Wow! That was fast!

Up until today, I have been buying jackets, blankets, beanies, shoes, socks, beans, pasta, tomato sauce, and oil with the extra support and sometimes not extra support that has come in. I don't say that to boast in myself, I share that because it's all because of God that I've been able to. Each time I tell Him if He sends me extra I'll help someone with it, He comes through.

Yesterday, was a little more than I expected. I was in my friend Mary's house preparing dispensas (groceries to give out) for the people in the river colony of Ensenada. I'm still learning how many dispensas I can get out of the portions I buy, where's the best country to buy it (Mexico or US) and how much time will it take to gather everything. I was trying to prepare 40 dispensas when I came up short on beans for the last 10 dispensas. I was alone in the casa so I was having a conversation with God about what the work He was doing in the river colony of Ensenada. When I came up short on beans I just blurted out, "God you've got to send me some money. I need more beans!" Mind you, I do realize that God is not obligated to send me money so I can buy more beans. In any case, God heard that prayer even before I prayed it.

It seems that God was already talking to some friends of mine, Mike and Kate Logan. Mike and Kate attend Green Valley church in Placerville. When they heard what God was leading me and my friends Hector and Maribel to do in the river colony, they began to ask people for their help. So, getting back to my awkward prayer for more money for more beans. Approximately an hour after that prayer I headed back to the orphanage. Kate and Mike Logan were visiting and had some wonderful news. Not only were they able to help on Sunday when I go to Ensenada, not only did they bring toys and beanies and looms and yarn to teach the kids at the orphanage how to make beanies....they brought me far more money than needed to buy the beans I needed this weekend. I'm telling you...I dare you. I double dog dare you to ask God to use you. Make yourself available and God will do amazing things far beyond your wildest imagination. He's looking for for hands, feet, mouths, ears to come together in the body of Christ and reach people with the love of Jesus.

The God Who Pursues

Have you ever thought about how God pursues us? How he goes out of His way, to find us and love us even when we don't want anything to do with Him? We can choose to resist His love, but I believe that there are few who can resist the love of God.

It says in the Bible that it's God's kindness that leads us to repentance. It's not His justice, or His holiness, but His kindness. I believe it was kindness God was showing when He loved us first, before we ever knew Him. If you think about it, it takes a certain attitude of the heart to realize God's kindness. When you realize that you are eternally lost unless God pardons you of the penalty of your sin, then God would be perceived as being kind. On the contrary, if you don't have need for a savior because your plan is to either work your way to heaven on your good works or you think that you can get there without going through His son, Jesus, then you might not see God as kind. You might think of God as narrow minded or arrogant.

The truth of the matter is that God is His kindness and mercy sent His Son to pay the complete penalty of our sins. We couldn't do it. Even in our best of efforts we would be covered in sin. Our holy, righteous God can't be around sin.

I bring the matter of salvation up not only because we are approaching Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, but because I'm hearing more and more about a gospel without repentance. Be sure as you have opportunity to share the true meaning of Christmas this year that you not only talk about the love of God. Make sure people understand that a Holy God, sent His perfect Son to take our punishment.

The people that I'm beginning to meet in the river colony of Ensenada have been showing me something that I rarely see in the United States. This last Sunday, I met two sisters living with their two toddlers and another baby on the way. One of them was 16 and the other was 20. I don't remember exactly how we got on the subject of if they knew God, but one thing was very clear. They had heard about Jesus. They knew that He died for their sins. Their Christian mother had told them that God was with them and would always take care of them, but if you asked them if they were Christians they would tell you "no". Do you know why? Because they had not repented of their sins and come to the place that they believed that Christ paid the full price for their sins. They knew that to follow Christ was to live very differently, but they hadn't come to the realization yet that Jesus paid the full price for their sins, once and for all. When we began to share Jesus with them, the old sister would begin to cry and tell us her heart and mind were not clean.

Most people I've shared the gospel with in the United States seem to think that they are Christians because their parents are or because they attend church. I even heard someone on the radio say that he was curious whether or not the greatest harvest of souls was sitting in our churches. That is a very sad thought. I hope it's not true.

As we continue to share the love of God to the people of the river colony in Ensenada, pray that we will have opportunity to lead people to a genuine faith and understanding of salvation through Jesus. We are more concerned about their eternal destiny than their immediate comfort. And believe me we are trying very hard to meet their physical needs. We do both out of obedience to what God says in His word. We do not try and meet their physical needs so that they will feel obligated to listen to us. Instead we try to meet their physical needs so that it becomes a tool that God can use. If for no other reason, Christ commands us to take care of the poor.

Otro Ves "Again"

Every night as I lay in bed underneath 4 blankets, next to a heater, in my 2 bedroom house with running water (hot and cold) I'm careful not to complain about the cold. It has become a real reminder about the people in the River colony that God has placed on my heart. I can't imagine living in the conditions that I saw last Sunday. i especially have a hard time knowing that children are living there. I can't imagine not having a bathroom to use in the middle of a cold rainy night. I know that with all that I have to keep me warm, I don't want to get out of bed because it's so cold for me. Imagine being pregnant with a couple of toddlers and having to endure such conditions.

It's going to be especially difficult for me to go to Ensenada this Sunday after church. The reason being is that after church this Sunday the American missionaries in the area will be hosting a Thanksgiving dinner after church. There's going to be plenty of food to enjoy and then I'm going to see people that have hardly anything.

I am, however, looking forward to a different part of the trip to Ensenada. More than likely. I'm going to be given permission to take the little boy, Jesus, that has been living with me. Jesus has been doing so well that we are slowly transitioning him back into his dorm. He will now have two dorm parents (mom and dad) and spending the night with me will become a reward for his good behavior. I'm excited because I love discipling kids in what Jesus asks us to do. Giving back, being grateful, obedient, learning compassion for others are all the things that all of us need to learn.

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!