Red Nueva Vida Pastors Retreat 2025

 

Our 2025 Pastoral Retreat is in the books. This is an important time of connection and growth for all of us. I love the privelege of getting to lead this group. Please continue to pray with us for all the Lord has done and will do through the ministry of Red Nueva Vida in the USA. Check out more pics and info about the retreat below.

We started our time sharing together about praises and challenges in ministry and prayed for each other

We had some time of worship together too

Pastor Jonathan shared the word with us and talked about fervent prayer which was our theme for the retreat.

Of course we had a bonfire together and shared.

More prayer time early Saturday morning.

Pastor Randy Spacht shared with us Saturday morning. He is a great expositor of the word! He talked about how Christ is building his church and what the statement, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of heall shall not prevail against it" from Matthew 16:18 means and its implications for us as pastors.

This was a workshop we did further building out and applying the message on fervent prayer on Friday night. Pastor Daniel Godbey led us in this workshop.

I got to finish our time with a conversation together about what it means for us as a team to form and execute the vision God has given us as a hispanic disciple-making network in the USA. We will continue to work on this in the weeks and months to come.

A Special thanks to Daniel, Jonathan and Randy for sharing at the retreat. Also a big thanks to Piedmont Church who helped sponsor part of the retreat!

Vacation

 We are grateful for a Lake House here close that our friends let us use so we can take some breaks occassionally from the norm and get some down time together. It was good to have this time after a crazy few months of life and ministry. It was hard to be there without the whole family though. Enjoy some pics below. 

(Apparently sun was bright and Emma didn't want to take her pic which is the norm)

We have 2 traditions every time we go there now. One is to eat dinner one night at Cracker Barrel and the other is to go hiking with the boys on some trails not too far from where we stay. (see pic below)

We had lots of time in the water or at least the kids did.

Cuties

Dad taking Emma on a Kayak ride

Hiking with the boys

Luke won't get in the lake but enjoyed the baby pool we set up.

Beautiful Sofia

The lake was very warm.

Summer Fun

 We have had a lot of fun this summer with many different fun activites together as a family. Check out some pics below.

We have spent a lot of time in the backyard. We are so grateful for the place the Lord has provided for us in this season!

Levi and I took a trip to Kansas City where he considering going to college and seminary.

This was a family gathering with all my family including Harry my stepfather's kids which was fun. It had been many years since we have all been together.

Jennifer and I took a 25th anniversary trip. We went back to Guatemala and stayed at the beautiful lake a few hours from where we lived. It was an amazing time of rest and renewal other than the river we literally had to drive through to get there...see above.

The view there are incredible. The pool was nice and that is mostly what we did...sit by the pool and rest and read and swim. Oh and we ate a lot too. We are so grateful for 25 years together!

Our last night was in the city, Guatemala City that is. Our friends the Harmans took us and hung around for dinner and games together. Good times!

We also got to get awy to the Lake house our friends so generously let us use. It was a great time swimming, kayaking, reading, resting, playing games etc.

What a crew! We are so thankful for many times together this year which may be the last times together with everyone for a while.

Celebrations and Time at the Lake

 

We celebrate Ben's Moms birthday a few weeks ago. It was fun to be with all our family and something we are trying to do a lot of this year. Above is my mom and stepdad and my brothers Matt & Josh and their wives, Emily and Katie.

Lots of cousins! 14 in all.

Ben and bros.

Cake time

We are grateful for a supportive family and to be closer to them this year!

We were able to get away to a lake house in southern Indiana a week ago.

A friend loaned it to us and we were super grateful. We hope to go back when it is warmer.

We did a little hiking, fishing, fires and maybe even a polar plunge into the lake ;-)

Brothers. 

It was beautiful and a good time together.