New Life and Peace Ministries

www.newlifeandpeaceministries.blogspot.com

April 2015

Dear Family in Christ,

          As I write this letter, it is the time of the passion of our Lord: just before Easter Sunday.  Christians all over the world are getting ready for their Easter morning service and at the same time, many Christians are being persecuted.  Even the United States of America has turned away from our values of right and wrong and is taking the reason of good morals out of our government and many of our churches.  There is a lot of division between people on some very important issues and many churches are divided on issues of belief.  In Mark 4:24, Jesus said:

And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.  And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;  And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.  For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

        I believe what Jesus is saying here is to be careful of your desires because your desires determine how and to what you listen.  And, what you listen to determines what you get.  Then Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God.  He says it is like a seed that is planted and grows.  How it grows is a process:  first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear.  The blade was the early church that came about from the former rain.  The ear is what stays on the stalk and goes through the period of waiting for the full corn in the ear to grow.  This, many times, is a dry parched time; a time when the farmer waits for the latter rain to come to produce fruit.  I believe this is where we are.  We need the latter rain of God to produce the full ear of corn.  The kernels represent the maturity of the individual members of the body of Christ.  This means that we will be joined together and our interests will no longer be just for our own good or for my own welfare.  God’s purpose needs to mature in us so that we identify ourselves with His interests in others.  Right now, there is dryness because it’s easy to see the interest people have in what they want to do and for their own welfare.  I don’t think that the last move of God will be to bring millions more into the church.  We have built enough monuments to ourselves.  What God wants to do is mature those who are already in the church.  Funny, that before Jesus spoke, He said:  take heed of how you hear.  We need the Holy Spirit moving in our lives and moving in His corporate body to hear and to live.

            Here in Guatemala, we are looking to the future of the ministries and now own two new properties.  We need to first put a wall around the properties, and then I would like to build a home for the workers who work with the children and have a family to live in.  We are also working with Naomi, the girl from Canada who has a home for “special needs” children, to build a home for her and these children.  The properties are big enough for these houses, but we need your help if it is to come about.  One of our boys who is now 22 years old, Miguel, has decided that he wants to work with us in the ministry.  He speaks English very well and has a heart for the Lord.  We are hoping he will be able to help us with the new responsibilities of working with groups and with our office work.

            Chici and I are now pushing the 70’s and still have a lot of work to do, but we are training the people here in Guatemala who have a vision from God to serve others for the sake of Christ to start taking over areas of the ministry.  I’m hoping that this land and homes that the Lord has given to us will serve not only our needs but the needs of others in the body of Christ.  It’s really great to see how the Lord puts things together, kernel by kernel.

Thank you for all of your care and support. 

Without the body of Christ, none of this would be possible!

God bless you all,   Victor & Chici Barbella

If You would like to help with this work please make out checks to : Christ Chapel

memo NLPM 

Please no names on checks for IRS purposes 

Send to :

Christ Chapel 

3051 Cloverdale Rd.

Florence Ala. 35633


Praise God we have started the wall ,excited to see what God is going to do !