The River People

Just returned from having my heart broken....in a good way. God brought two missionaries from way down south across my path today and then opened my eyes to a need in my own backyard.

I met the missionary couple while I was visiting my friends Maribel and Hector that live in Ensenada. Over the past few days Maribel, Hector and I have been discussing the importance of building relationships before and during ministry. While sitting in their home today, a missionary couple showed up at their front door after driving about 10 hours. They were coming from a more southern part of Mexico for their annual visit. That's right. They visit Hector and Maribel once a year to see if they can help them with supplies for the people they are trying to reach with the gospel. They kind of "make the rounds" to different brothers and sisters in Christ that might be able to help them and then return to where they live. Their stories of perseverance and determination made me feel very humble and privileged to meet them. While they told me how they many times have to ride burros to reach the people they minister too, I began to feel like I was not paying a very high price like they had been. When they told me how they get off the burros and then half to walk 3 or 4 hours to the next group of people that needed the gospel, God began to stir something in my heart.

I asked the missionary couple a lot of questions. The people they were reaching with the gospel did not know how to read and were very isolated from the "outside world". Many of them had never seen a car or electricity. The Bible was being presented to them with illustrated teachings to help them understand God's plan. After listening to the things they had to overcome to do what God had called them to do, I thought how physically couldn't keep up with all that these two did. They appeared to me to be in their early 50's. When I asked my friends how old they were, I was told they were in their late 30's and early 40's.

After the highlight of meeting the missionary couple, my friends Hector and Maribel took me and my friends Mary and Pat to a colony just down the road about a mile or so from where he lived. We parked on the side of the road and he told me to follow him. Hector wanted me to me Mario. Mario came as soon as he saw Hector and took us to show us where he lived. This was when my heart began to break. Mario and his wife lived in a river bed with over 600 other people. His house was made completely out of tarps. I was told how the bed had to be moved with the rains came so that they would get wet when they slept in it at night. Mario then began to give us a tour of his neighborhood.

It was very cold as we walked around the river bed, looking at the condition of where the people lived. Children played in between the little tarp shacks and homemade septic "pits". There was no electricity. No fires, or the tarp homes would go up in flames. My heart was already breaking when I saw the condition of the homes. Homes where children lived. What really broke my heart was when Hector told me that to his knowledge, no Americans, Asians, even Mexicans for that matter, had ever come to help the people living in the river bed. I was shocked. We weren't talking about a few homeless people living in hidden places under a bridge or behind a bush. There were hundreds of squatters, living in this river bed in clear view to the neighbors on the other side of the road.

Before leaving, my friend Mary made a few videos of Hector and me explaining the help that these people needed. As we headed back to my car, I kept thinking about the $90 tennis shows I had just purchased. As I stared at the shoes on my feet, I couldn't help but think that my shoes cost more than the people's homes I had just seen. Pat took off her jacket and gave it to Mario's wife and Mary gave her jacket to Mario. We asked if we could pray for them before we left. Hector interpreted my prayer for Mario and his wife. I told Mario that I would be back. I asked God to reveal to Mario that He saw Mario and his wife and that the things that concerned them concerned God.

In one day I went from feeling like a pretty insignificant part of God's plan to a very significant part of God's plan. What a journey. I will never be the same after what I experienced today. God help me to always remember that You waste no experiences. There are no surprises with You, Lord. You have it all planned out. Most of all, I love being included in those plans!

Heidi's Family

I have been keeping me busy...in a good way. I've been ministering to a family that I've been staying involved with since I've been here at Door of Faith. I've mentioned "Heidi's family" in the past. Of and on I've been trying to encourage her in her faith and fellowship in church. Many times I visit with diapers and some food. That was good, but not enough. In August, I endeavored to give incentive to step-daughter, Yuliana, to stay in school. She needed a uniform, backpack and school supplies for school. Because of God's generous provision for me I was able to make sure that Yuliana had what she needed for school.
As time went on I began to notice more and more that little baby David, Heidi's son, was not growing very much. I had seen her feed him. I knew that she was nursing him, but something was unsettling to me. I had some conversations with my friends at the local clinic where Heidi received care for David. I asked if they could see why David was so small and did Heidi have enough food for David. She had almost always told me that she was fine with enough food.

When Heidi went to her next appointment at the clinic, the doctor at the clinic had a very serious talk with Heidi. David was soon to be a year old and he was only weighing in at 15lbs! I can not bear to repeat what she was feeding him on an average day, but I will say that it sure wasn't much. I had the doctor tell Heidi what and how much she needed to feed her baby everyday. I would purchase all of his necessary food if she would feed him what was required. Although, Heidi has been feeding her baby more than she did before, it is far less then that what he needs.

I also discovered that her step-daughter, Yuliana, has not been eating much either. When I learned this, I came up with a plan that involved the little boy, Jesus that lives with me. Jesus would see Yuliana every day at school (now that she was attending). So, I started sending healthy snacks with Jesus to give to her when he saw her at school.

It is not a crime to be poor. There are no laws that require you to have possessions or even certain amounts of food in your home. As a mother, however, I find it very difficult to watch another mother's seemingly apathy towards the needs of her own child. It doesn't seem that I'm observing willful neglect, but neglect nonetheless.

Who knows what things this mom may have encountered before I ever arrived in her life. It is very possible in the near future that the children that I've been trying to keep out of growing up in an orphanage, may very well end up here at Door of Faith. There is a family in our church that is interested in taking in baby David. In either case, it looks as if baby David and/or Yuliana will be growing up in a healthier, safer environment where they can thrive.

Please pray for me and my relationship with Heidi. Whatever the LORD's plans are for her and her children, I want to continue to minister to her. She was the first person that I saw come to Christ when I came to Mexico. Whatever reason she seems to be unable to care for her children, she still needs to be discipled.

Bible Institute

I have a wonderful opportunity starting at the beginning of October. I plan to study the Bible through a Bible Institute that will be held at Casa de Maria Skills Center. I can think of no better life skill for anyone than to be able to gain better understanding of God's word. So, hear I go into a new adventure in Mexico. Oh, one small catch....It's going to be taught in Spanish. Please pray for me. I will have an interpreter, but it's not quite the same.

Another possible opportunity that is coming my way is to reach a community about 40 minutes south of the orphanage with the gospel. My good friend Lynette and I had a friend lead us to this community that he had been to before to do various outreaches.

It was a lot for me to take in while traveling to this community. God had recently blessed me with another vehicle that is all wheel drive and higher up so that I was able to drive the seemingly endless dirt road to our destination. I felt like I was going to a place that no one had ever been to before. I knew that wasn't true because of the tire tracks I saw on the dirt road in front of me, but I never saw any cars on the road.

When we finally arrived at the community, our friend took us to the local church. The church was about the size of my master bedroom in the states. It has hand made posters on the walls saying in the Spanish that God loved children and that they were precious to Him. In the front corner, there was an old dirty chair, I presumed for the Pastor to sit. About the chair in English was a plaque in English that said "Praise Jesus".

When I looked over the community, it was extremely quite with really no signs of occupancy. I was told that most were far away working the fields. It was strange still. I missed seeing children playing outside. I saw no one. My guess was that they were probably out in the fields working with their parents.

I asked my friend how he had gathered people for past outreaches,. He told me that first they tell the local pastor that they're coming. When they arrive, someone on their team honks his horn as he drives through town, to tell everyone to head to the church. When enough people arrive, they divide them into groups of adults, youth and children. Each gets a "to the point" message of the gospel and then following the little service is a time for a meal, a bag of food to take home.

I'm praying on how we can get involved. Please pray for us as we seek God's direction.

One Year Down

"Where has the time gone?" seems the appropriate question to start with. It's hard to believe that in just a few days a year has gone by. As a family, we find ourselves content because of God's goodness to us this past year.

With the addition of little Jesus as well as David's most recent dog and yes a horse, we are becoming more and more settled in Mexico. It has become home and the many visits from church family have made it easier to transition. It has become apparent to me that my oldest son David has little to no desire to return to the states with the exception of running errands to the states with his "compadre" Julian. Tyler, my youngest, seems to enjoy the benefits of living here, but reserves the right to return to live in the states. All in all, it seems that God continues to bless here beyond our wildest dreams.

It is with great anticipation that I look forward to this next year serving here at Door of Faith. I've learned much of God's faithfulness in provision and encouragement here. I still hold to the belief that if you simple make yourself available to God's purposes, He takes care of all the details. I've seen it over and over again in this past year. I'm learning to trust Him in even greater ways the longer we are here. For this, I am so very thankful.