God's Timing
Aside from doing normal stuff this week (3 days in the office and then building an over-roof with a group from North Dakota State University on Thursday and Friday), I also came to realize how exciting it is that I came to YLM when I did. I had no idea about the myriad things that are on the verge of happening around here. Two things--Stephen's Powerpoint presentation in lieu of the normal Bible study last Sunday morning and a scouting trip made by 3 members of the Barrington, IL, summer mission team--opened my eyes to the following:
1. Santisima Trinidad doesn't currently own the land that the church is on, but they are nearing the end of the process to become the legal proprieters. I went to Mexico on Monday with 3 members of St. Matthew's in Barrington, IL (their church has been conducting VBS there for many years and has developed a deep relationship with the people and the congregation at Santisima, and are therefore going to help pay for all that needs to happen), to translate for a meeting between them, Pastor Hernandez, and Alfredo, a lawyer friend of his. I was a bit worried because I don't understand lawyer-ese in English, but all went surprisingly well and the Barrington guys are ready to go home, talk to their church council or whatever, and write a check. Basically, as I understand it, the church is in no danger of having the land taken away because they have been there for more than 10 years, but they have not been able to legally purchase it because they don't exist in the eyes of the government. They have to become a legal entity (a religious association) first, which requires sending a couple people to Mexico City for a ceremony in June, and then they can acquire the terrain itself. The lawyer is hopeful that the government will just give it to them as a donation, or give them a continually renewable "99 year lease;" there is only a slim chance they will have to pay for it. The only other issue after that is paying back utility bills, and God only knows (literally) how much that could add up to.
2. YLM has a long-term vision of planting 2 churches--one in Sparks and one in Anapra. Both are very tentative, but the wheels have been set in motion. The one in Anapra would be along the lines of a new mission site, located down the main road from where San Lucas is. Pretty much this church in Michigan that built a church there a long time ago doesn't want to maintain it anymore, so they are giving it to us. It only makes sense too because...they're in Michigan and Mexico is a mile away from here. In my understanding, the building is all furnished and everything, it just needs some fixing up. We've currently got a couple people busy trying to figure out how to feasibly add another mission church to our radar, and that's about all I know about that. In Sparks, it's more of a vision than walls and windows at this point. We have the plot of land in mind, but the funding ($30,000ish is the starting price...hopefully less though) is a mystery and so are a lot of other things. It was exciting though, to stand there and imagine what could be happening there a couple of years down the road. Right now the community has a Jehovah's Witness Hall, a Catholic church, and a couple of other non-denominational Christian ones...we think some LCMS influence might be good too ;)
3. We are trying to incorporate more outreach into our work with the Sparks neighborhood. Chris and I are beginning to feel like it's kind of our terrain, but most of what we have done thus far has been solely construction. In Mexico, it's easier to do outreach at the same time because school is in 2 shifts, so half the kids in the neighborhood are going to be around at any given time. However, this week a group from Mt. Prospect, IL, is going to host the first ever VBS at the Sparks community center, so we'll see how it goes. It's going to be Tues-Thurs, 1-3 pm, and they're also planning activities for seniors. Keep it in your prayers! The community center has been a huge blessing to our ministry there, and we hope to be able to help them out even more in the future because they want to add on another large multi-purpose room and we are hoping to provide the funds and labor via servant event groups. This is also very preliminary, but think of how our image (and that of the God we serve) which is currently formed by a few families whose homes we have repaired, would be promoted in the community when we are integral in providing a space that would be utilized by hundreds on a daily basis. Chris's VERY rough estimate for that, materials only, was $10,000.
So that is what I have been thinking about this week. Mainly about how it is going to be very hard to leave when I say I'm going to with all of that on the horizon (so maybe I won't but that's another discussion), and about how out of all the evil that prevails in Juarez right now, God is bringing good. That hadn't really occurred to me until Pastor Hernandez said it on Monday at the meeting but it's so obvious now. God was really looking out for us when he dumped Sparks in our hands. A couple groups have cancelled because they are afraid to go to Juarez right now, but so many more are going to come and work there, and I smile every time I think about all the good they are going to do.
Until next time, blessings!
1. Santisima Trinidad doesn't currently own the land that the church is on, but they are nearing the end of the process to become the legal proprieters. I went to Mexico on Monday with 3 members of St. Matthew's in Barrington, IL (their church has been conducting VBS there for many years and has developed a deep relationship with the people and the congregation at Santisima, and are therefore going to help pay for all that needs to happen), to translate for a meeting between them, Pastor Hernandez, and Alfredo, a lawyer friend of his. I was a bit worried because I don't understand lawyer-ese in English, but all went surprisingly well and the Barrington guys are ready to go home, talk to their church council or whatever, and write a check. Basically, as I understand it, the church is in no danger of having the land taken away because they have been there for more than 10 years, but they have not been able to legally purchase it because they don't exist in the eyes of the government. They have to become a legal entity (a religious association) first, which requires sending a couple people to Mexico City for a ceremony in June, and then they can acquire the terrain itself. The lawyer is hopeful that the government will just give it to them as a donation, or give them a continually renewable "99 year lease;" there is only a slim chance they will have to pay for it. The only other issue after that is paying back utility bills, and God only knows (literally) how much that could add up to.
2. YLM has a long-term vision of planting 2 churches--one in Sparks and one in Anapra. Both are very tentative, but the wheels have been set in motion. The one in Anapra would be along the lines of a new mission site, located down the main road from where San Lucas is. Pretty much this church in Michigan that built a church there a long time ago doesn't want to maintain it anymore, so they are giving it to us. It only makes sense too because...they're in Michigan and Mexico is a mile away from here. In my understanding, the building is all furnished and everything, it just needs some fixing up. We've currently got a couple people busy trying to figure out how to feasibly add another mission church to our radar, and that's about all I know about that. In Sparks, it's more of a vision than walls and windows at this point. We have the plot of land in mind, but the funding ($30,000ish is the starting price...hopefully less though) is a mystery and so are a lot of other things. It was exciting though, to stand there and imagine what could be happening there a couple of years down the road. Right now the community has a Jehovah's Witness Hall, a Catholic church, and a couple of other non-denominational Christian ones...we think some LCMS influence might be good too ;)
3. We are trying to incorporate more outreach into our work with the Sparks neighborhood. Chris and I are beginning to feel like it's kind of our terrain, but most of what we have done thus far has been solely construction. In Mexico, it's easier to do outreach at the same time because school is in 2 shifts, so half the kids in the neighborhood are going to be around at any given time. However, this week a group from Mt. Prospect, IL, is going to host the first ever VBS at the Sparks community center, so we'll see how it goes. It's going to be Tues-Thurs, 1-3 pm, and they're also planning activities for seniors. Keep it in your prayers! The community center has been a huge blessing to our ministry there, and we hope to be able to help them out even more in the future because they want to add on another large multi-purpose room and we are hoping to provide the funds and labor via servant event groups. This is also very preliminary, but think of how our image (and that of the God we serve) which is currently formed by a few families whose homes we have repaired, would be promoted in the community when we are integral in providing a space that would be utilized by hundreds on a daily basis. Chris's VERY rough estimate for that, materials only, was $10,000.
So that is what I have been thinking about this week. Mainly about how it is going to be very hard to leave when I say I'm going to with all of that on the horizon (so maybe I won't but that's another discussion), and about how out of all the evil that prevails in Juarez right now, God is bringing good. That hadn't really occurred to me until Pastor Hernandez said it on Monday at the meeting but it's so obvious now. God was really looking out for us when he dumped Sparks in our hands. A couple groups have cancelled because they are afraid to go to Juarez right now, but so many more are going to come and work there, and I smile every time I think about all the good they are going to do.
Until next time, blessings!
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ABnC
jason