Summer Is Upon Us...

The weather is beautiful down here and summer is almost upon us.  With that, also comes three of the busiest months of the year.  We are working hard, fast and gearing up for another wedding, 3 missions trips, a 3-4 day VBS, church baptism, women’s quarterly dinner and anything else that comes along as well. My step-mom, Jenny, has been down here for a few weeks now.  She came down to help with the two weddings as well as come alongside Kim Vargas, to assist and serve in anyway needed.  Ayantu was ecstatic to finally see “gamma Jenny” after patiently waiting her arrival.

My dad and a small team from our church back home, will be joining her in a few weeks for Jose Nieves and his fiancee, Karen’s wedding on June 22nd.  This is actually the 2nd wedding we have had down here in the past month.  We recently celebrated the matrimony of a young lady named Magaly and her now husband Andres.  Magaly is a wonderful young woman who loves the Lord, her church and the Vargas family.  The Vargas’ actually took her in a number of years ago and she became like another daughter to them.  She recently finished up at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Ensenada Mexico, and now, being married, they will return back to that area to continue serving and working over there.

Waiting for the ceremony to start...

Photo courtesy of Ayantu Faith...using an iphone 5...(new talent?)

 One of the most exciting parts of that special day was that we were able to host the reception at the orphanage.  The only other building in town, big enough for an event like that is the gym, which is usually not accessible.  The Lord worked things out, for us to get the orphanage up and running by the time the wedding came.  Although we still don’t have the main power hooked up yet...we were able to hook up enough lights and run things of the generator.  It was amazing to see the orphanage filled with over 100 people.  I was so proud of all the work that has gone into that facility the past 8 months, and seeing if full of people, children, laughter, worship music, it made me all the more excited for it to be officially opened.

Good looking lights are working...

So, in regards to the orphanage being officially opened, here is an update of what’s going on.  As I’ve been sharing before, 2 main pieces are left..our ‘non-profit’ (civil association OR AC) paperwork, and the government (CFE) giving us the green light to install the power.  The paperwork, process and waiting time has taken months.  However, it does seem like we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  We have signed all the final documents necessary for our AC.  The lawyer’s office has now submitted that to the government for approval, which we should hear back from in the next few weeks.  We have also begun the work with our accountant (who happens to be a christian lady).  She will be handling our taxes and financial records each year.

Signing the final 'AC' paperwork...

The paperwork that CFE (electric company) has told us is necessary for approval to install power, has been completed and signed.  As is the case a lot of time, when we went to notarize those documents a few weeks ago, we were told something else.  Basically, this particular notary place is telling us one way to do it, and a director for CFE is telling us a different way.  This is very frustrating, but an everyday part of life here in Mexico.  The left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.  The lady at the notary place said she would notarize the documents, but there’s a chance we could get denied.  After some prayer and talking, we decided to just go ahead with it...putting NOT our trust in people, but in our Great God.  Yesterday, Cornelius and his sons, who will be installing all the poles and power lines, came out to the property yesterday to measure things and take our paperwork.  He will now submit that to CFE for approval.  Once they approve it (which we trust and are praying they will), the work will take about a week to do!

Our friend Cornelius explaining how things will go down...

 Here are some specific dates and requests, if you would like to join us in praying for them.

• June 18th-25th - Team from SHCC here for wedding
• June 22nd - Nieves and Karen's wedding
• July 1st-4th - VBS @ the orphanage
• July 13th-20th - Missions team from HCF church and Immanuel Christian School
• July 20th-July 28th - My trip to Seattle for sharing and our golf tournament
• July 28th - SHCC annual 'golf tournament' benefiting the House of Blessing
• July 28th-August 6th - SHCC and Cottage Grove missions tream

"Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray.  My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up" (Ps 5:1-3).