The ASELSI Conference was a wonderful time with nearly 400 pastors, leaders and many young people who came to learn about how to be the church in an active way.
Here's a summary video showing what it was like!
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Dora (Doris) Marina Mazariegos Bámaca de Dubon, a founding member of the ASELSI board of directors, died Tuesday, March 26 after fighting cancer. She was 62.
Born December 21, 1956, Doris was known for her love for people, prayer, and for reaching out to her neighbors.
She poured her life into a squatters’ village on the edge of the Guatemalan capital and founded a ministry called Amar Es Servir (To Love Is To Serve) there. She started with food distribution and evangelism but developed the ministry into a day school for the children of the slums to get a start on education and a foundation of faith. Hundreds of children have attended this school over the 20 years she ministered there.
As a member of the ASELSI board, Doris was a faithful prayer warrior for the ministry of ASELSI and its staff. She traveled to teach at Bible School extensions in Mexico and participated in the annual ASELSI conference. Her ready laugh and strong vision drew others along with her as she encouraged, taught, and inspired.
“We have a calling to love people and transform lives,” she once said during an interview for the book Libre Soy that told part of her story. That’s pretty much what Doris’ life was about—loving people and helping transform their situation spiritually and educationally.
In a joint statement from ASELSI Founders, John and Sharon Harvey, they wrote of Doris, “We will miss her joyful spirit, devotion to her Lord and her great heart for the poor and needy. She has exemplified God's heart and always shared a word of encouragement and a Word of the Lord to whoever she met.”
Doris served as the secretary of the ASELSI board and was one of the original board members who helped ASELSI begin and grow as a ministry.
“Doris was a person characterized by her sincere love, joy, and total confidence in God,”recalled Emanuel, director of ASELSI. “She had a profound love for her family, a passion to serve God and great love for the children and families in Nuevo Amanecer where she ministered.”
Please join the ASELSI staff in praying for the Dubon family and the Amar Es Servir ministry.
A team of 17 from Providence Christian Academy in Tennessee, came to serve at ASELSI in March.
The students and team leaders connected with Visión de Gracias--a church in Chicua I about 30 minutes outside of central Chichicastenango. They participated in a church service there and began connecting with members of this church that is led by one of ASELSI’s Bible school teachers and where ASELSI is helping to start a new clinic to reach out to this community.
Together with representatives from ASELSI, the team visited the children’s, men’s and women’s wards at the national hospital where they prayed and encouraged the patients there.
On the ASELSI campus, the team separated into four parts to spend time getting to know the vision and departments at ASELSI as well as work on light construction projects.
On Tuesday and Wednesday of their visit, the team loaded up in a chicken bus for an interactive day at the church in Chicua I where they joined the local youth group in fun activities and opportunities to get to know more of the local culture and time to sit around bonfires and share as well as hear about challenges facing local teens.
After spending the night at the Visión de Gracias church, the team members joined up with a local group there to minister in an elementary school. There they held set up six stations for a craft, songs, Bible Stories, Physical Education, a clown, and prayer. The students passed through these stations and enjoyed the activities. At lunch, the team joined the school teachers for an interactive lunch.
In the afternoon, the Providence team returned to ASELSI to help with projects and get some rest.
On Thursday, the team worked on projects at the church in Chicua I to help prepare a space for the clinic that will be established there in the near future.
The team played a rousing game of soccer with the ASELSI staff to finish off their time in Chichicastenango.
Teams like this one from Providence Christian Academy help make it possible for ASELSI to extend outreaches into area communities and inspire local churches with ideas of how they can reach out as well.
When classes began in January for ASELSI's Bible Courses, the students walking through the door just kept coming. The 21 returning students studying at the main ASELSI campus are outnumbered by more than two-to-one with 51 new students just starting their two-year study of God's Word. ASELSI also has extensions across Guatemala with 110 students studying and additional extension studies in Mexico, Cuba, USA, and Venezuela.
There is a hunger for God's Word among these students who come from many different churches. Seeing them join together to learn God's Word is a beautiful thing. Pray with us for these students!
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