Give Thanks with a grateful heart!

Luke 22:19 The last supper
19And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2022:7-20;&version=31;

Thanksgiving takes place every day with every meal, but once a year we come as a family inviting our dear love ones to share our table. This year before I eat my dinner I will give thanks for each and every one of you: our leading pastor and family, our campus pastor and family,FRC Family, the Singles Ministry attending crew, the readers and also for my co-leader.

The Singles Ministry kicked off in March and the Journey has been great and fun, during all this time, God has shown his face to us and has poured his blessings to our lives and for that I am Grateful.
You are a great encouragement and inspiration to me, the Ministry I lead with Francisco is a beautiful gift I am Grateful for, you have changed my life!

I am truly Grateful for the vote of trust God and pastor Igor have given me, for opening the opportunity for me to serve God with this Ministry. On top of this opportunity, God provided a great co-leader to bring balance to this ministry. Thank you Francisco for your commitment with the Ministry, couldn't do it without you.

God bless you and be with you during this weekend, if you are traveling we wish you an awesome Journey and a save return back home. Bring Jesus to those tables where they have not set a place for Him, declare the greatness of our God, the provider of our food and blessings, Jesus Christ-Savior and Lord.

I thank God for two singles that got married this year, they found their passion for Christ and now share life together as husband and wife, Taina and Cesar!

I also thank God for healing my co-worker and friend Joan, who was diagnosed with cancer last year, she was treated and today she is cured. She embraced God and she knew where to seek healing and comfort and this week she threw a party to celebrate with all who do life with her.

Thank you dear God for my cool, sweet and awesome boss and friend Lucita, she is a true blessing in my life!

Thank you Jesus for cute little Darwin and for his parents Ashley and Darwin.
Thank you God for sending Jesus to the world for my salvation, for that I am grateful for the rest of my life!
Thank you for my family and friends and for bonding us more then ever.

Finally, thank you for opening your hearts and allowing us to be part of your lives in one way or another.
Enjoy the food, the company of loved ones and the football games!!
Go Gators!
God bless you all!

Love you and see you next week Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m.
Julieta

You and I hold the KEY, lets open doors!

Many of us have seen the Red Ribbon and some of us know it stands for HIV and AIDS awareness.

I know very little about HIV facts and figures, but my friend Francisco has motivated me to know more about the reality around the pandemic in Miami and in my community.

During the last months I learned that we hold the Key to take action and help reducing the chances of spreading the virus by spreading the word, getting well informed, and speaking about this disease. It is not only about awareness and prevention that we need to care, but it is about caring for those who are living with the illness.

I prayed that God would give me a very close illustration of what the situation is with those affected by the illness and our role in caring for them. So God inclined my heart to the parable of the Good Samaritan, which I have made a link for you so you can find out for yourself, but in a few words we must Love our neighbor as ourselves. Remember about Troy preached last Sunday? Luke 10:27 He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself." Well I have news for you: the chapter goes on with the parable of the Good Samaritan, I didn't realize that until now that I am writing this post.

Recently I went to a presentation where Magic Johnson was going to be talking about his life with HIV. Instead God lead me through another way and I ended up getting tested for HIV test outside the event and I had the opportunity to meet this very gracious lady, the HIV Testing Counselor. She had love for what she was doing and you could see the caring heart that she poured out for these 30 minutes I was with her. God so opened the door to be in our conversation and we shared our faith in Christ. I believe that neither of us was expecting to be so open and receiving so much from that conversation.

Then I realized that HIV is not only about the pople living with HIV but also about those who are involved with this work; they also need support and encouragement. They are the counselors, volunteers, activists, caretakers, family members, and friendswho work and dedicate so much time to make us all aware of the impact of HIV, that at times we want to ignore or turn the blind eye because: it doesn't concern us.

You and I can hold the Key as well by taking every opportunity not only to speak about prevention or to create awareness but to provide spiritual shelter for those who suffer of loneliness and rejection that this illness brings along and for those who devote their time to help in the fight against HIV
If you wish to find out how and where you can get more information about HIV just drop an email to this post.

Pray for the people impacted by the pandemic, for the volunteers, counselors, family members and for us- so that we can be caring and aware of how many are in need of our aid and prayers. Pray that we can bring Hope and Life(Christ) and Encouragement and support to their and our lives. We might not hold the Key for many things in our lives but we hold THE KEY to open any door and that is through: Jesus Christ. So we can certainly say this with authority and confidence:
"There is cure and there is hope in Christ!"

Julieta


The Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37 , click the link to read it.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2010:25-37;&version=31;

Original text is from: http://www.globalaidsrainbow.org/theredribbon.aspx
The RED Ribbon:
People wear coloured ribbons these days for just about any cause, but the origins of the Red Ribbon stem back to 1991. The global symbol of HIV and AIDS was the brainchild of a group of talented American artists in New York who were desperate to raise awareness and support for people living with HIV and AIDS in their community.

Years later and the Red Ribbon still exists to unite people against the global pandemic. Wearing the Red Ribbon is a simple way in which we can, as individuals or in groups, declare our support for those living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. It is also worn as a mark of respect for those who have died of AIDS.

Red Ribbons are worn globally as a sign of solidarity on World AIDS Day (1st of December) each year. However, people and organisations are increasingly realising that awareness-raising efforts need to take place throughout the year. Anyone can wear a Red Ribbon any day of the year.

Trunk or Treat

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Originally uploaded by frcdoralsinglesministry

The Super Gator pastor and us!

Under the rain or heat our amazing pastor never stop making rounds by every trunk to encourage us. Pastor Igor was not ready to cancel the event even as Hurricane Noel was near (well, it was only a tropical storm and it was about 100 miles away). At the end Trunk or Treat was a success and the loud prayers were answered! We cannot thank Pastor Igor enough for his leadership, kindness, and friendship.

Also, we understand that some people are concerned that Igor has been seen spending lots of time with Gator fan and at occasions even wearing orange. While, to many this may be just part of his way of connecting with the volunteers, we just thank God for the Miracle! We love you Pastor Igor!

Go Gators!

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Originally uploaded by frcdoralsinglesministry

Denise and Jay !

We are happy you were there, thanks you for coming! They provided candy and balloons to the more than 3,000 people that came come during Trunk or Treat. Rain or shine this dynamic duo never stopped serving the many kids that stopped by our Gator trunk throughout the night. It is so refreshing to see Denise and Jay serving God together as brother and sister. Thank you for your example--we are blessed to have you two being part of our group.

Small Group - Friends

First Wednesday is taking place next week at FRC Cooper, because of that, we will not be meeting for the Small Group on November 6. But, if you come to First Wednesday and you have time, we can meet at the lobby at Cooper and grab dinner together after the service.

We'll be meeting again on Wednesday November 14th at 8pm. We are planning some fun activities to wrap up the MyNakedPastor.com series. Join us to praise God for this super cool small group and come ready to have fun!
We will be meeting at Francisco's home.

Wednesday night - Doral Area @ 8:00 p.m.

Beach Club Condominiums,9351 Fontainebleau Blvd., Apt. B206, Miami, Fl 33172

Hosted by:Francisco Sastre & Julieta Reyes

For more information about the group, e-mail us at: frcdoralsinglesministry@yahoo.com

Sign up today!

Single and available, Committed to Christ!

Two years ago, I had to go to the Netherlands for three months. First thing I did was looking for a church to attend and stay connected. After a week of my arrival and after overcoming a few challenges, I found "The Living Rock". I sent an email and asked for specific directions. My trip was a long one that night, I took the subway and at the middle of the journey a gracious lady stepped in, somehow I knew she was going to the same direction I was. We stepped out of the subway station and she met a friend, I asked for directions and continued my journey. This lady and her friend walk behind me all the time, we were going to the same place. Her name is Urmy Zeegelaar, she didn't feel like going to the prayer service that night, but something in her heart made her go anyways. She was and still is committed to God and so that helped her put her feelings aside and did attend the service. Because she obeyed and because she made her time available to God that night, I was able to find this church and enjoy spiritual growth and formation during those three months. We instantly became friends and it felt as if we knew each other for a long time already. It made me realize how important it is to be committed and to make ourselves available to Christ and also that the Lord has a plan for all of us every day. No matter how simple the task of the day is, He always has someone to touch our lives or He uses us to touch someone else's.
I would like to encourage you to commit and to make yourself available for Christ if you still have not done so, get connected and get involved.
Send us an email and we will fill you in on the areas that have serving opportunities, on and off campus. We look forward to hear from you.
Prov 16:3
3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and your Plans will Succeed.

Green fight against global warming!

The energy we use at home accounts for about a fifth of U.S. global warming pollution. That means making smart choices at home matters.

John13:15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

John13:15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
Originally uploaded by frcdoralsinglesministry

click on John13:15 and view all other pictures and be part of this unforgettable Journey

Without a home..

I work at the Bank of America building on Brickell Ave in Miami. I am at the 5th floor, from my window I see the tall and glamorous buildings that state the City's glory in the making. It is the next NY but in South Florida. But when I look down, I see this homeless man, walking around with a very old suitcase, he takes refuge of the sun under the church big and shady trees. So I pray for that person and I worry when I don't see him around,I ask myself,did he had an accident,is he sick,was he removed from the area,where is he? Can't help to wonder what his story is, what is his name and where is his family? I cry out to God:"How can I help?"....

One day in December last year,I was looking for activities to fill up my 14 vacation days and I discovered that one of our campus,FRC Hallandale, had a Feeding service for the homeless and for low income families. From their website this is what they quote "Over 400 people are cared for each week through our Tuesday and Thursday Feeding Ministry. Meals and clothing are provided."unquote

The Feeding service: it touched my life. It made me understand the choices I can make, either I sit down and do nothing, or get up and volunteer for whatever it takes, to make a difference in someone's life for God.

The leader of this ministry at FRC Hallandale is Pastor Bob;he prepares a sermon and feeds their spirits, before he feeds their body. Bob has this sparkle in his eyes, when he sees the volunteers ready to serve and ready to jump into any assignment, he feels a great Joy and he praise god for it. Before the sermon, he prays with all the staff and volunteers, always grateful to God, because He provides the hands and the resources to grow this Ministry.Pastor Bob wishes to pass on the fire even outside Hallandale, so we can make a bigger impact in our communities and bring God's love to the most unfortunate and forgotten children of God.
Matthew 21:31-40
So here comes the invite, if you feel God is calling you to serve on this particular Ministry, come and join Francisco and I on July 26th at 6:30 p.m. at FRC Hallandale.

News from the Gramling's family

Hi, it's Baylee.
I am having a great time in Peru. One of my favorite things so far is going to the Jungle and holding an anaconda. They also had monkeys there and one of them held on to Tyler and didn't want to let go! I also saw a jaguar and there were chicken legs laying around in his cage. I'm really excited about going to church tomorrow at the movie theater (FRC Lima). Yesterday, I made all the goody bags for the girls at the orphanage all by myself.
Read the whole story at : http://troygramling.blogspot.com/

June 30, 2007 -Cross Road water distribution for the thirsty

Saturday morning, June 30th: we prepared three coolers and 400 bottles of water covered with ice in a 93 degree weather and we headed to 107th ave and 58th street, I love to call it the "Cross Road" because of the shape of the intersection and also because it is the road to The Cross if they would accept the invitation to join us at a service at FRC Doral or if they just would browse the webpage, join the internet campus or open a podcast of a previous message.

In this occasion Gabriel Gil and Debbie Donovan joined us for the first time and were able to experience the distribution of water. Annette, Francisco and I were part of the first water distribution.

It was a distribution of water to the "thirsty" and like Salvation the water was free and yet it was rejected by some people. Car after car came by and people were just trying so hard to ignore us, they didn't even tried to be polite. I felt sadness to see how they were trying so hard to pretend that they are happy where they are at, the bigger and luxurious the car- the greater the pride. Francisco even had to mark his case with the magic word "free" but still that didn't help too much. Nevertheless we gave out 400 bottles of water and 400 FRC Doral cards and we prayed that these lives would be touch by God in one way or another and that even if we would never hear the stories, we know God knows each and every one of them, we plant seeds and God grows them!

The sun was burning and the temperature just rising, but our smiles were never failing, we were pleased to be serving God that morning and we were happy for each person that accepted the bottle of water. We kept the smiles even when the code compliance officer of the City of Doral pulled over to have a little chat with us. I prayed that God would put the right words in my mouth and we kindly told him what this was all about and he told us that he was only concerned for our safety and let me tell you, he had a point there cause people drive ..well lets put it this way, there is room for improvement in their driving =] and so I asked him if we could just give out the remaining water in the coolers and that I would pass on the message to our blond and dearly Pastor Igor that we needed to contact the City of Doral in the future. He agreed, he mentioned that he is a servant himself and asked us to be very careful and not to get run over by a car. God bless him.

So we continued to give out the water and just as people ignored us, there were 400 people who kindly gave us a smile, lowered their window and accepted the bottle of water with joy and opened up to even asked why the generosity. We praise God for that!

We have another water distribution scheduled for July 21st, but now we are pending to see where and when we can do it and not violate the city code.
Can we ask you to lift us in prayers so God can open a new opportunity to where we can serve the community and bring the message of salvation to the people of Doral.
Now, I can only invite you to get your backpack and to join us for the next adventurous trip!

The FRC Doral Singles Ministry "Journey" will be leading a Community Outreach Event hand in hand with FRC Doral Servant Evangelism this Saturday June 30th from 10am to 12pm. We'll be distributing bottled water in the "Cross Road" of NW107 Ave and NW58 St. We conducted a similar outreach activity in April. On that occasion, we distributed over 400 bottles of water with information about FRC. Today, there are several families worshiping with us because they heard about FRC Doral for the first time through the efforts of that outreach activity. On Saturday, we need at least 8 people to help with this event. We’ll be meeting at the Ronald Regan High School by 9:45am. It will be a fun time and a wonderful opportunity to share Christ’s love with the Doral community.

Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

I am the only believer in my family so far, I baptized in secret and got into huge arguments with my family when they found out that I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.Ever since I have asked God for wisdom and to open opportunities so that my family could see God's hand at work through my life.
My family has witness time and time again, how God has protected me and rescued me from very unfortunate situations, they have seen my eyes always looking up to God and they have heard me say that God will make a way and that things will get better-even when they just got worse.
God has never let me down and I have always given him the glory- my family has seen that, they can't deny that God is in control of my life. Through time God has spoken to both my parents, my sister and my brother. I have come to realize that by my behavior and my commitment to serve Jesus, they praise God.

My mom arrived last Tuesday June 19, 2007 at 5:40 pm, by 8:30 pm she had no choice but to join me to a meeting where we(Pastor Igor, Grecy, Francisco,Gabriel and Carina) planned to meet 7 days later to have this evangelism training. I was a bit worried thinking what would go through my mom's mind during that meeting last week, I asked God to open her heart and to my surprise she was listening and paying attention to all that was said.
She is not a Christian, but I guess you already figured that out. That night when we had dinner before the meeting, we didn't say grace, but that was because in my house in Curacao they never did a prayer to give thanks before any meal, they give thanks when they pray at night though. By the second day I could do it again and I explained to my mom that I say a prayer to thank God for the food he provides to my house daily. She was a bit stiff about it, but I did as if nothing happened. That same night she shared with me how my little nephew of 5 years of age tells her about the prayers he learned and how he prays to Jesus before his lunch at school.
Last Monday, she took the initiative and she said grace before we had dinner, isn't that amazing!!
Tuesday night a week after her arrival, she comes with me to the training, unfortunately she forgot her glasses and she doesn't understand English fluently so she was just getting bits and pieces of the training. I know that for God there are no limits, he is God after all and he can do it all, so I wrote a prayer during the training, asking God to open and to change my mom's heart, I believed what I wrote and I close the prayer thanking God that he already did all that and I considered it a done deal, cause Jesus tells in: Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
I spoke to Gabriel and I told him to talk to my mother because she didn't understand the training and he went to her and explained it all and he realized that she wasn't a believer and he ministered to her and she accepted Jesus right there and then!Minutes later he told me what had happened, I took my notebook and I showed the prayer I wrote to God during the training. We were all amazed of how fast one can get an answer to prayer only if you truly believe.
Tonight I tell you all this so that you will be encourage and to glorify God and to share the story with anyone you want to.
Tonight God fulfilled yet another promise to me, he didn't have to- cause I certainly don't deserve it, but he did it because his Mercy and Love is amazing and it is poured out for everyone, for my mom and yours and our friends and their family and so on. Jesus has a plan for me and for you and for them. This gives me fuel and strength to continue my Journey with Christ, this week I was dealing with my faith, my dream and my circumstances and this is just the answer to my prayers.
Believe..ask and we shall receive!

Julieta Reyes - Singles Ministry Leader

I have a full time job at a consulate of an European country and when I am not at the office, I volunteer at FRC Doral.
I am the Volunteer Coordinator at the Doral campus and I am also one of the leaders of the Singles Ministry. Both tasks are very fun! The Gator guy, the one of the previous post, yeah, Francisco, he had to post first - by the way he is the other leader, he is a Gator.....well; I better confess now: "I am a Gator fan too", but please don't tell Pastor Igor.- Humm...I should post this at www.ivescrewedup.com, I don't have to write my name there...hope I won't be judge for being a Gator!
Aah, I have a passion for cars too, you guessed right I am a great fan of Formula One, I visited Marinello two years ago, it was Ferrarific!

Francisco Sastre - Singles Ministry Leader

When I am not serving or studying, I make time for sports, I run marathons and I do work out at the gym 3 days a week and ...did I mentioned that I am a Gator fan?