Cardona’s Christmas Letter

Cardona’s Christmas Letter

Hello Friends:
Here we are again, struggling to tell people that Christmas is not a wish for happiness, or family parties full of gifts. Here we are again, going against the current, trying to explain to this small world of Medellín—religious and stubborn—that Christmas is A FACT THAT HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE! That there is only one Christmas and that one date changed human historia and can change the history of the city. (The word “Christmas,” in Spanish, “Navidad” as an abbreviation of “Natividad” [or Jesus´ birth], and oddly very few people know what is celebrated on this important date!)
This time of December and end of year parties should be the best time for evangelism, but it isn’t. The reason? The center of the message of Christmas (that God came to earth to be our Saviour) has been changed to a focus on man-centered entertainment. What a tragedy!
For all of you, who with us love God because He loved us first, (that is to say for all of you who celebrate the most unique and definitive event in history) Merry Christmas!
It happens that during this time, along with preaching the true message of Christmas, we also stop as a family to give thanks to God and ask you to join us please:
1. Thank you , Lord, for your faithfulness expressed through those who from Canada give their time and money to support us so that we can live and preach the Gospel in Medellín, Colombia.
2. Thank you, Lord, for Daniel who completed his 4th year of university, and is growing more and more committed to the church and learning from the Word of God. Thank you as well for Tania, who will graduate this week from college as a photographer! And who is enthusiastically serving together with her mother (Claudia) in social and ecological projects. We are in those last stages before beginning to build the first house made of eco bricks. You can see more about this on Tania’s page (http://menosbasura.org/).
3. Thank you, Lord, for El Redil del Sur, the new church that continues to grow, now ready to begin Sunday services in month.
4. Thank you, Lord, for new ministries begun this year. Diego began as Professor of Homiletics at the Biblical Seminary in Medellín, and wrote his first book! (It was published two weeks ago and already more than 2000 copies have been distributed among non-believers. Glory be to God!
5. Thank you, Lord, because in the middle of so much work we have been able to continue to study theology online (Claudia through Mints and Diego through ACTS).
6. Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of being able to successfully turn over the ministry of the mother church (El Redil de El Poblado) to Carlos and Yaneth, in order to plant the new church of El Redil del Sur.
For all this, THANK YOU, LORD!
Please remember in your prayers the following during the next two months:
1. The setting up the meeting place for the new church, inside a commercial centre in Sabaneta.
2. The strengthening of the new believers, some who are at the point of giving public testimony of their faith through obeying the Lord in baptism.
3. In the middle of January we have visitors from Canada for our third season of “Vive el Ingles” (“Live English”), our program of service and Christian testimony through teaching English.
4. Consolidating all the ministries that make Sunday celebration possible. Especially reinforcing Jairo and Jennifer in their initial period as pastors.
5. Finding the resources to finish our eco brick house for Doña Martha in Barrio Pacífico.
6. That we be faithful and decisive en our presentation of the Gospel of salvation in Christ to all of the people who live in the southern part of Medellín!

We love you and we feel greatly blessed by you.
Diego, Claudia, Daniel and Tania

Sept. 2011 Cardona's Prayer Letter

Cardona’s Prayer Letter
September 2011

Greetings in the name of Jesus to our dear prayer supporters.

During these days we are being blessed through the book of Proverbs. During this semester we are teaching and enjoying the wisdom that God gave Solomon. In 15:8 is the promise that:

“the prayer of the upright pleases him.”

So we are very grateful for the prayer ministry that bring pleasure to the Lord. We here in Colombia, planting El Redil South church, pray for you and we feel privileged to know that you are praying for us.

We continue to pray for the people who have given their lives to Jesus for forgiveness of sins and for a new life in Him. Pray for Eduardo and Maria Eugenia, a couple who came a few months ago as fruit of the service program we call “Live English” (a program through which we teach English and make contacts for evangelism). Also through this means came Juan, Victor and Carlos. Pray for these new brothers in the faith. Carlos and Alejandra are a couple who accepted the Lord a month ago. Now we are taking them through their first steps of discipleship. Pray that God will protect the seed that has been planted and these “babes” in God’s family.

Continue to pray for the flyers from “You and Your House!” our monthly flyer that goes into apartment buildings (more than 100 in each one!). Through this communication strategy we are getting to know, and making, contacts with whom to share the good news of salvation! These are published in English and Spanish, so read them at: http://tuytucasa.net

Thank you for continuing to pray about the search for a place to hold the Sunday services for El Redil South. The first service will be January 22! For now we have five small groups! Pray for these small home groups that God will be glorified by bringing these new believers to maturity!

Up until now we have 35 adults participating in the groups as well as 15 children. We are doing a course for the most committed that teaches the basics and the biblical design for a new church. Thank you for praying for the unity and the health of this core group of the El Redil South church.

Tuesday mornings (7:00 to 8:00 a.m.) we meet to pray for the new members of El Redil South.

On the other site, we continue to support (a little less each time) the mother church (El Redil of Poblado). Thanks be to God we have seen good progress in our departure strategy from the mother church and in the planting of the daughter church, to the extent that all the leaders are encouraged and see the church plant as an important part of their ministry.

Claudia continues directing the social ministry. Diego continues teaching in the Bible Seminary one day a week. Daniel and Tania are doing well, thanks be to God, and growing in their relationships with God. Daniel is doing a discipleship course with the youth! Tania is helping in one of the social justice projects through which a house is being made from eco-friendly bricks made out of plastic bottles. You can see more of this volunteer work on the website: http://menosbasura.org/

Well, dear friends, thank you for continuing to support us and for making us part of your ministry and your life. We loved you very much, and think of you constantly.

Blessings from Medellin, Colombia, with much love.

Diego and Claudia Cardona

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Cardona`s Prayer Letter, Febr. 2011

Cardona`s Prayer letter (Feb. 2011)
Again, another new year.
It is a joy to greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior. We feel close to you and we feel your prayers every day.
Moving the central church building of El Redil (At El Poblado, Medellín) was an odyssey. We saw the hand of God in this great challenge of changing from a place of 8000 square meters (in Colombia use meters, not feet) to 500 square meters. Thanks be to God.
The visit of ten friends from Canada (Revelstoke Baptist Church, Rick Eby) was a tremendous blessing. We did a VBS for 50 kids, and an intensive week of teaching English (ESL, we call it "Live the English") It was for 250 people (80 percent non believers!) The latter was intended to make contacts and let us know more people in the area where we are planting the new church (Sabaneta). It is very beautiful to see people knowing and meeting the Lord.
We need tons of prayer, for the church plant of Sabaneta, knowing that this area is polluted with witchcraft and idolatry!
Claudia is very busy in the social ministries of el Redil, moving people and recourses into humanitarian work. It is amazing when we took Canadians, last month, to visit one of the projects. I would like you to have these blessings. How the kids impacted our Canadian friends through their social and spiritual transformation. Please pray for the great challenge is to raise funds within the churches for the poor, prisoners, street children and the elderly.
Diego is committed to planting the new church, while he is still helping the Mother church (Poblado) through the changing of location, leadership. Please pray for:

1. Jairo and Jennifer, the couple (a recent graduate of the seminar) that we are mentors to be the future pastors of the new church.
2. Monthly pre evangelistic flyer, called "You and your House." (“Tù y tu Casa”) This is a written message that reaches households each month. Through this, we advertize our small groups and activities, as well as make new contacts.
3. “Rebaños” in Sabaneta, these are the weekly Bible study groups to build and reach the people of this sector.
4. In three weeks we will have two conferences on Parenting. One is to edify the El Redil churches (5) and the other is to reach out people in Sabaneta.


Daniel and Tania are doing well in the University (Sound Engineering, and Photography). They helped us in the last program we did (VBS and "Live the English") we feel very fortunate to be serving the kingdom of God as a family.
For a month we are living with grandpa (Don Darío, Claudia's father) Although an extra dose of work, however it is a privilege to serve and support him. Please, remember him in your prayers, because of his serious health complications.
Well, in the midst of all, we are pleased and grateful to God. Thank you for taking the time to think and pray for us.
God bless you richly,
Diego and Claudia.