It is reported that there are more than 184,000 victims of the flood and 74,000 other people affected by the increasing waters. In addition, thousands of homes have been destroyed, hundreds of schools are underwater and many health clinics have been flooded. All of that translates to literally tens of thousands of families who have been relocated to temporary shelters that have been set up in Iquitos. The safety of the city has little to offer as the flood waters continue to rise. As the water has flooded streets around the city, the entire water and sewer system is collapsing and the city is no longer able to provide potable water to many residents. Electricity has had to be turned off to many homes because of the increased dangers of electrocution due to the rising water. The problems are compounded by so many people without basic necessities living in such small places. The potential for epidemics to break out increase exponentially with the crowded poor living conditions and the proliferation of the mosquito population.

In the jungle, life presents a different set of difficulties. Hundreds of families have left their homes and entire communities appear deserted. For many families, leaving is not yet an option. Some simply do not have the means to leave. Others fear the loss of their meager personal possessions by roaming bands of thieves taking advantage of abandoned houses. At Cabo Pantoja, where we hold classes for Instituto Bautista de Tejas en la Amazonía, Pastor Vilfredo and his family are still living in their home with about a meter and half (5 feet) of water covering the floor. They have stacked the wooden benches to support boards to form a second floor in their home. Their youngest daughter, who is not able to swim, has fallen into the water twice inside their house. The church building has water in it all the way into the windows. At the lodge where we live during our short term trips, the dinning hall and common areas were the first to flood earlier this month. Now, the water has more than covered the floors in all of the rooms. The only food that they can easily find is fish. All of their crops are lost and fruit is not available. While the government has shipped in tons of food and relief supplies to the area, it rarely reaches the smaller communities further in the jungle. As a result, their only option is to purchase food. Aside from the fact that their budgets do not normally support large food purchases, people are not able to work since, as one man told us, “water covers everything, there is no land.”

Things are very difficult for everyone in this part of Peru right now and the end of the ordeal is several weeks away. Even then, they will not quickly recover from the damage that has been left behind. Please pray for the people, for God’s protection and provision during the days, weeks and months ahead. Let us never forget that these are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us pray for them.

#theamazonproject

One of our main goals in the Amazon Project is not to create a welfare project. We are accomplishing this by working in conjunction with a local church in the jungle. With that said, there is a definite need for us to have a couple of structures (in addition to the church building we are currently using for classes) to use for seminary. One would be for a kitchen/serving area. The second would be for housing students and teaching additional classes. We are working in conjunction with the people to get this project done.

The village where we teach has donated land for us to use, and each of the villages that have people attending seminary have pledged lumber to use in building. Nothing is more pleasing than seeing the churches’ willingness to take the largest share of the workload. God supplies through His people, regardless of their economic situation. We have provided a chain saw and are providing gas and oil. Below is a breakdown of what the individual churches have pledged and how much gas, oil and bar oil they will need. (I.E.B. means Evangelical Baptist Church)

Initial Request

La Luz I.E.B. – Caro Cocha, Pastor Antonio Puha

Donation:

6   supports  2x6x5 meters

10 beams/rafters 2x5x4 meters

18  supports   2x5x5 meters

Total:  34 boards

Needs:

5 Gallons of Gasoline

4  bottles of oil to mix with gas

2 Gallons of burnt oil (bar oil)

Betel I.E.B. – Cabo Pantoja  - Pastor Wilfredo Zanbrano

Donation:

70 boards 2x3x4

Needs:

5 gallons of gas

4 bottles oil to mix with gas

2 gallons of burnt oil (bar oil)

El Cordero de Dios I.E.B. – Juan Velasco – Pastor Wilder Cohelo

Donation:

10 boards 5x5x5 meters

Needs:

5 gallons of gas

4 bottles of oil to mix with gas

2 gallons of burnt oil (bar oil)

El Buen Pastor I.E.B. – Pastor Memerto Ayapi

Donation:

26 boards 5x5x2 meters

48 boards 2x2x4 meters

Needs:

5 gallons of gas

4 bottles of oil to mix with gas

2 gallons of burnt oil (bar oil)

Los Olivos I.E.B – General Merino – Pastor Agustin Sinti

Donation:

60 round wood

Also needed:

4 files to sharpen the chain saw

TOTAL:

20 gallons of gas = 184.40 Soles

8 gallons of burnt oil (bar oil) at 25 Soles/gallon = 200 Soles

16 bottles of oil to mix with gas at 4 Soles/bottle = 74 Soles

Total = 458.40 Soles

Total = 600 Soles (approx. $230.00) with transportation to deliver to the villages

Additional Request

At the March Seminary session, there were additional pledges made by those who had not previously done so. There is not an exact breakdown.

30 gallons of gas = 291.00 Soles

45 gallons of oil to mix with gas at 4 Soles/bottle = 180.00 Soles

15 gallons of burnt oil (bar oil) at 25 Soles/bottle = 375.00 Soles

30 gallons of gas (transport lumber from Manati River) = 291.00 Soles

Total = 1,137.00 Soles

Total = 1,287 Soles (approx. $495.00) with transportation to deliver to the villages

Grand Total = $725.00

While this will provide a large majority of the lumber needed, we may have to supplement with some additional lumber/supplies from the city. We won’t know how much until at least June, 2012 (possibly October, 2012).

Weather permitting, the plan is for the churches to set the poles for the buildings in October, 2012, (dry season). We will have a small building team go to Peru in January, 2013, to work alongside the people to build the buildings.

Pastor Vilfredo Cutting Lumber

People always ask us, “What do you need?” That question can be hard to answer off the cuff, so we compiled a list of ways that you can help from home.

Cooks in the Kitchen (Click to view)

Kitchen Supplies

Each session of IBTA Seminary is three days long, 8 hours a day. People come from miles away by foot, boat or both and sleep on the floor of other’s houses or in the church building. During each session, many women work diligently over open flame to prepare and serve food for visiting students. As are all housewives, these women are hardworking survivors, never asking for help while doing the lion’s share of the work. In order to make their work easier, they have asked if we could provide some additional kitchen supplies. If your Ladies Auxiliary, Sunday School Class or Church is interested in helping, contact us at info@youthframeworks.com, our Facebook page, or call us at 903.657.win1. Monetary donations are best since we are so limited on weight and space on the things we take with us.

(Texas Baptist Institute in the Amazon)

Session 2, March 2012

Journal

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

The day began with breakfast at 6:00 a.m.  We left the lodge at about 6:45 a.m.  and arrived at Cabo Pantoja at 8:00 a.m.  We arrived to find students awaiting the start of class.  Most of the students were returning from the first session of seminary, however, there were several new students. We began by registering the new students, passing out name tags, and signing in all of the students.  After greetings, introductions, instructions and formalities, the first session of the Bible Analysis class began with Robert Phillips teaching what Bible analysis is and its importance for Bible study.  At the end of the lesson, Robert explained the necessity of the Spirit of God in the life of a person to understand things of God.  After an explanation of the Gospel, Robert invited anyone that needed salvation to speak to one of the instructors after prayer.  Brother Mamerto called two young men to our attention, and Brother Frank Moreno shared the Gospel and led the two young men to Christ during the break.  Raul Huaman Mermao is 20 years old and Brando Chavez is 18 years old.

During the day many stories were heard during the breaks about the condition of the students and their attendance and dedication.

Students were asked to turn in their homework from the first session of seminary.  30 students handed in their homework.  They had worked diligently to complete the work.  One woman explained that she could neither read nor write, but had friends help her by reading the questions and then writing down her answers. She wanted to know if was ok to turn in her homework.

Another woman came who brought her sons’ homework.  They attended the first classes and wanted to attend this week, but could not due to work. She wanted to know if she could turn in their homework and if they could still attend classes.

During a conversation with Robert Phillips, Pablo and Witman from the Manati River, shared that it is very difficult for them to attend seminary.  There are many obstacles that could keep them from coming but they feel like they can’t afford not to come.  They are isolated from any resources and have no access to books or training.  These things are offered to them at the seminary.  So, even though it is difficult, they have decided that, if we are giving classes, they are going to attend regardless of the difficulties.  In fact, Pablo (the government official for his area) cancelled an important trip to Iquitos to be at the seminary and will be fined for his absence.

During Brother Nolan Richey’s class (Baptist Distinctives using the Baptist Way Book by Ben M. Bogard), he covered the Lord’s Supper.  After every class, questions were asked regarding who could and should participate in the Lord’s Supper and how to handle that situation.  Most had been practicing close communion, but after hearing the lesson and having the scripture explained were in agreement with restricting communion to members only.

A student named Willer has only 4 days off from work each month. This month, he is spending 3 of those days in Seminary.

In the afternoon assembly discussion, the students were given the catalogues for the new seminary and the courses were explained along with the certificates that are being offered.  The students were very excited to hear that they would be receiving certificates from an American seminary for completing the required courses of study.  Several followed with questions regarding who was eligible to attend seminary.  They were especially concerned with whether students that could not read/write would be able to attend and if they had to complete certain levels of eductaion or if they even had to be Christians.  We explained that students of any level of education or ability can attend classes, even  nonbelievers, as it would be a great opportunity for evangelism. In fact, the Lord has saved people in both sessions we have had so far.

When asked what he thought about the day, Brother Nolan Richey responded simply with “Absolutely wonderful!”

Thursday, March 15, 2012

The second day of seminary started smoothly.  It was encouraging to see several more students show up today.  We have a total of 54 students registered for classes now and eligible to receive credit.

We continue to be encouraged by the stories that we hear as people begin to apply the truth of God’s Word to their lives.

Witman asked for counseling help regarding his relationship with his previous church.  Years before, he had been excluded because of fornication.  He had children and was living with a woman but was not married.  He had moved away from that church and was becoming part of a new church on the Manati River, hours away.  He recognized his need to be reconciled to the previous church and asked for counsel regarding how to proceed with the other church.

Our afternoon meeting with the pastors was a very interesting time.  We discussed what a devotional really is and the Pastors seemed receptive.  Then we discussed the need for the students/pastors/churches to help provide the main courses for the meals.  They were very ashamed of having not followed through on their commitment to provide the main dishes.  They are to discuss the matter tonight and arrive at a decision so that we can make plans for May.

We rushed out after the last session because it appeared a bad storm was coming.   We made it to the lodge safely.  At 10:00 p.m. the rain had still not arrived.

Because the 6:30 session is so difficult to hold due to bugs swarming after dark, we have decided to change the schedule so that we can leave earlier and better use the daylight.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Today was the last day of seminary.  It was a great day.  Our schedule change worked very well and the people wanted the same change.  We had a productive meeting with the pastors in making plans for the future.

Brother Nolan has made himself known for repeating “Get in the book” and teaching the students to say, “Howdy!”

The Pastors have demonstrated that they understand what a devotional actually should be which they call a “meditation.”  The devotionals were taking too much time. Since our meeting with the Pastors on Thursday, they have all kept their devotionals under 5 minutes and have been encouraging in what they shared.

We have watched the water rise steadily over the last three days.  When we visited Cabo Pantoja on Tuesday, there was dry ground around the church and by today, the church was surrounded with water.

We found out tonight that the oldest student this session was 74 years old and there were 12 students under 20 with 4 of those under 15.  The youngest student was 13 years old.

We closed the seminary with a worship service of hymns, special music, a devotional and parting words from the teachers.  Several groups shared specials, including the cooks and the teachers.  Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church shared a very special song which in part said, “Goodbye, God bless you. Goodbye, I’ll pray for you.  Even though I may be far away, I will never forget you.”  The music was encouraging and worshipful as the students worshipped with enthusiasm.

We took time for each of the instructors to give a final parting word which was received well by the student body.

We taught four classes during this session of IBTA.  The majority of the classes were dealing with the subject of Bible Analysis using the book Bible Analysis by Albert Garner.  The remainder of the classes included Biblical Discipleship (by Raymond McAllister, printed by Sounding out the Word Ministry), Teaching Methods (lessons written by Will Thompson) and Baptist Distinctives (using The Baptist Way Book by Ben Bogard).

The students sat for a total of approximately 21 hours over 3 days.

I read in interesting article the other day called, “Top 10 Things People Want to Do on Your Church Website.” I know, the title leaves much to be desired, but the content was great. Rather than totally rip off this poor guy’s article, I want to tell you what I learned.

Some of the items on the list were obvious: Find Service Information(times, direction, etc.) Others were not so obvious to the large block of conservative, “sometimes a little behind” pastors. Before I continue, let me say that there is no shame in being in this group. However, as a 29 year old seeking a church experience that utilizes tools I use everyday, there is shame in staying in this group.

Number 2 on the list was “Listen to/Download Sermons.” As I talk to pastors, I am amazed at how many are a little embarrassed about offering their sermons online. There was a time when posting any content, good or bad, on the internet was scandalous, but that time was before I graduated High School. Today, many people work from 9-5 with headphones constantly blaring into their brains. While typing away in this computer today, I have listened to a number of different albums and a few podcasts. The younger generation wants to hear your sermon on Sunday. They also want to listen to it 5 times throughout the week! It’s time to get excited about that fact!

Number 4 on the list was “Read/Download Sermon Transcripts.” Some of us would call this a blog. Today’s world is a blogger’s world. If I want to know about a product, I find a blog or discussion. If I want to get differing views on political policies, I read a blog. Sadly, too many seek blogs to find direction in the Bible. Why not take that sermon outline, write out a transcript (just as you would speak it), and upload it to the site. Paul said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” Blogs come standard with “follow” buttons.

Coming in at number 10 on the list was “Read Articles or Other Content.” People are information hungry. The world offers information. Don’t underplay how much your congregation trusts you(I know it can be scary!). You don’t need to write 10 articles a week. You might just try sharing some of the ministry related articles and books you read as a pastor. Your people trust your opinion. If you don’t offer it, they will find another one.

My basketball coach in High School could get a bit zealous. In the heat of battle, he would not take his eyes off the game. Without looking, he would walk the bench, grab an unsuspecting player by the jersey, and say “Get in the Game!” He meant it in the best way possible. This article is meant to be that gentle nudge from someone who zealously desires the best for your ministry. Get in the Game!

Every person in your church can see the Scripture passage you want them to see. Every listener can follow along with the notes of your choosing. They can also take notes along with the sermon. Everyone in the room can take part in a real time polling question.

Now imagine this:

No one thumbed through their Bible to read another passage. You didn’t have to spend 45 minutes picking up your sermon notes in various airplane shapes off the church floor. No dear sweet soul complained to you about ink on the pews from those note passing teenagers. No one had to raise their hand to answer the poll.

This is the goal of youversion.  When someone searches their smartphone’s app store for “Bible”, the first app to appear is simply called “Bible” by LifeChurch.tv. This app utilizes youversion, an interactive Bible experience. It is an excellent Bible app with multiple versions, note taking features, and daily reading plans, but the coolest feature found me this Sunday Morning at church.

My “big-city” cousin (no offense Allison!) came in for the weekend and attended our church. In typical Young Adult Sunday School fashion, the lesson began with a handful of people opening their bible apps to prepare for class. My cousin leans over to me and says, “My church uses this live feature. Everyone can have the sermon notes, take notes, and everything.” This immediately awakened my inner Sherlock Holmes, and I couldn’t wait to investigate. Here is what I found.

The youversion app offers a Live Event option. First, you sign up at youversion.com in the same way everyone signs up for everything these days. Then, you create a group. This group can be open (anyone, anywhere can search and be a part) or moderated (the creator decides who is in the group).

After creating a group, you create a Live Event. In this event, you decide what groups can attend, when it is available, and when it is closed. In each event, you can

- add multiple Bible passages with multiple versions

- add sermon notes

- add video links

- add prayer requests and allow others to add prayer requests

- offer online tithing through Paypal

When all this is finished, you can easily create a link to the event. In fact, I did just that! bible.us/e/JOG Check out all the features for yourself by clicking the link(after 3:30 pm on February 27) or searching for “This is only a test” or “Article Test Group” in your youversion app.

This easy to use app can be utilized by pastors, Sunday School teachers, or small group leaders. When I explained this to my wife, her first and only comment was, “Why wouldn’t everyone use this?” I challenge you to take the time to learn this tool. Of all the tools that techies claim are a must, this tool sits at the top of the list.

Imagine this:

You slave over a hot sermon all week long. Rather than let it reach its peak on Sunday Morning, you decide that a sermon is best when it lands in the discussions of the congregation. You type a few discussion questions based on the sermon and post them on your church website or Facebook page (which would probably be better). Then, you go to a website such as www.qrstuff.com or any one of the hundreds of other free QR Barcode generator sites, and create a QR Barcode for you discussion questions. Then, you print that barcode in your bulletin. The people of your church who want to be a part of a dialogue about the sermon scan the barcode during church (let’s be honest, people are multi-taskers today), go to the website, and post comments and questions. Suddenly, your sermon is interactive! No more worrying if your sermon fell flat. You can know instantly!

The slogan for MinistryMall.org is “Translating the Gospel for the Digital World.” This does not mean youth. It means anyone that has the internet, a smart phone, or any desire to do anything the way things are done today. I dare you to try this with your Sunday sermons and see what happens. You may find that your potential for leading your congregation through the Scriptures just grew exponentially.

Variety is the spice of life and we want to help. We know people. You need people. Let’s get together. If you need help finding someone from outside your bubble to give your camp or retreat something different, contact us at info@youthframeworks.com.

I recently started helping with the 5-6 graders at my church. In using the curriculum that was chosen, I have finally pinpointed the issue I have with most curriculum for young people, be it children or teens.

The 90′s has been hailed the decade of the youth group. Youth groups existed before the 90′s, but this decade really saw a large up-tick in the popularity of camps, conferences, curriculum and music. The Youth Group became its very own clique. With this wave of excitement came the pressure to see movement in the spiritual lives of young people. Fast forward 10 years, and we see an endless pool of curriculum that either teaches topical lessons with no real point or deep lessons on deep subjects with no real connection to a systematic study of the Bible.

With no effort at all, someone could go to the nearest Bible Bookstore and purchase an in-depth study on the Holy Spirit for teenagers. This series will come standard with videos, games, and other assorted extras. The Youth Minister says to himself, “If only these kids understood the workings of the Holy Spirit, they would be changed.” He buys this series, and off he goes. However, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit was never designed to be a stand-alone series.

In my Wednesday Night class, that I really enjoy, we are learning about Heaven. We learned how Heaven is described in the Bible last week. This week, we learned how one goes to Heaven. As part of a side story, I asked the students to explain the actions of Judas Iscariot. No one could say. Learning about Heaven is great. Learning how to get to Heaven is great. Having to take a 15 minute aside to explain one of the major characters of the Gospel story to a bunch of hard core church kids is not great.

This is the product of too much difference making. In our efforts to make a difference in the lives of young people every single week, we have forgotten one thing. We will not make a difference in the lives of young people every single week! Some lessons are just informational. Some lessons are just histories. Some lessons are exciting and will effect change, while others may be a snooze fest. We need to lower our standards and raise our standards. We must forget the requirement to see deep spiritual change every church session while fully expecting our young people to understand the entire Bible systematically.

Some questions to consider:

-How many of your students can name the books of the Bible?

-How many know the first three kings of Israel?

-How many know about Judas Iscariot?

-How many know how Jesus and David are connected?

-How many know the connection to the Old Testament Sacrifices and the Crucifixion?

-How many can show Scripturally how to be saved? (I had a kid tell me I was wrong because I showed them Romans 10:9 and it did not say “Admit, Believe, Confess”)

You can contact Cory at cory@youthframeworks.com.

The Amazon Project, a ministry of Youth Frameworks and Cedar Creek MBC of Palestine, TX, completed another portion of God’s work in the Amazon jungles of Peru. This is the seventh time a group has gone to work in the last two years.

While there were many things accomplished and we are excited about the future, the highlight of the work was going to Villa Esther, the uppermost village of the main tributary river that you can only reach when the water level is sufficient, and being immediately met by the school teacher who invited us into the school to talk to the children. After a full Gospel presentation, the children said they had never heard it before! We returned a few days later and conducted a Bible school where the majority of the village attended. The sad fact is that there are literally hundreds of villages like Villa Esther in Peru.

God has made our purpose for the Amazon very clear. By leading us to people and churches who are of like faith and order (it’s almost scary how much like us they really are) and by leading them to not ask us for physical things, but spiritual, our role is to supply them with education and teaching materials they cannot get on their own.

These people are already showing themselves to be very evangelistic by starting regular Bible study groups in villages where there are no churches. They also are going to the next river and sharing the Gospel and seeing souls saved. They want more training and education so they can do even better at the work God has for them.

Another highlight is the addition of our first boat. One of the believers in the jungle told us in November that he would like to see us have our own boat. He offered to supply the labor and lumber if we would purchase the other necessary supplies. After a very generous donation from some of our team members, we commissioned the building of the boat.

It was completed by mainly three people and only using three tools. From standing tree to floating boat, they only used a chain saw (cutting trees and milling the lumber), hammer (assembling the boat) and a machete (for making the necessary small cuts in the wood). This boat is 40 feet long and 8 feet wide! It will comfortably carry 20 people. It has already been a tremendous help.

In total, we conducted 9 Bible schools and 5 ladies Bible studies. We were also able to have more in-depth conversations with many people, including the pastors, and continue to build our relationships. We were also given the paperwork and talked to the community leaders at Cabo Pantoja about acquiring land and building some facilities to help us teach seminary. We also purchased a chainsaw (Stihl 660 with a 36” bar) for the churches to begin cutting lumber for us to use for construction.

Our next step in the work will take place in late October when we will teach our first session of seminary. Plans are currently being made for what material will be taught and the overall scope of our seminary training there. Please pray as we make those decisions.

Our biggest need at this time is a larger motor for the boat. The “pecky pecky” motor we have been able to purchase at this point goes at a top speed of about 8 MPH. This caused us to spend, at times, as much as 7 hours on the boat in a day in addition to conducting two Bible schools! A 40 horsepower motor will cost us about $5,000, but would be a HUGE benefit to us. It would cut travel time by at least two-thirds and allow us more time to work in the villages.

We will soon begin raising funds and assembling a building team to hopefully go in late May/early June, 2012. In the meantime, we ask that you continue to pray that God lead us and guide the people in the jungle as we seek to do His work together.