A Time of Dedication (Ministry Monday Series)

On December 1st, exactly two months after the official opening of the FLORECE Prenatal & Family Counseling Center, we celebrated with a special time of dedication. Our invited guests were pastors and wives from eight different churches (with five of the churches able to attend.) The purpose of the event, as stated in our letter of invitation to each pastor, was to provide greater understanding of the ministry of FLORECE by visiting our location and foremost, to pray together in unity for the blessing of God on this new commitment to Him and the community of Iquique. 

L-R (ladies) Grace, Natalia w/Emilia, Stephanie, Catalina, Kim, Andrea (men) Pedro w/Silas, Jon

We couldn't have done this event without our volunteers. For both the pastoral dedication and our volunteer training a few days prior, Maria prepared her homemade basil mayonnaise and red pepper chicken salad for invited guests. Kim baked three varieties of American sweet treats as a finishing touch for the morning's refreshments. With a full work schedule as a surgical assistant at a nearby clinic, Solange asked for a window of time off and showed up early to prepare gift bags for those in attendance. A day after completing a challenging national college entrance exam, Andrea volunteered to help in whatever way was needed. Natalia, a full-time mom, brought her young daughter Emilia and came prepared with coloring books and activities to oversee any children needing care. Grace, who in recent weeks has covered numerous extra shifts for a volunteer colleague on vacation, was willing to give her time yet again to serve. Catalina meticulously oversaw cleaning and upkeep, rearranging furniture up to the last minute and waxing floors to a beautiful shine (then making sure everything was back in place when we were done!) 

Solange organizing gift bags

our faithful ladies preparing refreshments

It was a special blessing to welcome our friends David and Kristi Flinck from Antofagasta. Their church plant hosted our first pro-life conference in August of last year, and has since supported FLORECE with their prayers and generosity. Most recently, they took the FLORECE ministry on for monthly financial support and they are the first church outside of our home church to do so! David also blessed us with his photography skills and provided a wonderful visual record of the day. Our program was purposely brief, including a PowerPoint presentation answering the questions: "Why a prenatal and family counseling center?" and "What is FLORECE?"

presenting the ministry of FLORECE

presenting the ministry of FLORECE

Following the presentation, we wanted to especially emphasize a time of prayer with the pastors. Gifts were later given that provided resources for sharing the pro-life message, including John Ensor's book Cuestion de vida o muerte which powerfully shines the light of God's Word on the issue of abortion and the Church's appropriate response.

time of prayer for FLORECE

time of prayer for FLORECE

gifts for pastors and wives

We concluded the morning's events with a "tour" of the FLORECE building and a time of refreshments and fellowship. Our volunteers waited at each of the different rooms in order to provide an explanation of what kind of ministry takes place in each one. We hope that having this time to explore and ask questions was beneficial to each of our guests and allowed them to visualize what happens during a day at FLORECE.

counseling rooms

bebe boutique

Afterwards, it was encouraging to hear from several of the pastors and wives in attendance. One wife said, "I am so glad my husband got to hear this. I really think it helped him to understand and he will support this ministry!" One of the pastors had previously been involved in social work through a government program. He offered to share a training course with our volunteers on the subject of drug prevention. We gladly welcome additional tools to apply Biblically in counseling situations!

We thank God for the privilege of serving in this ministry, and sharing it on this day with others. We trust that He will work through these pastors to share the vision with their churches and personally pursue compassionate ministry in the lives of women, families and unborn children. We give God all the glory for the great things He has done and will continue to do!