| In the craziness of our preparations for South Africa, it is good to step back and remember how faithful God has been in our calling and preparations. I enjoyed highlighting the kids last time, so thought I would now highlight Alberto and me.
Alberto It is mysterious the way the Lord works. At the time when I left El Salvador, I was running away from war. As I look back, the Lord brought me to the U.S. to train me for a different type of war: spiritual warfare, the battle against the devil. Through the blood of Christ, we have complete victory and power over the devil. We need to put on the full armor of God talked about in Ephesians 6, and stand firm. The Lord will use us. Like Isaiah said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” (Is 61:1) Paul says in II Timothy 1:7 “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me as a prisoner, but share with the sufferings of the gospel, according to the power of God.” And now, as missionaries we know we are God’s infantry, and we have been called to deliver the Good News, in this occasion to the people of South Africa. It is an honor to have served God up to this point. We want to do it for the rest of our lives. Thank you for joining us in our journey, and I hope that the Lord will soon meet whatever personal difficulty you may be going through, because we are praying for you as well. When we pray to God, the solution to our problems is at the tip of our fingers. The victory has already been won! |
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| Joanna
Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others is my motivation for missions and my joy! I am touched that God is paving the way for us to serve Him and His people in South Africa. Youth With A Mission is an agency we love and respect, and our whole family is eagerly anticipating our next steps. Intentionally placing ourselves in a place of ministry forces us to depend on God’s provision in a whole new way, since we are raising our support. Learning to trust God in this way has been humbling and exciting, and He is meeting us at every step. |
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| How You Can Help
Pray for our preparations and fundraising. Invite us to your small group or host a chat in your home with your friends so that we can share. Contact us at joanna@paradas.org Contribute on a monthly basis toward our ongoing support, or on a one-time basis towards our outgoing fund. See our website for details: http://paradas.org/giving/ |
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Dec 29, 2013
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Dec 13, 2013
EVENT REMINDER
Join us on Sunday at 9:45 in the Granary Room at Park Street Church for our second informational session! We will be sharing our vision for missions in South Africa. You’ll get to watch a video about YWAM, see some photos of South Africa, hear God’s testimony of His faithfulness in our lives, hear what plans we have, and find out how you can partner with us through prayer and finances. Refreshments will be served! We’ll be done in an hour. Hope to see you there!
For those of you who can’t make it, we would be happy to share the same presentation at your small group or Bible study. Contact us!
FAMILY PRAYER REQUESTS
- Sensitivity to God’s Spirit as we seek Him
- Wisdom in the details as we make plans for our departure
- More monthly financial pledges to maintain our work in South Africa
- Opportunities to share with small (and large) groups
- Mental clarity as Ana and Isaac write exams next week
FORMER PRESIDENT NELSON MANDELA DIED LAST WEEK
Nelson Mandela was actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. He was imprisoned for 27 years, and was later released to became the country’s first black president. He received the Noble Peace Prize for his work at dismantling apartheid and facilitating the country’s first democratic elections. He transitioned the country from a small white rule to majority rule. Because of his leadership and God’s grace, the country did not turn to violence through a civil war. He is remembered for his advocacy for peace and equality. He died December 5th, at age 95.
Pray for the country as they mourn their hero. Many are looking for a new hero, and feel disillusioned with the slow change. This is when the Gospel can shine. Only Jesus offers lasting hope and forgiveness. Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” It is the weary and burdened that break our hearts. And what an amazing God we serve! He delights in transforming lives!
Nov 27, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
A Word from Alberto
I can’t believe it is Thanksgiving again! Time is moving so quickly. Whether we like it or not, the return of our Lord Jesus Christ is imminent. That is something to be happy about! Let us thank Him for His sacrifice and the salvation He has given us.
Mission Emphais Week Update
The Mission conference at Park Street Church was amazing! We heard from some very courageous missionaries about their involvement in what God is doing in Boston and around the world. We also had the opportunity to share our story! We spoke in front of the whole congregation (which made me very nervous!), a Christian Formation class, Cafe groups, and many small groups! (Please invite us to your small group, if you haven’t already!)
It was encouraging to not only talk to people about our calling and how we got here, but also to listen to their callings, and to hear how they are seeking God whole-heartedly as they try to be faithful to Him in their lives. We’ve meet lots of great new people this past month, and so happy we had this opportunity. A big shout-out to all the new folks on this email list!
FUNDRAISING UPDATE
We have raised 20% of our outgoing expenses, and 6% of our ongoing support. What a leap in our outgoing expenses! Thank you to all you generous people!
For those of you who still want to make a one-time gift for our outgoing expenses or a recurring gift for our ongoing monthly support, please go to online giving. Checks can be mailed to Park Street Church, Attn: Finance Office, 1 Park Street, Boston, MA 02108. Please designate “Mid-Term Paradas.”
There are more detailed instructions on the giving page of our website.
| Informational Session
Dec 15 at 9:45 am we will share about our calling to South Africa. Please come to the Granary Room at Park Street Church to hear! Sharing Session We love visiting groups to share, so please email us to set up a time for us to visit your group or church! WHO WE ARE We are the Parada Family, heading to South Africa next June to be mid-term missionaries. First, we will complete a one year Bible training course with Youth With A Mission in Worcester. We’ll study such things as Family Ministry, Couples and Family Counseling, and of course Bible! We’ll also be involved in local ministries targeting broken families and youth with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Young people are instrumental in bringing spiritual and physical transformation to not only their own lives, but those around them. We are committing to being in South Africa for at least 3 years, with the hopes of continuing longer. |
Nov 1, 2013
Dear Friends and Family,
It gives me great pleasure to write to you about our upcoming missionary plans in South Africa starting next June 2014. As most of you know, South Africa has been on my (Joanna’s) heart for many years, so I am thrilled to have this opportunity. As you probably also know, Alberto is a born evangelist. For both of us, nothing gives us more joy than to be in a place where we can positively impact the kingdom of God. We have been doing that locally, but now we have the opportunity to do that in South Africa. What a privilege! We are excited to take the step of faith that God has been preparing us for.
The foundation of our calling is the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20:
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
South Africa is a nation full of potential, due to the natural resources of the land, and capabilities of the South African people; yet unemployment, AIDS and poverty are rampant. The gospel of Jesus Christ offers spiritual hope to those otherwise without any hope. As spiritual needs are addressed, physical needs are also addressed, and lives are transformed. This is why discipleship is key!
What better way to do this than with a group of Christians who are passionate about sharing the Good News? Youth With A Mission (YWAM) is an international volunteer movement of Christians from many backgrounds, cultures and Christian traditions, dedicated to serving Jesus throughout the world. The purpose of YWAM is simply to know God and to make Him known. This is done through training, evangelism and mercy ministries.
YWAM has a base in the Cape province of South Africa where not only preparatory Bible classes are offered, but opportunities for service abound. We plan to spend our first year taking classes such as Family Ministry, Couple and Family Counseling and of course Bible! Our second and third years will be spent in one of YWAM’s ministries to broken families, and vulnerable youth. (Be assured that we will also be seeking out the special needs community!) We also have friends involved in prison ministry through the Andrew Murray Centre, so we will be praying about that involvement as well! After a few years, we will return to the U.S. for a reevaluation period with Park Street Church.
As self-supporting missionaries, we raise our own funds to cover our monthly living expenses. We depend on partnering with people who support our vision. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us? We need both prayer support and financial support. Our home church, Park Street Church, has generously committed to covering 10% of our monthly budget for which we are thankful. As for the remaining 90%, we now are reaching out to you, our friends and family, requesting that you partner with us by donating on a monthly basis. Any gift will be helpful! Please let us know of your decision by returning the postcard to us, or by emailing us at joanna@paradas.org.
We are enclosing a form which details how to make the donation, whether it be a one-time donation or a recurring donation. One-time donations go into our outgoing expense budget covering airfare, moving expenses, tuition, etc. Recurring donations are monthly donations which cover our living expenses. (All funds donated prior to our departure will go towards our outgoing expenses.) We are currently at about 5% of our goals. Please let us know if you would like a copy of our budget. More information is available on our website at www.paradas.org. As always, please contact us with any questions.
In His service,
Alberto, Joanna, Ana, Isaac, Margaret and Phoebe Parada
Oct 24, 2013
We are the Parada Family, heading to South Africa next June to be mid-term missionaries. First, we will complete a one year Bible training course with Youth With A Mission in Worcester. We’ll study such things as Family Ministry, Couples and Family Counseling, and of course Bible! We’ll also be involved in local ministries targeting broken families and youth with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Young people are instrumental in bringing spiritual and physical transformation to not only their own lives, but those around them. We are committing to being in South Africa for at least 3 years, with the hopes of continuing longer.
FUNDRAISING UPDATE
We have raised 5% of our outgoing expenses, and 6% of our ongoing support. This is encouraging! Please prayerfully consider supporting our missionary efforts.
To make a one-time gift for our outgoing expenses or to make a recurring gift for our ongoing monthly support, please go to online giving. Checks can be mailed to Park Street Church, Attn: Finance Office, 1 Park Street, Boston, MA 02108. Please designate “Mid-Term Paradas.”
There are more detailed instructions on the giving page of our website.
MISSIONS EMPHASIS WEEK “Whole Gospel to the Whole World”
Nov 1-10 at Park Street Church. We’ll be speaking briefly during the 8:30 service on Nov 3, and sharing in the Parenting class after the service. We are speaking at Cafe groups at the church on Tues and Wed nights. Alberto is sharing at the men’s breakfast on Sat Nov 9th. And we’ll be at all 3 services on the 10th. Exciting week!
UPCOMING (SNAIL) MAILING
Yes, a physical mailing! Look out for it! If you have not updated your address with us, please do so!
As always, please contact Alberto and Joanna at any time! Thank you for participating in our excitement as we prepare to share our passion for Christ with the nations! It is our privilege to go to South Africa. Please keep our preparations in your prayers!
| Informational SessionWe shared our vision for missions in South Africa and God’s faithfulness in leading our family. We will do another informational session at Park Street Church in December, so watch out for details!
Sharing Session We have shared in 4 small groups in the last 2 weeks. We love doing this, so please email us to set up a time for us to visit your group or church! Yard Sale It was a success! As we want to rent our house (unfurnished) when we leave, we need to sell/get rid of everything! |
| South Africa FactsSouth Africa is strategically placed to reach Africa for Christ due to the missionary potential of the immigrants who flood into the country each year looking for employment. Through addressing their physical and spiritual needs, disciples for Christ can be made.
South Africa has 11 official languages and many more unofficial ones. This colorful mix of cultures gives South Africa its nickname “rainbow nation.” |
Oct 3, 2013
EVENT REMINDER!
Join us on Sunday at 12:30 in the Granary Room at Park Street Church! We will be sharing our vision for missions in South Africa. You’ll get to watch a video about YWAM, see some photos of South Africa, hear God’s testimony of His faithfulness in our lives, and find out how you can partner with us through prayer and finances. A light lunch will be served! We should be done in an hour. Hope to see you there!
For those of you who can’t make it, we would be happy to share the same presentation at your small group or Bible study. Contact us!
Yard Sale
This Saturday! At our house.
285 Wilson Ave, Quincy
Sept 27, 2013
Our fundraising is in full swing! Thank you to those of you who have already pledged to support us! We are so encouraged by this, and excited that there are people who are eager to share our vision. We have raised 5% of our expenses so far! It is going to be an exciting year watching that percentage inch up. As far as one-time giving, we are 2%towards our goal. Bit by bit, we’ll get there!. Please go here for pledging and ministry information.
On Oct 6, we are holding our first informational session at Park Street Church at 12:30 in the Granary Room. We will share our vision for missions in South Africa. We would love to see you there!
It’s been a busy month with kids starting school. Ana (11th grade) and Isaac (9th grade) returned to Boston Trinity Academy, while Margaret (3rd grade) and Phoebe (special class) started school at our local public school. This is Margaret’s first time in school, and the transition has been very smooth. Phoebe is in a half-day class with a wonderful teacher!
Phoebe recently saw an excellent GI doctor, and is going to have a scope next month. She is also starting Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) shortly, which we are very excited about! There are so many great resources in this area that we are making the most of before we leave!
While kids are in school, I am writing updates, inputting addresses for our upcoming mailing, and cleaning out our basement for a yard sale! Alberto is getting our house ready to rent.
Aug 17, 2013
Welcome to our new website! We created it to document our journey to South Africa next summer. We have officially started our fundraising efforts, as of today!
There are many pages on this website which you can click on to learn more:
- home: a brief intro
- ministry plan: learn what we will do in South Africa
- prayer requests: current praises and prayer requests
- giving: detailed instructions on how to support us financially
- blog: this page! Our latest newsletter and updates.
- about us: explains who we are and why we want to go to South Africa
- contact us: gives our contact info.
July 1, 2013
Happy 4th of July for next week!
It is with much joy that I share our good news with you. We have received our church’s blessing to be mid-term missionaries! Last month when I wrote to you I told you we had passed through one committee, and were awaiting the larger committee’s approval. Well, the larger missions committee met, and we got the green light! Thank you for all your prayers and well-wishing! It is very important to us to have the church’s spiritual and emotional support as our sending church. We have waited for this for awhile, since we believe it is the first step in building a ministry plan.
So, this is the plan. We will leave for South Africa next summer. We are making a 3 year commitment. We will spend the first year with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) doing Bible classes (as recommended) and participating as we are able in the outreach YWAM does. (See their impressive website here:http://www.ywamworcester.com/) The second and third year we will be involved in full-time ministry. After 3 years, we will return to our church for a re-eval. Well, that is the plan at present.
Although we have the church’s blessing, we do not have much financial support from them, unfortunately. At this point, they have committed 10%, which is a far cry from 100% (like we had in Paraguay.) But, we are not discouraged. We are embarking on a giant-scale fundraising effort to fund ourselves in South Africa for the next 3 years, at least. A large order, indeed, but we are excited to watch as God provides through supportive folk like yourselves. We will be sending out a letter through snail mail with more information on how to start giving to our account at church, but I wanted to get the word out to you here as soon as possible. (If you need to update your address with me, now is the time!)
Many of you may wonder why our missions-oriented church is not supporting us 100% again. They have a policy which allows only people going to certain areas the ability to qualify for full funding. Since South Africa is not one of those areas, we are, in essence, on our own financially. That is ok though, since there is a certain freedom to not being under a policy. And we know that policies can change, which is why we had to leave Paraguay in the first place. So, we are following God’s leading, and believe that we can raise the necessary funds. We know through our experience and watching others go before us that a trickle in the bucket eventually fills the bucket. Bit by bit, we will see the provision. So, as you await our fundraising letter, please be in prayer about supporting us.
Thank you for your friendships! May God continue to bless you all!
Alberto, Joanna, Ana, Isaac, Margaret and Phoebe Parada