This Memorial Day weekend is traditionally our big kickoff weekend to a huge and fantastic summer. While it wasn't huge in numbers it was fantastic and it was a great kickoff to what will be a great summer. We hosted three amazing groups in our main camp this weekend and built five homes in the community of Lomas De Pedregal.
The Crossing Church was represented this weekend as well as their sister church Canyon Ridge out of Las Vegas. Being sister churches, a little friendly pranking ensued in the form of water balloon launching from work site roof tops but ultimately Amor won the pranking battle when a bucket of cold water was dumped on the unsuspecting Crossing group during picture time. The picture says it all. As a co-conspirator in the prank I will take half the glory and the other half belongs to my brotha from anotha motha, Nick. Way to represent. Kairos church out of Santa Monica was also building hope this weekend in Pedregal. They were a small but mighty group with a great sense of humor. Their express desire for their mission trip was to serve the family and community. We got to experience a church service together at Armando Ponce's church plant "Agua Viva" where Armando's brother Israel spoke on perseverance. The homeowner Jaime worked skillfully alongside our unskilled hands for all four days as his beautiful wife and daughter watched with joyful expectation. From time to time we would all laugh together at some blunder of ours and Jaime's one year old daughter would explode into boisterous giggles at the sound of so much laughter.
One of the families we were building for this weekend was absent because they were demonstrating for lower prices on land at the Mayor's office in Tijuana. Some of the families in Pedregal are finding it hard to keep up with their payments and may even have to move. For families already struggling just to survive, the gift of a home and a water filter is not just some place to sleep; it is hope. For these families, a home is security for their children, like Jaime's daughter, and a water filter is a source of life giving water that saves money for necessities.
Our God is always building in ways that I would never expect for as I serve here and build hope for families I see hope being built in me. Come build some hope and watch it flourish in you.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
It's Time to Run
A co-worker of mine, Howard Major, always says, “The mission is bigger than the Ministry.” That has never been more true than now. Hardships have hit Amor Ministries left and right this year, but the mission, the calling, remains. Fear raised by the sensationalized media attention to the violence in Mexico, the down turned economy, and now the swine flu have created a perfect storm for our ministry, but the mission remains. Participant numbers have been discouragingly low, thus lowering the number of houses we are able to build, but the mission remains. Our calling has not changed, the need has not gone away, and we have not left Mexico or closed shop because God wants us here, and the mission remains.
Recently, I was sitting in on a Pastors’ meeting as we were talking with them about how many of our groups were cancelling. Their response was excellent. They said, “This is not a time for tears and hopelessness. This is a time for prayer. Pray and they will come.” Simple as that. Several groups did come to build with us this spring because they understood that the mission remains.
One group I had this spring season (which was incident-free) came to build for a family in a community called Maclovio Rojas. This family is probably the poorest I have ever seen. They were poor even by Mexico standards. Their “house” was perched precariously on a hill side that overlooked a valley covered in a blanket of urban slums. This particular hill is so steep that three different tiers had to be cut into the hill like a wedding cake so that people could inhabit it without climbing gear. Quite literally, this family was living on top of another family. They had no water, no food, no bathroom, no room, no nothing. Their shack, clothes, bodies, and everything around them smelled like the slum. Maria’s 16 year-old son had been shot the year before by a local gang, and every penny she earned at the local factory since then had gone toward his care. Still, they could not afford to have the bullet removed from his spine leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, incontinent, and dependent on Maria for everything including changing his adult diapers. When Maria spent her last couple of pesos to buy Coke for the group one hot afternoon, we wept together in appreciation of her gesture. It was the only way she could afford to say thank you, and it probably meant that her family would go without food for a day.
I sat at the top of the hill in my truck that day looking out over the valley, wondering at how many more families there were just like Maria and her family. Like the morning fog burns off in the sun, I realized with clarity the enormity of how good God is. He tells us that He knows every hair on our head and that He cares for us. It is something that Maria knew and that I had always heard but never understood. He would take care of these families just like He would accomplish His mission, no matter how many groups came to build.
I still have moments where I realize that this is actually my life; I’m not dreaming. It is the best feeling I’ve ever felt. Please pray with us as we continue on because the mission remains. Pray and get involved. Come do Project X with us or give to Casa de Amor. Check out the website for more details. Read Joshua 1:9 and come to Mexico.
Recently, I was sitting in on a Pastors’ meeting as we were talking with them about how many of our groups were cancelling. Their response was excellent. They said, “This is not a time for tears and hopelessness. This is a time for prayer. Pray and they will come.” Simple as that. Several groups did come to build with us this spring because they understood that the mission remains.
One group I had this spring season (which was incident-free) came to build for a family in a community called Maclovio Rojas. This family is probably the poorest I have ever seen. They were poor even by Mexico standards. Their “house” was perched precariously on a hill side that overlooked a valley covered in a blanket of urban slums. This particular hill is so steep that three different tiers had to be cut into the hill like a wedding cake so that people could inhabit it without climbing gear. Quite literally, this family was living on top of another family. They had no water, no food, no bathroom, no room, no nothing. Their shack, clothes, bodies, and everything around them smelled like the slum. Maria’s 16 year-old son had been shot the year before by a local gang, and every penny she earned at the local factory since then had gone toward his care. Still, they could not afford to have the bullet removed from his spine leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, incontinent, and dependent on Maria for everything including changing his adult diapers. When Maria spent her last couple of pesos to buy Coke for the group one hot afternoon, we wept together in appreciation of her gesture. It was the only way she could afford to say thank you, and it probably meant that her family would go without food for a day.
I sat at the top of the hill in my truck that day looking out over the valley, wondering at how many more families there were just like Maria and her family. Like the morning fog burns off in the sun, I realized with clarity the enormity of how good God is. He tells us that He knows every hair on our head and that He cares for us. It is something that Maria knew and that I had always heard but never understood. He would take care of these families just like He would accomplish His mission, no matter how many groups came to build.
I still have moments where I realize that this is actually my life; I’m not dreaming. It is the best feeling I’ve ever felt. Please pray with us as we continue on because the mission remains. Pray and get involved. Come do Project X with us or give to Casa de Amor. Check out the website for more details. Read Joshua 1:9 and come to Mexico.
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