Faithful Friends

    Recent Photo of Don, Bryon & Roger

I've said many times that we could not be serving here without the faithful support of so many of you. We give thanks often for those of you who lift us up in prayer and give of your financial resources to support our work. All of our expenses of insurance, salary, visas and taxes are paid from our support account with Back2Back. We are always humbled by your generosity.

As I approach my 3 year anniversary of serving in Mexico, I want to recognize 3 faithful friends. I've known Don, Bryon and Roger for many years. We went to church together, were in the same Bible School class and were members of a men's small group. The 3 of them are still meeting every Wednesday morning, at Bob Evans, for fellowship and breakfast. When I was first preparing to move to Mexico, these dear friends stood beside me and said "We'll support you Jim!" For 3 years now, they have been faithfully supporting our ministry here in Monterrey.

Many times, those of us who serve on a mission field, receive all of the attention. But the truth is, none of the things we write about, or are blessed to do, would be possible without those of you who support us. Don, Bryon and Roger are 3 of many faithful friends who have come alongside of us as we "serve orphans and widows in their distress" according to words of James, the half-brother of Jesus, in James 1:27. We are here in Mexico and you are in the USA, but TOGETHER we are making a difference in the lives of hundreds of abandoned children. Like the words to the song, "Thank you", I pray that one day, on the other side of eternity, you are able to meet Lupita, Cesario, Louis, Paty, Pancho and hundreds more that you have helped in their "distress." There in the presence of our Heavenly Father, who relentlessly loves all of us, maybe they can thank you personally. Until that day, I will thank you for them.

THANK YOU and GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS!

Painting Inside the Church Building of Rio3

Many thanks go out to Dave Schreier & also Lifepoint Vineyard Church for purchasing the paint to paint the interior of the church building at Rio3. Last week a group from Batesville Vineyard Church was here and helped us get the painting done. What a difference painted walls make! I have always said that this church was a Lighthouse in a dark community. Now the building feels warmer and brighter. It is so amazing to see what God is doing there as He reaches out to these desperate children. They are able to witness and experience God's love through the many people we bring to serve there. Many of the children wanted to help us paint. On behalf of them, I want to give thanks to all who partner with us in ministry.

Footwashing & Shoe Giveaway at Rio3

This past week, we had a footwashing and shoe giveaway for over 200 kids at Rio3. The Christian teen group, PureNRG, had a promotion with Family Christian Stores on the sale of their newest CD. A portion of the sale of this CD was used to buy new shoes for poor children all over the world. We were blessed to have these 3 teenagers come to Rio3 to personally wash the kids feet and put their new shoes on! Some kids came barefoot and went home with a new pair of shoes. It was awesome to see the smiles on the kids faces as they received their new shoes.

Jordan, Caroline and Carolyn of the group PureNRG are between 14 & 16 years old. They served the kids at Rio3 with a real servant's heart as they washed feet for over 2 hours on their knees. You can see more picures on our Rio 3 Facebook page.

Thank you Family Christian Stores and PureNRG.

Faith of a hurt child

The lives of the kids, that live in the children's homes that we serve, are filled with pain. Their lives are filled with bad memories of their families and void of love many times. In all the work that we do, we want the kids to experience love and to know that God loves them perfectly. I love it when a child has an opportunity to exercise his young faith in God and realize that God always loves them. Recently, 9 year old Louis, from Casa Hogar Douglas, had this opportunity.

Javier, the head care giver at the children's home, has been going to each dormitory at bedtime and praying with the kids. A few weeks ago, he was in the young boys dorm, and he asked if they had any requests. Louis, who is the oldest of 4 kids in his family that live at Douglas, said that he wanted to pray that a relative would come and visit them on Sunday. It had been weeks since anyone had come on visitation day. Some of the other kids laughed and said "No one is coming!" But, Javier asked Louis "Do you believe if we pray that someone will come they will come?" Louis answered "YES I DO!" They prayed together and that next Sunday their mom came to visit them.

I remember the day that Louis and his 2 younger brothers and his sister were dropped off by their mom at the children's home. I remember because I had teers in my eyes but none of them were crying as their mom left. I know that their lives have probably always been full of sadness, heartache and pain. One of the hardest parts of our work is witnessing the pain that so many of these kids carry. But I am also lifted up each time I can witness God's faithfulness in their lives a well.

A Lesson in Forgiveness

Yesterday, I was at Casa Hogar Douglas, talking to the head caregiver, Javier. He shared with me an event that happened the day before. That morning, in school, one of the older boys from the children's home was bullying one of the younger ones. Javier told me that when they returned home, he talked to the older boy and told him that he now was going to have an opportunity to seek public forgiveness for his actions. That same day, in the dining hall before they ate their meal, this young man got up in front of everyone, and asked the younger boy to forgive him. The younger boy said that he would as the entire dining hall burst into applause. Javier later asked both of these boys how they felt. Both of them said "Good!" A very simple act. 

Independence Day Party in Casa Hogar Douglas

We had a Mexican buffet for dinner

JJ from our staff did the "grito" or "shout" that is customary

The kids formed a color guard for the national anthem

Some of the kids did a traditional dance

Betty & I dressed up in traditional clothing by the Mexican flag

Sept. 16 is the Mexican Independence Day. The tradition here is to have a party on the night of the 15 and at midnight the president leads the whole country in a cheer. The end of the cheer is when the president says "Viva Mexico" and everyone else joins in with "Viva!"

This year, we had a party, organized by the church in Casa Hogar Douglas. The 60 kids that live at this children's home were so proud to open their home up to the public and host this party. They planned and worked to decorate and entertain people for the evening. We had about 100 guests who helped us celebrate Mexico's Independence Day with the children. I am so thankful that the kids had an opportunity to enjoy this evening. This is something that they might be doing if they had an opportunity to live in a home with their parents. Living in a children's home, many times they miss out on events like this that are part of their Mexican heritage. Needless to say, they were all tired at the end of the night but they were very content too. "Viva Mexico!!!"

An Opportunity To Share in Texas

This past week, Betty and I had the opportunity to share with a church in Texas about our work in Monterrey. We traveled to Brownsville, Texas on Saturday and we were able to speak in front of 1,000 people on Sunday morning. It was a great time of fellowship with the people there. We invited them to send a group to Monterrey to serve with us next year. Most of the congregation speak Spanish fluently.

Ten years ago, Betty lived across the border from Brownsville in Matamoros. Her pastor there was Pedro Medina. He is now the pastor of this church in Brownsville. For those of you that know Betty, you know that she is a prayer warrior. She developed this habit from Pedro. He teaches his congregation of the power of prayer. Seven, yes I said 7 DAYS EVERY WEEK, they have prayer in their building at 6AM. It lasts for 1-1/2 hours every day! Their congregation has experienced many great blessings. I believe one reason God has blessed them so much is because they love to pray. There really is nothing more that God wants from us but to have a relationship with Him.