Lori south again 6 Mar

6 Mar Chris in Chula Vista, keepin the home fire burning...

Lori went south again yesterday, 10-day trip.

Getting alot of questions on why she trips south so much, I don't, and we're apart alot.
Answer: we don't have a home office or sending agency that takes care of our affairs, so somebody has to stay back to do that. There is not enough mission income for both of us to be in-country 'most time', the support amount has dropped to where one of us needs to work and supplement the finances.

Missions is like a fighter-pilot team: to do the forward deployment of one fighter jet, there is one pilot... and 122 crew behind that pilot that fixes the jet, refuels, loads the payloads, etc... one lone pilot won't survive long in combat without the 'DO' team.

So, I'm more the 'DO' team these days... Lori the fighter pilot...

Chris

Schools Show Appreciation

about Feb. 24th, 2010
Today the "Carnival of Health" was taught at San Vicente's largest schools. Over 350 students enjoyed the lessons and games. This is the fifth year that we've been invited to share the health program with the SV elementary schools. Dave and Lynne Johnson, missionaries to SV first introduced the carnival to the school and I've been privileged to assist them for the previous 4 years and to help them to expand to program to more schools in the area.

I love all the hugs that come my way when we arrive on the school grounds. Many of the students know me from church or the sewing class while others remember me from past school outreaches. I just soak up all their love!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This year, I received a certificate from the school. It's a gesture they use to extend gratitude to those who serve their school. It reads "The Claudio Sarabia elementary school grants this recognition to Lori Bajkiewicz for her valuable help for the benefit of our school with the Health Fair." Something to treasure.

Training Bible Students in Ministering to Children

about Feb. 23rd, 2010
This week's energy will be focused on doing "Carnivals of Health" in 7 elementary schools in the San Vicente area. Well, we are now down to 6 schools as rainy weather prevented us from traversing 5 miles of muddy, dirt roads to get out to one community. The team is made up of 3 Bible school students, 1 of the angels, 5 people from Oregon, 3 missionaries with Mexican Medical Ministries and myself. With 7 Spanish speakers among us, we should be able to communicate well the health teachings. This year's focuses will include, dental hygiene, nutrition, and healthy drinks. After four 15 minute lessons inside the classrooms, the teaching will move outside where fun and games will reinforce the lessons.

The most exciting part of the week was exposing the three Bible School Students to Children's Ministry. They assisted by taking on parts in the "Good Nutrition Train" skit and hands-on activity. They were rather timid at first, but as they gained confidence they became more comfortable with the children. The Bible Students expressed how all they had learned in Bible School was theory about working with children, but now they were getting real experience and learning effective means of teaching "Little Ones". Their wheels were turning as they began to discuss how to use the train to teach biblical themes. I can't wait to work with them again.

Hats On

I just love travelling from school to school and work camp to work camp blessing people with all the handmade hats that so many of you have made. It's so much FUN to just stop by and offer to cover the heads of little ones during the winter season. And the Hats' Ministry has opened doors into schools around San Vicente to other outreach opportunities. Sometimes, Lynne and Dave Johnson and myself get the privilege of fitting hats to the school children while other times we hand them over to teachers to distribute. Oh, a few weeks back, some of the hats went to people stranded by the floods. See me in the center of this pic? (I'm in a purple sweater) Surrounding me is the kindergarten class in San Vicente after they received their new winter hats. Thanks to all of you who help make this ministry possible.

Lori's Back form San Vicente, God's Moving... 28 Feb

28 Feb Chris in Chula Vista...
OK, Lori just got back from a week in San Vicente, doing health ed in schools in the region... Great reports of good things down there... she will blog soon...

I'm very, very stoked... we spent our day with a newly-formed Latino church here in Chula Vista, deep roots from Mexico (and some old friends).
There have been numerous Latino churches that have blown in half lately here in the region, mainly from old-school leaders trying to hold tightly, control events, keep power within a tight circle of family and friends... bad stuff. So, here in greater San Diego-Tijuana, there have been no less than 4 major Latino churches that have split in the last year... and now there are 8... and a bunch of smaller churches doing the 'splits' as well...

So, WHY is this possibly a good thing?? Well, the old manipulation-control form of church government may be finally dying... RIP, I say! The churches that are emerging are wide-open, flexible, wanting to serve Jesus and people and NOT be all about power and manipulation and control... and growing like crazy... a new thing is taking it's first breaths and coming alive!

God IS doing a new thing... the old things are passing away, behold! New things... cool! your bro, Chris

Here's to these new Latino churches!

Feasibility and frustrations... Chris 21 Feb

21 Feb Chris in Chula Vista
Hey, friends!

Sorry it's taken a week to write this blog report on the Ensenada trip... 'cuz it took a week to process.

Mission healthcare work means alot of 'feasibility' assessment before jumping in and setting things up... going to a site, meeting with the on-the-ground leader and seeing IF some type of healthcare ministry could open up in a church or location, and that it would have the potential to thrive.

First off, the BIG question is if the whole ministry is about a leader who finds people to 'do stuff for him', or is it a decentralized community of believers walking together and sharing life.

More often than not in Latino churches, it's one strong leader at the top of a pyramid.

So, at that point, the feasibility study usually means digging into the ethos of the leader... what are his/her fundamental end-points for what they are doing? Is it to build a big, central 'ministry', or is it to go out and care for the poor and go out and plant churches? Is it to create 'leadership visability', or is it a community serving Jesus together by reaching out to the needy? Is it something a group of people are willing to invest in, or is it just another avenue to create a 'gimme gimme' flow of resources from America to the leader?

So, unfortunately, the Ensenada 'church-based health care ministry' looks like a complete no-go at this point...

Well, Jesus said to carefully study the strength of the foundation before one builds... and avoid building on shifting sand...

Unfortunately, the disappointment hangs for a long time...

your brother, Chris

New Urban Health Missions in US and Mex 10Feb

10 Feb from Chris in Chula Vista CA

Well, dear friends, it's always an adventure serving the Lord in healthcare missions!

Lori returned safe from San Vicente (you've all heard about that!)... meanwhile, I've been 'in the kitchen, cooking up something new'...

Looks like my work in urban healthcare missions for the poor, marginalized and underserved is growing quickly. These last few weeks, I've been doing 'groundwork' for a new arm of healthcare outreach in the southern portion of San Diego known as City Heights, a location where over 88,000 people from 60 ethnic backgrounds compose one of the most depressed socio-economic regions of the State of California.

So between being 'over there' doing site-visits, being in meetings with ministry leaders involved there, meetings with University nursing faculty about a service-learning project there, lecturing at said University, and holding coffee meetings to pull together a coalition around a radical idea... nurse-run health care centers (versus traditional medical clinics)... well, the thing is quickly picking up momentum...

THEN, this weekend I am going to (urban) Ensenada Mexico to meet with a pastor and members of his church to form a Health Committee that will be the jumping point for healthcare outreach to thier church and surrounding colony. This trip will include some 'community assessment' work in finding out the existing health net in the region, as well as training the committee.

So, not one but TWO new urban healthcare mission projects being launched in 2010...

Pray, my friends, as these things come together, that JESUS will be lifted up, the Father's Kingdom will be furthered, the power of the Holy Spirit will be manifest, and many, many, MANY of the poor, disenfranchised and marginalized will be touched with the power of the Gospel being demonstrated to the poor (Luke 5).

your brother, Chris