Posts Tagged ‘Brian and Anna Peterson’

Come and See What God has Done: The Testimony of Brian and Anna Peterson

Posted: June 28, 2012 in Christianity, Ministry, Ministry Partners, Missions, Prayer, Reflections & Musings
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Dave with Brian Peterson

Dave with Brian Peterson

This week Dawn and I saw Brian and Anna Peterson at Sierra View Presbyterian Church. You might remember that Anna’s life hung in the balance due to complications while giving birth. She went into a coma, and it was touch and go for her for a few weeks.

Their testimony is very encouraging. I think when our city, Colorado Springs is burning we need words of encouragement! God is doing some wonderful things!

Dawn and I had coffee with Brian and he shared more about all that the Lord did in saving Anna and caring for their family. He told us that he preached a sermon from Psalm 66 titled, “Come and See What God has Done.”

“Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.’ Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.”

— Psalm 66:3-5 (ESV)

God truly did an awesome deed in sparing the life of Anna!

One of the doctors who is not a believer said, he didn’t know what to do when treating Anna. It was a difficult case. Most people who meet the complications that Anna faced don’t live through it. The doctor in desperation put his hands up in the air and cried out, “God help me.” He later told Brian and Anna that everything began to run smoothly and efficiently. He gave testimony to God answering his prayer.

Anna’s sister-in-law was getting up to 50,000 hits a day on her blog as she posted updates and prayer requests. Many people were pleading to the Lord that he would help the doctors and nurses and heal Anna. God did hear these requests.

It’s such a wonderful testimony of God working through his church, and through the medical staff.

I grew up in Fresno so we have long ties to Sierra View. We are thankful for the many friends that we’ve known over the years. This church is an important partner with us in our ministry. Brian has done a great job leading the church, and we’ve enjoyed getting to know them.

I know God doesn’t always answer in the way he did with Brian and Anna, but it sure is worth celebrating when he does. He obviously doesn’t always heal, but he intervened in their life in a powerful way. People around the globe came together to lift them up in prayer! God answered! Praise be the Lord!

Anna recently shared her testimony at a church. It was recorded and shared on YouTube. The quality of the recording isn’t great, but her story is truly amazing! She shares that there was more than one time she could have died, and that most people with her condition do. Yet God in his mercy rescued her from the valley of the shadow of death.

You can watch it here:

How awesome are your deeds, O Lord!

In His Grip, David

DiasoLifeontheBorder.org

A Call to Prayer – Will You Join us?

Posted: January 17, 2012 in Journey, Ministry, Prayer
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Ray and Michele Call

One of the goals I have for this year is that the Lord would raise up at least 200 friends who would pray regularly for our San Diego – Tijuana BEAMM team. My hope is that we will have people sign up to pray for us each day, and others who will pray with us at least once a week.

Ray and Michele Call are on this team with us, so we want to work together in asking all our friends to commit to praying for us. Another friend with Mission to the World, Jim DeWitt is helping us to recruit prayer partners as well as implementing a plan to let people know how they can pray for us.

Dave with Jim DeWitt in Tijuana

We not only want to share our prayer needs with you, but we want to celebrate what God is doing. In my last post I shared how the Lord is working in my friend, Issaid’s life. It makes me tear up when I think of God’s faithfulness to Issaid and his family. It also gets me super excited to see how the Lord is using our friend and ministry partner, Stephen Phelan in Issaid’s life.

I asked you to pray for Brian and Anna Peterson. Well, God answered! Anna is now home with her family. She came close to dying while she had complications giving birth. Then there were concerns about brain damage, but the Lord has intervened and shown his mercy to the Petersons in healing Anna. They could use your continued prayer as it will take some time for Anna to fully recover.

Here’s how you can help!

If you would be willing to commit to praying daily, weekly or monthly for us let me know. I first post on my blog, and then broadcast it on Facebook, Twitter and our Facebook group “Pray for the Diasos“. My plan is to use all these social media networks to send out updates, and let friends know how to pray for us.

You can let Dawn, me, Ray or Michele know that you would like to pray for us by sending us a note. We appreciate any and all type of prayer. If you could specify whether it’s a daily, weekly or other that would be a tremendous help.

You can find our prayer requests on the prayer page on this blog. I will also send out prayer requests on my posts, and email updates.

The border in some ways is like a war zone, at least on the Mexican side. We need friends to intercede on our behalf. Our enemy wants to discourage us, and distract us from doing our work.

Dave & Dawn at the San Diego Harbor

Please pray for both our family and the Calls as we have experienced constant trouble with our cars recently. We had two cars die in 2011. The Call’s had to replace their transmission while on a long trip in October. Since they’ve returned both of their cars have continually been in the shop. They also had a car accident over the holidays.

Thanks for joining us on the journey, and standing with us in prayer.

In His Grip, Dave

DiasoLifeontheBorder.org

God Doesn’t Give Up On Us

Posted: January 13, 2012 in Bright Spots on the Border, Journey
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Issaid & Mie with their children

It’s so encouraging to see how God works and doesn’t give up on our friends. Over twenty years ago I met Issaid Arechiga and his family in Mexico City. Issaid has been one of my best friends over the years. I wrote of him in an earlier post.

I used to meet regularly with Issaid to study the Bible and encourage him in his faith. Then Issaid married Mie, and Dawn and I discipled them. Mie was from Japan, and she had never studied the Bible or heard the gospel before. She came to faith through our ministry. Issaid was growing in his faith.

Then we moved back to the States, and Issaid and Mie moved to Tijuana. I lost touch with them until we began this ministry on the San Diego – Tijuana border. I first found Issaid on Facebook. Then when I figured out that they lived in National City, in the same area that we would be living and working in I couldn’t believe it! It was so good to reconnect with Issaid, Mie and their family.

Issaid had a bad experience in the church in Tijuana, which discouraged his involvement in the church. He stopped going to church which affected his spiritual life. He wasn’t as close to God.

Stephen Phelan leading worship at Harbor Mid-City

When Dawn and I started going to the border Issaid and Mie would always go to church with us when we were there. It was good to see their interest. Over the last few months Issaid and Mie have gone to Harbor Mid-City when we were able to attend, but they wouldn’t go when we didn’t. In November my good friend, pastor Stephen Phelan started meeting with Issaid. They are studying the Bible together. Issaid is starting to grow in his faith again. He’s been taking his family to church even when Dawn and I are not there!

Thank you Jesus for not giving up on my friend, Issaid! I’m so thrilled that God has brought Issaid and his family back into contact with us, and that they are now growing in their faith!

In His Grip, Dave

P.S. I know a number of you have prayed for our friends, Brian and Anna Peterson in Fresno. Anna is still in the hospital, but she is doing better. Her mom said that Anna’s sister-in-law’s blog has received 27,000 hits, and there are over 600 that have subscribed to the “prayer for Anna” Facebook group. Thanks for keeping them in your prayers.

DiasoLifeontheBorder.org

God’s Faithfulness & the Faithfulness of Friends!

Posted: January 4, 2012 in Journey, Ministry
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The Border Crossing into Tijuana, Mexico

Thank you Lord as we begin 2012. Praise you for your faithfulness and for so many faithful friends who uphold us in prayer, and through generous gifts!

We asked you to pray that the Lord would raise up $25,000 by December 31st, and it happened! We not only reached our goal we surpassed it! The Lord provided over $26,000 which is a huge boost as it helps launch our ministry on the border. Since many donations come in the last few days of December we still don’t know the final total. Yet we do know that we’ve exceeded $26,000!

Isn’t that encouraging! Praise the Lord with us. This gives us a huge boost as we begin 2012. What a great way to start the year!

We still need to raise more in regular monthly support to be fully funded, but these large special needs gifts will help cover our moving expenses, and ministry expenses as we launch our ministry.

Continue to pray with us that we will see the last 10% of our monthly support raised up.

In my next post, I’d like to talk about the power of prayer, and the huge need that we have for friends to pray for us. We will never be successful in this work without an army of people standing with us, and holding us up in prayer.

Speaking of prayer, I’d like to ask special prayer for our friends, Brian and Anna Peterson. Brian is the pastor of one of our supporting churches in Fresno, California, my hometown. Anna went into labor last Saturday, and had to have an emergency C-section, because of complications. She’s been in intensive care since Saturday. She is doing better, but it’s still a long and tough battle. Please lift up Brain and Anna and their family with us. You can find updates, and learn more from Anna’s sister-in-law’s blog: here…

Dave & Dawn at San Diego Harbor

Thanks for going on this journey with us!

In His Grip, Dave

DiasoLifeontheBorder.org