Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly,
I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
John 8:58
This winter, The Garden Fellowship sent a small team down to Mexico where we served alongside our beloved brothers and sisters. By God's grace, we also had an opportunity to support and encourage the staff and missionary families of Brazos de Amistad and Calvary Chapel Guadalajara by blessing them with a three day retreat where they could rest at the feet of the Lord, knowing that He is the great I AM. The trip was amazing, and we hope to do provide more retreats for them in the future.
Wednesday, January 30, 2015
Buenos Dias Familia y Amigos!
God is ever faithful, and we arrived in safely in Guadalajara late last night. Pastor Alfonso and his family lovingly greeted us with hugs and tamales before we headed to bed for the night.
This morning, we eagerly awoke and walked down the street to see the soup kitchen. My heart jumped with joy and as we climbed the stairs and opened the door. It is so beautiful! God is so good! I still remember, three years ago, sitting down to eat during our first mission trip here, and Ana revealing that she believed that God had a plan to build an industrial kitchen for Brazos de Amistad. It was exciting to think about the prospect then, and it is even more exciting now to see how much has been accomplished. The floors, the chairs, the stove, the sink, the freezer...Praise God for HIs faithful and abundant provision! "How blessed is the man who trusts in You!" (Psalm 84:12) It has been awesome to see how God has worked in the hearts of His body these past few years and provided such a wonderful gift.
And speaking of gifts, our morning was full of them. Because we are down here during the Christmas season, our church wanted to bless the children of the ministry families with gifts of toys and shoes. With tears in their eyes and smiles from ear to ear, the children opened each precious gift, delighting in how good our Father is. Their joyous praises reminded us of why the Lord brought us here. He brought us here to minister to these families. He brought us here to bless them. Our focus is not on the children from the soup kitchen this time; it is on these faithful ministry families.
This afternoon, some of the ministry workers of Brazos de Amistad headed to Chacalilla, a small town about five hours from Guadalajara, to set up for their annual outreach. For the past four years, the ministry down here has worked alongside a local Chacalilla church to share the gospel with those in the community. They serve food and provide games and activities for the children, all while sharing God's love. Some of the soup kitchen kids even travel with the ministry team and serve alongside them. What an awesome opportunity for these children to take what God has given them, and in turn, share it with others. In just a few minutes, we will be leaving the house and driving to join them. We are all looking forward to see what God has planned! Thank you for your prayers!
We miss you all and we love you!
Love,
Noelle
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Well I'd like to call these past few days, a tornado of LOVE! This tiny obscure beach town we have been at takes poverty and joy to a whole new level for this team. There are no flushing toilets, no clean running water, limited power, excessive mosquitos and delicious food!! We were hosted by a pastor of the town who is connected to CC Guadalajara. He has a small flock of believers who battle against the spiritual powers of their area: witchcraft and Catholicism. The team slept in tents at the local school down the road. We came to this village to help pass out Operation Christmas Child (OCC) boxes. However, the pastor wanted us to pick coconuts and enjoy the beach first...AND WE DID! We almost completely filled a truck bed with coconuts which we took to the beach with us. We swam in the ocean where the locals were also fishing for shrimp.... Yes, our feet did come across some walking out into the water! The local pastor used his machete to open the coconuts for us, and we enjoyed them on the beach. Brian and Alexis tried taking showers at the beach. Thus, they were the best smelling members of our group, even without hot water!
The next day was the OCC event. We decorated the church (which consists of a cement slab and some plastic chairs with the Corona beer logo). The theme of the event was Candy Land. All of the children showed up dressed in their Sunday best, and even the mothers who came were dressed beautifully. They played group games, had snacks, and watched a skit. Then, they heard the gospel and were reminded that the very best gift is JESUS! The dear children lined up to get their boxes and patiently waited until everyone had picked their boxes. Then they tenderly opened their gifts. Each member of our team has their favorite moment of the event. I personally loved watching the older kids line up to get their boxes. They were so excited, but I could see that they were hesitant because it is no longer "cool" for them to be excited about childish things. Yet, to receive such gifts was impactful to them. As the older kids opened their gifts, they were trying to contain their joy, but God's love overcame them, and they were SO grateful for things like candy, pens, shoes, bags, etc.
My personal favorite moment came in praying with the wife of the pastor. She has been bedridden now for many months due to sciatic nerve damage. We had prayed for her healing when we first arrived, but we didn't interact much with her. However, she always had a smile on her face. She was continually praising God in spanish whenever we were worshipping or having a devotional time. As we prepared to go and I prayed over her, she asked for a translator to give me this message, "Please don't forget this church. Please don't forget the work that God is doing here. Please pray for the fathers to come to church with their children. Oh that God would do a beautiful work in our town."
She didn't ask for prayer for her personal needs (which are MANY), but she glorified God with JOY. So Church, I pass on this prayer request to you from Yaya (the pastor's wife in Chacalila).
Today we make the drive to the retreat we will be hosting for the leaders here at CC Guadalajara! We love and miss you all!!
-Alexis
The next day was the OCC event. We decorated the church (which consists of a cement slab and some plastic chairs with the Corona beer logo). The theme of the event was Candy Land. All of the children showed up dressed in their Sunday best, and even the mothers who came were dressed beautifully. They played group games, had snacks, and watched a skit. Then, they heard the gospel and were reminded that the very best gift is JESUS! The dear children lined up to get their boxes and patiently waited until everyone had picked their boxes. Then they tenderly opened their gifts. Each member of our team has their favorite moment of the event. I personally loved watching the older kids line up to get their boxes. They were so excited, but I could see that they were hesitant because it is no longer "cool" for them to be excited about childish things. Yet, to receive such gifts was impactful to them. As the older kids opened their gifts, they were trying to contain their joy, but God's love overcame them, and they were SO grateful for things like candy, pens, shoes, bags, etc.
My personal favorite moment came in praying with the wife of the pastor. She has been bedridden now for many months due to sciatic nerve damage. We had prayed for her healing when we first arrived, but we didn't interact much with her. However, she always had a smile on her face. She was continually praising God in spanish whenever we were worshipping or having a devotional time. As we prepared to go and I prayed over her, she asked for a translator to give me this message, "Please don't forget this church. Please don't forget the work that God is doing here. Please pray for the fathers to come to church with their children. Oh that God would do a beautiful work in our town."
She didn't ask for prayer for her personal needs (which are MANY), but she glorified God with JOY. So Church, I pass on this prayer request to you from Yaya (the pastor's wife in Chacalila).
Today we make the drive to the retreat we will be hosting for the leaders here at CC Guadalajara! We love and miss you all!!
-Alexis
Sunday, January 3, 2016
John 8:12 "Then Jesus spoke to them again saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.'"
Today marked the start of our leaders' retreat here in Guanajuato. The theme of this retreat is Remember…I AM.
It is our goal as a mission team to serve and refresh these precious saints with the reality that Jesus is our everything. For every one of life's questions, who is our help in times of need? Who is our strength when we are weak? Who is there and will remain with every believer until the ends of the age? Jesus answers all of the these questions with the same enthusiasm and emphasis saying boldly, “I AM!”
Today was session #1 and we looked at the first of three “I AM” statements. In John chapter 8, Jesus declares that He is the light of the world. It felt almost as powerful as we looked back at the original context of when Jesus made this statement. The Spirit is moving in power and anointing the time and affirming this truth, that Jesus is our light. Jesus is the reason that we are all gathered here today and serving in all our various places of ministry. Because the Light has called us out of darkness and has been illuminating the path to follow Him ever since.
Please keep praying for this mission team and these amazing servants of the Most High God here in Mexico.
-Brian
Today marked the start of our leaders' retreat here in Guanajuato. The theme of this retreat is Remember…I AM.
It is our goal as a mission team to serve and refresh these precious saints with the reality that Jesus is our everything. For every one of life's questions, who is our help in times of need? Who is our strength when we are weak? Who is there and will remain with every believer until the ends of the age? Jesus answers all of the these questions with the same enthusiasm and emphasis saying boldly, “I AM!”
Today was session #1 and we looked at the first of three “I AM” statements. In John chapter 8, Jesus declares that He is the light of the world. It felt almost as powerful as we looked back at the original context of when Jesus made this statement. The Spirit is moving in power and anointing the time and affirming this truth, that Jesus is our light. Jesus is the reason that we are all gathered here today and serving in all our various places of ministry. Because the Light has called us out of darkness and has been illuminating the path to follow Him ever since.
Please keep praying for this mission team and these amazing servants of the Most High God here in Mexico.
-Brian
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Hello Church Family!
We are headed home tomorrow. Thank you again for your prayers and support. The retreat was a blessing to all who attended. Although this trip was unlike all previous, we saw God's Spirit moving each and every day. Again and again, He has provided for our church members and those of Calvary Chapel Guadalajara ino so many ways. We are yoked to those down here, and we encourage you to pray about how God can use you during future mission trips.
Blessings,
Noelle
We are headed home tomorrow. Thank you again for your prayers and support. The retreat was a blessing to all who attended. Although this trip was unlike all previous, we saw God's Spirit moving each and every day. Again and again, He has provided for our church members and those of Calvary Chapel Guadalajara ino so many ways. We are yoked to those down here, and we encourage you to pray about how God can use you during future mission trips.
Blessings,
Noelle