Tuesday, September 23, 2008

What's Up?

Shock seeped from their eyes as we walked into the hidden retirement home in an small colonia. Maybe a little disgust or pity, even apathy. But as this group of teenagers mopped the floors, wiped noses, cleaned away cat urine, and held wrinkled hands, I saw something different begin to burn: compassion. A few hours later, at a last minute opportunity to help out, these kids gave $195 to the retirement home in less than 5 minutes. Even more encouraging were the stories they told in the van on the way back to the YWAM base. Lives changed. Mission Adventures is officially over for this summer, but the effect it had on hundreds of lives is just beginning.

Like the base, I am entering a new season. After a lot of prayer and thought, I have decided to stay at the Tijuana base instead of moving to Ensenada this fall as originally planned. My passion is to bring hope, freedom, and empowerment to young people's hearts and to those in poverty through truth and relationship-based discipleship and through meeting basic physical needs. Currently, I am staffing the DTS in Tijuana, discipling and forming relationships with the students, being the kitchen liaison, and doing some of the administrative work. I'm excited to see God get real with people this fall, and to go on outreach with the team in December!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

My Life

A sum up of my life at the moment:
15 students
3 Countries
5 nights in my own bed in 3 weeks
2 conferences
1 house build
10 hours in the office per day
2 days until DTS starts
17 web calendars
9 hours of meetings in 2 days
5 months of DTS
$3,000 for students without money in 2 weeks!
2 new staff members this week!
1 Mexican Independence Day!
21st birthday a couple weeks ago
1 BIG GOD!!!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

The Rose

Smothered in a rough, oversized coat, she sits against the short wall bordering the business sidewalks. My friend points her out, saying he wants to give her the rest of his ice cream. The gratefulness in her eyes at receiving such a gift invites us to stay awhile and talk. Her name is Rosa. Originally she's from Mexico City, and that's where her family is now. Years ago, she hosted Bible studies in her home in the States and handed out Bibles a few blocks away on Revolution Avenue, where all the tourists come to drink and party. When we tell her that we're Christians too, she opens even more. She has no one in Tijuana and no contact with her kids. She's been living on the streets for 4 years now, but she doesn't act desperate or beg for anything. Instead, she tells us stories of how God has provided for her unexpectedly. She tells people about God's Word at every opportunity. When we ask her what we can pray for her, she says she wants a home, a job, and some new clothes, but right now she'd be happy with a cart to put her bags in so she didn't have to carry them all day. As I listen to her story, I can feel my heart breaking. Why is it so easy to assume people struggling with poverty are so different than me? If I had met Rosa at a church somewhere, I would have been inspired and challenged by her passion for seeing people saved. Tonight, sitting cross legged on a sidewalk in downtown Tijuana, I am awed and convicted. By now, it's almost midnight and we need to reconnect with our friends. With all the stores closed for hours, there's nothing we can do for her but give her some money and pray with her, that is after she tells us about a big prayer gathering that one of the churches is putting on in a month. Soon after we meet back up with our the rest of our friends, one of them has compassion on a little girl selling roses. Not really wanting the rose, she gives it to Rocky. Half an hour later, as we're walking back to the van, we see Rosa moving in the dark down the block. Rocky and I have the same thought at about the same time. As our friends climbed in, we run to say good bye and to give Rosa a gift one of God's faithful princesses deserves: a delicate red rose.