Our True Purpose in Life

Recibe toda la Gloria,

Recibe toda la Honra,

Precioso Hijo de Dios!

 

Receive all the Glory,

Receive all the Honor

Precious Son of God!

 

 

This is a song that we sang daily while in Culiacan.  It's such a beautiful reminder of the purpose of our lives.  It takes a lot of humility to get to the point in your life when you can truly say it is all for His Glory, all for His Honor!  I'm certainly not there yet, but pray, with each new day that I'm one step closer.  I pray the same for all of you, mis hermanas y hermanos (my sisters and brothers); may the Lord receive all the honor and glory from your life!

 

 

The True Meaning of Hospitality

Our Dinner Party

The Bible is clear... we are to be hospitable, but I have completely missed the true meaning of "hospitable" until now. 
One evening in the camps, my diagnosing partner, Sandra, and I were going door to door finding out what dialects each family spoke and providing them with the message of salvation in their language.
It was about 7:30 and many were eating their evening meal.  What you see in the picture is the cooking area outside of their room. 

We approached this couple, who were resting and enjoying their meal.  We introduced ourselves and worked to find out if they spoke another language.  They spoke purely Spanish and we gave them a CD and John and Romans in Spanish.

Then, they invited us for dinner.  We assured them that they should not worry about us, but they insisted; and anyone who has served or visited another culture knows that when offered something, you take it graciously.

The husband went in search for two more buckets for us to sit on and sent his wife to the little camp store (2 doors down) to purchase a soda for us.  They then found a spoon for Sandra and I to share and two cups for the drinks.  They filled a bowl with a little piece of chicken and sauce and offered us a basket of homemade tortillas. 
The food was delicious and the fellowship was sweet.  They knew the Lord and were enjoying asking me all about the United States.  We were there for about 15 minutes and excused ourselves to finish the work.

Wow, when I try to be hospitable I often think more about the food I'm going to serve, the condition of my house or the entertainment for the evening more than the people who are coming.
These people had very little when it came to material goods, but they surely understood the meaning of hospitality.  What a humbling experience! Thank you Lord for this lesson.

Only a Hair in the Body of Christ

Team Temecula- Ready to do our part

 

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ you are part of the church body and the Bible is clear... you are called to do your part.  Just as your body could not function properly without each part (eyes, organs, legs and skin), the body of Christ (the church body) cannot function properly without everyone doing their part.  This week I overheard a member of my team say that he'd be blessed just to be a hair in the body.  A hair! Do you have that same attitude?  I certainly don't and need to pray for that type of humility. 

So, what part are you playing in the body?  Are you crippling the body by not doing your part or are you building up the body by exercising what you've been given? 

The Bible is clear... read it for yourself (I Corinthians 12).

Ed Young, one of founders of the Culiacan Project shared how it all began.

 

 



Mike Garcia Helped lead worship

 Mike helped duplicate CDs to take to the camp

Art was the team mechanic fixing all of the vehicles

I was the resident teacher.  Even the kids I didn't teach called me "teacher".

 



 

 

 

 

Adventura Misionera

Tomorrow morning our team of about 70 will be traveling to Ceuta (about an hour from Mazatlan) to camp out (in tents).  There are some large work camps out in that direction that the teams will be working in.  We've been asked to bring our sleeping bag and a small bag containing one (yes, one) change of clothes and our toothbrush.  We will be there from Tuesday until Thursday.  Please pray for our protection and that the Lord use us all in mighty ways.  This is what you call an Adventura Misionera (mission adventure)!

This Week's Numbers

Only the Lord knows His children.  When we go to a camp and share the Gospel, only He knows who truly believes.  But each night teams keep careful count of the CDs that go out and in what language.  This information is used for many reasons, but tonight it was simply an encouragement.

This week we had three teams that went to a different camp each night.  Each team takes time with each family to find out what language/dialect they speak and then give them a CD.  It isn't a fast process because we want to be accurate.

This week....
1400 CDs were given in languages/dialects other than Spanish
400 CDs were given in Spanish
55 different languages/dialects were given
and all of this means that about 100 towns will be reached

Each CD is not just one seed planted.  One person does not listen on their own, whole families listen and hear the word.  Many then take it to the rest of their family and then their communities.
One CD is many seeds and many potential souls for the kingdom.

Chucho, the director, said that in the beginning of the project there were very few Christians.  But now, they are finding many who are ready to learn more.
Thank you Lord for this week.  Thank you for what you have already done and what your are about to do this week before us.  Pray for a big harvest his week!

Yes, Missionaries Have Fun Too!

After a great five days in the camps we were given Saturday and Sunday to rest.  Yes, missionaries get to have fun too!  Actually, I have begun to think that if we started sharing the fun parts of being in missions maybe more people would join us.  Don't get me wrong.  The ministry is a huge blessing and a lot of fun too, but having a bit of down time is a blessing also.

On Saturday three vans of people made their way an hour out of Culiacan to an area that has hot springs.  We were able to relax in the hot pools and spend a lot of time laughing and playing and getting to know one another a bit more. 

Later that night, after returning back at Camp Esperanza, we were went across the street to a local taco house.  Yum!  Nothing beats a real Mexican taco!

Chucho, Deborah, Josue, Diana, Stacy, Arturo & Miquelito (Mikey)





Sunday morning we joined a team that went to a small church in town.  It was a great time of worship and was a short service (2 1/2 hours).  The pastor spoke about "Listening for the Lord."  When was the last time you listened?  Really, listened?  I know that listening to the Lord at home is often difficult with the craziness of life.   One thing I love about short term trips is the focus on listening to the Lord.  I need to be better about doing the same in everyday life.

The congregation made lunch for us after the service and we were able to fellowship with some really kind people.  Afterwards we went back to the camp to get a bit of work done!  This is where I learn to appreciate my luxuries of home.... like the washing machine!  

Thanks so much for all the prayers!  We are definitely feeling them!

The Lord at Work

Before we leave for a camp, we pray.  Before we get into the vans, we pray.  On the way to the camp, we pray.  We pray for protection.  We pray for God's grace with the overseers of the camp so that they will allow us to enter.  We pray for open hearts and receptive people.  We pray that our equipment and vehicle work.  But most of all, we pray for the Holy Spirit's presence.  We pray that the Lord use us and that we would be usable.

Emil always says... the Lord isn't looking for your abilities, but your availability.  We make ourselves available and wait in anticipation for what the Lord would have us do... and there is always something!

Last night, before we arrived, a Christian man living in Camp 15 was praying for his baby that was very sick.  He was crying out to the Lord, "Lord, where are you.  I don't see you here.  Please, show yourself to me."  Following his prayer his young son went out of their cuarto (room) and noticed our projection screen set up and the clowns we had ministering to the children.  He could hear the message of Christ that they were sharing and he said, "Thank you Lord.  You are here!"

 

The night went well as we each had our specific jobs.  Diana and I went door to door diagnosing what language each person spoke (there were 4 teams doing the same throughout the camp).

 

Dale was burning CDs in each of the languages we needed.

 

 

This woman was overjoyed at receiving the story of Christ in her indigenous language.  She blessed Diana and I with these beautiful tomatoes; a precious gift when you have so little.

 

At the end of the night our team packed up and climbed back into the van.  Then, the Christian man mentioned earlier came to invite our entire team (of 14) to his room for coffee.  When someone offers you something... you go.  It is important to be in the moment and aware of how the Lord is at work.  We all went back to his room and sat in a group outside the door as they served all of us coffee.  This truly was sacrificial giving.  This man, a believer, wanted to begin to teach others in the camp about Christ and a godly life.  A few years ago he had received a CD of the Gospel message in his language.  That was the seed and now he's ready to grow.   What an encouragement to the teams to hear his story and see the fruit of their labor.  We supplied him with materials and then prayed for the healing of his sick baby and an anointing on his life in this camp.

 

What a blessed night.  Since I've been here I've felt a bit out of my comfort zone at times, but if I didn't take one step forward each moment (regardless of my feelings) I surely would miss out on these amazing blessings.  Thank you Lord for allowing me this privilege.

 

 

 

 

Riddle

What do you get when you....



 

... cut the top off of a bag of Spicy Cheese Curls

and add

... cucumber

... hot dog (I think)

... tomato

... and hot sauce

 

Ok, I know the mouths of all of my Mexican friends are salivating already.

 

It's a Mexican snack... and yes, I ate it (ok, only some of it).