Lindsay Michelle

This week I spent two days at Centro NOE. This is a wonderful ministry that was started by a small group of missionaries from the states almost sixteen years ago. After hearing about the fruit of NOE and the impact they are making on their community, Loren and I chose to take a trip and visit.

We spent time with the director, sat-in on a few classes, and of course asked lots and lots of questions. Centro NOE is a youth center in Morelia. They offer classes to the community, that are very similar to what we will offer with Impacto Juvenil Centers. In addition, they have a small rec center, basketball teams, workout area, music classes, and even small groups for parents as they wait.

Centro NOE is living proof that building relationships with kids and their families works. They have seen many teens start a relationship with Christ and are making a difference in the lives of hundreds each week. We will be implementing a few additional outreach programs than what they are currently using, and I am SURE we can do the same in Mexico City!

It was a great time to learn, get new ideas, and see how it actually works! Thank you Overcast family for your hospitality!

At the end of last week, I went to see the building that the church I’m working with just bought. The guys had breifly described the amount of work that is yet to be done, but I don’t think their words painted a clear picture. The new building is HUGE and there is a HUGE amount of construction still left to be done.

One thing that has been so incredible to see is how everyone, fifteen year old boys, all the way up to 65 year old grandpas are working together to make this happen. There are some young men who have even temporarily quite their jobs, cut all their spending, and are giving everything they have for the sake of building the church. It’s encouraging, and challenging to see such a self-sacrificing attitude.

After my tour of the church building, I was given a tour of the local neighborhood that surrounds the new church. There are literley thousands and thousands of small low-income housing apartments within walking distance. This area is known by parents that work in the local market, or sell things in the streets, and kids that are left alone if their mother works as well.

My mind drifted quickly to the opportunity to minister the the kids and families in the area. One of my prayers has been that God would lead us to the perfect area to reach the largest amount of people as quickly as possible. As we drove through these apartments, my eyes saw lots of trash, children running, dogs barking, youth leaving school with their back-packs, and moms returning from the market. My heart however, saw these young people coming to the youth center, a door-to-door outreach, a Sidewalk Sunday School program, and even a block party to kick things off!

I’m very excited! There is a lot of work to be done, and this is just one small “colonia” of many here in Mexico City, but praise be to God, we know where we’re going to start!!

We’re still trying to find a building to rent. Honestly, we need a lot more financial support base to be able to sign a lease. Please pray that God would allow us to find the perfect building, and that He would supernaturally provide every “peso” needed to touch these kids lives!

We’re off to a start….starting……just around the block.

  

I posted a few new pictures on myspace a couple days ago, and since then, the questions have poured in…”What in the world does that tattoo mean?”

So, here’s the story behind the tatoo……

Mexico City is on of the most dangerous cities in all of Latin America. It is known for it’s robberies, kidnapping, gang activity, drugs, and prositution. I have been told by many not to go, by others I will be robbed, and of course, thoughts even within my own mind, of “what the heck am I doing”?

All my life, I have struggled with random thoughts of fear. Since I was a child, I was awakened in the night with horrible night mares. I’ve struggled with thoughts like….What if I die? What if someone robs me today? What if someone breaks into my house? What if I have cancer? What if I fail? What if this…? What if that…?

Hebrews 2:15 says, “….Jesus came to free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” When I read this verse a few months ago something clicked in my heart. Jesus came to rid us of a fear of death. If we choose to be afraid of the future, or afraid of sickness, or ultimately death, we make a choice to be slaves to the enemy.

I have made a choice. I will not be held back by fear. I will not believe the lies of the enemy. I will not allow anything to rob me of God’s blessing on my life, nor to keep me from thousands of lives that will be changed by coming to Mexico City.

The Bible says, God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and sound mind!

The tattoo is Psalms 91:5. The actual words written on my wrist are “THOU SHALL NOT BE AFRAID”. It is from the original language the Bible was written in, Hebrew.

Please take a minute for yourself, and read Psalm 91. No matter what happens, no matter what situation we’re in, or what’s happening around us, God is our refuge. As believers we know He is in control, and NOTHING can happen to us outside of God’s will.

For me, my tattoo is a reminder to myself, and a declaration to all, that I am free from fear! Thank you Jesus!!!!

Maybe you need to make a declaration today that you won’t be held back by fear in your life. Try something new, do something different, we have nothing to fear!!!

Well, it’s official, I’m officially a resident of Mexico City!!

As I arrived last Thursday I was greeted by the youth pastor and a volunteer from the church. We loaded up my suitcases, headed toward the van, and as I walked outside of the airport doors the smell of Mexico filled my nose. Unless you’ve been here, you probably can’t understand, but there’s a very specific smell of Mexico City. One that warms my heart and let me know that I had arrived at my new home. It’s a smell of old cars, pollution, fresh bread, and tacos!!

The plan was that I would be staying with a very nice couple from the church, but I had prayed that God would make a way for me to stay with the pastors. What a great surprise!! I arrived and because of a date-change, wound up spending the night with them. Then, the next day, they invited me to stay in the house here for up to six months!! What a blessing. Ricardo and Liz have a beautiful home with three lovely children. My new Mexican family! Isn’t it great to see how God even works out the smallest details when you’re following him?!

I am sharing a room with a lovely young girl from Switzerland. She is 19, and has a passion to serve the Mexican community and learn more Spanish. What a blessing. She will also be living here for six months!

Some of you have asked about my health…well….I guess you can say I got my “welcome to Mexico”. On Sunday I ate some pizza, or an attempt to be pizza, and wound up throwing up all night and very weak the following couple days. Please pray God would give me a Mexican stomach…QUICKLY!!

On a ministry side of things, it will be going a little bit more slowly than expected. The church I’m working with purchased a new building! It’s incredible! However, it was scheduled to be finished in December, and will probably not be done for another month or two. That means all of the volunteers from the church are 100% dedicated to finishing that before starting any new projects.

In the mean time, I’ll be attending a youth conference in another state at the end of the month, and visiting NOE for a week. NOE is a youth center in Morelia, that is has been established for nearly 8 years. It was started by a couple from the States. It will be a great opportunity to learn from peoplethat are already doing what I dream of, and build relationships.

As Matt (NLC) says, “Celebrate the small things!”. So, I’m doing just that. I found the local market, unpacked my bags, purchased some much needed items, am getting to know the young people in the area, and building some great relationships with the pastors!

Most importantly, I need to spend time with Jesus, hear His voice, His heart-beat, and His wisdom for the road ahead. This journey will be a long one, so I believe He’s giving me time to make sure the foundation is strong!

Thanks for your prayers and support!

What a month! December has been CRAZY in all caps! I spent my last month in the states with friends and family.

We had Mexican Dessert Fundraising Fiestas in Clearwater and Fort Myers. It was such a blessing to see how many people came to support me, the vision of Impacto Juvenil, and just let me know you’re there! I know it’s by us all working together that we really are going to raise the money to open up our first Impacto Youth Center!!

Also, thanks to all of you that sent me off! We had a great evening of break-dancing, turkey burgers, ping-pong, and laughs at Ben’s house! You guys are awesome, and I couldn’t have thought of a better way to spend my last night in Fort Myers!

Pictures are worth a thousand words…so check it out! Glad you’re a part of the journey!!!!

PS. Don’t forget to check us out www.impactojuvenilministries.com

What an incredible week! I was given the privilege of hanging out with the staff, interns, and people from HPC for about five days. I was really looking forward to the trip as a time for learning, growing, and networking. It superceded every one of my expectations.

The staff is absolutely incredible. They are all very knowledgeable, hard workers, funny, compassionate, fun to be around, and dedicated to the vision of Pastor Dino and HPC.

One of the things I enjoyed the most was watching people from the church getting involved in impacting people that most are afraid to go to. On Friday evening, a small group of us set out to visit prostitutes, strip clubs, and Hooters girls, to give them a rose and let them know someone cares about them.

On Saturday morning, an entirely different group of people, bombarded the most ghetto neighborhoods with drinks, candy for kids, and flyers letting them know about a free Thanksgiving meal. We were given the opportunity to pray with some of the people.

There were hours everyday that I spent in meetings. This was my opportunity to spend asking many many questions to people are doing now, what I desire to do in Mexico. I met the lady over writing grants, the high school pastors, some interns at HPC, the leader of Children’s Cup, the Spanish campus pastor, and the three amazing women that work with all of the outreaches that HPC does in the community.

Each of these meetings produced great answers to questions, valuable documents, paperwork, and ideas that I was given to take with me.

I was also able to see a HUGE testimony of God’s faithfulness. HPC was just recently given a very large building. It was a personal encouragement to me, to see as I am faithful with little, and simply love His people, He will be faithful to provide everything we need to touch the lives of a hurting world in Latin America.

I love the concept of everything they do, “If you take care of the ones that no one wants, God will give you the ones that everyone wants.” Their purpose and goal is to love the unloveable, the murderers, the theives, the prostitutes, and the homeless. I can only imagine the prize that awaits them in heaven. Love fuels the vision. Love is the reason countless hours, and countless tears, and countless sacrifices are made, every week, for the sake of Baton Rouge knowing hope, and knowing Jesus!

How many angels have they entertained? How about you……?

Thank you Pastor Dino and ALL of HPC for an incredible week! You were all a blessing, and it was an honor to spend time with you. I’m so excited about our continued relationship and working together to impact Latin America!!

This trip has been an amazing one, and things are going great, however, a few things just aren’t working out the way I thought they would.

A few meetings that were scheduled, were canceled due to some last minute trips, one of the dessert nights was called off due to some family events, and a few other small things just aren’t flowing.

So, in the midst of the schedule changing chaos, I had to look into the motives of my heart.  I had two options.   One, I could get disappointed and wonder why things aren’t going the way I expected, or, two, I could see that God has something even better planned, and strap in for the ride. By God’s grace I chose the number two.

It was amazing to see how God has orchestrated every one of our steps. Many times things don’t go the way we want them to go, because God sees how we might be a blessing to someone else, at just the right moment, at just the right place.  He’s the plan changer!

Yesterday afternoon, I spent a long amount of time at the nursing home where my grandmother is living. I was showing her some pictures of missions work in Mexico and one of the nurses came to watch. She began asking some questions, and somehow, that lead into a conversation about God not judging, not choosing us based on our past, and how He loves each of us, and created us with purpose. This young nurse burst into tears as she remembered God’s love for her, and how He can use her.

Then, last night, we had a Chili Dinner at The Hanner’s house. The original plan was to have a fundraiser dessert night for Impacto Juvenil, but God had greater things planned. After some of the people started leaving, I sat down with a sweet young lady. She shared that she had been very sick, loosing sleep for weeks, had a miscarriage, and was struggling with fear. I had the opportunity to share of my own battle with fear, and pray with her and her husband. Her and her husband, looked up, and with tears in their eyes and said thank you.

I did nothing, but share my story, and pray for God’s freedom.  Your story has power.  Your smile has power.  Your listening ear has power.

See, it’s when we take our eyes off of what we need, what we want, and what we’ve planned, and put them on others when God has an opportunity to move.

So, the next time you’re plans get all messed up and things are turning out the way you think, take a look around because God just might be using you to touch someone’s life.

I’ve been traveling for the last week. I’ve seen S. Carolina, N. Carolina, Tennessee, and now Kentucky. The one thing I continue to be astounded by is God’s greatness! In Florida, we have beautiful beaches, but up here they have mountains….and cold weather!

There was time for a little fun on the 4-wheeler, some time for reading, visiting with friends, and time to be still before God, and listen to His voice.

As I glance to the top of these mountains, in all their majesty, I am forced to think of the God that has created them. I think of how He provides for every animal that lives on them, how He makes the leaves turn colors to simply display His creativity, and how He rooted them so deeply in the earth that they might stand high.

God has been speaking to me regarding this…. If He’s big enough to create these majestic mountains, then also big enough to provide for you and I!

He has done just that! This weekend I was able to share at Christian Assembly in Madisonville, KY. Pastor Roy let me share about what we’re doing in Mexico City, took up an offering for Impacto Juvenil, and even encouraged the church to sign up for monthly support! Many members of the church responded, and I am so grateful for their generosity.

God uses many people, all coming together, to make a great impact on the world. He does provide, He does supply, and He is faithful.

The last few days I was given the opportunity to be at Countryside Christian Center’s Missions Conference. It was a four day conference jam packed with blessings!

The pastor of CCC helped us to raise $5000 to pay for the sound system at our Impacto Juvenil Youth Center which we are planning on starting in 2008. Praise God! I know this is just the small beginning of God’s supernatural provision for this vision to reach the youth of Latin America. Thank you to CCC and all the people that were a part of this!

We also set-up a display table to let people know what we’re planning on doing with Impacto. This gave us the chance to put our vision in the hands of many through brochures. I also spoke one on one with many people that were interested in the ministry, giving them more details and contact information.

One of the things I enjoyed the most was the opportunity to converse with men and women that have traveled the world, started Bible schools and clinics, provided food and shelter to thousands, and even have been persecuted for their faith, and yet continued to share the message of Christ.

When you look into the heart of an entire world, many of which have never even heard the name of Jesus, and continue to live without hope, it suddenly makes the “important” things of life not so important at all. I heard one story of a man, that just two weeks ago was kidnapped along with his daughter, and told never to preach the Gospel in this area of Africa again. After much prayer he was released, but will not leave Africa because God told him to go, and he is willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of others. Wow! What a humbling attitude.

There was a wealth of wisdom, knowledge, and anointing represented in other missionaries and the speakers.  God spoke to my heart in many ways.  I gleaned many ideas, mission concepts, and enjoyed God’s presence.

Please pray for God’s voice to be ever clear, and my ears attentive to His very whisper.  We need miracles!!!….and we serve the God of miracles!!

 

After many hours of prayer, much wise counsel, and research, we’ve decided to move to Mexico City!!!

After a day in Mexico City, the answer was easy and obvious. There is something about Mexico City that has absolutely captivated my heart. We left a month ago, saying to the Lord, “Guide us and lead us where YOU desire.” He did just that.

As we walked throught the dark streets, and visited the garbage dumps where people live, I saw great opportunity for God’s reviving power to be displayed! I looked into eyes of desperate young people, children without education, gangsters, and prostitutes, and couldn’t resist the call to share the hope of Christ. This isn’t an area that anyone would WANT to move to, but someone has to, and it might as wel be me!!

It’s dark, it’s dangerous, and it’s ugly, but I am sure that God is going to use the foolish, dirty, ugly, things of Mexico City, to display His might and power.

We are going to be working with Conquistando Fronteras in Mexico City. The pastor there, Alejandro Escobedo, is the president of the local pastors association. The church was founded 13 years ago. These pastors have truly fought to see their city changed. This life-giving church, with hundreds of new converts is fruit of their work and dedication. They Spirit-filled, committed, and have a heart to serve and support Impacto Juvenil.

It is our honor to have such a spiritual covering in Mexico City.

The next four to six months will consist of fundraising. Please join with us, and believe God for a financial miracle, so we can begin work there as soon as possible. We need hundreds of thousands of dollars to be able to start the youth center the beginning of next year! We have a big God, and are believing for BIG miracles!!

I’d also like to thank so many of you that have been praying diligently for wisdom in this big decision. In addition, thanks to those of you that gave financially to make our research trip possible!

The last few days of my trip was amazing! We didn’t have to look very hard to find plenty of need within the city of Neza. On Friday night, we continued our attempt to capture video. As we strolled through the dark streets of Mexico City we saw prostitutes, and lots of them. Some were old, and some were pretty, and some just fourteen and fifteen year old babies, working for their pimp. Drugs and gangsters are just a part of a normal strol down any street at night. The surface looks dark, the city seems ugly, but underneath tough faces, are hearts longing for a touch of love.

We were able to meet with the pastors and youth pastors multiple times. Everytime I had a question for them, they somehow gave me the exact answer I was looking for. Before they even read the five page vision of Impacto Juvenil, they began telling me of the ministries they have dreamed of. As God would have it, they were ALL written as a part of what we want to do.

The people were incredible. There are eight young men that live at a house the church rents. Each of them were assisting us get information on renting property, setting up meetings, and getting other information we need. It was inredible to watch the entire body work together, to make something great happen for Jesus.

The church, Conquistando Fronteras, is well known in the community, has great relationships with other pastors, just puchased a new building, has produced three worship albums, and already has vision of reaching the physical needs of the community. What a blessing they have been!!!

Outside of researching this last weekend, we also had the opportunity for some ministry. There was a team of about 20 young people that hit the Metro (the train), preached, sang, shared testimonies, and prayed with people.

I personally shared with one elderly woman I sat next to. She shared a little of her story, then by the end of the conversation, as tears flowed from her eyes as she accepted Jesus as her savior.

I also shared the Gospel with a young man that confessed to being the “black sheep” of his family. He admitted his drug and alcohol addiction, yet said he didn’t believe in God. His face changed from hard and unbelieving, to soft and qustioning as God moved in his heart. He didn’t accept Christ at that time, but promised to read two chapters of the New Testament, and allowed us to pray for him. He was such a smart kid, but was just driving a bici-taxi to get his day’s drug dose. What potential.

We also went to the Basureros. This is located on the outskirts of the city. There are hundreds of people that have literally build their cardboard homes on top of the garbage. They search for treasures that they can resell everyday in the streets. The town was VERY closed, and almost hostel as we first arrived. We met with the leader of the “town”, and prayed with some people for healing. They welcomed us back upon our return to Mexico City.

I’m saddened to say we were not able to get pictures of as much as we would have liked to for security reasons.

God’s hand of favor and grace was evident in all the relationships we established not only inside the local churches, but with people in the streets. I believe this could be the beginning of a great impact on a city!

Sunday, before we left, the pastor of the church and I met for about twenty minutes. I asked him what his overall view was on the week we spent in Neza, and his desires for the future regarding a relationship with Conquistando Fronteras (the church) and Impacto Juvenil. He quickly let me know we are welcome in the city.

Overall, this trip was a HUGE success! Everything was completely different than what we planned or expected. THAT is the way of God! It was BETTER than what we could have hoped for.

Thank you to all of you that supported this trip in prayer or finances. We could NOT have done this without you!

Next Level Family…I love you!! It’s an honor to be our first missionary sent out. Thanks for your support! I couldn’t ask for a better church home!

Countryside Christian Center, Dick and Sharon, Lane and Becky….. May God bless you greatly!

WOW!! What an emotional rollercoaster I’ve been on the last week. We arrived in Mexico last Friday, so it’s been almost a week since I’ve posted anything.

I literally think I’ve experienced every single feeling available to a human being. I have felt compassion, fear, love, happiness, contentment, faith, tiredness, excitement, and thinking I’m just CRAZY a few times.

Yesterday, however, was a day that marked my heart forever. On our way back from lunch, we were taken to some parts of the city that we’ve never been to. It was quite the eye opener. I’ve heard of “spiritual/demonic” presences being over certain places, but never quite as strongly as we experienced yesterday. We entered one area, where we attempted to take a couple pictures. We were told to lock our doors, roll up the windows, and put away the cameras. We were feasting our eyes on a HUGE piece of land, filled with stolen property, hurting people, drug addicts, ect. I was a little on edge being in that place.

I looked into the people’s eyes to find hurt, anger, and sin. There was such a strong demonic presence, I literally got sick to my stomach. Then, we went to another area, which we found out, is the WORST area in all of Neza (Mexico City). Again, all darkness, hatred, fear, witchcraft, and more. This is the place where the most murders and rapes occur in the whole country. However, in the midst of this, are children, running around without hope, and scared. They of course have learned to adapt, but it’s just not right. It isn’t just that they should be raised in an environment where everyday is a fight for survival, with no hope for any future at all.

We crossed from one street to the next, literally ONE block, and the oppression lifted. When we arrived in the office I sat and talked to a Chelsie and a guy from the church. Tears began to stream down my face, as I felt the need and the call.

I thought, as fearful as I just was…..praying for our safety, and hoping not to get hurt, this is the daily reality of fear for the people in this area. See, no one wants to risk their life to touch these hurting people, yet someone HAS TO, or it will never change. This is what it means to love. REAL love is willing to lay down your life, for the sake of other’s eternal life.

Then, last night at the church service, God broke me. I literally fell on my face and wept for this place. I looked around the church and saw faces, faces that all represent a story. In the same room there were ex-murderers, ex-prostitutes, drug dealers, yet, doctors, lawyers, poor, rich, government officlals…all worshipping the Jesus that has changed their life! Only God can do that!

It took, the pastors here, Alejandro, Norma, and Ricardo, taking a chance, moving to a dangerous city, where everyone else told them not to go. It took them, LOVING people, more than their own life. Every person on their staff has been held at gun point, had a vehicle or money stolen, or has been kidnapped for a short period of time. THEY HAVE PAID THE PRICE. Now, their city is changing.

I pray God will give me the same compassion for people, and same love that He has already showed me, to love His children!

There is a supernatural “click” that has happened in this place. Words can’t really explain.

I’ll fill everyone in on more of the “busines” details withing the next couple days. We have had meeting with the pastors here at Conquistando Fronters, the local pastors association, youth leaders, ect. We’ve been searching for statistics, stories, and video recording.

This COULD be THE place guys!! I’ll let you know soon! Crazy….just a month ago, I didn’t even know this part of Mexico City existed…. ONLY GOD!

Please keep praying for safety here in Mexico City. I’ll be returning to the US on Sunday.

Well, this week was definitely incredible! It seems as if everything that we were waiting for in Parral started rolling.

These past four or five days we were able to see some parts of Parral that we hadn’t seen thus for. In the center of Parral, you see beautiful people, historical buildings, and lots of smiles, however, once out of that one mile radius, there lies a whole different world.

This is an area that doesn’t have much employment which of course, causes much poverty and desperation amongst the people.

We met with the Chief of the Police Department on Tuesday. It was a very valueable time filled with lots of imformation regarding the city. The major problems in this city consist of child abuse, spouse abuse, lack of education, low employment, and drugs. He shared a story of a murder that took place a couple weeks ago. There was a 13 year old boy that had an arguement with two other boys, 18 and 19. When the argument escalated to a fight, the older boys, took out a knife and literally stabbed the boys to death. Wow. What a heart breaking reality of where these kids are being raised.

We asked him what the greatest need for the youth was, he responded, “….they just need something to do….maybe a sports center….youth center…or somewhere they could hang out with other teens.” Interesting.

The pastors here, Enrique and Tita Bremmer are great! We met with them, together and individually, multiple times. They have a heart to reach the parts of their city that other churches aren’t going. They are tremendous leaders and their congregation is fruit of that. Chelsie and I shared the vision with them, asked lots of questions, brain-stormed about the possibility of Impacto Juvenil being here, and talked pros and cons. I do have some concerns regarding this area, but there are a lot of great aspects of beginning the ministry here.

It’s a smaller city than Medellin or Mexico City, however, the need is stil great. I do feel our vision has a more “urban” feel than what Parral is, but this could be a great place to learn, adjust to the culture, and purchase our first property.

The pastors left us with an open invitation to come to Parral. They will assist us with volunteers from their congregation, and support us as needed.

I am trying to keep in mind, this is just the first of many more Impacto Juvenil Centers to come. God’s timing is perfect, and His ways are not our ways!! He will lead our path, HE is the One that put this vision in my heart, and He will lead every step along the way.

Now, we’re off to Mexico City, to a small little city of 3 MILLION PEOPLE……Neza! Please continue to pray for our safety and wisdom. This is one of the more dangerous cities in all of Mexico. I’ll check in soom, and update you all.

Continuing the adventure……….

Hello Everyone!

I’ve been here in Parral for about four days. It has been a great trip so far. We have been able to see so many parts of the city. Yesterday, we were escorted by police men into one of the lower income areas of Parral. It was quite different than what we had seen thus far. First off, the roads were, well, I wouldn’t quite call them roads, more like giant mud slides with rocks, and big holes!! We were greeted by poor people everywhere. Teen smoking on the sides of the roads, children running around with no shoes on, and just a general feel of hopelessness. There is definitely a need for an Impacto Juvenil Youth Center here in Parral, but we’re still not quite sure if this is the spot.

We also went downtown to check out where the “cool youth” hang out. I wound up sharing the gospel with a nineteen year old and his girlfriend. They were so shocked that people that love Jesus, actually wanted to hang with them. I explained how much I loved hip-hop and rock, shared the story of how God changed my ife, and what we wanted to do in Latin America. We definitely won two teens that were quite eager to hear if we were going to be able to move to Parral. They confessed to being weed smokers, and not living a “pure” life. It was sad to see that they had such a poor view of Jesus.

Here in Latin America, the youth associate Jesus with rules, boredom, long skirts, no piercings, and lots of traditions. It’s so sad that the church has messed up kids views. It does, however, continue to confirm everything that Impacto Juvenil is about. We HAVE TO break these misconceptions of the church and followers of Jesus.

On a business side, things definitely seem to move a bit more slowly around here. God’s really been dealing with me about patience. The pastors we were supposed to meeting with here have been really busy tying up loose ends from the Encuentro Conference. We’ve been video recording, talking to the youth of the church, looking at some available property, and have set up some meetings with the Chief of Police and another realtor for Monday. The pastors of the local church, Vida Abundante, are now back in town, and we should meet with them next week.

There really hasn’t been a “WOW, this is it” kind of moment, and for Parral, there may not be. We’ll be praying the next week that God will open doors where they should be open, and shut all doors if this isn’t the place for our first location.

Once again, please keep on praying for wisdom and favor with the people. We’re here to research, but God continues to open doors for us to sew small seeds into the hearts of unbelievers here in Mexico!

What an honor it is to serve Jesus!! He is FAITHFUL!!

 

I’m currently in Mexico City awaiting a flight to Parral, Chihuaha. Chelsie has been there awaiting me for the last week, and I’m so excited to hear about her adventures. Due to some circumstances out of my control, I wound up staying at a hotel last night. I had a feeling this was a “God thing” and not just a coincidence. I felt last night, maybe this was God’s way of giving me some time with Him before beginning the second half of our Mexico journey.

Well, this morning I woke up much earlier than expected. I tossed a bit, tried to go back to sleep, and then felt the Lord beckoning me to spend time with Him. It was one of those “I gotta be with Jesus” kind of moments. I knew He wanted to speak, and Lord knows, right now I have a whole lot of listening to do.

I began to read Ecclesiastes. I got all the way to the end of the book, suddenly this verse popped off the page. Ecc. 11:4 says, “He who watches the wind will not sow, and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.” I read it over and over, and then stopped, and waited for God to speak.

Here I am asking God where we should place the first youth center for Impacto Juvenil. I’ve been balancing everything out, looking at the physical, researching property, and all of this important, but I felt the Lord say, “Lindsay, just for a minute, get your eyes off of everything you SEE, and just allow Me to guide your heart.”

The author of that verse is saying much more to us than just something about planting some seed. Sometimes God asks us to do things that don’t make sense. A good farmer knows to watch for rain, know the seasons of the storms. That’s important. But see, there’s always going to be a cloud, or something, in our life that tells us NO. No, don’t speak to your friend. No, don’t take a chance in that business. No, don’t do this or don’t do that.

We have to take risks!!!

What we see with our eyes, isn’t always reality. I think Ecclesiastes is asking us to get out of our comfort zone, to take a chance, and jump into blindly trust Him. We desire to reap a harvest of souls in Latin America. Maybe you desire to “reap” a harvest of your own. A friend, a neighbor, a new financial blessing, ect.

God’s ways aren’t our ways, His ways are HIGHER than our ways. I believe to experience the fullness of what God has for us, and really impact the world around us, we have to be willing to walk by faith and not by sight.

I pray that today YOU take a step to see with your eyes of faith. I pray you will sew into the life of someone, despite how hard it may be, or how much it may not make sense!