A week off

How fast a week goes by! We've been enjoying our time together and resting a little too. Christmas morning started early with the pitter patter of tiny feet at 6am! We had a lovely day and thoroughly enjoyed the company of our missionary friends and one of the Mexican pastors as well.

Please pray this week for the new breakfast club that will be starting on Saturday. It is about 2 hours drive south of here and Andrew and I are hoping to go along. The folks are expecting about 70 kids and it is an incredibly poor area with loads of potential for evangelism programs. We have now had a 2 week break from Mex-i-Kids at La Loma and will be organising a meeting with the leaders before re-starting. We would appreciate your prayers for wisdom and direction as we plan the way ahead. We would love to see the number of kids growing but we also need to see more adults from the church getting involved.

It is likely that work will re-commence in the Drop-In Centre on Wednesday. It will start with a meeting to assess the progress until now and plan and make changes for the next few months. Please keep praying also that the major re-modelling work will be done soon. Unfortunately it wasn't completed (or even started) by Christmas and Andrew will be chasing up the engineer this week.

We were delighted to meet some of our neighbours with young kids yesterday at a piñata party held at a home on our street. Tabitha was a little scared to start with but was soon enjoying her first chance to hit the piñata. Pray for our neighbours and for development of good relationships for sharing the gospel. We have some lovely neighbours who are very friendly and aways offering to help in whatever way they can. One little girl on the street is exactly one month older than Tabitha and already they like to play together.

We hope you had a lovely Christmas and would like to wish you a very blessed and joyful New Year. We have begun to think about our time at home and while it will be short we will hopefully be in your area at least, if not in your church. When we have our deputation schedule organised we will post it on the blog. We are so looking forward to catching up with everyone and thanking you personally for the impact your support is making here.

Happy Christmas

We just want to wish you all a very happy Christmas. It seems to come around so fast each year. May none of us miss the opportunity to reflect at least for part of the day on the reason we celebrate and the reason Christ came.
This is our first Christmas in Mexico. Our first year here we returned home for a family wedding, the second we went home for a year just before Christmas and last year we came back to Mexico after Christmas. We're hoping the Skype lines will hold out and give us enough time to say hello to our families. We'll have the morning together just the 3 of us and then 5 of our wonderful missionary family are coming over for Christmas Dinner and fellowship. We will recount the Christmas Story together in word and song and just enjoy being together. Then we have a few days off when we hope to rest as much as possible and just enjoy time together as a family.

Thank you so much to those of you who have sent us greetings and reminded us you are praying. Thank you also to those who have sent financial gifts either to support the ministry or as personal gifts. You will hear from us personally in due course! Your support really does mean so much to us and without it we would not be able to be here doing what we do. You really bless us through your love and support and we pray that in return you will also be richly blessed. We are especially praying that this Christmas will be a special one for you.

Weekly Report

Not too much to report this week. It seems we are all back to good health again. Tabitha was back down to just needing one sleep again yesterday. There was one day this week where she had 3 naps - she could only last 2 hours awake at a time! She's still taking medicine for a cough but she's pretty much there. I've tried not to push her too hard this week and consequently have spent quite a bit of time in the house which has it's benefits and it's frustrations!

There was a Christmas party at the Drop-In Centre for the regular attenders on Monday. It was a fairly low key event. One of the kids was in tears as he told Andrew that he depended on the Drop-In Centre and he didn't care what people thought of him for going, he would always be there and needed it. He wasn't sure what he was going to do for 2 weeks without it. He also says that he loves the devotional times. It's difficult but the team really need the rest. Please pray for the kids who are still on the streets. Pray that continuity would not be lost with them and that they will realise the value of the Drop-In Centre and the message they are constantly hearing there. Pray too for the team. Pray that they will be able to have a good rest over Christmas and enjoy time with their families.

Andrew left on Wednesday night for Acapulco. Tabitha, who never usually wakes during the night, came into our room about 4 times before finally asking for 'cuzzles' (cuddles) and 'hog-waw' (jugo - juice) and eventually settling some time after midnight! Praise God all the cars arrived safely around 5.45am on Thursday morning. At time of writing they are on their way home. It seems to have been a really great time with a big spiritual impact. A couple of the kids are in our Sunday School group so hopefully it will lead to even more openness in the class. Pray that the impact of the weekend will remain and that people will act upon the things they learned and were challenged about. This was the first retreat for the youth of the church.

While Andrew was away I was busy at home with various things to get done before Christmas and I was blessed with the company of our missionary family, especially Margaret and Robin. I think Tabitha enjoyed the variety of interaction as much as I did and I certainly appreciated the adult conversation! We are so blessed to be on such a great team. May God keep us united. We certainly feel like part of a family here.

Youth Trip

This Wednesday night Andrew is helping to drive some of the youth from La Loma to Acapulco for a couple of days. It will be their first trip away together and they have been saving for months. They will be staying in one of the Acapulco churches.

Please pray for safety in travel. It's a long drive and they plan to leave at midnight to avoid the City traffic and travel through the night. Pray that Andrew will be able to get some good rest during the day before he leaves and for Miguel, Gary and he as they drive.

Pray too that the time will be profitable spiritually for the kids who go. Tabitha and I will be staying in the City as we thought the journey wold be just too hard on Tabitha with little recovery time down there and a full schedule planned. The group hopes to get back to the City around 10pm on Saturday.

On Sunday the church service will be held in the evening and there will be a special Christmas meal. It also happens to be our 7th wedding anniversary! Then 2 days later it's Christmas Day and we hope to have some of the missionaries over for dinner in our house. We are so grateful to Paul Weeks from Canada who fitted our oven this week. We've been here since February and only now have a decent oven! The owners of the house agreed to pay for it and so we finally got it just in time for roasting the turkey!

Mobile Clinic

There have now been several meetings about the mobile clinic. It is still all very theoretical and void of funding but it's exciting nevertheless. Andrew and the Pollocks met with a doctor last week who is a Christian and is prepared to let foreigners practice under his license number! He is also happy to let some of us see a mobile clinic in operation.

His big caution was that we would be prepared for how God would work through it. He talked about the people who came to know Christ as a direct result of one campaign. Andrew and Jonny were unsure whether he said it was 500 or 50 (slightly different!) but the church where the new believers went wasn't prepared for the influx and sadly wasn't able to keep them.

Whether 5 or 5000 come to know Christ through such a campaign we will rejoice with the angels in heaven and we will be as ready as we can possibly be!

Continue to pray that God will open doors for this project is His time. Praise God for the health professionals who are willing to give their time and expertise. The idea would be to have consultations going on simultaneously with an evangelism program, perhaps one-on-one conversations or a kids' program or open-air type event. We'll wait on God's timing and guidance for each step.

Mex-i-Kids

Today was the last club of 2007. It was back in the church and there were about 25 kids. Being nurse and mummy today I wasn't able to go but it is encouraging that there was a good team of helpers there.

Last week we were also out in the community. Tabitha was sick in the car on the way there and Andrew and I felt awful and there wasn't so much help which was discouraging but we had a good time. Here are the kids enjoying a parachute game...
...and some home-made pizza.
Most importantly they listened really well to a simple gospel presentation.

Pray that the regular leaders will benefit from the rest and be charged up in the New Year. Pray too that they will be joined by others and that with fresh vision and excitement they will be on fire for reaching kids and families around the church. We really need to be able to take a lesser role with baby 2 due mid-February.

one of the new breakfast clubs is due to start further south in the City in the New year as well. Pray for preparation of hearts, both kids and leaders. We will not be as involved in what happens there, which is probably a good thing! Praise God for the potential of a breakfast to provide the first point of contact that can lead a family to Christ!

Remodelling

Well, we now have detailed plans of the current layout of the Drop-In Centre. The architect and engineer spent 2 1/2 hours last Saturday measuring out the building (during which time Andrew lay on the little couch in the counselling room. He was really suffering with the head cold that day!). The work still hasn't started though but we are confident that these guys will keep their word and that it will be done! Keep praying!

José

José (not his real name) is another one who needs our prayers. He is carrying an awful lot on his shoulders as a result of past experiences which are extremely traumatic.

The offer of the Christian Psychologist to help the ministry which we mentioned earlier was immediately called upon and José had his first session last week. It seemed to go well and José is keen to continue to see the psychologist.

José is afraid. Afraid of his thoughts and emotions but more importantly he is afraid of really giving his energy to improvement for it to fail. Obviously we know that he is believing a lie from the defeated foe and with our God nothing is impossible. Pray that in the power of the Holy Spirit José's life will be turned around and be a real trophy. Andrew has spent quite a bit of time with José and his 1/2 sister (who are expecting a baby together in January/February) and believes he has a lot of potential to be an effective leader in the ministry if God really gets a hold of his life.

Hector

Of course Hector is not his real name but it is what we have called him on this blog in order to protect his real name. We have talked of many encouragements in the ministry lately and Hector was a real encouragement to us. He has been attending Seminary classes on Saturdays with Alex and Paty and we have been giving him a small allowance and paying his bills for him as he has been working for Proyecto MEFI.

Unfortunately we have bad news and Hector needs your prayers more than ever. Somehow he and another ex-street kids got involved with a mafia type gang in the area where they have been living and ran up some debt. We're not sure how much but they have had to run from the City for fear of their lives. Please pray for the boys' safety and that they will not forget the things they have learned in their time with Proyecto MEFI. Pray that God will work this situation for good somehow and that these boys will realise they are not playing a game.

Roll on Christmas!

In just over a week we'll be taking a break! I think our bodies are wondering if the promised rest is ever coming! I didn't manage to avoid the cold as I had hoped which is why the blog didn't get updated. Thankfully Andrew and I are well over the worst of it now and just getting back to full strength again. Unfortunately though it is Tabitha who is now suffering.

We had asked for an ear thermometer for Christmas following several disasters with a forehead and conventional thermometer. Christmas time provides the perfect opportunity to ask for such a luxury. Julie Pollock's parents who arrived in the early hours yesterday morning brought it out for us. I was up at their house to collect it this morning having been up every couple of hours through the night with Tabitha and it confirmed that she had a temperature of 102.4. So today she has been very sleepy and cuddly. Hopefully it will pass in a couple of days and we'll all look forward to being together, healthy for Christmas!

Thanks for your prayers. We so appreciate them.

Apologies

Once again we are behind on the blog posts. Andrew and I have both been fighting colds. It seems that there are quite a few like us. We stayed in this morning but heard that numbers were considerably lower in church. Andrew will probably have to take tomorrow off as well. I don't seem to have it quite so bad thankfully. No 'Lemsips' for me! I'll aim to update the blog tomorrow (Monday).

Mex-i-Kids

Last week our numbers were small again. There were only about 15 kids which is a discouragingly small number. We also realised that most of our helpers now are teenagers and were beginning to wonder what God's plan is in this.
Yesterday we went out into the community and had the breakfast club in the home of one of the church members. The family had invited kids from the area by word of mouth. It was another exciting morning for us. About 30 kids came along. There was a basketball court just below the house where we played some games and then we ran a short program in the patio of the house. Andrew did a mime and I followed it up with an explanatory story. The kids listened incredibly well and seemed to have a great time. There was a Christmas theme and so as is traditional here we had a piñata!
Sweets and fruit for the fittest!
Next week and the week after we will be in different homes. Pray for the involvement of more adults from the church and that God will clearly direct for the New Year. There are advantages to having the club in the church but it is exciting to be out. We saw some kids who haven't attended for a while and other kids were attracted by the activity. Perhaps we need to go out and about more often. It certainly seems that the people in the area need frequent reminders and invitations.

Our health

We continue to keep good health. Thanks for your prayers. Last Friday I went to see an allergy doctor with Tabitha. She has some sort of reaction that brings her up in hives. When we took her off the antihistamines the hives came back. Apart from making her look bad they didn't seem to affect her any other way. They didn't itch and they didn't seem to annoy her.

The doctor has recommended that we do a blood test for the most common allergens here in Mexico. If that shows nothing then he recommends that we just keep giving the antihistamine medicine and hope the the problem corrects itself. He says that when the cause of the allergy is not obvious it is only found through further testing in about 15% of cases and would probably be a waste of money for us, especially as it doesn't seem to be affecting her physically.

Interestingly she hasn't had medicine since Friday and the spots haven't reappeared so we'll see what happens this week. Perhaps she won't need the tests at this point after all.

Andrew and I have also been well. I did take the cold but unlike Andrew and Tabitha I didn't have the weakness and exhaustion (in Andrew's case) or a high temperature (in Tabitha's case) afterwards. We praise God for our health and thank you again for your prayers.

Could this be?

You are looking at a piece of land about an hours drive north of the City. Andrew, Fidel and a couple of other guys went to have a look at various properties with the vision of the next stage of the ministry in mind - a rehabilitation centre/farm/school etc.

Once again this was a complete step of faith. There is no budget for such a venture but what is obvious is that it is necessary not only in the ministry to street kids, but also across the churches. It seems there are people struggling with addictions of some sort in most if not all of the churches. There are places that we take kids to at the moment but the situation is not ideal.

Andrew came back from his field trip excited and completely overwhelmed. The land seemed amazing - trees, plenty of water (one lake and potentially another with some excavation and better care of the land), fertile (if badly cared for), near enough to the City yet also far enough out etc. But is this our plan or God's? It is overwhelming to think of the money needed to purchase the land never mind put buildings on it...and the work that that will take and then to think of staff to work there and materials to sustain the work there. Yet in our missionary meeting Leroy Lindsay shared what God had laid on his heart - God is able to do above and beyond what we can think or imagine... For now we just ask you to pray that God would make His will clear and that we would continue to be able to trust Him with every detail. There are other land options to look at and those will be explored too but once again we are just quietly trusting in God's perfect will and timing.

Part of a family

In the last post I mentioned Christian, the burden he has for discipleship and how God can use that in the ministry with the street-kids. This past couple of weeks we have been blown away by the people God is bringing to us who He can use not only in Proyecto MEFI but in all of Social Ministries.

We had an appointment a couple of weeks ago with a dentist from one of the UNIFAM churches. She feels God has blessed her so much that she just wants to be able to use her gifts and experience to give something back to Him. Until now she has been pushing doors but nothing was opening. She even has her own charitable status and has a clinic quite close to the Drop-In Centre. There will be more meetings in the future with this wonderful lady but from the initial meeting she is more than happy to help out with the kids who are committed to the Drop-In Centre and potentially to help more broadly in the UNIFAM churches too.

We went straight from that meeting to a meeting with Dr. Joel Millar (a Free Methodist missionary from the USA), Jonny and Julie Pollock. One of the UNIFAM pastors had planted the idea in Andrew's head that it would be great to explore the idea of a mobile health clinic. Dr. Joel practices here, Jonny and Julie are qualified nurses (Jonny was a nursing manager) and within the UNIFAM church there is a trained doctor who has run clinics from the La Loma church in the past. Perhaps it is no co-incidence that all of these qualified people are able to get together at this point and put dreams and plans into action potentially. Of course this idea is just that - there is currently no money for such a project but our God is able and will provide in His perfect time. The current thought is that a mobile clinic would be based out of the Drop-In Centre and would be able to travel to different locations offering medical, dental, emotional care etc. Another idea is that while people wait to be treated we could run evangelistic programs alongside e.g. we could have people do a kids' program or tract distribution or chatting one-on-one with people as they wait. It's exciting to think of the potential for reaching many for Christ.

On Friday Andrew met with a psychologist. It became obvious during the course of the appointment that this was not an avenue that would be explored further. The counsellor had actually rejected the New Testament and had some strange and erroneous ideas about Christianity. That was a little more discouraging until he went in the evening to see a work with ladies at risk running in one of the UNIFAM churches. There is a trained Christian Psychologist and his wife who specialises in sexual abuse cases. He spent 2 years training a team of ladies in the church who receive phonecalls from ladies in the community each Friday evening. Together as a group they have grown and they are seeing God work in an amazing way changing the lives of ladies in the community and integrated into the church. This psychologist and his wife are both interested in helping further in Proyecto MEFI but please pray for the ministry in the Cualtitlan Izcalli church. It is called Women in Crisis. Andrew has another meeting this week with the pastor of the church.

God is so amazing. We sometimes feel out of our depth and certainly under-trained but once again we are reminded that this is God's work, not ours and that He has His people, as part of a body, equipped and called to do the works He has planned in advance for them (and us).

The Drop-In Centre

There is so much going on at the Drop-In Centre. More kids are coming along from different groups and in fact the team are finding that with over 20 kids attending they aren't able to give the kind of attention that these kids need. Before the Drop-In Centre opened there was an idea that each day a different group of kids would be invited. It has become obvious that while that might scratch the surface for a bigger number of kids there would be more lasting fruit from having fewer kids more consistently. So every Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 11am and 3pm there have been about 10 kids attending consistently mainly from one group nearby the Centre. Over the course of 2 or 3 months the difference in their attitudes has been phenomenal. It doesn't mean that at times they aren't quite a handful but we have seen kids come to know Christ, some have come off the streets and some have returned home. It's quite convincing evidence that the consistency and focus on a smaller group pays off in the long run. Of course the idea is that groups pass through and that eventually these kids will become well integrated in society and no longer have need of the Drop-In Centre which would then be used by another group of kids.

The process of discipleship is long and time-consuming and just last might we were chatting about it with Alex and Paty. There are so many kids needing discipleship and the Proyecto MEFI team is already stretched to worrying limits with what they have on their plate at the moment. Pray with us that God will raise up mature believers with a burden for these kids who would be willing to 'adopt' a kid and begin discipling and counselling them. we're so grateful for Christian MacKinnon and his passion in this area. He has been researching suitable discipleship materials and we are hoping to have some people lined up that he can train when he returns from his trip to the USA in the New Year. So far there are two potential men.

Over the next few days and weeks the rules in the Drop-In Centre will get a little stricter in order to maintain order and maximise the usefulness of the time there. Basically there are 3 rules:
Arrive on time
No swearing, inuendo etc.
Respect the property (e.g. no drugs, damage etc.)
A breach of the rules merits expulsion from the Centre and the length of exclusion depends on the severity of the breach or the frequency with which the offender has broken the rules in the past. It may seem harsh but Alex and Paty were just saying how they have actually found friendships with the kids to develop as they have been disciplined in love. One kid who had been excluded for a week or so came to the Drop-In Centre to invite them to his parents house. His dad was going to kill a sheep to prepare a meal and they wanted to invite Alex and Paty as they had been so instrumental in the change in his life!

We are excited at the progress being made with the engineer. There was a question as to whether the drainage system would need to be replaced to cope with the number of showers, toilets etc. we required. It is obvious that it will need replaced but it's maybe not such a bad thing. Andrew was horrified when he lifted one of the covers to find cockroaches and worms etc. having a party down there! The fantastic news is that the work will potentially be started this week and it also seems like the tubing for the bathroom and washing facilities will be complete before the next work team arrives from Ardmore, USA in January. Thank you for your prayers for all of tat and keep praying that the work will be completed.

Welcome to new readers!

There is so much going on at the moment it's hard to know where to start to report back. It's probably best just to give an overview of where things are at at the moment. We're also aware that with our most recent prayer letter going out this week there are some people checking in to the blog for the first time. Welcome to our blog and thank you for your interest.

We try to update the blog weekly. It has many benefits. We are seeing God answer prayer in specific ways as we describe the needs here and we are so encouraged and blessed to know that it is because we are part of a team and not out here on our own. By updating you so regularly you are living through the ups and downs with us. On the blog you live our excitement and discouragement with us and get more than a look back over three or four months when everything can be looked at through 'rose-coloured spectacles'.

Thank you for being part of the team. We pray that you are encouraged as you check in and see directly how God is answering your prayers. He can do above and beyond what we can ask or think and that has been clear especially in the last couple of weeks and is a truth that we are leaning on in faith for the future.

Check in again later for updates!

So sorry we have no updates yet. It's been a fairly busy week but we'll try and keep you posted as soon as possible. Continued thanks for your prayers and support. We wouldn't be here doing what we do without you!

The short story is we have an engineer and architect for the Drop-In Centre, we have lots of things in the pipeline, we have had some really interesting and profitable meetings this week and we ate far too much food last Thursday!

Check in later for more details.

So many ideas...

Over the weeks we have mentioned with excitement the social ministry projects that are in the pipeline. We're especially excited when we can get alongside our Mexican brothers as they reach out to their communities in culturally appropriate ways with the gospel and as we hear of people coming to know Christ as a result.

As you can imagine there are more ideas than funds available. Please continue to pray for wisdom as we decide how to spend the money available for God's honour and glory. At the moment we seem to be spending more than what is coming in but we have absolutely no doubt that God can and will provide for the projects that He has in mind. He has proven Himself so faithful and has used so many of you to encourage our hearts and advance His work here.

Evangelism on our doorstep

We didn't mention it at the time but Halloween was interesting for us this year. Trick or treating isn't a new concept for us but the thought that you can open the door and see anything between 5 and 70 people there is rather entertaining.
We had bought sweets in preparation but wanted to make sure that we gave the people who came something that would help them spiritually too. We quickly ran out of all supplies. It seems that the people come in bus loads to our neighbourhood. A lot of people understandably turn out all the lights and don't answer their door but Andrew loved going out and handing out tracts, cards and stickers and telling people of God's love to the vampires, ghosts, pumpkins, skeletons etc. from babies in arms to adults that came to our door.

We don't know if there is any fruit but God's word will not return to Him void so here's hoping at least some of the people read the literature they received.

A big class

Andrew took this morning to try and rest off whatever it is he is suffering from. We girls (Tabitha and I) went to church as usual. Our Sunday School was bigger than ever today. We had the kids from the younger class as their teacher hadn't turned up. We're going through the minor prophets and today we were looking at Jonah. As I expected the kids knew the story so I really rammed some application home. Pray that as the kids come week by week their lives would be changed. Most, if not all, claim to be Christians but we want to see them grow in their faith and become more like Christ with each passing week, not just to gather new information.

An engineer

We have asked over and over again that you pray for a suitable and reliable engineer to draw up plans for the major remodelling work that is needed that can be passed by the government. We didn't manage to get in touch with the engineer we mentioned recently. It seems that he had the wrong number. But we are now delighted to be able to say that one of his associates went to the Drop-In Centre yesterday and is now working on plans. Hopefully during this week he will get back to us with his ideas. He seemed to understand Andrew's thoughts and plans and we look forward to reporting that we are moving ahead soon.

Mex-i-Kids

We were back at the club on Saturday morning. Numbers were small as there is a national holiday this weekend. It sounds like the last couple of weeks they were fairly consistent.

This week we started a new series. We used the Spanish version of the book from Goodseed International 'The Lamb' It comes with a CD narration of the text. We decided to experiment and the kids loved just listening to the CD and watching the pictures.
Thanks to the Carrubbers team who brought us out the books in English and Spanish. Please pray that as we go through the series the kids will understand the message and realise their need of Christ.
There is an idea in December to go around three or four different houses over the Saturdays just like we did at the start. If we do that it will be to share a Christmas message, typical Christmas activities like games, fruit punch and piñatas and make out special invites to the club as it recommences in the New Year. It seems that here you have to be continually reminding people of the event or it is easily forgotten. Pray for continued excitement in the community as we seek to reach out with the gospel.

In sickness and health

Here we are with Andrew's parents. We had a great time together and particularly appreciated getting out of the city to the beach for a few days rest. After almost two weeks we said our goodbyes on Wednesday. Follo the link on the right to Tabitha's blog to see more photos.

On the way home from the airport Andrew called in at the Drop-In Centre while I stayed at home. It seems that everything went ok while we were away. A few ups and downs but nothing that couldn't be resolved. One of the girls who had left the streets disappeared and then returned but is back on the streets again. The two guys who started renting a couple of weeks ago seem to be doing well. We'll have more news next week as we catch up even more.

Tabitha finished her course of anithistamines during the week. The very next day the spots came back with a vengeance so she's back on the medicine for another week. After then we may need to have some tests done to try and figure out what she is allergic to. Thankfully she seems unaffected by it all. The spots don't appear to annoy her and she is her usual chirpy, energetic self.

Andrew has also been gradually coming down with something that seems like a flu. He feels weak and tired. He may need to take a couple more days off this week to recover properly.

We were delighted to be able to go for a scan of the baby with Andrew's parents. The lady who did the scan was a lovely Christian with very good English (and wanted the practice) so we didn't need to translate. It was so exciting to see baby no. 2 who in our opinion looks very like Tabitha. These 3D scans are fantastic and here they cost 1/10th the price they are at home so it's nice to take advantage. We were able to see the baby yawn and make a smile like grimace among other things.

Visitors

The later part of the week, especially for me, was spent preparing for a visit from Andrew's parents. After much anticipation and excitement they finally flew in on Friday evening. Later this week we will go out of the City for a short break together. We are so looking forward to the rest and ask you to pray that we will be fully charged for the months ahead as a result.

Tabitha has enjoyed having her grandparents around and it seems like she already expects them to be around when she comes downstairs in the morning!

As a result we weren't as involved at La Loma this week. The breakfast club went ahead without us having to be there and someone else took our Sunday School class. Today was one of two yearly baptisms at church and 7 people were baptised. It was a long but incredibly joyful service from start to finish.

Speaking of breakfast clubs Andrew met with the pastor from the church down south where he preached a few weeks ago. They have decided to start their club on the 5th January 2008 (a day before epiphany which is when most kids get their presents here) and are planning for 70 kids. We'll be there for the opening and are excited as the church prepare through prayer and look for committed leaders.

As we are away next week there will be no blog posts on Sunday but I'll get onto the job as soon as I can after we get back! Thank you again for you prayers and support.

Family trip to the Drop-In Centre

This week all three of us were able to go down to the Drop-In Centre on Wednesday morning. Tabitha's sleeping pattern has made it impossible for me to go down regularly but now that she is transitioning to one sleep a day we're thinking that I'll be able to go down on Wednesday mornings which is exciting. The kids loved seeing Tabitha and she had a great time exploring and playing with the guys. Here are some of them making Christmas ornaments for selling.
This is one of the pictures made by an ex-street kid. The logo is of one of the popular football (soccer) teams here whose nickname is 'the Eagles'. It's made with metal sheeting which has been molded by hand.
Paty and Juana sit down for a minute to help with some of the manual work as Tabitha runs off with some Christmas decorations (and her shoe in her hand)!
One of the guys mentioned in last weeks blog post has now found a place to stay off the streets and will be moving in with one of the other guys who has been going to the Drop-In Centre for the last couple of months. They found a room for rent at £17/$35 a month and are absolutely over the moon about it. Please continue to pray for them in this period of transition.

Architect in town

We found out this week that architect that OMS have used in the past and who is trustworthy is in town for the week. He was given Andrew's number but still hasn't got in touch. Please pray that they can establish contact. The architect won't be back again until the New Year and it would be good for him to see the Drop-In Centre and begin the planning process for the major work that has to be done.

Tabitha update

As of Monday the spots seem to have disappeared. Tabitha is still on one of her medicines for another week and then we'll see how she goes after that. Thanks for your prayers for her health.

A wedding!

After getting home from Mex-i-Kids we transformed ourselves for a totally different event. A couple of friends we met in Scotland 3 years ago had invited us to their wedding. It was a real honour for us as there were only about 20-30 guests. The groom is Scottish and the bride is Mexican. Most people there were able to speak very good English. There was even a guest who was Mexican but spent most of her youth in Britain. We had many opportunities to talk about our work and our motivation. Pray that seeds planted will be watered by others and grow into a wonderful harvest.
On the way home to relieve our babysitters Jonny and Julie we had a rare view of the volcanoes in the south of the city. The one on the right is Popocatepetl and is still active. You can just about see them in the distance.

Dental Checks

Yesterday the dentists turned up to Mex-i-Kids and revised the teeth all of the kids who wanted it. It was amazing to see them at work and to see kids who were actually excited about getting their teeth checked.
A record was made for each kid and we took their addresses for follow-up.
There are at least 7 kids who need urgent follow-up. Most of the others had good teeth or it was considered that treatment could wait. The whole check-up was performed by a couple who go to the church and they performed it free of charge! The next stage is to visit the families of the kids who require treatment and check that their parents are happy to go ahead. It gives the team a great opportunity to meet the families and begin to share the gospel with them. Pray for them as that happens. Pray that good links would be established with these families. Some of the kids had no idea of their address of course. One family has just moved into the area. There are 3 kids and their parents hung around for a bit. Perhaps this could be another family that could be reached through the breakfast club outreach. Other kids had no idea of their birthday.

After getting permission from the parents we will get impressions of the kids' teeth and then they will go to the surgery for the treatment. The couple have offered their services free and to pay for everything except crowns which need to be ordered. I was worried when I heard we had to buy 8 crowns when I thought about how much mine cost a few weeks ago but was relieved to hear that the total cost to have all of these kids treated will be about £100 ($200)! What doesn't have a price tag is the eternal benefit as we make contact with the families and as word gets around that the church is concerned for these kids and is prepared to do something to help.

Making plans

It is truely incredible how God chooses to use us - but we are part of a body and we need all the other members.

Here Andrew is chatting with Steve. This week they were chatting with others about the possibility of buying land outside of the City and developing it. It would be a rehab centre with residential, sports, training, educational facilities and include a farm project.

Steve has more than sufficient experience and training in the area of farm development and we are excited and motivated by his enthusiasm and ideas.

At the moment of course this is just an idea. Pray that if this is in God's plans for the project that He will work out all of the details. Obviously there are financial, organisational and staffing implications etc. There is no doubt that such a facility would be an amazing addition to the work.

Building for Eternity

Last Saturday evening the team came over to our home for something to eat. Jonny, Julie, Gary and Colleen also shared a little of their stories. The next day they headed to their accommodation beside the Drop-In centre in preparation for a week of extremely hard work!
Lots of scraping...
...cleaning the grease off the walls...
...scraping off the old plaster...
...putting on new plaster.
A partition to give privacy for the newly functioning guys shower and changing area.
The doors get painted with an anti-rust paint.
New doorway to shower area.
Breeze blocks are transferred up to the roof...
...where the water heater for the new shower is being installed.
Meanwhile it's business as normal. The girls are making wooden reindeer for hanging on Christmas trees...
...the guys are doing pictures...
...Fidel is discipling...
...and some are just looking for a bite to eat!
The old windows come out...
...the new frame goes in...
..with a new metal frontage for protection.
The completed water heater system.
As we mentioned last week there is usually at least one kids who is hugely impacted during the visit of a team. This week your prayers were once again answered. This family showed up on Monday asking if the Proyecto MEFI team would go and get their son/brother off the streets and take him to rehab. The team explained that they couldn't - the impetus had to come from the guy himself. It was agreed that if he came to the Drop-In Centre that day someone would take him to rehab. Normally we ask for some commitment at the Drop-In Centre before taking anyone to rehab. Sure enough the guy turned up and he is now in rehab. Pray that he will have the strength and determination to see it out. He is deeply affected by the drug. Pray for his family too now that contact has been established with them.
On Wednesday two guys asked with great sincerity for help to leave the streets. The guy below spoke with Andrew who explained that Proyecto MEFI could help him get off the streets but he had a greater need - the need for God's forgiveness. This kid was ready and with brokenness he sobbed his way to repentance. The other guy spoke with Paty and the outcome was the same. Two more names were added to the Lamb's book of life this week - praise God and please pray with fervency for their growth in faith and for their successful change from street life to renting, working etc. Another girl left the streets too though she hasn't trusted Christ yet. She is also being treated for a deep wound to her back which she got when she tripped going down into the manhole that was home for her last week.

How the kids live

The yellow tins are a sure sign of a group of street kids nearby. It's the most popular drug that is destroying so many of them. This is where most of the guys who have been going along to the Drop-In Centre live - underground in a large drain.
The pipes run through and around them are platforms where the kids sleep. Andrew went down in with Bill Evans from Men For Missions International. They were given a guided tour by one of the kids who lives there. This guy was not proud about his situation (as some can be) but gave a realistic look at life from a street kids perspective. It was a unique and enlightening tour.
Of course it's not just the kids who live down there - there are plenty of cockroaches and the guys also saw a small rat. The kids say there are lots of rats. You wonder why it's so difficult for the kids to leave that behind. It sure places a sense of urgency in our step and our prayers!

Day of the Dead

Last week we mentioned the approaching festival. This week some neighbours added a rather extravagant display outside their home. At night the skeletons' eyes flash! Just yesterday flowers were added to the creation. We passed a shop yesterday which sells ornate crosses mostly made out of wood. There were spiders webs draped across the crosses. How confused can it get?
The La Loma church is situated close to a huge cemetery area and it was noticeably busier today. We found out that many will be going to visit the tombs to 'talk' to their relatives. Pastor Miguel talked about those who prepare an altar and decorate it with flowers and food - the like of which they didn't do while the person was alive, offering the best of what this world has to give. Of course he went on to talk about the surpassing glory of Christ and the hope that we as Christians have of an eternal home prepared. We are passing strangers here - our home is heaven. Once again many responded to the appeal, this week committing to run with perseverance the race set before us. We are so happy to serve in La Loma and to be under Miguel's ministry.

Looking around today I had a smile on my face. It has been very cold this week (for those of us acclimatised to warmer temperatures) and everyone was wearing heavy winter coats which they didn't dare take off. Even the music group were all bundled up and Miguel preached in is full length wool overcoat! What makes it seem colder is that there are no heaters anywhere, there's a tile floor and metal seats...but there was plenty of fire in the pulpit!