MEFI update

MEFI is back on the streets again. We are armed with a lot of enthusiasm and the groups that we have visited are glad to see us again. One boy from a group that we visited many years ago wanted to leave the streets and when the team went the next day he came back to the centre, showered and ate and Alex took him to a new rehab place that we are experimenting with. Everything was looking so good for him. We were excited that so soon on the streets again we were already helping to make a difference. Then came the moment that he had to sign his contract to say that he would abide by their rules. That's when it all came undone. He backed out...all because he would have to get up at 7am everyday and not any time he felt like it. We know, something so trivial. It took almost a whole day for us to get him, help him clean up, eat and go for his interview...and no result in the end. It will certainly make us more careful before we go and help others. We'll get them to weigh the cost before we run around after them all day.

Paty Update

This week Paty was still in considerable pain (and off work of course). She had some more tests done and got the results but doesn't understand them. Tomorrow she will go to a clinic where they will be explained for her. We will post again when we hear more. When we spoke with her this evening it seemed as though she was feeling much better and had slept better the last couple of nights which has helped also. Please continue to pray for both Paty and Alex as they pass through this trial together.

Fields that are ripe

I think I have mentioned that we have recently had much more contact with our neighbours. This past week I was approached twice (on the same day) by teenage girls on our street who want help with their English. Please pray that I will be able to help with more than their English. One of the girls has already mentioned an interest in coming to our church.

In a few weeks we will be celebrating Tabitha and Oscar's birthdays with neighbours and others. Then in March we are planning a St. Patrick's Day party (at our neighbours' request!). We are hoping to take the opportunity to share our faith more formally at the second and would really appreciate prayers for prepared and open hearts. People are watching and we hope that what they see attracts them to Christ.

This week is filling up with appointments. Please pray for a meeting I will have on Tuesday with a teenage girl from La Loma. We have been building a relationship with her but she is going through a difficult spell. Pray that she will find it easy to open up, that I will have good understanding of what she is saying (it is difficult to understand people when they are crying and yet awkward to ask them to repeat what they are saying in those circumstances!) and that the Holy Spirit will guide me as to what to say.

We also have a meeting with the new leader of the La Loma Mex-i-Kids on Tuesday to talk about direction and planning for the future.

On Wednesday I will be meeting with the leader of the kids program at MOPS (MOPPETS) which is exciting as it is the last piece of the jigsaw in the planning of that ministry. We still have plenty to finalize befire we start but I am overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the girls and by their testimonies to how it is already impacting their lives.

We would also ask for prayer for a guy in church called Carlos. He came to both of us separately today to ask for help. Over this past year he has been drifting from God until a couple of weeks ago he told his wife he wanted nothing to do with church any more. That very day he fell down two flights of stairs outside his appartment and was lying unconscious at the bottom for quite a while. When he came around he couldn't open his eyes and with no one to help he thought he was going to die there. He called out to God for help. Now he is serious about getting back on track but has no idea where to start. Andrew hopes to meet him on Wednesday and then we want to spend some time with the family on Saturday. Carlos and his wife are incredible people with many talents. We warmed to them the first time we met them but have been concerned about their lack in consistency at church. Please pray that this little family (they have a little boy and a girl on the way) will be firmly established and that Carlos will be the spiritual leader and example he needs to be.

Andrew has been helping out with the youth group on Saturdays and we will meet on Thursday with the youth leader and his wife (who is on the MOPS leadership group). This is another incredibly talented couple and it will be fun to hang out as well as plan together with them.

So there is still a little bit of space this week... then on Sunday we are both involved in a very special service at La Loma. The church is celebrating its 10th anniversary! Some of you may have supported the ministry that long. We were at a leadership meeting on Saturday and there is a real sense of excitement and optimism for the future. The church is growing weekly it seems and it is exciting for us to be a part of a dynamic and growing ministry. Please pray that through everything we say and do this week God would be glorified. It is busy and we will be tired but we want to keep our priorities of our own devotional life, our family and our minstries in the right order.

Planning

Andrew has a regular weekly meeting in La Raza with Cesar, the pastor of the church in Escuadron. Recently they have been talking about the organisation of the church and about direction and vision for the future. Escuadron is the mother church of the church in Chalco where the breakfast club was held. This week it was lovely to have the whole family in our home.
As the children played upstairs we adults got to talking over the plans Cesar and his wife have been praying through. These people aren't thinking small. In 5 years they are looking at having their own property, seeing an increase in their congregation from 50 to 300, planting 50 house churches, having 3 daughter churches and a church in 5 states of Mexico!
Does this seem impossible? It seems fairly impossible to me...but that's why I'm not in charge! God is, and with Him nothing is impossible! Please pray for this amazing family. They are so incredibly humble and passionate. These are not plans that we gave them but ones they came up with themselves (through prayer). We are once again challenged to think big. The plans are small compared with the need here. Pray that Cesar will have committed and faithful workers to help him, pray that the congregation will be passionate about the plan and pray that God will be glorified in the conversion of many souls as this little church moves forward in faith.

MOPS

We had our first meeting of the year on Thursday. I was really encouraged as the girls had worked really hard and produced some great stuff. We have another meeting this week as we keep moving forward.

It is looking like we will start on the 5th March. We appreciate your prayers that we will be well prepared and that there will be good interest (there seems to be already) for prepared hearts.

Change

There are quite a lot of things happening in the Mex-i-Kids clubs.

The club in Acapulco has finally opened. They started last week with about 40 kids. The club there is in a huge housing development (19,181 apartments according to an internet source.)
Here is a picture of the area. Please pray that the interest generated would continue and grow and that Mex-i-Kids would serve to introduce and integrate many needy families into the church.

We have a meeting with Cesar and Irma tomorrow night to discuss the possibilities of a change in direction for them. The Chalco club is strong in terms of kids but very weak in terms of leadership. Recently there have been problems with the owners of the property they use for the club there. The most likely scenario is that the Chalco club will not re-start but instead a new club will open in the mother church at Escuadron. Our prayer is that more people from the church will be able to help shoulder the responsibility. Chalco is quite a distance from Escuadron when you have to take a bus and it's a big commitment to ask of people in terms of time and finance before even thinking of the ministry itself. We have visited the church in Escuadron several times (Andrew goes once a month) and there is need there too of course. It's a case of limited finances and limited personel. It's a difficult decision to make of course and we continue to hope and pray that the seed planted will go on to bear fruit and that perhaps one day we will be able to re-open in Chalco.

In La Loma the numbers seem to be settled around 20-30 kids weekly. That's after 2 years. What do you do when you're not reaching targets (we hoped for 300 kids there)? You start to ask questions - what are we doing that we shouldn't be doing? What are we not doing that we could be doing? what is keeping the kids coming that do attend? what is putting other kids off? The leadership has just changed again. The lady I handed over too has found herself overcomitted. She will still help, just not direct. Please pray for Lety, the new leader. We are now trialing a shorter club time with a hour of home visitation afterwards.

Now that we are into the New Year (where did the first half of the month go?) we will hopefully get into regular leadership meetings as we move forward with the Mex-i-Kids manual.

Paty Diagnosis

Thank you once again for your prayers... and your patience! Paty was put off at the hospital again yesterday and told to return today. She has been diagnosed with a severe case of gastritis. She is now home resting. The implications are a radical change in diet and medication. We are rejoicing with them that the diagnosis has been made and that she can now begin taking steps towards health and normality again. Please continue to pray that she will soon begin to feel like her normal self again. Praise God with us once again for His goodness.

Paty Update

We just heard that Paty's test has been put off until tomorrow. She went to the hospital today and was told to return tomorrow morning. It's frustrating but God is always in control. We know some may be praying at midweek services and so we'll post again as soon as we have news. Thank you again for your support in this.

Functional at last!

It was tight (of course) but the necessary details were just about completed when Andrew left work on Friday and the team arrived. Just a few shower curtains to hang which Fidel was hoping to finish. It was a limp to the line with Alex and Paty not being there but thankfully Fidel was back at work on Thursday and feeling fine. Thankyou once again for all your prayers. Here's a view of the new stove in the kitchen. We will get a few more pictures and perhaps a little bit of video in the next couple of weeks.
Please pray for the YWAM team from the US as they work with street kids and prostitutes in the city. Pray for their safety, for their Spanish and most importantly for vital contacts and salvation of precious souls.

A Quick Update...

Hi there and thank-you so much those of you who have been praying and asking for Paty. Today she went to the hospital and waited for the major part of the day to be seen. She now has an appointment for an endoscopy on Tuesday. She is still in pain but if it gets any worse then she can go into the hospital at any time of course. How it makes us wonder why at times we have to wait in the storm but we trust God that He will work out His purposes in everything. When we hear anything more we will be sure to post the news, but for the meantime please keep praying that whatever it is that is causing the pain will be treatable and resolved soon. God bless.

Paty - urgent

Alex and Paty are an amazing couple with an incredible testimony of God's grace in difficult circumstances. Recently Paty started to pass blood and have stomach problems. She went to the hospital and was taken in for a night. She was prescribed some medication and told that she needed tests but that they couldn't be done for a month.

This morning she phoned and said she was still in considerable pain, the palms of her hands were turning yellow and she was still passing blood. We decided to take her to a private hospital. She was told that she needs to have an endoscopy done urgently as there is a risk of internal bleeding. She was also told that the medication she had been prescribed was far too strong and could have been doing more harm than good. To have the test done and stay a night in that hospital would have cost in the region of £1400 ($2000).

We are blessed to have a friend who is the sub-director of a large hospital. Andrew phoned him and he recommended a good hospital close to La Raza (where the Drop-In Centre is) where she should be treated well and without cost. Alex and Paty are going there now.

Please pray that the medical team will be able to get to the root of the problem and that together with divine intervention Paty will soon be feeling much better. We will update as we hear more.

Fidel also went home early from work today due to sickness. He had a headache and felt generally unwell. Please pray that with some rest he will feel better. The team have been finishing details this week. Some people will be staying at the Centre next week and so it must be finished. It feels like we are under some spiritual attack but we know that our God is able and we appreciate your prayers as you continue to stand with us.

Back in the saddle

As we consider the many ways we have been blessed over the last year we instantly think of so many faithful friends and supporters who are right behind us in the ministry here. We have been so encouraged by your cards, emails and comments which serve as reminders that we are part of a team with the common desire to see people transformed by the gospel message. 2008 was in many ways a foundational year as the Drop-In Centre remodelling took so much time and effort. We are eager now in 2009 to see a harvest of souls as the team focus on the people aspect of the ministry.

This week the team get back into position. There is still some planning to be done in order to be fully prepared and we appreciate your prayers for that. Please continue to pray that we will feel clearly led to the right groups to approach. Pray too that God will be preparing the way and the kids to receive the message.

We heard some amazing testimonies in church this morning of how God has been at work. One family testified to His restoring and healing power in the life of their teenage son. This time last year he attempted suicide through a tequilla overdose. Not only was his life miraculously spared and his health restored but he is now attending church and as far as we can gather he shares the faith of his parents. Some have passed through (and continue to pass through) difficult trials but the recurring message was that God is good and faithful.

We really trust that as you look back over 2008 you can testify to God's faithfulness and grace in your life. What comfort there is in knowing that nothing will happen in 2009 that He doesn't already know! Our desire is that 2009 be a year of fruit not only in the ministry but in our own lives but if that is to happen then we need to be intentional about how it will happen. If that is your desire then there are some excellent resources to help you get started. Maybe you'd like to check this one out.

Happy New Year!