The End of a Fruitful Year

The end of the year is a great to reflect and give thanks for all that God has done.  This year, I want to thank God for somethings that I've taken for granted in years past.  First of all, I would like to thank God for...not only transportation, but reliable transportation.  Today, as I drove through Ensenada, I saw many families walking from grocery stores, each family member carrying their share of groceries.

Secondly, I like to thank God not only for running water, drinking water and hot water, but water pressure.  My visit to my mother's during Christmas reminded me how much water pressure is a beautiful thing.

I am so thankful for what God has done for Marco Antonio at Door of Faith Orphanage.  It gave me great joy to see a young man dancing and being silly with his dorm buddies at our Christmas gathering.  Praying and fasting for Marco make it through a dangerous surgery, to seeing him laughing it up in a hysterical Christmas routine was simply priceless.

God's faithfulness through groups of people bring supplies to the orphanage has also been a blessing.  Those with the least means have seemed to be the most generous at times.  I've seen from little grandmas to little children being creative or giving their very best to help our kids at Door of Faith and I'm sure it makes God smile.

I've watched God continue to provide for Dios Me Ve Ministries in Ensenada.  I'm still learning and still amazed.  Our Bible and English classes are progressing and it's great to see people learning skills that will improve their future.  It's also great to see the community of the colony becoming more united in helping each other.

Today while I was at Dios Me Ve, helping pass out toys that some dear friends had brought for the kids, I was introduced to Griselda.  I was asked to pray for her.  Her house had been intentionally burned down.  She and her four kids were staying at a neighbors because they had lost everything.  I asked God to provide for her in such a way that she would know that it was the love of God at work and that only God would be thanked.

As we move into this new year, let us all be compelled not just to do good works; good works that make us feel good, good works that bring attention to us, but good works that make other glorify our father in heaven. Lord help all of us to do good works in such a way that we are not noticed and our loving God is. 

Response vs. Reaction

Recently, it was brought to my attention that the toys we were counting on for Christmas were very likely not coming this year.  With Christmas so close I went through a variety of strong emotions.  First, I was angry that I had received such late notice.  Then I contemplated trying to make it happen myself.  When I thought of how the kids of Dios Me Ve had been asking me when they were supposed to come for their Christmas gift, I just wasn't sure what the right thing was to say.  They weren't asking if they would receive gifts.  They were asking me when the gifts were coming to their colony.

Being the great spiritual person that I am (sarcasm), I took matters into my own hands and sent out an email to almost my entire contact list and sent out a notice to most of my Facebook friends.  After I sent the messages, I was feeling pretty proud of myself.  Yes sir, I did the very thing that I had told myself in the beginning of ministry that I wouldn't do.

I'm not even sure how my news came across to friends, but I began to feel like I had really "jumped the gun."  I remember thinking how much I wanted to "do ministry" much like George Muller.  I remember reading how he only would ask God for his needs and count on God to touch peoples hearts to meet needs. 

I thought about how when Dios Me Ve needed property and I just stood on the property and asked God to supply what we needed and for the owner to make his price known to us.  I remember I stepped out in faith and bought it with my own money hoping that I would be reimbursed so that I could use that money again and again to help the people of the colony.  People started coming to me and asking me how much was needed to purchase the property.  People actually would come up to me and put money in my hands and say "We want to bless you and the work that you're doing here."

So, I'm learning again that I need to respond to need first and foremost with prayer.  God first and not after I've already told a bunch of people myself.  Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's wrong to share the need, but I know that in my heart I had decided how I was going to take care of this problem by contacting everyone I knew first.

The response from friends and family has been great. Already, people have started sending checks and some are even bringing or sending toys down to me!   I hope that I didn't come across as panicked as I was.  I also hope that the next time a need like this presents itself that I will go straight to my heavenly father who already knows what I have need of even before I ask. 

God is amazing.  He is faithful.  If He's in it, then He does it well.  I have to remind myself, that God does things in the way that will bring Him glory.  He's really not interested in sharing His glory.  In fact, I think He gets the most glory when we stay out of His way and let Him speak to the hearts of men and women to meet a need.

Preparing for Christmas

Excitement is in the air at Door of Faith.  Decorations are up!  Kids are on their best behavior and it feels cold enough for snow!  There's nothing quite like Christmas in a family of 100+ members.

Last Saturday we had a full day.  We had visiting optometrists from the Rotary Club come and check all the eyes in the orphanage.  We also had unexpected guests stop by for a tour and Corazon de Vida come with much needed items, fun crafts for the kids and they served us pizza!

In the midst of all this excitement, I am so grateful for the LORD meeting all of our needs.  David continues to work hard in the trade school in Ensenada.  While he's taking welding and machinery classes in the evening, we are investing in the used car business to see if we can generate some family income.  I am blessed with an 18 year old that wants to work.  We're looking for guidance from the LORD as to what type of business David could do during the day while he's in school in the evenings.  For right now, we're investing in cars with some of the money I received from the sale of my house.  We're also praying about a possible car tire business.  Please join us in prayer as we endeavor to be wise stewards of what God has blessed us with.

I can hardly believe it, but Tyler turned15 years old this last Tuesday.  His heart to serve and help wherever he is makes this mom proud and brings a smile to God's face.  Even as I type this blog, he is getting ready to go with me to transfer birthday presents from Casa de Maria into our Christmas room here at the orphanage.

Another point of prayer for us would be how we will celebrate Christmas at Dios Me Ve.  Please pray that God will not only supply more monthly sponsors for our feeding program, but also for this Christmas season.  It would be nice to be able to do something special for the colony at Dios Me Ve for Christmas, but as of now there are no gifts coming as I had thought. It's been hard when I see the children of the colony because they keep asking what day do they come for their Christmas gifts.  They've received gifts for the past two previous years, but I've lost contact with the people that made the donation.

If you or someone you know would like to make a tax deductible donation for the colony families of Dios Me Ve, please make checks payable to:

Vida Outreach
Mail to:
Robin Schmidt
PO Box 6434
Chula Vista, CA 91909
Memo: Dios Me Ve

Thank you and God bless.

Where to Begin

"Where to begin?" is the question that first comes to mind as I begin to update.  The first and foremost thing that comes to my mind is that Marco Antonio of Door of Faith Orphanage has already returned home from his incredible journey. 

Marco began to loose sight in his left eye a few weeks ago.  It was soon discovered that he had a large tumor behind his pressing on his optic nerve.  After MRIs and many doctors appt. we began the search for doctors that would even consider removing his tumor.  It was high risk at best, and then there was "paperwork".  

It takes months usually to get paperwork processed in Mexico.  But then....we were all praying, and that made all the difference in the world.  God heard our prayers and everything began to move forward quickly.  Marco had his birth certificate, passport and visa within 2 weeks time.  EVERYTHING went faster or better than what we were being prepared for.  His surgery was completed far sooner than expected and so was his stay in ICU.  His tumor was benign!

We are grateful for Marco's life being spared and we give all the credit to our God and no one else.  Please continue to pray for sight to return to Marco's left eye, for the tumor not to return, and his complete recovery.

On another note, DIOS ME VE continues to move forward through the doors that the LORD has opened to us.  Last week, I taught my first English class, Hector taught two Bible classes and started teaching a few how to read and write, and Maribel taught an English class as well!  

Last Friday, our friend, Pastor Gary brought some men and his youth group to put tar, paper and a metal roof on top of our building to keep the soon coming rain out.  We also painted most of the building with primer to seal up the wood.  While the group was preparing for the roof, Hector was on his way to his truck to run a quick errand.  On his way to his truck, he saw a baby boy crawling on the dirt road with no adult in sight!  He called for Maribel to get him before he got hurt.  As Maribel cleaned up the little boy and changed his diaper she asked the children if they knew where his home was.  No one seemed to know.  About 15 minutes later, the baby's uncle came looking for him.  He said he was sleeping and the baby somehow got out of the house.

While we were painting and roofing, one of Hector's students came to practice writing his name.  He wants to learn to read and write.  He's probably in his 70's.  It was precious to watch his determination at his age to learn to read and write.  

I also, learned a little about my friend Pablo, one of our little boys that is so eager to help, so polite and responsible.  While teaching some ladies to make hats Sunday afternoon, Pablo was also in the class.  I asked if the lady he was with was his mother and he smiled and said that she wasn't his mother, but was his Nana.  I found out later that Pablo is being raised by his neighbor (Nana) because his parents are addicted to drugs.  Pablo has siblings living next door, but he wants a better life and chooses to live with his Nana. 

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support.  Together we are making a difference in lives of families.  You are helping feed, clothe, educate and most of all present the gospel to the lost people of colonia #89.

Times are Changing

Many changes happening in our family.  Good changes, yet the list seems long and hard to prioritize.  Some of you may know that we recently sold our house in Wastonville....in just 4 and a half weeks of being on the market.  Amazing!  Of course, with a move, there comes the packing and relocating.  

Ty and I were up in Watsonville to pack and sell everything we couldn't sell.  Another amazing story during our week in Watsonville.  We sold almost all of our large items, i.e. furniture and appliances, even before we had our yard sale.  Our yard sale went well, but in the end, it seemed like we were being given many opportunities to tell people that we were moving to serve in Mexico long term.  I even saw Tyler speaking Spanish to some of our buyers that weren't able to speak English.  I was truly blessed to see this.

During the two weeks Ty and I were in Watsonville closing things up, David remained in Mexico.  No surprise there.  David loves Mexico so much it's hard to bring him into the states.  However, it wasn't just David's love for Mexico that kept him back.  He started a trade school in Ensenada to get his certificate in welding and in machinery.  I'm hearing that he's already at the top of his class in his skill level and he seems to be fine with the class being taught in Spanish.

While David is going to trade school, he is currently staying with our friends Hector and Maribel during the week.  The live about five blocks away from his school.  David comes on the weekends on the bus.  We're still working on getting him his license and a truck so that he can commute.  So, in the mean time he's catching the bus and looking for a part time job in Ensenada.

Tyler has started high school!  Mom is trying to keep up her youngest in his Math and Science skills.  He definitely keeps me hopping.  Tyler continues to be an incredible and much appreciated help to me personally, in ministering to the groups that visit the orphanage, to the kiddos on the patio of DOFO and in Ensenada as we go twice a month to dispense groceries.

"So where next?"  you might ask.  Yes, we sold our house.  Yes we have two generous friends helping us store our keepsakes for the time being.  "Where next?" Eventually, we will more than likely live in Ensenada closer to the colonia of people we're reaching out to.  For now, we continue to stay serving at Door of Faith Orphanage.  We're waiting on the LORD for the timing of an eventual move from here, but for now we are very content to serve the LORD here.  This has become our family of.....100+ family members.

Meet Maria

Meet Maria.  I met Maria about 7 months ago.  It was before we had any property that I met Maria.  I found out she was a seamstress because she had asked me if I could buy her a certain kind of serger for sewing clothes.  Hers had been stolen and was how she earned a living.  She even showed me the outfits that she sewed for kids.  I remember her telling me how it was a great way to earn some income and still be able to stay at home with her kids.  I told her to pray and that I would look in the states for a machine for her.  (I had no idea how much they were when I told her I'd look.)  

When I saw the clothes that she had sewed, I knew she was a good seamstress.  Right away I thought to myself, "If I could get her a machine and she was willing to teach some ladies to sew, maybe more ladies in the colony could earn some income for their families!"  I decided to just come out and ask her.  When I asked if she would be willing to teach other ladies some day so that they could earn some income, well...she looked at me like I was from another planet!  She smiled and said, "If I did that, then I would not make as much income.  I'd be giving my customers away."  I smiled and told her I understood.

About a month ago, I saw Maria again.  It had been quite awhile since I'd seen her last and she didn't look the same.  She looked sad and tired; worn down.  When she passed through the line to get dispenses, Hector had talked with her and then asked me if I knew she was a seamstress.  He reminded me of the sewing machine that we had just be donated and wondered what I thought about giving it to her.  I wasn't sure if she would want the machine or not because I wasn't sure if she knew how to use it or not.  When I told her a friend in the states had donated a sewing machine for someone in the river colony, she lit up.  I told her if she came in two weeks, (today), that I would have a machine for her.

Well, today was the big day for Maria.  She came to thank me and I told her that it was a gift from God.  I asked if I could please take her picture so that my friend that donated it could see a picture of the recipient of sewing machine.  She agreed and asked if she should take it out of the blue plastic bag that we had it in.  We decided it would be best to keep it in the bag, since there were so many people around from the colony.  I knew we'd be overwhelmed with requests once they saw it.

After Maria left with her machine, I continued to interact with the children, take photos, hold babies and practice my Spanish.  After an hour had passed, I noticed Maria came back.  I thought to myself, "I hope the machine works okay.  Maybe she doesn't know how to use it."  She came to Maribel and me.  She began to cry as she spoke to me through Maribel's translation.  She just wanted me to know how grateful she was.  She said the machine worked great.  She tried it as soon as she brought it home.  She told us that it was just what she needed to be able to work again.  She said that she had to come back and thank me again.

I continued to talk to Maria through Maribel.  I asked her the same question that I had asked her months before.  "Would you be willing, some time in the future, to teach another lady how to sew so that she could earn an income?"  This time she smiled and said "yes."  

It gets even better.  Maria began to ask about the Bible classes she had heard were going to start soon.  She said she'd like to come if she could bring her children.  We assured her that we would have someone to watch the children so that all interested parents could take the class.

This is what I've learned.  The Bible says that God loved us first.  He loved us before we ever knew Him.  He loved us while we were lost in our sins.  He loved us unconditionally, because He is love.  

When we love first, people that don't even know us, people that are lost in their sins then they are drawn to God.  Just like God, we are to show love first.  Not show love so that people will come to know Christ, but show love and then more than likely, people will come to know Christ.  Our motivation to love others should never be to get anything in return; not even good things.  Our motivation to love others should always be because.....He first loved us.

God is Our Faithful Provider

So much is happening that it's hard to know where to begin.  Recently, my house in the states sold in just 4.5 weeks of being on the market!  As we are moving through escrow, we are also working on paper work for our family to have their VISAs.  As we're working our paperwork, I'm preparing David for attending a welding school in Ensenada.  That leads us to David getting his driver's license and also a truck for commuting back and forth between school and Door of Faith Orphanage.  Whew!  There is a lot going on!

Tyler is entering high school and has grown about a foot in the past year.  He is just days away from being able to say that he's taller than me!  Tyler has been a great help this summer to the American groups that have come to serve at the orphanage and made some great friends with people from all over the US.  His Spanish is very good and I already find myself calling on him to help me communicate sometimes to the kids at the orphanage.

On top of all the great things that are happening in our family, I've seen God's faithfulness this summer in many different areas.  While many surrounding ministries and orphanages have had little to no visitors, Door of Faith continues to see groups come and serve.  The groups have been a little smaller and less than before, but they have been faithful to come, despite the "fear factor" portrayed by the media.  We are running a "tighter" ship due to the effects of the economy in the US, but again we are still eating 3 meals a day, our kids are all going to school in their uniforms and we still believe in blessing others in the midst of our needs.

Dios Me Ve (the outreach our family is a part of in Ensenada) continues to be blessed.  Recently, we received our first monthly pledge to help us feed our needy families and one time gifts have started coming in just in time for purchasing groceries.  On top of all that, this weekend will be the first of our dispensas (groceries) that we will have produce donated from a ranch 2 hours away.  The LORD even worked it out so that it's brought to us.

We have been very busy, but being busy for the kingdom of God is an exciting kind of busyness.  It's taught me to stay on my knees in prayer.  I've also learned the beauty of getting connected with others to accomplish the same goal....SOULS.  

The other day, as I was in a car with two friends on the way to run errands in the states, another major need was met.  I like to say that it was a "Divine appointment".  While riding with my friends, Mike and Becky Spitz, we began to clearly see how God was bringing our ministries together.  Mike and Becky have a non-profit, VIDA Outreach, that is specifically for helping ministries like Dios Me Ve.  As we began to talk, I saw some ways that I may be able to help them out a little too.  I am so excited to see God bringing people together, with different skills and gifts, all to serve the same true living God.

If you are interested in sending a financial gift to Dios Me Ve to help us help the needy in Ensenada with food, clothing and shelter, all checks can no be made out to:

VIDA Outreach

PO Box 6434

Chula Vista, CA 91909 

and write Dios Me Ve in the memo!

We Have a Building!

Thanks to the grace of God through Los Altos Church, Calvary Chapel Apple Valley and Calvary Chapel Big Bear we have a church building at the river colony.  That's not including thanks to all the people that contributed to the prep work so that a building could be built!  Our thanks to everyone who contributed to purchasing dirt to level the property, laying a foundation frame, funding the footings for the building to be built on and much more.  

Today was a day of celebration in the river colony at Dios Me Ve.  A friend from GVCC Placerville contributed to pop up tents to give us much needed shade today, GVCC Watsonville left us their carnival games that they had used for the carnival they presented at Door of Faith Orphanage and Apple Valley brought face paints for the kids too!  

While Apple Valley continued to finish cutting out the front doors and windows to the church building, over 400 people were fed hotdogs, chips, bananas and oranges.  But before they even were fed, they were playing numerous carnival games and having their faces painted.  Many were even asking for their pictures to be taken.

I met a young man this weekend that used to sell drugs on the Dios Me Ve property previous to us purchasing it.  He came to check us out.  When asked what he thought of what had happened to his old space, he was glad for what we were doing.  He thought it was good and ended up helping for three days straight!  He was given a Bible and one of the Americans that came to build the church building, befriended him and shared Christ with him.

On Friday, two men were apparently on their way to buy drugs and again a visiting American that came to build, stopped the two men and with the help of an interpreter ended up praying with these two men to receive Christ!

Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for Bible classes to begin discipling people so that they understand why they need a Savior and so they understand Jesus came to give them abundant life here and eternal life as well.  

We will be trusting God to give us tables and chairs, the curriculum for Firm Foundations and complete NIV Bibles in Spanish.  

We are excited about all God has done and is continuing to do in this colony.  The Light of Jesus has come to a very dark place.  God is bringing beauty for ashes and hope for despair.  Continue to pray as we move forward in the grace that God is providing.

Progress Continues

The latest.... I was at Dios Me Ve today in Ensenada to check on the progress.  When I got there I saw a man with his two sons finishing up the footings that will hold up the building that is going up on Friday.  It was quite the site to behold, when you look back and up to the present, just to think of how far God has brought us. 

When I pulled up to the property, there was a man and two sons working.  I asked Hector who the man was.  He was someone from Hector and Maribel's church that Hector used to work with in the past.  He had agreed to do the work for the price of his son's tuition for school.

It continues to amaze me the investment that different people have put into this little dirt lot on the corner of a forgotten community.  It's as if the words "Dios Me Ve" (God Sees Me) have been realized. 

I have no doubt that in the very near future there is going to be a harvest of souls.  I look forward to the Light of God's love continuing to push back the darkness.

God Sent Me an Intersessor

Sometimes God sends you a gift that you are not expecting, desperately need, when you think you need something else.  This weekend, I got reacquainted with someone that has been coming to La Mision with her husband for quite some time.  Her name was easy to remember, because it was the same as mine.  But this weekend, when I had been asking God for more funds for purchasing food, He sent me an intercessor instead.  I wasn't able to purchase as much food as before because of a change in my income.  I kept asking the LORD to supply what I needed, but what I needed was not more money.  What I needed was someone that was going to intercede for me in prayer on my behalf.  Someone to cover me as I move forward in the plans God planned in advance for me to do.

It's interesting, sometimes how we pray for what we believe we need and find out that we didn't need it at all.  I brought my new friend Robin, to the colony on Sunday.  I also brought Cesar from the orphanage, because Tyler was home feeling ill.  Luis, from church, followed us to the colony too.  I brought lots of people to help and so did Hector and Maribel.  I was feeling a little sad about not being able to buy as much dispensas for the families of the colony.  

All the time and energy I spent on trying to figure out how to have more money for dispensas  had been totally unnecessary.  What I needed was an intercessor.  

When we started passing out the food we noticed that only about 1/2 of the people came that day.  Someone had spread a rumor that we had said that we weren't coming back with food anymore.  We actually had plenty of dispensas left over.  Please don't misunderstand.  The food will never go to waste for there is so much need wherever we go.  But I found it interesting how I brought Robin on a day that there were only half the people.  I wanted her to see the many people that come, but God had other plans.

You see, on the way to the colony, Robin shared with me that God had put me on her heart to pray for me.  She also felt she was supposed to come to the colony that day.  Then she told me that she was an intercessor for various people and ministries here in Baja.  

I am so very grateful that I serve a God that loves me enough to give me what I really need and not necessarily what I "think" I need.  I look forward to a wonderful friendship with my new friend, Robin. I love how God has weaved our paths in life together.  Then again, He's awesome like that.

Great News is Always Welcomed!

Today I learned that some churches in California, (3 I think) are coming in July to build a church building on the property of Dios Me Ve.  It's hard for me to grasp the reality of this for many reasons.  First of all, we made no requests for this except to God.  Yes, we dreamed for this to happen, but we approached it differently than some may have.

We focused on building relationship with the people.  It took time....a lot of time.  It took investing in children, parents, grand parents.  It took encouraging words, words of hope and it took faithfulness.  As we stayed faithful to coming just to spend time, bring food and clothing that God had provided, people began to smile.  Next thing you know, people were asking us why we came week after week and Hector and Maribel more often than that.  We gained trust.  We were careful not to promise anything except prayer.  We gave lots of hugs and smiles.  Everything we could think of to convey that God sees these precious people and that He loves them dearly, we did.  

I can still remember walking with a lady from the colony about 6 months ago.  We were on our way to see if she needed a mattress.  I remember her asking if we would build a church.  As great as it was to hear, I thought it was strange.  I'm not sure if I lived under the same conditions, in such poverty, that the first thing I would be hoping for would be a church.  She followed that by saying how it would be nice to have a church so that the people of the colony could be refreshed.

As the team of Dios Me Ve has been challenged again and again both physically and financially, we've acknowledged that are fight is not against flesh and blood.  Recently, it seems like we've been pressed on every side, but together we've recognized the different attacks and stood firm together in prayer.  It is very clear to us that there are many strong holds in the colony.  It feels like when you "stick it out" with a strong willed child and finally there comes that moment of break through where the child realizes that no matter what they do you will always keep loving them.  That to me is where we're at in Dios Me Ve.

Please continue to pray for us.  We are excited about getting a building, but only because it will allow us to reach out in more ways.  Soon after the building is up, we will start some Bible classes.  We've slowly started telling people, but we've made it very clear that their attendance is not required to continue to receive food or clothes.  We want people to come because God is drawing them and not the FOOD!   Eventually, the LORD willing, we would like to build a kitchen in the building to start a hot meal program.  I can even see possibilities of teaching some music classes there.

We are so grateful for the body of Christ that is coming together with their skills and giftings for the benefit of some very forgotten people hearing the gospel AFTER seeing the gospel demonstrated.  God bless you for praying for us and sending funds to help us show the love of God to these precious people.

Preparing for David's Graduation

It is amazing to me to think that my son, David, is graduating from high school while living here in Mexico.  It's amazing because I almost waited to serve here until my kids were grown and on their own.  You know how it is.  You can always put off things until it's just up to you and all your decisions just effect you and you alone.  The problem is that there will probably never be a time in our lives that our decisions only effect us.

Is there something that you'd like to do for the LORD that you're putting off until the time is right?  The truth is that the time is SHORT.  Jesus is coming soon and He's going ask us all what did we do with what He gave us. 

When we came to Mexico, almost 2 years ago, I never pictured what God has done in our hearts to this point.  My sons are young men now.  They are growing up "others" focused instead of "self" focused.  I just couldn't ask for more than that.  

We're not sure of all God's plans for the future, but at this time we're pretty sure that David will be headed to Ensenada in the Fall to enter a trade school to get his certificate in welding.  I never thought that David would be the first one in the family to be bilingual.  He actually looks forward to going to school and being taught welding in Spanish.  Go figure.

We gave our son David the middle name Jeremiah.  We based it on Jeremiah 29:11.  I remember reading and praying it over David when he was a baby.  I also remember singing over him the song "He who began a good work in you...He who began a good work in you....will be faithful to complete it.  He'll be faithful to complete it.  He who started the work will be faithful to complete it in you."

So proud of both my sons.  Both their futures look bright because both of them find their joy in serving others.  God has been so good to me.  If you want to see how....just take a look at my two young men, Dave and Ty.

Sometimes the Need is Just So Great

I'm so glad that I serve a big God.  Sometimes the need is so great, but God in His greatness directs our steps in how to meet the need.  For instance, today was the first time I ran out of shoes.  Usually I purchase around 10 to 15 pairs a month.  Today was the first time I ran out.  When I finished dispensing shoes, I saw a lady that had been waiting and asked if I had any her size.  I looked at her feet and then I looked at mine.  Next thing I knew I was pulling off my shoes and giving them to her.  You see, I had another pair in the car that I had switched out of so they'd stay nice for "special occasions".  When I realized I own two pairs of shoes I realized that I had more than I needed.  

I don't share that story so that I can look good. I actually have seen Hector many times give the shoes off his feet and today his daughter gave her shoes as well.  (I've learned so much from this family.  Mostly how God provides over and over again.) I share that story because I can't escape how blessed Americans are.  I was recently in the states with friends and was hit with the abundance of food and clothes we all have.  I even visited a Starbucks a couple of times and thought with the money I spent on this one drink I probably could have fed a family in the colony.  At the same time, I don't feel guilt because of treating myself to a mocha from Starbucks.  I guess what I'm trying to say is I can live with or without Starbucks.

What about you?  Is there something you can't live without?  Why not put the money aside that you usually spend for your wants, but not needs and see how difficult it is.  Even better, give the money you saved to help someone with their needs.  If you can't think of anyone in need....I can help you out.

Shoes $12 @ Walmart = 4 tall drinks from Starbucks. 

Visit From Friends of Placerville

We were so blessed a few weeks ago to meet some more precious brothers and sister from Placerville.  They came and served the people of the river colony.  With smiles of compassion, they helped distribute food and clothing to our friends in need.  

No matter how I try to explain to people how precious these people are, I'm learning that meeting them face to face is really the only way.  While our friends from Placerville were distributing food and clothing a lady approached Hector and Maribel with some paperwork.  She was sobbing and didn't know what she could do about her situation.  Hector called me over to her and explained her circumstance.

The paperwork that she had with her contained information telling us that her brother was basically being released from the hospital to die.  It was her younger brother and she wanted to know if we could help her bring her brother home.  She needed to rent a room to take care of him.  As Hector gave what he had to give, I headed over to my car to get some money to meet her need.  I bowed my head in prayer while I was in my car and once again told the LORD, "I need more money.  The need is so great.  Please send me more."  As I started to walk over to Hector, some of the men that were visiting asked how they could help.  Once again I was blown away not only how fast God answered me, but how generously God met the need.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm being tested in my faith when it comes to the needs of others.  I know that God doesn't expect me to meet every need myself, but He does seem to check on me a lot in the stewardship of what He's given to me.  

Never make the mistake of thinking what you have is yours.  It's not.  It's all God's and it's on loan to you.  What are we doing with what God has given us?  Do we trust Him?  Do we really believe that if we seek His kingdom first that He really will meet our needs?  

When I see what has happened in the U.S. economy, I can't help but wonder if it's a test of the church.  We've been so blessed that it's easy to think that our skills or intelligence have something to do with it. 

This last year I have met all kinds of givers.  I know of some that give away everything left over after paying off their bills.  I've met some that have requested money for missions instead of birthday gifts.  I've seen some take the jackets off of their backs and some the shoes off their own feet to give to someone in need.  All of these people have one belief in common.  God is faithful to His word.  If He says He will meet all of your needs if you put His kingdom first, then He will.  He's not a man that He should lie.  He's faithful.

Emergency Relief Needed

Thanks to you...
~ Funds for 10 walls have come in to help the 7 families that have lost their homes.  
~ Hector and Maribel are doing better.  Please continue to pray for them for strength.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

~PRAY!  We need much prayer for wisdom and physical strength for Hector and Maribel especially.  Hector is still recovery from back surgery and Maribel is recovering from bronchitis.  God is already using them in a great way.  God is giving us favor with the people.  

 ~ Funds are needed to purchase 8'X16' garage doors for a quick solution for shelter.  These families are not asking for brand new homes.  They need shelter to live in ASAP.  The community will come together to build their shelters, but they need funds to purchase the walls.  This is our moment to seize with the love of Christ.  Hearts are softening because of the love of God shown to these people already.  Please help us seize this moment of opportunity with us.  Thank you so much and God bless you to bless others.

Send checks payable to: 

Robin Schmidt

PO Box 6434

Chula Vista, CA 91909

or

Pay Pal 

rschmidt316@yahoo.com  is the information you need to leave a donation in my Dios Me Ve Pay Pal account.

or

You can call me at  (831)809-3099  if you have any questions.  My number will not cost you anything extra for calling Mexico.  My number is a Watsonville number and I have an international plan.  It will not cost you more to call me.  It will only use up my minutes:)

or

You can email me at rschmidt316@yahoo.com with any questions

More Fires

Tuesday morning, May 2, I received a phone call from my friend Hector that I was not prepared for.  He was calling to tell me that we had lost five members of a family to a fire in the colony.  At first we thought the fire had been caused by accident, but we soon learned differently.  The fire was the fulfillment of a threat made.  We're not sure of all the details, but what we were certain of was more than we could find words for.  

We lost a mother, two of her young children, her teenage daughter and 6 month old grand baby.  I still can not fathom the hate and rage behind such a horrific act.  As a drove to Ensenada quickly after the phone call, I could still hear my friends voice on the phone replaying in my mind, "Robin, we knew these people.  We prayed with them and played with the children."

As time passed, I learned more and more details.  Some were more than I needed to know, but the most difficult one for me get passed was the mother.  I had prayed with the mother (Maria) shortly after we came to our knew location for dispensing food.  I remembered how she waited for us to be finished giving out the food.  She came with her friend Laura and asked Maribel and I to pray for her. When we asked her what her need was she said that she was very afraid for her life and the lives of her children.  She had been robbed and stabbed and was facing a threat on her life and family.  I remember wondering how to pray.  In all my years of serving the LORD I had never had such a prayer request.  I prayed for God to protect her and hugged her.  

Recently, when we had different houses in the colony that had been set on fire, I saw her.  Her house had been burned.  She only had a room the size of a small kitchen area that remained.  Her and her 7 or so other family members were going to have to sleep in this small little place. As I look back, she seemed very quiet.  I didn't realize it at the time, but she was probably terrified.  Whoever had threatened her had made an attempt on her life, but had only succeeded in burning down her home.  

The story seems to be that a neighbor offered their house for Maria and her kids to stay in until they could rebuild.  It was the neighbors house that Maria and her kids died.  As this horrible crime was committed, I'm told that another threat was made to a nearby family that they were next.  That family was Laura's family.

When I arrived in the colony, I saw Laura and her daughter Leslie.  Ten year old Leslie was traumatized.  She had lost her closet friend in the fire and was fearful that she and her family would be the next victims.  Hector, Maribel and I prayed for this family.  They asked us for some money for gas for their car.  They had packed their clothes and were going to leave to relocate.

I went to the wake for Maria and her family last night.  Never have a seen such a sad sight.  Five coffins with pictures of the children that were from many years past because they had nothing current.  A room filled with people that had no hope and some of them filled with rage and the desire for revenge.  Children coming up to me and Maribel crying and scared.  The three of us were the only ones representing Jesus and the job ahead of us was huge.  

As I listened to Hector address the family and friends I began to pray.  I knew enough Spanish to understand him telling them how to have eternal life and to hear him pray for the emotions of rage and revenge to be set aside.  That justice was God's job.  He gather six remaining teen and young adult sons to the front, asked the men in the community to some forward and offer their support as he laid hands on these young men and prayed over them.

It all still seems too horrific for me to take in.  On the other side, I remember that God never wastes ANYTHING.  I am convinced that He has the attention of quite a few and we are about to reap a harvest of souls.  May the Light of Jesus push back the darkness in the colony.  May Jesus be seen in the team of Dios Me Ve.  Most of all, may God reveal Himself to the lost in colonia #89.

Devistation

Two weeks ago, as we arrived to set up our food dispensary, one of the ladies in the colony asked us if we would come with her.  She wanted to show us what had just happened the day before.  She didn't take us to her own home, but to the home of a friend.

When we arrived we met a mother named Eva.  She was traumatized because her house had caught fire and much of it had been destroyed.  She had lost everything except maybe a wall in her house, maybe two.  I saw burnt clothes (the little that she had), burnt furniture (the little that she had), a destroyed refrigerator and a few salvageable mattresses that were black from smoke but not burnt.  

Eva's face had no expression as she let us take pictures.  She looked like she was still in shock.  We didn't see any emotion until we asked her if we could pray for her.  Her tears began to flow. 

Having a fire in your home is always devastating.  Imagine if you didn't have insurance, or a place to stay until your house was rebuilt.  Maybe no friends to take you in.  No church family that would come to your rescue.  Again, I was faced with what could I do at that moment.  The only thing I was sure of is that if it had happened to me I was confident God would send someone to rescue me.  He had always been faithful to me.  I was faced with time.  What was the quickest thing I could do.  I had no time to raise funds, no dispensary of food to go get (like I hope to in the future), no government organization was going to help me, because these people were "indivisible" to the government.

Hector, Maribel and I prayed and then asked if they would give us their shoe sizes and clothing sizes.  We didn't promise anything. We left with the neighbor that had brought us, thinking that we were going to return to our food dispensary.  Instead she took us to four more houses that had been completely burned down to nothing.  I remember feeling so sad and then wondering if I felt this sad when it wasn't my home and everything I owned; how did these families feel.

I learned shortly after our tour that the first lady was the true victim.  The other houses had been set on fire due some revenge of an angry drug pusher of some sorts.  Eva's house had caught fire simply because she was closely located to the other houses that had burned down.

The next morning, I gathered blankets and clothes from the orphanage, some of my oldest sons clothes that he no longer wore and headed back to Ensenada with my friend Lynette.  We stopped at the local grocery store and bought enough food for what we thought would last Eva's family a few days. We headed to the colony to meet Mario our friend from the colony that always is happy to be our guide/ protector.  Mario helped us carry the things we were bringing as we traveled by foot up and down some of the steepest hills I have ever climbed.  (Made me think of my friend Lauren and how we joke about this is what "real missionaries" do.)

We delivered the things to the home to Eva's mother who was at the burned house watching her grand daughter while Eva was away.  Then it really hit me.  I was looking at a little girl that wasn't going to be allowed to attend school unless she had a uniform.  So, Lynette and I went back in town to purchase the two required uniform to keep that little girl in school.  

We returned to Mario and asked him to take it to the little girl for us.  He agreed wearing his big smile.  Then I asked him a question through Lynette.  I asked Mario if it was true that he turned down a paying job that day just to escort us and help us bring the clothes and food to Eva's house.  He smiled and told us yes and that he didn't mind.  

To my understanding, Mario has not yet committed his life to Christ and yet he had just been more like Jesus than many of will ever be.  He already was practicing "Love your neighbor as yourself."  He gave far more than I did.  Even though I may have paid for the gas to get to Enesanada, the groceries and the uniform, I still had money in the bank, running water and electricity to come home to and knew where my next meal was coming from.  Mario didn't and still gave far more than I have ever given.

Inspiration

Last night I had the privilege of going the 6th anniversary celebration of Baja Family Outreach in Tijuana.  This local church is located in a retired dump.  That's right a retired dump.  The surrounding families live in very small houses to little shacks made of whatever is available for shelter. Most do not have running water and some don't have electricity.  But then there is the church.

Baja Family Outreach has many ministries reaching out to their community, but the one that most people are familiar with is what they refer to as "The Breakfast Club".  This ministry started out as a food program to feed children breakfast before they attend school.  For some children this was the only meal they might receive that day.  In the last year, it has grown from feeding about 80 children to sometimes 350 meals not only to children, but to entire families.  

When I was at the anniversary celebration last night,  I saw with my own eyes the transformation that was taking place in children, families and the neighborhood.  I heard testimonies of the neighborhood changing, husbands and wives coming to know the LORD Jesus and I saw the countenances of the children that had gone from looks of despair and hopelessness to smiles and joyful laughter!

My favorite part of the entire evening was watching the children worship the LORD during the singing.  They were dancing, jumping and shouting "He is the King of my life!" or "I'm giving You all the glory!"  It was so evident how the Jesus loves children.  They were uninhibited.  They knew first hand the change that had happened to their families when Jesus came to live in their little shack, in a retired Tijuana dump where there was no running water or electricity.

Baja Family Outreach continues to be an inspiration to me.  Although each ministry is unique to the way they may reach people for Christ, I hope one day soon that the work that God is calling me to in Ensenada will flourish in the same way of the Breakfast Club ministry.  I'm not talking about the numbers.  I'm talking about the sense of community in the ministry.  "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!" Psalm 133:1

 

Relationship Building

This coming Sunday, we will be passing out 100 dispensas of food again.  I never get tired of doing this.  The people are so grateful and patient as they wait for their food.  The hugs and smiles I now receive are priceless.  It feels like I've earned the trust of the river colony.  It even feels like I've been trusted by God to join Him in the work He's doing in the lives of the people we are starting to get to know.

One of the things that I've asked people to pray for is creativity.  God has been answering that prayer.  The pictures that I take each time we give out dispensas has built a wonderful bridge to the heart of the people.  On each picture I print the words "Dios Me Ve" which means "God See Me".  That has been my priority.  I want everyone I meet to know that God does see them.  That He hasn't forgotten them.  In fact, the real goal is for people to see God.  To see that their pain is His pain.  To know that He's not mad at them, that He wants to have a relationship with them.  Hopefully with their pictures in view in their homes they will see the words "Dios Me Ve" over and over until they begin to believe it.

The other relational activity that we've started is our knitting class.  Two weeks ago we started our first class with 12 ladies.  We decided to go ahead and start the class even though we don't have a building up.  We put out our chairs in a circle and that 's how we began.  It was wonderful to watch the ladies learning to knit beanies.  It was even more wonderful to watch Norma from the local church knitting with the ladies.  They laughed and talked as they observed the makings of each others knitting project.  We're hoping that some of the ladies stay with it to the point of being able to sell their hats at the market.

Over all, the part of the last visit that I enjoyed the most was watching the interaction between the ladies in their class.  I learned that most of them didn't know each other before the class, so just being in the class together was "knitting" relationships.  I was also told that some of them did know each other and didn't like each other very much.  It was fun to watch the walls begin to fall as they helped each other listen for the names to be called for their food dispensas, or help each other learn the correct way to knit a beanie.

A little side note...if you read this blog would you please let me know by saying so on Face Book or emailing me at rschmidt316@yahoo.com ?  I'd sure like to see who is reading.  If you'd like to donate towards our next project, a community center, we sure could use some help.  We have the labor waiting for the funding.  As soon as we have about $850, our community center should go up.  From there we will start looking towards installing a bathroom and a kitchen so that we can begin a  daily meal ministry.

Thank you and God Bless.

Robin

A Beautiful Sight to Behold

Yesterday, was our first "hotdog lunch" event for Dios Me Ve.  Anthony Pallante from Apple Valley brought a group of about 50 people from 5 different churches to La Mision.  Close to 23 of that group came with Anthony to Dios Me Ve to serve hotdogs, jump rope, paint faces, blow bubbles, paint over graffiti and anything else we could think of to convey to the people of the river colony that God sees them.  It was a beautiful sight to behold.

Five churches came together from Apple Valley, Big Bear and even Canada to serve in Mexico.  All of them had a heart to serve.  All of them served with joy and with smiles on their faces.  They jumped in where ever they could help and asking often if there was anything else they could do to serve.  My heart was touched as I'm sure the heart of God was also moved.  It was a beautiful sight to watch brothers and sisters in Christ preferring each other over themselves.  No one was demanding.  Everyone was flexible.  

We were blessed in many ways yesterday.  Before we ever arrived at the colony, we stopped close to the colony and got out of our cars for a minute or two.  I talked with two of the men that had come down in the group.  They asked me the story of how I became involved.  They asked me about the property and how much more did we need to finalize the purchase of the land.  I told them $337 dollars.  The smiled and said that they were pretty sure that the land would be payed off before they left, if not it would be coming.  As I continued to share what God was doing with the people here, one of the gentlemen excused himself.  When he returned he put a hand of cash in my hand.  With tears in his eyes he said that I didn't need to raise anymore money to pay off the property.  At that moment, the property had become PAID IN FULL.

When we arrived at the colony, everyone quickly started setting up for the even and I took about 10 people with me and my guide Mario to pass out tracks and fliers to remind people to come and get their lunch at Dios Me Ve.  Many of the people along the way recognized me and came out to great me with a hug.  The group with me were so great about smiling as they handed out fliers to people.  I could tell that God was touching their hearts as we walked around the colony inviting people to come for lunch.

When we returned, one of the people that was on the walk with me came and put $100 cash in my hand and said he really liked what he saw happening and wanted to contribute to the work that God was doing at the colony.  Throughout the day I had others coming up to me asking me if I had the property payed off yet.  They all were concerned that it was taken care of before they left.  

While we were preparing the hotdogs for lunch, Anthony and a couple that had come with him went for a walk and found the local school.  By the grace of God they talked with the principal of the school and asked if they could pray for the teachers.  The principal gave them permission!  They asked what the school needed and were told a roof and paint.  They continued to talk and by the time they left, the principal had agreed to let Anthony bring "the Jesus" movie and show it the school when he returned in June!!!  (That doesn't happen in Mexico; unless you have an AWESOME God working on your behalf.)

During the event I watched how well everyone worked together.  We had four churches from southern California, one church from Canada, two people from Hector's church in Ensenada, and three or so people from the colony all serving together. It made me so happy it was hard fighting the happy tears that kept coming to my eyes.

Another blessing we enjoyed during the event was the weather.  Once again we had rain predicted for the day and once again the weather was beautiful.  We started to have a few sprinkles as we were putting things away.  It was like God was reminding us that He controls the weather.

On our way back to La Mision, some of us in the group needed to stop at Costco to purchase some things.  Hector and Maribel took us there.  When we arrived, I told them I might as well start purchasing supplies for our next grocery/dispensa give away.  As I went to pay for the vegetable oil we were purchasing for dispensas, one of the people asked me how much it cost.  When I told him that it came to $57.00, he put cash in my hand.  God's goodness was almost more than I could stand and still there was more to come.

Once in the parking lot, another person came up to Hector and I.  They said they could leave with out contributing to the work God was doing through Dios Me Ve.  Again, a hand full of cash was put in Hector's hand while saying it was for the ministry we were doing down here.  

In closing, I'd like to end with a song I grew up singing as a little girl in church....
"I keep falling in love with Him, over and over and over and over again.  I keep falling in love with Him, over and over and over and over again.  He gets sweeter and sweeter as the days go by.  Oh what a love between my LORD and I.  I keep falling in love with Him, over and over and over and over again."

Showing Verses Telling

What a blessed day we had today at Dios Me Ve.  Again, we didn't announce our coming believing that those who were really in the  greatest need would be the ones to remember.  It was a smart move.  We had one older gentlemen walk 15 blocks to get his groceries and asked for me to take his picture.  It was very, very cold and windy today, so the people that waited for food were very needing to endure such cold weather.

I haven't counted, but I could honestly say that I've taken 200+ pictures of kids with friends, families, and babies. It has been a great "ice breaker" for me with my limited Spanish.  It's been fun trying to find creative ways for me to show God's love since talking about God's love is very difficult at this time.  But, it has served me well in reaching out to others.  What I mean is, it has forced me to SHOW the love of God through kind acts, lots and lots of smiles and even some hugs.  When I started taking pictures, some people loved it and some weren't quite sure.  Now, when I show up, people start asking me to take their pictures.  It has given me a great way to interact with my new friends.  

Another way I've tried to interact with people is through the making of beanies, or knitted caps.  Since it gets so cold at night and in the morning, I knew I needed to get beanies for keeping the people in the colony warm.  They've always been grateful for any beanies I could bring them, but then after a while I started to think, "what if I teach them how to make their own?"

A few months back, a my dear friend Kate Logan brought me several hat looms and yarn.  We started teaching the girls in the orphanage how to make them.  Although it was fun for the girls, it was difficult for them to find the time to make them while they still had homework to do after school.  So, two weeks ago I started to teach one lady, Rebecca, how to knit a hat while many other ladies watched and were very interested.  I told Rebecca that if she came back today, (two weeks later) that I would have more yarn for her to make another hat.

At first, I thought that Rebecca was going to be a "no-show".  About an hour after we started distributing groceries she came with her hat almost completed.  She asked for help with the last step and again many ladies were watching.  Then, I went to my car and came back with a bag of yarn for Rebecca to pick out for her next hat.  I looked around and there were about 10 ladies watching us.  After Rebecca picked out her next color of yarn for her next hat, I asked another lady to do the same.  Then, I introduced her to Rebecca as her new student.  Then another lady as Rebecca's second student.  We had a great time and many smiles were shared.

I also found out something good about the property we're purchasing.  We were concerned, but took the risk anyhow.  When we purchased the first property it was explained to us that the government would come by to make sure someone was living on the property.  They usually come by and mark the houses with stickers to show that it's occupied.  Hector recently spoke with someone from the government and told the official that we we're going to live on the property.  He told them how were just wanted to help the people in the area by providing food and clothing.  He was told not to worry.  They would mark the posts that we put around the boundary of the property.  Today, when we came, we saw stickers from the government on our posts.  According to the official, we shouldn't have any problems doing what we're doing. 

A Little Different Approach

Last Sunday we tried something a little different when coming to the river colony.  Instead of driving through the entire neighborhood letting people know that we were on our way, we decided to go the shortest way, straight to the lot. The reason was because we have been coming at the same time and the same place for quite some time.  We wanted to meet the needs of those most in need.  Everyone in the colony definitely needs food, clothes, blankets and shoes.  Some have very little, but some have nothing.

It was interesting to see that once again we had new people coming and some "no-shows".  Many of the older children did not come this time.  We think that maybe they were at the local carnival.  I learned that admission is free to the carnivals in Mexico.  I have a hard time imagining going to the carnival just to watch and not be able to go on the rides or have money to buy food, but I guess it's an outlet for the kids.

As we continued giving out the bags of food, we noticed how long some had been standing in line.  It was a longer wait this time, because Maribel and I were trying to document all the shoe sizes represented.  Some waited in line over an hour and some close to two hours.  As they patiently waited, I got an idea.  I went to my car and pulled out my loom for making beanies and began making a beanie in front of the people waiting.  After a while, I asked one lady if she'd like to learn how to make one.  I told her she could learn to make them for her family and then if she really enjoyed it, maybe she could make them to sell at the market.  Her name was Rebecca and she was very interested.  As we knitted our beanies, little by little other ladies began to express interest.  So, it looks like in two weeks, I'll be starting my first knitting class.

Please pray that I can continue to find ways to build relationship with these people.  Pray also that God will give us creative ways to genuinely help them.  We don't want to just give them things.  People before us, show up once with food or things and then are never to be seen again.  We have learned through talking with people the importance of building relationship.  When well intentioned people come and go, it leaves a bad feeling with the people that they were just trying to reach out to.  We've learned that some people are wondering what they did so wrong that people don't return.  They feel as if they made someone angry with them.  

The best thing that we've done so far is that we have been faithful.  It sends an entirely different message when you keep coming back.  It doesn't even matter if we have something to give, but a smile or a hug.  We've got their attention for the simple fact that we keep returning.  They're asking us why we keep coming.  Why aren't we charging them for food.  They don't understand yet that it's the love of God that compels us to return to them. 

Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

This last Sunday, Hector, Maribel and I walked the entire river portion of area 89.  It had rained for two days previous and was very cold.  Due to the weather, almost everyone was in their house.  One of the few people we talked to was our new neighbor to our property.  He asked Hector if we needed any help with working on the property.  Hector explained that we had no money to pay him for his work.  That was fine with the man.  He just wanted to help.  

As we walked further on, Hector explained to me that the man had told him that he lived alone.  He had been very cold during the rains and he was trying to clean up the mud and water left from the rain before it happened again. 

I am still impressed with the character of the poor that I continue to meet.  Could it be that the things other than shelter, food and clothing; the things that we call "blessings" are the very things that keep us far from Kingdom living.  I continue to meet the most hospitable people I have ever met.  It is so easy to me to see why God is attracted to the poor.  If anyone has time for God, it's the poor.  If it's anyone that expresses thanks to God first and foremost; it's the poor.  

I know that the Bible says that we will always have the poor with us.  Some, after reading that, think "Why bother then?  If the poor are always going to be with us, then what is the point?"  Could it be that we need the poor in the world to teach us who have so much?  Think about this.  What about the poor Christian, that suffers everyday?  The ones that I've met look forward to their home in heaven much more than you and I do.  They appreciate the simplest of things; practical things and show no attitude of deserving anything.

I continue to be amazed at the love God has shown toward me.  His love and compassion keep compelling me to love others.  I find myself constantly thinking what can I sell so that others may have just their basic needs met.  Or I'm thinking much more often, "If all that I think is mine, is really on loan from God, then as His steward of His stuff....hmmmm."  It's like I've taken the purpose driven life to my "things".  I feel like if my "things" aren't serving a God's purpose, then they need to be given away to someone that could use them, or sold so that the money could be used in a better way.  I'm learning how little time I have for "things" and relationships are where I want to invest my time.

Good to Know The Weather Man

We've had quite a bit of downpour and wind in the last few days. It was predicted rain on Saturday. This was going to be terribly inconvenient with a few groups coming to the orphanage this weekend to play and do activities with our kids. Amazing how God arranged the weather around the much needed visit with our kids. Amazing how God's plans can not be thwarted. I love watching Him prioritize the day. It's so obvious that God's heart is toward the widow, the orphan and the poor.

Today was just as amazing. We were able to reach our destination without any trouble at all. Some people predicted that I might not be able to get to the river colony today because of the rain we've had. In Mexico, the rain can really keep a person from getting around. Between mudslides, rivers to cross and pot holes to dodge, it can delay your plans at the least.

My favorite part of today was bringing Johnathan his own mattress. A few weeks ago Johnathon's mother approached about finding a mattress for her son because with the new addition of their baby girl, they no longer could fit all together on their one mattress. When she asked us, she also mentioned that she was embarrassed that she had to ask for it. I told her to always ask because we take all of the requests to God and then we would give what He provided. She was also the first person to ask me if we were going to build a church in the colony that the people could go to. "We need a place to go and be refreshed." she said. I hope I never forget those words. Even this lady who didn't know Jesus (yet) was reminding me of the one of the blessings of fellowship. It's refreshing.

I was confident that we would be able to get to Ensenada. I was a little less confident that our recently purchased property wouldn't be a giant mud hole. I really wasn't quite sure that people would even come out in the cold damp weather to get their dispensas. Much to my surprise, there were many people waiting for us at our new location and....the ground was plenty dry not only to use for distributing dispensas, but it was great for the kids to play games on the corner lot that we're purchasing.

Today could have been a very quiet, seemingly non productive day. Instead, there was so much laughter coming from the children that we had a hard time talking over them to call people for picking up their dispensas. By the way, we gave out all 100 bags of groceries (dispensas) today. We were about 20 short. When we ran out of food, we opened up the bags of gently used clothes that had been sent to us and let people that had waited for so long in line have 3 articles of clothing. They were thrilled. We even had two little boys that wanted beanies or gloves so badly that they picked up trash for a place in line for beanies or gloves.

Yes, today could have been a quite, non productive day. But God had other plans. So glad we went forward instead of retreating because of the rain. God is, was and will be our Way Maker.

Never Felt Safer!

Many unwarranted fears have been keeping people from visiting Door of Faith. It's sad to know that people both in the states and in the orphanage are missing out because of an isolated incident far from us keeps people from coming. The children here at the orphanage are sad because of the huge change in numbers of visitors and the visitors miss out on a life changing adventure. Hopefully, the following will help ease your fears about coming down.

When I came down here to Door of Faith Orphanage with my two sons about a year and a half ago, a never would have imagined how fulfilling it would be. I knew it was a step of faith. I knew it would be very different, but I also knew that it was going to be life changing. Boy, has it been life changing.

I've always wanted God's best for my boys. I've always wanted to pass on to them the rich spiritual heritage that I grew up with. Being a single parent really presented an obstacle for me to do that very easily. How was I going to model a life of service to God like my parents did for me? I was working most of the time and wanted to be with my boys. I wanted so desperately for my boys to grow up strong in character, far more than any other thing. More importantly, I wanted a way for them to store up treasures in heaven and not in this world. I wanted them to grow up understanding that relationships are what matter in life. All of these things have all been possible here.

Something that might surprise you is how safe I feel living here. I have felt safe everywhere I've been in Mexico. In fact, I feel safer here than I do in the states. The culture is very relational. Everywhere I've been people stop whatever they're doing just see how I'm doing . Whatever they were doing gets put on hold because they feel I'm more important.

One of the greatest blessing as a parent has been all the opportunity my boys have had to serve. It makes this mom so proud to see her children growing up learning that helping the poor, the widow and the orphan is "normal" Christianity in practice. Learning to give instead of learning how to get, discovering God-given abilities to serve others and the joy of knowing that they can contribute towards the needs of others, makes the sacrifice of "things" a welcomed change as far as this mom is concerned.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Door of Faith Orphanage, don't miss out! You have no idea what great things God can do in the life of your child, you or your entire family. One day you just might find yourself living a completely different life and loving every minute of it!

New Property Purchase

We purchased the property in the river colony! It's not huge, but it was big enough for us to pull up two cars full of dispensas for families living in the colony. If you see the pictures, you'll see Hector and Maribel's car and my car opened up to dispense food and clothing.

God is moving a little fast by my standards, but apparently He's fine with it. After purchasing the property, Hector, his family and some of the people in the colony helped to put a ramp for easy access for our cars. The families seem very excited about us coming, but you can also see that the enemy of our souls is not. If you look around, there are people that are are there roof tops checking us out. Many of them, I would guess are in trapped in a life of addictions. Some may not like us being there, but we believe that Jesus is going to reach out to them as well.

We gave out 90 large dispensas on Sunday. The average dispensa contained a small bottle of cooking oil, a bag of beans, a bag of pasta, 6 tomatoes, 1 or 2 onions, 6 tomatios and 8 potatoes. A few had tomato sauce packets and all of them had some drink mix to add a little flavor to their water. All of this was possible because of your prayers for donations to come in. Thank you so much for your generosity.

People were already waiting for us at our new location and children we waving to us as we drove through the neighborhood yesterday. We had a great team with us too. My friends Lynette and Becky helped get information and made sure that people got beanies or clothes if we had what they needed. Mike, Becky's husband, and Tyler handed out the dispensas. Hector addressed the crowd and helped fit people with shoes that had brought. Maribel and her son played games with the children on the lot next to ours, while Maydean registered people. While all of this was happening, I was able to take numerous pictures of kids and their families. Taking pictures has been a great way for me to build relationship with the families. I know enough Spanish to ask if they'd like a free photo to take home in 2 weeks when we return with food. Some are reluctant to have their pictures taken until they see others loving the idea of a free picture. On all the pictures I print in Spanish, "God sees me." Through this simple act of kindness, I hope to open the families' hearts to the idea that they haven't been forgotten, but that God sees them, their need and most of all He wants them to be reconciled to Himself.

As much as I love all of what God is allowing us to do, my favorite part usually comes toward the end when someone comes and asks for prayer. Never have I had requests anything close to these. Yesterday, to ladies (Maria and Laura) asked Maribel and I to pray for them because they were scared. Their house had been broken into and robbed and they were receiving threats against them and threats of the kidnapping of their children. On top of all of this, Maria said that she owed the money that was stolen to the bank and that she was told if she didn't pay up that she would be sent to jail. I thought to myself, "And if poverty wasn't enough, now these ladies were living in fear." Maribel translated for me as I began to pray for the protection and peace that these ladies needed.

It is becoming more and more apparent to me the different strongholds that are over this colony. Poverty is the obvious one, but fear has a hold of the families as well. Whether they are afraid that the government will be coming to take away their home, that drug dealers are going to harm them in some way, or the fear of not being able to feed their families, all of them seem to have fears

I want to say thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your support financially which enables us to afford the gas to travel back and forth to this colony of people in Ensenada. Thanks most of all to our awesome God that makes all things possible.

If you or someone you know would like to send donations to this new ministry to "the river people", please send your donations to:

Robin Schmidt
PO Box 6434
Chula Vista, CA 91909

Mark the donation for Dios Me Ve (God Sees Me) and 100% of your donation will go towards feeding and clothing the poor living in the river colony.