Monday, April 13, 2009

Updates for the week

Brothers and sisters,
I am sorry that it has been so long since updates. We have been very busy. With the "vacation" in San Diego, the Cowperthwaite family got some rest and a great chance to see parts of the area that we would not have otherwise. Thank you to all who provided meals and more, encouragement and fellowship. We truly feel like part of the body here.
This past week we were able to share with a youth group from Sacramento area. The group of about 25 teens and their leaders had a good time and talked about our love for Christ being the motivator for sharing the Gospel.
Monday night Carlos and Ken invited us to join them at the Rescue Mission. I (Mark) preached for about 1/2 hour, sharing about my experience of salvation and the call on my life for reaching others with the Gospel, coupled with the ministry of equipping others to do the same. We are truly blessed to be able to serve the Lord in this way.
Justin also spoke at the mission. The messages were both well received and many came to talk afterwards, pray together, and shared about their own lives and testimonies. It was a great time to be able to minister to these men, who are always appreciative of our visits. Pray that more men will desire to become involved in this ministry.
The door to door work has continued both in El Cajon with many brothers and sisters from Grace Fellowship and Laurel, and in Harbison Canyon with some sisters desiring to reach their community there with the good news of salvation. Many of the folks we talk to have expressed a desire to reach their own communities. We have been greatly encouraged here in Southern California. God is at work in the hearts and lives of His people.
We all visited the Spanish speaking meeting at Laurel on Saturday for their Easter drama and song service. Brother Ralph concluded the meeting with a Gospel message. While I don't speak Spanish, I did get a lot of the words in the songs and the message. It was a blessing to our family. We got to meet many folks that we had not met before in our time here. What a great work God is doing in the various ministries at the local bodies of believers that we have had the privilege of working with.
Sunday, Sara got to share and answer questions with the ladies Sunday School in the Spanish meeting. Liz De La Vega was very accomodating to translate for Sara. The ladies were very interested and responsive. It was nice for Sara to be able to share about her experiences as a wife and mother, and colaborer in the Gospel. Sara and Jocelin, along with the children truly are an integral part of the ministry we do.
Mark spoke with the men at the Spanish meeting. We had a great time talking about God's Word, who Christ is, and what God means to us personally. We focused on our responsibility to the Lord and about sharing the hope we have of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Jimmy De La Vega translated and many men contributed to the discussion. It was such an encouragement to see so many dedicated brothers.
We have much on the schedule for the week and both families will have visiting family from Maine the week of 19-25. We will still be active in the ministry, but able to have time with our families from back home. Sara's mom and sister will be here, as will Jocelin's mother and father.
We (Cowperthwaites) will be leaving April 27, early in the morning, headed to Ohio for family visits and then Kentucky mid May. Pray that we will be safe on our journey and find ways to be effective in reaching the lost along our way. God has put so many opportunities in our path and we pray that we are faithful to use them all for His honor and glory.
Serving our risen Savior,