July 2015 community wide sewing week

Word spread quickly about the opportunity to make  school backpacks, book bags and pencil cases. A few strategically  placed posters around San Vicente along with personal invites lured 41 different students to participate in the week long sewing course. With upward of 18 learners in a single class, patience was a must for us all even with 10 sewing machines and 6 cutting tables. Morning classes almost seemed like a vacation with an average of 8 students while afternoons were brimming with an average of 15 students daily. I was blessed to have some help teaching the basics to the 17 NEW people. Yes, 17! Many of them had never worked with a sewing machine. There were lots of pre teens and teenagers, including 5 boys, anxious to make bags for their upcoming school year. Many of the seasoned students are willing to step up and assist their neighbor when the room begins to echo "Lorena, Lorena, Lorena". It may be time to rethink how to have smaller classes where more individual attention can be given to each student. Pray for the Lord's wisdom on how to proceed.

New Season, New Projects... and the Blessing of Isaiah 58

New Season, New Projects... and the Blessing of Isaiah 58

Hey! Chris here.
I wanted to pen a quick note that THIS WEEK celebrates entering our 25th year of service in missions!
I can barely remember Lori, Ruth, Hannah and I standing in the Redeemer sanctuary in June of 1991, being commissioned out as missionaries to Mexico...
So, is it time to slow down, take it easy and put the mission thing on 'coast'... NO WAY!

God is breathing some really EXCITING and NEW directions into what HE would like us to begin work on. Yes, the 'development' project in San Vicente will continue... Yes, we will still be involved in health outreach and education to 'the least of these'.... but a number of new and exciting projects are coming... STAY TUNED.

I have been praying fervently for those who are our PARTNERS in ministry... the ones who give $$$ sacrificially, the ones who care for us and our needs, the ones who have come and regularly worked with us... and the Lord had me take another fresh look at Isaiah 58. This has been a foundational chapter in our ministry; as the Lord teaches us what His 'acceptable fast' is [serving the poor], He outlines clear assurances that HE will care for us AS we sacrificially give.

What He showed me is that this passage is speaking to a group of people, not just a few individuals. He encouraged me in that, as our PARTNERS 'spend themselves' as part of this roller-coaster ministry, HE will be their provider and ever-present friend. For those PARTNERS who take part in this mission ministry, check out Isaiah 58 and BE BLESSED!

Here's to the next quarter-century!

Humbled and Surprised (because you never know at the time...)

Chris here.
Meet Pastor Elim

He is a pastor from Tijuana with a large, growing church. Lori and I were in a recent (2015) Baja meeting where Elim shared how, many years ago, he participated in a series of Tijuana-San Diego Promise-Keeper (PK) events that significantly shaped his ministry and poured the spiritual foundation for his church. The leader of this same meeting, Pastor Jose Luis followed Elim to share that he also was drawn into the Promise-Keepers events, and that God spoke very formative words to him way back then. Both pastors were grateful to the Lord for what He did through Promise Keepers. Memories of 1995 came rushing back, when I was asked to serve as facilitator for the Tijuana-San Diego PK events. There was a clear sense that God wanted to do new works of understanding and restoration between American and Mexican Christian leaders, and being one of the few missionary members of the Tijuana Pastors’ Alliance allowed me to liaison between the two groups. Over the next year, I planned PK Tijuana events, secured 100 scholarships, and coordinated Mexican pastors’ attendance in the week-long San Diego 1996 event. Later that same year, I was able to connect 40 more pastors with the massive Los Angeles conference. Needless to say, those two years were filled with a great deal of work to ‘make it all happen’. We know the Lord led us to take up the PK project as part of our eclectic mission-service, but at the time, we had no clear idea what HE wanted to plant and water in the soil of these pastors’ lives. Now, I am humbled and surprised at what God did, and the role HE allowed us to play in His Kingdom. What a blessing to hear the long-term fruit recounted by Elim and Jose Luis nearly 20 years later. Humbled, surprised and blessed am I.

Hat Evangelism

Meet Hilda, she knows how to make the most of the hand-made hats we've been giving out in Mexico this year. She took the challenge given during the Sunday evening service at the church in San Vicente, Pray about who of your neighbors, friends, or family you could bless this week with a hat on “Kings’ Day”, Jan 6^th. This day celebrates the Wise Men visiting baby Jesus and presenting him with their precious gifts. It’s the perfect time to give a little something. While giving the hat they were encouraged to invite the receiver to a special evangelistic service on the upcoming Saturday. One could see the wheels turning as church members carefully choose from the over 200 hats for very specific people, looking for just the right size, color and style. Often, expressing with glee, “this one is for ….. Hilda, who just got married and moved into her new neighborhood the month before and was ready to share God’s love. She took enough hats for the family next door.

On Tuesday, she arrived at our house all excited. Hilda explained how she visited the neighbors and told them how much God cared for them and she was delivering a special little gift from Him. The three little girls in the family were gleeful as they told her none of them had a warm hat. The Mom was curious about where the hats came from and Hilda told her that God knew of their need and was providing for them and invited them to the Saturday service. Mom expressed sadness that they had other plans, but would Hilda please come and teach them about Jesus. Hilda then asked me, “How do I teach them? What materials can I use?” “Please feel free to take whatever out of this box that would be helpful.” She, choose some Bibles and educational materials.

On Wednesday, Hilda told me how the hat challenge was just the nudge she needed to get the courage to share the “Good News” with her neighbor. What a wonderful bridge the hats were. I suggested she share during the evening church service about how she had used the hats and the fruit that was already coming from them. Well, that resulted in another 125 hats being picked out. Mind you, nobody was able to pick out a hat for themselves or their immediate family. These were specific for blessing others who did not know Christ yet. Even kids and youth swung by the hat table to make choices for their named person. Hilda was thrilled when I was able to present her with an illustrated children’s Bible as well as evangelistic coloring books that I designed over a decade ago. She lost no time in making the most of them.

Saturday morning an excited Hilda ran up to me to tell me how Friday night she had led her neighbor to the Lord. Yeah! Later in the day, Hilda introduced me to her neighbor and family who had changed plans to be able to be at the Evangelistic service. The three girls were proudly wearing their new hats.

During the next few days, other church members expressed gratitude for the “Hat Give Away” and how several of their receivers did come to the special service. So far there are at least three new families in the Kingdom as a direct result of that week’s outreach. Praise God. Thanks to all my hat makers.

Mexi-Gringo Cris... y trabajo de cemento

Chris here,
I just wanted this on-line.
In my personal journey of 'incarnational ministry', I have worked hard to 'grab ahold' of skills that meld me into Latino-Mexican culture.
One skill that I was told a long time ago that I needed to acquire is how to work well with concrete... hand-mixed, shovel in hand, trowel and all. I was told by many of my culture-informants that 'to be a good Mexican man, you need to know concrete...'
It IS true that, IN Mexico, people do things with concrete that is almost magical... and when they build it in concrete, it STAYS for a long, long time. This is not 'racial profiling', it's sincerely a high compliment...
So, here's the pics... me and concrete repair of a wall, and pouring a security mount...

Soy Mexi-gringo oficial
Cris

Community Talk: Ebola in Mexico 2014: The Fear, The Reality and the Opportunity...

Chris here,

Wearing my Zambian-made dress-shirt (yeah, 2009, I was there!) I gave a community-health + public health + Bible-based talk in San Vicente last week. About 75+ adults came out for the well-advertised 1-hour talk by 'Hermano Cris'...  with over 30 minutes of post-Q&A.
The talk came together well...
<>had super-up-to-date info on the REALITY of any Ebola problem in Mexico (like not a problem)...
<>shot down all the mis-information going around about Ebola...
<>outlined the REAL epidemic problem in Mexico... INFLUENZA... and gave solid info on protection against 'la gripa'...
It was a really great time for me...
<>the entire slide-set was written in Spanish, and the entire talk was given strait-up Spanish... language skills >95% all cylinders... yeah!
<>everyone in the room clearly grabbed ahold of what was presented... many sighs of relief... truth setting people free...
<>I connected on the important 'God's perspective' point... "Fear not! I am with you, says Jesus!"
I am grateful for the forward-thinking church leadership in Pastor Jose Luis, his wife Marta and the elders who all encouraged the meeting to happen. I know the congregation and visitors were well-informed and encouraged that night!

Next teaching hurdle: finish writing the Worship book, and teach it in Spanish...

thanks for standing with us for 23 years of Mexico ministry, y'all!
Chris

Praying for the Ebola Crisis

What can we do about the Ebola crisis..PRAY

By Lori Bajkiewicz

We pray for the most affected nations, Sierra Leon, Liberia, and Guinea.

We pray for provision of resources to fight Ebola.

We pray for leaders to have wisdom on how to administer the resources that are available.

We pray for the churches to be a light during this time of such darkness. Give them ideas how to minister and the capacity to console many.

We pray for the missionaries that are serving. Guard their health and give them many opportunities to share the Gospel.

We pray for the Christians to be vehicles of Your grace and ready to share Your love and Your salvation.

We pray for the health workers. Give the doctors and nurses supernatural energy and protect their health against Ebola.

We pray for the children who have been left orphans because of Ebola.

We pray for peace in place of fear and hope in place of discouragement.

We pray for those who are searching for new treatments for Ebola.

We pray for a reduction in the transmission of Ebola.

We pray for the scientists to discover new ways to fight Ebola.

We pray for the volunteers who are serving during this crisis.