Missions News
Mission Field
The mission of Heart of Titus Ministries is to enthusiastically GO to overseas churches to strengthen and encourage their leaders and people.
We haven’t posted in a while but it has not been for a lack of activity. Here is a brief summary of what we have been doing lately:
 |
|
| Pat & Tony preaching in street market in Guatemala |
 |
|
| Team (L-R): Chris, Fernando, Rick, Tony and Marcel - Shok is behind Tony |
God just opened another door for our ministry. Pat and I just returned from Guatemala. We went at the invitation of Bart Biddle, who has been evangelizing and planting churches in the mountains there for 15 years.
 |
|
| Tony, Pat, Bart & Wesley |
We started with a 2 days conference with the pastors of those churches on a mountaintop where we prayed together, taught and ministered.
 |
|
| Tony and Pat preaching in outdoor market |
The Lord touched the pastors mightily with an outpouring of his Holy Spirit.
The rest of that week we drove, walked and hiked up mountains to about 6 of their churches over treacherous mountain roads and paths. Thankfully the Lord helped us “not so young guys” overcome the obstacles. We praise God that the fire of the Holy Spirit broke out in most of the churches where we went and the Lord was faithful to heal and touch these wonderful people.
 |
|
| Tony dedicating a baby in Belihu |
Hello everyone, I'm so happy to have a few minutes to write to you to tell you some of the wonderful things we are witnessing our Lord do down here in the last few days. We ministered in a house church on Saturday night and did the same things our Connection group does on Saturday night at the same exact time. First we had food that was cooked in a BIG pot over wood outside, then we had a time of worship, then we shared the Word and ministered to people. Over 40 people crowded into a room 1/3 the size of my great room. We ministered for a long time to people for healing...God healed almost everyone we prayed for. There was such a presence in the room.... so much encouragement, prophetic words, so many good things going on to bless the people.
Chris Korson, Shok Hussain, and Rick Schuessler will be joining me in returning to Ecuador for our first mission trip this year in early February. We will be ministering in the mountains, a great place to be this time of year in Ecuador! While the rest of the country is sweltering with high temperatures and high humidity, we will be enjoying high temperatures under 70ā° F. nearly 2 miles high up in the Andes Mountains.
"without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6
God answers prayer. Jesus saves. That’s the gospel – believe He will and watch how our Lord changes your life! Blessings to you all.
This week I have been reminded how much fun it is to do this ministry. Tonight I was reminded how deadly serious what we do really is. Please pray for Maria and Martha that the Lord will guide them out of the destructive lifestyles they are in. Prostitution, drug addiction, alcohol and even robbery and murder were confessed tonight, by these 2 young ladies not quite 16 years old. Thank God nothing is too hard for Him.
Later that afternoon we ministered at a new church plant in Mapasingue with Pastor Ordonez Mendoza. This church was planted by Pastors William and Marybell Rodriguez, from the church at 9th of October Street. William has become a great new addition to our Heart of Titus Ministry in Ecuador. There were about 50-65 people at this service, and the church was filled with real life. Most of our local Guayaquil HOT team came to the service. I preached on Ephesians 4 about preparing the way of the Lord in our lives, by being “children of the light.” Marcel translated and we had a great response at the altar with the Lord touching many lives in many different ways. Afterwards we ate at Master Pizza, at the invitation of Pastor William, and celebrated Scott’s birthday! Scott celebrated his 33rd birthday serving the Lord as we boarded the plane to Ecuador!
THIS IS A LONG REPORT, WITH MORE TO COME ON WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!
What a joy it is to return home safely from our 1 week long trip of sharing the Gospel in Ecuador. Truly He was with us every day and brought us safely to our homes last Friday. PTL.
.jpg) |
|
| Shok preaching at CEAD, Guayaquil, Ecuador, with Michelle Ubilla translating, and Tony in right corner |
Thank you for all your prayers and support that you gave us in making this trip possible. We spent 5 days of daily non-stop preaching, counseling and sharing the Good News wherever we went. From morning till afternoon, we were counseling our brothers in Christ, who are getting ready or are ready to become leaders in local churches or in their home groups. Just as Jesus commanded them to go and multiply and share the good word, we also encouraged them to develop themselves and grow and expand His Ministry by the power of the Holy Spirit. God has been doing incredible things in the lives of these disciples and blessing them. At the same time, the enemy has attacked them vigorously, as he cannot stand to see the success and growth they are having. Please keep them in your prayers that they would be of one mind and one spirit. The enemy loves division so we must press in to God, lifting up His standard and live at peace one with another.
At nights, we all went in different directions and visited different churches to preach. Our message was according to Matthew 10: verse 8 ..Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons, freely you received, freely give..
Matt 18:19 & 20 ...Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;
...So everywhere we went, we shared this message. PTL Amen As a result, we had many salvation's, many healing's; including one man who came in a wheelchair and left walking, one lady who came could not walk and had to come forward with two people holding her, she got healed and walked on her own. I prayed with a 6 year old boy who wanted to give his life to Jesus. We prayed many prayers for re-commitments, and restorations among young families. Pastor Tony had an entire family come and repent, ask for forgiveness and gave their lives to Jesus ( The father had 4 adult children in a state of turmoil and they left with weeping, crying and hugging each other).
So you see what our God did and it was amazing to be used by Him. The key is being obedient and to yield ourselves willingly saying "Lord what can I do for you today?" and He will guide you with delight. Amen
I could write pages but I would recommend that you visit our Blog page at www.clermontconnection.org or check out the Facebook pages of www.Heartoftitus.org or the website and read the step by step details of what the Lord did. God continues to do a GOOD WORK in me as well, conforming me into His likeness daily, I am so grateful for His mercy and grace. Glory to God!
Again thank you for all your prayers and support. Abundant blessings be yours as you serve the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind & body.
We are happy to be back home! Em and I got home about 6 p.m. tonight after getting only 2 hours sleep last night. We ministered until after midnight then it took us about an hour to get back to where we were staying.
Last night I let Alex, who is the fiance’ of Em’s translator Merari, give the altar call. At least 7 or 8 people responded for salvation. We then went out to pray for the people and there was no small number of healings, deliverances and slayings in the Spirit. Our team was moving in the prophetic as well, especially blessing and encouraging the leaders.
Here's a good story. Em and I were praying for the music team, 3 women. When we got to the one in the middle, Emily said to her, "Aren't you the woman who gave the interpretation to the tongue the last time we were here?" The woman remembered, and then began to get very emotional. As we prayed for her she calmed down and then she began to speak in a tongue, and then gave the interpretation of the tongue, which was a word of encouragement for the church. She later told Emily through her translator that when Emily asked that question she heard her ears pop.
We also had the privilege of seeing a teen age girl who used to have thick glasses. Emily prayed for her to be healed 3 years ago and now we saw that she doesn't wear glasses anymore. Jesus is awesome!
We also got to meet Elias. Elias is 7 months old and is the first child borne to the assistant pastor's wife Gisenia. One of the members of our prophetic team who visited their church in November 2008 prophesied that she would have a baby even though they had been trying without any success. She told me that he even prophesied what season of the year the baby would be born. She is a very happy lady!
Encouragement. Hope. Miracles of love. What a blessing to be able to watch these miracles of love happen. And then to realize that God has allowed us to be some of the catalyst for what happens... it blows me away.
Thanks to all of you who partner with us as team members, or hold down the fort while we go, or pray for us, or who contribute financially, or do whatever you can to help. We are all a team, united in purpose, united in bringing the love of Jesus to the nations.
How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! ...For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. from Ps. 133
It's Monday and I have the day off! We had a very intensive weekend of ministry and we all need the break. Yesterday morning we went to a church of about 150 called Roca Eterna. It was a tremendous time in the Holy Spirit. Probably 8 or 9 salvations, many filled with the Spirit and quite a few healings. After 3.5 hours the pastor invited his leaders up for ministry and the 4 of us prayed for each one of them, the Lord gave prophetic words and all were slain in the Spirit. We then met with our team of pastors and their wives for lunch and that went very well. There was a lot of honest conversation which amazed me since it had been 3 years since we have seen our friends here.
Fernando and I split up and did 2 different services at night, and we had more of the save. Pastor Max and Nelly were so impressed with Fernando's teaching on marriage and the family that they invited him to come back and do more. Emily and I were at Jesus the Good Shepherd Church a couple of miles away in the same district. Emily shared a picture she had of Jesus the Good Shepherd; she descended from the pulpit and showed the picture to each of the 100 or so people in the service. As with every time she spoke, she oozed love and compassion, and was incredibly effective at communicating the whatever message the Lord put in her heart. She then went with Pastora Aurora and ministered to the kids; they did all kinds of dramas and things for her.
I preached about being trained by the Holy Spirit to do the work of the ministry. I gave a call for people to help the pastors reach their neighborhood for Christ, people who would sacrifice, prepare themselves, study and learn of the Lord so that they could be trusted with ministry. Eventually most of the people came forward, and after a while of "soaking" we began to pray. The Lord was giving gifts of His Spirit. We also had 5 or 6 salvations... just beautiful times in the Lord.
Afterward we went up to the 3rd floor of the church and had dinner with the pastors and some of the leaders.By the time we got back to our apartment it was after midnight.
Tonight we are all going to have coffee with Alex and Merari. Merari is one of Emily's translators and Alex is her fiance'. They are an incredible couple. Emily has written on Facebook about Merari's ministry to youth and her feeding programs for poor children. Alex is a wonderful young man who comes to every one of our services that he can, he helps during the ministry times and often is used of the Lord with prophetic words, healings, etc.
More to come...
Ok, so Em and I got here at 5:15 a.m. and its midnight and I'm still awake, I sent a pastor to pick up Fernando and Gardenia at the airport when they got here from Ecuador about 11 this morning. Fernando shows up, says the taxi driver wasn't a pastor, wasn't even a Christian, but he now was! So we hire this guy to take us out to minister tonight. He shows up in his Toyota Corolla with his wife in the front seat. After 15 minutes Fernando led her to the Lord too. The 4 of us sitting in the back seat for 1.5 hours fighting rush hour traffic was a bit much. Gardenia was on Fernando's lap and Em and I were twisted up like pretzels. I told Emily that this trip to Peru was like that taxi ride: uncomfortable but with good fruit.
Tony and Emily are heading back to Lima, Peru. They are going to minister in the churches of our friends in the San Martin de Porres district in the northern part of the city. The highlight of the trip will be a Marriage and Family Conference hosted by the Rose of Sharon Church pastored by Pastors Max and Nelly Garcia.
Fernando and Gardenia Ubilla will be leading the conference with us. They will be coming from their home in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Fernando and Gardenia have a ministry in Ecuador called "Marriage for Life". The Lord has blessed them with a very fruitful ministry, preaching on the topic in their city an average of 4 nights each week.
The conference will be start this coming Thursday night, February 16, and will end on Saturday. The conference will be during the day and then the Nardellas and Ubillas will be free to minister in the churches during the evenings.
Please pray for the strengthening of marriages and healing of wounded hearts. We also pray for a rekindling of the relationships we have had with our Peruvian friends. Finally, pray that the Lord will provide the resources for the marriage booklet and materials we desire to publish, for the lunches we desire to feed the conference participants during the conference, and for the churches of San Martin and surrounding areas to be refreshed and strengthened in the Holy Spirit.
Saving the Best for Last - El Salvador Report
Written by Tony Nardella |
|
| Jarred Bess (R) on a bus full of counselors in El Salvador |
After we concluded we went out to eat with Albert and Juan Antonio and his wife Esmeralda at Pizza Hut to recount the week.
The next day we came home. Overall on this trip I was impressed in the growth of our relationships with the pastors and the churches, with the growth of Jarred and Daniel as ministers, and the growth in the churches through the addition of new souls and strengthening of faith through signs and wonders the Lord allowed us to see. I am still bewildered by why God gives me, of all people, the opportunity to serve Him and walk in His power.
Heart of Titus trip October 11-17, 2011
Here's what happened on Friday and Saturday of their trip:
 |
|
| Daniel (R) with translator counseling woman at Operation Blessing free medical clinic. Many were saved that day |
 |
|
| Pat ministering to pastor after message in a church in San Salvador |
Here is Pat's journal for the next 2 days of this incredible mission to El Salvador last month:
Well it's 12:30am in El Salvador, so I better get some sleep.
Exciting report, and this is just the first 2 days! More of Pat's report to follow in the next day or 2. - Editor's note
October 14, 2011 - Hi all, We are having a great time in El Salvador -- salvations, healing, deliverance, counsel to pastors and filling of God's wonderful Holy Spirit. See the two video testimonies of healing -- one lady's hand didn't work and another man was healed from sever sinus problems. More later.... pat
October 12, 2011 - Well we just completed our first day of ministry in El Salvador, and what a day it was! It started early with our first service at the House of Prayer Church at 9:30am. Daniel Howell and Jarred Bess gave a greeting and did a great job helping me minister at the altar.We enjoyed the two-guitar worship team that played in amazing latin style as we worshiped our Lord Jesus.
After the worship, they had testimony time with many people getting up and sharing what God had been doing in the last few days. Fantastic time! Next we were called to a time of prayer and the whole church kneeled and prayed for about 25 minutes. We walked around and prayed over many. By the time everybody had soaked in prayer, the preaching time was wonderful and I found everyone was engaged and ready to respond to the Holy Spirit's prompting at the altar. Salvation, repentance, filling of the Holy Spirit, deliverance and healing were all part of our time.
Jarred and Daniel both had many people healed, as did I during our prayer time. I got two of those on video testimony. One was a lady who couldn't move her fingers on one hand, and the Lord healed her! The other was a man plagued by very bad sinus problems who was now able to get a full breath. He was excited!
In just a few more days (October 11) Daniel Howell, Jarred Bess and Pat McGuffin will be traveling to El Salvador for the third Heart of Titus Ministries trip there this year. Excitement is mounting for both the North American team and the pastors in El Salvador preparing to receive them.
 |
|
| Street view, San Salvador |
During the exploratory first trip in April Pat and Tony "spied out the land" to
 |
|
| Pat and Tony in San Salvador, April 2011 |
see what opportunities God would open; He opened the doors wide in serving over a three dozen churches.
In July Pat and Tony were joined by Daniel Howell and by Dr. Byron Lopez and his son Marcel from Ecuador. Even though many obstacles were
 |
|
| The El Salvador team: Marcel Lopez, Pat, Daniel, Tony, Dr. Byron Lopez - June 2011 |
encountered, the team once again saw many salvations, healings, deliverances, restoration of marriages, and help to pastors throughout the capital of San Salvador. And again, more doors opened with many other churches and Christian leaders in the nation.
On this upcoming trip, we will be expanding our ministry with dozens of churches who fall under the leadership of Pastor Edwin Stephen Guzman, continue working with the two dozen or more churches under Pastor Juan Carlos Recinos, and reach into many other churches through a new relationship with Alberto Rodriguez who works with the 700 Club and Operation Blessing.
Please be praying for this important missions trip to serve our Lord. May the Holy Spirit show His power for life change to a very needy nation.
We went to "spy out the land." What we found is that Costa Rica is a beautiful country, as we have heard many people tell us. Lush green hills, clean villages, tremendous vistas only begin to tell the story. On the spiritual side 10% to 16% of the population is evangelical. The church appears to be doing well and, as some pastors told me, poised for revival.
I had the privilege of going to Pastor Alejandro Arias' wedding. I first met the new Mrs. Arias, formerly Rebekah Wright, on a Skype call 3 or 4 years ago.
 |
|
| Rebekah with Alejandro to the right after the ceremony |
Alejandro was staying with us for a few days in our old home in Apopka and he had been talking to Rebekah, his Australian girlfriend, nearly every night. So we met her over a Skype video call. Yes, the world is changing! And how incredible is this young man, who at the age of 23 has already preached in over 40 countries, and found a Spanish speaking wife in Perth, Australia. With God all things are possible!
While there we stayed at a hotel with a beautiful view. Not easy to find but worth the effort. To the lower right is the view from the hotel restaurant.
 |
|
| View from Restaurant at Best Western Paradise Inn near San Jose, Costa Rica |
You can see all of downtown San Jose (the capital) and some of the suburbs from this location.
We met some wonderful people. Below is Paul and I in the backyard of a family in a suburb of San Jose called Atenas.
The Alvarez family is just beginning the adventure of starting a home group. The patriarch of the family is named Ricardo. I wish I had a picture of him and his family. We made a strong connection with him and he is asking for our
 |
|
| Paul & Tony near Atenas, Costa Rica |
counsel as they get started. Pray for them that they would prosper in their hearts' desire to feed and care for the sheep.
Another wonderful connection was with Pastor Gerardo Bogantes. A labor lawyer by day and a pastor all the time he has a tremendous burden for bringing unity to the youth of his city. He is planning an event for the youth on New Year's Day 2012 called "Dia Uno" [Day One]. I told him I would pray for this
 |
|
| Pastor Gerardo Bogantes and look at that burger! |
event so if you would also pray for the youth and this event I know he would really appreciate it.
I preached in a couple of churches during this 4.5 day trip. Below is a photo of me preaching in Cartago, about 45 minutes south east of downtown San Jose (but 2.5 hours during rush hour from our hotel!)
That Thursday night in Cartago I preached on "faith without works is dead." I challenged everyone to consider that the evidence of their faith should be works of love and service to God and each other. The Lord touched quite a few that night. One woman was healed of what they call gastritis, another had
 |
|
| Tony preaching in Cartago, Costa Rica |
pain in her bones which disappeared, all in the Name of Jesus. Prophetic words flowed freely and Paul in particular was "spot on" with his words.
I gave a woman a word in Spanish. Paul then, without knowing what I said, gave her nearly the same exact word (I translated for him). She was grateful for the encouragement and edification.
We ate after that service some of the best empanadas ever! The drive home was quite interesting. We followed the pastor and his wife in our rental car. When we got to downtown San Jose about midnight he took us through the center of town -- through the "red light district"! Paul and I couldn't wait to get through there - it was a very long 10 minutes or so.
Sunday morning I preached in Santa Ana, a church planted about 27 years ago by Pastor Jose Luis. Very warm church of 200 or so. I preached on the love and faithfulness of our Father God, starting with his promise in Isaiah 35 to cause streams to flow in the desert.
I didn't give an altar call for salvation but at least one gentleman, the last I prayed for, got both saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. Just before that I prayed for his young wife for healing of pain in her lower abdominal area. When I was done she just smiled. I asked her if the pain was the same, worse or better. She said it was better. I asked her how much better and she said all the pain was gone. I asked her who healed her and she said, "Jesus healed me."
Before I prayed for this couple it broke my heart to pray for so many who were separated from their spouses. One woman was so overwhelmed with grief as we prayed that she just collapsed to the floor crying loudly. So much pain... may God restore these homes!
One of the highlights of the trip, besides hanging out with Paul, was to hang out with Skip Olmstead. Skip and I both serve on Pastor Alejandro's
 |
|
| From right, Paul, Skip and Pastor Alejandro |
ministry board but this was the first chance I had to spend some quality time with him. He's on fire for the Lord. It's so good to meet people who are excited about our Lord and His coming Kingdom.
We had our typical logistical issues. The main roads are very modern but once you get off the highways there are no street signs. Even the locals didn't know their way around that well. For example, I was supposed to preach Sunday night. The pastor sent someone to pick me up at the hotel. He kept calling the front desk asking for directions and then finally called and said he gave up. In his defense we were having a wicked thunderstorm and fog had rolled in over our part of the mountain where I was staying.
I am looking forward to going back and following up on the connections the Lord helped us to make. In a few weeks Pat McGuffin is leading a team consisting of Daniel Howell and Jarred Bess back to El Salvador, our third trip there this year. "Central America is for Christ, and Christ is for Central America!"
To see more pictures of our trip click here.
 |
|
| Shok sharing in Ecuador, Marcel (r) translating. |
We got back last Friday and have been sharing with all our friends about the
trip and writing thank you notes. So now it’s my turn to thank you all for taking
a big part in supporting me with your prayers and helping me defray the cost of my trip. Rest assured it was put to good use. Thank you for all you did and in making it possible for me to go.
The trip was a great success and an eye opener. We had taken one suitcase of clothes, hygiene products, toiletries, medicines, eye glasses, books, CD's
 |
|
| Dr. Byron ministering at free medical clinic in Orquideas, Guayaquil, Ecuador |
Our team consisted of Pastor Tony, Pastor Chris and Lionel from our Church and myself). Our schedule was very hectic and we were ministering two or three places per day and hopping from place to place. We were based out of Guayaquil, Ecuador (pop. 3 million) big city and we were guests of an Evangelistic Church there, we were taken care very well, driven everywhere and fed with open arms and a lot of love. We visited a Medical Clinic on Saturday, where a team of doctors (4 of them) were seeing patients and writing prescriptions which the Pharmacy would give them free and if any one needed prayer we would pray with them and minister with them. I think there were about 300 people that day including children. We also had 29 salvations that day PTL.
.jpg) .jpg) |
|
| Shok, Tony & team praying for lady on radio in Guayaquil |
Everywhere we went, we would preach the Gospel, I gave my testimony and Pastor Tony and Chris had a wonderful message for the people and then we ministered with an altar call and dozens would come forward for salvations, recommitments, healings and that God would use them. People were hungry for the Holy Spirit and for the Fire of God and we prayed as the Lord led us. There were many healings that took place. One lady came to the Radio station and got healed and left her cane there and walked by herself freely when she left, another got healed and felt better as she left. People were released of demons and twisted backs were healed. We have many stories to tell but I urge you to go to www.heartoftitus.org web page and click on Ecuador report for more details and there are some pictures.
This report was posted by Tony Nardella on August 28, 2011:
I am writing this on the flight from Panama to Orlando with Shok and Lionel across the aisle and Chris across the aisle behind them. Here’s what happened in the last few days, working back from right now.
Just a few hours ago we were at the Guayaquil airport with Fernando, Byron, Leonora, and other faithful members of our team. We had some fun at the airport - the guys who had lugged our bags to the ticket counter were
 |
|
| Chris, Shok & Fernando helping to sort gifts for the churches & poor |
surprised when they heard me speak in Spanish to the attendant. I saw an open door so I told them about how the Lord gave me the gift of better Spanish 6 years ago. It turned out they were both evangelical Christians who go to a Baptist church in Guayaquil. They were impacted that the Lord gave me that gift.
Intrigued, the attendant behind the Copa Air counter then asked me about who we were and what were had been doing there. I told her about the incredible miracles our team had seen this trip, including the lady who got healed of all of her bone pain, threw away the cane and danced before the Lord before the service was over. The attendant was quite excited, said she was very sick and needed help so I not only told her about the Evangelistic Center of Guayaquil and Pastor Loor but took her hand at the counter and prayed for her to be healed in the powerful name of Jesus. She was visibly affected, and we exchanged contact information so she could know when we were going to return to Guayaquil.
.jpg) |
|
| Team ministering to woman at radio station in Guayaquil |
We had a fun time at the large “Indian” market downtown before we went to the airport. We were working with Christian vendors and the ones we bought most of our stuff from were 2 guys, father and son. We prayed for them right there in their booth, especially for the son to reconcile with the Lord and get back to church. We also prayed for his 1 year old son at his request. We then went to another Christian vendor and one sister asked us to pray for healing for her other sister. We prayed and I don’t know if she got healed but she was crying. I remember praying for the Lord to take all the hurts in her heart away.
The night before ended with a great pizza party at Pastor William’s church downtown at 9 de Octubre and Tulcan for all of our ministry members and friends of the ministry. We probably had about 35 people there and many of us exchanged gifts. I am so thankful of the love of this group and their faithfulness for all these years. I think of Pastor Miguel and his wife Judy, now about 80 years old, with whom we have been friends for 13 years. We are rich in friendships and in the love of God as expressed through his people.
 |
|
| Lionel preaching with Dr. Byron A. translating |
That night I had preached on marriage and gave my testimony of how the Lord rescued Emily and I from matrimonial disaster many years ago. Lionel was with me and had shared a short but profound anecdote about how he learned during his early years to serve the Lord with his wife of 47 years, Earline. He described his relationship with her and the Lord as a triangle with the Lord at the top. As they each grew closer to the Lord they grew closer to each other!
Many couples had come to this meeting for marriage ministry. After we spoke we invited people to come forward if they wanted prayer for their marriage to be better, and especially for restoration and reconciliation. Many couples came forward and many couples were restored with tears through forgiveness of each other and repentance from hurting one another.
Dr. Byron and Leonora were there and during the altar ministry they had a powerful time. Chris and Shok ministered to Freddy’s Medicine in Christ group that evening. They also had a powerful time in the Holy Spirit with many healings and fillings of the Spirit. One gentleman was there who the team had prayed for on Monday night.
That afternoon we had driven back from Cuenca, a beautiful city about 1.5 miles high in the Andes Mountains. We saw absolutely beautiful vistas. We left Cuenca about 11:30 that morning after visiting Bolivar Ramon’s CLIF foundation where he runs an after school program. We then went up to
 |
|
| Canopy of clouds blocked by Andes Mountains near Cuenca |
Turin, which is the place where you can get a vista of the whole city at one time. Up there I had great conversations with a couple of the pastors from the city. They graciously invited our team back to the city to minister.
While in Cuenca I spoke with Pastor Alicia about our service at her church the night before. At that service our whole ministry team of 9 people shared. That included Leonora sharing 15 minutes about prayer. We talked about how the variety of people from different callings and countries helped demonstrate God’s desire for the church to work together, with everyone expressing their spiritual gifts and talents, even though the team is comprised of people from different cultures, genders, age groups and walks of life.
It was an interesting message the Lord had me give to the church. I shared about my childhood and my relationship with my father. I brought in Hebrews 11:6 and spoke about how true faith expects God to reward us because we know deep in our hearts that God is a Rewarder. The Lord moved in power in that service, with all team members praying with great anointing. Many were filled with the Spirit and/or healed. I remember praying
.jpg) |
|
| Lionel & Eric, then Chris, ministering at Evangelistic Center of Guayaquil (CEAD) |
with one couple who forgave one another, reconciled and embraced in tears right there in the church. I also remember seeing Leonora and Gardenia praying with some young sisters for inner healing regarding the abandonment of their father. Horrible as it is, everywhere we go we find women and children who have been abandoned by their fathers/husbands and are suffering intense emotional and financial pain. Thank God for Jesus, who came to “bind up the broken hearted” and give us a “garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness.” Isa. 61.
Earlier that day we arrived from Guayaquil and had a late lunch with Pastora Alicia and a couple that had recently been saved. Another old friend of ours, Pastor Bolivar Ramon, showed up and we had a great long discussion together.
Our trip to Cuenca only took about 3 hours. The last time I was there about 5 years ago it took 5 1/2 hours. Thank God for the improvement in the road.
Tuesday night we were all at CEAD. At the last minute Pastor Loor asked me to preach the main service but I felt as if Chris should give the word. So I shared for a while during the greeting time, maybe 10 minutes in all but I let Chris share.
Chris gave a short but effective message. He gave an altar call for those who wanted to receive the fire of God. Many hundreds of people came forward – I am so thankful for our experienced Ecuadorian team of ministers who helped us pray for the people’s needs. Many were filled with the Spirit and healed.
Later another altar call for salvation was given. About 10 came forward to receive Christ. Then someone pointed us to a 16 year old teenager laid out on the floor under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He was wearing very tight pink pants and we were told he was a homosexual. He prayed with us to receive Christ and repented of his sins. His father then came to him, forgave him, told him he didn’t condemn him but loved him. The whole family hugged and embraced with tears, including the 15 year old sister who had also given her heart to Christ that night.
Earlier that day we did another hour on the radio during their 50 days of miracles campaign (that was day 40). The previous day we spent 3 hours on the radio, preaching, sharing and praying for the prayer requests that people were phoning in. Each one of our team members, 2 translators, and Pastor Fernando Ubilla were squeezed into a 4x6 studio. We prayed for a woman who showed up at the station with great pain in her abdomen. We prayed for her on the air and she experienced considerable relief from her pain and testified.
After the Tuesday radio time we split up and prayed for workers of different ministries. So we had to split up our team. Where I was nearly all the women were dealing with problems at home, with problems or difficulties in their marriage or just abandonment. Heart breaking.
...he said he had been to the doctor, had blood tests done and that all came back completely normal.
Monday night we were at Pastor William and Pastora Maribel’s church which meets at October 9 street in downtown Guayaquil. The whole team was there and helped pray for everyone, including a man who could hardly talk due to throat cancer. By the time the team finished praying for him he could talk and pray freely. We saw him again on Thursday night and he said he had been to the doctor, had blood tests done and that all came back completely normal. He believed he was totally healed of cancer, and I saw no evidence to disagree with him.
Well, that’s all for now. Our God is an awesome God. He loves his people and proves His love by doing everything within his power to make our lives better. He is clearly a Rewarder to those who diligently seek Him.
What we have seen God do for people in Ecuador he wants to do for you wherever you are. As the Scripture says, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Why don’t you stop and ask Him right now to save you from whatever trouble you are in?
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20.
This has been a trip in the making. Earlier this year Pastors Pat McGuffin and Tony Nardella made a preliminary trip to meet some of the pastors in the city. Now, the three of us have been invited back for a week long opportunity to minister to a number of the pastors and churches in the capital, San Salvador. It's always good to do some research on a place you are about visit. As I went searching through the archives of El Salvador, I learned of its brutal and war-beaten past, the civil unrest, and home of the largest and most violent gang in the world, MS13. A heaviness fell over my heart as I pictured the city cloaked in darkness and haunted by fear. Yet, it is in these darkest hours that often man acknowledges his need of a Savior. Therefore, join us in prayer, that God would be pleased to yet again demonstrate to the people of El Salvador that He is Mighty to Save.
This will be the second trip Daniel Howell is making with Heart of Titus. Daniel went to Ecuador with Pat McGuffin last year. Daniel is an evangelist with a heart for souls, especially young souls. We are glad Daniel is coming with us to lend his gifts and talents on this trip.
We are heading to El Salvador the day after tomorrow. We have been told that 150 pastors will be coming to our breakfast and mini-seminar on Saturday morning. Also, the 3 day conference has been changed to Monday - Wednesday instead of Tuesday - Thursday.
The theme of the conference next week is "Mighty to Save."
17 "The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zep.3:17
Please pray for us, and also if the Lord so leads you to partner with us on the cost of these conferences we would greatly appreciate it.
This week Pat McGuffin is leading a team back to El Salvador. Ā This Saturday morning we have a 3 hour meeting with at least 90 pastors. Ā In the middle of next week, July 12-14, our team will be putting on a 3 day conference with the theme "Mighty to Save."
Pat and I (Tony Nardella) went to El Salvador for the first time in April of this year. While there we could se that the Lord was opening an effective door of ministry for us, so we are happy to return.
Dr. Mateo Moria has arranged these events with the help of Pastor Herman Turcios Hernandez. Ā We are looking forward to seeing the friends we met in April along with meeting new friends there.
Dr. Byron Lopez and his son Marcel from Ecuador will be joining us. Ā Dr. Byron is the teacher of our Heart of Titus team that meets every Monday night. He is prophetic and has traveled with us throughout Ecuador and to Peru in the past.
Marcel Lopez is a 4th year medical student who has been translating for us and for other English speakers visiting Ecuador since he was 17 years old. Marcel is a mighty man of God through with huge faith.
Daniel Howell from here in Orlando is travelling with us as well. This is his second trip with Heart of Titus. Ā He has a burden for souls and has been active with street evangelism. Ā Lately the Lord has been using him more and more prophetically. Ā We are looking forward to him and Marcel ministering to the youth of San Salvador together.
I am a last minute add-on to the trip. I'll be coming back early but I am so glad to be able to return to El Salvador and have an opportunity to be a blessing along with the rest of the team.
Please pray for us that the Lord will give us great boldness and faith, and that the people of El Salvador will be blessed, encouraged and refreshed by the power of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Roberto Rios is coming to Clermont TODAY. He has been at a church conference in Miami and will be coming up to the Orlando area to visit with us for a few days.
.jpg) |
|
| L-R Tony & Emily, Maria & Roberto Rios, Gardenia & Fernando Ubilla, in Santo Domingo, Ecuador |
Pastor Roberto pastors a church in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, a growing commercial center about 6 hours north of Guayaquil at the foothills of the Andes Mountains. He is well known in the area and currently serves as the president of the local evangelical pastors council.
Heart of Titus helps Pastor Roberto and his wife Maria with 2 feeding programs in poor areas of Santo Domingo. Visit the page on Facebook with hundreds of photos of feeding and teaching children by clicking here.
If you would like to visit with Roberto check back here or email us. We are going to try to get a meeting for this coming Monday night.
This video is so good I wanted to post it again:
Dim lights Embed Embed this video on your site
Third Report From Paul, Emily & Tony in Ecuador
Written by Tony NardellaIt is about 1:30 in the morning and we are packing to leave here at about 8 a.m. to start our trip home.There is so much to tell about our trip, we don't have time to write it all down now. But let me tell you just 2 stories that happened tonight:
Second Report from Paul, Emily & Tony in Ecuador
Written by Tony Nardella I wrote most of this starting at 2:20 a.m. Friday morning. We got back here to the "Christian Embassy" about an hour ago. We were at a church in a poor area of Guayaquil. There were about 40 people in church and all 3 of us shared the Word. Emily shared about women of noble character, referring to Ruth. Paul shared about how tired we can get spiritually and how the Lord wants to give us rest. I also shared on that theme and quoted from Matt. 11 where Jesus says, "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." For the altar ministry time after I spoke Emily and I took one side of the room, and Paul and our translator Marcel took the other side and we went out to where the people were standing at their chairs and prayed for each of them there. Emily and I ministered to many women in particular. Quite a few times Emily would just hug them and love on them and the next thing you know they are crying, and filled with the Spirit, even though she wasn't always able to speak Spanish. Paul had a blast, the highlight being that he got to lead 2 people to the Lord! Afterwards I got a chance to speak privately with the pastor about his financial and marital struggles and by God's grace was able to connect him to some practical human resources that are equipped to help him in both areas.
Sunday morning we all travel together to a city about 2 hours north of here called Vinces. Vinces is where our team leader started a home group less than 2 years ago just for teaching about biblical marriage to 9 couples. It grew and grew until they became a church which now has 400 members and over 700 in attendance every Sunday. We will minister there in the morning, then we'll minister to their church leaders in the afternoon, and then on the way back to Guayaquil we will stop at another church plant about 30 minutes north of Guayaquil for an 8 pm service.
Our first ministry opportunity was Wednesday afternoon when we ministered to some of the employees of host church. It turned out that the messages we all shared were right on point with some of the troubles they are facing together that we didn't know about. God is good. That night we ministered in a church meeting designed around improving marriages. Paul shared briefly, Emily shared from 2 Kings 1 about how Bathsheba encouraged the prophet Nathan to speak into her husband's life as a friend (King David) and analogized that to wives today who should encourage their husbands to have godly friends. I then shared on how men have the authority in the home but the authority is to serve and not be served, as Jesus taught in Matt. 20.
A highlight of that Wednesday evening service was the healing of a man born with a congenital birth defect in his back which caused him constant pain.. After some prayer and counsel it was revealed that he had some deep wounds from his childhood in connection with his disability. We then prayed through some of those issues and he got some help, and then the Lord healed his back! All the pain was finally gone after so many years. We serve an awesome God!
It was also a blessing to see the couples who got reconciled that evening. Couples came forward during the invitation to seek help for their marriages. At our urging many asked for and received forgiveness from their spouses for various things they had done to hurt them. It was wonderful to see a couple married for 42 years crying and embracing at the front of the church after asking each other's forgiveness for various issues. Our team also dealt with a younger couple in which the man went forward and repented of adultery. Somehow the wife found the strength after prayer to forgive him. There is so mudh to report, but more on that later..
First Report from Tony, Emily & Paul in Ecuador
Written by Tony NardellaWe arrived late Tuesday night to Guayaquil and were met by most of our team, who as usual warmly greeted us. We caravaned together to the Christian Ćmbassy, where we ate our 4th meal for the day and laughed and conversed til about 2 in the morning. Thankfully we didn´t have to go anywhere until 1:30 in the afternoon so we got some good rest.
Great trip, great reception! But my American cell phone didn´t work and there was no internet where we were staying. So this is our first report 2 days later.
Last night we ministered in the south extension of the main church, CEAD. We tried to find the pastor, Israel Loor (who I remember as a pre-adolescent) who was out street evangelizing but couldn´t connect. So we ministered at his church and preached on marriage since that is what the Wednesday night service there is known for.
I´m told my message was pretty hard and direct and Paul threatened to hold me accountable to it. I´m not worried about him - Emily was there listening too.
Quite a few couples came up for a ´refreshing´ of the Spirit. There were quite a few who forgave each other, hugged and kissed, and reconciled over whatever offenses they had against one another. There was even a couple married 42 years, crying and reconciling, thank the Lord. Paul, Emily, Marcel, Miguel, Fernando, Cesar, Alexandra and others were all ministering with me at the front of the church.
This man then came forward who said all he wanted was more of Jesus. After some prayer he told us that he was in constant back pain due to some defect from when he was born. After some circuitous counseling he got totally set free from some hurts from the past, which then led to his total healing. The first time we prayed he said that he was 90% healed, the second he was totally pain free. Praise the Lord!
Got to go, my ride is here. More to come!
Vacation is Over, Tony & Emily Return to Ecuador
Written by Tony NardellaVacation is now officially over, Tony & Emily are returning to Ecuador after a 2 year hiatus from the mission field. Paul Madison will be joining them on the trip which will be from February 22 to March 1.
  |
|
| Tony & Emily, Pastors Maria & Roberto Rios, and Gardenia & Fernando Ubilla, in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, in September 2007. |
While there they will be ministering in churches and meetings in Guayaquil, the largest city in this country on the west coast of South America. They may also visit other cities such as Vinces, where the Ecuador Heart of Titus team helped to plant a church in the last 2 years which now has over 400 members.
This is a hot and rainy time of year in Guayaquil, which is close to the Equator. If you would like to pray for them before they head out there is going to be a meeting at Tony & Emily's home in Clermont on Tuesday night, February 15. For more information email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
This video was taken at Dios Es Amor Church, and they had a dance team of children that danced during worship. Toward the end of the video there is a lady in a red shirt, it is the same lady God healed of deafness. It is amazing to watch how she worships the Lord. You can see such a hunger in her face. This church was full of people like her, hungry to hear the gospel!
To see the video click here ==> Children Dancing
Pat's Video Testimony of God's Healing Power
Written by Pat McGuffinPat and Marcel at Dios es Amor (God is Love) Church in Guayaquil, Ecuador, sharing about what miracles of healing God has done. Click here ==>
Tonight at Dios Es Amor Church a women who was deaf in her left ear since birth was HEALED by the Lord. After the service we asked her to share her testimony and we had it translated by Marcel. We serve a Living Lord! Praise God for his goodness!
What can I say, it’s been 3 days since we landed in Ecuador. My mind is still trying to catch up with all that has been going on. What a wonderful group of people the Heart of Titus group is, so full of Christ’s love. It astounds me to see the sacrifice and love that they would show to a perfect stranger. They seem to just have a grasp in the fact that we are all brothers and sisters and Christ, regardless of our earthly citizenship.
The first day I was here the Lord challenged me by asking me “how much do you love me?” I felt him prompting me to sacrifice even more. The first service at Centro, Saturday afternoon was amazing. There were about 200 people there and we prayed for about 75 people. God is amazing and he did amazing things that day. Praise the Lord we were able to be part of 12 new souls coming to the Lord. There is nothing that can replace seeing a soul snatched from the grasp of satan and rescued from the pit of hell! We also were able to participate in the Lord healing of a little girl from blindness. Pastor Pat was able to pray over a 5 year old girl who was blind in one eye. Later her mother testified that the Lord had healed her eye! AMEN. We serve a real God, a living God.
Later that night the Lord challenged me to get out of the way and allow him full control of my life. Part of me had been focused on what the Lord was trying to teach me, but I realized that I needed get my flesh out of the way and allow the Holy Spirit to do his work in the people of Ecuador. The Lord really showed me that he loves these people. When I would slow down and look them in the face I could see them with the Love that the Father has for them. It is always a learning process, but I am learning to allow myself to be opened up and be an empty vessel that the Lord can use to do what HE wants to do, to share the message HE wants to share.
It has been great to love on the people of Ecuador and to feel the love of the Heart of Titus group.
Check out these videos from Pat ministering in Ecuador! The first is a short clip of Pat preaching with energy to over 1000 people in downtown Guayaquil:
Dim lights Embed Embed this video on your site
What an impassioned altar call for salvation! Too bad the video doesn't show what happened afterward. If you want Pat and Daniel to tell us what the response was to the altar call, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
The second is a snapshot of praying for people who come forward after the message:
Dim lights Embed Embed this video on your site
I'm not sure this is the Baptist Church in Duran although that's what the title says. Looks like CEAD to me.
Pat and Daniel got home yesterday. We can't wait to hear from them directly the awesome thing our God did for our friends in Ecuador!
Preaching and Teaching in Ecuador - Videos!
Written by Tony NardellaPat and Daniel sent us some videos. This one is of Daniel preaching the gospel in the Guayaquil South extension of the Evangelistic Center of the Assemblies of God (CEAD Sur):
Dim lights Embed Embed this video on your site
And here's one of Pat teaching church leaders at a breakfast last Saturday morning in Vinces:
Dim lights Embed Embed this video on your site
They are on their way home today. We'll have some more videos and testimonies soon.
Healing, Repentance for God's Glory in Ecuador
Written by Pat McGuffinHere's what Pat McGuffin reports from last night:
We had a great night in several ways. The service tonight at the First Baptist Church in Duran went great, with the Holy Spirit moving mightily! Several cool healings and words of knowledge as well as repentance and fresh outpouring of God's Spirit.
The pastor was very encouraged! Our team of the Lopezs, Ubillas, Miguel, Jacquie, Daniel and Marcel did fantastic.
Then we came back to Fernando's house and had an incredible team-building night. Encouragement, ideas flowing, and new people to reach out to were all happening.
Having trouble getting connected to the internet, so forgive the lack of communication.
Many of you were praying for our friends in Ecuador during the recent police strike. We've heard from many of them and wanted to share with you some of their reports and responses:
Thanks to a generous supporter we support a feeding program for the poor children of Santo Domingo. Here's Pastor Roberto Rios explaining how the program has expanded to the neighborhood of Nuevo Amanecer (New Dawn):
Dim lights Embed Embed this video on your site
The team is back, tired but happy that they got to see God do so many wonderful things for our Ecuadorian friends. Emily and I greeted them at the airport last night and they couldn't stop talking about the love of our team, the miracles God did, and the growth of the good works our Ecuadorian friends are doing for the glory of the Lord.
In the next couple of days we will have their reports and photos here. Here's a sample of what I heard:
- Monday night a blind woman received her sight in CEAD, our host church in Guayaquil.
- Our Santo Domingo feeding program has now expanded to 3 locations in poor neighborhoods.
- Judy Saez is doing much better after her second surgery.
- Last weekend about 50 people participated in our Leadership Retreat in Santo Domingo. Here's a short video with Becky Blystone ministering at the Retreat:
Dim lights Embed Embed this video on your site
We also had the privilege of having with us author and doctor Frank Bruyere from South Carolina. This was Dr. Frank's first trip with us. Frank travels on missions very frequently, especially to Kenya and Ghana. He has written 9 books and is a gifted teacher. Here is a excerpt of one of Dr. Frank's teachings at the conference:
Dim lights Embed Embed this video on your site
While we are at it, let me show you just a short video of Chuck Blystone talking about how to have a good marriage:
Dim lights Embed Embed this video on your site
Pat McGuffin, Chuck and Becky Blystone and Dr. Frank Bruyere left yesterday for Guayaquil, Ecuador, where they were scheduled to arrive late last night. We haven't heard from them so assume all is ok.
 |
|
| Pat McGuffin with Pastor Francisco Loor, our host in Guayaquil |
This morning they were scheduled to start the 5 hour drive to Santo Domingo. Please pray that they have a safe trip with good fellowship along the way.
This Thursday Pat McGuffin will be leading a team to Ecuador which includes Chuck & Becky Blystone and Dr. Frank Bruyere. They will spend some time in Guayaquil but most of their time will be in Santo Domingo. In Santo Domingo they will be conducting a leadership retreat for people related to our ministry.
We have about 40 pastors and church leaders coming to the retreat to receive personal ministry and receive teaching on topics regarding marriage, conducting home groups, counseling, and receiving the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
We are excited that our Guayaquil team will be assisting in the leading of the retreat. Please pray that God gives them a spirit of unity and peace to work well together and that the language differences would not be impediments to the work God wants to do in each heart. Pray also that the Lord emboldens them and empowers them to do their part to "make disciples of all nations."
