Last week

Andrew was busy with the team most days last week. There were some very long days and a lot of driving in the heavy traffic. We will try and get some pictures this week of the Drop-In Centre. Tiling is well underway and some of the painting has been done too.

On the streets the Cosslett team encountered a fight in Niños Heroes. Andrew feels that since we have been concentrating so much in the last year on the drop-in-centre there is much prayer needed before we hit the streets again soon. Please pray with us for the groups that we work with. Pray that even now the Holy Spirit will be moving ahead of us, for softening of hearts and for a warm reception from groups.

Many this week were glad to see Fidel again, especially the group in Baranca del Muerto who listened very well indeed. From this group one was going on a trek across the city to find his girlfriend and child. It sounds as though he is ready for a change and even to leave the streets for good. Another guy who used to hang out with the group there but has come off the streets wanted to meet us too and is interested in staying in touch. He may be a very good person to get to know more about since he was obviously a guy whom most had a lot of respect for.

As the rainy season continues we woke up one morning to find our laden lime tree all toppled over after a pretty wild storm. We're not sure what happened but it's back up now and continues to provide us and lots of friends with hundreds of limes.

I had a meeting to begin to think about MOPS. Please pray as Guille and I consider who to invite onto the leadership team. The actual meetings won't begin until into the new year but the leadership team will meet fairly frequently quite soon.

I also had our first meeting of the Mex-i-Kids leadership on Saturday. The meeting lasted for three hours! It was really good for the ladies to share how their clubs run, share ideas, encourage one another and look ahead together.

Please pray for Irma in Chalco (down south). We were all touched as she told us about their club. The church in Chalco has about 25-30 members. It was about to be closed but then Irma and her husband Cesar met Andrew and with the help of Social Ministries funding Mex-i-Kids was started. Between 40 and 80 kids attend on Saturday mornings. None of the church members can help on Saturday mornings as they have to work in the market. That means that they have helpers from the parent church (Cesar pastors both). It is a 90min journey each way on public transport. There are just 6 helpers, three of whom are Irma, her husband and her daughter. Irma prepares all the food on Friday night. She didn't know how to cook before starting Mex-i-Kids so she learned what she needed to know and prayed hard every week that no-one would get sick! In the past Irma found herself running a club for 100 kids all by herself. Seeing the potential of kids ministry she sought training. She is an incredibly humble and capable lady. With such a small team of workers they can't advertise. Irma explained that once they ran a special event for kids. They put out publicity and prepared for 200 kids. 450 kids arrived! The potential there is huge. Please pray for labourers for the harvest.

Tultitlan is by far the most organised club. They have a director, a supervisor (who monitors quality) and a co-ordinator (who keeps the program moving). There are 21 helpers in total who meet together on Wednesdays and Fridays to pray and plan. Leadership training is also soon to commence. Please pray with them that they will reach their goal of 150 kids by December. Currently they are ministering to about 40-50 kids a week.

And you already know lots about La Loma. Please pray for Janette, the new leader, who is going through a particularly difficult time with respect to family and finances.

All clubs are seeing fruit for their labours. Kids are coming to know Christ and new families are attending the churches. In Chalco Irma is particularly encouraged by all the mums who are attending and hearing the gospel though the club.

This week the music teams from La Loma and Tultitlan will get together to co-ordinate songs and actions. Perhaps one day in the future we will have a united Mex-i-Kids service...or a camp... We all need to have the same actions for songs. Andrew will co-ordinate that meeting. I will be working on putting together a manual which the leadership team will edit and approve. The manual will provide all the necessary information for new groups wanting to start (as God provides the finances). The next leadership meeting will be in October.