Two Rooms for Ignacio "Nacho", Erika and Family

My favorite project so far is this one!

I was approached by one of our Mexican missionaries who told me he knows of a family where 5 people are living in two tiny rooms.  The kids of this family go to his youth group.  He also told me that the family had reverted back to the Catholic faith about a year ago...really good people just in need of some help.  And they weren't asking, to his credit, our Mexican missionary Juan was just looking for someone to help if he could.  

When I visited the house I saw how cramped living was.  They were using her sister's kitchen in the house next door.  The 3 children were sleeping in one room that was about 10' x 12' and the parents had another room about the same size.  There was a bathroom attached, but that was it.  

I am a little upset because I cannot show you all the pictures.  Our computer got a virus and infected the memory card and I lost many pictures.  I am able to show you these though....

We laid the block walls in the back and started building the roof.

There was another space to the side where I decided to build the second room.  It was narrow and long, but still really usable.  They have set up their kitchen in this room now. 

When the roof was completed we started putting stucco on the walls to finish them.

The weekend we finished this project, all three of the children received their first communion!  We were invited over to celebrate with them.  They had a meal and it was cooked in their new kitchen.  

As we were talking to them, they told us other stories that really moved us and confirmed the work we are doing here.  Her grandmother lives next door to this house.  She told us that a few years ago she petitioned the government for help with building a room.  They agreed to build a room, but asked if she wanted it for her or her grandma.  She told them, "my grandma first."  So while they continued to pay rent, the government build a room for her grandma.  After this room was completed they saved money and built another room of adobe attached to this so her grandma could have two rooms.  After all this they bought a baby pig, grew him, and sold him to pay for the two rooms they were living in.  The government helped them with the roof on these rooms.  She then said that she walked out back where she desired to have more space and started praying to God to help her.  This was about 4 months ago.  She started to buy a few materials, cement, block, adobe...  Little by little she was going to save for another room.  This is when we showed up and finished the job.  We bought what materials were lacking and now the family has a decent amount of space. 

I was informed, that here in Mexico there is a problem.  When families live really tight like this family was, the children start to look for ways out; at a very young age.  I was told of an example of one family whose 14 year old daughter moved in with her boyfriend so she could have more space.  Now, more and more I realize how many people get married here very young, (younger than permitted by the Church, and thus they just don't get married in the Church) and am starting to understand better why they get married this young.  This is just one reason, but one that can be relieved with some help!

Please pray about supporting our work here.  There are many more projects to go, and we are very short on funds!  

Thank You Lord for allowing me to play such a part in you plan for this place!

God Bless you all!

P.S.  I want to post a picture of the family in their new house when I get my camera and computer back to normal!

Dive into God's word!

I wanted to write some about how my life has been changed ever since I have been a missionary and since I have really been diving into God's word every day.  The glory story for me this week is that I finished reading the entire bible!  I have tried on more than one occasion since high school to work my way through the bible, starting in Genesis and ending in Revelation.  Any of those times I don't think I made it past Exodus.  I have learned since what is required to make it through:  1) Desire 2) Motivation 3) Method.

1) Desire: I think most God fearing Christians have it in their mind they would like to read the entire bible.  If not this...then to at least read it more.  This desire comes from the Holy Spirit.  If this is the method that God has chosen to speak to us through...then of course He want's us to have the desire to dive in.  The thing I have found that I didn't necessarily expect is that the more you dive into scripture the more you want to dive into scripture.  It accomplishes the task it is set out to do....change our hearts and conform them to Christ.

2)  Motivation:  This is the real hard part.  Everything in life that is worth doing is hard.  The motivation I have found to consistently read the bible every day has come again from somewhere I didn't expect.  It has come from really trying to live out my evangelistic calling (which we all have by the way).  When you start to go out and teach and preach about Jesus you realize real quick how inadequate you are.  Flying solo isn't just not effective it will wear you out and you will give up real quick.  The more you live the call of Christ to "make disciples of all nations" to more you realize you own sinfulness, the ugliness of sin, and the constant need for redemption in our lives.  I have found peace in reading God's word everyday that I can't find elsewhere.  Understanding for particular situations that are otherwise so hard to understand.  And compassion for the people around me...my family, my friends, my community.  This is now why I fight to read the bible everyday.  Without it I am lost.  My motivation is now to sit in the presence of God and listen to what He has to say to me each day.  What more motivation do we need?

3)  Mr. Frank, founder of Family Missions Company, taught me a way to read the bible that breaks it down into much smaller sections and allows the Holy Spirit to move you around the bible and teach you certain things that He has preordained you to learn.  He taught me to break the bible into about 5-6 larger sections.  I have one marker for the 4 Gospels,  everyday I read a small part from the Gospels, only one or two sections.  From there I broke the rest of the bible into other subsections.  1) Genesis - Deuteronomy 2) Joshua - Judith 3) Job - Sirach 4) Isaiah - 2 Maccabees 5) Acts of the Apostles - Revelation.   After the bible is divided into sections like this you can ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to which section He wants you to read.  When you get there read from the first chapter available on the first page to the until you reach the first chapter after you turn the pages.  So it is about 2 pages in total.  I read two sections a day most days (about 4 pages a day).  This method really helps you get through the tougher books like Leviticus and Numbers.  "Poco a Poco" as they say in Spanish (Little by Little).

Since I've attempted to read the whole Bible, the Word of God has helped me become so alive in my faith, even the readings at Mass every Sunday have so much more meaning for my life. There is so much more adventure, wisdom, and history in it than I ever thought and I thoroughly enjoyed this experience.  I want to encourage each of you to seriously consider reading the Bible more faithfully every day.  It would be great if we could always listen to God's word as readily as Eliza does when Madi is telling her an exciting story!

Holy Week!

Holy Week was amazing im Mexico!  It started with Mass on Thursday night much like is done in the states, then on Good Friday there is a whole series of activities.  The live way of the cross (via cruces) started at 10 in the morning.  At 3:00 there was a meditation on the seven last words of Jesus, then at 5:00 was the veneration of the cross followed by a 2 processions to honor Jesus and Mary.  

Here are some photos of the Via Cruces:

   

Jesus is condemned and takes up His cross

The high priest

Jesus Meets His Mother

Jesus Falls

They picked Eric and I for roman soldiers

It's unfortunate my head is bigger than most every Mexican!

It was pretty surreal to walk past Judas hanging from this truck.

and to be one of the soldiers lifting Jesus up on the cross!

For a town of 5000 so many people came!

There were many visitors!

 
Easter was a day of beautiful weather and a nice day of rest given to us by our Lord!

We had an Easter egg hunt!

Eliza sure loves her candy!

It is such a blessing for us to be able to experience all the different ways people celebrate the feasts!  Really walking the way of the cross gave me such a unique perspective on the events surrounding Jesus' death.  

Thank you Lord for calling us to this life!  Alleluya, Alleluya, He is Risen!

God Bless You All!