Renfro Ramblings

PSLAM 29 - A psalm of David. 3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. 5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. 8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, "Glory!" 10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever. 11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace. The voice of the Lord is an immeasurable power that can transform. I remember when I first began to hear the voice

Psalm 22:9-10 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God . We are halfway through our pregnancy and we're having a girl, Naomi Faith! It has been a sweet time for Josh and I as we enter the world of parenthood. Our lives change everyday as we prepare to bring little Naomi into this world. The Lord is teaching us to pray for our daughter and challenging us to become a family centered around God's word and truth.

ENCOURAGING MARCELA Marcela will finish her medical degree at the end of this month! We met Marcela a year ago when we arrived in Chile and since then we have been able to establish a close friendship and encourage her through her last year of medical school. Marcela's heart is to demonstrate the love of God in the workplace bringing the name of Jesus to this much needed place. Marcela will move back to Santiago where she is part of a church family. STUDENT CONFERENCE Last week we had the opportunity to put on a student conference at her church . It was a wonderful time of sharing the importance of having a contagious faith, as well as the importance of leaving a mark on your campus. Marcela's vision is to help her church establish CONEXION and serve her pastors in reaching university students! LTC - We are halfway done with our second leadership course. It has been a fruitful time for our 5 students as they learn about the method of Jesus and his teachings on discipleship. We

One of the most prestigious universities in the area is Universidad Catolica del Norte. This a law, medical, and theological school. The Lord has given us tremendous favor on this university! He has opened many doors for us to be on that campus, but most importantly He has touched the hearts of many students on that campus! Marcela is a 7th year medical student about to graduate at the end of the year. She has been one of our key students and over a month ago she expressed the desire to start a girls small group. She said "I want to make the remainder of my time here count for something!" She invited several of her classmates to meet every Wednesday at 5:30 in one of the rooms of the university . We have now been meeting for nearly two months and the Lord is doing something big at Catolica del Norte. Several girls have arrived to learn about Jesus, the bible and the meaning of a life with Christ. Several girls have also given their life to the Lord and it has been so beautif

It will be almost a year since we arrived in Chile and the Lord has exceded far more than what we asked and prayed for. Our heart and prayer was to help the students have a vision for discipleship along with getting small groups established and funcioning. We are gateful for the students the Lord has enabled us to work with and there is testimony after testimony of how the Lord is using each one of them on their campuses and in their small groups. The second semester just began and we currently have 4 solid small groups meeting every week. This September we are also starting our second leadersip course for the students that will lead small groups next school year in March. Another prayer we had, was the ability to share the vision with the National Church in Chile. We have had several opportunities to present the vision of CONEXION at several pastors meetings and conventions. This work cannot happen without the support of the National Church! Last month we had our very first students c

"First comes LOVE, then comes MARRIAGE, then come Josh and Mayra with a BABY CARRIAGE! " Josh and I are excited to announce we are having a baby! The Lord has given us a wonderful gift of life and we are looking forward to this journey. Little Peanut is 8 weeks along and will be here in March to meet everyone. Please keep us in your prayers as the pregnancy advances and that little Peanut will be as healthy as can be. 

We are called to live a supernatural life now, by faith. Eternity will be wonderful, but there is one thing heaven will not contain, and that is the call, the possibility, and the privilidge of living a supernatural life here and now by faith, before we see Jesus face to face. -Schaeffer Lately, the Lord has been teaching me about His supernatural power and how as Christians we are called upon to be a demonstration that the supernatural, the normally unseen world, does exist.  We currently live in a world where naturalistic ideas are setting in more and more impeding ones comprehension and grasp of a supernatural God. BUT... The more we get involved in ministry the more we see Gods power moving in the lives of students and transforming their hearts. It is a previldge to be part of this. People who seemed so hardened to the truth of Jesus Christ are being touched by his love day after day. Families are being restored, sadness is being transformed into joy, life after life is

Tomorrow evening a team of students from Sam Housto n State University Chi Alpha arrives in Chile to help us with a week full of outreaches. They will be going with us to various universities to do cultural exchanges and at night doing events to connect further with the students. All this will be for the purpose of encouraging our student leaders here in Chile and connecting students that are not Christians with CONEXION, the name of our student group. Below are the events you can help us pray for. Most universities invited us on their campus with the condition we don't proselytize so we will mainly go and connect with the students to invite them to our evening events where we will be free to share more about the love of Christ. Monday, May 25:  INACAP University/ Coffee Shop Event Tuesday, May 26: Universidad Catolica del Norte/ International Festival Wednesday, May 27: Univesidad de La Serena  Thursday, May 28:  Universidad de Pedro Valdivia/ Soccer Night - Soccer is the religi

SMALL GROUPS Small groups have been underway for nearly 2 months now! We are so excited to say that we prayed for 2 solid small groups and the Lord has answered our prayers with 4! It has been a joy watching the students not only be faithful in coming every week but also bringing their friends who do not know the Lord. Small groups are effective in helping us build relationships with the students and it gives them a place to grow more in their knowledge of God. Overall 26 students have been involved with small groups! Please pray for our small groups and that students lives would continue to be changed. VERONICA AND MELODY The   Lord is doing something big here in Chile and everyday he confirms it more and more. Last month Veronica and Melody arrived to help us is in pioneering university ministry. They are devoting a year of their life, after completing their degrees at Sam Houston State to come be a part of this work. They have been a tremendous help already and we see their lives be

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! -Hebrews 12:1-3 The Message This passage in Hebrews has been on my heart these last couple of months so much that it has challenged me to train for half a marathon. One of our challenges in starting ministry here is teaching the students about passion in what they believe in. So the Lord  lead me to show p

This weekend Josh and I had the privilege of taking 5 university students on our first ever retreat. The students that attended were involved this summer in small group and took our leadership training course. It was a wonderful time of prayer and planning before these students head back to class during the month of March. The retreat was also purposeful in solidifying their commitment and helping establish an identity that will  be  present in 5 major campuses this school year. We are grateful for their dedication and desire to take part in reaching their campus. We are in awe as we see these students begin to establish a vision for what God can do on their campus.

It was a wild four days as Josh and I where able to take part in Iglesia El Puente's Summer Youth Camp where youth all over the surrounding regions attended. Josh and I both were assigned to lead about 10 youth each in growing closer to God and having a significant 4 days that would impact their walk with the Lord.

It has been an incredible time as we have begun working with university students here in Chile.  Josh and I are so grateful for each one of the students that have committed part of their summer to take part in this ministry that will prepare them to be a witness on their campus! The girls meet every Tuesday at our house for small group and the guys on Thursdays. We are on our 4th week already! On Wednesdays we have our leadership training course that will enable the students to build their own small group when the school year begins in March.  Meet some of our new friends! From L to R. Tammy is a bible school graduate with a heart for discipleship and has decided to take part in helping us train the students. Areli is a high school graduate who will begin her first year of college at la Universidad de Santo Thomas. Francisco is currently a student at INCAP Technical Institute. Jano is a 3rd year medical student at la Universidad Catolica del Norte and Carolina will also begin her first