This last Sunday we said goodbye to the Rosas family. The Rosas have been a part of our mission team for the last 7 years. They came into our mission team during the difficult time when we lost our dear brother in Christ Carl James. They entered into our family when we needed to catch our breath. Isn't it amazing how God sends us help when we need it the most? Well he didn't just send us help, he sent us friends, family, loyal comrades, hard workers... I can't say enough about the Luis and Jessica Rosas. We were first introduced to the Luis Rosas many years ago. Well, we didn't actually meet Luis, but his parents came to Miami as part of a singing group from Baxter Institute where they were studying in the 80's. Then many years went by. One of the young peope in our youth group Mark Herrera had dreamt of getting a Christian education. As I look back in time I see that God truly works in mysterious ways. We encouraged Mark to go to Harding. The church was instrumental in encouraging him to follow his dream. Well, when Mark was a junior or senior (I can't remember) he helped lead a campaign of Spanish students from Harding to Miami. Luis and Jessica Rosas were helping to lead this campaign. Luis and Jessica fell in love with our members. Mark tells us that on their way back to Harding, they talked about how God had touched them, and maybe He was leading them to work with us in Miami. The rest as they say is history.
Now God is directing them to work somewhere else. Luis and Jessica are in the process of deciding on one of several offers to work in Texas. Both of their families live in Texas, and we knew it was just a matter of time. God has used Luis and Jessica in a mighty way among us. Their impact will be felt for a very long time here, and many souls have been won for Christ through their efforts. As a brother and friend, I will miss Luis terribly. We got along incredibly. There was a special bond between us. The Rosas family revolutionized our family ministry. Luis also studied and got his Masters in Family Counseling. As you can imagine a large part of his ministry was in counseling. I could go on for a very long time telling you all of all the wonderful things they did. I know that their crown of life will be filled with many jewel's! This Sunday we had a lunch in their honor. Then we had a special presentation, where we showed some video, a power point presentation, and special guests expressed their appreciation for all that they have done. It was beautiful. The members secretly filmed goodbye's and Rachel put together a beautiful book with gorgeous pictures for them to take with them. The church also presented them with a plaque.
Please keep them in your prayers. Whichever work they join will be blessed for having them. Please keep us in your prayers as well. Now, we find ourselves with a lot more on our already full plates. Besides the sadness of saying goodbye, we also find ourselves, nervous and overwhelmed. However, we are reminded of God's promises. God will not give us more than what we can handle. We pray for wisdom and more workers. We appreciate all that you do for us.
