I had a chance to help with a field trip this last week.  We took 40 kids from our after school program (Circulo Andante) and went to the zoo in Tijuana.  I was in charge of three kids for just over four hours.  The zoo was only partially open so I don’t think we were able to see the whole zoo, but we pretty much had the place to ourselves.  I ran around trying to understand 1^st grade Spanish and make sure my kids did not end up in the duck pond or trying to pet the crocodile.  Children are a blessing and as tired as I was after that I was so excited to be able to help expand their perspective.  Our world view changes the way we act and think.  I remember taking my middle school kids into Corpus Christi from Kingsville where I was teaching.  Some of these kids had never been over a bridge before or gone to an aquarium.  Yesterday when I was on this trip I wondered how many kids had been to the zoo before.  Was this something rare for them?  I am sure for some of them it was.  

Beyond my ministries with the kids I have also been studying a lot of Paul’s letters in the last month.  I loved the book of Romans.  We looked at his message and how he wanted to bring the Greek and Jewish church together.  To see God use someone so specifically and intentionally is something special.  In Romans Paul writes to both the Jews and the Greeks and wants to expand perspective.  He wants them to take a step back so they can see more of the big picture.  That all men and women have sinned and failed, but because of one man, Jesus, they have all been saved.  When we look back our perspective is broadened as well.  I know in the last few years my perspective changed.  

Please pray for me intentionally; in the near future I will need to commit to my next step.  The last few months have been a process of looking and praying for a place to begin working.  Pray for our school, it has been a quick 7 months and we have covered a lot of ground in the bible.  The prayer is to finish what we started here last September and really take advantage of the last two months of our school, as we finish studying the New Testament.  I am not the only one looking and preparing for next year so please pray for guidance and wisdom and support for my class mates.  

Summer is close now, and I am glad to see more sunny days.  At the very least this will give me more days where I can go to the beach and get into the cold water.  As always I hope life is good, and can’t wait to hear how you are.  God Bless

Getting my feet wet

I am back in Mexico after a short trip home and we are in the last semester of our school.  It is great to be studying the story of Jesus at the same time as Easter.  This week with my school we will have communion to remember the last supper and then there will be some activities on Easter Sunday to remember what Jesus did for us. 

The last month was a month of transition, I was able to go home for a week and spend time in Corpus Christi.  The discipleship training schools on the base left for their outreach to Panama, and another training school is set to start today.  This constant change is part of the YWAM culture, saying good bye to old friends and getting to know new ones.  Transition also seems to define my life these last two years as well.  I had no idea that when I left for my DTS in 2009 that it would lead to a season of traveling.  Now I feel this season coming to an end.   I have talked with several people while I was home and people here in YWAM about options for my future.  I am faithfully waiting for God to show me what is next, and while I am anxious to see where I will land I know God has a place for me. 

Here on the base we are just a short walk to the beach.  The waves here are much bigger than in Texas and of course the water is also colder.  I have been interested in surfing since my time working on Mustang Islands, but was not sure about the cold water out here.  Finally last week I decided to get a wet suit and a board.  I paid less than 200 dollars for both which made this investment possible.  I share this with you because yesterday in the water I realized how much surfing out here relates with my present situation.  I did not grow up surfing like many of the people in the Baja.  The waves, size of my board and water temperature are things that I need to adapt to in order to surf.  Fear of these new conditions made me hesitant to engage and get in the water.  Now that I am in I am glad to have the opportunity to try and surf my last month’s here.  In this next year I feel I will be going into unfamiliar water.  My job and responsibilities will hopefully change, and I will be trying to move into a leadership role rather than that of a student.   I have caught only a handful of waves in my life, but those few successes keep me motivated to go out and continue with this hobby.  In the same way I have only really desired to follow God in the last few years of my life, but these years I can say have been the best yet.  I am so glad to have the opportunity to try and surf the last few months I am here, and I cannot wait to see what God has for me after this. 

Enjoying the present and getting ready for the future

A busy first month has led into a quick month of February where we are wrapping up the Old Testament and getting ready to start the last semester of the school.  We have spent six months working through the OT and now we are getting close to Jesus.  Apart from getting ready to start the New Testament our school also built a house for a family in one of the local communities.  This base has a strong call to help the people in the area, and one of the ways they do this is by building homes.  The ministry is called Homes of Hope, there is more information at http://ywamsandiegobaja.org/homes-of-hope.  Our school built just one of 17 homes that are going to be built in the month of March.  The homes we build will give us opportunities in the community to minister to the people as a mission base. 

As with all short term commitments as soon as I am comfortable in one place I have to start looking for the next project, school, job, place to live.  At Christmas I thought that I was headed to China with one of the outreach teams from my school.  We have two teams going on outreach.  One team will be staying in Mexico and the other is headed to China.  The Mexico team will be going into churches and bible studies to assist in teaching the bible and the method we use to study the bible.  The China team will be traveling as tourists talking with people and learning about eastern culture.  Through these discussions the hope is to be able to share our world view and answer questions about our beliefs.  These teams are preparing, studying and raising support to make these trips possible. 

I was originally planning on going to China, but I feel God calling me to stay in Latin America.  I want to go to a language school back in Chile that starts at the end of July.  This is a four month school and it will allow me to work on my grammar as well as increase my vocabulary.  I am ready to start working, but I have realized that in order to effectively teach and translate I need formal training in Spanish.  Since 2010 I have thought about returning to Chile and it seems that I have an opportunity to do that here. 

Finally I want to let everyone know that I get to return to Texas for Spring Break.  The Diocese of West Texas has given me to the opportunity to fly back and work on Mustang Island for Spring Break Family Camp.  I will be flying in the 8^th and coming back to Mexico the 19^th of this month.  I should be in San Antonio for the first few days and then in Corpus Christi for the rest of the time.  I can’t wait to be back in Texas! 

Finals are over!!!

The first month back has felt like studying for finals.  We covered six books of the bible, three of them being Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah.  All of them are good books, but man to take all that in, in just a month is craziness.  This week we are studying Daniel! Finally we have a book that has less than 30 chapters.  Daniel is a 12 chapter book, and while there is a lot to understand I feel like this task is more manageable than the other books.  Class continues to encourage me and give me things to think about, today as we started our lectures for Daniel our professor used Daniels life to exemplify how we need to be faithful in the little things.  To see Daniel and his friends as young men impact such a strong kingdom is to say the least encouraging, but also challenging.  Am I faithful with the little things?  Studying the bible often times leaves me with more questions, but it is great to see examples of Godly men and women ready to walk in faith. 

The life on the base continues to move along there are two new schools here.  One of them is the Discipleship training school (DTS); it is a bilingual school and it has eight students.  The school reminds me a lot of the DTS I did in Chile.  The other school is called the Children at Risk School.  New schools always seem to bring new energy and personality to a YWAM base so it is has been an exciting month.  I am hoping that in the coming two months I can spend more time with them.  In just a few months these schools will end and we will have another shift on the base. 

Our class was asked today if any of us thought about giving up and going home, some raised their hands.  I know this school can be taxing, but I know this is where I want to be.  I am grateful for this season of my life, and the opportunity I have in front of me.  The chance to study and serve, the sunset over the pacific, cool breeze and clear days are just a few reminders of how blessed I am here.

I hope this year has started well for you.  My time at home was too short and I was not able to see all of the people I would have liked to reconnect with.  Please let me know how you are doing.  It is always good to hear from you.  God Bless and Take Care

Good News

I met April when I first came to the base, her and her husband open there house up to missionaries every Friday for game night.  They bake and cook for us as well as allow us to play board games and relax in their house.  April and her husband both live in Mexico full time and have been affiliated with YWAM for many years.  April spends her week serving.  She helps with the kids ministries in the Colonias where they conduct after school programs for the kids, and Wednesdays in the morning she picks up volunteers on the base at 5 am and we go and cook breakfast at an orphanage.  She has been doing this weekly for close to three years now.  She buys the food out of her own pocket, and commits to waking up weather there are volunteers or not.  Today as we were finished up cleaning I told her that I admired her commitment to bless both the YWAM base and the kids, she responded,  “ I am the luckiest person in the world to be able to do what I do”  One of the things I love about working in with YWAM is the good news you get to hear, so many stories of positive change in the world, and people who are willing to sacrifice to bless others.     

I share this story with you to encourage you and thank you.  I want to thank you for supporting missionary work.  It is because you and people like you missionaries are able to continue to bless others and serve.  The orphanage has touched my heart.  I know that because of my parents love I was able to move from a similar establishment into a home, and because of your love and support I am able to continue to be a part of the amazing work that is taking place in Mexico.

In the last year I heard Corey Booker speak, and in his address he reminded us that we are all the result of people who have sacrificed for us so we could be where we are today.  He then asked us how we are going to respond.  I want to let you know that when he said that I thought of you.  You are the people in my life that have sacrificed for me in many different ways, and it has changed my life.  So please be encouraged you are creating positive change in this world, you are a part of the good news that is happening here!!!!

Please continue to pray for me!!!  After the first of the year I plan on start intentionally praying and looking for what is going to come after I finish this school.  I still feel called to work with youth, possibly with in the camps and conferences sphere or possibly through recreational sports. I know that God has a place for me and in his time that door will open like they have in the past.   My last two years have been spent traveling and I am hoping this next placement will allow me to put down some roots.  I ask your prayers for wisdom and courage to take that next step.   Along with looking ahead I also need to discern weather or not outreach is something I am called to.  After the school finishes here in Mexico they are looking to travel to China.  To go on this trip will require me to stay on for another two months and raise more support.  I have to decide within the next month if I am going to go on outreach because we need to buy tickets months in advance to keep costs to a minimum.  Please pray for discernment about weather outreach is for me.  I still need 2,000 to cover the cost of tuition for the school, and that does not include the trip to China.  Continue to pray for the base here in Tijuana, as a base we are seeing more opportunities for ministry we need to make sure that we are able to effectively carry out these ministries.  Pray for our base leaders and the staff here that has committed to serve in those ministries full time. 

I hope all is well back home and look forward to hearing more about what is going on in your life, and I hope to see you during my Christmas break.  I will fly home the 17^th of December and come back January 2^nd. So if you are going to be in South Texas during that time let me know!!!!

God Bless and Merry Christmas!!!

Good news from Tijuana Mexico

In the last few weeks I have helped build a house, participated in the Acts 1 YWAM conference, camped, and somehow had time to finish my bible studies through Numbers.  It is hard to believe that the weeks are already adding up and I have now been here over a month. 

Last weekend I helped build a house through the Homes of Hope program.  It was started here in 1991 by the base directors Sean and Janet Lambert.  It is a simple house concrete floor, and wood walls.  However this house allows a family to get off of the ground and into a structure that will protect from the elements.  The family was previously living in a shack with a dirt floor made with various pieces of wood and plastic banners that made up the roof.  The construction site was twenty min from the base and only twenty or so minutes from the US border.  In the distance, from the construction site, you can see the ocean and the resorts where people vacation.  Hard to imagine that within an hour drive I can get to a resort, the US and a community of people who live without sufficient housing.  The family consisted of a single Mom her teenage son and two younger children around the age of ten.  In the month that I have been here there have been four houses built, all by different volunteers, people from the US, Canada, and New Zealand.  I hope you guys will check out the website http://ywamsandiegobaja.org/homes-of-hope/ it gives more information, and some pictures and videos about the people’s lives that are being changed by receiving a house and those who are building it. 

Last week there was also a conference here in Tijuana.  YWAM LA, San Diego and Ensenada all came down to pray, worship and serve in Tijuana.  I have not had a chance to experience a large YWAM event since 2010 when I was in Santiago Chile, and I was glad to be a part of it.  Like the conference in Chile people from all over the world were in one place worshiping God.  It is an amazing testament to the power of God. 

When I left to come here I had a lot of people warn me about the dangers of coming to Mexico, especially Tijuana.  Often times I think the news chooses to shine light on the negative press, the danger, drugs and evil that is here in Mexico.  That is part of the story here, and I do not want to down play the severity of the problem.  However there is another side to the story.  I am living in a place where people care about each other, where people with little are ready to give in order to help there neighbors.  Men and women who get up and work hard to try and give their family what they need.  There is good news also coming out of Mexico and I am happy to report that we are a part of that good news!  Please continue to pray for me and YWAM Tijuana.  Pray that as a base we can continually look for how God wants us to serve the people here.  Pray for my school for wisdom safety and strength. We are all overwhelmed at times with revelation and the amount of work that we chose to take on.

Here I am reminded every day how much I need God in my life, and how much I need people like you to pray for me and with me.  God Bless

In the beginning

It has been ten days since I arrived on the base in Tijuana Mexico.  The base is beautiful!!  I am just outside of the city ten minutes from the beach.  There will be pictures soon I don’t think I can justify the view that I am blessed with each day.  The base is quiet, enclosed by a fence to help keep the base and its occupants secure.  I already feel comfortable in my new surroundings; Mexico is much more familiar then the east coast.  There have been a few adjustments though.  I live with three other guys in a double wide trailer. The base has newer accommodations, but because of the duration of our stay they decided to give us the trailer because it has more space, and a kitchen.  I am hoping to find a place soon where I can get fresh tortillas so I can make breakfast for myself! 

There are eight people in my school right now.  My team consists of four students from United States, two from Canada, one from Switzerland, and one from Cambodia.  Unfortunately I speak the most Spanish in the school, but there are other Spanish speakers on the base staff and when we leave the base Spanish is the language I get to use.  I have had a chance to translate on a few occasions and cannot wait to use my Spanish on a more consistent basis. 

Classes started this past Monday!   We are going to go through the whole bible in the next nine months.  There have been rumors that we are going to read through the bible 5 times by the time we get done.  I am not sure if this will actually happen, but do know that for the next nine months my life will be dedicated to study.  The school is used as a tool for its students to study the bible.  We will not be receiving commentary on the bible, but in the next nine months we will be making our own commentary.  

The base has a big outreach ministry called Homes for Hope.  This ministry provides housing for those in need.  It seems to be a well-oiled machine.  In the time that I have been here I have already seen a volunteer group come down from Canada and build three houses for families in the area.  They also do work with a local orphanage.   In the nine months that I am here I hope to become more involved with both of these ministries, but because of the amount of studying my mission field seems to be serving the base.  I will be helping with meals and clean up, doing some maintenance around the base and hopefully getting to play in the worship band. 

I hope to be able to talk with many of you soon to share more stories about my time here and hear about things back home.  I have to get back to work!  There are a few students still trying to make the school, but they are having problems entering the country, one from India and one from the Fiji.  Please pray for them and pray for our school.  I am excited about the school and the nine months I have ahead of me.  Please pray for wisdom and guidance for me and for the staff guiding us. God bless