NORTH CHICAGO OUTREACH UPDATE by Gerardo and Delin Hernandez
Bendecidos Para Bendecir – “Blessed to Bless”: It is a great blessing from God to be able to reach families in our community by delivering food baskets, with the assistance of members from Faith Lutheran Church in Lake Forest. Through our “Blessed to Bless Table” initiative, we prepare food baskets every week to deliver to families in our community who are in need, and to share the Word of God with them. We want you to know that God is doing great things through your contributions—both by purchasing supplies and by heeding God’s call to share the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. As Galatians 6:9 says: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Community Garden – The season has arrived to prepare the soil and begin planting at Príncipe of Peace in Waukegan. We will be sowing varieties of plants typical of the Hispanic community — including tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, tomatillos, corn, and cilantro—with the participation of families from the North Chicago and Waukegan communities who have come to help prepare the land. These are families with whom we are sharing the Gospel; thank you for your prayers. We look forward to a bountiful harvest this year and will keep you updated on every stage of the garden’s progress. Blessings to all—God is good all the time.
Home Bible Studies and Prayers – We continue with our weekly Bible studies in the homes of North Chicago and Waukegan—gathering with family and friends, including Kevin, Modesto, Santos, Irwin, Cristian, Josefina (in Guerrero, Mexico, via WhatsApp), Tania, and Karina. These are households where we have maintained a weekly presence; we give thanks to God for placing the desire in our hearts to share the Gospel and to equip these families to bear witness to others regarding what God is doing in each of their lives—a living faith in our God and our beloved Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 Estando persuadido de esto, que el que comenzó en vosotros la Buena obra, la perfeccionará hasta el día de Jesucristo;
Prayer Walk – We’d love to pray for you. We continue knocking on the doors of homes in the communities of North Chicago and Waukegan on behalf of families, praying for the needs and requests of each family.
Carlos and Jesus (Chuy) – Today, I would like to introduce these two young men who live in Waukegan. They participate in the Bible studies held at Modesto’s home; they have also been helping to distribute lunches to those in need and are assisting with the Waukegan community garden. They are young men with a true heart for service— part of a team that God is raising up within our Hispanic community—and we are deeply grateful for them. We bless them. God is doing great things in our church. Amen.