Over the past four months, the congregation at West End has sent out almost 2000 postcards to homes that were registered with some sort of Spanish speaking background. Over these past few months, we were very curious as to just how effective these mailers are, and were they arriving at homes that actually did speak Spanish? Were the people reading the invitation to come and join us at the Iglesia de Cristo, or were they just tossing them in the trash? I know I am guilty of throwing away particular post cards that arrive in our own personal mailbox even before I come into the home. Why should our invitation be any different?
We had heard from a few different contacts we had met in the stores or restaurants that they had seen our invitation before, and they recognized it as one that had arrived to their homes earlier in the month. That was encouraging, but we still had not seen anyone actually walk through our doors just solely because of the invitation they had received in the mail...until SUNDAY. It was a normal Sunday morning for us, four boys were struggling to get out of bed, let's face it...four boys, and two tired parents. Any other day of the week, they are bright eyed and bushy tailed around 7:00 a.m., but Sunday roles around, it's 8:00 a.m., and I have to pry their eyeballs open with a toothpick. We managed to successfully get out the door, each little man tie and shoes on, hair combed, teeth brushed, bananas for breakfast, and only one minor casualty (Eli's belt). We arrived at the building early and with just enough time to have a few melt downs before Bible class, but we made it. Then it happened. As Elias began his Bible class we noticed a certain unknown phone number was calling his church office for the second time, and he looked at me quickly and said, "Kristi can you answer that? Someone could be lost and looking for directions to the building." So, I picked up the phone, and in my very American accented Spanish proceeded to have a conversation with the sweet woman on the other line who later I would find out was named Jill. She asked me in a few different ways what time the "Mass" started, and when could she sign up for a time to attend "confession." Wanting her to come and at least meet us for a Bible study, I explained to her that our worship service is at 10 am and she could meet with the preacher afterward for a counseling session. Long story short, after worship services Sunday morning, Jill and her mother Cruz (from Venezuela) spent 1.5 hours in Bible study and counseling with Elias. He was able to explain to them what the Church of Christ was, and he helped them through some tough family situations they were experiencing. These woman came out of that study so excited, that she asked us for more invitations so she could invite all her friends, family, and co-workers. She said she would be back on Wednesday with her grandson, and she looked forward to studying the Bible with Elias more. Before she left, we asked her how she had heard about the Iglesia de Cristo here at West End. She said that a personal invitation was mailed to her address in O'Fallon, MO. When it arrived she was curious about the church, because the only other Spanish speaking worship service she had been to was very far away and not to her liking. She had kept it in her purse for two months. She pulled it out often to read it and study it. She even decided to take a snapshot of the address and phone number just in case she ever lost it. She confessed that several times she picked up the phone to call us, but decided against it, but when she woke up this Sunday, she immediately said, "Today is the day. I am going." And she did. Please join us in prayer for Jill and her family, for her mother Cruz, for Nancy, Nancy jr. and Moises, for Lilly Edgar and Raul, and also for Elizabeth and her mother and husband. All these people have taken the time to walk through our doors, and we pray that one day they are core members of the Iglesia de Cristo here at West End. Please pray for their hearts that they may be softened and ready to hear the Gospel, and that they will dedicate their lives to Christ. God bless you and thank you everyone who has helped us already so much in this ministry. The Roque Family
3 Comments
Ansley
10/30/2018 07:02:53 pm
Wonderful!!! 😊❤️ Continued prayers!!
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Allison
10/30/2018 07:13:35 pm
Happy! Praying for Jill and her family!
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Carlos Hernández
10/30/2018 09:22:41 pm
So awesome to read this. And see the Lord working through you and the preaching of His word.
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AuthorElias and Kristi Roque have been married for 9 years and during this time have planted/grown 4 congregations. They have 4 boys 7 and under working alongside them. Archives
April 2024
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