Let the work begin...

“Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening” (Psalm 104:23). We are officially off and running with this massive building project.  The land has been purchased, the plans are finished and the work has begun.  As many of you were praying, our desire has been to hire locals to help build the orphanage. We feel this is the best way for two reasons.  First of all, it enables the building to continue and not rely on only American teams coming down. Second...which is the most exciting part, is to bless men with jobs.  Work is incredibly scarce down here.  The apple season was horrible and the majority of people have been with out work for months.  Many do anything and everything they can just to buy food to survive.  Someone who has a decent job makes about 150 pesos a day (12 USD).  I still can’t believe that.  How in the world can you survive off of 12 dollars A DAY?  This is usually just enough for some food and maybe propane to cook with.  We prayed on what would be a good wage to pay the workers and Luis said 200 pesos (15 USD) for laborers and 250 pesos (19 USD) for block layers.

Pastor Luis and Nieves put the word out that we were looking for workers and invited them to a meeting last night after church.  Seven brothers showed up...eager to hear what’s going on..some of them believers, some non-believers.  Pastor Luis shared his heart and desire for his fellow Bachinivites and then I was able to share the overall vision for the Orphanage and project.  As I sat back and observed my heart raced with excitement.  All these years we have brought down teams to do the bulk of building projects...but now...these brothers are going to play a huge role in one of the biggest projects we have done yet.  They love the thought of joining those from the states to accomplish this orphanage building.

By the end of the meeting all of these brothers were anxious, excited and eager to get started.  By the looks on their faces and questions they were asking, I realized that they weren’t just here for the money, but also, they loved the thought of being apart of something that helps others in need.  This amazed me because most of them are in need themselves.  Brothers who are in need helping children who are in need...wow that is the heart of the Lord!  After explaining the rules, requirements AND most importantly that this whole project is to honor and glorify the Lord, all seven of them quickly raised their hands to start working.

Our work day will start at 7:30 AM with 20-30 minutes of prayer and a little devotional.  There was no hesitation from the men when we shared that this was a requirement.  We will work 8-9 hour days throughout the week and then a 4 hour day on Saturday.  On saturday to seal our work week, we’ll provide a big lunch and cokes for the brothers to break bread together and thank the Lord for all that was accomplished that week

Please pray for these men...Carlos, Chayo, Eloy, Alejo, Jorge, Lico and Florentino.  Pray for those who don’t know the Lord, that their hearts will be softened and they would come to know Jesus is the WAY, TRUTH and LIFE.  Pray for safety during the work day.  Also, please pray that those who struggle with alcohol will be able to stay sober and know that Jesus can give them victory over their addictions.  It is going to be so exciting to watch what the Lord does in the lives of these men and the project over the next 6-8 weeks.

I will be posting pictures throughout the process to give you a glance at all tha God does!

Thank you Jesus...You are an amazing God!

The Lord Fulfills Your Petitions...

As I was reading and meditating on Psalm 20 this morning, this verse stood out to me... "...may the Lord fulfill ALL your petitions" (Psalm 20:5)

We serve a God who not only HEARS our prayers...RECEIVES our prayers, but also ANSWERS our prayers.  Knowing that so many of you are praying daily for us, Casa de Bendicion and the ministry down here...blesses our hearts dearly.

Here are some things going on this week that we would love your specific prayers...

• That the rest of the land paperwork and processing will go smoothly and fast

• Now that the land is ours, we have begun talking to men that we can hire for the building project.  Our desire is to support locals from Bachiniva who are out of work and in need.  Some of them are not believers, and yet, each morning before we start working, we will have a time of prayer and little bible study...pray the Lord leads us to the right men to hire and that above and beyond working and making money...that their hearts and lives will be changed

• There are a number of people back home in the states who are praying about coming down in October on the construction team.  Their desire is to come, but they want to know the Lords desire.  Let’s pray that He will reveal that to them

• Please pray for the safety of all the families here in Bachiniva.  The drug cartel continues to run things and a lot of people are scared.  However, we know that God is greater and bigger and pray that those who live here will walk in that same truth.

• Our trip to Creel is coming up next week...where we will be going to share news and meet the orphans.  Please pray that the children and current workers will receive that which God is doing, with open hearts.  We have been praying that the Lord will prepare the hearts of the children for a smooth and blessed transition.  Please pray for Ray Wilson (director of Black Buffalo Global Ministries) and the current orphanage...that he will have the wisdom and discernment in sharing the change with the children.

• Jackie, Ayantu and I are adjusting well down here, however with the language barrier and a whole different lifestyle, we miss our church and fellowship with brothers and sisters.  Please pray that the Lord will bring some brothers and sisters (other than the Vargas family) that we can have fellowship with!

 Praising God for....

• electricity...hot showers...a washing machine...purified water...brooms and mops (Jackie)...that Ayantu is laughing, eating and playing more than ever before...His mercies that are new every morning...family and friends who support us...God’s faithful protection and watching over us...His Word, which greatly encourages our heart everyday!

The God Who Does Wonders!

“I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old.  I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.  Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God?  You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. Psalm 77:11-14. My sister sent me this verse yesterday in an email.  It was incredibly timely as we continue to watch the Lord do WONDERS in our midst regarding the orphanage.  The Lord brought us the opportunity to inquire on a piece of land that we thought was 25 acres.  After multiple trips to Cualtemoc, meetings with lawyers and other officials, God gave us the land as of yesterday afternoon...not just 25 acres but 39 acres.  As we walked out of the lawyers office I was a little dumbfounded trying to grasp what just happened.  That seems to be a reoccurring thing, which I am thankful for.  It seems that if you can’t explain it...or it doesn’t make sense...then it must be from the Lord.  And that is exactly what continues to take place as the the Lord does wonders.  I know many of you were praying for us specifically for the land the past few days and I thank you so much for that.  How good to know those prayers were answered!

Another one of those “wonders” came in the form of down-comforters.  The Vargas’ son-in-law, Ricky, works for the Hilton Hotel in New Mexico.  They informed us that occasionally the hotel donates items that are old or no longer needed.  One of those items are down-comforters for their beds.  If there is a spot or a little something wrong with it, they replace them with new ones. I wrote a letter informing them about the orphanage and asked to be considered if they do indeed give some away.  We got a phone call a few days ago saying 6 boxes full of down-comforters have been donated to the orphanage...and possibly more to come.  They are replacing all of the beds with new ones in January...and may have more for us.  Isn’t that amazing...that God would be mindful of these precious lambs to give them not just blankets, but down-comforters to keep them warm? “Who is so great a God as our God?