El Tamarindo 2010

It is not too early to begin thinking about our mission trip for the next year. Reflect on last year's trip (if you were a part of the team) and pray for God's direction for summer 2010. Share your experiences of the mission accomplished.

Tell Your Friends

When you visit this blog, tell others about it. Remind them that the blog is here for each of you to use as a tool in preparation for the trip. It is only as useful as you let it be.

Leave your comments for others to be encouraged and informed. Share your prayer needs if you feel led.

How Do We Pray?

It has been a few days since I have posted anything here, but don't worry, I haven't forgotten you. Since the departure time for the trip had been uncertain I have waited until the discussions took place among the team. In light of a new timetable for this trip, how do you now pray? Same as before, but perhaps we need to step up the pace and regularity of the prayers. Maybe we need to be more specific with God in our prayers. May I encourage you to enlist a partner from the group.? Two hearts praying together and agreeing on what it is you are asking God for is both scriptural and encouraging to you as you pray. So seek a person with whom you feel comfortable and begin praying together on a daily (if at all possible) basis. Perhaps that may need to be via telephone if you can not meet in person. But PRAY.

Pray for: God's direction as you prepare for the trip.
The people of El Tamarindo that God will prepare their hearts for your arrival.
The financing of the trip.
The oneness of purpose as you plan and when you travel.

These are just starters for praying for His wisdom. Many Riversiders are praying daily for you as a team and anticipate what God is going to do through you as our mission ambassadors.

Praise to God who gives us the victory!

Revive Us Again

What better time for a revival than when the team is preparing for this summer's trip to El Tamarindo? Actually any time is a good time when we are open to God and what He wants to do in our lives. How does this happen? What brings revival? Re---means "again" and "vive" comes from the root word for "life". So revival brings life again to something or someone. As Christians we can get rather routine in our walk unless we are daily connected to our power source---that being Christ himself. And the way to connect is through prayer. All the great revivals that have swept this country and other parts of the world at various times have come mostly through prayer---earnest prayer that seeks the heart of God. Are we seeking Him and making ourselves available to Him so that we can mold us to His likeness?

Holy Spirit, breathe on me. Break me, melt me, mold me and fill me. When we allow Him to do that He will use us for mighty purposes.

What Is God Doing?

Are you recognizing what God is doing in your life today? Do you see God's hand in your preparations for the missions trip?

We can be assured that God is in control of every detail of our lives. He knows what will happen today. He already has the solutions for it. Surrender to Him. Let Him be in control of everything that takes place in your job, family, your friendships this day. Give Him first place in your life and He will bring you through richer (in spirit) for it.

Remember to give Him thanks for his blessings, his direction and his plan for your life. As you surrender your life to His plan you will see mighty things unfold for you. In A Life God Rewards by Bruce Wilkinson he says "simple decisions can become opportunities of great promise. You will begin to live with an unshakable certainty that everything you do today matters forever."

The people of El Tamarindo await your arrival in July. Prepare now to be a blessing to them through God's power.

When We Pray

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. Hebrews 13:15 (NIV)
His praise shall continually be on my lips. Is that really our habit? Do words of praise to God flow daily from our mouth? When we pray, often our time of praise is very short because we are more focused on what we have come to God for. We need help, we want him to fix some situation, or give us something. Somehow praising God or praising others doesn't seem to come so easily. Just last night in Bible study when the pastor asked for "Praises" before he asked for prayer requests, there was a silence over the room. Hopefully we all had things to praise God for, but why are we so reluctant to tell Him or share it with others?

I am reminded of the chorus we have sung through the years:

"Praise Him, Praise Him,
Praise Him in the morning,
Praise Him in the evening,
Praise Him, Praise Him,
Praise Him when the sun goes down."

If that is not your prayer, then begin to practice praising Him. Perhaps the words don't come easily for you. Then turn to the Psalms and read one aloud. It does wonders for your own soul and I know it is sweet music to the Lord.

Victor's Testimony

Today was a blessing to me personally hearing Victor's testimony about the previous mission trips to El Tamarindo. I have not had the privilege of going on these trips but I knew some time ago that I wanted to share in the mission experience. It was then that I approached Ken and stated that I felt God leading me to somehow encourage Riversiders in prayer support for the team. Each year I have tried to connect the congregation to the team and lend prayer support to the mission team. This year we are using the "blog" to expand that effort. It can only be as good as you allow it to be. Share your thoughts and prayer requests on this blog as often as you feel you need to.





I "connected" today in a new way to the community of El Tamarindo. I am blessed to see what has been accomplished in the past and felt the emotional impact it has made on those who have been able to go the D. R. and work as God's ambassadors. Now I know better how to pray for you.





*Pray that God will do great and mighty things with each of you this year.


*Pray for one another daily. Lift up the names of your fellow team members.


*Find out the prayer needs of each member.




Remember Jeremiah 33:3 that says "Call unto me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know."

Day One

Greetings, El Tamarindo missionaries,


Today is the beginning of a blog for you, the team going to El Tamarindo. As often as possible I will share thoughts, scriptures, words of inspiration, and prayers as the team bonds together in this journey to El Tamarindo.


This is an extended effort of our previous prayer support efforts. Hopefully this tool will be an encouragement to you as you prepare for this year's trip in July. Please add your comments and your prayer requests as often as you need. Remember to use first names only; do not identify people or places specifically for safety measures on this blog.


Also I would like to feature each of you on a regular basis for "prayer focus of the day". With your permission I would like to post a picture of you on that day. For many of you I already have photos from prior years. If you want an updated photo or I do not have one from you, please send it to my email address RFoxJ@aol.com


Pray, pray and lift one another up to the Lord as we count down to the launch of this journey to El Tamarindo.


If you read a verse here and would like to read it in another translation, this site is a great source for scriptures. May this site be a blessing for you. http://Biblegateway.com