As many of you know, the auditorium in Jesus Maria was coconstructed this past year, and services began in the new, bigger area in December. Then the question becomes…how can we use this large space to reach out to the community? This past Saturday a bunch of new activities began at the new facility, including …
Oh, you never know what a year might bring! But a couple of things we do know will happen, Lord willing, in 2018 give us cause to be excited. And maybe a bit sad! Our dear daughter Cathy will be flying north soon, but using a one-way ticket instead of a round-trip one. We’re excited …
A different post this Saturday morning. It’s easy to fall into the trap of talking about progress and success in life and ministry. Yes, good intentions do not matter nearly so much as concrete results. If I hear the phrase “strategic planning” one more time, I will scream. Yet focusing on the positive end-results can …
Yesterday Francisco and I drove the 3 hours to Toluca to pick up 30 wheelchairs, half of which will be going to needy areas of Oaxaca. Francisco is the director of a nearby rehab center that we frequently visit and try to support. New to the wheelchair ministry…the Generation 3 chairs, which are fold-able and …
A sincere thank you to all of you who have donated and prayed for the ongoing relief efforts here after two strong earthquakes on September 9 and September 19. We’ll be taking at least one more trip (maybe more) this Thursday morning, supporting the town of Juchitán, Oaxaca. I’ll be going with son David, and …
It’s been great to get back into a bit of a routine with the ministry in Palmas 1. So encouraging to see around 15 young people regularly show up for youth meeting, which began again last Saturday after a break during August. Exciting to see the small facility we rent filling up on Sundays also. …
What a week we had this past week! Sort of a blur, actually, but the results remain. The Jesús María church now has a concrete stage area with baptistry. New LED lights were installed in the ceiling. Lots and lots of wheel barrels full of gravel and sand hauled by some seriously committed men and …
The following schedule will give you an idea of what we attempt to do with short-term teams. Obviously it is a bit challenging to involve non-Spanish speakers in meaningful, effective outreach (does this statement surprise anyone?). Nevertheless, it can be done with a little creativity and a lot of availability! Among the activities this past …
One focus of our community center activities here is English classes. I currently teach English every Tuesday and Thursday at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., in the same space that we rent as a church on Sunday. On June 13 and 15, we’re going to extend the teaching time to 1-3 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. …
I was impressed these past several weeks at the nature of the ministry team here. We had the following nationalities present: Uruguayan, Canadian, Portuguese, Mexican, Costa Rican, American. Fernando Font, from Uruguay, was busy playing his guitar and singing at the rehab center, the kids club, youth group and two services on Sunday. Julian Grymaloski, …