Pastor Rafael
Pastor Petra Merida
PASTOR RAFAEL TESTIMONY:
Over 15 years ago, we arrived as a family at Impacto (former name of our Petra Church). We came from a life full of failure, chaos and sin, so our marriage had many problems. God had called me to get closer to Him, so I had been looking for a Christian church. We went to several churches but in my heart I did not feel peace in any of them. After enrolling our oldest daughter Penelope in an Impacto Church children's camp, my wife Daniela took her on the first day, and Pastor Jared invited her to come to the Sunday service. We decided to attend and after hearing the first sermon I said to myself: “This is the Church I was looking for.”
Thank God, during all these years in the church we have heard the true biblical gospel and we have been discipled as a family in a process of teaching, confrontation and pastoral care. In the world I had been very proud and had learned to be self-sufficient relying solely on my own wisdom. The Lord led us into a very difficult financial situation due to lack of work, which led me to throw away all that pride, self-righteousness and self-sufficiency. God, in his mercy, provided us in a supernatural way to lead us to humble ourselves and recognize that we should depend solely on Him. We can bear witness to God's mercy and goodness in our lives by taking us to the cross for salvation without our deserving it.
A little over 4 years ago, God called me to serve as administrator of La Roca Farm and Camp in Balgüe, Ometepe Island, so we moved as a family to live in the Camp. In the midst of all the cultural and social change, God in his faithfulness always supported us with his loving arms and gave peace to our hearts by congregating and supporting the Petra Bible Church in Balgüe.
The churches of Balgüe and Mérida had been pastored by P. Aarón at that moment. After two years of belonging to the Church of Balgüe, the Lord, in His mercy, called me to become a Pastor of the Church of Mérida. Now I have been Pastor of Mérida for two years: the first year we lived in Balgüe, so my wife and I traveled to Mérida every Sunday to preach and also three times a week to share the gospel in the community and to meet with members in small groups and discipleship. Then a year ago, God called us to move to Merida and by the grace of the Lord our two daughters, my wife Daniela and I are serving as a family in the ministry. Our eldest daughter Penélope had begun to study architecture in Managua, but then God put in her heart the desire to return to the island to serve him in the ministry of Mérida.
Throughout this process, God has shown me that all the experiences, talents, and gifts in my life have been developed with the purpose of serving Him the way I am doing now, by His grace, in the midst of all my sins and imperfections.
Over 15 years ago, we arrived as a family at Impacto (former name of our Petra Church). We came from a life full of failure, chaos and sin, so our marriage had many problems. God had called me to get closer to Him, so I had been looking for a Christian church. We went to several churches but in my heart I did not feel peace in any of them. After enrolling our oldest daughter Penelope in an Impacto Church children's camp, my wife Daniela took her on the first day, and Pastor Jared invited her to come to the Sunday service. We decided to attend and after hearing the first sermon I said to myself: “This is the Church I was looking for.”
Thank God, during all these years in the church we have heard the true biblical gospel and we have been discipled as a family in a process of teaching, confrontation and pastoral care. In the world I had been very proud and had learned to be self-sufficient relying solely on my own wisdom. The Lord led us into a very difficult financial situation due to lack of work, which led me to throw away all that pride, self-righteousness and self-sufficiency. God, in his mercy, provided us in a supernatural way to lead us to humble ourselves and recognize that we should depend solely on Him. We can bear witness to God's mercy and goodness in our lives by taking us to the cross for salvation without our deserving it.
A little over 4 years ago, God called me to serve as administrator of La Roca Farm and Camp in Balgüe, Ometepe Island, so we moved as a family to live in the Camp. In the midst of all the cultural and social change, God in his faithfulness always supported us with his loving arms and gave peace to our hearts by congregating and supporting the Petra Bible Church in Balgüe.
The churches of Balgüe and Mérida had been pastored by P. Aarón at that moment. After two years of belonging to the Church of Balgüe, the Lord, in His mercy, called me to become a Pastor of the Church of Mérida. Now I have been Pastor of Mérida for two years: the first year we lived in Balgüe, so my wife and I traveled to Mérida every Sunday to preach and also three times a week to share the gospel in the community and to meet with members in small groups and discipleship. Then a year ago, God called us to move to Merida and by the grace of the Lord our two daughters, my wife Daniela and I are serving as a family in the ministry. Our eldest daughter Penélope had begun to study architecture in Managua, but then God put in her heart the desire to return to the island to serve him in the ministry of Mérida.
Throughout this process, God has shown me that all the experiences, talents, and gifts in my life have been developed with the purpose of serving Him the way I am doing now, by His grace, in the midst of all my sins and imperfections.