Precious Moments

Meet my beautiful angels. This is Jesena, Ramon, Agustin and Nathy. One day as I was going door to door in the beautiful city of Visalia, I knocked on a door and little Agustin (14) ran to the door and said, "What??!!" I was astonished with his attitude and without thinking said, "Sir, you're supposed to say 'Yes?', politely." I then continued with what I was doing in the area and asked if I could speak to his mother. I showed her a couple of my books and then Agustin stops our conversation and says, "Hey! Hey I have that book, Carlos gave it to me!" He said that our friend Carlos Interiano was studying the Bible with he and his brother Ramon for a little while "back in the days". He then ran to call his brother Ramon and they both started talking to me. I asked them if they wanted to continue studing with me and they instantly said yes! Since I have been studying with Ramon, Agustin and Jesena, I have learned plenty about their past struggles and present ones as well. These kids have suffered through so many things and the enemy has tried and is trying so hard to make these children cease from existing. Often my heart breaks and cries and pleads for these children; but, I know that the Lord has so much more than any one of us can imagine for these little ones. Why else would He have sent me back to them? He LOVES them, and so do I! One beautiful thing is that now, their mommy is beginning to join in on our studies and God is changing their lives one precious moment at a time!

Fishers of Men

           Since we have been at the Visalia Bilingual church, our SWAT team has deciced to incorporate the method that the Central California Cross Trainers use to train their church members to be equipped to give Bible studies to the community. The program that is used is called, "FM 101". No-- it is not a radio station; FM 101 stands for Fishers of Men 101.  :) We have 1 class a week,       for  8  weeks, and Yoane, Christy and myself teach about 12 church members, throroughly, how to give Bible studies and reach out to their community, loved ones, and just about anyone, by the grace of God. :) The picture above is from our very first night of FM 101. Our friends were so stoked to learn how to be more effective in reaching out to others. The best part about it all, is that we are ALL learning TOGETHER. :D

Hitting the Streets -- First Official Day Out!

Here's a little belated video of Valerie and I's first day "hitting the field" in search for Bible study interests! The Lord indeed led us to people who are searching. We'll share the testimonies in upcoming posts. :-)

Site Seeing =)

For the past few years, Visalia Central Bilingual Church has been renting out a church to worship the Lord... However, Christy and I have had the privilege of going "site seeing". That's right!! Pastor Justin Aguilar and the rest of the congregation have taken the step of faith to build a church that they could call their OWN! The church is said to be complete in about 3-4 short months. We have been doing outreach along the surrounding community of the church and have gotten much positive feedback from people in the are, such as, "Oh you are part of the new church they are building?! I want to visit it when it's complete. It looks like it is going to be a beautiful church to attend"!!!! Praise God! Another blessing on this subject is that many members of VCB are so ministry oriented! For example, this new chuch will include two upstairs rooms made specifically for the Youth Rush Summer Program, where youth go door to door with Christian literature and minister to the community; as well as showers and a large kitchen and room to hold community events! What a nice site!

Papusa Party ;)

Our first weekend of Bible work at Visalia Bilingual Seventh day Adventist Church, we had a faithful crew of church members working off their tails to make papusa's for a fundraiser... Do you know what the fundraiser was for???! EVANGELISM =) Christy and I were blessed to see these members serious about raising funds to, initially, be used to blessed the souls in the community of Visalia :) ProjectV! :)

Es un gran bendicion para ver los miembros de la iglesia de Visalia Bilingual, trabajando para recaudar fondos para aydar, inicialmente, a alcanzar las almas en el comunidad de Visalia! :)

Flyers, Flyers, Flyers!

The Bible work practicum has officially begun! Today Valerie, Yoane, Abigail (our new sister!), and I hit the streets of Visalia for the very first time to pass out flyers for the New Life Challenge health seminar that will be beginning tomorrow! Our goal is to pass out as many flyers as possible before Monday's opening night. We don't want anyone to miss out on the valuable information Rico Hill will be sharing!



Abby and Valerie excited to pass out flyers!



Val leaving flyers on cars at the Visalia swap meet.

We passed out flyers at the local swap meet as well as visited homes in the surrounding area. We are so excited to see all the brand new faces that will be joining us for the seminar throughout the next 8 days! All it takes is a simple invitation. :-)

 

The Project V Ladies

Hello, everybody! Our names are Valerie and Christy and we are students at SOULS West (Seventh-day Adventist Outreach Leadership College), located in Prescott, Arizona, a Bible college specified in equipping young adults in winning souls to hasten the second coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. During our second year at SOULS West, we, as students, are privileged with the opportunity of working side by side with a pre-designated church. Our main goal as SOULS students is to help equip church members with practical ways to share their faith in their everyday lives, as well as giving them the tools they need to give personal Bible studies to those who are searching for truth. At the same time, we will also be knocking on doors in the community of Visalia, California, searching for those who want to know more about the Bible and of the true character of our loving God. We will eventually be inviting the friends that we will have been studying with, and the entire community of Visalia, to an evangelistic campaign where our friend, Yoane Sanchez, will be preaching about the beautiful truths of the Bible. We are both really looking forward to working with Pastor Justin Aguilar and the entire church family of the Visalia Bilingual Seventh-day Adventist Church! It is our earnest hope and prayer that many people will fall in love with God’s word and make the decision to leave their old lives behind and consecrate their lives to the one and only Life Giver, Jesus Christ.
 

 

My name is Valerie Nicole Lopez and I am from a small town called Soledad in central California. I am currently 20 years of age. At the age of 17, after some traumatic things occurred in my life, one of my sisters had invited me to an evangelistic series 2 hours away from home that was titled the “War in Heaven”. In desperation to get away from my life in Soledad I accepted her offer. Here I learned, for the first time, what love really meant. Here I learned that I truly did have a purpose for my life. I learned that I was loved unconditionally and that though people here on earth would fail me at times, we had Someone that NEVER would. For the very first time of my 17 years of life, I learned about my Savior Jesus Christ. I gave my heart to Christ January 8, 2011 and now all that I want to do is to serve Him and win souls for His kingdom. I am now a second year student at a Bible college called SOULS West and I intend to stay in ministry until the day we finally get to meet our Savior face to face.

 

Favorite Bible Verse: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the JOY that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

 

A Favorite Quote: “Christ says to man, “You are mine. I have bought you. You are now only a rough stone, but if you will place yourself in My hands, I will polish you, and the luster with which you shall shine will bring honor to My name. No man shall pluck you out of My hand. I will make you My peculiar treasure. On My coronation day, you will be a jewel in My crown of rejoicing.” Ellen White, 4BC 1177.3

 

Favorite Thing About Jesus: Obviously, everything about Jesus I adore. However, one thing that is very personal to me about our Savior, is that He is so personal and intimate with us. There is never one difficulty, challenge, tear that He cannot relate with us on and—no matter what—there is not one thing in the world that will change His unfailing love for us.

 

Favorite Hymn: “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say” SDA Hymnal #465
 

A Few of My Favorite Things: I am an easily entertained girl. I love reading, writing and I love annotating :-) I love writing with my left hand. I love anything where there is the opportunity of being innovative. I love DIY projects and playing with children and pets (especially bigger dogs, reptiles, bunnies, horses and cows). I LOVE rocks and sea shells! Bright colors are the best. I also love to laugh and to talk with people. To add on to the list, I absolutely LOVE to hike (however, coming back down from the hike is not my favorite thing at all, I have a fear of falling and rolling off of the mountain). I love the word “cute” and I really enjoy saying, “Oh My!”. I absolutely love the theme of “JOY” over happiness (any questions about this feel free to ask) :-) I enjoy studying the Minor Prophets in the Bible. I’m fascinated by the book of Hosea. I also have a huge burden for the Country of Mexico :-) AND, one of my favorites, is my very own Bible work partner, Christine Geovanna Aguirre :-)
 

 

My name is Christy and I am currently a happy, 21 year old Track 2 student at SOULS West. I was born and raised in Modesto, CA and at the age of 17 gave my heart unreservedly to Jesus after an experience that led me to see that His love is the one that truly satisfies! Through the mentorship of my youth pastor and through the working of the Holy Spirit upon my heart, I gained a passion for ministry and decided to commit my life to serving the Lord and leading others to Jesus in whatever capacity and sphere that I am in. I love helping others and find great joy in service and helping wherever a hand is needed. Especially in the kitchen! :-)  I’m a quiet observer, have a bit of a sweet tooth, and I absolutely love my Bible Work partner, Valerie (not because she wrote about me in her About Me section… It’s just the truth ^_^)! After graduating from SOULS West I plan on serving as a CROSS Trainer in the Central California Conference at the end of this upcoming year. I am so excited to be experiencing my first taste of Bible work (and to practice my Spanish!) here in the beautiful city of Visalia!

Favorite Bible Verse: “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend. ⁹ You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: ¹⁰ Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” -Isaiah 42:10

A Favorite Quote: A beautiful quote on having faith in God’s unfailing promises: “We need look for no outward evidence of the blessing. The gift is in the promise, and we may go about our work assured that what God has promised He is able to perform, and that the gift, which we already possess, will be realized when we need it most.” -Ellen White, Education 258.2.

If God has promised it, the gift is already ours! What blessed peace comes when we trust and know that He will come through with what He has promised at the time He knows is best. :-)

Favorite Thing About Jesus: There are so many things that I love about Jesus, but one of my favorite things is His ability to forgive a great sinner like myself. Imagine hurting someone who loves you SO much and then having them take you back anyway? This is what Jesus has done for me, continues to do for me, and I love Him so very much for it!

Favorite Hymn: “I Will Follow Thee” SDA Hymnal #623

A Few of My Favorite Things: Cooking & baking. Early morning devotions. Meaningful quotes. Gifts. Coconut! Acts of service. Prayer meetings. Surprises. The color pink. The book Steps to Christ -- especially chapters 6 &8! Jamba Juice. Long car drives. Audio sermons & stories. Granola.  Epic instrumental music. Nature walks. Yummy breakfasts. Thai food. Thoughtfulness. Camping. Health food stores. Sitting in the sunshine. Sabbath treats. New notebooks. Color-coordination. Going on spontaneous adventures. Cozy blankets. Door-to-door ministry.

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A Few Last Thoughts:

Keep in contact with us! Please feel free to leave comments, call, text or email us. Valerie can be reached at valerianicole7@yahoo.com; Christy at christyaguirre33@gmail.com.

Please keep us in prayer and follow our story as we continue our adventure here in Visalia, California!