Baja Blog

Small Victories

Ahh!  The past week or so has been full of small victories.  God has continued to guide, provide for, and bless His work here in Baja.

He gave me some opportunities to improve play structures at the Triqui village daycare center so they don't fall over on the kids.  That's a good thing, huh?  The fewer smashed kids, the better.  Little kids who aren't smashed can grow to follow Christ and change their communities for Him.

God also has given me a steady improvement in my Spanish.  The linguistic victory this week was when I was able to have a casual conversation with a Mexican citizen in Colonia Vicente Guerrero for a half hour.  Don't be too impressed.  There are still a few thousand words to learn before my vocabulary is respectable, but it sure is nice to know progress is being made!

All of the equipment for the Jesus film (projectors, screens, generator, cables, etc.) is ready and waiting for the two opportunities the Lord has provided this coming week.  I'm planning to show the Jesus film in the town of Camalu this Thursday and in the town of Zapata on Saturday.  Your prayers for successful outreaches are appreciated!  More victories to report later!

Miracles and Wonders

One thing I have long neglected to mention about serving the Lord by serving the poor in Baja is the miracles we see.  In Isaiah 58:6-8, God promises many things to us when we "fast" by caring for others in difficult circumstances.  It is absolutely true.

Here at IDT, we have hundreds of people working on construction projects throughout the year.  One ongoing miracle we experience is a lack of injuries.  These short-term missionaries, many of them high school students, are rarely injured even though they work with power tools with which they are unfamiliar.  I don't remember the last time anyone had more than a blister or minor cut.  I truly believe this is God's supernatural protection due to our ministry to the poor.

We full-time missionaries at IDT tend to put in a lot of miles on the highway between here and San Diego, but accidents and car trouble rarely occur.  We also see speedy healing which is specifically mentioned in Isaiah 58:6-8.  This can be the healing of a cut hand, a cold, a child's development, etc.  God is powerful and amazing!  Look for what He is doing around you! 

Christmas Week

Well, the shoebox gifts from the U.S. and Canada have all been delivered to the children near Colonia Vicente Guerrero.  We had several huge outreaches to make sure as many children as possible received a gift this Christmas.  It was wonderful to watch their faces beam as they opened their gifts.  My job was to travel around to about five outreaches and take photos.  It was a privilege.

Now, I'm visiting my family in Kansas after an easy enough trip through our nation's airport security.  They would not let me carry-on vanilla I had purchased for my mom.  We all know how dangerous vanilla can be after all.  When mixed properly with certain substances that are readily available at grocery stores, it can drastically increase your weight.  Especially at holiday dinners!

We had the normal gift exchange and family dinner.  It was a blessing to visit with everyone!  We took our annual trip to the Sedgwick County Zoo and I've done my best to explain what it's like to serve the Lord as a missionary in Baja, Mexico.  My conclusion?  You cannot really understand unless you spend some time south of the border.  After a few more days of family time and a few days in Lodi visiting Cornerstone Church, I'm planning to be back in Baja.  Happy New Year!

A Whirlwind Week

What a great week!  The busy Christmas season at IDT is certainly here.  This past week began with a load of about 300 shoebox gifts for the children in this area from Cornerstone Church www.cornerstonelodi.com   God was gracious and we were able to process and sort them in about one day.

Tuesday and Wednesday brought a trip to San Diego for me to pick up a load of donated food for the daycare center in the Triqui village.  The Lord blessed the entire, trouble-free trip.  I only missed one turn in Tijuana, didn't get lost, and was able to drive straight through the border into the U.S. and back into Mexico.  Hallelujah!  Any trip during which you don't get lost in Tijuana is a good trip.

Thursday brought a day of Spanish study and our school's Christmas pageant.  What a treat!

Friday was filled with a surprise visit from more of the Lord's servants from Cornerstone Church with another huge load of shoebox gifts.  On Saturday morning, I was sent to a church in San Telmo on a mission to get photos of children receiving their shoeboxes.  That was the icing on this week's cake!

Shoebox Time

Shoeboxes?  Who cares about shoeboxes?  Lots of children here in Baja do!  They care about shoeboxes because their only Christmas gift may be in the box.  Churches and individuals from California, Canada, and elsewhere are continuing to send shoeboxes to us filled with toys, candy, clothing, and whatever else that will fit.  We divide them up and deliver them to churches in the area so they can be distributed to children and families living in poverty.  I never tire of seeing a child's face erupt into a huge smile when they receive even the simplest of gifts.  Most children in this area have no toys.  Many don't even have what we think of as necessities like shoes.  They love digging through the treasures found in their shoebox and sharing with parents and siblings!  Make your plans now to send a box (or several) to Baja next year!  Contact me by commenting on this site if you would like to be involved.

Another Evening with Jesus!

A fine group of Canadians are visiting IDT/Baja this week.  In 2 1/2 days, they built a house for a family living in Rancho Santa Fe.  This is a small, but growing community about 5 miles from IDT's base.  The family is very pleased and agreed to allow an outreach to be held at their new home earlier this evening.  So, I was asked to show the Jesus film for the outreach.

There is no electricity to this community of around 100 people.  This means we had a large electricity generator hammering away making power.  We set up the screen and P.A. system.  Due to technical difficulties with the dvd player and digital projector, we resorted to using the old-school reel-to-reel projector.

Around 25 people, mostly kids, viewed the film and seemed to enjoy it.  They stayed for the whole movie in spite of the cool breeze.  The gospel was presented along with an opportunity for prayer to ask God for help, healing, etc.  A few people prayed with my fellow IDT missionaries.  This seems to have been a night for us to plant seeds of the gospel, encourage our fellow believers, and maybe simply give them an enjoyable night of entertainment to lighten their load in this impoverished community.  Thank you, God, for the opportunity!

By the way, if you're in the USA, have a Happy Thanksgiving!  Make sure to thank Him from whom all good things come!

The Angels Rejoice

The bible says the angels in Heaven rejoice when even one person repents for their sins and allows God to write their name in His Book of Life.  When this happens, God has given them His gift of eternal life with Him.  This happened in San Telmo, Baja yesterday evening.  San Telmo is about 25 miles north of IDT's mission base and I was there with another one of IDT's missionaries to show the movie "The Road to Redemption".

This movie is being distributed as part of a Billy Graham project in Latin American countries called La Esperanza.  It's simply an American comedy with Spanish dubbed in for the voices, but it was very effective as a tool for a small church in San Telmo.  According to a person on staff at the church, five people chose to repent from their sins and begin following Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Their eternal life has officially begun!

We showed the movie outside the church with our trusty one-speaker, battery-powered P.A. system, an old digital projector that cooperated after some intense urging, and an old household screen like those used 30 years ago to show slides and super 8 movies in peoples' homes.  God used what we had and added a gospel presentation from the church staff member to accomplish His will of adding to those in His Kingdom.

Also, faithful servants from Cornerstone Church in Lodi, CA, http://www.cornerstonelodi.com , again helped the family for which they built a house a few weeks ago.  Three of the Lord's servants drove through the night to fix some plumbing issues, install a water pump, and install a water heater.  It's very important to note that this family has never been able to take a hot shower (or bath) in their home.  It's difficult to do those things when hot water is not available, but now, thanks to God and these men who are willing to lay aside their personal lives to serve the poor, the family is enjoying hot water, their first hot showers, and their first kitchen sink.  Thank you, guys!

Van Lag?

Is there such a thing as van lag?  If so, I've been fighting it a little bit today.  We returned from our mission trip to Loreto, Baja Sur yesterday evening.  After untold hundreds of kilometers in our beautiful, comfortable, donated van, we missionaries are ready to spend some time walking.

We spent the past week traveling from church to church from San Ignacio to Constitucion encouraging pastors and developing relationships for whatever God may want us to do in the future.  God let us participate in a small pastors' conference in Loreto and participate in a church service in Constitucion.

God also gave us two opportunities to show the Jesus film at labor camps in Loreto.  The first showing last Tuesday evening went off without a hitch.  The crowd seemed to enjoy the film and then they went home.  I was a little discouraged that no one seemed to respond to the gospel presentation, but maybe we were just planting seeds that would be harvested later by someone else.

At the second labor camp, God had a surprise for us.  About 300 men live at the camp and they do construction work near Loreto for U.S. and Canadian citizens who are building houses there.  The crowd seemed rough, so we sent the ladies in our group to the beach for the evening.  We set up the projector and screen and were prepared to show the movie.  A man was introduced to me as an evangelist, so I gave him our microphone to introduce the movie to the crowd.  We began the movie and, at the end of the first of three reels, the reel fell off the projector.  Like a loose wheel falling off a car, the reel slipped off the projector and fell on the ground stringing the film behind it.

While I fixed the film, the Mexican evangelist began preaching to the crowd of 100+ men about staying away from drugs and alcohol, staying with their families, and following Jesus Christ.  He ended by giving the men an opportunity to respond to the gospel by praying for salvation.  Before we knew it, there were over 50 men on their knees praying to God and asking for forgiveness for their sins and asking Jesus Christ to be their Savior and Lord.  Hallelujah!

After praying, the men all wanted to continue watching the movie.  I fired up the projector and P.A. again and we watched the Jesus film while the angels in Heaven rejoiced.  Sometimes, God allows us to have problems just to remind us that He is in control as the Orchestrator of everything and, without Him, we can do nothing.  Praise God for His amazing ways!

Off to Loreto

No, not Laredo.  That's in Texas.  Loreto, Mexico.  About ten missionaries from IDT here in Colonia Vicente Guerrero are planning a one-week mission trip to Loreto, Baja Sur, Mexico.  It's about 12 hours south from here.  Loreto is one of the oldest cities in Baja and we're planning to serve churches there however the Lord and they see fit.

We're taking a puppet team, music, toothbrushes & toothpaste, the Jesus film, and whatever else the Lord provides that will fit in our van and trailer.  We are simply seeking God's guidance and provision.  We want Him to love and encourage people through us.  We are asking Him to bless people and draw people into His Kingdom through us.

Please join me in praying that we will be able to follow in the Lord's footsteps and accomplish His will.  Thanks for reading!

Hallelujah!!

Well, after many failed attempts at gaining internet access, I´m finally able to post again!  Due to several technical difficulties, IDT´s internet connection has been fouled up for well over a month.  So now is my opportunity to fill you in about what God has been doing.

Much of the last month has been less than exciting.  I keep asking and looking for opportunities to serve the poor in this area, but the message I keep getting is that I´m supposed to study Spanish as an investment in serving people later.  I´ve spent hours studying with a partner, studying on my own, trying out new words and sentences on store owners (they´re a captive audience), and listening to the local radio station to figure out what they are saying.  The least fun, but most beneficial activity has been verb conjugation.  Wahoo!

Last week was by far the most fun!  Cornerstone church, my home church, made its annual expedition to Colonia Vicente Guerrero.  It was wonderful to see everyone and meet a few new short term missionaries.  God had them build a small building at the daycare center in the Triqui village and a large house for a family in Colonia Vicente Guerrero.  They even blessed the family with drywall, electrical wiring, and plumbing.  That´s not meant to be funny.  Few of the poor people in this area have those features in their homes.

God also allowed Cornerstone to hold a dog clinic, puppet show, dinner, and Jesus film outreach in Playas Guerrero.  This is a small village about 3 miles from IDT´s base.  Cornerstone´s servants gave mange shots, washed ears for ear mites, and gave flea dips for dogs in the area.  This is such an important gift to the community.  It makes the whole community safer and healthier.  Many people stayed for the whole evening to see the Jesus film and some responded positively to the gospel message presented after the film.  Praise God for His provision and goodness! 

This week, I´m back to working on Spanish unless the Lord presents other opportunities to serve Him.  Hasta luego!