What in the World Are You Doing?

Images from the teen retreat in Spain. December, 2011

Four nations were represented on this occasion: Lithuania, Poland, Austria and Spain. Dr. Mike Patterson and Mrs. Becky were a great blessing for the 19 teens present.

What are you going to do with your sins? What are you going to do with the grace of God in your life? How do you want to be remembered? These were some of the subjects that Bro. Mike treated throughout the week. The guys were challenged to live in the Lord’s will, to fight against conformism, to look at being with their parents in the mission field as a great honor and opportunity. Some of them live in places where you can barely see people coming to Christ, some of them have barely arrived at their mission field where everything is new, with a mixture of fear and emotion they face a new life away from the home where they grew.

We could see the excitement in their faces when they heard the missionary story, on this occasion “Aunt” Madeleine took them every night on a trip through India, where the missionary Amy Carmichael gave her life to work for the Lord. As always, the food was a great success. Tete along with her team of cooks prepared delicious meals and desserts through the whole week. I believe all the teens went back home with a few extra pounds!

The Lord had an extra surprise in store for us: Bro. Billy Patterson was with us for a few hours. What a blessing it was to hear him and what a great example it was for the missionary teens to see another missionary kid that is faithful to the Lord and is being greatly used by Him. We are profoundly thankful to our Lord Jesus Christ for all the blessings we received during the week the retreat lasted. To God be the glory!

Alvarez Family, Spain

Very Special Guests

Dr. and Mrs. William Patterson along with Dr. Bill Patterson

In 1988, a friend of my mother’s invited us to go to the Mount Abarim Baptist Church. I do not have the slightest doubt that it was in the Lord’s eternal mind that in that day, the 14th of September of 1988, our life as a family and as individuals was going to change forever. Under the preaching of Dr. Tom Wallace and under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, my father, mother, sister, and I were gloriously saved from our vain lifestyle, the precious blood of Christ cleansed us from our sins and our names were written in the Book of Life.

The servants that the Lord used for the Gospel to reach us were Dr. and Mrs. Mike and Becky Patterson, that along with their family went to our nation, Mexico, and gave themselves as a living sacrifice to serve our people. They have remained faithful until now, through the sicknesses and the obstacles that they have found in their way, these dear brethren are still being a great blessing to an innumerable amount of brethren literally across the world. To us they are like parents, not only spiritually, but we have literally adopted them as such.

The delight we had at having them with us throughout the retreat, the blessing it was for them to see with their eyes and be a part of the ministry that the Lord has called us to in Spain, is very exciting for us. Thank you, dear brethren for your faithful labor, thank you for investing your time and lives in others! We love you and do not doubt that we will see the fruit of your week of work during the retreat in eternity. May God bless you!