IT'S ALL ABOUT MEETING THE NEEDS OF OTHERS

   We spent the last week or so getting everything ready for the groups coming in January. This group is excited as always to come and bless those in the colonia. They have chosen to stay at Big Heart Orphanage in Reynosa for the week starting Jan 1st. We look forward to thier arrival. The guys are busy building the foundation. We built the family a temporary house so they could take down the old one, to make room for the new one.
   We delivered Wood to two other families in case this team feels frisky, and wantshe to build another house.
    We're going to Chicago tomorrow and spending a week there, loving on Lea. It's been too long since we have seen her, and the rest of the family.
    We attended church at Melody Orphanage Sunday and enjoyed a meal with the congregation afterwards.  We sang a few Christmas songs after dinner. The orphanage is almost done. Praise The Lord. Please be praying for all the paperwork to get done with the Government.
    Paula had her Christmas gifts for her sewing class all wrapped and around the tree in the Community Center. The girls all got a coffee maker from Paula and they were all grateful. They worked hard the last several days to fill an order for quilts for some friends in Chicago. We're taking an extra suitcase filled with quilts.
    Sunday the temperature dropped into the 30s, so we went to Progresso and purchased 100 thick wool blankets and gave many of the outside on Monday. Our Sunday school class came and bagged up hundreds of bags of beans and rice, what a blessing. Gracias!
    Gotta go pack, we leave in the morning, and we'll be hugging Lea in the afternoon.
   If I don't have a chance to post again, you all have a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. Thanks for all the prayers and support, you are vital to the ministry to the poor, and orphans.

GOING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS =MUCH TO GET DONE BEFOREHAND

   As some of you may know, we are going to spend this Christmas with our daughters and Granddaughter Lea. In the last 20 years, we have been with family on Christmas only a few times. We were always in Mexico on missions trips. But Grandchildren change things a bit. Learn is growing so much. However, I saw the weather today and it's only 10 degrees. Next year, Christmas in Texas!!!
   We have been busy getting foundations done, and wood ordered for the houses that groups from Western Illinois will be building next year. Next year is only 15 days away. We even hired a road grander to fix the rough road in the colonia. Last year the road was impassable to get to the building sites.
    Last Sunday we enjoyed our Sunday school class Christmas party. Today Paula is having a Christmas party for the sewing class.  Sara flew in from N.C. last night to join the party.
    Soon we'll have a bathroom at our house in the colonia. No bathroom for all these years, it's Paula's Christmas present lol.

   

SERVE OR BE SERVED, THAT IS THE QUESTION

   When all is said and done, we will all stand before the Lord one day and give an account of everything we did with our life. Every dollar spent will be evaluated , every idle word we spoke will be made known, every opportunity to give, to pray, to love, to forgive, to serve, to read our Bible, to make a difference in someone's life .
    Friday I made the choice to drive 980 miles to Solomon Kansas to serve along side of the One Family One Purpose house build for a family thar lost their house in an F4 tornado last May . I wanted to bring something , so I bought 180 tamales and headed north at 5:30 pm. I drove through the night in the pouring rain and arrived at the build about 9:30.
    As I pulled up to the site, you can see the destruction . Huge trees bent and broken lined the property, with wind driven debris still clinging to the branches. I was welcomed by all who saw me walking up the driveway. It was cold and drizzling as I walked outside around greeting those I knew I was amazed at the progress. After 5 days, the house was done outside, walls, siding, roof, Windows. Inside the heat was running and many volunteers were busy hanging drywall, taping, mudding, the insulation machine whining as it blew insulation into the attic. What a flurry of activity.
   I jump right into rolling out tape on seams, forgetting that I have been awake for 30 hours and drove 16 hours to be here. Most of the people there have been down to Mexico on Mission with us, so I love to help on their projects when I can, if only for a day. By days end all the drywall was done, insulation done, floors all covered to get ready for painting.
    I  followed the group to thier base camp where they had been living for the last week. The women had a great meal prepared , and afterwards we had a devotion time about thankfulness , gratitude, and our attitude about it. A great time joining other believers serving and loving God and people. I finally got to blow up my bed and settle in for much needed sleep . We attended church in Abilene , returned to camp for lunch and then I took off for another 960 mile drive.
    So I drove almost 2000 miles in two and a half days and served alongside of a group of people that live to serve, live to give, and live to love others in need for only 8 hours of actual work and I  ask myself , was all that driving  worth it for only 8 hours of work? ABSOLUTELY !!!!!

TRULY THANKFUL FOR ALL GOD DOES

    This week gave us the opportunity to be so thankful to God for giving us praying friends and family . I was experiencing some chest pain, different from other times. I was heading to Mexico when the Holy Spirit prompted me to turn around and go home and have Paula take me to her cardiologist . They couldn't get me in and told us to go to the hospital . 11 hours of uncertainty and a series of testing gave us the news that there was absolutely nothing wrong!!!! All the tests were negative . So the question is? Was I in the midst of a heart attack and God heard and answered all the prayers, or did God protect me from something? Either way, we're giving thanks to God for His Goodness.
   Back to Mexico first thing Tuesday building shelves for the Melody Orphanage bunkbeds, and an island cabinet for the kitchen. The Johnsons drove down from Oklahoma Tuesday night and spent the day helping in Mexico .  They were here a couple months ago and wanted to bring the family back again.
   We finished the shelves and delivered them to the Orphanage at the same time the bunkbeds were delivered . We're getting so close to the opportunity to serve some children .
    The Johnsons went to Progresso this morning and we all went to the Mathews house for Thanksgiving dinner . Tomorrow, back to Mexico to buy mattresses for the bunkbeds and check on a couple foundations getting built for the teams coming in January .
   WE TRUST YOU FOUND SOMETHING TO GIVE THANKS FOR TODAY, I KNOW WE DID, AND WE'RE THANKFUL FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT .

THANKSGIVING SHOULD BE MADE EVERY DAY

  "Give thanks in all circumstances , for this is God's will for our lives . Yesterday Paula's sewing class celebrated Thanksgiving , even though, Mexico doesn't celebrate our Thanksgiving . Paula always like to bless the ladies with special times. Yesterday was no exception . Paula made a 25lb turkey , a ham, all the trimmings and then invited about 50 people to come and give thanks for the great things God has done, is doing and will continue to do .
   Sergio, Eleazar and Andreas helped me built shelves for the bunk beds we bought the other day for Melody Orphanage . We built 5 to start with, and now we're going to build two 8 foot cabinets for the kitchen.
    Have a great weekend and give thanks!

WELL, THE FIRST AND LAST TRUMP WILL SOUND, EVENTUALLY

    I  believe that America won on Tuesday . The spiritual fabric in our country has been declining for decades. The Revolution to "DRAIN THE SWAMP " has begun and the liberals of this nation don't like it one bit, and a lot of Republicans as well. Oh well, get over it!
   The Bible clearly states, that there will be a one world government , one religious system , one currency , and the " Beast " will make war against the Saints and Israel . There will be a few nations that don't join the World System  and I believe we are now going to stand with Israel and be a blessed and protected nation .
    All the concrete is done at the Community Center , a what a difference it makes. Melody Orphanage is coming along nicely and the other day we bought many of the appliances needed for the kitchen . A commercial stove, two refrigerators , and a  freezer. Mark and Hans are here from Chicago and  they are really impressed by the progress of the work. We took them and Jaimes family to Big Heart Orphanage in Reynosa to see what a wonderful facility they have there, and get a few ideas for Melody . Pray for all the paperwork to get done, so we can open by Christmas .

TODAY IS THE LAST LOAD OF CONCRETE

    All last week , we formed off section by section of the outside porch of the Community center, and started pouring fiber glass reinforced concrete. It is going to make such a nice addition to the area. no more dirt, dust and mud after a hard rain. NAfter this project, I need to fix my roof in Texas .

GOD'S PROVISION, MAN'S OBEDIENCE

   While we wait for this year's harvest of pinto beans from Warner Farms in South Dakota, our warehouse was getting empty. The demand for food is ever increasing .  I made a call to Ken in the Chicago area . Ken is always buying beans and feeding the poor around the world, and has donated truck loads of beans to our ministry over the years. Ken said he had two truck loads of beans we could buy. Rick Caywood Ministry as a generous supporters that would pay for the beans and the transportation to pick them up and deliver them to us. Travis Caywood drove to Chicago from Waco TX picked up the beans ,unloaded half in thier warehouse in Waco, filled the trailer with donated Rice and delivered it here on Sunday. It filled the warehouse and we are excited to be able to meet the needs of the poor in Mexico and Texas . All the generously donated food is because some people CHOOSE to obey God's command to feed the poor.
    we are finally pouring a concrete floor under the porch of the community center . Thanks to Sergio and a few of the guys in the colonia. We had our monthly food outreach Saturday and 150 families came to Worship the Lord, hear the word of the Lord, and receive free  food from the Lord. we had the privilege of praying with several people that needed a touch from the Lord.
   Melody Orphanage is coming along, the tile floors are almost done. Next project, buying all the appliances or the kitchen .