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.