What I've learned this year

A man on the phone:

"Hello, Am I speaking with the Intelligence service?"

On the other end the answer:

"h'm?"

I was thinking how to begin this blog entry for the end of the year. I thought about writing a good story about the ministry, or tell you how many hours I worked in different areas of my life and ministry. Then I thought: well, It'd better be real.

You maybe thinking: "what about the joke?" I've been feeling lately that in many ways my answers to life issues have been pretty much "H'm?" I have felt many times this past year that I fell short to face life as it was coming to me.

So let me share with you some of the things I've learned. Some I've already wrote about, but others are a "premiere" So here it goes:

Learning "grace" involves loving someone you find difficult to love

I'm learning (3 steps forward, 2 backwards) this regarding my mom. Some of you know about it, some don't. It is a long story and I don't want to bore you with it. It is enough to say that God brought my mom into my life (in a manner that I can't run away) to learn how to practice grace. This and past years I've learned how to be kind, how to hug her, tell her that I love her (pure obedience at times) and care about her in many ways. I just called her to see how she is doing and tell her that I'm going to pick up her for Christmas. I've learned that many times I have room in my heart for the whole world, but not for her. What a contradiction! So God loves me so much in Christ that He is making me more coherent. It is not easy though, so if you feel like it pray for me and her. Thanks!

Doing much is not necessary the same as doing God's will

I've heard somewhere: "doing, many times is a mask for our anxiety" I realize that people around me crave for peace. They'd pay whatever the cost for quietness, tranquility and rest. However I was not a good example of this, in fact I have some non believers friends that look like more peaceful than I am. I've learned this past year that the reason of why I'm so driven is because of my anxieties. Anxieties of many things, but mainly they spring up from relaying on my own strengths and not God's. Doing a lot gives me a sense of being in control. Now I'm trying to focus on what's important from God's perspective. Some of these things do not carry a huge price as seen from the world's perspective, they are very little.
Things like helping a guy who is so confused about God and his own life that many overlooked him. Loving him as he is and praying that he would believe that Jesus likes him as he is, may be not a huge task and yet it was what Jesus and other people did for me. Teaching my son how to have his quiet time. Listen how he reads slowly the Bible and ponder about simple things that he comes up with. These things will not appear anywhere in the news or mission magazines, yet good in the world is done by ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
Sharing the Gospel with my friends at the university, always thinking that I should be doing more, speaking more, "defending God more" and realize that it is God's work through me that will make a difference in their lives and not only my words. I'm learning and it doesn't come easy.

"It is better to light a candle than to complain about darkness" Mother Theresa

This phrase impacted me some time ago. I realized that so many times I complain about darkness around me but I do not light any candle. So in practice what I'm trying to do is to see the other side of things and light a candle of hope, compassion, mercy, love, generosity, time, work, patience, kindness, purity, empathy, understanding, etc. In every work I have to turn in for classes always try to make readers think about God. It is a little thing and yet God always has given me opportunities to go deeper with professors and classmates.
Max is a guy who decided not continue to study due many issues in his life. I asked him to drink some coffee with me. He talked and talked for almost 2 hours. I tried to understand what he was saying. I did some but not 100%. When we were about to say good bye, I asked him: "can I pray for you" he said "yes please" When I opened my eyes he was crying like a baby. I can't relate 100% with what is going on in his life and yet God touched his heart in some special way in spite of me.
I'm learning that I do not need a 1.000.000 candle power to shine, a little candle shines in the darkness and creates light around it.

Learning to write a new book, not new chapter.

I know that for some of you this may sound very simple and it is for those who have learned these things from childhood. People with godly parents (I envy you, sorry) are blessed enormously. Once the only thing I could see was darkness in my life history. Now I see that I can write a new book with my family. I have the possibility to be a godly parent and husband. I can't say I've done a excellent job in this. I'm learning and in some things, life things I'm slow to learn.
I'm rich; my family is a blessing, I have friends that care about me and I have you there praying, supporting, writing, calling. I'm learning that when I expect too much of this world I tend to forget that I'm already rich.

Well I've told you what I'm learning, what about you? Would you share with me some of the thing that our Lord and only Saviour is helping you to learn? It would be a nice Christmas present if you drop a comment or email telling me what things you are learning. You do not need to write much.

If you want to see the family please watch to photo book you find in this page. Thanks!

Merry Christmas to all and a happy new year - May God's face shine upon you!

The Bonandini Family

Family Slide Show

Conference in Bolivia

Hi friends!

By the end of September I went to Bolivia to give a conference on "discipleship on the church"

It went really well. I spent three days lecturing on:

1. The Vision of discipleship
2. What a disciple looks like
3. How to create a discipleship environment
4. How to get started



The best thing that happened is that I could make new friends. Moiko and Veronica hosted me there in Bolivia. Veronica became a Christian with Henry and Wendy Clay back in the '80s. They are working with "Helping Hands" a mission that seeks to Help people in practical ways as well as share the Gospel of Christ.



The conference is a way Helping Hands is trying to empower pastors and leader of different denominations in Bolivia. The people you see in the pictures committed to a 10 conference training. My conference on discipleship was number four I believe.

They all told me that the conference was really practical and that they enjoyed it a lot.




There are many stories I can tell you. I recall a pastor "Thomas" he became a Christian in Argentina. He is working trying to do his part in how to help people living literally on dumps of trash. The people there for some reason I can't recall, threatened to kill him if he continue sharing the gospel. He confessed that he grew scared and didn't want to go back. At one point during the conference he realized that he was no giving a good example to his team. It was his team who encouraged him to go back and keep helping the people in the dump. We prayed for him right there on the spot and asked the Holy Spirit to empower him to believe that God was on his side. As I was praying I thought that it should be Thomas the guy giving the conference! There are people out there, my friends, that without much preparation, skills, money, computers, with no many books and paper are showing Christ in ways that I and my family would never choose (humanly speaking).



Well This is all for now. Reporting for Blogspot and The kingdom of God Martin Bonandini a Hobbit more in the big Shire. God Bless you!

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The Supernatural side of or Faith - is there any other side?

What if you start having "words" from God that carry messages that have to do with deep needs in peoples' lives?

Would you say that this is just coincidence? universal conscience? or God using you?

God has push me into this "kind of ministry" lately. Once I thought it was just chance that when I pray for people I somehow knew what was the person's problem without knowing the person at all. So helped by a pastor that some of you know (Pastor Lucas) I began to put this to the test.

I tell you two of few cases. Some time ago I went to a church in another province. It was the first time I was preaching there. After I finished my sermon the pastor asked me to pray for people as it is custom in that church. I began to pray for a lady. I stood in front of her for some time trying to "listen to God" as Pastor Lucas had told me. After few seconds I felt telling the lady this: "Her quest finished. I give her peace" I thought. "What if this is just nonsense!" So I told her this: "I do not know if this has anything to do with you but I sense God telling me that your quest finished and that He wants to give you peace" When I finish the phrase the person was crying the inside out! I continued to pray for the others (God gave me words for other as well) and after I finished I went back to the Lady to ask her what those words meant to her. She told me that she was coming with her son from a northern province of Argentina to visit her husband (giving him a surprise) who was working in the southern province where we were. As she came to her husband's home she found out that her husband had another family there. It totally destroyed her. She told me that the day I met her in church she had left her house seeking something that would soothe the pain in her soul, that would give her peace. She was walking aimless until she saw the church and got in! Those word that God put in my heart made a lot of sense!

Two Sundays ago (9th of September) I was preaching at Lucas' church and he asked me to pray for people after the sermon. I was preaching for a 14 years old girl. As I was praying for her I sensed to pray for her relationship with her father (I do not know any of them) I sensed that the relationship was abusive in some way. She began to cry as I began to pray this. When I finished I asked her if she wanted to talk to a lady and tell her what was going on. She agreed. Later on I found out that her father is an alcoholic. She had never opened up with anybody before.

I recognize that these spiritual interventions do not have anything with me! I'm such a ragamuffin! I could never say that this happens because I earned it with my obedience or pure heart. God is full of grace and mercy this is the only reason behind it.

I remember Jesus with the woman by the well. She ran out telling people in John 4:29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did..." We have Christ in us He is still powerful to do great things!

What do you think? drop comments about your thoughts. I'm thinking a lot about it. For example: "Why does God need me to tell things to people?" "On the other hand, why does he need people to perform miracles through them?" "Why do I need me to preach the gospel if God can tell people directly?" "Does God find pleasure working through His children?" "Would it be another way to look at the Word become flesh?" "Why does it have a bigger impact when God uses somebody to tell me something than when I receive a word from God in my quiet time? Drop some comments if this is thought provoking for you.

Discipleship Conference


I was invited to give a conference on discipleship in Bolivia. I leave the 28th of September for three days to the city of Cochabamba in Bolivia. I'll meet with about 120 pastors and leaders to discuss together how to do better at discipling people within the church context. I already have the main curriculum but I'm still praying about the first and the last talk. Could you please pray for us?

Pray that God would use me to connect with this people.
Pray for the family as they stay home
Pray that the Holy Spirit would be at work there
Pray that Go would give me wisdom and courage to do His will.

Discipleship at Home

Every Monday I meet with three guys to encourage each other in the Word and in prayer. Diego Cortina, Pablo Spinola and Christain Moreno from the US (studying here in BA.) Pray that God would use us to be light in wherever we are. That His Word would penetrate more and more the sinful layers in our hearts.

Family

The Family is doing well. It was Natasha's 6th birthday yesterday. She had to achieve some goals to "graduate." She learned to make a cake, do her bed, wash the dishes (no dish washer here :) Tie her shoe laces, help mom in the house and learn to use the computer. She pass all the goals! I have to work harder with her to achieve some Bible goals though.

Help needed!

I know usually when I send no personal emails I often do not get and answer, but I'm praying that this email will make you pray about all the things that you read here and that God will help you get involved if you are not already.
If you're reading this and somehow you feel God moving in your heart, please consider to help us financially. Argentina is becoming very expensive lately. We need to raise our support and perhaps God wants to use you to help us. You can give one time gift or monthly. Can you help us to reach our goal of 6000 U$D? This is of course the extra amount we need annually. This is actually what a missionary family from the US or the European Union have to raise monthly to live in BA. It is a good business to invest in local missionaries :) On the right side of our blog have the instructions on how to give or just drop me an email at bonandini@gmail.com to request information.

Thanks so much!

The Bonandini Family

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The valley needs a mountain to exist

The last three months have been the craziest time in many years. I felt like there was a big cosmic funnel and all difficulties got in there to get to me! God has been faithful (I have not that much) in sorting out most things and also teaching me deep things about myself and Himself.

I'm sure you have been there as well. So I will not bore you telling how miserable I felt, instead I want to share with you how God's work shone bright in much darkness, sin, failures and my own resistance to show grace to others.

30 years not seeing her - The prodigal mother

My mom suffered hemorrhages early last month. It happened at a very inconvenient moment. I had the summer team here and it was 2 weeks before another team was coming for a week to do construction work and mercy ministry.

I had to be at the hospital with her, clean her, take care of her and all other stuff that you have to do when a person is in hospital (in public hospitals here in Argentina). I was stressed. Weeks before she had been with some other problems as well and I spent time after time going to doctors and hospitals.

The new-used car had already broken so many times, I had experienced arrhythmia a month before and I had also had a problem in my left foot earlier that month. I just can say that I was a mess :)

In view of all this, I had of course a very bad attitude. I felt dying inside because I didn't want to face anything related to my mom's needs. Honestly I could not see any good in all the fate I was facing. I was pretty much hopeless and feeling very miserable.

I forgot to tell you that I had to take all my final exams at college. As I was trying to study, it was a French philosopher (Rene Descartes) that defending the existence of God said "for a valley to exist there must be a mountain" that gave me a spark of light in all my inner turmoil. Keep reading...

God orchestrated that I'd come again into contact with my half sister that was "abandoned?" by my mom 48 ago; last time they saw each other was 30 years ago. Because my mom's mental condition (she is bipolar) I had resisted the desires of my half sister to come and see her before. Since my mom was sick and I didn't know whether she had much longer to live (I thought she had intestinal cancer) I told my half sister to come and see her.



My sister in old pink jacket

As I was talking to her about it, I found out that she had recently become a believer. Many years ago when I found out about her, I visited her and shared the gospel with her. On the phone she told me: "I gave my life to Jesus, go to a church and do you know what Bible I have? (I thought she was talking about the version)- no! (I said),- The one you gave me many years ago (she said)" I felt a great feeling of joy inside. In God's time the little seed had given fruit. I think some tears dropped on the phone that night.The reunion was very emotional of course. My sister was very nervous and my mom was asking anyone around the hospital to comb her hair and put some makeup :) (I could not believe it)They talked, cried, shared and became mother and daughter again after 48 years. What a mountain next to the valley!

Some of our life in pictures




There was SNOW in Argentina like a month ago! Can you believe this? I kept watching it falling in total unbelief. My eyes were watching it but my brain kept saying "It is not possible!" I was driving and my mind believe all the time that I was in Russia!





I Received a team from Columbia South Carolina. They usually come in October but they decided to come in June! Praise the Lord the weather was nice but it was stinking cold! :) (I'm inventing new English expressions here...)






You can see how well we ate those days! Those sausages were fantastic!








They work a lot and I ran around finding jobs for them to do. You can see the many layers of clothe I have on, it was really stinking cold!





This is the summer team, ordinary people for an extraordinary task





This is the church we worked in La Plata area. The pastor bought that old car to give
to his son. He is saving some money to start fixing it.





My wife Claudia, she is the most necessary part of my life and ministry
after God.





Carlos Anacondia is the evangelist that led me to Christ in 1985 when I was 16 years old. We went to visit him with the team from South Carolina.

Final Words

Thanks to all of you always. God is being faithful to us through you. if you need information for support you can read it in the right side of this blog. Argentina has become very expensive. We have to raise our income by 50% please pray for us as we try to do it. Thanks for your friendship and generosity.

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Dear friends,

I wanted to give you a brief update of what's going on with our lives.

My classes are going well. To be honest with you it is mind bending to study things that I particularly never liked to study, philosophy as an example. I was reading a German philosopher and the first thing that came to my mind as I was trying to figure out what he was trying to say was "Why are there people who finds attractive to write and think about these things?!" However as I was researching all these ideas I came to a puzzling existential question: "If the universe is infinite... why then is so difficult to park?" :)

I hope you could smile with that one!

My class mates now have started to ask questions regarding my family and my occupation. Last night they asked me: "Are you a pastor?" just out of the blue. I said "no, why do you ask?" they answered:" Well you have a nice family, you study a lot, share your material with us and you are nice guy; you must be a pastor" They were surprise that I was not a pastor. I could share very little about what I do and believe. My hypothesis is turning out right: "Whenever you can show Christ in some ways you will have sooner or later the opportunity and right to talk about HIM"

We are getting ready to receive a team of 8 people in June and a team of 16 people in July. The first will be here 7 weeks doing evangelism and the other only one week doing practical work. If you can pray for them as they raise support and get ready everything to come. Will be very busy studying and working with them, pray that God will give us good health and intelligence to be above circumstances and not under them. God is above them always!

The 31st of March we went to a Catholic church and showed the "Jesus Movie" there. It was awesome! We did this as a combine effort with the different ministries of the Navigators here and with Guillermo. Guillermo is a very nice guy who has a heart for Catholics. He shared after the movie a very nice, short and straight presentation of the gospel. Many people were moved, holding hand and sharing some tears. This is something very, very, very uncommon to see in a catholic church here in Argentina.

Finally I sold my old van. I told you about

it in my last update. I sold it pretty well. I have now 7500 U$D to use to buy a new used van. Some of you may remember that I wanted to buy a Ford pickup with a double cabin. I will not do that now. I want to buy another van. This will help me with all these teams that are coming every year. Some of you my take advantage of it is you come to minister here in the future. I still need 2000 U$D more to buy something decent. Maybe you'd like to help. If you can at least pray about it would be of great help. Buying a car in Argentina is difficult and dangerous. You could buy a stolen car with forged papers if not careful. So please pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit in this. This week I will not have the van anymore. I already started to look for another, so if you'd like to help, could you tell me about it? As always you can get this deducted from taxes when you give through the navs. You would be investing in a very needed tool for our ministry here in Argentina.

If you'd like to give

The Navigators @ (719) 598-1212 and tell them you'd like to give

to

Clario Martin Bonandini Acc. # 183673. Cash project.

They will guide you in the process.

You can also send your check payable to "The Navigators" to:

P.O. Box 6000

Colorado Springs

CO 80934

Include in notes: Clario Martin Bonandini Acc. # 183673 Cash project.

Thanks so much!

Clario Martin Bonandini

Los Navegantes de Argentina

Visit our Blog for regular updates you can see this update there as well

http://bonandini-family.blogspot.com/index.html

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What are we up to?

Hi all out there! Vacations in Argentina are over and now we are shifting into 5th gear with school, work, ministry and studies. Martin Jr. is in 2nd grade. He is great guy and a good student. Natasha is in the last year of kindergarten. Next year will be in 1st grade. She is doing very well. She gets too "smart" some times, and we need to take immediate action to help her to cool down. Lara cries every day as she goes to her kindergarten. She could cry as long as 2 hours. Teachers do not know what to do. She is doing better though. Claudia started working. She is a kindergarten teacher and has about 22 4-year-old kids in her class. She is already pretty tired. I began studying at the university (http://www.holossanisidro.com/). Yes, after many years I could fulfill my dream! I always wanted to study but for different reasons I could not do it. Now I'm studying to become a "Psychological Counselor"It is a new career here in Argentina and I'm studying at the very place that introduced the career in our country. Big privilege! Last Thursday I had my first class and it went well! I met my class mates and talk to one guy about what I believe. I recall some Navigator saying that to do evangelism one just has to show up! I meet regularly with several guys for prayer and Bible study. Pablo Espinola, is a guy from a Free Brethren Church. Nice Guy very eager to learn and grow. Marcos Pascua, you all meet him in my last newsletter that you can read here as well. (Not in the Picture) Diego Cortina, he is a very sweet guy from another church. He helped us last year with the Summer team that came. I'm going to start a discipleship course in our church in April. So far we do not have many people involved. So Ask our heavenly father to give us people willing to teach as well as people willing to learn. Something I'm, so happy about is that I have lost 30 pounds. Yes and I hope I will never find them! In the picture with the guys I still have them. So you can not tell by that pic. I'll send new pics of new Martin. I designed a new navigator website for Argentina www.navegantes-en-argentina.110mb.com go and have a look and see if you can tell me what is the picture that I use at the very top of the page with the Argentine flag. Mistery... Every Friday I go to La Plata. I meet with several key people that pastor Lucas is discipling in his congregation. I give a talk and record it to post into a Navigator website with recorded talks www.discipleshiplibrary.org These last few months I have been learning a lot about God's infinite grace. A great book I read is "The Wisdom of Tenderness" by Brennan Manning. It really help me to see our God as my father. I still have a long road to walk to really grasp the idea, but I started to comprehend some things that before I did not. Ask our Heavenly Father that He would reveal His amazing love into the depth of my heart. I though that I had understood it, but God's love cannot be understood only experienced through God's revelation by His Spirit. So pray for me. Martin

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Búsqueda Frenética

Título: Búsqueda Frenética

Tema: Creer con Jesús termina con la búsqueda

Proposición: “Esta mañana veremos como Jesús pone en evidencia a aquellos que le buscaban por lo que hacía y no por quien era. Jesús nos enseña en este pasaje que él es quien debe ser el centro de nuestra confianza y fe.”

Introducción:

Cuando era chico jugaba con mis amigos a “Perdernos”.La idea era que camináramos sin prestar atención a donde íbamos, para luego divertirnos buscando la forma de regresar a casa. Era una aventura.

Lo que para mí era un juego al final es la realidad que debe enfrentar cada persona.; Muchos están perdidos y por esto desde que entienden su realidad comienzan una búsqueda que los lleve de regreso a “Casa.”

En su búsqueda muchos llegan hasta el cristianismo. Lo que muchas veces pasa es que muchos llegan por las heridas o necesidades que han adquirido por buscar en tantos lados equivocados. Cristo llena sus necesidades y cura sus heridas y piensan que eso es seguir a Cristo. Pero en realidad lo que muchos hacen es que ellos van por donde quieren y desean tener a Cristo como un salvoconducto para cuando la cosa vuelva a doler otra vez.

Esta mañana veremos como Jesús enfrenta a todos los que lo buscaban por lo que hacía y no por quien era. Jesús nos enseña en este pasaje, que él y no lo que él nos puede dar debe ser el objeto de nuestra búsqueda.

Desarrollo:

1.Juan 6.22-25 La Búsqueda (Todos Buscamos, pero ¿qué en verdad?)

a. Expectativa por Jesús v.24 (La multitud se dio cuenta de que Jesús no estaba)

b. ¿Cuándo llegaste acá? V. 25 (Pareciera que desean tener control sobre Jesús)

2. Juan 6.26-31 La Búsqueda Satisfacción Personal (¿Qué hay para mí?)

a. La verdadera razón de la búsqueda. V26

b.La verdadera obra. V27-29 Creer nos da mucho más que una satisfacción temporal. Creer nos introduce al mundo de lo eterno y de lo abundante. Jesús les está diciendo no busquen lo que se termina, pero lo que no tiene fin. Ver v. 40

c. La verdad del corazón humano v.30,31 “Ver para creer” en Lugar de “Creer para ver” Jn. 11:40 Jesús le dijo: ¿No te he dicho que si crees, verás la gloria de Dios? Acostumbrados a lo temporal nos cuesta entender lo eterno y verdadero.

3.Juan 6.32-40 La Búsqueda de la Fuente (¿Quién tiene el poder?)

a.Lo que satisface no es la dádiva pero el Dador. V. 32,33

b.Pan de vida v. 34,35 Jesús es lo que necesitamos

c.A pesar de ver no creen. V.36 Dios se manifestó a su pueblo de maneras dramáticas y aún así eso no sirvió para que lo amen más. Los milagros no necesariamente nos acercan a Dios.

4. Juan 6.41-52 La Búsqueda de entender lo eterno sin Fe (Otra realidad)

a. Cuando Jesús empieza a poner los puntos sobre las “ies” La gente reacciona con queja. V. 41,42 Cuando Jesús nos pone en situaciones donde es preciso creer y no ver es cuando se muestra la verdadera naturaleza de nuestro corazón.

b. No busquen entender lo eterno desde un punto de visto humano, ¡CREAN! V.47

5.Juan 6.53-59 La Búsqueda de lo verdadero y Eterno (Cambio de perspectiva)

a. Jesús ofrece algo que perdura V. 53-57

b. Lo que conocen hasta ahora no es eterno. V. 58

6. Juan 6.60-64,66 Frente a frente con la Realidad (El escándalo)

a. El camino de la fe puede escandalizarnos. 60,61

b. El Espíritu es quien nos ayuda a entender, la carne no sirve para entender lo espiritual. 62,63

c.Muchos que hay están, no estarán en algún tiempo. 64,66

Technorati Tags: Sermones, Charlas, Cristianismo

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Changed Life Having Christmas at hand, and thinking about its true meaning, you would agree with me that Jesus came to save us, but also he came to change our lives so that we will help others change their lives. I do not know about you, but one of my greatest joys is to help people grow. There was a time when I just lived to myself. I didn’t know God’s purposes for my life neither I understood my contribution in His Kingdom. Today, almost 17 years after I met Henry and Wendy Clay who helped me grow in Christ; I can see how God has used my growth to help others grow. I would like to introduce my friend Marcos to all of you. He is one of the persons that God has given me this past 2 years to invest my life in.Marcos and I My friendship with Marcos started when he enrolled in one of the discipleship courses I lead at a local church here in Buenos Aires. Argentine churches know how to attract people to their congregations but they are clueless when it comes to help people grow. Marcos was attending church every Sunday and was involved in many of its activities. He is an excellent musician. When I met him he had a girlfriend. The course started off and Marcos was there every week. After the course session, Marcos would go by train to the University of Buenos Aires to study. One day I offer to take him to the train station. I was looking for an opportunity to know Marcos at a deeper level. I took Marcos to the train station every week and every week I told Marcos a bit of my testimony. I told him how I blew it with one of my girlfriends many years ago and how I was living a phony Christian life for many years. I asked him some questions regarding his relationship with his girlfriend. For almost 6 months he answered: “it is fine, no problem.” One week he answered different. He confessed to be physical involved with his girlfriend and didn’t know how to stop it. I said to him that I could understand him very well since it had happened to me many years ago. I related to him how I went to see Henry Clay to confess the very thing he was telling me. I assured him that with God’s help I could help him if he was willing to pay the price of commitment. He said he was willing. His physical involvement with his girlfriend had other ramifications as well. He was not doing well at his studies, he didn’t have a job and he told me later that he had a sense of purposelessness. Even though after some time he had improved a lot, he still was not doing well. I suggested to him to have a weekend off to pray and read the Scriptures to be able to seek God’s will for his life. He agreed. He was alone in a room reading the Bible and praying. After this time he came resolved to make some changes in his life. What he resolved basically was to take responsibility for his life. He decided to stop his relationship with his girlfriend, got a good job, enrolled in another university and decided to drop some church activities that didn’t contribute to the decisions God had guided him to make. Today he is doing well. He gets up about 5:30 in the morning to go to work, gets out 5:00 pm, goes home, take a shower and sets off to study. He gets home at about 12:00 am. As you can imaging he is very tired. Just today he was on the bus to go to work and fell asleep. He didn’t know where he was when he got off the bus. He could not get to his job because it was too late.

He is helping me to lead a Bible study and got a vision to reach out to his friends.

How you can pray for him:

1. Pray that he could get a job that will give him some more time to study and rest

2. Pray that his relationship with God would grow.

3. Pray that he would soon start helping others.

I would like that you would feel part of this changed life. I would not be as available as I am without your faithful support and prayers. Thanks so much for your investment in the kingdom.

That they may see...

Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

October was a busy months. Over 20 people Came from Columbia South Carolina to do practical work in churches, orphanages and a single mom home.

I was the one responsible to get everything ready for their coming and for running the whole thing during the week they were here. It was great! It is one of the favorite activities during the year.

What we accomplished:

We fixed the roof of the orphanage. It was a really big job. We thought it was only be a minor job, but we had to take out all the tiles, put new wood beams and boards. It was really tough.

Some guys took and old and shaggy window shutter and worked hard to fix it and make it work.

We did a lot of painting, digging, wall building, cement mixing and cement pouring. People had opportunities to sing, preach, and sharing testimonies. We also did a lot of waiting. For some reason this year was really difficult regarding transportation. I was under terrible pressure every time the bus to take people from work to the hotel or vice versa didn’t show up in time. One day the bus didn’t come at all, I had to run and get another one. You maybe thinking: “You are in Latin America, aren't you?” I believe there is some of that, but also I’m convinced that our enemy is always on the move to make things difficult.

God was Glorified though. We see many children smiling, playing and being happy because they received some new toys and candies. We hear a lot of “Thank God for your coming and help” from the lips of pastors and people in General. We saw tears of gratefulness from a pastor’s wife when we could buy her a brand new washing machine. She silently was praying to God for a washing machine during many months after hers broke.

So again I want that you will fell part of all this. I’m the spear head and your are all what comes behind it that gives it the ability to do its job. The spear head by itself could not accomplish much. You cannot kill a lion with just the spear head, you need the whole thing.

Thanks!

to many of you who pray and give financially to our ministry here in Argentina.

Contact Information:

Claudia and Clario Bonandini

Colón 950 (calle 124)

(1653) V. Ballester

Buenos Aires

Argentina

Email: bonandini@gmail.com

Tel. 54 11 4767 0842

Donations: We still are under supported . If you would like to give to our ministry, contact me or call The Navigators @ (719) 598-1212 and tell them you'd like to give to Clario Martin Bonandini Acc. # 183673. They will guide you in the process.