Healing and Hope Mark a New Season in Espanola

Although there have been some teenagers through the years, there have not been many. Now, many of our church kids are teenagers! This has brought a Weekly 3-on-3 basketball outreach in new dynamic to our church; young men are rising up and are stirred to do something for God.

Our teens lead various annual outreaches, such as a 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament and a Skateboarding competition. These outreaches have effectively brought the Gospel to other teenagers, which developed a need for a ministry focused on teens.

In March, our pastor announced that Darius and Juana Esfandi would lead our new youth ministry, focusing on ages 13-19! We are so thankful that we have a generation of young people witnessing and growing in their love for Jesus, and we are contending for a fruitful ministry!

In addition to what God is doing in our youth, He has opened doors in other areas that we have been praying for! For years there has been a burden on the heart of a disciple in our church to start a Bible study in a rehab facility. The burden motivated him to reach out to every facility in town, but he continued to encounter various obstacles and closed doors.

Late last year, God supernaturally drew in a man who was recently released from one of the newer facilities, 6 and as we watched him become a convert, Jeremy was stirred to try again. One night, he went home and emailed the facility inquiring about possibly doing a Bible study, but never got a response. God didn’t let that stop Him, a few weeks later a backslider walked into a Wednesday night service and while catching up with her, one of the ladies in the church learned that she worked at the same facility that God put on Jeremy’s heart - and that week she connected Jeremy with her manager!

In February, they had their first Bible study which had four people in attendance, and now runs on average 18-20 people! Some of the notable miracles we’ve experienced include watching these people grow into converts, raw sinners starting to get the vision of our Feln Espanola lowship! Recently a man who has come to every Bible study since the first said, “I don’t know what my calling is, but if God’s calling, I’m going to ‘You Matter to God answer!” He is part of the core that has been faithfully evangelizing in that facility and they even felt the need to start their own Bible studies on the weeks we are not there! There has been a great outpouring of God’s favor and proof that this is His timing.

Many congregation members have come to give their testimonies, including guest Pastor Isaiah Medina and Evangelist Micah Wright! At the time of writing this report, we have had nine bi-weekly Bible studies and have seen 71 people give their lives to Jesus! We’ve stepped into something supernatural and couldn’t be more excited about what God is doing!

We are so thankful for everything God is doing in our church. Please continue praying for these ministries, the ministry leaders, and the Espanola congregation!