THE CHOICE IS NOT ALWAYS SIMPLE

The process of choosing the families to receive, in most cases, the biggest blessing of their lives has brought us to several families this month. With the funding to build four homes, thanks to a matching fund grant from our church in Mcallen, Calvary Baptist, four families lives will experience and explosion of Gods' Favor this Christmas Season. The first family is Florencio, his wife Angelina and their two kids Isreal and Joan. The second family is Arturo, Carla and their daughter Adi. We will start the foundations this week and when the  team, howbeit very small, comes from Chgo Christmas Day we will build one. We planned on building only one house at Christmas, but when a friend from our church here donated money to build another, I put in the application for matching funds from our church and Gods Goodness exploded. God is in the business of explosive blessings, and we have seen our share lately. Another gift came in from some friends in Chicago and we bought dozens of dolls and soccer balls to be given out on December 29th. Another man from our church here, gave me a thousand dollars toward the transportation of the 22 thousand pounds of pinto beans, grown in South Dakota. I only need $1500.00 more and the beans are ours to give away. Favor just seems to surround all of our efforts to help the poor. Another man dropped off 15 bags full of coats and sweaters. The youth group from 1st Baptist Church came again last night and bagged up beans, rice and corn to carry us through two months of distribution. It's almost crazy, as we try to get all this stuff across the border before Christmas. Well we gotta go fill the van and head south. Thanks for all of your prayers and donations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOW MANY DAYS DO YOU HAVE?

If you knew for certain that in 13 days on December 21st 2012, the end of life as we know it would end, what would you be doing for the next 13 days? How many wrongs do you need to right? How many times would you need to say I love you to family? How faithful have you been to what God has called you to do? How much money do you have in the bank that could have kept starving people alive? How many times has the Spirit of God prompted you to do something, that would cost you something, and you shrugged it off as indigestion? How many times have we felt guilty taking a vacation, when giving that money up for an eternal, Kingdom purpose would have been the Christian thing to do? America has been under judgement since Sept 11, 2001 and the smiles of heaven no longer look down on us. The protection we enjoyed in this country for over 220 years from the God we once served as a nation is gone. All hell is breaking loose and we are still sleeping. Christ and any mention of God or Jesus Christ has been ripped from our culture by a handful of atheists, God haters, anti Christs, pagans, lost people and we haven't even fought the good fight of faith. I hope that Dec 21st is it and Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats and His Kingdom will be ushered in. Read Mathew Chapter 25 verses 31 through 46, and place yourself where you fit most. The church and the Nation needs to repent and most of what I see is 2nd Timothy Chapter 3. So what if? It's either the END OF ALL THINGS this month or THE FISCAL CLIFF next month, it really doesn't matter to me God, has me in the palm of His hand. I rant because I spent the week putting a new roof on the house we're trying to sell and to me, I wasted  a few days of my life not helping people, but that's just Me.

WHEN GODS' FAVOR EXPLODES IN YOUR LIFE

Yesterday we dedicated the house we built for Fidel, Maribelle and their son Christopher. We always point them to Christ as the giver of every good and perfect gift, and yesterday was no exception. After hanging the curtains and decorating the house we shared about how much God loves them and cares for them in the midst of their poverty. They were truly humbled by Gods goodness and we pray that they will establish a deep and meaningful relationship with Christ. Although the gift came from God, God used a family business in Palos Heights, Illinois to provide the funding to build the house, as God spoke to Den to give sacrificially and trust God to meet his needs as he met the needs of others. An explosion of favor is coming his way because he followed an instruction. Blessings always come as we hear an instruction and then follow it up with obedience, no matter the cost. Before we dedicated the house, a group from Childrens Haven Orphanage in Reynosa came and delivered a mountain of clothes to be given to the people in the colonia. They had more than they needed and brought two van loads of clothes. Betsy likes to bring the groups that come and help at the orphanage over to the colonia from time to time and show the Americans the poverty that exists so close to the USA. I also received over 100 jackets and coats to be given out to the people in Mx, and Roy brought 13 bicycles to be given out to those men that need transportation to get to work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRETTY IN PINK

Today Paula, Tracy and Rebecca held their first Womens conference in the colonia. It has been a long desire of Paula to start meeting with the women on a regular basis. Our church had a conference for women a while ago and we got all the left over pink shirts. Tracy shared her heart about their identity in Christ, and their self esteem issues. I should have Paula share about everything that went on because I was not there. But they all had a great time and Ulda made tamales for the group. I was busy all day running shingles from our San Juan house to the Pharr house because the guys started tearing off the old roof today. Fidel and Maribells house is done and we will dedicate it manana after we speak at the Rio Grande Bible Institute Volunteers meeting. They plan on building a house in the colonia next month with us and have raised more than enough money to build it.