We have arrived!
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Day 1
We have arrived and are settling in! We had a smooth flight from Mexicali to Guadalajara and arrived at Mama Dela's just after midnight, late Wednesday, or Thursday morning I should say! We were blessed with fresh tamales and atole de coco -- amazing midnight snack ;)
We woke up today and headed to the church with much anticipation to see the finished commercial kitchen and it is INCREDIBLE. It is so beautiful and so crazy to look back and think of what this space looked like three years ago, two years and last. Words can't even begin to describe God's blessing He's so obviously pouring out on this place! The kids all arrived to the soup kitchen for lunch and it was a fun afternoon reuniting with and spending time with them! I (and I know I can speak for the team and say WE) LOVE this kids so so much. Many faces from years past and new ones as well that I'm looking forward to getting to know this week. We'll keep you posted as the days continue! Men's Retreat, Women's Day of Refreshing, VBS... a lot going on with a BIG GOD allowing us the opportunity to be His hands and feet, accomplishing His will down here! Thank you for praying for us! Love, Holly |
Friday, July 29, 2016
Day 2
Hey Garden Fellowship and Friends,
This is Pastor Jason Duff from down in Guadalajara. What a joy it is to see the fruit of our spiritual and financial investment in the ministry down here.
It was long before I had the privilege of pastoring at the Garden that you guys saw the need to build a kitchen to feed and facilities to house the amazing ministry of around 80 to 100 kids from the local neighborhood who gather at the church daily for bible study, discipleship and a great lunch!
As many of you know many of those kids aren't allowed to go school and they live in worse conditions than we can ever imagine in the United States, but to see their faces when they are being loved on spiritually and practically is simply amazing and a joy to participate in.
I was really blessed last time I was down here to hear the testimonies of some of the older kids who were saved when they came to the soup kitchen as children and their salvation has led to the salvation of their parents in many cases. I heard one testimony of a young girl who had gotten saved through the discipleship program here when she was young, then she brought her Mom who also was saved and then her Father who had left the family years before for a life of drugs, he was saved and after some time even their marriage has been wonderfully and miraculously restored.
Needlessly to say - What a great spiritual and financial investment Garden Fellowship! Today we leave for a men's retreat that I have the privileged of teaching at. Please pray for that, a women's event on Saturday, and their VBS that starts next week. It is great to be here with our team but I also look forward to be back home and with all of you this Sunday!
God bless you Garden Fellowship!
Pastor Jason Duff
This is Pastor Jason Duff from down in Guadalajara. What a joy it is to see the fruit of our spiritual and financial investment in the ministry down here.
It was long before I had the privilege of pastoring at the Garden that you guys saw the need to build a kitchen to feed and facilities to house the amazing ministry of around 80 to 100 kids from the local neighborhood who gather at the church daily for bible study, discipleship and a great lunch!
As many of you know many of those kids aren't allowed to go school and they live in worse conditions than we can ever imagine in the United States, but to see their faces when they are being loved on spiritually and practically is simply amazing and a joy to participate in.
I was really blessed last time I was down here to hear the testimonies of some of the older kids who were saved when they came to the soup kitchen as children and their salvation has led to the salvation of their parents in many cases. I heard one testimony of a young girl who had gotten saved through the discipleship program here when she was young, then she brought her Mom who also was saved and then her Father who had left the family years before for a life of drugs, he was saved and after some time even their marriage has been wonderfully and miraculously restored.
Needlessly to say - What a great spiritual and financial investment Garden Fellowship! Today we leave for a men's retreat that I have the privileged of teaching at. Please pray for that, a women's event on Saturday, and their VBS that starts next week. It is great to be here with our team but I also look forward to be back home and with all of you this Sunday!
God bless you Garden Fellowship!
Pastor Jason Duff
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Day 3
Secure in Christ.
I'm not sure I can put words to things I have seen or what my heart has felt since I have been here. This is my first mission trip. I will say I have been forever changed by my short time here. We hear about this place at church and we think we understand. But truly, I had no idea of what it was really like here.
I arrived early on Friday morning. Immediately, I was moved by the demeanor of the people here at Brazos de Amistad. They are so full of joy and love that you feel it the moment you are around them. They are a walking example of peace that surpasses all understanding. They have so little, yet they give so much.
Friday, I got to be part of serving the children of the community lunch at the soup kitchen. I truly can not convey the amount of emotion that whelmed up inside of me as I watched this unfold. As lunchtime approaches, the door to the church is opened. One by one the children begin arriving. Most of them come by themselves to this place where they have found safety. Each day approximately 100 children come. And, the servants there feed them lunch, play with them and minister to their souls. Feed them, love them and teach them about Jesus! That is MINISTRY! I want you to know that these kids come so physically hungry that they devour this food. And, when they are full, their hearts engage with the beautiful people there that daily love on them and make them feel special.
Saturday was the women's Day of Refreshing Mini Retreat. It was the reason I came to Guadalajara. I had the privilege of teaching at this event. About 45 women gathered. They were so excited to be there that you could literally feel their joy. Our theme was Segura en Christo (Secure in Christ). More than anything I wanted to convey the Lord's deep love for them in every moment of their lives. I have to admit I was worried about them receiving a message form me - a woman so different than them. But, oh these ladies. They listened with their hearts wide open as I taught (and Ana translated). I was so humbled by their loving response to me - one by one they approached me, hugged me and thanked me. They depth of their gratitude came blazing forth in their smiles and their hugs and their tears.
These women were such a joy to be around. They played the games with enthusiasm and laughter. They cheered and clapped for each other. The amens were many. And, their smiles, their laughter and their tears will be forever etched in my mind and on my heart. We made them lasagna, caesar salad and garlic bread. They enjoyed every bite. I know I can speak for each of the women on our team - it was such a delight to serve these women. Ana said, "Best day ever!" And, I think that's how we all felt at the end of Saturday! The joy we gained from ministering to those women far outweighed every bit of tired that we felt.
I only got three short days in Guadalajara with these precious people. But, my time was one of the most impactful times of my life. I cried every day I was there. Some of the tears were tears of sadness as I watched little ones who did not enjoy the basic needs that we here at home take for granted every day. Some of the tears were tears of joy as the people here blessed me more than they would ever know. And, some of them were tears of humility as I watched ministry being done in such a mighty way by the hands of people who have so little. There was no complaining, no excuses being made, there was only willing hearts, willing hands and lives fully committed to the work of their Savior. It might take me days or weeks to process it all.
I want to close by saying, thank you. Thank you, church family, for supporting this beautiful ministry. If you have lifted a prayer, given a word of encouragement, or supported this ministry with your financial support, KNOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN PART OF SOMETHING GOOD. I wish every one of you could see with your own eyes and feel with your own heart the impact God is having in this place.
Love, Debbi Garcia
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Hello Garden Family,
I would like to share a different perspective of the Women's Day of Refreshing with Debbi Garcia. First of all, I am so blessed to have been able to listen to her afternoon teaching. It was such a privilege to sit in the back and see all these ladies so attentive and touched by the words that the Holy Spirit had inspired Debbi to share. As Debbi spoke and Ana translated, I could feel the Spirit -- it was so powerful!. These ladies were so moved and touched in different ways. Personally, I couldn't hold my tears. They were tears of complete joy. As I saw many so in tune, others were very emotional.They all mentioned how blessed they were and how grateful they were to have her here.
Love, Monica Garcia
I'm not sure I can put words to things I have seen or what my heart has felt since I have been here. This is my first mission trip. I will say I have been forever changed by my short time here. We hear about this place at church and we think we understand. But truly, I had no idea of what it was really like here.
I arrived early on Friday morning. Immediately, I was moved by the demeanor of the people here at Brazos de Amistad. They are so full of joy and love that you feel it the moment you are around them. They are a walking example of peace that surpasses all understanding. They have so little, yet they give so much.
Friday, I got to be part of serving the children of the community lunch at the soup kitchen. I truly can not convey the amount of emotion that whelmed up inside of me as I watched this unfold. As lunchtime approaches, the door to the church is opened. One by one the children begin arriving. Most of them come by themselves to this place where they have found safety. Each day approximately 100 children come. And, the servants there feed them lunch, play with them and minister to their souls. Feed them, love them and teach them about Jesus! That is MINISTRY! I want you to know that these kids come so physically hungry that they devour this food. And, when they are full, their hearts engage with the beautiful people there that daily love on them and make them feel special.
Saturday was the women's Day of Refreshing Mini Retreat. It was the reason I came to Guadalajara. I had the privilege of teaching at this event. About 45 women gathered. They were so excited to be there that you could literally feel their joy. Our theme was Segura en Christo (Secure in Christ). More than anything I wanted to convey the Lord's deep love for them in every moment of their lives. I have to admit I was worried about them receiving a message form me - a woman so different than them. But, oh these ladies. They listened with their hearts wide open as I taught (and Ana translated). I was so humbled by their loving response to me - one by one they approached me, hugged me and thanked me. They depth of their gratitude came blazing forth in their smiles and their hugs and their tears.
These women were such a joy to be around. They played the games with enthusiasm and laughter. They cheered and clapped for each other. The amens were many. And, their smiles, their laughter and their tears will be forever etched in my mind and on my heart. We made them lasagna, caesar salad and garlic bread. They enjoyed every bite. I know I can speak for each of the women on our team - it was such a delight to serve these women. Ana said, "Best day ever!" And, I think that's how we all felt at the end of Saturday! The joy we gained from ministering to those women far outweighed every bit of tired that we felt.
I only got three short days in Guadalajara with these precious people. But, my time was one of the most impactful times of my life. I cried every day I was there. Some of the tears were tears of sadness as I watched little ones who did not enjoy the basic needs that we here at home take for granted every day. Some of the tears were tears of joy as the people here blessed me more than they would ever know. And, some of them were tears of humility as I watched ministry being done in such a mighty way by the hands of people who have so little. There was no complaining, no excuses being made, there was only willing hearts, willing hands and lives fully committed to the work of their Savior. It might take me days or weeks to process it all.
I want to close by saying, thank you. Thank you, church family, for supporting this beautiful ministry. If you have lifted a prayer, given a word of encouragement, or supported this ministry with your financial support, KNOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN PART OF SOMETHING GOOD. I wish every one of you could see with your own eyes and feel with your own heart the impact God is having in this place.
Love, Debbi Garcia
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Hello Garden Family,
I would like to share a different perspective of the Women's Day of Refreshing with Debbi Garcia. First of all, I am so blessed to have been able to listen to her afternoon teaching. It was such a privilege to sit in the back and see all these ladies so attentive and touched by the words that the Holy Spirit had inspired Debbi to share. As Debbi spoke and Ana translated, I could feel the Spirit -- it was so powerful!. These ladies were so moved and touched in different ways. Personally, I couldn't hold my tears. They were tears of complete joy. As I saw many so in tune, others were very emotional.They all mentioned how blessed they were and how grateful they were to have her here.
Love, Monica Garcia
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Day 4
Back home in the States, weekend getaways seem to be the norm for most Americans. I mean, road trips to the beach, the mountains and/or theme parks filled with screaming kids and over-priced souvenirs isn’t just an American pastime, it’s basically a right…isn’t it? Well, right or not, we definitely appreciate our time away from the typical grind to veg, unwind, rest and seek the Lord. So we figured it was time the hardworking men of Capilla Calvario Guadalajara (CCGDL) had a chance to enjoy the same opportunity to get away and fellowship with friends and with Jesus.
It started with a 4 hour (or 5.5 hours depending on which vehicle you rode in) drive away from the bustling city of Guadalajara (Mexico’s 2nd largest city) and into the beautiful mountain town of Mazamitla. There, men from both CCGDL as well as men from The Garden Fellowship were led into worship with Steve Davis and the word of God with Pastor Jason as we were encouraged to put away the flesh and to put on the things of the Spirit. It was a great time to hear from the men of CCGDL about the things they were struggling with back home. One of the men shared about how his family has been torn apart by his father-in-law who was once a pastor, but now a “narco” (drug dealer). As if this wasn’t difficult enough to watch this man he looked up to throw away his own life, he did further damage by coaxing his daughter into the narco lifestyle with him. He lost his father-in-law AND his wife. It’s heartbreaking to hear him tell the story but encouraging to see his faith as he continues to follow the Lord. Every one of these men have a story to tell and we were blessed to have the opportunity to get to know some of them. A few of the men kept the candle burning till 5am sharing their hearts and praying for each other.
The next morning, we were definitely sleepy, but the smell from the surrounding pine trees rejuvenated us into more worship and the word. Steve Davis shared about regaining lost joy, Pastor Alfonso shared about taking Abraham’s lead and answering the call of God into the unknown, and Pastor Jason continued his theme through the story of Ishmael and Isaac. They all gave us so much to think about and the Spirit to do his personal work in our hearts and minds. That afternoon, all of the men walked into the city to sightsee, buy fireworks (some men never grown up) and eat, then eat, then eat some more. Oh and then we went back to the cabins to eat lunch (yeah, we ate a lot).
After nearly exploding, someone had a “bright idea” for all the men to play soccer. And let me tell you, it gets intense playing with these men! They’re good! Of course, we knew that already but you add a full gut to the scenario and well…we might as well lay down and concede. Thankfully, before we could get too embarrassed, it started to pour raining. We all sought cover and talked, laughed and enjoyed the beauty of the storm. It gave us all pause to (literally) soak in the moment and thank God for good friends and beautiful places. The men of CCGDL went on and on about how the short trip to the mountains was such an amazing experience for them. Many of them had never been to the mountains before so it truly meant a lot to breathe it all in. When it was time for the 4 hour trip back that evening, we realized that that although we had arrived in the mountains as some Mexican Christians and American Christians, we were leaving brothers. It definitely help set the tone for the rest of this mission trip. Thank you Jesus for the men, the mountains and the memories!
- Rob Manley
It started with a 4 hour (or 5.5 hours depending on which vehicle you rode in) drive away from the bustling city of Guadalajara (Mexico’s 2nd largest city) and into the beautiful mountain town of Mazamitla. There, men from both CCGDL as well as men from The Garden Fellowship were led into worship with Steve Davis and the word of God with Pastor Jason as we were encouraged to put away the flesh and to put on the things of the Spirit. It was a great time to hear from the men of CCGDL about the things they were struggling with back home. One of the men shared about how his family has been torn apart by his father-in-law who was once a pastor, but now a “narco” (drug dealer). As if this wasn’t difficult enough to watch this man he looked up to throw away his own life, he did further damage by coaxing his daughter into the narco lifestyle with him. He lost his father-in-law AND his wife. It’s heartbreaking to hear him tell the story but encouraging to see his faith as he continues to follow the Lord. Every one of these men have a story to tell and we were blessed to have the opportunity to get to know some of them. A few of the men kept the candle burning till 5am sharing their hearts and praying for each other.
The next morning, we were definitely sleepy, but the smell from the surrounding pine trees rejuvenated us into more worship and the word. Steve Davis shared about regaining lost joy, Pastor Alfonso shared about taking Abraham’s lead and answering the call of God into the unknown, and Pastor Jason continued his theme through the story of Ishmael and Isaac. They all gave us so much to think about and the Spirit to do his personal work in our hearts and minds. That afternoon, all of the men walked into the city to sightsee, buy fireworks (some men never grown up) and eat, then eat, then eat some more. Oh and then we went back to the cabins to eat lunch (yeah, we ate a lot).
After nearly exploding, someone had a “bright idea” for all the men to play soccer. And let me tell you, it gets intense playing with these men! They’re good! Of course, we knew that already but you add a full gut to the scenario and well…we might as well lay down and concede. Thankfully, before we could get too embarrassed, it started to pour raining. We all sought cover and talked, laughed and enjoyed the beauty of the storm. It gave us all pause to (literally) soak in the moment and thank God for good friends and beautiful places. The men of CCGDL went on and on about how the short trip to the mountains was such an amazing experience for them. Many of them had never been to the mountains before so it truly meant a lot to breathe it all in. When it was time for the 4 hour trip back that evening, we realized that that although we had arrived in the mountains as some Mexican Christians and American Christians, we were leaving brothers. It definitely help set the tone for the rest of this mission trip. Thank you Jesus for the men, the mountains and the memories!
- Rob Manley
Monday, August 1, 2016
Day 5
I had two tough experiences in the street yesterday. More than that really, but I'll just share two. Sunday was a busy day as we had services followed by a quinceañera. As we were gathering in the street before leaving for some intense football games, with the adults and kids, a young woman approached Monica Garcia and Monica Espinoza and others on our team. She was high on drugs and admitted as much which was hardly necessary. The young woman asked them who they thought was stronger Jesus or Satan? By the time I arrived many on our team were already praying for her. She was screaming for help, screaming for the evil to leave her and pleading as to why it hadn't left her. She was desperate in that moment. Desperate enough to shout out that Jesus is the Son of God among other things she has heard about our Savior.
I didn't feel the need initially to do or say anything as our team was reaching out to this woman so well. After they prayed for her though her desperation seemed to grow even more. She became more anxious that the words that she was saying about Jesus didn't suddenly spring her from the grip of the drugs she had taken. As she screamed again in confusion and frustration questioning why God hadn't taken this evil from her I felt led to say something. I put a hand on her back and said, "You took drugs that are making you feel this way. You need to stop doing drugs so that you don't feel like this again. Come off the drugs and come back here tomorrow so that we can talk." Not groundbreaking words.
It was impossible to have a coherent conversation with her in that state. Having dealt with people that are high and battling addictions, hallucinations, paranoia, and drug-induced psychosis I know that there is very little that we can do for them them when they are in that state. God could have healed her in that moment. We prayed for that. Had it been His will and plan it would have happened in that moment. It is often hard to have peace about those situations when we see people hurting. It's natural to feel like we could and should have done more. It's an important lesson for us though to again trust in God's will and trust Him with all results. She ended up walking off saying that she would be back the next day among many other random thoughts. She did not come back the next day. Instead we saw her buying more drugs.
Later that evening, I saw my brother-in-law, Pablo, speaking to his cousin. I guess Jose is my cousin too. He was drunk in the street and still going with a beer in hand. He began to tell us many terrible things that he'd done. He didn't mention them too specifically but he began speaking about the incredible weight that he felt due to these sins. I told him that God wants to take that weight from him. Pablo began to tell him to let go of his pride. As we shared with him about God's love for him he asked us to pray for him. As we prayed for him he dropped to his knees in the street and began to cry, clearly letting go of some pride. Echoing Paul, I told him to follow us as we are following Christ. We told him that whatever he has done can be forgiven. We implored him to clean up and meet us at the church the next day and told him that we'd be waiting for him. He thanked and hugged us. He did not come the next day. At 1:30 in the morning, as we finished decorating for the 1st day of VBS, I saw Jose hunched over, drunk and half asleep across the street as I walked home.
Words from Colossians 1:21-23 hit me hard:
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard...
These two people have glaring needs for God and were literally crying out for help. We encounter people everyday at school, work, etc. who are equally desperate but it's just not usually so visually obvious. We need to remember that we were once just like them: alienated from God. Our heart should break for the people we meet who desperately need Him. May He heighten our senses spiritually to those in need.
These are not stories of people that 'we' saved. Not the story of how we spoke words by which God did miracles through us. At least not that we know of yet. Thankfully we serve a God of great hope and their stories are not over. Ultimately we can save no one. We can only humbly walk with the One who saved us. As we do that we can begin to share truth with others. We are not responsible for what they do with it. We walk forward in that peace as we pray for them.
-Steve D.
I didn't feel the need initially to do or say anything as our team was reaching out to this woman so well. After they prayed for her though her desperation seemed to grow even more. She became more anxious that the words that she was saying about Jesus didn't suddenly spring her from the grip of the drugs she had taken. As she screamed again in confusion and frustration questioning why God hadn't taken this evil from her I felt led to say something. I put a hand on her back and said, "You took drugs that are making you feel this way. You need to stop doing drugs so that you don't feel like this again. Come off the drugs and come back here tomorrow so that we can talk." Not groundbreaking words.
It was impossible to have a coherent conversation with her in that state. Having dealt with people that are high and battling addictions, hallucinations, paranoia, and drug-induced psychosis I know that there is very little that we can do for them them when they are in that state. God could have healed her in that moment. We prayed for that. Had it been His will and plan it would have happened in that moment. It is often hard to have peace about those situations when we see people hurting. It's natural to feel like we could and should have done more. It's an important lesson for us though to again trust in God's will and trust Him with all results. She ended up walking off saying that she would be back the next day among many other random thoughts. She did not come back the next day. Instead we saw her buying more drugs.
Later that evening, I saw my brother-in-law, Pablo, speaking to his cousin. I guess Jose is my cousin too. He was drunk in the street and still going with a beer in hand. He began to tell us many terrible things that he'd done. He didn't mention them too specifically but he began speaking about the incredible weight that he felt due to these sins. I told him that God wants to take that weight from him. Pablo began to tell him to let go of his pride. As we shared with him about God's love for him he asked us to pray for him. As we prayed for him he dropped to his knees in the street and began to cry, clearly letting go of some pride. Echoing Paul, I told him to follow us as we are following Christ. We told him that whatever he has done can be forgiven. We implored him to clean up and meet us at the church the next day and told him that we'd be waiting for him. He thanked and hugged us. He did not come the next day. At 1:30 in the morning, as we finished decorating for the 1st day of VBS, I saw Jose hunched over, drunk and half asleep across the street as I walked home.
Words from Colossians 1:21-23 hit me hard:
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard...
These two people have glaring needs for God and were literally crying out for help. We encounter people everyday at school, work, etc. who are equally desperate but it's just not usually so visually obvious. We need to remember that we were once just like them: alienated from God. Our heart should break for the people we meet who desperately need Him. May He heighten our senses spiritually to those in need.
These are not stories of people that 'we' saved. Not the story of how we spoke words by which God did miracles through us. At least not that we know of yet. Thankfully we serve a God of great hope and their stories are not over. Ultimately we can save no one. We can only humbly walk with the One who saved us. As we do that we can begin to share truth with others. We are not responsible for what they do with it. We walk forward in that peace as we pray for them.
-Steve D.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Day 6
Salvation Day!
Today was day 2 of VBS. The kids are loving every moment of the Ocean Commotion theme and line up for church extra early in the morning. Today they had a science lesson with Dr. Chen (Eugenio) and learned about creation with a volcano experiment. They also enjoyed some friendly competition with water balloon games. Their mid-morning snack was yummy Palomitas (popcorn with chile and lime) and Horchata for a drink. The Holy Spirit filled the church as the children were learning about Noah and his obedience to enter the ark to be saved. The salvation message was presented and 34 kids gave their lives to the Lord. Praise God! Before the children were dismissed, they received a lunch of Spaghetti Bolognese and Ensalada Italiano.
I have never seen such an outpouring of love in making a meal for that many children. Over here in the states, we feed big groups of kids pizza because it’s easy and feeds many. At the soup kitchen, a team of women show up at 6am to start preparing and making the meal for the day. This is a labor of love. The meal is from scratch, and they take no shortcuts. They make all the sauces by hand, and shred all the chicken by hand and make homemade drinks like Agua de Pina. It is a wonderful meal for the kids.
In the evening after a full day of VBS, and soup kitchen, Eugenio and Vero were kind enough to take a group of the Garden Team to downtown Guadalajara where we walked the Plaza de Armas. There were some amazing historical sites and Eugenio turned out to be the perfect tour guide as he explained some of the cultural history. I saw his love for his country and was so thankful to experience this place. It was muy autentico!
This verse came to my mind as I observed all the work that goes into running this church and soup kitchen, “But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” God is evident in every part of Brazos de Amistad and I am so grateful that I got to go and be with these brothers and sisters.
-Anita Gonzales
Today was day 2 of VBS. The kids are loving every moment of the Ocean Commotion theme and line up for church extra early in the morning. Today they had a science lesson with Dr. Chen (Eugenio) and learned about creation with a volcano experiment. They also enjoyed some friendly competition with water balloon games. Their mid-morning snack was yummy Palomitas (popcorn with chile and lime) and Horchata for a drink. The Holy Spirit filled the church as the children were learning about Noah and his obedience to enter the ark to be saved. The salvation message was presented and 34 kids gave their lives to the Lord. Praise God! Before the children were dismissed, they received a lunch of Spaghetti Bolognese and Ensalada Italiano.
I have never seen such an outpouring of love in making a meal for that many children. Over here in the states, we feed big groups of kids pizza because it’s easy and feeds many. At the soup kitchen, a team of women show up at 6am to start preparing and making the meal for the day. This is a labor of love. The meal is from scratch, and they take no shortcuts. They make all the sauces by hand, and shred all the chicken by hand and make homemade drinks like Agua de Pina. It is a wonderful meal for the kids.
In the evening after a full day of VBS, and soup kitchen, Eugenio and Vero were kind enough to take a group of the Garden Team to downtown Guadalajara where we walked the Plaza de Armas. There were some amazing historical sites and Eugenio turned out to be the perfect tour guide as he explained some of the cultural history. I saw his love for his country and was so thankful to experience this place. It was muy autentico!
This verse came to my mind as I observed all the work that goes into running this church and soup kitchen, “But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” God is evident in every part of Brazos de Amistad and I am so grateful that I got to go and be with these brothers and sisters.
-Anita Gonzales
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Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Day 7
Our trip was an adventure. We spent most of our time serving in the kitchen alongside some of the most selfless people I have ever met and hanging out with kids playing soccer and hanging around the park. This is now my second year in Guadalajara and this time has had much more spiritual warfare from my perspective. On Sunday we had a lady who was high on drugs come screaming in the street that she wanted to be free from drugs and the power of Satan. Our encounter ended with praying and laying hands on her and inviting her to church. We have seen countless other manifestations of the spiritual warfare that is going on there. Despite the blatant evil, God is moving. Brazos de Amistad is being a light in a dark community. They leave their doors open to all who will come. Our friends in Mexico are acting as the hands and feet and salt and light in their community and I am encouraged to do the same at home and wherever the Lord may take me.
James 1:27- “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”
James 1:27- “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Day 8
My name is Kim Unrau and I am a missionary from Canada that works at Brazos de Amistad full time. These past 10 days have been fun and adventurous with the team from The Garden Fellowship. We got to see God work through them, through prayer and hard work and lots of love shared. Watching the friendships be made between the community and the team in such a short time, and with language bearer is God's doing.
The men got to go on a retreat this year and while they were gone us women had a seminar with a woman named Debbi. She shared about being secure in Christ and many of the ladies were very touched by what God said through her, not to mention the great food that the women from the team made for us.
This year I had the privilege of being a teacher for VBS. I was working with the 10 to 12 year olds and got to see them learn and pray for salvation. The time went by way too fast and its always hard to see a team come and go, and learn to love someone in only a few days and to share your life with them. But God is good and the team will be missed by many. The memories that we made will never be forgotten. The hearts that were touched, by the grace of God, will continue to grow and learn.
Thank you Garden Fellowship!
The men got to go on a retreat this year and while they were gone us women had a seminar with a woman named Debbi. She shared about being secure in Christ and many of the ladies were very touched by what God said through her, not to mention the great food that the women from the team made for us.
This year I had the privilege of being a teacher for VBS. I was working with the 10 to 12 year olds and got to see them learn and pray for salvation. The time went by way too fast and its always hard to see a team come and go, and learn to love someone in only a few days and to share your life with them. But God is good and the team will be missed by many. The memories that we made will never be forgotten. The hearts that were touched, by the grace of God, will continue to grow and learn.
Thank you Garden Fellowship!
Friday, August 5, 2016
Day 9
We're headed home! We've spent 10 days, countless hours serving alongside the beautiful servants of Brazos de Amistad, ministering to and loving on 100+ kids, walking the streets of this little town in Guadalajara, with the help of our God and God alone, bringing LIGHT into this dark area. As the kids sang the theme song over and over during VBS, El es la LUZ, LUZ, LUZ -- He is the LIGHT, LIGHT LIGHT. We are so thankful to have had this opportunity to visit this ministry again this summer and can't wait for the next one! Thank you Garden Fellowship and all of those who prayed us through this trip. Lives were changed and impacted and God was glorified! Please continue to keep Calvary Chapel Guadalajara and Brazos de Amistad in your prayers! Praising Him!