Mission Mexico

Outreach Day 1

2007-12-15T15:35:00.000-08:00

Today marks the beginning of the Cuernavaca Outreach for this year's DTS. This a.m. we participated in Noche Buena with Ministerios de Amor, a series of orphanages around Mexico. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let the picture speak for themselves. We finish packing tonight and set sale for Valle de Bravo tomorrow at 4am.

Stateside Again

2007-10-29T17:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend had us up in the good ole U.S.A. McAllen, TX to be exact. Gabriel, my 5 year old has been standing closer and closer to the TV and his school work over the last couple weeks. So we headed up to take him to an eye doctor. We found a great one and it turns out, Gabe is almost as near-sighted as I am. The only problem with that is that as he grows, supposedly it will get worse, and he's 5 and I'm 41, so he has a bit of growing to do. So, we're concerned and praying for him that his vision won't get worse.

It was fun to get some shopping done and eat some good ole American food, Texas BBQ style for a change.

Hearing God's Voice

2007-09-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

At the heart of our DTS Curriculum, Hearing God's Voice is a personal favorite of mine. It always amazes and humbles me to reflect on the fact that God wants to have a close personal relationship with me. Miguel Inzunza is our teacher this week. He has some funny stories and anecdotes. He first served with YWAM on the Mercy Ships and is a believer familiar with picking up and carrying his own cross!

Part of his teaching was a great overview of the whole Bible. In addition he covered the following 3 points:
1) Who God is?
2) What He is like?
3) Who am I to Him according to Scripture

What a great week!

And the Race Begins

2007-09-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

DTS started today! All the students have arrived and are getting situated. After dinner we had a time of Worship and a short message re: keeping our eyes on Jesus. Discipleship Training School (DTS) is like running a marathon. It takes a lot of endurance and stamina to make it the full 5 months. The students are fired up (as are all DTS classes on day 1) and eager to start learning and growing.

Back at Mount Sinai

2007-08-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

Mount Sinai Evangelical Mission was our ministry site this afternoon. This is the place a wrote about a week or so ago when I referred to how appearant the spiritual warfare is by all the graffitti on the front of the church. This pix were taken during dramas and puppet ministry.

Balloon Ministry...

2007-07-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

...Is always a hit with the children. Today we were back at the same place as yesterday for another open-air service, balloons and soccer, and prayer time at the end.

Open-Air Service

2007-07-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

Gearing up for another open-air service in a neighborhood we haven't worked in before. Today's setting is the local park and we'll be performing at the soccer court. There were a lot of children at this service and there was a family that really touched my heart when we went door-to-door. It was a granmother, grandfather and their 8 or 9 grandchildren (from a couple different families). It was really neat seeing how close these children felt to their grandparents. I picked up that the parents work every day and so I'm sure they are with them daily. They were very receptive to our visit, graciously received a Bible and began reading it before we left. Students from Abiding Savior Church (South Dakota) perform a drama.

Sunday Afternoon

2007-07-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

There's something about Sunday afternoons. I try to do as little as possible, this Sunday, I washed the car. The boys made it fun (washing eachother). It was so hot the water was steaming and evaporating off the car. Bianca had her girlfriends from church over to play afterward.

Go Karts!

2007-07-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

We typically let our teams choose how they'd like to spend their freeday. Some want to go to the Grutas de Garcia (caves), some choose Cola de Caballo (Horsetail Falls) and others just want to go to the Quinta and hang out at the pool. Regardless, it's up to them. Well, our team this week chose, Go Karts.

We have a Go-Kart track here in Monterrey. These Go Karts hit speeds of almost 40 miles an hour and when you're sitting about an inch off the ground, that feels pretty fast. Pockets, the youth leader (who also drives a race car) took me out on one of the turns and I never saw him again. There's something to be said for driving ability, it's not all speed. It was a blast. My son Noah said, "Dad, it was almost like Mario Kart, minus the turtle shells and all." Pics are coming

A Community In Need

2007-07-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

Today we went to a community to do door-to-door Bible and food distribution followed by helping out at a local Soup Kitchen. The community is largely made up of garbage haulers. Not the people that work for BFI or Waste Management, these are guys that own a horse, a carriage and ride around town picking up garbage in communities where the garbage trucks won't go.

The needs and problems in this community are incredible. First, there is garbage everywhere, all over the streets, broken tile, glass, animal manure, food waste, etc. The smell walking down the street is like that of a garbage can that is a week overdue to be taken out. In 2 years on the mission field, I have never seen anything quite like it. I've been in slum villages in Thailand with open sewage and poor areas in Southern Mexico, but I think the fact that there is so much garbage everywhere, it is almost overwhelming. Please click on the album below and remember, the pictures are only a poor representation of the visual image, the sense of smell is not engaged in a picture and the magnitude of the amount of garbage is difficult to capture. But the children looked happy after dinner was served!

A Community in Need

The Kiley's Are Here!!!

2007-07-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

We headed up to the border today to pick up some friends of ours, Anne and her daughter Maddie Kiley. We are really excited to have them down for a visit/mission trip. They are from our home church, River Valley Church in Minnesota.

This is a good time to go out for tacos!

Soup Kitchen

2007-07-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

We call it a Soup Kitchen but it's usually hot dogs (the kids love 'em). We did ministry at the Metroplex Soup Kitchen today. One of our team members got bit by a dog (have I mentioned there are a lot of dogs in Mexico).

Sainai Evangelical Mission

2007-07-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

That's where we're working this week, Sainai Evangelical Mission (Mision Evangelica de Sainai). It is on the outskirts of Monterrey where people have built homes in the foothills of the mountains. It is very steep, rocky terrain, no running water (it's delivered on trucks) and lots of children. Many of the parents (if both are in the home) work, sometimes multiple jobs. There was a tremendous response at the services and the last night, we had a prayer line where many people came forward either for prayer or to accept Christ. God's presence was so strong, it was amazing.

Reflections from the Other Side of the Border

2007-07-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

I've lived in Mexico 2 years now and for the most part, I know the language, I'm familiar with the culture (I better be, my wife and in-laws are Mexican), and we have a lot of things that exist back home, like Starbuck's Coffee, Wal-Mart, Sam's club, etc. Monterrey is a big, fast-paced city with a lot of money. At the same time there are very poor areas where people barely have enough to survive. And yet, every once in a while, I find myself almost forgetting that I live in Mexico. I'm a missionary, yes, but aren't we all? I mean, I work in ministry full time, but I would attest that every pastor at my home church is every bit as much of a missionary as I am. So, day in and day out, it's easy for me (due to the above mentioned things) to just sort of forget that I live in Mexico.

But then, a holiday rolls around, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, those are the two biggies that aren't celebrated here (the minor ones like Labor Day and Memorial Day are celebrated but in a different way). So, on the 4th of July, something doesn't quite feel right. If you log in to the internet, you know it's the 4th, but if you walk down the street here, it's the 4th still, minus the parades, the cooking out, the fireworks, carnivals, festivals, etc. Something just feels like it's missing. It's days like these that it's easy to feel homesick. Last year we had the blessing of spending the 4th in McAllen, TX with some friends. This year, it's just another day in July.

So what do you do to cure the blues, well, at a lack of other ideas, we headed off to, "America's Incredible Pizza." It's a pizza buffet (with good pizza, salads and desserts). Your entry includes access to indoor go-karts, mini-bowling, indoor miniature golf, gobs of video games and my favorite, laser tag. The boys loved it! While there weren't fireworks, there was shooting and a good time was had by all.

Hot Off the Press

2007-07-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

One of my responsibilities here in Monterrey is putting together a quarterly newsletter that gets sent out to Youth Leaders and Pastors all accross the U.S. and Canada. This past issue I had the priviledge of going out for breakfast tamales and interviewing Pastor Armando. A Mexican Pastor our ministry has worked with for almost 10 years. He had some very compelling things to say.

A couple of my favorite quotes of his from the interview were, "God, if you'll save my marriage, I'll give up my law career and serve you for the rest of my life." God did, and he did (give up his law career and has been serving the Lord for over 10 years. Regarding the short-term teams that come down, he said, "It has really blessed us to work with teams that have dedicated their vacation time and money to come down to do work that belongs to us. It has helped mobilize our church from the pew to the community." As a result of his experience working with Youth With A Mission, at a recent Pastor's conference he made the following challenge to the Pastors, "If you aren't doing mercy ministries at your church, you aren't doing God's work."

He is a very kind-hearted and gentle person, with a purpose, and he's not afraid to express it. I love working with Pastors like him, they are such an inspiration!

House Hunting

2007-06-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

Sandra and I have been out house hunting for some friends of ours, Dan and Carey Graf who are planning on coming down to Monterrey for their DTS this Fall. Click on the album below if you'd like to see what $750-$800 dollars can get you in Monterrey (keep in mind, the cost of living here is higher than any other city in Mexico).

Houses for Rent

Father's Day

2007-06-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a morning. Our pastor at the little Nazarene church we attend had all the dad's in the church in tears at one point. He really delivered an awesome message. The church prayed a blessing over the fathers, recognized them and had a traditional Mexican dish (Pozole - pronounced po-zo-lay). I gave the children extra hugs and thanked them for blessing me with the priviledge of being their dad, the opportunity to disciple them and be close to them.

In the afternoon, nap time. Whenever Sandra asks what I want for Father's Day, I usually say, "A nap." I just want a day where I can take a nap, feel entitled to it and don't feel like a slacker (usually because there are other things to get done around the house). I have to say, I'm much less of a napper than I used to be, but it's nice on special days like today to lay back (in the air conditioning of course) put my arms behind my head and reflect on nothing, just drift off to sleep. Total naptime: 15mn. Oh well, must be a sign of my age. There was a time when I could pull off a 2 hour nap. Again, probably age related (both my age and the ages our children were at when we at one point had a 4, 2 and 2 month old).

Thank you God for being the best Father in the world!

Parque Espana

2007-06-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to Parque Espana. It is one of Monterrey's city parks and this one is a large area with rides, pools, shows, inflatables, etc. I think it cost us about $7.00 to get in as a family. The kiddie pool was pretty dirty (the smallest one) so I quickly encouraged my children to go to the next one (also a zero entry pool with much clearer water. They had a blast and we had a blast watching them have a blast. Afterward we went for ice cream and then home. It was a great family day after a busy week of work.

Curve Balls

2007-06-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

This week has been a week of curve balls. Yet, I've really sensed this overwhelming burden to just keep praising God in spite of it all. Perhaps it's related to my previous post (called Office Space) where I referred to prayers for revival in a specific community close by the base where I work. I'm not sure, but one thing's for sure, it never hurts to keep praising the Lord when faced with adversity, last minute changes and inconveniences.

This morning was spent cleaning the Quinta. It's our other property that is about 45 minutes from the base, has a swimming pool and is a large area to clean. I have to say, I don't always get fired up about cleaning, but God has really been using it lately.

On the way out we drove by a bank and there was a big heist in Mexico City this a.m. As we drove by this bank (12 hours away from Mexico City) we say two trucks full of Federal Police, all with weapons drawn running into the place. Afterward, we came to the conclusion that they were probably just demonstrating a show of force as a result of what happened in Mexico City. There has been a lot of violence in the city lately, many police and government officials have been threatened and killed (mostly related to drug-trafficking and the recent changes in the presidential office).

It's expected to hit 110 degrees next week. I'm sure I'll have something to write about it.

Office Space

2007-06-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

Man, I love that movie. "Yeah...about those TPS Reports," says the boss to his indifferent employee. Anyway, that's not descriptive of my office environment here at the base, just loved the movie (maybe it reminded me of some long-ago times).

Anyway, yesterday was awesome!!! We mysteriously received 5 tickets for Plaza Sesamo (Sesame Street) amusement and water park. We spent the whole day there with the children and on several ocassions thanked the Lord for this much needed family day and prayed for whoever blessed us in such a special way. The children had a blast. I will post pics and link to them later.

On a previous post, I wrote about God's Light. While we were up at the mountain that day praying for the city of Monterrey, God also spoke something to me that I'm not sure if I wrote about. As I was looking over the hills at an area not too far from the base here, where we typically tell people not to go because it's a notoriously bad area, I sensed God say to me, "I want to bring revival to that area." The cool thing about it was as I shared this with our pastor at our church (not too far from this area) he informed me that he and several others from the church have been getting together at 6:00am every morning to pray specifically for revival in these areas. Keep in mind, I've only attended Sunday service 2x since coming back from MN and hadn't even heard this mentioned at all in church. Seems like God has something in store for this area.

I recently watched the Transformation video. It really excites me to think that perhaps God wants to go about transforming entire communities. I believe He's got something in store for this area and can't wait to see what it's going to be. I'm also super excited to be part of it. I feel like I've had a bounce in my step ever since I spoke with my pastor. Please pray for this community that desperately needs revival. Rumor has it that some areas are so bad the Police won't go in without heavy back-up. Anyway, we can't wait to see what's going to happen! Pray!

Puppet Soundtracks

2007-06-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

Making soundtracks for puppet skits isn't all fun and games, but sometimes it is. Oby, Jerry and Pepe are putting the finishing touches on a new skit we'll be using for open-air services this summer.

Totally Spent

2007-06-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'm on day 5 of 12-15 hours of work each day (in 100+ temperatures). Yesterday was a good tired. Today is just plain tired.

We went this morning to a boys orphanage where we've worked before. Tio Luis, one of the men that lives there is a great guy. He and his wife live at the home and work with 18 boys ages 4-19. We played soccer, basketball, saw the boys off to school, at sandwiches and then spent several hours cleaning, clearing out some rooms, rearranging, triming trees, etc.

I'm tired and can't wait for bedtime (which unfortunately doesn't come for another 5 hours).

A Day's Work

2007-06-06T20:11:00.000-07:00

Today started out at 6:30am, up and out of bed and heading over to the base for a 7:30am team brief and prayer for the team visiting from Baton Rouge, LA. We have 2 great families here this week. It has been great serving them and experiencing having other families around.

At 9:30am we headed out to the Cerebral Paulsey orphanage where we played with the children, pushed them around in their wheelchairs and I was reminded once again, how the only difference between them and me is that you can see their handicap, but you can't see mine. Theirs is physical and obvious, mine is a sin issue and is easier for me to cover up, but it's there. It always touches my heart going there and I would speculate I've been there at least 8 times. While it gets easier, it's still far from easy.

The afternoon was spent out at the Quinta where the team swam and I learned how to play Phase 10. It was fun. I even won a couple rounds.

This evening we went down to the hospital for hospital ministry. Sandra and the children came too! It never ceases to amaze me the conditions people are facing when we go down there. I met a really nice couple from Guadalupe who were there supporting a friend whose son just had surgery. It's now 10:15pm and I'm heading home for a shower.

21 Years and Counting

2007-06-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

Today, by God's grace, marks my 21st anniversary of abstaining from mood altering substances. One day at a time. Thank you God for being so faithful.

Families With A Mission

2007-06-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

I know, I think I'll start an offshoot of YWAM called, "Families With A Mission." Not really, just that we kicked off our short-term missions Summer season with a bang. Our first team was made up of 2 families from Louisiana. It was a lot of fun having them and I think the children, theirs and ours, had a lot of fun in the process. Bianca made a new friend and pen pal (or should I say e-pal). There's a link to pics from our ministry this week by clicking on the title above, or the link below (they are two different albums).

We got a little bonus this week. As as volunteer missionaries that rely on support, a bonus to us is when someone does something unexpected, out of the ordinary. The pastor of the church where we were serving put together this little collage from the two days we spent in his community. Many of the pictures are of the team and many are of the people and children in the community.

A Community With No Church (yet)

The Week in Ministry

God's Light

2007-06-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

Today we went up on the mountains to pray for Monterrey and our upcoming Short-term Missions season. It was really cool to be back in full-swing. It was also a beautiful morning. The sun was shining through the clouds and the top of Saddleback Mountain was bright and shining while everything else around the city was overcast. It had God's signature all over it.

Then I looked over at the bushes in front of the railing at the overlook where we were praying and they were thorn bushes. God was impressing upon my heart that He wore the crown of thorns for this city. Then, as I looked out at the city, God was telling me that it doesn't matter how far out the city reaches, how far out it spreads, how lost it is, that His love is there. Even in the darkest of places, farthest of places.

I'm impressed by how much God wants to speak to us and how much He has to say and how unfathomable His love is. I'm currently reading Making Jesus Lord by Loren Cunningham and the thesis of his book is basically, by surrenduring our rights, the dynamic power of Christ is made known. Or, we experience His dynamic power when we lay down our rights. What a theme! Not a very popular one in our day and age. I mean, who really gets excited about laying down our rights? Really. But isn't that what Jesus did?

I loved a line from the book where Loren Cunningham refers to the Great Commisssion and describes how we are all called to bring Christ to the world, unless we have a specific calling to stay at home. I bet another statement that would not be found to be popular in our society. We are all called to bring the Gospel to all the world unless our specific calling is to be at home. That challenges me.

This Week at-a-glance

2007-05-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

Short-term missions (our summer season), Discipleship Training School (DTS), worship prep, lots going on down here my first full week back at the base. I'm excited to see what God is going to do this summer!

We also have some friends coming down to visit and a lot of prep work for our upcoming Discipleship Training School (DTS) season. Please pray for all the work ahead of us. I will be trying to post pics out here regularly so stop back often. Right now, we have pretty typical office hours, meetings, planning, etc. In a week and a half (June 2) our summer seasing kicks into high gear. Pray for all the students coming down. We will be hosting 22 teams between June 2 and mid-August. Pray that God will use them in and around Monterrey and give them a glimpse of His heart for the lost.

Heading Back Down South

2007-05-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

Today it was up early, to Panera for b-fast with my mother who is really struggling over the loss of her 2nd sibling, she is the eldest of 3 and only surviving sibling in her family. Please pray for her!

Got back to McAllen and reunited with Sandra and the children. Made some quick plans and headed to Spider Man 3. It was a blast! I even found a devotional online to go along with it so I have all kinds of great teaching examples for the children. Noah had his shirt over his head and his ears covered for most of the fight scenes (it was loud and violent, should have followed the ratings or screen-it more closely). The kids loved it, though!

An Incredible Service

2007-05-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

Today was the funeral service for my uncle. It was a celebration and reflected God's love and grace. My cousin Brian, who I was very close to growing up, in 6 words said it all as he reflected on my uncle Henry. He said, "Dad, you were my best friend." As if that wasn't enough, by about the 3 time he repeated it, I completely lost it. Man, God has placed and entrusted us with so much with our wives and children. I hope and pray that I am as faithful as my uncle Henry with those entrusted to him.

I recall about 5-6 years ago when I was working for a pharmaceutical company. They brought in a speaker who was addressing the work/life balance issue and they said, "Look around this room," which was made up of everyone in the company at a certain grade-level and above. And then they said, "I want to ask you a question,...how many of these people do you think will be around your bedside when you die?" Basically, the point was, yeah work is important, yeah it's critical to maintain positive relationships, but don't let your focus on work get so out of hand or become so unbalanced that you neglect the people and things that mean the most in your life.

I really feel like the loss of my uncle has made me reflect on this subject once again, how much time do I spend in the ministry, how many of those people are going to be around my deathbed, and am I neglecting Sandra and the children, or am I spending appropriate amounts and quality of time with them?

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-13T14:07:00.000-07:00

What a strange day. It was wierd to be back at River Valley Church this a.m. after saying goodbye to everyone last week and driving down to McAllen, TX. Now I'm back. Pastor Rob did a double-take this a.m. and came over and said, "Man, I was just coming over to tell this guy that he looked just like Ron Wilson." Turns out, it was Ron Wilson. He was more surprised than I was, although it did almost feel strange that I was there. We had a good laugh, he added some encouragement and onward to St. Cloud this afternoon for Uncle Henry's wake and funeral tomorrow. Did I say I love my home church? You should check 'em out at www.rivervalleychurch.org.

I had lunch today with Leo and Carolyn Campero. Leo is from Venezuela and Carolyn from MN. They are an awesome couple and also YWAMers. They are interested in helping us open the base in Cuernavaca. I really feel blessed to have these guys on our team. They have such a heart to serve the Lord and I believe they are going to do great things for God's Kingdom (as they do on a daily basis today). Please pray for them as they have a lot going on right now between work, ministry, etc.

This evening it was up to St. Cloud for my Uncle Henry's viewing. The service was held at St. Mary's Cathedral and I believed glorified God in every aspect. It was a celebration of Henry's life, his commitment to his wife and children and his undying passion of serving his King. What a great example he was for all of us! He was also my favorite boat pilot for water-skiing growing up. Whenever I'd dump, he always had something funny or encouraging to say. I miss you Hank!

They Wouldn't Let Me In

2007-05-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

Well, it's my own fault, really. Today we were going to head to Monterrey (Mexico) where we serve with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Got to the border and realized that I had a visa issue. Also have flight arrangements to head to MN for my uncles funeral. So, Sandra and the children will camp out at Melody Lane for a few days (it's a place that provides housing for missionaries). I will fly Sunday to MN and return next Tuesday for my uncle's funeral.

Made it to McAllen

2007-05-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a long 3 days of driving, with some awesome visits sprinkled in between cities. We arrived at about 1am in McAllen, TX and got up and had breakfast with some dear friends this a.m. We went to IHOP (House of Pancakes, not prayer) only to discover that everyone from Monterrey and McAllen had the same idea. We got a table, though and had a great time.

Now, it's the public library where we're stocking up on books for the children prior to crossing the border to head to Monterrey. We expect to arrive in Monterrey before dark.

Turns out, I may be flying back up to MN for my uncle's funeral, I'll write more later.

The Tooth Fairy

2007-04-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy I can't believe it's been over 2 weeks since I last wrote. We have had such an awesome time catching up with so many friends and family. We are grateful and feel very encouraged. Funny, Words of Encouragement is my love language (for those who have read The 5 Love Languages - Chapman). It has been so encouraging to be around people we miss a ton and who know and love us and to hear your words of encouragement. Chances are, if you're reading this, you're one of those people.

So, we had an appointment today for Bianca to have her 2 front bottom teeth pulled (the permanent ones started coming in behind them and she reminded me of a double-blade razor (you know, that you shave with). Anyway, yesterday, she was looking forward to today's appointment and she said, "Daddy, if I take a nap tomorrow after getting my teeth pulled, do you think the Tooth Fairy will come?" Now that's one smart girl. She hasn't taken a nap, with the exception of being sick, in at least a couple years. But since she hasn't lost any teeth yet, she is really excited to cashing in on these first teeth. I love the way she thinks!

Let It Snow...

2007-04-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the weather outside is frightful. And Dunn Brother's Coffee, is so delightful. Sorry, I got swepted away in the fact that I spent the first 2 minutes sitting down at my laptop and mobile office clutching my freshly brewed and poured hot cup of Jo. It's amazing how missing a few MN winters can de-aclimate you to weather changes.

Cuerna What? Meeting #1

2007-04-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

Today marks a significant day in our lives and the life of a future YWAM ministry in Cuernavaca, Morelos. We held our first, "Informational," meeting. It was awesome and there were 14 people in attendance. Those attending are at varying levels of commitment and certainty around their future participation in pioneering a YWAM Missions base in Cuernavaca. The turnout was awesome, the fellowship was great and Sandra and I were truly blessed to know that there is a tentative team of 14 people interested in partnering with us in this endeavor.

The names of those interested are in the front row (from L to R): Ron, Sandra Wilson, Leo & Carolyn Campero. Back row (L to R): Jill Sippel, Josh Bergmann, Jon Bauman, Laura Adame, Kelly & Levi Hoyt, Dan and Carey Graf, Tina and Raul Vazquez.

As we prayed for this future ministry and what our part in it may be, one of the team members reflected on the fact that today marks the start of the base in Cuernavaca. While there's no building and official ministry, the process is beginning and today marks a day where we got together to seek God's will for us and to declare our willingness to co-create with Him in this ministry.

Look for more to come!

My Achin' Back

2007-04-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up with an unusually sharp pain in my back. Whenever I would take a deep breath, it hurt worse. I think I either slepted funny or strained it somehow. Regardless, there's a lot I've been needing to pray about and I think it might have been God's way of slowing me down long enough to spend some extended time with Him. While it was challenging to not feel like I could breathe well, the time in His presence was needed. We are having a meeting this weekend with several people interested in helping us out in Cuernavaca (the place where we plan to open a base) and I think there's been a lot of spiritual attack going on relative to that. God is awesome and faithful and met me where I was at (flat on my back trying to get comfortable).

It's All Dunn

2007-04-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, after my last post, I have to say that I have since come to my senses. While I do like Caribou, I forgot about my other favorite, Dunn Brothers, as my good friend Leo pointed out in his comment. Let me tell you about Dunn Brothers. Most of them actually have a roaster in the store and the beans are, you guessed it, fresh roasted. Free internet, unlimited, and generally a great atmosphere with local artwork. So here I sit, today, at the mobile office at Dunn Brothers, making phone calls, checking e-mails, revising documents, planning, etc. While I always enjoyed coffee shops, I never imagined I'd be doing so much work from them. Oh well, you might as well be someplace you enjoy.

God has really been laying Commitment on my heart lately (inspired by an experienced missionary in Puebla, Mexico). What am I committed to? There are the obvious things like, my wife, children, etc. and those should be at the top of my list, but after those, what am I really committed to, and does my life line up with it? In other words, if you look at my checkbook or expense account, if you look at the where I go, spend my time, etc., does it all line up with what I'm committed to? What are you committed to? Does your life line up with it? I'd love to hear about it.

Back in the Land of Caribou

2007-03-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

I'm working from my mobile office today. My present location, Caribou Coffee on Highway 101 in Rogers, MN. We've had a great week. We've been catching up with friends. We will be translating for an event called, "Free for All," being put on by High Point Church. They are hosting an outreach event to the community where people can come and receive free tax preparation help, medical, dental and vision screening as well as a whole bunch of other free things. We are looking forward to it and are excited to partner with High Point Church for this event! Look for pix to come.

Back to the part about Caribou. I think it's like Coke or Pepsi, it seems like most people prefer either one or the other. Well, I have to say, when it comes to Caribou vs. Starbucks, I think I lean Caribou. I like the northwoods homey atmosphere and the coffee is generally roasted lighter (not to mention free internet in the U.S.). In Mexico, however, Starbucks has the market. Free internet and the best coffee shop in town (they haven't opened a Caribou Coffee down there, yet.).

A Week of Errands

2007-03-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

It's one of those words I think I picked up from my family...kind of like, "browsing." You know, you're walking through the department store with absolutely no intention of buying anything and something catches your eye, so you start to look it over and at just that moment, a sales clerk approaches and either makes a comment about the item you're looking at, or introduces themselves to you, and you say, "I'm just browsing."

Well, I'm running errands. From car repairs to school supplies to groceries, it's been a week of running errands. In addition to all the work on errands, I've been working on our biographies, brochures in addition to beginning laying out our plan for Cuernavaca. It seems kind of humdrum (another work I think I picked up from my family, only I'm not sure if I'm using this one right or if it's spelled correctly). Good to be in MN and at Dad's house for a few days.

Sunday Service

2007-03-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

Today we got up and went to New Creation World Outreach Church. Mission-minded, spirit-filled, all I can say is it was awesome. I went back for the Holy Spirit service that evening which was even better. A much needed refresher and way to put the last 6 months in perspective.

Check them out next time you're in Mankato, MN.

Owatonna, MN

2007-03-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

Today we took it easy in the a.m. and in the afternoon headed to Owatonna to visit my brother Joe and his wife Mary and 3 of their 5 children. We had a great time and got to watch my nephew Zach do an awesome job playing the part of, "Simon," from American Idol as a judge for a talent show the National Honor Society from the high school put on. It's so great to be back with family!

Onward to Mankato

2007-03-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

We decided to stay an extra day in KC. I have to say, my children are doing an exceptional job of continuing school in the car. Instead of Homeschooling we call it Go Schooling. Schooling on the, "Go." Ah, what an adventure. We are looking forward to getting to one place for more than 24 hours. So, yesterday, we took a break from the travel and we did school (in a home for a change) and we played, rested, had fun, etc.

Then, we got up and headed to Mankato with a pitstop in Des Moines, IA to see some friends. It's funny how God has moved friends of ours over the years to cities and towns up and down the 35W corridor. While we haven't met up with all of them yet, we believe that it's all part of His plan and in His time it will happen. Arrived in Mankato, MN tonight, saw dad for the first time in 6 months.

It was hard to leave him 6 months ago as his Parkinson's Disease is getting worse. We are blessed to be with him, though and be able to spend some time with him.

KC or bust!

2007-03-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

Today we arrived in Kansas City, MO (from Fort Worth). We arrived late in the evening again, although I believe I'm getting better at estimating our travel times. One would think that with MapQuest and all, I'd be better at this. Here's an idea, MapQuest (or they could outsource it) could build an algorithm and have families like ours as well as a bunch of others that travel quite a bit track the number of unplanned potty stops, food stops, mommy I spilled something stops, etc. Then you could plug in the number of children you have (I'm convinced that every child greater than 1 exponentially heightens the probability of an increased occurrence of these types of, "events." And MapQuest could give you, "The other," estimate. You know, the more realistic one that accounts for all those types of things.

Father, thank you for those unpredictable little ones you've entrusted to my care!

On to Fort Worth

2007-03-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

Well, now that we've decided to move ahead with the trip sans $2,600 of car repairs, we continued to work our computer problems. I have to say, The Geek Squad guys are awesome. We went to the Best Buy in McAllen and they did an incredible job helping us, didn't charge us, and didn't even ask if we bought our computer there (which we didn't). I almost felt like I should say something, but I pled negligence as I was really unaware as to how this whole Geek Squad thing worked. They were super helpful and while the guy yesterday didn't have the exact answer to our problem, the guy today did, and he went back and showed yesterday's guy exactly what the problem was. I am trying to remember the last time I've had customer service that good!

Regardless, we spent an hour at Best Buy and by the time we were almost ready to head for Dallas/Ft. Worth, it was lunch time. So, we brought our 3 young children to eat and finally headed for Dallas/Ft. Worth about 3pm. We arrived about midnight tired and ready to be out of the car. Goodnight.

Hunkered Down in McAllen

2007-03-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

We got into McAllen, TX at 8:00pm last night, at least according to our clocks. Didn't realize that we sprung ahead early this year. I thought daylight savings time usually came later. Oh well, we got across the border, ran some errands, walked into Target at what we thought was 8:00pm not realizing they were just about to close. We picked up enough groceries for a couple days in McAllen only to have the lights shut off about 3mn into the shopping venture. We hustled and got out with our grub. It was funny, the children were hurrying me up, I think they think Target would actually close us in (although we told them otherwise).

Today didn't start off the best. We are staying at Melody Lane, an awesome place that provides reasonable housing for missionaries. So, I was up at 7:30am, and had the car in to have it looked at by 8:30am. Only to find out about 2 hours later that they think it needs about $2,600 worth of work done on it. Did I forget to tell them I'm a missionary? :-) I don't really do that, I just couldn't believe it, all for suspension parts. This is a Kia Sedona, not a Lamborghini. There was a moment where we were actually considering having the work done. We don't have a particularly good feeling about this place so we're going to get a 2nd opinion, even if it means waiting until MN. The car pulls a little bit to the right, but otherwise runs fine.

We had lunch with some friends of ours in McAllen, TX who just had a little baby, that was a blast. By that evening, when I had time to rumenate over the car estimate, I was completely discouraged. Hope it will work out, not sure how. God? Your thoughts? I'm listening. (stay tuned)

Heading North

2007-03-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

Today we left for MN. First stop, McAllen, TX where we will get the front-end suspension on our car checked over. Then onward to Dallas/Fort Worth, Kansas City and Mankato, MN. Stay tuned as we continue the treck.

Hittin' the Road Again

2007-03-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

Well, today is our last day in Monterrey, and our last day in the comforts of our rented home in Monterrey. We set sail tomorrow for McAllen, TX where we will get our car worked on (see post about Fender Bender) and then it's on to Dallas, KC, and Minnesota. We're looking forward to seeing snow (and hope there will be some when we get there).

We've got lot's to do and get ready to hit the road tomorrow. If you're reading this (and it's still March 10-16, please pray for our trip north.

YWAM Cuernavaca Receives National Director’s Blessing

2007-03-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

About 4 years ago, God gave us a vision to start a Mission Base in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. Over the years, God has continued to clarify that vision and confirm His desire to see a ministry geared toward youth started in that area.

During November we had the opportunity to meet with the National Director of YWAM Mexico and share the vision God gave us to start a YWAM base in Cuernavaca. We received the blessing to move forward with plans of opening a YWAM Operating Location in 2008.

We’re coming to realize just how much work we have ahead of us and look forward to the team of dedicated individuals God is going to raise up that will partner with this important ministry.

Cuernavaca is known around the world as, “The Land of Eternal Spring,” due to the average daytime temperature being approximately 80 degrees year-round. Many flock to Cuernavaca from Mexico City on the weekends, the largest city in the world which is less than 1 hour away. Cuernavaca is located in the state of Morelos which is a very historically significant state in Mexico and houses many important ancient ruins as well as a variety of different indigenous languages and ethnic groups.

Not everything is 80 degrees and sunny in Cuernavaca, though. The needs in many of the outlying areas are tremendous. From communities dealing with poverty, drugs and alcohol and gang violence, to mountain communities an hour south in the state of Guerrero who have only the Catholic Church to turn to and face religious persecution if they invite or attend other denominations into their town.

Cuernavaca or Bust

2007-03-06T12:18:00.000-08:00

Along with the approval to proceed with opening a base in Cuernavaca, we were blessed with the opportunity of bringing one of our Discipleship Training School (DTS) Outreach teams to Cuernavaca to bring Christ to the people of this area and bless the local church.

God opened doors for us through others who have previously worked in the area. We have been blessed with great contacts with both local churches as well as contacts in mountain villages and indigenous areas willing to host our teams. We were able to step through the doors God opened for us saw His hand move through our students and touch people’s lives. As one pastor we worked with put it, when we die to ourselves and go out and do things that may be outside our comfort zone, we give life to others. That’s what we witnessed as we worked in and around Cuernavaca.

Rest In That

2007-03-01T13:59:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been several weeks since our Discipleship Training School (DTS) ended. While we miss the students immensely, it brings us joy to look back on the friendships that were started and to imagine how God is going to use those we've poured into over the last several months to hopefully do even greater things than we will ever accomplish.

I don't usually toot my own horn, but I received a compliment from one of our DTS Students. Most days as a missionary, you pretty much feel like anyone else working any other job. But then, you have those moments, like the drunk guy at hospital ministry, or receiving a word of encouragement, where you go, "That's it. That's why I do what I do. That's what I love about it." Oswald Chambers writes a lot about enjoying the drudgery because it's part of life. Even Jesus had days of drudgery (although he handled them 50 times better than I do). Anyway, I thank God for providing the people with just the right word, at just the right time. That, I can rest in.

God is Big!

2007-02-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

First of all, I'm extatic that there is a short-term missions team here in Monterrey from River Valley Church (RVC - check 'em out online at www.rivervalley.org). That is our home church and it is awesome having a team from the Beyond (young adults) ministry in Mexico with us. It has been a great week so far.

Tonight, after a long day of construction laying a new floor at Pastor Roman's church, we went to the trauma hospital for hospital ministry. We usually bring food and juice for people waiting for loved ones. There was a very drunk homeless man who was there looking for food. After we did the hospital ministry, which was amazing, a couple people from the team began praying for this man. We were getting ready to leave, but some felt a need to stick around and continue praying. That's when things got interesting. Someone asked me what he was saying, assuming the man was speaking in Spanish. I couldn't make out one word he was saying, but we began praying. After several minutes, one of the team members really had a heart for this man and probably a glimpse of God's heart for him. He began praying for him fervently and we all continued praying. After several minutes, the man collapsed. I was checking to make sure his chest was going up and down (it was).

We continued to pray over this man and pray out whatever God wanted us to pray for him. After several more minutes, he began coming to. We helped him up and he began speaking to us and we could understand everything he was saying. It was as if God took away his drunkeness and revealed himself to this man while he was passed out. All I know, the man couldn't talk, after he woke up, he was talking just fine. It was incredible. He was talking about things that have happened in his life, but he also kept stating, "God is big. God is big!"

Amen

Prayer Walking in Tepoztlan

2007-01-17T16:01:00.000-08:00

Pronounced (Tay-post-lan) seen here from the ruins called El Tepozteco, which sit atop the mountian that serves as a backdrop for the city. Down below is the oldest Monastery in Mexico and a town filled with a variety of religions including witchcraft, mysticism and an influence of many different eastern religions.

When we were here a year ago, we parked are car and began the hike through the colonial town to get to the base of the mountain so we could climb a couple thousand feet to the ruins. Many people believe the ruins were built atop the mountain because of special mystical powers associated with this area. As we walked through the town, we were given pamphlets and brochures by many of these different religions. None of them Christian.

It is our understanding that there are some missions started here, but none have their own building. Many of the worshippers gather in homes and go about it secretively out of fear of experiencing repurcussions or influences by members of the occult. Our job today, pray for this town and what God is doing and would like to do here. There are many tourists here and it is quite quaint. Nonetheless, there is a spiritual sense that, "anything goes."

Here are some picks of the hike up (didn't catch the prayer walk on film, though). And of course, the ruins on top of the mountain, it's actually a small pyramid.

The Ladies

2007-01-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

Today we spent the day with the, "ladies," from the nursing home in Cuernavaca. Actually they refer to them as, "the girls," which is an affectionate way to refer to these dear sweet ladies that allowed us to come in and sing songs to them. We even snuck the Gospel into it.

Rodo (short for Rodolfo) and Sandy run this nursing home and are members of Palabra Viva church in Cuernavaca.

This afternoon we went downtown and prayer walked the city of Cuernavaca. While we were there, one of our DTS students captured some images of downtown Cuernavaca. I am sharing them because I think this person is exceptionally talented and because these images spoke to me. Maybe not the most typical perspective of downtown Cuernavaca, but an interesting one nonetheless.

Fender Bender

2006-12-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

Continuing on with my theme of, "Missions ain't always a boquet of roses," I thought I'd share today's events. We set out from San Luis Potosi around 8:00am after a good night's rest. Around noon, as we were driving out of the quaint colonial town of San Juan Del Rio, we missed a sign and took a wrong turn. Sandra found a place to turn around on the other side of the highway. As we slowed to make a left turn into a store, a car came up behind us at about 60 mph and attempted to pass us in the left lane of oncoming traffic. Had we not seen it, we could have died or been seriously injured if this car would have hit us. What we didn't realize was that behind that car was another one, going slower, and as Sandra pulled out, it began to brake, but hit us anyway.

So there we were, with the driver of the other car (that hit us from behind) implying it was our falt. That made for some wracked nerves, discouragement, etc. As we went our seperate ways (the drivers of the other car and us) I prayed for them.

Get Me Off This Rollercoaster

2006-12-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

So, after spending 4 or more extra hours driving around yesterday, we packed what we could. All of us have been battling colds and I am exhausted. So at about 10:30am, realizing that to pack our home-schooling family of 5 up to leave for a 6 week trip is not finished, I go to bed.

We get up and celebrate Christmas, having told the children that we have a special line with Santa and sent him a note telling him about our missions-trip and could he stop by our house early this year. He did. So we celebrated Christmas for a bit in the a.m. I've realized that one of my favorite things in the world to do is to take pictures of the childrens faces right after they open their presents. That look of surprise and wonder is priceless! I got a few good ones.

We began packing, finishing up last minute things and running errands. We finally leave Monterrey at 5 pm which put us into San Luis Potosi at about midnight. We actually got through SLP straight away this time unlike last Spring where we got lost downtown. Tomorrow we head down to Valle de Bravo to visit some long-time missionaries in Mexico who have opened a number of doors for us. After that it will be onward to Cuernavaca!

School Zone!

2006-12-14T20:43:00.000-08:00

Time for some, "Real," stories right from the mission-field. I think I have painted too rosey of a picture of what misionary life is like, so I thought I'd share a bit from the other side.

It's Thursday, about 2pm. I am at the base working on trying to tie up too many loose ends before we leave for Cuernavaca. Sandra is at home doing school with the children and packing and she's even more stressed out than I am. I head out to run an errand with a friend and we go down a street where there is a school zone, however I've never been down this street so I wasn't aware of it. Keep in mind, compared to most Monterreyans (that's people from Monterrey) I drive slow. I am a 40 year-old, father of 3 and I don't really get my kicks out of driving fast like I did in my younger days.

So there we are, my friend and I, cruising down Rio Naces going the speed limit (when it's not school zone time which is 3 times/day in Mexico because they have morning and afternoon school). Problem, it's one of the 3 school zone times and I've never been down this street. So my friend shouts out, "School zone," which for any foreign missionary in Monterrey means, "Slow down instantly to 5 mph until you get about 30 yards past the Transito and then speed up. Transitos are the guys who patrol the school zones and not only love to give out tickets, but they actually prefer to settle the matter, "Under the table," for willing customers. The advantage for them is that they pocket the cash and the government never sees it. But it's corrupt and wrong.

I get flagged over and try politely pleading my case and why I felt he should cut me some slack just this once. He indicates to me that he can't let me off because if he let everyone off, blah blah blah...he is going to write me a ticket and he informs me that my driver's liscense will be held for me at the Transito Station until I go and pay the fine, or he offered me the bribe, which is where I just pay him directly in cash and then he supposedly brings it in to the station, however he doesn't write me a ticket and I just pay him directly and go on my merry way. Not wanting to contribute to the corrupt system, I inform him that I'm not willing to handle matters that way. He writes the ticket and I won myself another to-do item on my list.

We head to the Transito Station and find it interesting that when you try to go to the Bank in Mexico (where you take money out) there are typically long lines, however when you go to the Transito Station (where the Government takes your money) they have relatively short lines. They make it very easy for you to give them your money. By the way, the Transito kept my liscence and told me I could return for it after 4:30pm.

Back to the office for some more work and at 4:30pm, back to Rio Naces to pick up my liscense. I get there, greet my friend the Transito, who informs me that he dropped off my liscence at the Station, clear accross town. Now I'm steamed! I headed back accross town (a city of 8 million people) to rescue my DL a little nervous that I might not find it there. I get there, I get my DL back and I head back to the base.

Keep in mind, I had too many items on my to-do list today to begin with and I didn't budget 4 hours in to my schedule for all this. Is it spiritual attack? I don't know, what I do know is that if I ever have to drive on Rio Naces anytime soon, I am going to be awfully careful of the School Zones.

The Real World

2006-11-19T16:03:00.000-08:00

Today we spent the day at a place called, "Mundo De Adeveras," which translated means, "The Real World." It is like the real world meets amusement parks. It consists of about 6 blocks of little stores that range from a hospital to a firestation, grocery store, Volkswagen dealership, Home Depot, etc.

You start out by paying for parking and admission to the park. The parking is reasonable and the admission is as well. Then, upon entering Mundo De Adeveras (which I will refer to as MDA), the fun begins. You have to first go to the bank (named after a large bank chain located here in Mexico) and fill out some paperwork and go up to the teller to obtain your devis card, which is like an ATM card.

Then you go to different stores around the town and do different activities, for example, in the grocery store, you shop, but you also practice checking people out. In the radio station you get interviewed as part of a radio program (and you also learn how radio works). At each location you accumulate points on your card that you can cash in at the end of the day for various things. They actually have a Boeing 727 airplane that you can go inside the cockpit, watch a movie and do a flight simulator. At the VW Dealership, you get to drive miniature battery powered cars (where Gabriel almost ran me over, not intentionally). There is a Televisa TV Station where the children actually put on a short TV show. Dominoes Pizza for lunch and plenty of icecream, popcorn and soft drinks. We haven't had a weekend outing like that in a long time and the children really enjoyed it.

A Calling for Mexico

2006-11-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

Well, Go Fest Mexico, Day 1 looked a little something like this.

6:00am - wake-up, prayer and God time before breakfast.
8:00am - Breakfast
9:30am - Worship/Intercession
10:30am - Teaching - Roger Audorff
12:30pm - Lunch
2:00pm - Workshop - Working with Unreached Peoplegroups
4:30pm - Worship
5:00pm - Teaching with Joe Rojas
7:00pm - Dinner
8:00pm - Meeting
9:00pm - Movie - Luther

And what a day it's been. God gave several people words this morning and the Holy Spirit moved in many of the youth. Several people sensed a confirmation to a calling to long-term missions and responded to the Lord's prompting.

What a day!

Thanks Dad.

The Road to Guadalajara

2006-11-05T18:47:00.000-08:00

Today we set sail for Guadalajara, Mexico. YWAM Monterrey, YWAM Mazatlan and a few other YWAM Mexico bases are meeting in Guadalajara, our National YWAM Mexico headquarters for a week of worship, prayer, fellowship and seeking a deepened relationship with God. Up at 3:30am and on the road by 5:00am. It was a beautiful day for a roadtrip and we arrived in Guadalajara at 6:00pm. It was cool meeting students from the other bases in Mexico. It is awesome the energy that goes along with getting youth together from all over the world for one purpose, to seek more of God.

The Holy Spirit

2006-11-02T17:12:00.000-08:00

This week's teaching is on the Holy Spirit. This was an awesome time last year during our training and it is proving to be an awesome week this year as well. This evening we will have a prayer service where there is a very strong liklihood that the Holy Spirit will show up and do some amazing things. Thank you Jesus for leaving the Holy Spirit with us.

I have to say that my understanding of the importance and power of the Holy Spirit is changing. I used to think of it as a nice-to-have sort of perk that went along with being a believer. I'm reassessing that. The other day I was teaching my children's bible class to them and it mentions the fact that the Holy Spirit contains the complete power of God. And if my memory serves me correctly, at the point of Salvation, we have that living inside us. I am humbled by the fact that I should not be living anything short of a victorious life with that kind of power within my reach, yet somedays I feel defeated.

Father, may I hunger and thirst for a deeper revelation and experience with your Holy Spirit.

Pastor's Breakfast

2006-10-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

We hosted a pastor's breakfast today for about 20-25 pastors and people involved in different ministries in and around Monterrey that we partner with. It was a very special time to reflect on the things God has done in theirs and our ministries. They got a video presentation and there was a time of Worship (in Spanish of course).

God is really stretching me on my Spanish worship leading.

Up at 3:00am

2006-08-05T03:21:00.000-07:00

Well, today is our last day of Short-Term Missions, our Summer season here at YWAM Monterrey. We have had an awesome time with Vertical Edge, the Youth Group from New Life Church, located in Farmville, Virginia. They are an Assembly of God Church with a heart for Missions and being real before God.

Coming to the end of the season is bittersweet. On the upside, not as many 18 hour days. On the downside, not as much excitement. God has been so Real this summer to the teams and the staff here at YWAM Monterrey. We have seen people healed of illness and many people come to Christ. At best guess, I would say approximately 250-300 people in Monterrey, Mexico made decisions for Christ as a result of the short-term outreach teams we have hosted this summer. Praise God!

Father, thank you for the priviledge of serving You and Yours. Thank you that we have seen your hand move and impact many people's lives!

God is Still Faithful

2006-07-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

Remember earlier in the week when I wrote that I sensed God saying, ""There are many people on this team called to Missions and I am going to reveal/confirm that for them this week." That was for the Worship Center team that was here this week. Well, during our testimony service this evening, 4 people indicated they were, "One of them."

God, you are so awesome! Thank you for being so Real and personal!

Pastor Roman

2006-07-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

We have the priviledge of working with this guy named Pastor Roman. He is a Pastor who talks a little bit like Marlon Brando in the Godfather. I call Pastor Roman the Godfather of Monterrey's Clergy. Not really. But Pastor Roman has this presence about him. It's hard to be with him for more than 5mn and not sense the Holy Spirit just oozing out of him. I can only hope and pray to be that kind of man one day!

The Worship Center did a VBS in a neighborhood near his church and it was an awesome time of ministry. I even got to read, "You Are Special," by Max Lucado in Spanish to the children.

Up to the Flagpole

2006-07-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

Literally! We usually bring teams up to a place called, "El Museo Obispado," which means the Bishop's Museum. This place holds historic significance for the city of Monterrey and is where they have the largest Mexican flag in the whole city. It supposedly weighs 500 pounds and takes 200 soldiers to hoist it. It is up on a loma (small mountain) and provides a breathtaking view from a central point in the city of Monterrey.

On our team schedules, we usually indicate that we are taking them to, "The Flagpole." It's a good thing, because that's what we did today. We brought them to a Flagpole. They had the flag down today (probably for cleaning) and so, all that was there was the pole. The purpose in going there, however, is not to admire the enormous Mexican flag. It is to spend time interceding on behalf of the city and listening to God for what He wants the team to hear for the week. It's a pretty cool time.

This week, there were several things people sensed God speaking to them, and in my case, I sensed God saying, "There are many people on this team called to Missions and I am going to reveal/confirm that for them this week."

An Evening at the Orphanage

2006-07-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

We spent this evening at an orphanage here in Monterrey with the new team that came down from the Worship Center in Lancaster, PA. It was an awesome time, until it rained. Several people gathered together to pray for God's favor to allow us to continue the ministry (and stop the rain) and He did. Thanks, Dad.

I should add, it's a little intimidating leading worship for a church called, "The Worship Center." They have a lot of really talented people, but they love to worship God and make it easy to remember, He is the focus, not us or the music.

I Love Skype

2006-07-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

There are 2 things that I believe were designed with Missionaries in mind. They are Skype and the iPod. Let me explain.

First of all, a brief lesson in long-distance to and from Mexico. Mexico's phone system, as I understand it either has not undergone deregulation, or when it did, was taken over by a monopoly, as a result, those of us wanting to talk with loved ones back home or those in the U.S. wanting to talk with people in Mexico, pay an inordinate amount of money to do so. Not no more! With Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) which is what companies like Skype, Vonage and others do, I can call home for $0.02/minute. In the 15 or so years that I have been coming down to and living in Mexico, these rates are unheard of. I remember when I used to pay $0.50/minute.

Secondly, the iPod. Wow, a little hand-held device that will store up to 1,000 or more CDs? That's amazing. I have CDs down here in Mexico that I'm now going to ship back home because I simply don't need them anymore. I can travel anywhere in the world and bring my whole music collection with me (not to mention videos, etc.). I love it. I recognize I am not on the cutting edge here and that most of you already have at least an iPod Nano if not a larger one. Nonetheless, it is super cool to have one as a missionary when space and weight always have to be taken into consideration.

I'm Tired and 40

2006-07-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the day that I mark the years of my pilgrimage at 40. It's funny, I don't feel 40 (kind of reminds me of Spicolli in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High where he says, "I don't feel tardy"). I don't think I look 40 and I certainly don't act 40. There are pros and cons to each of the three.

Maybe I began to feel 40 by the time I got home tonight. I've probably put in about 70 or so hours this week since we've had 4 teams down to the base and it's our busiest week of the Summer Short-term Missions Season. I can honestly say as I get ready to retire (for the evening) that I feel 40 (but I still don't look it or act like it).

What did we do today? Something like this:

7:30am - Meet to go over the day's schedule, pray for the teams (and for energy)
8:00am - Breakfast with Highpoint Church
9:15am - Head to Casa Hogar Orphanage for some Soccer, Basketball and hugs with lots of adorable little Mexican children
12:00pm - Head to downtown Monterrey to allow the team to go shopping, had lunch and a great talk with Jon Ross (one of our staff members here in Monterrey).
2:30pm - Meet with team and head to the Quinta (our base's summer home that has a pool)
3:30pm - Testimony Service with the team and swimming. God did some amazing things this week.
5:45pm - Head back to the base.
7:30pm - Meet with team to do DTS, SOS and Language School Promotionals.
8:00pm - Head out for Tacos at Tacos Fede
10:00pm - Head home and go to bed

See why I'm tired?

Thank you God for bringing me this far and for the wonders you've given me the priviledge to witness. You are awesome and amazing!!!

A Day in the Life...

2006-07-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

Here's what today looked like:

7:30am - Meet re: day's events, pray for team
8:00am - Breakfast with team
9:15am - Worship
10:15am - Leave for Soup Kitchen (see below)
5:30pm - Supper at the Base
6:45pm - Leave for Hospital
10:00pm - Return home

The Soup Kitchen was awesome. We cooked food and fed about 40 children and a few of their parents. After we were getting ready to wrap things up, I saw a young boy who was interested in what we were doing. We had left over food so I offered him some. He asked if he could get meals for his family as well. I told him he could and followed him to his house and carried the drinks for him. When I got to his house, I noticed something seemed different about this area. All the houses nearby looked like they were being unassembled. They were basically being taken down as the people were notified that they would have to leave the property they were living on within 48 hours. It broke my heart to see an area that was already in very humble condition, only to understand that everyone was basically being evicted. I guess that's life as a squatter.

So, that's when God stirred a few people's hearts and the action began. One of the students asked if we could cook what we had left of the food, and we did. Be then went mobile with our Soup Kitchen since we knew many of these people didn't have time to make it over to where we held it at due to the move they needed to make. We ended up blessing about 30-40 families with an unexpected lunch and offered prayer and encouragement and the love of Christ.

As if it can't get any better than that, a family I had previously visited with a few weeks back in this area showed up again. A few weeks ago the mother had mentioned to me that she was trying to save money to buy a Nebulizer for her 6-year-old daughter Diana who has Asthma. Oddly enough, I mentioned that to the team we were working with when Karla, one of the team members said, "I have a nebulizer sitting at home that was only used twice if she wants it."

I am blown away how 2-3 weeks ago we prayed with this family that God would provide a way for her to either come up with the money or somehow provide a nebulizer for her. I had no idea He would do it through another team member coming back to visit that same area.

At the hospital, we had the priviledge of praying with a woman whose 21 year-old son, a Domino's Pizza delivery driver, suffered a severe head trauma in an accident. He has been in a coma and unresponsive for a week now. She is a believer and is trusting God for a miracle. He has a wife and 3 year-old child.

God, you amaze me! Please forgive me for believing in coincidences...I've been blessed to see so many things happen this year that have your signature all over them. Thank you for the priviledge to witness these things. Please touch William, the 21 year-old man who is in a coma in the hospital in Monterrey.

The Holy Spirit Came

2006-07-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

I can't think of any other way to describe it. Today was another typical day of ministry with roughly the following schedule:

8:00am Breakfast
9:15 Worship
10:30pm Visit an Orphanage
1:00pm Lunch
2:30pm Depart for Food Distribution
3:30pm Distribute Food and Bibles, pray with people
5:30pm Reconvene with teams and set-up for open-air service
6:30pm Open-air Service

That's when things got interesting. We had 4 teams from 4 different churches in the U.S. doing ministry in this area. We covered it with Bible and Food Distribution, Evangelism and praying with and for people. We saw some people come to receive Christ doing door-to-door, but this evening's open-air service took the cake.

So we did a pretty typical program, songs, dramas, testimonies, muppets, etc. At the end, one of the team leaders got up and delivered a salvation message asking that those interested in receiving Christ in their heart raise their hands. About 3 people of the 150-200 in attendance raised their hands. I remember thinking to myself, "That's cool that those people responded, but since there's only about 3 of them, we'll probably be packed up and out of here in 15-20 minutes or so." I couldn't have been more wrong.

After a few minutes several of the students made two lines of about 15 students in each and faced eachother (as if they were going to play London Bridges). The speaker asked those who had raised their hands and anyone else that wanted prayer to step forward and walk down the line of students to be prayed for. The next 30-45 minutes almost seemed like a slow-motion film as I look back on it. Not only did the 3 people who responded to the message come forward, but many more people began responding as well. Pretty soon the line was so long that they had to make another line which is where I got pulled into the fray.

I was asked to line the students up and like any good YWAM staffer would do, I herded the students into two lines so they could begin praying for some of the people in the other line. I went and stood at the end of the line and thought, "I'll just stand back here and help out." Then one of the leaders came up and said, "Can you go up to the front of the line? We need someone up there who can receive prayer requests for people and translate for the team members." So there I found myself at the front of the line asking people what we could pray for. Within about 2 minutes the 3-5 people in line grew to 30+ and it would stay that way for the next half-hour or so. As people would approach me, before I could say, "How can we pray for you?" they would have tears welling up in their eyes.

It was so obvious that the Holy Spirit was moving so strong in this community, it was amazing! After a couple people came through, we began asking them if they knew Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Many said, "No," so we asked, "Would you like to pray and give your life to Christ right now?" Of the 15-20 people that didn't know Christ, all of them said, "Yes," to receive Him. Then they walked down the line and had 30+ youth ranging from 14-25 years old praying over them. It was so cool to see the response of the people in this community and even more so, to see God's hand move so powerfully in the hearts of His children.

As each person would approach the front of the line, I had to hold back the tears and the lump in my throat that would well up as I saw people whose hearts were broken, but were so ready to surrender their life to Christ. It is perhaps one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced.

Father, may I never forget the priviledge of seeing your Spirit move so powerfully and praying for so many of your children to become joint heirs in your Kingdom.

Today was Supposed to be the Day...

2006-07-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

...we left McAllen, TX to head to Houston. Well, it never happened. Here's what did happen, though. As we were getting ready to head out, I noticed the front left tire on the van looked low on air. I had checked it earlier in the a.m. and it had already lost 5lbs. of air. So, off to Pueblo Tire to get it checked. Got to Pueblo Tire around 10:00am and we were there until about 12:00pm. Found out we had picked up a screw in the tire somewhere between Monterrey and McAllen, TX. About 2 hours and $130.00 for 2 new front tires later, we were going to head out.

Realizing we were hungry for lunch we decided to call some friends to see if they wanted to meet us at Whattaburger. They did and we went. Whattalunch! Heading out from Whattaburger, we realized our check engine light was on. So down the road a couple miles to the Kia dealer in Mission, TX to get it checked out. We waited there a couple hours only to find out that it was a valve that keeps getting clogged, but they are going to replace it this time (this is our 3 or 4th time getting this same issue dealt with).

When they gave us the car back, they informed us that the battery died while they were checking the check engine light. Every once in a while this has happened when the children leave a light on in the van, but Fred at Kia, Mission, TX, informed me that at 4 years our battery was perhaps reaching the end of it's life. I honestly didn't believe him. I figured, "I'll drive it around a little and the battery will recharge, it's done it before." So, off to the Speer Memorial Library in Mission, TX to get books for the children for the drive up to Houston, TX. Picked out the children's books, checked out, got to the car, guess what. Battery's dead. Didn't even turn over. So, I start calling all my friends in McAllen, TX (I have about 4 of them now, all brothers in Christ). Within 15 minutes, someone is heading over to take us to Wal-Mart to pick up a battery. Anyway, by the time we did all that, returned the old battery and hit the road for Houston, TX, it was 8pm. We got about 20mn down the road before Sandra and I looked at eachother and realized, "This is crazy!"

Turned around and headed back to McAllen where we spent the night. It was not a good day.

Bombs Bursting In Air

2006-07-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

Well, today we set sail for Houston, TX. The purpose of the trip is to shop for the items we need to finish furnishing our house (is that redundant?).

Monterrey, MX is about 2.5 hours from McAllen, TX and there is a toll-freeway (la quota), as well as a non-toll freeway (el libre). When we set out this A.M., it was nice and early and we thought we'd take, "The Libre." After taking 1.5 hours to go from Guadalupe to Cadereyta (a distance of approximately 10 miles) we decided to jump on, "The Quota." There was a protest going on as a result of the elections and the road was completely blocked off. About a half-mile down the road we saw several hundred people and police officers.

Being that it was the 4th of July and we were delayed by several hours, we decided to spend the 4th in McAllen, TX and head on to Houston in the morning. We contacted some friends in McAllen, TX and went and watched fireworks with them. It was a lot of fun for the children and we got slushies (raspados) afterward. It was fun being in smalltown U.S.A. on the 4th of July.

I almost forgot the miscommunication Sandra and I had. When we arrived in McAllen, TX, we got to Melody Lane where we were staying and the children were watching cartoons on TV. I was resting after doing most of the driving up to TX and having a little God Time. I made some phone calls and went out to check on Sandra and the children. It was then that Sandra informed me that she had just heard a newsflash that there were 3 missiles launched by North Korea and they were heading toward the U.S. I believe that she caught part of the newsflash and that half the information she was telling me was accurate, however the point about the missiles heading toward the U.S. and the fact that they had been successfully launched, etc., was not entirely true, although the newscast didn't mention that and Sandra may have misunderstood part of it. She informed me, however, that she and the kids prayed.

Needless to say, being a Cold War kid, I remember the standoff between the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. for years. Hearing a headline like that made me immediately think nuclear weapons. I was alarmed at first, in shock and denial. Nonetheless, I began thinking, what if it was real (I'm a little embarrassed to admit that)? What if today was the last day of life on earth as we know it? I started thinking about all the people I could and should have shared Jesus Christ with and didn't (for a variety of reasons). Within about 20mn (and after no small amount of anxiety) I caught a news update along with checking www.foxnews.com to see if there was any truth to the report. I discovered that they were doing missle-testing.

Nonetheless, it really got me thinking. It really got me thinking hypothetically, like what if it would have been real. What if my world as I know it was going to end today? What if God, the creator of the Universe, was not going to provide me with the breath of life through the end of the day today? Talk about a quickening in my heart.

God, how can I live everyday with the same sense of urgency I felt when, for a brief moment, I thought it was real?

God's Hand

2006-06-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

Something I love is seeing God's hand in situations and touching people's hearts. This week we have a team here from Christ Lutheran church. We went into a very poor area to do food distribution. It was amazing to see how open and receptive people were to the gospel in this area. I believe these were truly some of the meek who will inherit the earth. In their circumstances, humility does not come difficult. Most of the houses are constructed using broken pallets tossed out by large companies. They construct walls out of them and put something between the pallets as a barrier. They usually use tin or some type of inexpensive laminate material for the roofs.

One of our students went to one house where a woman was taking care of her 6-7 children. Her youngest child (about 6 months old) was suffering from a very high fever. It appeared as though the baby was struggling to breathe and might not make it. The mother was very worried for him but our team asked if they could pray for him and she said, "Yes."

We held an open-air service for about an hour afterwhich, the student approached me and asked if I would mind going back to that house with her and translating for her to pray with that mother/child again. We got there and went to the back of the house where the baby was. We asked the mother how he was doing and she said, "He's doing much better, here he is." I looked at the baby and couldn't believe it, but I didn't see a baby with a fever or struggling to breathe. I saw a completely healthy 6 month-old baby sitting up in a stroller looking around and smiling. It was incredible. The student proceeded to tell the mother, "We just wanted to come back and share with you that Jesus loves you and your children so much." The Holy Spirit obviously touched her heart as she began to weep. It was amazing to see how God had healed this child and how important this event was to the mother. I felt priviledged to witness a healing that I believe was nothing short of miraculous.

After walking out of the house, I really sensed that God was speaking to this students heart, but not necessarily to go back and pray for the woman and her baby. I believe God wanted her to go back so that she could see what He had done in healing this child.

God, I love you and thank you for surprises, and for having things so much more in control than we think!

Praise Him, Hymn

2006-06-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

In the quest for the perfect worship music or song, a lot of us like an occassional hymn. And they sometimes make for the most reflective worship experiences. If you click the title above, you can listen to the YWAM Monterrey Worship Team singing Come Thou Fount. While we typically do music that is much more contemporary, we even had a few people lift their hands to this one and they weren't using the Praise Master 2000 (see the River Valley Church Podcast for the Praise Master 2000).

On a more serious note, what I love about this Hymn is that in the first verse/chorus, the writer is writing about God and His blessing and how amazing He is. By the second verse/chorus, it's as if the writer realizes that in comparison with God, how small and insignificant we are and how prone we are to wander even when we're walking in the middle of God's will.

Hope you enjoy this blast from the past. Note: Please wait a minute once you click the link. Thanks to Dan Spurling for putting this on his website and allowing me to post to it. Dan has been serving at YWAM Monterrey for more than 6 years. He does our promotional stuff for the base and is an awesome person.

Why I Love What I Do

2006-06-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

Today we went to a very poor area. Most of the houses are made of pallets with dirt floors. They live on private property which means that if the land owner kicks them off the property, they have to go. We are working with a team from Lincoln, Nebraska (Christ Lutheran Church).

We did food distribution which means we go around and talk with people, share the gospel with them, ask if we can pray for them and bless them with a bag of food which includes a bottle of vegetable oil, a 2lb. bag of Maseca (Corn Flour for making tortillas), a bag of pinto beans and a bag of rice. As we walked around this area, we met with many people who were both physically and spiritually thirsty. No one refused to talk with us and most allowed us to pray with them. We heard a testimony from one woman who informed us that a year ago our base brought a team to the area and they prayed for her husband to find a job. Within 1 week he found work and has had a steady paying job ever since.

As we were packing up our things and getting ready to leave, one of the students from the team came to me and asked if I could translate for them to go back to a house with a very sick baby and pray for it again. We went to the house and when we got there, we were invited in and went to the back of the house where the mother was preparing dinner. The baby was in a stroller right next to her and looked completely healthy. The student, student leader and Pastor all agreed that the baby appeared sick to the point that they were all concerned for it's well being. By the time we went back (an hour or so later), the baby was completely healthy, no fever. They had prayed for the baby's healing and I sensed that perhaps part of the reason God wanted us to go back was so that this student could see what He had done as a result of her prayers. The student reiterated to the mother that she wanted her to be sure that Jesus loves her very much and the woman's eyes welled up with tears. It was obvious that she had witnessed a miracle and it could only be attributed to one God. I got the priviledge of witnessing it and encouraging the student.

That's why I love what I do.

Team Time

2006-06-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

This week, we are spending time cleaning up the base and getting it ready for the next team. One day this week, we spent out at the Quinta, which is a building YWAM Monterrey owns that has a swimming pool and a palapa (a large palm thatched roof structure that provides shade from the sun). We spent one day cleaning it and one day enjoying it. We also got to watch Brazil in the World Cup.

I am heading up the Worship Team at the base for our Summer Short-Term Missions season and we've had Worship Practice almost everyday, sometimes twice a day. The team is coming along and I think we're having fun in the process!

Hospital Ministry

2006-06-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

We do something here at YWAM Monterrey called, "Hospital Ministry." We load up a cooler full of tacos and bring juice to those at the hospital waiting for loved ones. What frequently happens here is that loved ones often can't afford to travel between home and the hospital if they live outside of Monterrey. So once the visiting hours end at 8:00pm, many of those people stay overnight at the hospital for as many days as it takes for their loved one to be discharged.

This week, I met a man who was a believer, driving a church van when the tire came off. The van went off the road and rolled. There were several passengers in the van, most of whom had seatbelts, however there was one family significantly impacted in this accident. The father of this family was in the front seat and suffered only neck injuries. They had a 2 year-old and an 11 year-old riding with. The 11 year-old was killed on impact. The 2 year-old seemed OK but died on the way to the hospital. The mother suffered internal injuries that resulted in the loss of the baby she was carrying. So this husband and wife lost 3 children in this accident. Please pray for them!

Father, I don't understand how and why these things happen, however I trust that you are in control and ask for you mercy and grace on this husband and wife in this difficult time.

A Week Of Ministry

2006-06-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

Ordinarily, I would have sought some transition time to continue the process of unpacking and getting settled in our new home, however this week we have the priviledge of having my Sister, Brother-in-law, and nephews and neices here on a week long family mission trip along with their church's youth group that my nephew assists with. The name of the church is Abiding Savior Free Lutheran Church and they brought about 31 youth and 15 adults down to Monterrey, Mexico (plus two children).

They had orientation on Sunday and began Ministry Prep on Monday. Tuesday we went out and did door-to-door evangelism in a rough area that has a lot of gang activity. The team did an awesome job and God had our back. We met one group of about 4 little boys on their walk home from school. We stopped them by the local tienda (store) and began talking with them.

After walking them through the Gospel Message, we asked them if they wanted to pray. They seemed to get embarrassed and none of them wanted to pray (a little peer pressure going on). I invited them to come to a program that the team was holding and the boys said they couldn't go down that street (it was about 1 block away). I asked why and they informed me that, although they are not in a gang, the gangs in that neighborhood know where they live and they are associated with the gang from their block. If the rival gang sees them down on their street, they will chase them and beat them up. Keep in mind, these 12 year-old boys are not even in a gang, but because of where they live they are associated with the gang in their neighborhood.

I invited the boys to come to the program with us and offerred to walk them home afterward to ensure their safety (since I'm such a big, tough guy). Two of the boys took us up on the offer. When we got down the block to where the program was going to be held, one of the boys, Andres, wanted to pray. He did, and confessed sins and issues he struggles with and invited Jesus into his heart. It was awesome! We later hooked him up with the Pastor at the local church we were serving and he took Andres under his wing.

The team did their program and several youth involved in the local gang hung around to watch. While they seemed more concerned about staking out their turff, they took in the music, dramas, etc. The Abiding Savior Team is awesome!

Day 1, YWAM Monterrey, Mexico

2006-06-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

Today we got up and began the process of unpacking. We also headed over to the base for a worship service this evening that the YWAM Mazatlan DTS team facilitated. It was awesome.

Our theme for our Summer Short-Term Missions Season is, "Real." Based on Romans 12:1-2, which reads, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world. It's a command. It doesn't say, "Try not to conform to the pattern of this world. It doesn't say, do your best in most areas to not conform to the pattern of this world, it say, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world."

We worship and pray to a Real God. I am challenged to make my faith Real. God is Real. He is so Real and personal!

God, thank you for being so Real to me. Thank you for being our front and rear guard! You really did it, for Real! I am humbled and in awe of your grace.

Arrival In Monterrey, 10:30pm

2006-06-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

Crossed the border after 5pm, after our wonderful visit to Palm Valley Church which meant that by the time we got our vehicle permit at the border, it was close to 10:30pm before we got to Monterrey, Mexico. In Monterrey we went to the base and said hello and then to our house to get the children to bed.

Father, I praise your name and thank you for getting us here!

PVC

2006-06-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

Not the stuff used for plumbing. Today we spent part of the day meeting with the Children's Pastor (and cousin of Chris Manthey) at Palm Valley Church (PVC). Kind of like RVC. In fact, a lot like RVC. This church has a very similar look and feel to our home church, so much so, that we've decided that the Sunday's we spend in Mission, TX, we are going to make this church our first choice. They have an awesome children's and youth program.

We want to thank Nathan and Tiffany Manthey, Children's Ministry Directors, for sharing the vision of Palm Valley Church with us and for showing us around, making us feel welcome and pouring into our lives! You guys are awesome!

Worship!

2006-06-02T22:17:00.000-07:00

We got to bed around 6:00am this morning because of driving all night and slept until about 10:00am (as late as the children would allow). Funny how our kids can ride in the car all night and wake up the next morning with as much energy (if not more) as they normally have. I, on the other hand, felt like I lost a few brain cells from the lack of sleep and fatigue.

Brought the car in to Kia in Mission, TX for an oil change (see previous post, same car, different dealer), and then picked up food for lunch.

We are staying at a place called, "Melody Lane." Melody Lane provides housing for missionaries. The cool thing about it is that while it is economical, the quality is better than a hotel. They have standard-size queen beds in all the rooms (instead of doubles) and they have a living room, dining room, kitchen, etc. It feels like home. Not to mention there is a prayer covering on that place that always gives me a peaceful, easy feeling when we stay there.

Went for a walk this evening to spend a few minutes alone with the Lord. I sensed Him urging me to go over to the Rio Grande Valley Prayer Center to see what was going on, or if there was a service this evening, prayer, or anything else that might comfort a road weary traveler's soul. Turns out there was going to be a worship service at 7:00pm.

Went back and told Sandra and the children (and Chris) about it to see if they wanted to partake. Everyone was willing, so off we went, a block over to Harmony Lane to take in a Worship Service.

When we walked in, my first thought was, "This is the kind of worship service I've heard people talk about." I would have to say the key word was Freedom. Freedom in worship. There were flags and banners flying, tambourines being played and plenty of singing and dancing. It was very orderly worship and perhaps that was the cool part about it. The worship team played and worshipped well and after I got over the initial shock (you see, in Minnesota, people are generally a little more reserved), I started to enjoy it. It's funny because I had no idea what God was up to. At the end of the service, the RGV Prayer Center took up an offering on our behalf and we met some wonderful people. One couple agreed to cover the remainder of our financial need for this year and the next thing I new, a handful of us were heading back to our house at about 10:00pm for spaghetti dinner (I had no idea the worship service lasted more than 2 hours and the children were troopers through the whole thing, even got in on the flag waving action).

So, here we sit, in Mission, TX, right on the border, crossing over to Mexico tomorrow to serve the first of a 2-year commitment at YWAM Monterrey, and God comes through like only He does, just like He did when the Israelites stood in front of the Red Sea. I can just imagine them leaving Egypt, for many of them, it was the only life they had known. Then this former murderer comes along (Moses) and tells them he's there to deliver them, and after a series of crazy events involving frogs, locusts and a bunch of other weird things he leads them right up to the Red Sea. I'm sure as they approached the water, many of those people must have been thinking, "Great, we should have known this guy was crazy, he's led us out here to either jump in the Red Sea or be killed by the Egyptians, we never should have listened to him in the first place."

Can't you see it. Standing right there at the waters edge. That is how I would describe the feeling I had leaving MN knowing that we were short on our year's base budget (not including outreach) and that somehow we were going to trust that God would bring it in even though we would be far away. I think I felt as crazy as Moses must have felt (and appeared to the people he was leading).

Father, you blow me away! My best thought, my purest ambition, my most incredible feat is absolutely nothing compared to your glory. I am priviledged and humbled to be yours!

Pink Snowballs!!!

2006-06-02T00:54:00.000-07:00

It's funny what happens to you after 2 days of little to no sleep. After travelling 2/3 of the way to Mexico and making frequent stops at gas stations, convenience stores, etc. a craving for Pink Snowballs came over me. I'm not sure where it came from because I honestly can't remember ever eating them. If I did, it wasn't enough of an experience to leave a vivid recollection of any sort. Maybe that was what intrigued me about them. Regardless, there I was in southern Missouri, at a truck stop convenience store, getting a Diet Coke to keep me awake and contemplating what snack to enjoy with it. It was as if I could hear the Pink Snowballs calling out to me from the pastry rack, but I denied it. I went for some pistachios thinking that cracking the shells will give me something to do while I'm driving and will help keep me awake. So off I went, a Lime Diet Coke and Pistachios in hand.

It wasn't until the next evening, somewhere in Texas, that I remembered those little Pink Snowballs from the night before. It started as a small craving...then it grew. Everytime we stopped for gas, I would look around the store and I noticed that the pastry brands I was familiar with were becoming less and less and I was seeing brands I had never heard of before. Was it too late? Did I miss my last chance at pink snowballs? How could I be so stupid? It's at least two hours back to the last place I saw them.

Next rest stop, I gas the car, I go inside, to no avail, no Pink Snowballs. But, the pastry angels must have been watching over me because the girl behind the counter thought she remembered seeing them at the Conoco accross the freeway (she used to work there). She called, they had them, we went, I got them, they were delicious. Sandra, Chris and I had a good laugh at how the store clerk who got the call asking for Pink Snowballs must have thought we were nuts. Well, she got to meet us in person. Haven't had 'em since. We were in tears laughing, and I'm realizing as I write, this is nowhere near as funny as it was at the time, but it was a definite, "You had to be there," experience.

Ahhh! Mish Buffet

2006-06-01T22:47:00.000-07:00

Imagine The Old Country Buffet, but take away all the pre-packaged foods, require the cooks to make everything from scratch. Somewhere in Southern Oklahoma, we happened upon a little Amish Buffet for breakfast. The French Toast was made from homemade bread from scratch. The eggs were pulled out of the hen house that morning. The coffee was good and the orange juice was fresh. What more can you ask for after driving all night!

Praise the Lord!

On The Road Again, Again, Again

2006-05-31T15:42:00.000-07:00

OK, that's the last time I'll use that title, promise.

Trip: Apple Valley, MN to Monterrey, MX
Leg 3: Des Moines, IA to McAllen, TX

We left Des Moines around 11:30pm and set sail for McAllen, TX with only a short stop planned in KC Missouri to see Gary and Steph Denbow (some more good friends of ours from RVC) however it was about 2am as we were approaching KC. We called them earlier and told them we might not be able to stop in and see them this trip and that we'll have to catch up with them next time.

It's going to be a long drive through the night. We've never done an overnight drive like this, so it's going to be interesting to see how it goes. Chris took over heading out of Des Moines and I tried to get some sleep. He probably got a couple good hours of driving in before getting drowsy. It's funny how when you're a kid, staying up all night seems like a good idea, but the farther I get away from my first birthday, the less wise the whole idea seems. Anyway, Chris did an awesome job and was discerning enough to tell me he couldn't take it anymore.

So I jumped in the cockpit of our silver 2002 Kia Sedona complete with a trailer hitch and trailer full of the most critical belongings we think we'll need over the next 3 months (and maybe some that didn't seem as critical to me but Sandra and the children thought we couldn't live without them). Funny thing, though, as soon as I say something like that, I'm looking for something, realizing it is something I can't live without it, only to discover I didn't pack or bring it. This time it was our TV, but I'll write more about that later.

I drove from about 3am until sunrise (sometime between 5-6 am somewhere in Oklahoma). I did all kinds of silly things to try and keep myself awake the last 15-20 minutes, like pinching myself, moving around in my seat a lot, directing the blowers with the AC right at my face, etc. Most of it didn't work for more than a minute and I finally threw up the white flag in surrender, somewhere in the southern half of Oklahoma.

Sandra, armed with less than 1/2 hour of consecutive sleep at anytime through the night and what I think was about a 46 ounce cup of convenience store coffee took over the helm. She is a real trooper, let me tell you!

On The Road Again, Again

2006-05-31T15:26:00.000-07:00

Trip: Apple Valley, MN to Monterrey, Mexico
Leg 2: Mankato, MN to Des Moines, IA

We set out from Mankato, MN about 6:30pm, several hours later than planned, en route to Des Moines, IA where we visited some close friends, Micheal and Claudia (and Dr. Pepper) Sharpe. Dr. Pepper is their dog Pepper, a miniature schnauzer, the children love him.

We got to Micheal and Claudia's about 10:30pm, much later than we had hoped to, and visited for about an hour before hitting the road again. It was great to see them and catch up with them on how they're doing, their church, etc. They are expecting their first baby in August.

Micheal and Claudia were on staff at YWAM Monterrey for several years and were instrumental in Sandra and I completing our DTS. They were very encouraging and supportive throughout the process.

Thanks again, guys. We love you and miss not being able to touch base with you weekly!

On The Road Again

2006-05-31T14:59:00.000-07:00

Trip: Apple Valley, MN to Monterrey, Mexico
Leg 1: A stop at Dad's house in Mankato, MN
Est. Departure Time: 9:00am

Actual Departure Time: 12:30pm
Trip Details (Leg 1 only): We set out quite a bit later than anticipated (but not unusual). After getting entirely loaded up at the Alreck's house, we set out for the Lakeville Fleet Farm to check the hitch we were using to pull the trailer (no kidding!). We had to make an exchange at Fleet Farm and all in all it took us about an hour. You know the routine, go to Customer Service, make the exchange, go back to the dept., get the new item, etc.

So we were Mankato bound by about 12:30pm. Made good time to Mankato, MN. Got our things loaded up in Mankato which also involved reloading the trailer. We were about ready to head out from Mankato, MN at about 4pm when we realized we were taking my Dad's answering machine. You see, he has been using our phones since we moved our belongings into his basement and our phones included a built-in answering machine. He had plenty phones to not miss the phone, but I didn't want to leave him high and dry, nor did I want anyone in the family worried about why he wasn't answering his phone and there not being a way to leave him a message.

So, we headed up to the local Best Buy, took a wrong turn and inadvertently ended up at Menard's, a chain I haven't always been particularly fond of, however we found a great deal on a wireless phone/answering machine combo, a GE for about $29.99. Brought it home and set it up for my dad (a little concerned that he might have trouble with the technology) and it's been working great ever since. He even commented that he doesn't accidentally hang up on people with the newer wireless phone. It's a win-win.

Personal and home electronics are very expensive in Mexico. They often charge as much as 25% more than in the U.S. Taking the phones with us will save us 15-20 dollars in mark-up not to mention the cost of additional phones. Sorry for the inconvenience, Dad, but I think you'll be happier in the longrun.

I Have a Concern Here

2006-05-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

Well, Father, I have a bit of a concern...we are to leave for Mexico in a little over a week and we still have a ways to go on raising support (of course, you already know that). And if I could have everything my way, I'd have the full amount raised before I ever loaded up our car and hit the road. Well, I understand I may not always be able to have everything my way, but couldn't you just do me this favor? It would help my anxiety and the whisper in my ear saying, "You must be out of your mind leaving with your family knowing you still have to raise a few thousand dollars in support."

Father, I know you will make a way and in no way do I want to put you to the test. I believe but please help me with my unbelief.

The Date is Set

2006-05-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

It's an interesting spot to be in, a few thousand dollars short on your support need and yet feeling like God and circumstances are prompting you to get back to the ministry set before you. A good friend of mine, Chris Manthey, who has a very strong interest in World Missions, is interested in helping us drive back to Mexico so he can check out YWAM Monterrey, get a feel for the ministry and seek God's calling on his life.

As could be expected, Chris began asking, "When are you planning on heading back so I know how to plan?" In addition, he was trying to balance it with some ministry commitments he currently has. So, after some hesitation and discussing our schedules, priorities, etc., we landed on 5/31 as the date we would return to Mexico (still a few thousand dollars short).

Now, I believe and know God can do anything, including miracles, however I have to admit, my faith was wavering on this one. Nonetheless, we decided to target 5/31 as the departure date and go with it. So, now we have an answer whenever someone asks, "When are you guys planning on returning to Mexico?"

Thanks Chris, I think God sent you to give me a little kick in the pants.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

2006-05-11T16:16:00.000-07:00

For the month of May, 15% of any flower and plant purchases you make at Pahl's Market in Apple Valley, MN will go toward Missions. If you haven't bought your flowers yet, stop on in at Pahl's, load up your cart and help support reaching the Nations for Christ! Just mention the River Valley Church Missions fund-raiser.

Message in a Bottle

2006-05-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

River Valley Church (RVC), our home church, took an amazing step for missions. They gave $100 in a bottle to $100 people (yes, $10,000 in all) along with a message on the Parable of the Talents. These 100 people are taking the $100 and multiplying it to raise money for missions. There are many different fund-raisers going on and we have been blessed and humbled by several of them. Some examples of the types of fund-raisers people are doing are:

Making Soup
Plant and Flower sale
Silent Auction
Photo Shoots
Buying, making and selling things
Texas Hold 'em Tournament

It has been humbling to see and hear about all the different things people have been doing (whether the proceeds go to our ministry or not). I wish all the missionaries supported by our church could be here to see the Body of Christ in action. It is amazing!

The God of Relationships

2006-05-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

I was just reflecting on an outing we had a couple weeks ago. Since coming back to MN, I had been trying to get in touch with a good friend of mine and his mother. Our schedules didn't seem to work out, but when the planets finally alligned, they told us we were going someplace that was, "a surprise." Those of you that know me know how I handle surprises. The suspense just about kills me so I keep guessing until I've exhausted all possibilities.

Well, we headed out toward Jordan and finally came to a dirt road. They said, "Turn down this road," which really didn't look like much other than a dirt road. In fact, it almost reminded me of one of our afternoons of ministry visiting a small burmese villiage in Thailand. When we got there, we realized we were at the house of some friends we hadn't seen in a couple years. We used to go to church with them, attend small groups, play on the worship team together and even spent a couple of holidays together.

It was such a blessing that it got me thinking all over again how important friendships and relationships are. In fact, it's one of my New Year's resolutions this year. God has blessed us with so many incredible friends and if you're reading this, it's likely you're one of them. We thank God for you and wouldn't be where we are without you. I believe we see Him through
of you.

Blessed Again!

2006-04-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

It's amazing the things that happen when God speaks to His believers. I've found myself on several occasions as people are telling me their experiences with God, saying, "What a coincidence!" It's funny because I really don't mean it. In fact, I don't think I even believe in coincidences anymore.

Here's our latest coincidence (not!). Sandra and I have rented a beautiful home in Monterrey, MX from a YWAM couple. They were very supportive and encouraging to us as we went through our DTS. We will be renting the same house when we return to Monterrey. They offered to sell some of their belongings to us with an upcoming relocation they will be going through. Sandra and I prayed about it, and we talked through the items in the house and discussed what we thought the value was for them. After doing that, we shot off an e-mail to this couple to see if they were interested in selling them and if so, for how much. Their response was amazing. They were interested in selling almost all the items we were interested in and the prices they were looking for came in within +/- $10.00 of the prices Sandra and I had discussed.

Coincidence? I think not. I believe that God spoke to both us and the other couple and is making a way for His servants to move on to their next assignment (and us as well).

Thank you Father! I'm amazed by You!

Give to Caesar what is Caesar's

2006-04-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

Give to Caesar what is Caeser's. Tax day is more challenging when your only file cabinet is a portable one! I spent part of the week prior to tax day gathering needed documents and running them in to my tax preparer. I suppose one of these days I'll take matters into my own hands, but for the time being, I'm content to leave it in the hands of the professionals.

Best part, we're getting a return! Praise God!

Pick Six

2006-04-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

Not a lottery where you pick six numbers in hopes of striking it rich. I was given the challenge of picking six pictures from our last six months of missions training and outreach. Boy was it difficult, but it was a good exercise! It's funny, when you experience so many things and experience God in new ways, it's hard to narrow the whole experience down to 6 pictures. It was worth it, though. It made me really sit back and look at what were the most significant things that happened.

We feel so blessed by what God has brought us through these last 7 months and are adjusting to this stage of raising support and reconnecting with our friends and family. It has been a ton of fun!

ET Phone Home

2006-04-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I got in for my oil change. I guess they did want my money after all. Have you ever watched ET? While waiting for car in the customer lounge, I was exposed to about 1.5 hours of ET at high volume. Did you know that Hollywood's most volatile divorce right now is David Hasselhoff? I had no idea!

Got me thinking...what is Hollywood's most successful marriage. While I'm sure it is far less newsworthy, and less likely to sell advertising space, I'd love to hear about the Hollywood marriages that are making the grade. I'd love to hear about those actors/actresses and directors who demonstrate a faith that makes people notice the difference in them. Where are they? I'm sure they wouldn't want the publicity, but I think it would be good for all of us to see. Maybe it's Tom's latest marriage? Time will only tell. Well, the car's ready and I have to go.

Raising the Bar

2006-04-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

What is your sanctification?

Main Entry: sanc·ti·fi·ca·tion
Pronunciation: "sa[ng](k)-t&-f&-'kA-sh&n
Function: noun1 : an act of sanctifying2 a : the state of being sanctified b : the state of growing in divine grace as a result of Christian commitment after baptism or conversion

During a time of prayer yesterday, I was challenged by this question. It really got me thinking, "What is my sanctification?" I had some things come immediately to mind, however I was challenged by the fact that my best ideas of what sanctification is, from God's viewpoint, may be totally different. It seems to me that by God sending His Son to die for us, He's given us a sneak peak into His heart. Because of His Son and the grace given to us, we can approach the throne of the creator of the universe.

Yet, on my best day, my most ideal of sanctification still doesn't even get me on the game board in comparison with God's idea of sanctification. I need more of His word in me so that I'm lining up with His idea of sanctification, not my own.

The Disadvantage of Owning a Kia

2006-03-31T08:36:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I have 50,000 miles on my Kia Sedona minivan and I love it! It has taken us all over the country, all over the country of Mexico and I believe it is going to outlast the 10 yr/100,000 mile warranty. So what is the disadvantage of owning a Kia? I have not had the greatest experience with service at the dealerships. Not just here in the northland, but down south as well. My latest challenge has been getting an oil change scheduled. I've called twice and both times they were supposed to call me back, it's been over a week, I'm now overdue and the phone isn't ringing. I'm aware that there are a host of alternatives like Jiffy Lube and Valvoline's Rapid Oil Change not to mention all the coupons that come in the junk mail for a $10 oil change with a free 100 point inspection (hint: they want to get you in for an oil change so they can find other things to fix).

So what's my hang-up, why not go to an alternative? With my older cars, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but I believe in being loyal to the brand and believe that if they are going to give me a 10 yr/100,000 mile warranty, the least I can do is give them the service work on my car so that there's no question should I need any warranty work done to it. You know, something like, "We're sorry Mr. Wilson, but since you've had your oil changes done at Jiffy Lube and they used the wrong grade of oil, we will not be able to cover the cost of replacing your blown pistons." So I figure, I'll take it to Kia, and they can be accountable for doing good work on a car that they want to see go at least 10 years or 100,000 miles. Where am I going with all this?

I am currently reading, "Jesus Freaks," by DC Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs (thanks to some friends at a church in Dallas, TX that hosted us on our way back north from Mexico). It's a book that came out about 10 years ago. But it is awesome. This morning I read about a 16 or 17 year old girl who, after her superiors (also fellow believers) spat on the Bible when threatened and told to at gunpoint, wiped the Bible off with her dress and asked Jesus to forgive her pastor and others who spat on it. Then a soldier put a gun to her head and shot her.

This caption at the end reads: "Most of those facing persecution today could have escaped if they had denied their faith. The question is not whether we are persecuted, but whether we are willing to lay down our life for our faith in Jesus Christ."

She did something that neither her Pastor, nor the adult believers around her were willing to do. Maybe that's why I love working with Youth With A Mission. The youth I get to work with have the faith of a child, in an adult body, with an energy and enthusiasm that makes a 39 yr. old like me envious.

It all got me thinking...don't we all face some type of persecution every day? Perhaps they manage to keep the cost of a Kia economical by providing economical service. Or, maybe they're so busy with warranty work that they don't have time for simple oil changes (I hope not). Either way, it made me think, am I giving God my best, every day. Am I willing to lay down my life for Him in the big and small things. I think Madison Ave has conned me into believing that my inalienable rights include things like prompt customer service. Believe me, if the trend of bad service at KIA continues, I'll shop elsewhere. At the sametime, until I can say it's definitely a trend, I need to be content through the process and offer Grace just as the Lord has done for me. After all, how do I know that God isn't behind the delay because He's got His eyes on someone he wants me to witness to who just isn't ready for an oil change yet.

Father, I pray that today I'd be OK with adversity and regardless of whether or not things go my way, I pray that my relationship with you would be more important and that I wouldn't let external circumstances influence my dependence on you and my overall peace of mind.

Whew! Those of you reading my blog must be thinking, "Sure, he's 2 months behind and now he writes a short dissertation on poor customer service." I'll try and keep future posts to a more reasonable length.

Back in the Promised Land

2006-03-29T15:27:00.000-08:00

After travelling from northern to southern Mexico and accross most of Thailand and along the border with Burma, I can honestly say that Minnesota has got to be one of the best places in the world to live.

We are back in MN for the next 4 weeks and my goal is to have my blog caught up by the end of this weekend. The children are loving being back, "Home," and have begun seeing some of their many friends they want to see while we are here visiting.

We look forward to seeing many of you who live in the area and I look forward to getting back on track with my blog. It's funny, internet access every 2 weeks really did a number on my already waning blogging discipline. Not to worry, it's on my list of resolutions for the new year.

God Bless America, land that I love!

Bangkok, Thailand - A Quick Recap

2006-01-19T12:34:00.000-08:00

I am sitting in an air-conditioned internet cafe as I write this (the nicest one I've seen in Thailand so far and it's about 90 degrees outside). Sandra and the children are sitting on a sofa about 10 feet from me watching the Cartoon Network while I've been answering e-mails and trying to reconnect to the Western world.

Thailand has been incredible and a confirmation of the direction we were receiving from the Lord. The food is absolutely incredible (spicy too, just the way Sandra and I like it).

One thing that I've noticed is that the Thai people absolutely love children. Noah, Bianca & Gabe are like celebrities every where we go. They kind of lead the way and we stand in the backround for moral support when needed. The cool thing is that because they are so highly esteemed in Thai society, it has opened many doors for us to witness to people who we might not have otherwise had the opportunity to witness to (God bless them, and I was worried as to how they'd handle the trip). Needless to say, they are enjoying it.

Some highlights of the trip so far:

Temple tour of all the main Buddhist Temples in Bangkok, we prayer walked around them, toured them and prayed for the people worshipping Buddha, as well as got an incredible glimpse of Thai culture and religious life. That was Day 2 in Thailand.
Witnessing to many people who have never once heard the name Jesus in their entire life, and many others who have heard the name but don't know Him yet!
God gave me a word in prayer (yeshou) back in December. That word would often times come out, however I didn't know why or what it meant. We went to a little slum to do ministry and hold a church service one evening and the pastor was speaking about Yeshou, guess what that means in Thai? Jesus!!! How awesome is He?!?
Being able to point to the sky for God, our chest for our Heart and opening our arms wide to indicate Jesus and witnessing and speaking of the Lord that way when no one understands eachother due to the language barrier (priceless and beautiful!).
Spotting a Komodo Dragon in a marsh near the church that was located in a rainforest area just outside Bangkok.
Eating bugs and seeing live crabs at the local market (Noah ate a grasshopper, not too bad for a picky eater, eh?).
Bianca made a new friend at the church we were working at.
Getting to know our new Thai friends who faithfully serve our same Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Their hearts seem so simply sold out and focused on Him.
Eating sticky rice and all kinds of new foods.
Cooking Mexican food for our new Thai friends.

I can't tell you what a blessing it is knowing so many of you are all praying for us! It is an incredible blessing and a priviledge and we would just ask that you continue to pray that the children (ours) will be bold and that we (mom & dad) will lighten up and enjoy this incredible adventure God has us on. Tonight we leave for Chang Rei (Northern Thailand) at about 5pm for a long bus ride. We arrive sometime tomorrow morning. Any prayers for that will also be appreciated.

God has done some amazing things and we know He has much more in store for us. Thanks for your continued prayer support and encouragement. We are such priveledged missionaries to have the support of River Valley Church and our friends and family back home.

Running the Race,

Ron & Sandra