All Things Beautiful

Sadly, it takes some of us awhile to realize who we are in Christ. Arturo is one such case. We could see the internal struggle taking place within him—his desire to grow pitted against the temptations he faced. He was often down on himself and always seemed to be escaping from something. Many times that something was a less than ideal homelife. That life was the reason he had fallen into the cracks of Mexico City in the first place. It was what pushed him into those dark places again a few weeks ago. I had shared verses with Arturo, like 2 Corinthians 5:17 which states: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (ESV)" He always seemed to feel better after hearing those verses. I trust that those verses will come to him again now in the walls of his cell…if we pray.

We are still hopeful for him because we know that "he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ"(Philippians 1:6 ESV). God is by no means done with Arturo. It is no accident that he has been in Christian rehabilitation clinics and for years has listened to Christian music. We know God's faithfulness and wait for His answers in His timing. "For everything there is a season,and a time for every matter under heaven…" (Ecclesiastes 3:1) and "He has made everything beautiful in its time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Please pray for our friend, Arturo. Please pray that God speaks to him where he is, that God heals his heart from years of brokenness, and that he undoes all of the damage that this young man lives with daily.

A Ray of Hope

The streets of Mexico City are no place for a kid to grow up. But from about the age of twelve to twenty-three that is where Arturo has lived. He has been in and out of rehab several times and is struggling to start a new life. Drugs, alcohol, fights in the streets, prison, you name it, Arturo has lived it.

For about three weeks now we've been getting together. We've been studying the bible and I've been giving him bible verses to memorize. However, the fight for his mind has been intense. He has been tempted beyond compare and to top it off his family has been going through some really hard times.

Please pray for Arturo. Please pray for God to get ahold of his heart and transform him from the inside-out. Pray that He uses him mightily for His glory to reach others who have suffered through the same situations.

God is Faithful!

We are delighted to announce that in the month of July Lluvia became a U.S. citizen! While the process was at times difficult, God showed us His faithfulness and allowed us the privilege of seeing His hand at work on our behalf. God's word says in Romans 8:28 (ESV): "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

To read a more complete account, see our newest newsletter by following the link to South of the Border on the right.

Now we are back in Mexico and planning what the next semester will look like at Global Grounds. Please pray for God's guidance for us, blessings for our workers, and that His Son will be glorified in all that we do, allowing others the privilege of knowing Him through our words and actions.

Just Visiting

Dear Friends,

We will be in the U.S. until about the second week of August. If you would like to get ahold of us we can be reached at (309) 373-9433.

Lluvia will be taking her interview for citizenship on July 3rd. We would greatly appreciate you prayers as this will be in the form of a English and Civics exam! We are greatful to God for working out all of the details of our time here enabeling us kill many birds with one stone so to speak!!! Thank you.

God bless you.

We Are the Clay

Why do we run from pain? What makes us want to avoid suffering so much? Even experts tell us that we should aviod that which causes us hurt. We think it is unhealthy to be put in situations that make our ugliness come out.

But that ugliness is who we really are. When someone says something to us and a flash of anger runs across our face or changes our composure and words fly out of our mouth like darts something very profound is happening in us. Who we are in our core is seeping out. And we seep out like that because of the incredible pressure we are under.

But why should we avoid such unhealthiness? This is life! It is at these moments, when we can bear no more, that our God is lovingly molding us. He is molding us to be who He wants us to be.

But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand. - Isaiah 64:8 (NASB)

Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker--An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' - Isaiah 45:9 (NASB)

In Season and Out of Season

Sometimes we need to be strongly confronted. Strong words are best when coming from the Lord.

We had been facing discouragement. We have several groups under our care and with so many people to care for we felt that we weren't influencing anyone. Our work had become a bit burdensome. But God, who is always merciful, intervened.

There is a striking passage is 2 Timothy 4 where Paul is giving instructions to Timothy. Paul tells him to preach the word always, reprove, rebuke, and exhort. He also talks about things that can be a discouragement. Then, in verses 5-8 he says the following: "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

This was exactly what I needed to hear. Discouragement is inevitable as are a great many other things. But we have work to do. There are people waiting to hear the Good News. Paul later goes on to describe many extremely difficult situations he had been facing, but he had held fast, he had kept the faith, and he had endured hardship. May we be found as faithful in the work the Lord has given us to do. Please pray for us and for all believers in these areas!

Need for a Savior

I have heard it said that Queretaro is growing by roughly 33,000 people per year. We know that the majority of those people are those who are fleeing the crowded Mexico City to find a place a little bit more tranquil to raise their children. All of that means that the population is growing faster than the gospel. It is no accident that we are here.

Among those who come here there are, of course, many college students. It has been our priviledge to be a part of their lives. We pray that God uses us, that He shines through us to them so that they can know Him as well. The more we get to know these students the more we can see their needs and are so positive of their need for a Savior.

One of the ways we get to know these students is through our English classes. These classes are usually the first time that these students get to know a Christian and, we pray, get to see Christ in the flesh. Please pray with us to that end. Pray that Jesus makes Himself known to these students through these classes.