Breakfast for Dinner
Greetings!

One night last week I made breakfast for dinner. We know that isn't the "natural order" of meals, and we don't do it often but it was really nice to have a change of pace. Sometimes, it is OK to get things out of order but other times...order matters. This has been an important focus of our ministry this past month...helping get the order of things right within the Latin America Area.
Pastoral Formation Training
Ricardo returned to Chile for the first time in 7 years last month with the goal of helping get the Chilean Annual Conference up-to-date with regard to the new Pastoral Formation system that we began implementing throughout the rest of the region last year. About 100 pastors and leaders from throughout the country attended the 2-day seminar. The Pastoral Formation system is much more than just the 18-class curriculum that we developed but is the whole process of Ordination Based on Results (Head, Heart and Hands). It is a well-balanced system and a team effort.

Supt. Patricio Alvial and other local leaders realized that there were a lot of holes in the system they were using and decided to postpone ordinations until those issues can be fixed and mentors can be assigned. They are excited that, when this system is implemented in its proper order, they will prepare better pastors and leaders for the future who will bear more fruit for the Kingdom of God.

This weekend Ricardo is in Puerto Rico for their annual meeting where he is teaching the same material. (More about that in the next newsletter.)
It was particularly touching when the pastors, many of whom we worked with while living in Chile, prayed for Ricardo and this expanded ministry. Prayer, of course, is the first order of business for all ministry!
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Leadership Issues
There has also been a lot of focus this past month on history and process as we work together with Bishop-Elect Dr. Linda Adams to prepare for our future ministry together in Latin America (she has been assigned oversight of this region). We appreciate the assistance we received from former AD, Dra. Delia Nüesch-Olver, in creating a comprehensive overview of Area.

Likewise, we've been discussing processes and making plans so that together with the whole Latin American team we can focus on developing healthy leaders who multiply committed disciples and plant transformational churches to bring Biblical restoration to Latin America. We spent a day a morning of planning with Dr. Glenn Lorenz, the new Area Coordinator for Pastoral Formation.

And, keeping first-things-first, all of these conversations, reports, and activities have been under-girded with prayer! Thank you for praying with us!
Right now over half of the Latin American missionary family is in the USA participating in Partnership Building activities. This is something else that must be kept in the right order, we all need your prayer and financial partnership in order to continue our ministries. Right now our Missionary Support Account is actually facing a deficit. We encourage you to fulfill you commitments to us and ask you to prayerfully consider raising your support level for next year. At the same time please welcome the members of our Latin American team with open arms and, when possible, partner with them or help them make important connections so that togetehr we can all participate with God in the Biblical restoration of Latin America!

We give thanks and pray for you daily! Many blessings,
Ricardo and Beth Gómez
Prayer Calendar
Implementation of Pastoral Formation
Health Issues for our family
Partnership raising for all of our mission team
Fires in the Amazon and Santa Cruz, Bolivia Epidemic of dengue in Central America
Ricardo's travel schedule:
  • Puerto Rico (until Sept. 9)
  • Shoreline in Costa Rica (Sept. 6-Oct. 1)
FMWM in Latin America | Gomez Webpage