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IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH (Genesis 1:1)

P. Pedro Gómez,

Thanks be to our Father God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave his life on the cross to forgive our sins and gave us new life in the hope of his eternal kingdom, for showing us his love, mercy and abundant grace throughout this year and especially during the Bible Conference held in the middle of the forests of Arteaga, Coahuila, one hour from Saltillo.

First, before the Conference. God gave us the direction to hold the Bible Conference amidst the overwhelming responsibilities of work and family life. There were no sheep that were faithful to Bible study, and every one of our members was very busy with their own loads. Nevertheless, the will of the Lord moved us to restore our life direction towards serving Jesus' sheep and sharing the gospel message of salvation with them. God prepared the conditions so that his sheep could participate, as well as everything that was necessary to carry out the Conference.

Second, during the Conference. The conference venue was a beautiful cabin surrounded by towering mountains and a deep blue sky with white clouds that touched the pine trees on the mountaintops. Inside the cabin, in the heat of the fire, we studied the Bible, listened to the messages, and wrote a personal biography (life testimony) reflecting on the work of God in our life.

Three students participated: Uriel (3rd semester of Tourism), Elizabeth (3rd semester of Accounting) and Ananda (Secondary Education), as well as Mrs. Sonia with her two daughters: Loani (9 years) and Katia (6 years old), and Mrs. Carmen (the mother of Shepherdess Mireya). God fed us with his word from Genesis 1:1 to 2:3; through it, he explained things to us from the beginning so we could obtain creation faith.

We learned that God is the creator of the heavens and the earth; that disorder, emptiness, darkness and the abyss cannot prevail before the light of God; and that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Through the activities, we were able to learn each sheep’s personal need for the love of God in their life, and we realized the need to be a personal shepherd who can lead them to the feet of Jesus through Bible study.

Our hearts were especially happy to hold the Children’s Worship Service (Loani, Katia and Sara Elizabeth) and to have a quadri-drama prior to the worship service message. God consoled wounded and distressed hearts; he heard the deep burden that was in each person's life and strengthened the broken shepherd heart of his servants. The abundant grace of Jesus and his wonderful love were poured out on all of us who participated in this Conference. To him be the glory and the everlasting kingdom.

Third, after the Conference. Our hearts have been moved to recognize the great gift that God has given us by allowing us to hold this Bible Conference; we pray that each one of his sheep may find Jesus personally and that we may be good shepherds and grow as better shepherds of his sheep during 2018.

With love in Christ,

P. Pedro Gómez,

UBF Saltillo