Fellowship at Playa’s Church

In memory of our Brother Israel Ford Dehesa

August 14th -15th, 2026

It is with a heavy heart that I start this post.

Our brother in Christ, Israel, was killed 2 days after we had our men’s retreat at Laguna Hanson (Sierra Juárez, Ensenada, Baja California). He was a beloved brother in the church, a baby believer who loved our Lord.

The men’s retreat was a complete success. It’s worth mentioning that this is the first time that we made it a campout, and it was a blast, if you ask me.

They asked me to share a devotional during the campfire at night, and God led me to share Proverbs 27:17. It talks about Iron Sharpening Iron and the importance of fellowship between men, we where also encourage buy other pastors and brothers of the church to Keep the good fight, to me humble and meek for the Lord and the importance of resting having a Day where we can truly thrust the Lord that he will provide, and we can rest on that principle.

The fellowship was awesome; everyone was helping. We were able to open ourselves and feel loved and understood. A lot of times, we as men have a difficult time opening up and sharing whatever is bothering us. We love our wives, those who have a wife, but it’s not the same; women are not able to fully understand what a man is going through, the burden that we feel on our shoulders and minds about the physical things that we need to provide. But also the spiritual side of life.

These moments where man can be man, that we can be boys again, are healthy for our body and our soul. We can be boys with our family; we can be vulnerable too, but it’s just a different vibe, as we used to say.

We are in talks to see if it is possible to do this kind of retreat more often. Every man who had the opportunity to go was hugely blessed.

by Christian Gonzalez