Jared Zapata Family

Dear Reader,
     God has truly been a huge blessing to my life and the lives of my family. I have often wandered how people go through life without believing in the very existance of God and having the opportunity to go to Him whenever in need. How empty their life must be and how sad it is to see a life being thrown away. God has given us the life we live and it our choice wether to live it in His service recieving the blessings in Heaven or to throw life away to end our existance here on earth with regret and lost opportunities.

     Friday we set out for Harlingen, Texas, a good eight hour trip south of Dallas to the very tip and near the border of Mexico. We were scheduled to be in Central Baptist Church pastored by Pastor Matt Schumacher for their Sunday morning service. They graciously allowed us to stay on property of the church while there and also allowed me to be a part of their bus ministry! Saturday I was able to go out soul winning and lead four to Christ on the bus route meeting many children who attended childrens church there at Central Baptist. Sunday morning brought me the chance to ride the bus and help with the program singing and spending time with the children who rode to church with us that day. We were allowed present our work once again to the kind people there and I was able to preach, "To Lose is to Gain Through God".
    Sacrifice is hard to do at times when we are afraid to lose what the world has and give all to Christ. What we do not realize is that when we lose the worldly pleasures of this world we gain the treasures in Heaven that last for eternity! Yes we may lose what we think is valuable here on earth but we gain much more through God! Mark 8:36 "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

Harvest Baptist Church was our next stop, located in Edinburg, Texas! Pastor Dale Yontz allowed us to present our work and burden for the mnistry. What a great church of kind people and young people eager to know more about our college at Parkside Baptist Church. I was able to preach a sermon, "New Vision", based on II Corinthians 4: 18 "While we look not at the things which are see, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

    It is very easy to comprehend, follow, accept, believe in, or commit to those things that we can see with our eyes. It is those things that we cannot see that test our faith and loyalty to God. As a Christian we have been given a new vision, a new way to look at things through the faith we found in God. Our lives have new meaning as we now can see what God could do with and in our lives! Have we allowed this new vision to flourish in our lives and push us to do more for God or have we forgotten the vision that we have the opportunity to use?

   Many decisions were made as 10-15 people raised their hands, committing to use the new vision to see how God could use their lives in His service! What great opportunities we have had as we have allowed God to use our lives. We thank each and every supporter for their love and support allowing us to continue on this road to God's will in our lives.