HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS...MEXICO

After arriving home on Monday night, Roy brought the youth group from 1st Baptist Church in McCallen where they attend to unload our trailer, what a blessing. It only took an hour or so to get everything out and put away. These same kids came over the day before we got home and cut all the grass and trimmed around everything. We are so blessed in our going to Chgo and our coming home. It is so hot here, 107 today, so we have be doing stuff around the house. Today I cleaned out the warehouse and tried to get the donated welder running ( no luck). I need a mechanic to come and look at it. Wednesday we went to the colonia all day and what a joy to see everyone. Caleb and Mimi were really excited to see us.Ruthy and the kids kept our house and warehouse clean and fed and took care of our watch cats Takoo and Luna. We delivered some gifts that were sent to Damien and Natalie by Jim and Jan. They had built them a home last year and continue to bless them when possible. It sure means a lot to these people, to be remembered by those that had come. Roy and I have been on a shopping spree looking to buy tools for the trade school. Yesterday we bought a shapper/ planner from a missionary couple selling their stuff and moving to Oahaca Mx to plant some churches. We checked out a brand new Bobcat welder with an 11,000 watt generator and much to my surprise it was only 3 thousand dollars. That along with the donated welder, we should be good for a while. It's exciting to be able to buy everything we are going to need thanks to all the gifts we received while traveling. Roy and a team from Alabama built the canopy roof addition in front of and next to the trade school and it looks awesome and provides some much needed shade. More shopping for supplies in the morning and then a Quincinera party in Mexico in the afternoon.

WHAT A RIDE HOME

It only took us four days! We left last Thursday night, drove four hours to LaHarpe and picked up a donated welding machine and some other things from Rick and Dianes' house, ate breakfast and drove to the Ozarks in MO. played nine with Paula, fixed a hub on the trailer, with the help of an answer to prayer for someone to help us and Chuck stopped and gave me the tools we needed to fix the trailer. We spent the night in Branson Mo and Sat morning,We then drove and hour and picked up a two year supply of freeze dried food. Upon leaving there, I programed the GPS for Norman Oklahoma where Phil and Maryanne Chain live. I looked at the map and the GPS was taking me on a different route than I would have, but I surrendered to technology and lived to regret it. Our R.V. named Faith was now overloaded with our 14 foot trailer packed to the doors and the overflow was in the R.V. climbing these hills in southern Mo. and Northern AK. At times I was only going 15 mph pulling those hills. We prayed and thanked God for ole Faith and her ability to handle it. Saturday evening we arrived at Phil and Maryannes' where it was only 110 degrees that day. Wild fires lit up the sky as the sun went down to the East of their house, but never threatened their house. Sunday we slept until 8:30 in the R.V., thank God for a 1 pm church service. We had hoped to connect with a ministry in Guthrie OK and purchase several hundred backpacks, but we didn't connect until Monday and we were already in Texas, so we'll have to order them online. We slept in Waco Texas and had breakfast with Rick Caywood our good friend that gives us beans and rice when we run low. He said He would be down next week with several skids of each for us. He is a constant encouragement to us and we try to be to him as well. We stopped in San Antonio on the way through and had lunch with Juvenal, Benita and Isabel,long time friends of ours. We finally made it home about 8pm Monday night WOW what a ride. Thanks for the prayers and gas money, we sure burned a lot this trip. Five thousand plus miles since we left home in June.

GOD USES WILLING HANDS

Last week I had another one of those DIVINE APPOINTMENTS and to top it off, it happened on a golf course.Imagine that, God can use everyday activities to connect people with a common purpose, to Glorify Himself. I moved another appointment to the afternoon, so I could play golf with my Son in Laws Dad Jim. Jim invited Bob who is the Director of Ministry Development at Elim Christian Services www.elimcs.org. You have to go to their site to see the extent of the divine connection. They care for children and adults with disabilities. Bob shared about their ministry of packing and sending bean and rice packets and also school packs for children, that they prepare for needy people around the world and the need for a new bean source and the ability to get the food to where it is most needed. With the contacts that I have and their desire to help, God is surely expanding our food distribution in Mexico. Bob and a few volunteers brought a full skid of school supply kits for over a thousand children over to our trailer this morning to take to Mexico. The trailer is going to be packed to the back with donated food, clothes, tools, rocking chairs, kiddie chairs, play kitchens, electric supplies, school supplies, strollers, cribs, a gas powered portable welder, lighting fixtures and toy cars. It is amazing what God has blessed us and the people of Mexico with in just a few short weeks.

THE END IS NEAR, TO OUR TRIP ANYWAY

As our Chicago tour races toward an end, we are longing to get back home and get the trade school rolling. God has provided so much toward the school while we have been here that we should be able to purchase everything we need in the short term. We are so gratefull for all the generous donations to make it all possible. God always funds everything He ordains and this is just another example of His goodness. It all started with the students at IIT having the desire to design and build a school in the colonia to teach the trades. God provided the funds and the 11 willing hands and hearts to come and build it. We spent a couple of days in Laharpe,Il and the Carpenters Crew had thier summer pot luck and meeting for next years mission trip to Mexico and the proposed building of three houses and hopefully a clinic at the school from some of the very talented tradesmen on thier team. So in the last few weeks, we have only visited four churches and shared the needs for the trade school, and God provided several thousand dollars.THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Last weekend, we spent two days with friends on Lake Michigan, boating, swimming, and I even managed to get up on skis( on the first try I might add) and strained every muscle in my armpit area. As I type this, we need prayer for our kids fighting for thier marriage and for God to draw them to Himself and heal them.

YUPPER

Yupper, Thats what they call people that live in the upper pinninsula of Michigan and that is where we spent the weekend with friends and partners of our ministry. We enjoyed a day of rest and a round of golf Friday, with Alan, Lynnea, Paula and Me chasing the ball around a golf course in Twin Lakes Mi. We stayed at a campground nearby and enjoyed dinner with Gary and Jeryl. The stars lit up the clear sky that night and it was amazing. We had followed the GPS deep into the woods about four miles on a small sandy road to find the campground and before long, the road ended with a truck load of rocks blocking the road. I had to back the 32 foot R.V. about a mile before we could turn that rig around. We laughed so hard we almost cried. Saturday we drove to Porcupine State park and walked a trail to view the lake in the clouds and stopped for lunch and ate the world famous Pasties, a Finish delite. A drive to Handcock to Lonnie and Daves where we had plenty of room to park and after supper we watched the sunset on Lake Superior after I baptized myself in the surprisingly warm waters that are much warmer than usual.After church Sunday, we went to Duffy and Russ' house down by another lake for a chicken bbq fund raising event. Paula and I were given the opportunity to share about our mission in Mexico and several of the people inquired afterwards about how to help us. That evening we drove to Chassell Mi. where Alice and Eldon Kunnenen attend and had set up a special service for us to speak about Mexico. Alice, Gary, and Lonnie shared about thier experience in Mexico and afterward, Paula and I shared about many of the things God has us involved in. It is always such a privilage to be able to share about how God has provided for us along our journey and all the people that have been blessed by the people that support our work there. They even took an offering for us and the gifts will be used for the new trade school and sponsorship for kids to attend regular school. Thank you Maranatha Lutheren Church for your hospitality and generosity. We spent Sunday night and most of Monday making our way home. We really had another great time in the U.P. and look forward to next year.

BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING?

Really? Or are we blessed to buy a vacation home? Or take an exotic vacation? Or buy something we don't really need or even want. It is a real challange to my heart to spend so much time away from Mexico and our calling to help the poor, and be a blessing to those in need. But we are finding ways to meet the needs of some people around here inbetween traveling around and visiting partners of the ministry. I wish I would have brought a skid of beans and rice up here, but we will buy some next week when we get back from MI. We leave for Michigan today and return on Monday. We can't wait to see the team that surrendered their vacation this past spring to help those in need in Mexico. Dave, Lonnie, Gary, Jeryl and Michelle get it. We had a great time on Sunday when we had our pizza luncheon at church and had about a hundred people attend, and hear about the trade school and all the other things we have going on. Sporatic generous giving to the ministry took place and we are well on the way to funding the tools for the school, so Gracias to Moraine for the use of the church, and to all those that gave and to those that will give. And a huge thanks to those that brought the desserts. The time continues to fly by and we are trying to keep up with the schedual of seeing everyone.

HOTTER THAN TEXAS IN CHICAGO

WOW We thought it's hot in Texas, that's why we come to Chicago for July every year, but this is insane.... Today 104 with high humidity, yesterday 103. Alan got sick after we golfed yesterday. We can't wait to head up to northern Michigan next week. It's still nice to be here and visit with everyone. We attended the outdoor wedding last Friday for Jessica and Michael and as the evening wore on big storms hit and drove us to seek shelter indoors. The storms that have come through have been pretty intense lately. Roy, Rebecca and Raul are taking care of buisiness in Texas and Reynosa and we are very gratefull for thier sacrifice. We really miss ministering to the people in Mexico, so we bought all the mens jeans and shirts at a re-sale shop and are taking them to a shelter in Chicago on Monday. When your gift is helps and meeting the needs of others, you have to find ways to use your gifts, no matter where you are. We are having our pizza lunch at church Sunday and hope to raise the funds for the tools needed for the trade school, and also get children sponsored for this falls school year. As Paula and I were driving from Colorado to here, God kept putting a single Mom with four kids on my heart. I don't know who she was, but she needed a blessing from God and needed it now!! Well Sunday at church I inquired of the people that might know of such a person and low and behold, there is a single Mom with four kids that was just diagnosed with cancer and she needed money to pay her rent. I cheerfully handed the money I had in my pocket to one of the people that knew her and pooof, God met her needs. HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HERE WHAT THE SPIRIT IS SAYING TO THE CHURCH!!!! Why would the Holy Spirit tell someone driving down the road 1000 miles away about a need that needed to be met and we were the vessle that would bring the answer to her prayer? Super Spirituallity? Super Faith? Super Connection to God? Pockets full of money? How about being just plain ole available, to hear the voice of the Spirit, giving an instruction to one of His followers. Yea thats it just plain ole silly me listening through the noise of life. Please pray for her, who ever she is. Single, 4 kids, Cancer, alone, desperate, scared, uncertain, maybe even fearfull. Sounds like the perfect storm for God to calm!!