Mex-i-Kids La Loma

You may have been wondering how the breakfast club at La Loma has been going now that we aren't so heavily involved each week.

Well, it seems that there are now about 35 regular attenders. That is fantastic because before the attendance was quite erratic. It's a great base upon which they can grow. We asked what it was that was causing the attendance to be more regular and from the answers it was obvious that the leaders are asking questions to engage more with the kids. One of the leaders said that she asked one little boy what his favourite part of the club was. His answer was typical - the games. What is not so typical though was what followed. He went on to tell her that he loves the games because no one plays with him at home! Sometimes there is a lot more to doing a particular activity than we think. Let us encourage you to keep going. Sometimes the things we do that might not seem overtly 'spiritual' have a huge impact that will stay with the people we are ministering to and may even attract them to Christ.

This week of course is Halloween week. Here in Mexico the Halloween holiday is followed by the 'Day of the Dead' holiday. A special event has been planned at La Loma including a simple evangelistic drama. Pray that in this dark time here kids and their families will be released from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

For several nights we will have many visitors at our door. Trick or treaters come in bus loads. Last year we had up to about 100 at a time, parents and children. This year we are prepared with tracts and sweets (candies). Pray that the tracts will be read and will be used to open people's hearts to the gospel.

Postponed

The last English class and special service at Chalco have been postponed until this weekend (D.V.). The same prayer requests from last week apply.

MOPS

Thanks once again for your prayers for MOPS. We were two ladies down at the meeting this week. I'm not sure what that means but would appreciate your prayers for them, that they will step up to the plate and grow through being involved in this ministry.

I'm so thankful that the ladies who were ther have accepted the responsibilities they have been given with pleasure. I asked one of the ladies to do something she hadn't volunteered for and even she was happy (after a little explanation).

Now begins the job of planning out each area and focusing on the ministry starting in the New Year. Please continue to pray for each of the girls as they focus on their area and see how God would lead them to plan it out.

On the mend

Well I think I can safely say the Agnew men are on the road to recovery. Thank you again for your prayers. Andrew is eating again and has been resting so that he is fully recovered when he gets back into the work.

Oscar still has a chesty cough so he's taking things a little easier too but he's his usual peaceful self and cruising around the furniture already!

Our team

Last Monday our team took some time out together. It's always great to be together. We are a small team at the moment but some are due to come back from HMA (deputation) and others are funding to come out. We are blessed to have such great people around us. Together we are involved in church planting, seminary teaching and directing, hospitality for visitors, social ministry, mentoring, English teaching, keeping finances under control etc. etc. This group of people is incredibly busy. Pray that God would be glorified through our continued unity and our labour for Him.

Sickness update

Thanks for your prayers. A little over £15 later the doctor has been at the house (how we appreciate the NHS!). Thankfully we have a couple of the medicines from previous bouts of sickness so there are just a couple more to get. Thanks to the amazing Margaret who is one of the most giving people I know and is going to pick them up for us (so Oscar can sleep on!).

So the update is that it was probably something Andrew ate. He has low blood pressure as a result and some infection but with the medicine he should hopefully be feeling a lot better soon. Chalco has been cancelled for tomorrow and most probably Sunday as well. We'll keep you posted as to what will happen there. Oh, the doctor doesn't think that Andrew will infect the rest of us so that's a positive :-)

We interrupt this week..

Last weekend we asked for prayer for the final English class and special closing service at Chalco. Today Andrew came home early from work and is not well - stomach pains, vomiting, chills... We are potentially going to have to postpone or cancel both events.

Could you please pray that in all of this God's will would be done and His name would be glorified. Is it selfish to ask that you pray for healing and God's protection over the rest of us? Oscar has a horrible cold at the moment as well so the men are definitely under par.

Thank you for your prayerful support. We wouldn't be here without it!

Mex-i-Kids logo

While living in Edinburgh we were incredibly blessed by our friendship with Heather. God has truely gifted Heather in many ways. A while back we asked her to draw us up a logo and it is just perfect for the work of Mex-i-Kids. We also have a new logo for MEFI which is just being finalised.

Here are some of the thoughts behind the Mex-i-Kids logo from Heather...

I was going to have 2 large people (ie missionaries) on the outside with a small person (child) in the middle. Then thought a bit ... height shouldn't exclude help! So put them all similar in height. The other reason for not making a tiny person in the middle is that in value, all are equal before God - just that those on the outside have the means to help ...
That's were the hand holding came in ... support and love shown to each other. I really liked the way the 2 hearts developed between the 3 little people. Side by side offering genuine care and heart/emotional support to each other.
They're paper cut-out people ... pretty flimsy and fragile. Just thinking about the children you are working with ... that's what we are when it comes down to it. Pretty fragile people needing God's strength and support to become whole.
The colours - the Mexican flag ... but wanted the white in the middle anyway ... to signify innocence - now I know we're not innocent, but when you consider the wrecked lives of little children ... one of the biggest tragedies is the loss of innocence and the enforced 'maturity'. I guess this coupled with the prayer, "restore to us the years that the locust has eaten" ... and the Biblical themes that God comes to cleanse, clean, purify and make innocent/without blame before Him in love ... all of this made me want white in the middle. It's perfect that that tied in with the flag's colours.
It's a simple, clean, child-friendly logo. It is Mexican :o) There is immediate ownership of it - not some import of goodness from afar, but a mission entirely focussed on Mexican children.
So that's a little background! It speaks of togetherness, kindness, forgiveness, help and journeying together with a focus on Christ's love, kindness, forgiveness, help etc through the cross.

So there it is. We hope you like it!

I love my job!

This is a special picture! Firstly because of it's situation. The tree in the background may seem pretty normal but I think it's the first autumnal looking tree I've seen here in Mexico. I love autumn colours and while in Scotland we would usually try and take a yearly trip up to the highlands to soak it all in. So this was a special sight!

The foreground though is much more special! Robin and I are in the unique position on being missionary mums to young kids here in Mexico. We have great support from our small team but there is no doubt that it is of great mutual encouragement to have each other. Tabitha lives for the times when she gets to play with her friends... and Robin is as much one of those friends as her kids are!

There is so much to learn in this job. Sometimes it seems difficult and thankless but there are too many moments that touch my heart to want it any other way. Yesterday I was preparing a bottle for Oscar when Tabitha called in to the kitchen from her position on the couch, "Mummy, I want a hug!" I guess at all periods of our lives there are urgent things that call for our attention but there are jewels in every day that I want to stop and admire. Check out our family blog for some of those special times.

Please pray for Robin and I as we seek to follow God's leading in our lives for this stage. Pray that our love for God would deepen and grow and that the actions that result from that would deeply bless the people we minister to inside and outside the home. Pray for the strength to be obedient to all the things God is teaching us at the moment about our privilege and responsibility.

There are other mums preparing to come here to Mexico and we are excited about that. Our prayer is that we will be able in some way to support these new mums (some with younger kids than ours!) as they come.

Along the mothering theme I would appreciate your prayers as the MOPS team meet this Thursday. We will be assigning responsibilities for the year. I feel happy about the way things are working out. I have approached a different girl about running the kids' program. Pray for her as she prays about her decision and pray that God's choice of person will take on each role.

Clausura

Next Saturday is the last of four English classes that Andrew is giving down in Chalco. That means that next Sunday we will both be travelling down for the clausura (or closing). This is a special event where the kids will be congratulated on completing the course and presented with certificates. It is a big push to get them to come with their parents on Sunday. Please pray that many will come along and that this little church will be encouraged. Pray that many will be touched by and respond to the gospel. Please also continue to pray for the little team down there as they passionately reach out to the kids despite being small in number. Pray for more to be added to the team so that they can effectively reach many more with the gospel.

We are also hoping to have our second meeting with the Mex-i-Kids coordinators next Saturday evening. Please pray that this would work out. I have managed to find a little time to get working on the manual and we will be looking over what has been done to make sure that everyone is in agreement. Pray for unity and vision.

A new way of posting

Gabcast! The Agnews in Mexico #1

Escuadron and Chalco

We were blessed to worship in a different church this morning. We went to Escuadron, the mother church of the one in Valle de Chalco where the Mexi-Kids program is held. It wasn't a free visit as Andrew was invited to preach and sing. The traffic was kind to us as were Tabitha and Oscar who slept most of the way. There were maybe 40-50 people in attendance. There is a similar sized congregation on Thursday evenings but made up of completely different people who have to work on Sunday and can't make it to church then. The band members go to the Thursday service so today it was acapella! We were made to feel incredibly welcome and we were so touched as we drove home past thousands of houses in very poor situations. The pastor and his wife are very keen to start a Mexi-Kids group in this church as well. There is no doubt that there is infinite potential in the area and many precious souls could be reached. It seems that everywhere we go we are surrounded by need and it is so hard to have to make decisions based on finances. For now we have to hold off on Escuadron as we help to set up and fund the new Mexi-Kids in Acapulco. We will be going to some of the longer established clubs to see if we can reduce the financial support that we are giving and will be asking if the churches can take some of the expense. In the midst of all this need it is always good to remember that God's work done in God's way will never lack His supply!

Please continue to pray for Andrew as he runs the 4 week English course at the Mexi-Kids in Chalco. He is now 1/2 way through with 2 classes down. In particular we would love you to start praying for the special service held on the Sunday after the last class. There will be a presentation of certificates etc. but the main purpose is to invite the kids with their parents to a Sunday service. Both Andrew and I hope to be there and we ask you to pray that parents will come, that good contacts will be made and that people will find Christ and be added to the church.

Drop-In Centre

It is so hard to show what is going on at the Drop-In Centre through a few photos so Andrew took a video on Friday to give you an idea. He starts at the front door and walks towards the back before swing around towards the front again. It looks very messy but hopefully we are within a couple of weeks of the finish line... and then the real work can re-commence.

Please continue to pray for Fidel as he takes some well-earned time off this week. Pray that the workers will not be held back as they work. We are so grateful to yet another team (4 people this time) who will be finishing off the electricity work.

MOPS meeting 2

We had our 2nd MOPS meeting on Thursday. The different roles were presented and each lady wrote 2 areas in which they would like to be involved and one area where they would not like to be involved. There are 5 areas of responsibility.

We have a great bunch of ladies and it is exciting to think about how God will use this ministry. I would appreciate your prayers for wisdom though. The ladies were unanimous in their desire not to be responsible for the children's program. So now I am deciding what to do... Do I force a lady into that role against her wishes? Do I find out why this is so undesireable and see if the reason is resolveable? Do I ask two ladies to share the responsibility? Do I call in someone else who is in a different season of life and wouldn't necessarily benefit from the MOPS program?

In the next few days I will prayerfully come to a decision hopefully. Personally I am excited about the kids program. I love the thought of kids dragging their mums to MOPS because they themselves want to be there. I am excited about the possibility of reaching these tiny kids with the gospel right at the outset of their lives.

From now on we will be meeting every 2 weeks for planning. It gives us about 6 planning sessions before we start and as I started to map out those meetings I realised that there is a lot to cover in that time. Please continue to pray for the leadership team and also for the preparation of the hearts of ladies who will attend.

For you women!

I was so blessed this weekend to be able to listen in to a couple of sessions of a very special women's conference through a live video feed. It was called the True Woman '08 conference and was organised in conjunction with the daily radio broadcast that I try and listen to regularly. I think it is probably easy anywhere to drift away from God's highest calling for our lives as women. Sometimes we zone out and dry up a little, perhaps we let issues of this current culture to mold our thinking more than His word or don't prioritise wisely etc.

Through listening into the radio show which you can access here (go to the podcast section to figure out how to get the broadcasts daily) I am continually challenged and inspired in my daily walk. Listen in to some of the sessions by going here. This web page also has lots of resources to help us if we are serious about being who Christ wants us to be. We need to be shining brightly. We constantly hear that these are dark times and they are but lets not let the darkness overcome us, rather lets be encouraged that in the darkness we will shine more brightly.

For those who are interested to go a lot deeper into this subject and ask themselves some penetrating questions here is a list that we were sent from headquarters. Only launch into this when you are ready and open to be challenged...

Will My Spiritual Wardrobe Include Robes of Righteousness This Year?

Because we still live in a sinful world, and make choices to walk in the flesh instead of in the spirit, we get dirty and need to clean up. (Notice how well the Lord does laundry in Zechariah 3:3-5 and what kind of detergent He uses in Malachi 3:2). Prayerfully consider the following questions before the Lord, to very “yes” answer, ask the Lord to wash you clean. Keep this in your Bible and periodically and often survey yourself to check your robes.

Priorities (Mt. 6:33, 10:37-39)
➢ Is there anything in which I have failed to put God first?
➢ Am I pursuing my own desires or the will of God?
➢ Is there anything hindering me in my surrender or service to God: procrastination, ambition, pride, pleasures, loved ones, money, desire for recognition?
➢ Is there anything I am not willing to sacrifice to see God move in my life:
time, convenience, comfort, reputation?

Purity of Heart (Mt. 6:1, 23:28; I Sam. 16:7; Ps. 51:16 ff)
➢ Am I the same person at home as I am away from home? Do I try to impress people by being something I am not? Am I hypocritical?
➢ Do I deny the reality of or justify my sin?
➢ Do I practice empty or insecure worship?
➢ Am I more concerned about what others think about my life than about what God thinks?
➢ Would I pray, read my Bible, give, and/or serve as much if God was the only one who noticed?
➢ Am I complacent in my attitude toward God?

Pride (Phil. 2:3-8; Prov. 28:13)
➢ Am I full of self (self-motivated, self-absorbed, self-centered, self-sufficient, self-indulgent, self-satisfied, self-protective)?
➢ Do I talk about what I have done rather than what Christ has done?
➢ Do I fail to admit to others when I am wrong, repent, and ask forgiveness?

Obedience
➢ Have I ignored something I know God wants me to do? (John 14:23)
➢ Do I allow doubts or feelings of inferiority to keep me from serving the Lord? (Eph. 3:20)
➢ Do I willingly tithe to His work? (2 Cor. 9:7)
➢ Have I failed to be submissive to those in authority over me in my family, government, work place, or church? (Heb. 13:17)


➢ Am I guilty of not caring for my body as the temple of the Holy Spirit by overindulging or practicing unhealthy habits? (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

God’s Word (Ps. 119:97: 140)
➢ Are my personal devotions inconsistent or meaningless?
➢ Do I think about other things while God’s Word is taught?
➢ Do I fail to apply God’s Word to my life?

Spirit Control (Gal. 5:22-23; Jam. 4:7; 2 Tim 1:7)
➢ Is there any area of my life of which I have not allowed Jesus to be Lord?
➢ Do I minister in the power of the flesh rather than the power of the Spirit?
➢ Am I filled with doubt, worry, or fear?
➢ Do I have angry thoughts toward myself, other, or God?
➢ Have I complained against God or been dissatisfied with His provision for me?

Moral Purity (Eph. 5:3-4; Phil. 4:8)
➢ Do I ever allow my mind to dwell on unholy things or my eyes to view entertainment that does not glorify the Lord?
➢ Is my conversation unprofitable or empty? Do I lie or exaggerate?
➢ Is the way I dress pleasing to the Lord?

Relationships (Col. 3:12-15; Eph. 4:31-32; 1 Cor. 13:4-8)
➢ Is there anyone against whom I am holding a grudge?
➢ Is there any root of bitterness, resentment, envy or jealousy in my heart?
➢ Do I use my words to tear down others, gossip, or criticize?
➢ Am I judgmental in my attitude toward my family, the government, or my church?
➢ Do I complain, find fault, or argue?
➢ Am I rigid, demanding, or a perfectionist?
➢ Do I care more about my needs than the needs of other?


*Taken from “For Such a Time as This,” a Bible study by Jill Rhodes (pages 41-43)

Mex-i-Kids Chalco

Yesterday Andrew started a 4 week English course down in Chalco. It's a long way away and sometimes can take 3 hours to get home because of the traffic. The purpose of the course is to generate interest for the club and to encourage kids back who may have drifted off a little.

He will also be an encouragement to the pastor and his wife who run this ministry with very little help in terms of personnel. There were about 50 kids there. This ministry is what is keeping the little church in Chalco open. There are only about 20 adults who attend under the plastic covering in this very poor area. Please continue to pray that kids and their families will be reached through the breakfast club and for more helpers. There is great potential in this area for hundreds of kids to be attending but the club can't be advertised while there is only a handful of adults to run it.

I would also appreciate your prayers as I start to tackle the huge job of putting together a manual for Mex-i-Kids. We will have another meeting of leaders in a few weeks where I would like to get feedback from them on the tasks they went away with and also on the manual that I will be writing.

Thank you so much for your prayers. We are in this ministry together and we appreciate the huge part you are playing.

MOPS

We have our follow-up meeting this Thursday. It seems that everyone who was at the last meeting is keen to be involved in this ministry which is encouraging. This time we will be assigning responsibilities for the year. Please pray that the right people will be put into the various positions as we move into a period of planning.

I was approached several times by girls wanting to know if they could invite young mums to the meeting on Thursday and had to explain several times that this is a leadership meeting. It is encouraging however to know that there is interest out there for the ministry!

MEFI

Well, the team are on holiday (vacation). Please pray that they will have a restful week. Fidel, Alex and Paty work so incredibly hard often at great personal sacrifice. It is obvious that they see this ministry as more than a job, they work hard because they love the Lord and the kids they work with.

The building work will continue this week. Andrew will open and close the centre for the workers each day and will use the time to further plan and pray over the future. We really hope to have pictures of the completed work very soon. The finish of this phase of the work is within reach.

As Andrew was working on something out front at the centre this week he had an excellent conversation with a guy who was passing by. There is a possibility that this guy will return with his wife for more bible teaching. It's a challenge to us to use every contact to be spreading the good news that there is hope for this life and beyond. We don't follow empty religion, we have a living relationship with the Creator of the universe who has the best plan for our lives, desires that we enjoy Him for all of eternity and has made the way blatantly obvious in His word, the bible. Believe that he took the punishment for your sin on the cross, plead His forgiveness and live to follow His plan as laid out in the bible. There is no more fulfilling way to live life! Our continued prayer is that God will mightily use the Drop-In Centre to bring many street kids to this realisation.

Acapulco

Thanks for your prayers. We had a lovely time in Acapulco and both journeys went incredibly well. The kids didn't sleep that well while we were away but they did ok and are now settling back into their normal routine again.
Acapulco is divided by a mountain range. On one side is the beach front that the tourists see but behind the mountain the scenery is different. We were excited to be able to attend one of the 3 churches in Acapulco on Sunday morning. Here are a couple of shots from along the way.
Chicken for lunch anyone? This is a common site in the City as well, we've just never taken a picture.
One of the churches sits in a huge housing estate. There must be thousands of people right on the doorstep of the church. This is the view from in front of the church.
This is the church...and inside too. It was another new experience for us. First of all it was incredibly hot so we sat as close as we could to a fan! The pastor is quite a character. He plays the keyboard and his young son plays the drums. It was a fairly lively service and we enjoyed the message. People were incredibly friendly. This is the church where the next Mex-i-Kids breakfast club will start and we had a meeting with the pastor and his wife to hand over resources and chat a little about that.
One thing that struck me was how basic the church is. The pastor's desk is at the front of the sanctuary to the left of the lectern where he preaches from. His 'pulpit' (the front of the church) is also his study. But what hit me the hardest was the nursery. I guess as a mother of kids whom the nursery serves this hits home a little harder but I took a picture to show that it's not just emotion. Apart from what you see in the picture there were a couple of cupboards and a table. Our hearts are burdened for the ministries in Acapulco. This church is working hard just to meet financial needs. They make food to sell each Thursday and have various fundraising events planned. The pastor is looking for a part time job to allow him to better support his family and as well as pastoring this church he is overseeing another that is without a pastor until the new year. He is also a husband and a father of 2 boys.
Please pray for the work in Acapulco. Pray for a pastor for the vacant church. Pray for Mario who pastors the church we visited. Pray that the church will have a significant impact in that huge area. Pray for the Mex-i-Kids starting. When we asked how we could help the pastor asked us to pray. So we pass that request on to you as well. He also mentioned the need for training of the kids workers. We're trying to figure out if and how we can help with that. We saw first hand the need for that ourselves.

Acapulco is a huge city with huge needs. I don't feel it is co-incidence that we met a couple in the hotel who pastor a church in Mexico City. They were in Acapulco visiting relatives who have contacts with some street kids in Acapulco and want to formalise a work with them. They say there are many street kids there with little being done among them. The couple we met live quite close to the Drop-In Centre and hope to visit at some point soon.

So we had a break but we were also fired up to pray and do what we can to help our sister churches so far away. We'll keep you posted.