Thankful for the Art of Steadfastness

 Hello Ministry Partners!

I would like to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving and hope that your days were filled with family, friends, and time to give thanks for what the Lord has provided in your lives!  I am very thankful for what God is doing in my life and with the ministry that He is building up. This has been a season of more than just changing of colors, an abundance of pumpkin flavored, scented, and colored things, but rather a challenging journey that has led me to see Christ pour many blessings down of the ministry.  Challenging yes, but the Lord has equipped me for this season and that is something that I am learning slowly.  Specifically understanding the art of Steadfastness may be one of the most agonizing states that I found for my short patience to endure as returning to Mexico is in the forefront of everything.

For an update on the ministry, I praise God for what He is doing!  Naturally the Lord is arranging things that I had no idea that would happen -including a longer stay in the States to raise the funds needed to be stationed full-time in Mexico City.  October was a month of much prayer, processing, Skype calls, and seeking counsel to understand what to make out of what God has been showing me.  Through much tribulation (or at least that’s what it felt like!) I feel confident that God has invited me to stay in Green Bay until May of 2015 -That is approximately 6 months longer than anticipated but it is for the longevity of the ministry and I am finally coming around to have peace with this decision.

It is said in the first chapter of James that, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” and my friends, this is the art of steadfastness that I am talking about. It was a hard decision to make but the Lord has blessed it and it is something that I am so excited to share with you all.

During this season of processing and understanding what steadfastness means, I had a very personal time with the Lord where I pleaded to Him saying, “Lord, if you are keeping me here in Green Bay, I need you. I need you in all areas of my life and I place this in your hands, Father. God you know my needs, you know I need a place to call my own so that I can get support raising kicked in to high gear. You know God that I need a church to call my anchor place, Lord. Bendito Padre, please provide me with a ministry that I can pour into because I miss that joy that you provide through those experiences.  Father, I give you this, all of this, I’ll stay put in Green Bay but Lord please give me your desire to stay here for such an extended time and show me what you have written for this season.”

Let me tell you, the floodgates opened. What happens next felt exactly what the third chapter of Malachi describes where we bring all we have to God and truly give it to Him, where the Lord almighty says “test me… and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”  Within 48 hours of this conversation with the God, Christ provided abundantly in ways that I couldn't have even imagined.  

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The place I was praying for immediately opened up moments after I finished my quite time with God.  That place to seek communion and an anchor church to send me out was provided.  The Lord lead me to a Hispanic Church that is a MIRROR IMAGE of my first church in Mexico City. -This was the first time that I truly felt “at home” ever since my return to the states in August!  If that wasn’t enough, the church had been praying for a missionary to give their “diezmo” / first 10% of tithing each month.  After talking to the Pastor, he invited me to do ministry with the church for the next six months and when I am ready to head out they will be there to back me and send me out. PRAISE GOD for He is good and works in ways that we could never fathom happening.

I didn't know what “doing ministry together” was going to look like, but with a few short weeks, the church has invited me to serve as their Youth Pastor for the small group of teenagers that attend the church.  This was definitely something that I wasn’t anticipating but I am very excited for the opportunity! Tomorrow night is our third time together and I am bringing them through a series of Faith Application where we are learning to pray together and for one another, learning ways that we can serve in the church, and also what outreach in our Green Bay community looks like!

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The Lord continues to be answering my prayers for a desire to be here in this interim of raising support by providing me with a beautiful home to stay in!  My dear friends from all the way back to 5th grade got married this past year and had invited me to stay with them during my six months back in Green Bay while raising support!! -How cool is that?!  I am just getting settled in and it has already been such a blessing as I now have my own place to escape, recharge, and do my work (No more sleeping from couch to couch or floor to floor!!). 

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Being part of Green Bay First, my new church here in Green Bay has been such a welcoming experience for me as it feels like I am part of the family already!  I have a close friend who leads worship there and the Pastor seems to be readily available to meet up, have a chat or two, and he has been a great encouragement in this season.  About two weeks after attending regularly, the Lord’s timing worked itself out where I now am part of a “Connect Class” in steps towards becoming a member and its just incredible to the Lord answer the prayer of finding an Anchor Church and a place where I can call home!

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This was a rather long update, however much needed because the past 30 days have been filled with a decent amount of ups and downs, but most importantly the clear image of the Lord’s hand at work.  Just as I opened up this update, I am learning what steadfastness and this is what I give thanks for today.  We will come across seasons that are hard, challenging, and exhausting, but if we continue to trust in the Lord’s promises, we will slowly start to develop a much stronger sense of perseverance.  Lastly, I give thanks for supporters like you, who have faithfully walked with me through the last year and a half in ministry!  Thank you for your prayers, financial support, and every miscellaneous need that has been met by your generosity!!

Happy Thanksgiving & God bless,

Erik Cole :)

Discovering That There Will Always Be a Learning Curve in Ministry

As of my last update to you all, my bags were packed and was waiting with many mixed emotions for my plane to depart from Mexico City.  {Ahead of me was a familiar adventure –I wouldn’t consider it one of my easiest or most favorite of adventures- but know it has to be done for this ministry}  I left Mexico with many hard things to say goodbye to and was greeted with comforts of home when landing in Chicago.  Today marks just over a month of being back State-Side and it has been a learning experience to say the least {A curve ball that many people in international ministry know so well}. 

Although being home sounds like a treat, a second to catch my breath and relax, this experience has also be complimented with a little something called “reverse culture shock”.  Being the great ministry that it is, Avance had prepared us for this moment… the three day debrief that we had seemed to be a little lengthy for me and I said to myself, “Eh, I don’t need this because I am NOT going to be experiencing a reverse shock coming back into my home culture –I can keep my cool” {However, the reality of things showed that indeed, NO, Erik couldn’t rough it out as he had thought}.  Although it was an exhausting process to walk through, I am now thankful to have that experience because I learned the realities of re-entry and how this soon will become just a normal factor in my life as a missionary.  Physically {Sick for two straight weeks}, emotionally {I became a mild wreck when no one was looking}, and spiritually {even found moments where it was hard to rely on the Lord to get me through such a particular season} I suffered for two to three weeks until finally I started to feel like myself again.  So those stories about culture shock: they are real.

Despite the interesting experience of re-entry shock, I am finally exiting this season and am now face-to-face to a significant support trip that is serving as my “kick-off” lengthy journey of raising full-time support {It still excites me to think that the Lord has blessed me with what could be considered a “dream job” before the age of 24}.  With that, I have been scrambling the last 12 days {Approximately right after telling myself its time to get over the slump that I was in} to string together a trip that I am praying to provide a good part of the $2,200 monthly support that I am looking for.  Regardless of how many financial partners are discovered during this trip, I am looking for the endless opportunities to share the vision of how God is moving through United World Mission and the Avance ministry.  The Lord is a billion {number not accurate} times bigger than me and I know what is ahead of me is written by Him and that is something to rejoice in.  It was an emergency support trip that I took last May that revealed to me how powerful God is when you put all hope in His promise { It was also the same trip that showed me that He had been preparing me for something bigger – a position in full-time ministry }.  With that said, despite the minor panic attacks that I receive between the hours of 7pm and 10pm, I know that He has divinely appointed this upcoming trip.

This is where I need all of you reading this blogpost to join me in this upcoming adventure { Prayer, prayer, prayer }.  So in just TWO HOURS { crap… so much to do in 120 minutes}, I will be embarking on a journey through the Midwest for 12 days.  Please join me in prayer especially during this time {Sept. 13^th -25^th} for the following:

1.     That the vision of Avance and what the Lord looks like in Mexico City can be clearly articulated, regurgitated, understood, and received when talking to all of the complete strangers {well, not compleeeetly strangers –just other brothers and sisters in Christ that I am yet to meet}

2.     That the car the God has graciously dropped in my lap will work well {without problems, accidents, etc.} and keep us safe while cruzing through a very large majority of the Midwest.

3.     That I can stay obedient in the Word as it will be a VERY busy schedule.

4.     I am also praying that this trip could generate at least $700 in monthly gifts from new and existing partners.

5.     That my co-pilot and I can find “Dinosaur World”  on our way down to Nashville { If you’re interested... http://dinosaurworld.com/kentucky/ }

6.     That our health keeps up and that my co-pilot, Jordan, and I are still friends after such a long trip in a car together.

7.     Lastly, a chance to enjoy ourselves while exalting what the Lord is doing in this ministry in Mexico City!

Thank you all for your prayers and support in this season of seeking new partners for the ministry.  Please be checking my blog throughout the next two weeks to see how the Lord is moving to share a greater vision of His work in Mexico City.

Many Blessings,

Erik

“You did not choose me, but I chose you" -A Long-term Commitment to Mission

Year Out Program Coming to an End  A Long-term Opportunity Just Ahead!! The past few months here in Mexico have truly been a whirlwind of emotions, experiences, and a realization that may forever change my life in ministry.  With that said, I would love for you to continue reading this letter as I am very pleased to announce that I have decided to stay here in Mexico City as part of Staff with the Avance program for the next three years.  Through much prayer, time spent with the Lord, and countless numbers of conversation with my ministry and mission, the Lord has given me peace about what He has written before me in full-time ministry.

The summer program has been a great opportunity to serve the young adults that have come down to learn what it means to serve cross-culturally.  I’ve used the last two months to apply everything that I have learned in my MA program this past year to equip these summer participants with the tools to identify with the local people and effectively minister to a culture different from their own. This role as a Facilitator to the participants wears many caps where I am coaching these participants through their experiences, whether its visioning goals, fighting back against culture shock or cross-cultural confusion, and walking hand in hand to help defeat sin together.  Also amongst these “caps” of a facilitator I have been visiting families, churches, youth, etc. to build relationships and create a bridge between the local people and those who have come to serve.  This is a small glimpse of what our directors do for us as Year Out participants during the year and I had finally came to the realization that the Lord has been carefully and divinely preparing me for this opportunity over past five years. Christ says in the scriptures that, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit- fruit that will last- and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you”(John 15:16).   Reflecting on my year here in Mexico, I’ve seen how divine the Lord’s work is and how he has specifically called me to this ministry, not to just come and experience it, but to come and become part of it.  HE has chosen me to come here, to a world very different from my own, so that I can share the gifts He has given me with my team and the local people here.  Just writing these words becomes a very surreal experience for myself and I am thankful to share this moment with you all.  I am humbled by the Lord’s invitation to continue serving in this place that I genuinely call home. As it is a full-time commitment, I need to make a longer visit home to raise the remainder of the resources and monthly support needed to be ministering at this capacity.  I praise God because with the partners in ministry that I have walking with me today, 35% of my funds are raised.  I pray that you too, would accept the Lord’s invitation to walk with me through my journey with full time ministry as well.  I have about three weeks left of my Year Out program where I will return for 4-6 months raising the support needed to come back as a full time missionary.  My first intentions are meeting up with supporters like you to discuss our partnership and what that may look like coming into a longer scope of ministry. I will soon be in contact with all of you individually, to prepare time for us to sit down in the month of August to catch up and explore the opportunities that the Lord has before this ministry. The support goal for full-time ministry almost doubles where I now need to maintain $3,140 in monthly gifts.  Although the number may seem a bit overwhelming for us, yet it so small in comparison to the Lord and He has this ministry in His hands where He will indeed provide.  I am praying for more supporters to join the ministry in prayer and financial support at $500, $200, and $100 a month. If you feel led to give an additional financial gift or join me in monthly support, please visit the following link to give:     http://www.uwm.org/give/ To give by check, please make your check payable to United World Mission and be sure to include a separate note indicating that you are giving to the missionary, Erik Cole.  You then can send the check to the following address: United World Mission PO Box 602002 Charlotte, NC 28260-2002 Lastly, you also can give by phone by calling the following number: 704-357-3355 I praise God for the beautiful team of ministry partners that He has called together to support this ministry.  I praise Him for you kindness, prayer, support, and the encouragement that you have all showed me through this year of growth.  Although this experience hasn’t always been full of sunshine and roses, God has shown me His goodness through learning obedience, perseverance, and understanding that He has called us and has come so that we may have life, and have it to the full(John 10:10). Thank you for your time and prayerful commitment to this ministry. Many Blessings, Erik Cole

June Ministry Update 2014

Saludos from Mexico!! Hello Ministry Partners and greetings from me and my new Avance Summer team! I am very pleased to be writing to you all after the storm of training, orientation, and all other transitions have been made here in Mexico City.  It feels great to have such a big team in full swing here and it is great to see the new participants' confidence/language/etc. growing in this culture that is so new to them! Thank you for praying for the preparation process, which took almost the entire month of May to get completely ready for the participants.  We had many church visits, meetings with pastors, and great meals with the families who are now hosting these participants.  After all that hard work is done it was great to see the new participants transition into the culture and start their own journeys, like I had done way back in September. The summer ahead of our team as leadership will be challenging as we will be serving as facilitators through this cross-culturally learning process as well as coaches/mentors for the new Avancistas to help process the experience that they have been dropped into.  Please pray that all of us can be great ambassadors for Christ in this season for all of the local Mexican churches and ministries!

Preparing a warm "Bienvenidos" to our Summer Participants. New friends to the ministry that I am excited to mentor these two months!! Summer Leaders taking a "siesta" from the week long training in Kikoten.

As my last email had mentioned, the past season really allowed  me to trust in Christ and learn that He truly is in complete control not only of my ministry but of my life as well.  Just as the new participants of Avance have seen God be so faithful in their needs while preparing to get here, I too have experienced how God proved himself to me the past couple months.  This has given me the confidence to consider this ministry of mine as a full-time career and is a very exciting opportunity.  I ask that you please keep this in your prayers as I walk through the tail end of the year out here in Mexico City! Since we are walking into a season that requires myself and the other YearOutters a lot of energy, wisdom, and patience, I ask for you to pray with me for the following: -That we feel energized & filled by the Spirit while guiding us while pouring into others. -That the students who have just arrived can be passionate for this country & city. -That the Lord's will can be shown to me more clearly as I wrap up my first year. -Wisdom and guidance from the Lord as we are mentoring these young adults. -That a few individuals that are here now may be called to experience  the year out. I often send my own prayer requests and I am so incredibly blessed by that.  I want to be able to bless you the same, so please, if you have any prayer request please send them to me via email at erikhamiltoncole@gmail.com I praise God for you all who are reading this email and rejoice in the ministry partners that the Lord has led to this ministry.  Thank you for you prayers and constant support while I am serving on ground here in Mexico City. Many Blessings, Erik Cole!

May Ministry Update 2014

Hello Ministry Partners! Thank you all so much for your prayer during my time back in the United States for my support trip!   It has been a very blessed time where I had the opportunity to meet with partners like you, numerous small groups, and new brothers and sisters in Christ to share the vision of our ministry.  I am very excited to give you all a more in depth idea of how the Lord was working in the past few weeks in a blog to come in the next couple of days!

As stated in the last email sent out, I had the goal of $3,200 to raise and I am very pleased to share with you all that our faithful God has provided 80% of what was needed!! I am confident that the remaining $700 of the needed support will come in before the end of May as many connections have been made.  I also ask that you all prayerfully consider helping with this remainder with a special gift this month!  To give directly online, you can visit the following link: http://www.uwm.org/give/ I definitely have learned a significant amount from the Lord in this season back in the United States and I am more confident than ever before that He is in complete control of this ministry!  I am very excited to share this with you all as I publish my next blog so please stay posted for that to come soon!  I will be stepping on a plane heading straight to Mexico City in just about 12 hours! So please pray with me for a safe flight and smooth transition back into the Mexican culture. Once again, I praise the Lord for an awesome team of loving partners that want to advance God’s Kingdom and I am thankful that I get to share this experience with you all.  As an encouragement this week, I will end on this note and pray that this scripture can speak volumes to you as it did to me these past few weeks:   Who is among you that fears the Lord, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. Isaiah 50:10     Celebrating in our Father’s Eternal Love,   Erik

April Ministry Report 2014

Hello Partners in Ministry!

Thank you for your prayers in this season of jumping back into the support raising saddle!  As mentioned in the last email sent out to you all, there was a risk of having to return to the States to bring the support levels of my ministry back up.  With very short notice, the Lord indeed has called me back for a few weeks to seek out more partners to join us in ministry.
 
I have just arrived in Green Bay and will be here until the 10^th of May.  Please join me in prayer as I seek out the needed $3,200 that my ministry needs to get back on ground in Mexico.  Again, I ask that you all to prayerfully consider giving an additional gift this month to help me with these needs.
 
If you feel led to make a gift, please visit my giving link on the United World Mission website:  http://www.uwm.org/content/Donate
 
While here in the States, I will be making visits to churches, small groups, and sharing the vision of my ministry with other potential partners.  Please join me in prayer as we walk forward together in this season that the Lord has presented to cast a vision of how His presence is alive and moving through the Federal District of Mexico.

Also, this is a great opportunity to get in touch with those of you in Wisconsin and I would love to sit down with you to share how ministry is growing in Mexico City.  So please contact me before I leave if you wish to meet up!
 
Thank you again for your partnership and prayer that keeps this ministry walking alongside the Lord amongst so many Mexican people.
 
Much Blessings,
Erik

Delighting in the Lord and Listening to His Voice

Hello Ministry Partners and Warm Greetings from Mexico City!

Next week will be the two month mark upon my return to Mexico.  The last 7 weeks back in our neighboring country has been incredible as the Lord’s presence has been very clear in our ministry.  I praise God for his provision in the advances of the ministry where I have come into very special relationships with the youth of my church and been assigned pretty heavy projects in my other ministry.  

As the second term with Avance started, we had decided to re-route my ministry involvement with the campus ministry, Compa, with assigning me to build up the young leaders in my church.  The past weekend I helped organize an outing with the young adults group where we all went out together to get tacos and grab a coke.  It was a great ministering opportunity as all members of the group were able to get to know each other a bit better outside of the Sundays that we have together in the church.  I am hoping to do that every other weekend because the other Sundays out of the month, I go back with some of the young adults from the group and have dinner at their house to get to know their families as well.  I am very thankful for these ministry opportunities because it is just what the Lord has shown me as I made the commitment to Avance last year at this time.  This has turned out to be a much better fit as I am able to meet with some young men weekly and also unify the group all together.

Amongst these meetings during the week, I also mentor a young man David who is 19 years old.  David is very curious about knowing the Lord however has a handful of doubts, so although He is not a follower of Christ at this moment, I am stepping him through an inductive Bible study of the book of Mark.  However, the Lord has his hand on this relationship because ever time we meet, I see the desire in his eyes to know the Lord personally and we are slowly taking down great walls together, preparing his heart for whats to come.  Please be praying for David as we continue to walk together in discipleship.

Another praise is the work being done with Milamex.  In late January, I had the opportunity to head out to Tuxpan, Veracruz, to shoot a documentary on a camp that Latin America Mission had started there 20 years ago.  We were able to get some beautiful footage and powerful testimony that describes how our Father has been so good to this camp and the people that come to visit and find God in this place.   Although it was a lot of work, it was a very fruitful experience as I was able to get a glimpse of how the Lord is moving in a completely different part of this country.  Aside from the documentary, I’ve produced a video for Milamex itself, sharing its values and visions and how this ministry works throughout the city.  It was premiered at an event of 400 people, where afterwards other pastors and other leaders came forward asking if I could provide the same services for their own churches and ministries.  I am humbled to see how the Lord is using the skills that I have been equipped with to make a bigger impact on the Kingdom and the ministries in Mexico City.  I have found that skills like these are not very common in the area and its an affirmation of where He has me at the moment!

My work with the William Carey International University has been difficult this semester as I am taking a few more credits than last.  Although it is challenging, the Lord has been opening my eyes up to the significance to being cross-culturally trained to serve and develop ministries internationally.  The primary focus of this semester is the Old Testament and I am discovering what missions looks like from the perspective of the book of Genesis along with developing Christian leadership by studying the book of Micah in Spanish.  Reading and writing my papers in Spanish has been an experience to slowly appreciate haha however, I am super thankful for how God has given me the gift to process this language quickly and efficiently.  Once I came back, I was shocked by how much faster I was speaking and writing in the language -Praise the Lord once again because I am comfortable with saying that I am pretty much fluent in the language now!

One last thing to report is the spiritual attack that I went through last month.  Thank you for your prayers as they were very much appreciated and helped me keep close to the Holy Spirit.  On February 7th, the Lord had delivered news that I wasn’t expecting and has changed the course of my life for the next year.  With that call, came spiritual warfare as I would be continuing to work directly in our Mighty God’s Kingdom.  Although I would love to start my life working with the Latino people in the inner cities of the United States, God had told me that this is where I need to be for the time being before that happens.  With that I have committed to another year down here in Mexico City to better know the Latino identity and continue learning how to effectively think and communicate myself in the Spanish language as I know that this is what the Lord is leading me to do back in the states long-term.  

I will continue to serve with Latin America Mission but in September I will be switching from serving with Avance to being a Independent Missionary working with a ministry that serves both the Mexican people and also international travelers that visit this amazing city.  Aside from living and working in the hostel, I will also be continuing with all of my current ministries that I am active with now.  My contract will be extended to August of 2015 where I will be serving in an international hostel, and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through me to touch lives of people from around the world.  

With that, my prayer is that the Lord can prepare me well for the year ahead and that I can trust in His provision.  Along with this commitment, I will be needing to prayerfully seek out additional monthly partners to support this ministry and God’s movement in Mexico City.  I pray that you will considering walking with me in this ministry after August into my second year of ministry and I look forward in getting in contact with each one of you soon to share the vision of this second year in Mexico.

Before I can start preparing for the following year, there are certain needs of the ministry that is needed as soon as possible.  The ministry has dipped below its reserve in support where I no longer have the minimum needed in my account to stay afloat.  Although I have monthly supporter giving each month, there is a minimum of $3000 to keep in my account until the last two months of my contract.  As a ministry, we are $2500 short of our balance goal at the moment.  Also, I am praying for this semesters tuition to be covered which is a total of $750.  

It is difficult to support raise and serve in the same moment, so another prayer request is that you would join me in prayer for these resources.  I encourage you to consider reviewing your months budget to see if there is any extra space to give to this ministry.  Please contact me if the Lord is leading you to give an extra gift this month.  

To give right now, you can visit the following link:
http://www.uwm.org/content/Donate

Thank you all for your prayers, letters, encouragement, and participation with this ministry.  Although it may be nerve-wracking at times to anticipate what the Lord has in store for us, I am very thankful to continue living here in Mexico City and making an impact amongst the youth of this country.  Please know that I am always available to make time to meet with you guys on Skype to pray together, discuss ministry, and to catch up, so please feel free to get in touch if desired!  Thank you again for everything that you are doing for this ministry and God Bless!

-Erik

Finding Complete Fullness in the Father

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

 John 1:16

Getting a glimpse of His complete fullness is a moment so joyous yet so overwhelming.  Upon my return to Mexico City, I have found God has met me here with many answered prayers and a sense of awe falls over me as I walk deeper into this season of growth and cross-cultural ministry, which has been one more blessing of those described in the scripture above.  My prayer for this semester was that I could jump right back into the culture with little lag as possible.  I was afraid that three weeks away from my new home would result in lack of words at times or maybe a reprieve of small waves of culture shock.  However, He is good in the fact that the transition back has resulted in the most joyous and exciting time spent here in Mexico thus far!  As part of this prayer, I also had asked the Lord to encourage me to be intentional with my ministry placements and relationships.  I think an obstacle that was keeping me from this desire in the Fall was that of maneuvering the language well enough to make those intentional connections.  At times it was difficult, however He has renewed my perspective on communicating and identifying with the people of this country.

As we started this week, we had two new members join our Avance Team this week and with that comes orientation.  We as returning Avancistas had been asked to facilitate small things here and there but to also participate in recognizing what God has called us to do here.  Today we had a moment to worship and enjoy the presence of the Lord.  In that time, it dawned on me that not everyone is called to Mexico City and that His writing for our lives is so unique that He has called me to be one of five people to participate in this particular program during this particular year.  His planning is so divine in such a way that He had provided particularly hard experiences the first time around here in D.F., only to have me realize how well it has prepared ministry experiences for the time to come.

I have learned what ministry looks for me the coming five months and His goodness is felt through and through as it starts to begin.  With my move back, I have been placed with a new family and a new church.  I have been asked to work specifically with this new church in efforts to build up the faith of the young believers of my age.  The emotion I feel inside while writing this blogpost cant be described in just a few paragraphs because this opportunity is exactly what the Lord had shown me many many months ago when I committed to serve with Latin America Mission and the Avance Program.   While working with my new church, I will come into discipleship with many of the young men and also use tools I have been equipped with to better equip the youth of this church as well.  Turns out that I will be spearheading small groups to teach an inductive study approach of the Bible to these young adults.  This is a large and extensive opportunity ahead of me that will take much time, intentionality, vulnerability, and faith as this kind of role is rather inexistent amongst this age group of our church.  Please pray that this part of my ministry work can flourish as 70% of Mexico’s population is under the age of 27 and it is this age group that has the potential of truly reviving the truth of the Gospel in Mexico.

The Lord has been so faithful with this ministry and I thank the individuals that are part of this movement through prayer, encouragement, and finances.  In retrospect, I see the glory in all of the ups and downs experienced last semester in order to effectively grow into deeper relationships this time around.  I can take these experiences into the next chapter as my life soon becomes very busy. I ask for prayer that I can trust that He is my sustainer, that during my studies with William Carey International University, my ministry placements, and raising support, and also that He will be there to comfort me and answer my cry of prayer. 

Friends, family, ministry partners, and everyone in between, I pray that you can experience the same joy that is found in my heart that comes directly from the Lord and his provision in your homes as you start 2014!  If you are curious in joining me in ministry, please contact me via email at erikhamiltoncole@gamil.com ! 
Also, there are ministry needs to be met (around $2,500) and I am prayerfully seeking new supporters who are able to give, whether it is through monthly support or one-time gifts. Please pray about this opportunity and if you are able to give financially to this ministry, please visit the following link to donate: http://www.uwm.org/content/donate

Once again I am sending gratitude from Mexico City for all of the support that you have shown this ministry.  I praise God for this opportunity to serve at the capacity that I am and that you too can praise Him for the blessings in your lives as well.

-Erik!