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Having been awarded this Independent Charities Seal of Excellence, CERT International ranks in the top 99.95% of Independent Charities of America.
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CERT International
3211 Tabor Loop
Crossville, TN 38571
(931) 707-9328 |
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Jesus Gave Me Back My Daddy
Osiel Avendano was a young boy who lost his father to alcoholism.
Oh the father, Oseas, was still alive. In fact he still lived at home. But he was
so consumed by his addiction to alcohol he was completely incapable of being
a husband, father, protector or provider. As a result Osiel, his mother and his
sisters lived in poverty so extreme that even the poorest people of rural Mexico
considered them poor.
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Osiel's grandfather was a good godly man who loved the Lord and pointed Osiel to Jesus at a young age. So
Osiel grew-up knowing that Jesus saves sinners and in HIM found hope for his father. After his grandfather
passed away Osiel's father moved the family to the other side of town, to purposely separate Osiel from his
Christian friends and church family. In the years that followed Osiel longed to be part of a church and he prayed
that Jesus would soon save his father.
In 2004 a young seminary student named Isaac Guzman, from the G.H. Lacy seminary in Oaxaca, Mexico,
started a church close to Osiel's home and Osiel quickly became a regular attendee. Pastor Guzman was overwhelmed
with compassion and love for the boy - and he was
grieved by the tragic circumstances in Osiel's home. So Pastor
Guzman and the members of the new church began pouringout
the love of Christ upon the entire family, especially towards
Oseas, the father.
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The church helped repair and furnish the small rundown shack
the family called home. They provided food and clothing.
They offered consolation and compassion. But more than that,
they loved them in the Name of Jesus and shared the Good
News of the Gospel with Oseas at every opportunity.
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It took almost two years but one day the Holy Spirit broke
through Oseas' alcohol clouded mind, convicted him deep in
his heart, and Oseas came to Jesus for the forgiveness of his
sins. The transformation in him was abrupt and startling. He was immediately delivered from his alcoholism;
he quickly became the husband and father his family needed; and, Oseas became a bold witness for Christ.
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Today there's a new church in
Osiel's neighborhood. It's a house
church that meets in his home - and
his father Oseas is the most faithful
member. Pastor Guzman comes on
Sundays to preach but all throughout
the week Oseas himself preaches and
evangelizes in the streets. And, perhaps
most touching of all, Osiel has his father
back. The relationship between
father and son has been restored. Osiel
expressed it best when he said "JESUS
GAVE ME BACK MY DADDY."
That touching story is a wonderful reminder
of what Jesus did for us. He
makes it possible for us to be restored
in our relationship with the Father. In
the story above it was the father who
had strayed. In our case we are the ones
who have wandered away. In both
cases it's the love and sacrifice of Jesus
that makes the restoration possible.
It is you, our faithful partners, who
continue to make it possible for CERT
teams to go to places like Oaxaca,
Mexico, so we can partner with servants
like Isaac Guzman, and be part of
wonderful salvation stories like Oseas
Avendano. To God be the Glory!
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