News from Martha (Saint) Berberian
September 25, 2013
When you expect great things for yourself or others, you are setting forces in motion that work toward producing those great thinga. – Bruce Larson
Dear friends,
Since moving from Topeka, Kansas to Guatemala in 1977, God has given us abundant ministry, most of it related to training national leaders and pastors. My part has been in teaching and preparing course material, which developed into a small publishing ministry, with 100,000 books published since 1983.
As to our family, we have three children, each of them happily married, and with four children each. Steve and family live in Houston, Texas (he is a medical doctor). Susy and family live in Haiti, where her husband works with American Friends Service Committee. Lisa and family live in Guatemala; her husband is a businessman and she teaches at Christian Academy of Guatemala where her children go to school. Our three children got together in July in Guatemala (in the foto the children are Susy’s).
MINISTRY OF TEACHING. Teaching twice a week in the School of Theology brings a sense of fulfillment, investing in the ministry of the students. Ricardo Perez is a Baptist pastor and is 83 years old! (front left in foto). His wife studies with him. Sam is the Dean of theology at Universidad Panamericana. These students study on Saturdays; the other group studies on Thursdays. Now in the third trimester, I am teaching the course Education and Development, with a total of 55 students in two groups. My goal is to develop solid Christian educators, using my book: The Education of the child, the youth and the adult. I use my kitchen table to correct papers, with pictures of my students propped up in front of me.
PUBLISHING BOOKS IN GUATEMALA. I dedicate barely a fourth of my time to writing, publishing and distributing books. Right now there are 18 titles in the catalog, and about 160 books are sold each month. Only two are in English: Majorette to Missionary, and Mystery of Stained Glass. Several books are available on www.Amazon.com. You can see the complete catalog on www.edicionessaber.wordpress.com
FREDERICK CROWE INSTITUTE. We established this school in 1989 when we found out that 60% of the pastors in Guatemala have not completed high school. Many pastors have graduated and gone on to the university. This year we have 143 students, 97 teenagers in the weekday program, and 46 adults in the Saturday program. 40% need a sponsor because they are from extreme low income families. We invite you to sponsor a student, giving $35 dollars a month for 10 months, thus helping a student to pull himself up out of poverty. As Prov. 3:27 says: “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.”
Jesus said to him: “All things are possible to him who believes.” Thank you for your gifts and prayers that make our ministry possible.
Yours because of Calvary,
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