And Then We Worshiped

11 May 2011 — Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico

Wednesday evening.  Worship night at RETO.  The girls, the staff, and some community members gather to worship.

The worship session lasted about an hour and half and included a fantastic time of prayer and repentance at the end.  Hearts that we had been praying for throughout the week, and that others had been praying for even before we arrived, were softened to the Spirit of God.  Girls came to repentance.

And we worshiped.

We prayed.

We worshiped some more.

And then something very poignant happened.  The girls came and thanked us.  Many gave us hugs.

I found myself praying for each one as they came to tell me thank you and good-bye.

After the worship service, we went back to the room to gather things and pray one last time as a team before Steph and I headed back across the border.  This time of prayer was significant for us.

Through some individuals on our team who carried an anointing for prophecy, God confirmed for us some key elements of our future ministry.  He also answered our prayers to understand what He wants us to pray over our children as they grow.

Such an incredible time of worship and prayer as a team!

Steph and I then headed back across the border.  We checked into a hotel in El Paso that seemed extravagant in comparison to what we had experienced over the previous two weeks.  We went to bed with full hearts and enlivened spirits!

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One Last Day in Mexico

Wednesday, 11 May 2011, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico

Our last day in Mexico.

The trip is ending. 

We spent the day praying for the girls at RETO.  We also prayed for Pastor Clemente. 

Pastor Clemente is a young man who is the educational director for RETO.  He has a big heart.  He has a big job.  He has a lot of pressure and stress.

This afternoon, three members of our team spoke prophetic words and encouraging words over Pastor Clemente.  Andthen we prayed for him.

Pastor Clemente is a light in a dark land.  Please pray for him.  He is doing a great–hard–work.  Please add him to your daily prayer list.

We also had the privelege of having breakfast with Elena Porras.  Señora Porras is the director and founder of RETO a la Juvenatud.  It is an amazing story.  (I will update this page when I get to my computer at home wit a link to her story.)

The organization is a part of Teen Challenge.  The ministry that David Wilkerson founded.  On the first day of our trip, David Wilkerson went home to the Lord.  He truly is smiling down on this mission in Juarez.

Señora Porras told us how over 800 girls have passed through RETO in its existence.

Tonight was the Wednesday night church service.  Pastor Gerardo brought a message of salvation.  Two of the girls responded.  Many others were under conviction and were prayed for.  At re end of the service they all prayed for us. Each of the girls lined up to hug us and tell us thank you.

RETO is changing Juarez.  One life at a time.

Afterwards, as we said our goodbyes to our team.  They prayed for me.  Several prophetic words were spoken over Steph and I (and our children).

We then left Mexico and re-entered the USA. 

Please pray for us as we seek the Lord for our next step in ministry.

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Dia de las Madres

Tuesday, 10 May, 2011, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico

Today is Mother’s Day.  Here in Mexico, they celebrate Mother’s Day on the 10th of May no matter what day of the week it is.

So, to mi madre y mi espousa, I say “¡Feliz dia de las madres!”

Today was our first workday at RETO.

We led devos (apparently an international term) in the am.  Each of our team gave a brief tesimony.  I talked about how God brought me back.  About how no matter how far away we run, when we return to Him, it is only one step.

After devos, Timothy and I put together a quilting top stitch machine.   That took all day with occasional interuptions for lunch and afternoon devos.

Our team prepared lunch for the girls.

At lunch we heard a testimony that was truly remarkable.

One of the part-time staff members is a lady from Las Cruces named Kate.

Kate works full-time in Las Cruces as a respitory therapist.  She has Sunday/Monday/Tuesday off and uses it to drive down to Juarez and teach sewing and guitar at RETO.

She has an intense love for these girls.

She told us how she used to drive down every two or three months from Colorado.  On one of these drives she listened to Spanish instruction tapes to learn the language.

On the drive home from that trip, she was praying and asking God how He wanted her to continue and expand this mission.

He told her, “Ask this guy for a job.”

A minute later her phone rang.

The voice on the other end said, “How can I help you?”

She said that she looked at phone and said, “Well, I didn’t call you.  God did.  But I am supposed to ask you for a job.”

The voice asked, “Do you know who this is?”

After she told him that she didn’t.  He introduced himself as he head of Respitory Therapy at the hospital in Las Cruces.

She said, “That’s funny.  I’m a respitory therapist and God told me to ask you for a job.”

He told her to immediately come see him.  She did. 

While there he told her to take home an application and fill it out and send it back, but it would probably be a couple of months before she heard anything.

She flled it out then and there.  Handed it to him.  He told her as soon as a position was open, he’d send her a packet.

She drove the rest of the way home.

12 hours later, when she arrived at home, the packet was in her mailbox.

The next week she moved to Las Cruces and has been going to RETO every week since (5 years next month).

When God gives a dream, He will pave the road to the fulfillment of that dream.

This evening we lead the evening service for the girls.  We prayed for them and gave them a small gift.   When all were done and the girls were dismissed, one girl came back to ask for prayer for her mother who has been diagnosed with cancer. 

Please add Hilda and her mother Paula to your prayer lists.

Our prayer was for God to do a miracle in that life, so they could be the testimony which their community so desperately needs.

Please join us in prayer.

As I said in yesterday’s post, there is hope in Juarez.

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A Remnant

Monday, May 9, 2011, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico

Today was a Pastor’s Conference here in Juarez. 

About a year ago, a small group of Pastors began to gather here in Juarez on a regular basis to pray.  The original group was small.  Maybe 20-30 Pastors. 

A year later, these prayer gatherings are seeing a couple hundred pastors.  

In Juarez, there is a spirit of fear that permeates.  It is a very dark place.  3,000+ murders last year will tend to have that effect.  Juarez is now considered the most dangerous city in the world, and is not far from being the most dangerous city in history.

But…. there is a glimmer of light.

There is a remnant.

This Pastor’s Conference was planned and paid for by the prayer alliance.  About 100 Pastors were there. 

The topic was the Fear of the Lord.

At the first break, MJP asked us to pray.  She sensed that the message was not breakig through and that the room was filled with this same spirit of fear that sits on Juarez.

So we prayed.

At the next break, things were getting easier.  Steph had also hard from the Lord to tell MJP to focus on the verse from Matthew about the gates of hell not prevailing against the church.

That period of teaching seemed to really resonate with the Pastors and get to the heart of what they needed. 

Put simply, they needed to know that they weren’t alone in the fight.  That there is a remnant of people that cared enough to pray for Juarez.  A remnant of people outside of Juarez.

MJP told us later that as the day carried on she felt that the message needed to shift to one of exortation.

Please hold up in prayer this alliance of Pastors and this remnant people here in Juarez.  God is working in them.  Pray for revival to come quickly to this town. 

It is a dark and lonely land.

But

Jesus tells us we’re like candles.  We are lit and then set on a stool to light the room.  Right now, in Juarez, there are only a few candles.  A few spots of light.

But God is ready to turn up the heat.

American Christians: we need to do our part.  We need to be repenting to God for our countries contributions to this issue.  We need to repent for our drug use.  We need to repent for our unfair immigration policies.  We need to repent for speaking words of condemnation and judgement on our neighbors to the south.

We all need to hold up in prayer this remnant that exists in Juarez. 

¡Ora por Juarez!

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Peace to War

Sunday, 8 May 2011, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico

Today, we drove.  Hundreds of kilometers.

We had breakfast in Huapoca.  Then we said Hasta Luego to our new dear friends, the Granados.

We were just off the ranch property and had a flat tire.  So, after changing the tire, we headed on into Cd Madera. 

Just inside town, we found a despondchada (tire shop) and purchased a replacement tire since we now had no spare.

The rest of our drive was uneventful and took us through some beautiful country. 

We arrived at RETO a Juventud around 8pm. 

We went from the easiest place I’ve ever been in to pray to the hardest in 8 hours. 

Juarez is a spiritually dark place.  Crime is widespread.  Death is always at the door it seems.  Fear abounds.

Even in this safe place of RETO, where the atmosphere is not dark, the reality of Juarez can be both seen and heard.

We took a cold shower (hot water heater repair is on Timothy and I repair list for Tuesday). 

As we laid down to sleep we could hear dogs barking, babies crying, people screaming at re crying babies, people screaming at each other, kids singing, and a host of other sounds.

The emotional shock was made bearable only through prayer. 

Pray for Juarez.  The only thing that will ever change this city is prayer. 

There are glimmers of light. 

There is a remnant. 

Please add Juarez to your prayers.

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Hasta Luego

In English, when you part company with someone we use such a final word: “Goodbye”.  It’s final because it doesn’t leave hope for a future meeting.

In Spanish, they have a beautiful phrase: “Hasta Luego”.  Until later. 

We had to say Hasta Luego today to so many wonderful people.  People who had become friends, partners, pastors, mentors, and family.  In a few short days. 

The Granados family are seven of the most beautiful people that I have ever meet. 

Sergio – Gracias, mi amigo y mi pastor.  You are such a great man.  May God continue to work His way, and grow you fully into your calling.  I so enjoyed working with serving with you.  You taught me many lessons that will go with me.  (Yes, I will learn Spanish before my next trip to Huapoca.)

Irma – You are so wonderful!  Thank you for mentoring my wife.  Thank you for living such a beautiful example of what it means to be a Christian mother.  Your children will rise up and call you blessed.  And, yes, those workers (who do such a wonderful job) are your children too.

Raquel – May God continue His work in you.  Guard your heart. 

Sarai – You are a worshiper.  Hungry for God.  Keep pressing in to Him. 

Moselle – “Mi Amiga.”  I can’t wait to see what God has in store for you.  Keep your smile.  It warms hearts.

Ruben – I’ve never had such an immediate connection with someone.  It was a pleasure to talk with you.  I look forward to a long friendship.

Vienay – we only barely met, but seeing your Papa get ready for you to arrive was so incredibly heart stirring.  We are serious about the whole mi casa es su casa thing.

So, my friends mi familia, hasta luego.  For it truly is just until later for us.  We’ll definitely be back together in Huapoca.

And, when you come to Arkansas, mi casa es su casa.

(One other note, I look forward to our next opportunity to worship together, Pastor Carlos!  Next time in Ciudad Chihuahua!)

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Fútbol, Alabanza, Familia

Saturday, 7 May 2011, Huapoca, Chihuahua, Mexico

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have no interest in – what we Americans – call soccer.

None.

Long game.

It can end in a tie.

I could go on.

Today on the soccer field behind Casa Pista one of the guys at the camp was kicking around a soccer ball.  I walked out there and kicked the ball around with him. 

Tho we didn’t speak one another’s language, we learned that sport speaks its own language.

The first night, MJP asked me to sing for her after the service.  I did.  We all sat and worshipped and prayed for about an hour.  Since then, Pastor Carlos has asked me to sing with them a number of times.  As I would sing – in English – and the people would sing along – in Spanish – I learned that worship speaks its own language.

The beautiful thing is that as we have all tried to communicate through various translators, hand signals, sports, and worship, we are all in the same family.

Sergio told me tonight as we were wrapping up in Casa Pista, “Mi familia es su familia.” 

I knew he meant it.  Not just in a physical sense. 

We share a common family identity – God is our Father.  Dios es Padre Nuestro.

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Lost in Translation

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Friday, May 6, 2011 – Huapoca, Chihuahua, Mexico

Another fantastic day!

The day began with breakfast. 

After breakfast, we worshiped (alabanza).  Then MJP began her intensive on the Fear of The LORD.  What an incredible study!

Lunch followed.  Fried Chicken!  It was very good! 

Then….  I got lost in translation.

Sergio (the camp director) asked if I would accompany him on a walk to a couple of the activities on the ropes course.  He had taken us down earlier in the week to show us the course (photo at the end of this post of me standing on top of the trust fall).  I agreed to do so, but asked him to have someone there that could translate from Spanish to English so I could understand.

Wha I missed in all this was he wanted me to give a devotional at each of our two stops.  So, yes, I can now say tha I’ve “preached” via a translator.

What a new and strange world. 

My “preaching” (anytime someone shares from the Bible it’s called preaching here) style fits a translator well, but it’s hard to not loose your train of thought while waiting for the translation. 

Unfortunately, I had not taken my Bible with me, and had no idea which obstacles we were going to do.  So, all the way down the trail, I prayed.

The first obstacle we stopped at was a balance board.  A person stands on each side, or one in the middle and attempts to balance the platform.  Here I talked about the importance of forsaking all else to follow God.  If we are off center, then we are out of balance.  I talked about how we have to center our life in God and ignore all else.

Our next obstacle was the trust fall.  But, as you can see from the picture, this is no ordinary trust fall.  It’s about six feet.  Sergio explained about how we have to trust our friends to catch us when we fall.  I then talked about faith.  I talked about the three parables in Mattew 13 (Soils, Seeds and Bread).  How when God gives us the seed and it grows in us, we can’t just hold onto it.  It will rot.  We have to give it away.

That’s the Kingdom Principle that has been so real to us on this trip.  God has given us somethig we can’t hang onto it.  We have to give it away.

And, that is why we are in Mexico.  God has given us something of the Kingdom that we can’t hang on to.  And, like I said yesterday, He told us to take that something to Mexico.  So, here we are.  In the center of His will.  Balanced. 

So, while I may have been lost in translation, the message of the Kingdom wasn’t.  At least not to the people here.

I know some folks back home don’t uderstand why we would even remotely consider this trip.  Like I said last night.  We ask God, “Where are You working?  Can I join in?”  Then we listen for the answer.

This time He answered, “Huapoca.”  And then He said, “Yes.”  And we came. 

Then He said, “I’ll give you specific messages to share.”  And, we listen.  And, we share.

God called us to be here.  And we said, “Yes.”  Because we would rather be in Mexico in the center of God’s will, then in the comfort of home ignoring God’s will.

There is no greater place to be than in the center of His will–lost in translation.

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Lost in Translation

Friday, May 6, 2011 – Huapoca, Chihuahua, Mexico

Another fantastic day!

The day began with breakfast. 

After breakfast, we worshiped (alabanza).  Then MJP began her intensive on the Fear of The LORD.  What an incredible study!

Lunch followed.  Fried Chicken!  It was very good! 

Then….  I got lost in translation.

Sergio (the camp director) asked if I would accompany him on a walk to a couple of the activities on the ropes course.  He had taken us down earlier in the week to show us the course (photo at the end of this post of me standing on top of the trust fall).  I agreed to do so, but asked him to have someone there that could translate from Spanish to English so I could understand.

Wha I missed in all this was he wanted me to give a devotional at each of our two stops.  So, yes, I can now say tha I’ve “preached” via a translator.

What a new and strange world. 

My “preaching” (anytime someone shares from the Bible it’s called preaching here) style fits a translator well, but it’s hard to not loose your train of thought while waiting for the translation. 

Unfortunately, I had not taken my Bible with me, and had no idea which obstacles we were going to do.  So, all the way down the trail, I prayed.

The first obstacle we stopped at was a balance board.  A person stands on each side, or one in the middle and attempts to balance the platform.  Here I talked about the importance of forsaking all else to follow God.  If we are off center, then we are out of balance.  I talked about how we have to center our life in God and ignore all else.

Our next obstacle was the trust fall.  But, as you can see from the picture, this is no ordinary trust fall.  It’s about six feet.  Sergio explained about how we have to trust our friends to catch us when we fall.  I then talked about faith.  I talked about the three parables in Mattew 13 (Soils, Seeds and Bread).  How when God gives us the seed and it grows in us, we can’t just hold onto it.  It will rot.  We have to give it away.

That’s the Kingdom Principle that has been so real to us on this trip.  God has given us somethig we can’t hang onto it.  We have to give it away.

And, that is why we are in Mexico.  God has given us something of the Kingdom that we can’t hang on to.  And, like I said yesterday, He told us to take that something to Mexico.  So, here we are.  In the center of His will.  Balanced. 

So, while I may have been lost in translation, the message of the Kingdom wasn’t.  At least not to the people here.

I know some folks back home don’t uderstand why we would even remotely consider this trip.  Like I said last night.  We ask God, “Where are You working?  Can I join in?”  Then we listen for the answer.

This time He answered, “Huapoca.”  And then He said, “Yes.”  And we came. 

Then He said, “I’ll give you specific messages to share.”  And, we listen.  And, we share.

God called us to be here.  And we said, “Yes.”  Because we would rather be in Mexico in the center of God’s will, then in the comfort of home ignoring God’s will.

There is no greater place to be than in the center of His will–lost in translation.

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Seminario Campamento Huapoca Begins!

Thursday, May 5, 2011 – Huapoca, Chihuahua, Mexico

What a day!

We had a very busy morning/early afternoon of final preparations for the campers to arrive. 

I rose very early to begin my look at Joseph.  I’m going verse-by-verse pulling out the leadership lessons.  When I’m done with that part, I am going to explore in depth each of the lessons.  So far I’ve made it through 2 chapters and have about 7-8 principles of leadership.

Before breakfast we all helped with the tortillas.  In order to keep them fron sticking together you have to separate them by shaking them back and forth.  As I was doing this, Sergio joked that I was born to be a lady who makes the tortillas!  (Guess that means I was good at it.)

After breakfast, we swept, mopped, set up tables and benches.  Steph helped Irma and the girls in the kitchen.  It is so wonderful to be able to pour into this family and this camp.

We had a late lunch of quesadillas, salsa, rice and lamb while we waited for the bus from Cd. Madera to get here with the campers.

We had dinner with the campers, and then worship and teaching.

Worship was unreal!  A worship team from a church in Cd. Chihuahua led.  Two keyboards, french horn, violin, flute, and guitar.  The folks that are here know how to worship.  It wads beautiful time.

MJP taught on having a heart for the world (corazon por de mundo).  She did this by showing photographs from her missions work worldwide.

Afterwards, the worship team came back and lead us in a time of worship. 

When the service ended and some people had left, MJP asked me to sing with the worship leader while she and the worship team played.  It was an incredibly unbelievable time of worship.  I sang in English (and occasionally Spanish when I could pick it up), and the worship leader sang in Spanish.  We sang several songs and then watched as the Holy Spirit began to move in the children.  It was beautiful!

We ended with a time of prayer for th children in attendance as well as the children of Mexico.  They are what will make the difference in this country.  What an incredible time as parents laid hands on their children and prayed for God to empower and annoint them with the Holy Spirit to be a force of change in this land. 

I sit tonight in awe and reflect on this night.  There was so much freedom to just move in the Spirit. 

Steph and I were talking earlier in the day about how being here is an answer to a prayer we pray often: “Father, where are you working?  Can we join in?”

Tonight we sit thankful that He replied: “Campemente Huapoca! Si!”

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