Renfro Ramblings

I felt very small being amongst such amazing men and women of God who had gathered in Colombia for the University Ministry Strategic Planning meeting. In attendance were missionaries from all over South America who are working to reach university students, as well as three Chi Alpha missionaries from the States that have committed to bringing students down each year to help reach students.  For four days we shared about the work in each country, and tried our best to identify what strategies, values and principles are working universally across Latin America.  On the last day we spread out in 7 different churches to minister and share about student ministry, with the hopes that this would help the missionaries in Colombia that are starting campus ministry this year. So, what was the fruit of this trip?  I left both encouraged and challenged to do things with more faith in Chile, but I also realized that we weren't alone in this fight; there are others who have given their live

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.  2 Timithy 2:2 This verse serves as the basis for a concept known as transgenerational discipleship, the heart and soul of campus ministry and what we believe is the method of Jesus. In this verse we can identify 4 generations of believers: Paul, Timothy, reliable people, and others. Paul is entrusting a responsibility to Timothy, not just that he would make disciples, but that he would make disciples that make disciples.  This is discipleship; not just a class or 45 minute teaching, but a real life following of Jesus, in which more mature Christians take responsibility for the life of others, so at some point they can do the same.  Do I believe that Christ has done a great thing in my life? Do I believe that others are just as valuable to Him? Then now I need to take responisbility for the life of another so that they will be able t

Video by Eddie Fernandez

Making progress in the Barrio Universitario You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Mathew 5:14 (sketch done by a group of CONEXION students) We have been meeting on Calle Republica in the Barrio Universitario for 5 months now. Two Chi Alpha teams from Texas came this summer, helping us accomplish several months worth of work in a few short weeks. They encouraged our key students and were so essential in helping us meet new ones. It has been one of our biggest prayers to meet and establish friendships with students that have never stepped foot in a church. Our prayer is that our CONEXION students can become a "city on a hill", a community that stands out because of the way the students love and honor one another.   CONEXION  across Chile  Conexion retreat July 2013 Last weekend we had a retreat with CONEXION leaders from across Chile. It was a great time of encouraging and equipping those taking par

I have finally come to grips with the fact that my role in ministry is drastically changing. I somehow find myself at home with a 6 month old on my hip while trying to entertain a 3 year old. And literally that is a ll I have time for! The other day as Josh walked out the door for a day on campus before our university student meeting I realized that home was were I needed to be and I was ok with it. For the most part I try to be as active as I can in ministry. There are times when I find myself on the other extreme; feeling like an awful mother, because I choose to take my kids to campus where one occasionally can catch a whiff of second hand marijuana smoke. Finding the balance is key and the main thing for me is being okay when I can't be involved in certain ministry events. I have to remind myself that this is the only opportunity I get to raise my children and this season will come and go before I even know it.  An afterthought: Just as I began to deal with this something ha

John Mark is 3 months old now. We finally feel like our heads have stopped spinning after receiving the news 7 months ago that John Mark would be born with hydrocephalus and holoprosencephaly.  I can clearly remember being devastated at the thought of not ever bringing my precious boy home. I can clearly remember the long torturous days as we waited to see what the next sonogram or fetal MRI would show. I can clearly remember trying to prepare for the worse. But that was not our story. Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. With every crushing blow came God's hand of mercy and grace. With every crushing blow more and more people began praying for our son. Through out the remainder of the pregnancy we witnessed the hand of God like we've never seen before. The amniocentesis came bac

CONEXION Being from Texas we are enjoying the actual change of seasons. The school year has begun and the streets of the Barrio Universitario are flooded with students. This is our opportunity to begin the work we have been dreaming about and more importantly have been praying for! We have begun meeting with a handful of students at Plaza Manuel Rodriguez every Thursday afternoon. Since this is a pioneering work our goal is to encourage the Christian students we have built relationships with  to think Mathew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden" . Our challenge to them is that they can begin to bring the people God has placed beside them during their time in the university. Our other efforts to become present in the area is to set up a contact table and just meet people. Please pray for favor with the students and the universities. We want to make friends with those who have never heard the name of Jesus and share truth with them.

John Mark arrived at 10:24 pm When 39 weeks rolled around I got more anxious. Naomi was born at 39 weeks and 1 day so I was hoping that would also be the case for John Mark, even though everyone tells you that all pregnancies are different. That day when the 39 week mark rolled around we went in for a sonogram. Dr Gomez found John Mark quite snug and not showing any signs he was coming soon. The sonogram also showed he was getting pretty close to weighing 8 lbs. He also said that he wanted to induce in one week if nothing happened. I didn’t argue since my parents were coming in one week and I also did not want to compromise any issues with his ventriculomegaly. The next day I had an appointment to meet with my midwife Rosa. I wasn’t feeling anywhere near labor just tired of being pregnant and hot due to the summer weather. Well it turned out I was 3cm dilated but she didn’t seem too worried stating that we would probably have him during the coming weekend. It was Wednesday. She t

Hace poco tomé mi primera clase bíblica y puedo decir que fue algo que disfruté muchísimo. Pude aprender un poco mas allá de la vida de Jesús al examinar los Evangelios Sinópticos: Mateo, Marcos y Lucas. Uno de los aspectos de la vida de Jesus que me interesó fue la forma en que Él enseñaba. Al leer sus lecciones en los Evangelios se destacaron algunas características de la vida de Jesús como gran maestro. Estas características pueden ser un gran ejemplo para nosotros hoy en día en situaciones diarias con las personas que Dios ha puesto estratégicamente en nuestro entorno. 1. Jesús amaba a los que enseñaba. Él fue conmovido por las necesidades de ellos y tuvo compasión (Mateo 9:36; Marcos 6:34), y les enseñó muchas cosas.  El amor de Dios en nuestra vida nos debe animar a establecer amistades con propósito e intencionales. Cuando intentamos cultivar relaciones genuinas podemos reconocer las necesidades que tiene la gente y podemos lograr tener compasión de ellos. La compasión n

I recently took my first Berean course and I greatly enjoyed discovering more about the life of Jesus through examining the Synoptic Gospels: Mathew, Mark and Luke. One of the many aspects of His life that intrigued me was the way Jesus taught. Reading about Christ’s teachings in the Gospels reveals certain characteristics of Christ the Teacher. These characteristics can be an example for us to follow in our everyday interaction with the people God has placed strategically in our lives.  1. We learn that He loved those whom He taught. He was moved by their needs and had compassion on them ( Matthew 9:36 ; Mark 6:34 ), so He taught them many things. The love of God in our lives should compel us to build relationships that are purposeful and intentional. When we strive to cultivate genuine relationships with people, we begin to recognize their needs and have compassion on them. Compassion should lead us to action and this action, whether it be praying for them or just listening to