Our family has pretty much settled into a groove here in Mexico. Our daily schedule has become more regular, so it makes it easy for everyone to follow.
The kids are now familiar with their limitations, and what is expected of them. They have all been tackling their school and doing quite well. Beth and I have gotten used to being in class for a few hours a day, and the work duties are actually very light, at least they are compared to what we are used to.
Last week was a mini-outreach week. 4 days of the same type of outreach activities that we can expect to see during the 10 week outreach phase. Each day, we did different things.
Thursday, we drove an hour away to Tecate to pick up several thousand pounds of mangos, then came back to the base and separated them for distribution to local orphanages, villages, and individual families. Then we spent the afternoon out in the Colonia for the Circulo ministry. It rained really heavily, so we had to drive around picking kids up. We only had about 15-20 kids come, but the rain turned into a blessing when we decided that since people weren’t coming out to see us, we could go door to door and hand out bags of mangos to families while inviting them to come next week. We made the best of the situation! Getting out of the colonia to the paved roads was a mess though. It was a team-building moment. Lots of pushing and running in the mud!
Friday we visited a special needs orphanage. These kids are all physically and mentally handicapped. I would tell you about individual cases but its really sad and it would make this blog long. But I will say that this was the hardest outreach for me so far, not because I don’t care about kids, but because I do. I am used to going to find ways to help people who are suffering, but these kids already have a great facility. There is nothing I can do to fix the problems they have. Its kind of a helpless feeling. That is whats hard about it. But what we can do is find ways to show them love. Spending time with them (more than a few minutes) is one of those ways.
Saturday we spent the day at the U.S. Consulate. There is an official there who does an annual event for local kids. There were songs, lessons, and activities that were all designed around basic truths about who Jesus is and the message of salvation. It was a big blessing for a lot of kids to leave their homes in the slums or from the orphanages to come play and learn in such a fun way.
Sunday I spoke at a church called La Vina in Tijuana. Then we spent the afternoon back at the special needs orphanage.
This week has been hectic around the base because we are celebrating the 25th year anniversary of the Homes of Hope. Homes of Hope is a program where teams from businesses and churches come to this base and go out into the colonia and build a home for a family. Its pretty amazing how this has grown. 25 years ago, they knew of a family that was living in an old bus, and they got a team together to build them a 16’x20’ home. Next thing you know, they find another family to do the same thing. Then another, and another, and pretty soon teams are coming form all over. In 25 years, they have built over 5000 of these homes, most of them here in TJ, but also it has extended to 19 different countries.
So, for the 25th anniversary, we are building 25 homes in one weekend. There are tons of people here, and tons of staff volunteers. Its really busy.
Over the next two days, our DTS is building for a family here. I’m looking forward to getting my hands a bit dirty!
I have some other great news. When we first were responding to God’s call to join YWAM, I really struggled with why God would be calling us to do such a thing. It didnt make sense to me that He would take an evangelist from one area, where we were bearing a lot of great fruit, and plant us in the midst of a bunch of other evangelists. We had a lot of cool ministry in Tri Cities, and beyond that with the India ministry. Why would God want us to leave that to blend in among a bunch of other missionaries?
Well, we took that step of faith, following clear direction, and now that we are here, He is beginning to reveal to me why He called us here, and how He is going to use our gifts and experience to benefit the organization. It’s really exciting stuff. The best thing about it is, we have people in leadership here who are paving the way before us, rather than being the type of people who barge in and try to push an agenda.
It’s a big relief for me because, as I said, I struggled for a long time, asking God “Why?” It’s all becoming clear now, and we are pumped up and filled with hope and expectation for the future.
Thank you to all of our prayer and financial supporters. We are so blessed by your partnership, and God is pleased with your faithfulness. For those of you who pray for us, thank you so much. I know you don’t desire any thanks, but we are grateful. And for those who support financially, we are so thankful for you. You understand that missions takes resources, and your gifts make it possible for us to go out and do the work we do. Right now, we are in the initiation phase of joining YWAM, but soon we will be full on in the outreach and teaching phase. Thank you for your support. The Lord will certainly bless you.
Blessings!
Billy, Beth and Family