holy Spirit reminded me of the different images I have in my memory not just from China, but other places around the world.

Ada and I came down from the mountain not just happy for a pleasant weekend or eternally grateful to Bill Tillmann, Debi Andrews, Tim Tennent, Tammy Cessna, Tammy Hogan, Jay Mansur, Meghan Pippenger, Mathew Grubs, Sheila Lovel among many other people for a wonderful time, but with a deep burden for those millions who have not been served yet at God's table.

We drove back to Winter Springs, Florida for another 10 hours and another 40 minutes to our home. It was 11:05 P.M. when we arrived to the "Hernandez Manor." Nonetheless, this sensation of urgency for the lost in our nation and around the world have remained with me and because of that I am in a attitude of prayer and intersession. May the Lord continue open the doors for us to continue ministering a world that have not experienced the power of have communion with Him.

Christine's Journey in China

Today is Saturday, September the 4th 2010. I arrived from China on Tuesday, August the 17th. I was there on a "Visionary Trip." What is a Visionary Trip? It is when the Church, the Body of Christ, steps out of their comfort zone and actually envisions what the Lord has in store for missionaries. During this process we get to have a taste of The field, and for some of us, that taste is enough to change the direction of our paths. The China visit lasted for ten days. During those ten days the Good Lord blessed me with glimpses of HIS Glory, and many times I had to sit in the bus in utter silence – something that is out of character for me, a chatter box. It was my Bible, my Journal, my handkerchief, and I. The four of us took the trip of our life, thus far, that is. The ten days seemed forever when it was only a plan, and home and my son kept calling on me. However, once I set foot on Beijing something amazing took place. Since I am blessed in that I have been raised in a Christian home, I can say that I’ve heard more conversations about the Holy Spirit of God than the average person. Actually, I claim to know the person of the Holy Spirit. As I sit here and reminisce, I realize how very little I knew HIM, and also how so much more I desire to learn from/about HIM. I am forty years old, my parents came to Christ when I was two years old, and unfortunately sometimes I have the bad and erroneous attitude of: been there, done that. Not so fast, please, not so fast. Beijing meet my foot, and I can say that I felt the Holy Spirit of God come upon me. This is something very hard to explain, for it is an experience that involves all of the senses, and the spirit, soul, and body of one. I took the next step and I felt at home. And just as I keep walking out of the Airplane and up that ramp, ready to claim my luggage, I am filled with confidence, and my flesh experiences the verse that states: Greater is HE who is in me. I shook my head, as to try to clear my head and gather my person. And I kept walking, going through the process of Customs, and claiming of luggage. Bags packed with things for the kids at the Orphanages and packed with Bibles, would be a little difficult to explain, had I been detained and questioned. No, I was not afraid. Not for a second, and there was no doubt in me that my Father was pleased with the group that had taken faith based action, to spread the joyful news of Jesus the Christ, our Redeemer. I could write a full book of the ten day long miracle, but this time I will share only one. My most blessed moment was when we were arriving at Pagoda. Having our own Christian and very well versed unofficial tour guide, Brother José, I knew the place that I was approaching. As we did, and the bus got closer to the place, I had to actually fold down on my legs, yes; right there in the bus, and cry, and cry Holy Spirit tears for this magnificent place where Christianity took its first China steps. I cried from joy for the experience that the Good Lord granted me, but I also cried for the people of China. Having had Christianity settle amongst them so many centuries ago, yet they let go of it to go after vain gods. My heart was in such joy for being there and so much pain for the Chinese people that I had to weep like a little child. The great thing about our little group is that we very rarely needed to explain what was going on to each other, we simply knew, and everyone just let me be. At that moment it was my Christ, and my tears, and the Chinese people, and my prayer of intersession. And to think that all of this years I thought that I knew what and who the Holy Spirit was. I felt the Holy Spirit alright. I felt the moans with which HE intercedes for us, and my body and emotions could hardly be contained. I had to cry cleansing tears. Tears that said, Holy Spirit, I am not afraid of you, I want more of you, I want to feel you like this every single moment of my life. As the Holy Spirit and I had our little conversation at the feet of the mountain that houses Pagoda, I felt refreshed, rested, restored, rejoiced, and I want to say, almost re-created. As the Good Lord has it, it looks like I will have yet one more opportunity to return to China in the following months, this time for six weeks or so. God is good, and I am grateful that the Holy Spirit let me have a personal experience with HIM, right then and there at Pagoda. It is the desire of my heart, that each person that claims to serve Jehovah God has the blessed opportunity of visiting Pagoda, and better yet, fall in love with the Chinese people, so hungry for God, and so in need of freedom from bondage.
Thanks for reading, and unbounded blessings from Heaven to you & yours.
In HIS service,
Christine De Jesús

Back from China

It is a wonderful thing to get back home to our family and friends after twelve days away from them. Our journey begun taking a flight from Orlando to Atlanta, another from Atlanta to Seattle, and a third one from Seattle to Beijing. We visited two orphanages that we have been supporting since 2008 and met church leaders, did prayer walks at important locations, along with many other things that for obvious reasons we cannot publish here. We were a group of 13 people very eager to show the love of Jesus Christ in different ways and the Lord brought to our attention those specific moments to minister the spiritual needs of the Chinese nation.

I remember at the Imperial Summer Palace in Beijing, a women showed up pushing a wheel chair. When I look at the chair what I saw was one of the kids from our church. I have to look twice because of that. She was selling ice cream and it was obvious her survival depended upon the sales she would perform. Thus, she was speaking loudly, offering her ice cream to anyone that walk in near her. One of the team members that was with me asked me if he could give her 100 Yuan. I told him our policy os not to give money to anyone because when you give to one person, all of the sudden you would have 30 people around you asking for money. Nevertheless, we remained praying and talking to each other about a way to help this lady. Then, all of the sudden, both of us got the same message from above. I open my mouth and told to my brother in the Lord "let's ..." And while I was opening my mouth and saying those words, my brother had jumped out of the bench we were seating and ran to the lady, and bought all of the ice creams the lady had with her. Then he took the ice cream box and proceed to give free ice cream to the rest of the bystanders. In less than a minute 40 or 50 people were lining up asking for the free ice cream. And at this very moment, the rest of the group was joining us noticing what was happening and they took this opportunity to talk with the people about the Lord and give them some written information about a Christian website with a lot of information about the Bible.

Dr. Bob Tuttle have told me many times that 90 percent of evangelism is showing up and paying attention. This story is an example of how true it is. God is doing great things about the Chinese nation and we want to partner with them with medical teams traveling from the West with the purpose of help the special need children of China. Stay tuned because we are going to have another journey to the most strategic place on earth; the Peoples Republic of China.

A LIFE EXAMINED: lessons from the dog (well, she is cute...)

A LIFE EXAMINED: lessons from the dog (well, she is cute...)

The Promises of God Never Fails

Yesterday I was listening in my ipod a sermon preached by Dr. Steve Harper during one of the Chapel Services at the Asbury Theological Seminary in Orlando. This service was special to Ada and me because it was a healing service dedicated for our daughter Michelle. Since that service, I have the most incredible walk with Jesus that I have never imagine it before. I am not in liberty of publish at this point the whole story, however, there are some biblical principles I want to remind you today.

First, our God is Sovereign. God is the Alpha and the Omega, He is all powerful and certainly if we are sick He will heal us as He has already promised us in the Scripture. Nonetheless, He will use His willing method individually, according to His purpose in each of us.

Secondly, it is not the purpose of our God for us to be sick. We get ill because of our sinful nature. If you want to blame anyone for your illness or the sickness of your love one, then blame Adam and Eve.

Thirdly, God can use as methods of healing an instant miracle, a progressive miracle, healing through the medical science, and the ultimate healing. Jesus performed many instant miracles and throughout the history of the church from the stories we have recorded in the book of Acts through the ones we can see today in the crusades of Reinhard Bonnke in Africa. Furthermore, the progressive healing is also seen today as it was in the past because our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Additionally, our Lord can use the medicine, either natural or conventional in which medical doctors, nurses, therapists, and medicines are used by God as a tool to bring healing to our bodies. Lastly, through the ultimate healing our Savior fulfill His healing promise once and for all. This is the best way to get healed, but it is also the the way less desired for us, the human beings. The ultimate healing is completed in that moment we depart from this world in order to be with our Heavenly Father for the eternity. When this physical body die, it is the time for a new chapter in our lives and once we are living for ever and ever in the presence of our loving Savior, we are not going to suffer of any illness ever, our deformities and limitations product of our illness would be replaced with perfect bodies, and we are going to eventually meet again with our family members and friends that also have died in Christ living with them for ever.

Therefore, the promises of God never fails. In one way or another, our love ones and friends will be healed by the power, love, and mercy of our Great and Almighty God. To Him be the glory, honor, and power forever and ever, Amen.

A Place Called China

It was the Spring of the year 2007 when I received a phone call from a very close friend asking me if I was willing to go to China with a group of 21 leaders from Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Florida. My response to her at the moment was "But I don't even pray for the Chinese people." After 13 years ministering in Latin America and in Latino congregations in the United States about missions, the idea of a Latino ministering in China was something very abstract. But God was about to change that. This was the moment for me to fully understand there is a paradigm shift in the way we do missions. Hence, with an understanding this was a Kairos moment in my life, I accepted the challenge of join this group of wonderful people from a variety of professions from teachers, business people, community leaders, to "coaches."

I remember when we arrived to Beijing on the second week of June I fall in love with the beauty of the city and the humbleness of its inhabitants. We had a walk into the Tienanmen Square and the first Chinese person that came close to me asked me "Are you an American?" I told him, "Yes I am an American from Puerto Rico." His reaction almost chocked me. He told me in perfect Spanish; "Luís Muñoz Marín fue el primer governador de Puerto Rico" (Luís Muñoz Marín was the first governor of Puerto Rico). I could not believe that in China anyone would know a little bit about my island's history. It was at this very moment the Holy Spirit told me the time has come for the Latino church to get involved in the harvest beyond Latin America.

After concluding my walk and time of conversation with my Father about China, the team leader ( I cannot say his name for obvious reasons) told me, "Come on José, I'm taking you to an orphanage." In my mind I said; "yea, yea, another orphanage." But the reality was nothing had prepared me to see what I was about to capture with my eyes. We got into this place and they had a group of 37 children, all of them with neurological deceases. Then, after I heard the stories of these children, and watched the volunteers and staff taking care of them with such dignity and passion, a stream of tears rolled through my eyes. See, our beautiful daughter Michelle who was born normal and had a beautiful life until the summer of the year 2005 was bite by a mosquito. As a consequence, she develop within hours a viral encephalitis that destroyed over 80% of her brain. The final result of all of this was a child in a vegetative state with a epileptic condition that had made further damage to her brain. Thus, watching these children in Beijing I came to the realization we have to do something on behalf of special needs children and their families.

The results of this first visit to China has been incredible. Because of that trip to the land of dragons my wife and I have planted the Abundant Life Community Church, which is a Christian community affiliated to the Free Methodist Church for families with special needs children in the Brevard County, Florida area. Furthermore, we have taken medical teams to China with the purpose to provide relief work in orphanages in Beijing and the victims of the earthquake in Sichuan. Additionally, the birth of Global Connections International, On the Journey to the Ends of the Earth, Inc. is the product of that memorable experience in China. As I travel time and time again to China and observe their ancient culture, their wonderful people, their vast territory, their courage and patriotism, I also add to all of those adjectives the fact the birthplace of this ministry is the Peoples Republic of China. That land is in my mind, heart, bones, and soul. I talked about this nation every day, dream about that land, and listen their Canaan Hymns. As I get closer to once again have another journey, it is my prayer, the ministry of Global Connections International would expand its operations to Zimbabwe, Kenya, Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, Costa Rica, and Argentina. We do not have the financial resources yet to get there. But I believe in the God of the impossible. Join us in this quest and be blessed!!!