Category Archives: Levanta la Voz

April 2024 Newsletter

KAREN AND LATIN AMERICA, SPAIN, INDIA, AND THE GOOD OLD USA!

Praise God for His provision and ministry direction in February and March!

As you know, in my ministry I train leaders to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to sexual abuse. I do this through 4 different organizations: the safety team of our mission board WorldVenture, ESEPA Seminary in Costa Rica, the Child Safety and Protection Network (CSPN), and my own Levanta La Voz.

Thank you to Paradise Bible Fellowship Church for the provision and opportunity to do a one-day workshop to train your staff and volunteers in February. It was a joy to spread the word for the first time in our sending denomination and with the community that has welcomed us so warmly!

Thank you to Woodlyn Baptist Church for their generous donation that made it possible for me to complete my March ministry trip to Spain with CSPN. CSPN provides child safety training for international Christian workers: missionaries and staff of Christian schools overseas. This unique demographic is more vulnerable and has unusually complicated response situations, so it is a challenge for us to invent appropriate methods and get the training done. I do various projects with CSPN, several of which necessitated my involvement in their annual conference in Spain last month. I took a training which I will be teaching in July in Indianapolis, began working with the team that will revise the same training over the next year, and attended the conference. These photos show 3 other projects I worked on there: I recorded videos for a project I co-wrote that will provide safety training for thousands of Christian workers overseas, did a presentation at the conference on a monthly training I manage, and met various times with teammates from WorldVenture.

 

 

PLEASE PRAY!

Karen’s upcoming ministry at the Woodlyn Baptist Church ladies’ retreat April 26-28.

* Pray for Gary’s Spanish-language evangelistic/discipleship group in Chester PA, they meet every other Tuesday night. So far three non-Christians have come out!

* Gary is finishing the SUN edition of Bible Stories. Click LINK to see them in English. They are open-source, so download and use them as you like!

FINANCIAL PICTURE: Two new churches have picked us up for support! Thanks to Paradise Bible Fellowship Church (where we attend) and Stony Lane Baptist in Rhode Island. Will 20 individuals pray about supporting us at $50/month? JUST TAP HERE!

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Filed under Bible, Costa Rica, ESEPA, Gary Shogren, Karen Shogren, Levanta la Voz, Missions

GARY IS A PROFESSOR! WILL HE “DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST”?

God willing, yes!

My dream?

Over the last 3-4 years I have had a very specific dream: to start an evangelistic/discipleship small group for Spanish-speaker, as a side ministry, once we were relocated in the US.      



North Chester Baptist in Chester PA has recently invited me to do this very thing. There are 9000 Hispanic people within a couple of miles of the church. After prayer and consideration, I said Yes, and we plan on starting February 13 under the banner: “Come and Get to Know Jesus!”
 
What is the plan? We will be meeting on Tuesday nights, every other week, for an hour, entirely in Spanish: to study selected passages from Mark’s Gospel; to meet the needs of people who come: from introducing them to the gospel for their very first time, to inviting believers to a deeper discipleship and Bible study.

 “Why, Gary, bring this up now? Why not wait until it’s actually up and running?”
 
Good question, and one I have mulled over.

A. I could wait a few months and give an “after” report on what is happening

B. I could tell you a couple of weeks “before” we start, and tell you what I hope will happen

Scenario A – would be a request that you give thanks to God.
Scenario B – would be a request that you pray for the group before it even exists
 
I opt to ask you to PRAY NOW, BEFOREHAND. And also give thanks later.
 
What is my hope? For people to come to know Christ; to bring their friends; to grow in Christ; to integrate members into North Chester or another church. And very specifically – I do not believe in mystical numbers, nor in “ordaining” reality. I am simply using the number 12 to give direction to my prayer: “Lord, in faith I ask that 12 people turn out.”
 
Will you talk with the Lord? And mention the number 12? Many thanks!
 
PLEASE PRAY!

  • Gary and Karen have just started a new academic year with ESEPA Bible College and Seminary
  • Karen will be attending an international conference on the theme of her work
  • Gary is now working on editing the New Testament for deaf non-readers – he’s up to Acts!

FINANCIAL PICTURE: Our major church donor has ended its support, but a couple of other churches are coming forward. Will 20 individuals pray about supporting us at $50/month? JUST TAP HERE!

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Filed under Bible, Costa Rica, ESEPA, Gary Shogren, Karen Shogren, Levanta la Voz, Missions, New Testament, WorldVenture

Christmas 2023 Newsletter

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Filed under Bible, Costa Rica, ESEPA, Gary Shogren, Karen Shogren, Levanta la Voz, Missions

August 2023 Newsletter

Prayer requests

Health issues

· Karen’s full recovery from Covid without additional complications and that Gary doesn’t contract it

· Medical testing Karen has scheduled at the end of Aug

Karen’s ministry focus

· teaching her program at ESEPA Seminary through early October

· Zoom workshop with Spanish pastors in Costa Rica on Aug 28

Gary’s ministry focus:

· Finishing last book of SUN Old Testament consistency check

· ESEPA courses

Upcoming US speaking engagements

August 20—10:15am Gary will be preaching at Paradise Bible Fellowship Church (no ministry presentation)

August 27  – 10:30am at Christ E Free Church, Lehighton, PA

September 17—Calvary Baptist Church, Riverhead, NY

We still have Sept 10 and 24 available, so if you are interested in having us come give a ministry update, please let us know!

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Filed under Bible, Costa Rica, ESEPA, Gary Shogren, Karen Shogren, Levanta la Voz, Missions, Sexual abuse, WorldVenture