During these few months that we are living in one place (we have our trailer parked at the home of my brother in Greenville, SC), I have been blessed with a very gracious and patient tutor. Elena is fluent in both English and Spanish and that is great because my “teacher brain”, has to know the rules and the reason “why” something is said a certain way. ¡Muchas gracias, mi tutora!
Here Herb is conversing with a Hispanic pastor at a recent pastor´s fellowship. Though many Hispanic pastors are bilingual it is important and meaningful to be able to greet them in their native language.
We enjoy challenging college students about the growing need of reaching Hispanics here in the U.S.. Here Herb is seeking to make a point – to help these missions majors see the mission field all around them.
This winter we are parked in Greenville, SC (at the home of Wanda’s brother). While here we are enjoying hearing Spanish in the church services. It helps to hear it! Here Herb is visiting after the morning service at Iglesia Bautista de Calvario de Greer, Sc.
Orlando and Debbie Collazo and their four children joined us this past weekend as we ministered at Faith Baptist Church in Toms River, NJ. The Collazos live in Philadelphia and are our newest Hispanic missionaries with Baptist Church Planters. They plan to plant a church in Lorain, OH beginning next summer. We are excited to have them as part of our Hispanic Ministry Team.
On Sunday, November 6, Dr. David Little, president of our mission agency, Baptist Church Planters, spoke at Skyline Baptist Church in Front Royal, VA. We lived in Front Royal for 8 1/2 years where Herb pastored Skyline Baptist. Skyline is our sending and commissioning church. I (Wanda), was at SBC on November 6 and was blessed to hear Dr. Little. Herb was speaking in Austin, MN that weekend.
All week long during the BJU Missions Emphasis week, we shared about the need to consider church planting here in the United States – especially among the Hispanics. Many times students were shocked to learn of the statistics: There are 50.5 million Hispanics in the U.S. today (that’s more than the total population of Canada or more than the total population of Central America). The U.S. is the second largest Spanish-speaking country in the world (only Mexico has more Hispanics than the U.S.).
Several years ago, Herb purchased a CD entitled “Take Up Thy Cross” (a collection of songs emphasizing missions sung by John Zimmer). That CD greatly encouraged Herb as he was considering our move into missionary work with Hispanics. For years that CD has been a real favorite. This week at the BJU Missions Emphasis Week, John Zimmer, missionary to Palau, was the chapel speaker. Here Herb is telling the story to John Zimmer about how God used that CD to help lead us into our present ministry of reaching Hispanics. Isn’t it great how God uses each of us in His service – sometimes in ways we never imagined possible?