Greetings Everyone
Sorry for the bad humor in the name of my post. It was Clariss's idea. I couldn't comeup with anything.
Well, with this years busy season now behind us I finally seem to have time to clear my mind and think about the up coming year. This season has been interesting to say the least. We have seen miracles, we have had the opportunity to work with so many of you on a personal basis here in the Guaymas region, and we have had the opportunity to be a part of new and exciting things to come for this area. The launch of Children's Camps Int. as well as personal project that I have been working on over the past year and a half or so. So....needless to say we are excited to see what God has in store for us.
Along with all the great things we see God doing with us, there has also been the challenges. These are expected though, it seems the enemy can never just back off for a little while. In the hustle of the busy season some things sure got neglected. We are excited though, we know God continues to affirm us and is continuing to bring restoration to all the places in our lives that need it. God is faithful, He allows challenges in our lives in order to keep our focus on Him. I sure enjoy seeing all the pieces come together! One of the biggest challenges this year for me has been health. I have had a stomach problem since mid February. I have seen 2 different doctors and have undergone blood work and "stuff." I received results back yesterday from all my tests and for the most part everything came back negative, so that is a praise item, but it still leaves us wondering why I still am battling with my stomach? I would venture to say I have lost about 20-30 lb. I have started to eat more regularly so things are looking up for me. Strange things have happened though, I can hardly convince myself to drink coke and only in the last few days have I started to drink coffee again. Maybe that is a good thing.
Soooo, having said that Clarissa and I are going to make a commitment to update this blog more often. We have very exciting news that we hope to announce next week. We are working on launching a project here in Guaymas and are trusting that all of you can be a part of it in one way or another. I can't announce it today, as much as I would like too. BUT I believe that I can announce it next week. There is a meeting happening today and the outcome may directly impact the direction we are going so I hope that you can understand I don't want to get the cart ahead of the donkey. (I think that is the saying???)
Like I mentioned, with the busy season subsiding, we are finding the time to shift priorities a bit. We are working on our family structure. It was long over due to spend some time together. Clarissa is busy home schooling the boys and I am happy to say that it is going really well. Aside from that she has her hands full with our little Leah. I am still looking at ways that Children Camps Int. can work here in our region. We have some meetings regarding this coming up so I ask you to prayerfully consider them. We have seen how children's clubs have greatly impacted children and families here in Guaymas. There is no doubt that CCI has a lot to offer the City of Guaymas. Aside from working on my side project, I am helping out at Maggie's (Agua Y Mas) fairly regularly. Her program runs daily in the afternoons. Today is field trip day, so we will all be loading up our trucks and driving the kids to the beach!!! I should also mention, we have not been involved in the Fatima program for quite awhile. Upon returning to Mexico this year, we really felt that we did all we could do to launch their program. Rafael and Maricella have done a great job managing things and we saw very quickly we were not needed anymore. In fact, so much so that we felt we were almost a burden in Fatima. Only because I am starting to see the importance of the Mexican nationals taking care of their own people. In Fatima, the community was starting to tie white people with money and blessings. Instead of them focusing on God for blessings they started to focus on man. (the community) We felt that our presence only made things more difficult so we decided to take a step back. I am happy to hear that nothing has skipped a beat. The program continues and the lives of the Children continue to be transformed.
We are starting to plan our trip home for this July. We are looking forward to seeing a bunch of you and having the opportunity to share what has been happening in our lives and what we feel God has in store for us in the future. We pray and thank the Lord for all our supporters. We think of you often. Our plan is to arrive in Winkler on July 13. We want to spend the first week catching up with family but plan to fill up our time with all of you. If your interested in a visit lets start booking the days??? I am already starting to book different churches. We are only in Winkler for a month or so and I know that it won't take long to fill up the schedule. :)
Gods richest blessing to all of you and your families. We look forward to hearing from you. Please don't hesitate to send an email or drop us a line and say hi. I listed our Canadian phone number and email address below.
Please pray that God would continue to provide and that He will give us courage and strength as we prepare for the new season. Ohhh, and lots of wisdom. We have big decisions to make.
Brian
Friday, April 26, 2013
It's so HOT down here, and there is no snow.
Greetings Everyone
Sorry for the bad humor in the name of my post. It was Clariss's idea. I couldn't comeup with anything.
Well, with this years busy season now behind us I finally seem to have time to clear my mind and think about the up coming year. This season has been interesting to say the least. We have seen miracles, we have had the opportunity to work with so many of you on a personal basis here in the Guaymas region, and we have had the opportunity to be a part of new and exciting things to come for this area. The launch of Children's Camps Int. as well as personal project that I have been working on over the past year and a half or so. So....needless to say we are excited to see what God has in store for us.
Along with all the great things we see God doing with us, there has also been the challenges. These are expected though, it seems the enemy can never just back off for a little while. In the hustle of the busy season some things sure got neglected. We are excited though, we know God continues to affirm us and is continuing to bring restoration to all the places in our lives that need it. God is faithful, He allows challenges in our lives in order to keep our focus on Him. I sure enjoy seeing all the pieces come together! One of the biggest challenges this year for me has been health. I have had a stomach problem since mid February. I have seen 2 different doctors and have undergone blood work and "stuff." I received results back yesterday from all my tests and for the most part everything came back negative, so that is a praise item, but it still leaves us wondering why I still am battling with my stomach? I would venture to say I have lost about 20-30 lb. I have started to eat more regularly so things are looking up for me. Strange things have happened though, I can hardly convince myself to drink coke and only in the last few days have I started to drink coffee again. Maybe that is a good thing.
Soooo, having said that Clarissa and I are going to make a commitment to update this blog more often. We have very exciting news that we hope to announce next week. We are working on launching a project here in Guaymas and are trusting that all of you can be a part of it in one way or another. I can't announce it today, as much as I would like too. BUT I believe that I can announce it next week. There is a meeting happening today and the outcome may directly impact the direction we are going so I hope that you can understand I don't want to get the cart ahead of the donkey. (I think that is the saying???)
Like I mentioned, with the busy season subsiding, we are finding the time to shift priorities a bit. We are working on our family structure. It was long over due to spend some time together. Clarissa is busy home schooling the boys and I am happy to say that it is going really well. Aside from that she has her hands full with our little Leah. I am still looking at ways that Children Camps Int. can work here in our region. We have some meetings regarding this coming up so I ask you to prayerfully consider them. We have seen how children's clubs have greatly impacted children and families here in Guaymas. There is no doubt that CCI has a lot to offer the City of Guaymas. Aside from working on my side project, I am helping out at Maggie's (Agua Y Mas) fairly regularly. Her program runs daily in the afternoons. Today is field trip day, so we will all be loading up our trucks and driving the kids to the beach!!! I should also mention, we have not been involved in the Fatima program for quite awhile. Upon returning to Mexico this year, we really felt that we did all we could do to launch their program. Rafael and Maricella have done a great job managing things and we saw very quickly we were not needed anymore. In fact, so much so that we felt we were almost a burden in Fatima. Only because I am starting to see the importance of the Mexican nationals taking care of their own people. In Fatima, the community was starting to tie white people with money and blessings. Instead of them focusing on God for blessings they started to focus on man. (the community) We felt that our presence only made things more difficult so we decided to take a step back. I am happy to hear that nothing has skipped a beat. The program continues and the lives of the Children continue to be transformed.
We are starting to plan our trip home for this July. We are looking forward to seeing a bunch of you and having the opportunity to share what has been happening in our lives and what we feel God has in store for us in the future. We pray and thank the Lord for all our supporters. We think of you often. Our plan is to arrive in Winkler on July 13. We want to spend the first week catching up with family but plan to fill up our time with all of you. If your interested in a visit lets start booking the days??? I am already starting to book different churches. We are only in Winkler for a month or so and I know that it won't take long to fill up the schedule. :)
Gods richest blessing to all of you and your families. We look forward to hearing from you. Please don't hesitate to send an email or drop us a line and say hi. I listed our Canadian phone number and email address below.
Please pray that God would continue to provide and that He will give us courage and strength as we prepare for the new season. Ohhh, and lots of wisdom. We have big decisions to make.
Brian
Brian: bckrahn@gmail.com
Clarissa: clarissa_krahn@me.com
Tel: 204-808-5770
Sorry for the bad humor in the name of my post. It was Clariss's idea. I couldn't comeup with anything.
Well, with this years busy season now behind us I finally seem to have time to clear my mind and think about the up coming year. This season has been interesting to say the least. We have seen miracles, we have had the opportunity to work with so many of you on a personal basis here in the Guaymas region, and we have had the opportunity to be a part of new and exciting things to come for this area. The launch of Children's Camps Int. as well as personal project that I have been working on over the past year and a half or so. So....needless to say we are excited to see what God has in store for us.
Along with all the great things we see God doing with us, there has also been the challenges. These are expected though, it seems the enemy can never just back off for a little while. In the hustle of the busy season some things sure got neglected. We are excited though, we know God continues to affirm us and is continuing to bring restoration to all the places in our lives that need it. God is faithful, He allows challenges in our lives in order to keep our focus on Him. I sure enjoy seeing all the pieces come together! One of the biggest challenges this year for me has been health. I have had a stomach problem since mid February. I have seen 2 different doctors and have undergone blood work and "stuff." I received results back yesterday from all my tests and for the most part everything came back negative, so that is a praise item, but it still leaves us wondering why I still am battling with my stomach? I would venture to say I have lost about 20-30 lb. I have started to eat more regularly so things are looking up for me. Strange things have happened though, I can hardly convince myself to drink coke and only in the last few days have I started to drink coffee again. Maybe that is a good thing.
Soooo, having said that Clarissa and I are going to make a commitment to update this blog more often. We have very exciting news that we hope to announce next week. We are working on launching a project here in Guaymas and are trusting that all of you can be a part of it in one way or another. I can't announce it today, as much as I would like too. BUT I believe that I can announce it next week. There is a meeting happening today and the outcome may directly impact the direction we are going so I hope that you can understand I don't want to get the cart ahead of the donkey. (I think that is the saying???)
Like I mentioned, with the busy season subsiding, we are finding the time to shift priorities a bit. We are working on our family structure. It was long over due to spend some time together. Clarissa is busy home schooling the boys and I am happy to say that it is going really well. Aside from that she has her hands full with our little Leah. I am still looking at ways that Children Camps Int. can work here in our region. We have some meetings regarding this coming up so I ask you to prayerfully consider them. We have seen how children's clubs have greatly impacted children and families here in Guaymas. There is no doubt that CCI has a lot to offer the City of Guaymas. Aside from working on my side project, I am helping out at Maggie's (Agua Y Mas) fairly regularly. Her program runs daily in the afternoons. Today is field trip day, so we will all be loading up our trucks and driving the kids to the beach!!! I should also mention, we have not been involved in the Fatima program for quite awhile. Upon returning to Mexico this year, we really felt that we did all we could do to launch their program. Rafael and Maricella have done a great job managing things and we saw very quickly we were not needed anymore. In fact, so much so that we felt we were almost a burden in Fatima. Only because I am starting to see the importance of the Mexican nationals taking care of their own people. In Fatima, the community was starting to tie white people with money and blessings. Instead of them focusing on God for blessings they started to focus on man. (the community) We felt that our presence only made things more difficult so we decided to take a step back. I am happy to hear that nothing has skipped a beat. The program continues and the lives of the Children continue to be transformed.
We are starting to plan our trip home for this July. We are looking forward to seeing a bunch of you and having the opportunity to share what has been happening in our lives and what we feel God has in store for us in the future. We pray and thank the Lord for all our supporters. We think of you often. Our plan is to arrive in Winkler on July 13. We want to spend the first week catching up with family but plan to fill up our time with all of you. If your interested in a visit lets start booking the days??? I am already starting to book different churches. We are only in Winkler for a month or so and I know that it won't take long to fill up the schedule. :)
Gods richest blessing to all of you and your families. We look forward to hearing from you. Please don't hesitate to send an email or drop us a line and say hi. I listed our Canadian phone number and email address below.
Please pray that God would continue to provide and that He will give us courage and strength as we prepare for the new season. Ohhh, and lots of wisdom. We have big decisions to make.
Brian
Brian: bckrahn@gmail.com
Clarissa: clarissa_krahn@me.com
Tel: 204-808-5770
Monday, April 22, 2013
What is Family?
As we spend more time in Mexico, I am realizing that family extends further than I thought. I have grown up with "adopted" grandparents, parents and siblings to an extent. But as we are physically and emotionally away from our families with out realizing it, we are busy emotionally adopting in San Carlos!
As I particapate in the daily program at Agua y mas, I am able to watch him and the other children and watch their hearts shine forth. Cristian is a young man of God. At the age of 16, his heart is solely God's. He is a servant to all those around him. He wants to help, help, help!!! I can see that helping is his way to show that he cares for you. I see this, but I also want him to see that we love him just as much when he sits down and chats (and helps us with our spanish big time!!) as when he is helping with whatever tasks are at hand. As we have grown to love him more and more, he has slowly creeped into our "family". :) He is able to come over some weekends and spend it with us. He is so much fun. He has a huge desire to learn english, and his vocabulary has exploded!! We have to work hard with our spanish to keep up. Having turned 16, here in Mexico you can go in and purchase your drivers license and then you can drive. Brian decided to teach Crisian how to drive so we got him his licence. You don't need to know the rules of the road or have any experience!! (It sure explains a lot of the driving!!) None the less, Brian had asked Cristian not to drive alone until they had practiced. :) A lot. lol Like any boy, he loves to drive. And is doing well.
Cristian is over this weekend as well, and last evening was one of "those" evenings where everything seems to go wrong. Brian and Cristian left to go driving after 8. First they headed to the bank to take out some gas money. The ATM ate the debit card. ??!!! (We use it at the bank all the time!!) After calling the 1 800 number they found out the the card was not returnable and will be destroyed. Alright, Brian has his Visa to fill up gas. He gets to Pemex and asks for them to run the card first before pumping. No go. So they leave to go to another Pemex. On the way they are stopped by the police. (Oh great! That is always an experience in it's self. I recall the time I was flagged down during the day to slow down, because the cattle cross at night. ?!) None the less, they work through it. This was the first time that Cristian was pulled over by the police. He was asked if he had been drinking and Cristian responded with "clearly not, I am a Christian!" They got back on the road and got to Pemex. They are able to fill up, they go in the OXXO to purchase a coffee and K-Freeze. (Like a Ice Capp.) Well the Visa doesn't work at the Oxxo. Oh, I can't forget that there was no cream for the K-Freeze. (Very important. lol) Then at some point the taillights don't work and Brian's ran out of minutes on his cell phone at the same time. Brian is on the side of the road trying to replace the fuse but it kept shorting out. Luckily they found a short in the wiring that was causing the fuses to pop. Now, to try to buy credit for his phone, the 4th store finally accepted his Canadian Credit Card. When they get home, they enter in to find me running around because I forgot to switch off the water tap. So the pool is flooding!!! The sucky things is that the lowest point goes right into our bedroom. Yup. Right now, I am just laughing. lol I look back to yesterday and I ask myself "what was that all about?!!" I really don't think I will ever know. But as I am mopping and mopping. Cristian dives in to help however he can. And in the end he goes up to me and says sorry. Like it was his fault. Even this morning, last night our boys had disobeyed a rule on using the ipad, it got dropped and the screen is cracked. If we take the cover off it will crumble. (still works though). And we had said no more. This morning one disobeyed and took it in his bedroom to play. (Breaking multiple rules.) None the less consequences were handed out. And Cristian again apoligized for their actions. Like he should have made sure they obeyed. I'm glad that I was able to explain how each person is responsible for their own actions.
Thank you all for praying for us, we miss you and are excited to see you soon.
Clarissa
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Break my Heart Lord!
Greetings to all of you back home in sunny Manitoba. We think of you guys all the time, especially after we hear the weather updates. I'm actually starting to feel sorry for you guys!
I have been spending allot of my time lately working for a Christian Ministry in Guaymas called Agua-y-Mas. It is an organization that is registered with social services that takes in battered women and children. I have found myself spending quite a bit of time there helping out.
I want to take the opportunity to talk to you about my experience last week. It was a direct answer to my prayers. Last Tuesday I decided to go for a walk and just spend some time with the Lord. I have had allot of things going on lately and have allot of decisions to make. One thing that has really been on my heart is orphans. While walking the beach I asked the Lord to break my heart for the orphans. I'm surrounded by so many little children that are living in less than ideal circumstances. I think I'm almost becoming desensitized. It's horrible. Well this day turned out to be very interesting.
I walked in the door and all the other little children came running over for their hug and kiss and right behind them was this new little face that I had never seen before. I picked her up and she gave me the biggest hug. I asked her name, found out that she was 2 years old and that DIF (Social Services) had dropped her off the afternoon before. Little Joli was happy to be in my arms so I carried her around as we waited for children's club to begin.
During kids club DIF arrived to do a presentation for the children. I had Yoli on my lap. We were busy chatting and playing. I found it interesting that she became very defensive over me. As other children would come sit beside me or reach out for a hug Yoli would slap their hands away or even haul out and kick them. After awhile she was starting to get impatient so one of the ladies came and took her and brought her outside. Well, it was very clear that is not what she wanted. She started to cry and fight as she was brought out. I sat there a few minutes remembering what I had prayed that morning. "Break my heart Lord!" I decided to go outside to see how Loli was doing to hear that she was very upset. A different lady ran over to me and pulled me by the hand telling me I had to come to where Loli was. As I got near I could hear her crying our for Papa. Surly it wasn't me that she wanted? Was it? Well to my surprise, when I came into view her Papa screams turned into snickers of Papi, Papi. I took her into my arms and she whimpered in my ear crying Papi as I comforted her.
Obviously the time came that I had to go home. It wasn't easy saying good bye but it was just one of things. I had to give her over and walk away, Yoli was okay but tears started to fill her eyes when she realized I wasnt going to be staying there with her. I had to just turn my back and walk away.
I visit Agua-Y-Mas almost daily. Each day the same, little Yoli would come running around the corner calling out for Papi. She got her hug and kiss and than ran off to go play. She would come over every now and then and I would hold her for awhile and then she would run off.
Well this morning was different. As I pulled up to the yard I saw Fabiola and Yoli (photo Above) standing outside. Both in tears. I found out that Yoli's Grandma had been found and that social services were on the way over to pick her up. It was a sad morning over at Agua-y-Mas but we all knew that this was the best thing for her. Poor Fabiola had become quite attached to Yoli and found it most difficult. DIF arrived with the release document, picked her up and off they went. All we can do now for her is pray and trust the Lord for her safety and protection.
Today I found out little Yoli's story. Today I found out that her name is not actually Yoli, her name was Daniela. She was brought to the DIF office by a stranger that had found her alone. DIF had no idea of who she was or even if she was from Guaymas? Today we learned that Yoli has two siblings, both older than her living with her Grandma. Her mom lives with Grandma off and on and is a drug addict. Well last week her mom took Loli up town to pick up some groceries at a near store. She never returned home. We found out that the mom had left Yoli on the street, hopped on a bus and disappeared. The Grandparents are sad because they had no idea what happened. All they knew is they did know where they went. By the grace of God Yoli was reunited with Grandma and Grandpa. I'm so glad that Agua-y-Mas was there to love her for the time she was separated from her family. I am also glad that God answered my prayer on the beach. Who would have thought that very afternoon I had an appointment to meet sweat little Loli!
I have been spending allot of my time lately working for a Christian Ministry in Guaymas called Agua-y-Mas. It is an organization that is registered with social services that takes in battered women and children. I have found myself spending quite a bit of time there helping out.
I want to take the opportunity to talk to you about my experience last week. It was a direct answer to my prayers. Last Tuesday I decided to go for a walk and just spend some time with the Lord. I have had allot of things going on lately and have allot of decisions to make. One thing that has really been on my heart is orphans. While walking the beach I asked the Lord to break my heart for the orphans. I'm surrounded by so many little children that are living in less than ideal circumstances. I think I'm almost becoming desensitized. It's horrible. Well this day turned out to be very interesting.
I would like to introduce you to my little friend Yoli. I met her the afternoon of my walk on the beach. After walking I got cleaned up and spent the afternoon over at Aguy-y-Mas. Little did I know there was a special little girl there waiting for me.
I walked in the door and all the other little children came running over for their hug and kiss and right behind them was this new little face that I had never seen before. I picked her up and she gave me the biggest hug. I asked her name, found out that she was 2 years old and that DIF (Social Services) had dropped her off the afternoon before. Little Joli was happy to be in my arms so I carried her around as we waited for children's club to begin.
Obviously the time came that I had to go home. It wasn't easy saying good bye but it was just one of things. I had to give her over and walk away, Yoli was okay but tears started to fill her eyes when she realized I wasnt going to be staying there with her. I had to just turn my back and walk away.
I visit Agua-Y-Mas almost daily. Each day the same, little Yoli would come running around the corner calling out for Papi. She got her hug and kiss and than ran off to go play. She would come over every now and then and I would hold her for awhile and then she would run off.
Today I found out little Yoli's story. Today I found out that her name is not actually Yoli, her name was Daniela. She was brought to the DIF office by a stranger that had found her alone. DIF had no idea of who she was or even if she was from Guaymas? Today we learned that Yoli has two siblings, both older than her living with her Grandma. Her mom lives with Grandma off and on and is a drug addict. Well last week her mom took Loli up town to pick up some groceries at a near store. She never returned home. We found out that the mom had left Yoli on the street, hopped on a bus and disappeared. The Grandparents are sad because they had no idea what happened. All they knew is they did know where they went. By the grace of God Yoli was reunited with Grandma and Grandpa. I'm so glad that Agua-y-Mas was there to love her for the time she was separated from her family. I am also glad that God answered my prayer on the beach. Who would have thought that very afternoon I had an appointment to meet sweat little Loli!
Monday, January 28, 2013
Buenos Noches
Buenos Noches!
Greeting from Mexico. It has been a long time since I have posted on here. We are involved in so many things and find it so hard to take the time to actually sit down and type out letters. The last few weeks have be crazy busy! It is a difficult balance for me to be in all the places I need to be. I love the work I am involved in here and God has blessed me with great people to work with. On the other hand God has blessed me with a great family that also requires my time and energy. Often I find myself giving the best of me to my work and my family gets the left overs. Its a tough thing for me to balance.
This week has been really great. We have visitors here from Children's Camps. Our Church back home has decided to launch Camps here in our area and as a rep for WMBC I have the privilege to be part of that vision. This week we have seen God begin to form an amazing unity amongst the Pastors in our area. People here are starving for the word, all we have to do is put it in there hands. As in all of our other Evangelical outreaches, it always blows my mind how hungry the people are for Christ. Here, as some of you can attest to, if we give out a tract or a bible people will stop in their tracks and read it right there in front of you. The other day we did a sidewalk outreach and handed out 500+ tracts and do you think that we could find 1 of them laying on the street or in the garbage can at the corner? No not one! At home we could probably go pick up 499 of the 500 afterwards and use them again next time. This week was no different. God is working in Mexico and I believe big things are about to take place.
It has been a privilege for me to get to know and work with my brothers from CCI. Wilf, Henry, John, and Alejandro have been an absolute blessing to me and our area. We have toured them through many different communities and have listened to countless testimonies of people sharing about what Christ has done for them. We have laughed and cried together. The bondage and hopeless situations that God continues to deliver people from blows my mind.
I ask that you please keep our family in your prayers this week. I will be traveling to Cuautamoc with the guys from CCI tomorrow. There we will be meeting with farmers that have the vision of running a harvest for kids fund raiser. Please pray that God's will be done there and that this trip would further His kingdom and that Christ would be honored and Glorified. This trip will expose us to numerous things. First off, a train ride through the Copper Canyon which is apparently the 8th wonder of the world according to Ted Dyck, but is will also expose me to a new culture in Mexico outside of my bubble. This is also the area that my Dad is from. He was born in Cuautamoc and we will actually be passing through the community that he was Born in. I have some family contacts, who knows maybe we will cross paths. It amazes me how small the world is sometimes. While I'm away Clarissa will hold up the fort and take care of the children at home. I know that's not an easy task and so I ask that you especially lift her up in your prayers. I am so thankful for her and the support that she gives me. She is an amazing women, not sure I know too many that would support me the way she does.
I wish you all the best over the next week. Trust you are all keeping well and look forward to updating you on our trip to Cuautamoc.
God Blessings
Brian
Greeting from Mexico. It has been a long time since I have posted on here. We are involved in so many things and find it so hard to take the time to actually sit down and type out letters. The last few weeks have be crazy busy! It is a difficult balance for me to be in all the places I need to be. I love the work I am involved in here and God has blessed me with great people to work with. On the other hand God has blessed me with a great family that also requires my time and energy. Often I find myself giving the best of me to my work and my family gets the left overs. Its a tough thing for me to balance.
This week has been really great. We have visitors here from Children's Camps. Our Church back home has decided to launch Camps here in our area and as a rep for WMBC I have the privilege to be part of that vision. This week we have seen God begin to form an amazing unity amongst the Pastors in our area. People here are starving for the word, all we have to do is put it in there hands. As in all of our other Evangelical outreaches, it always blows my mind how hungry the people are for Christ. Here, as some of you can attest to, if we give out a tract or a bible people will stop in their tracks and read it right there in front of you. The other day we did a sidewalk outreach and handed out 500+ tracts and do you think that we could find 1 of them laying on the street or in the garbage can at the corner? No not one! At home we could probably go pick up 499 of the 500 afterwards and use them again next time. This week was no different. God is working in Mexico and I believe big things are about to take place.
It has been a privilege for me to get to know and work with my brothers from CCI. Wilf, Henry, John, and Alejandro have been an absolute blessing to me and our area. We have toured them through many different communities and have listened to countless testimonies of people sharing about what Christ has done for them. We have laughed and cried together. The bondage and hopeless situations that God continues to deliver people from blows my mind.
I ask that you please keep our family in your prayers this week. I will be traveling to Cuautamoc with the guys from CCI tomorrow. There we will be meeting with farmers that have the vision of running a harvest for kids fund raiser. Please pray that God's will be done there and that this trip would further His kingdom and that Christ would be honored and Glorified. This trip will expose us to numerous things. First off, a train ride through the Copper Canyon which is apparently the 8th wonder of the world according to Ted Dyck, but is will also expose me to a new culture in Mexico outside of my bubble. This is also the area that my Dad is from. He was born in Cuautamoc and we will actually be passing through the community that he was Born in. I have some family contacts, who knows maybe we will cross paths. It amazes me how small the world is sometimes. While I'm away Clarissa will hold up the fort and take care of the children at home. I know that's not an easy task and so I ask that you especially lift her up in your prayers. I am so thankful for her and the support that she gives me. She is an amazing women, not sure I know too many that would support me the way she does.
I wish you all the best over the next week. Trust you are all keeping well and look forward to updating you on our trip to Cuautamoc.
God Blessings
Brian
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Kids, kids everywhere!
The last week has been so good, but also challenging. We all are super excited to have our family/friends along side us for these 10 days. For the mission center this is a new leaf we have turned over. We haven't had such a large group of children, and we are enjoying it. :). My boys fall asleep the minute their head hits the pillow. Lol. But just like everywhere else, there are staff members battling with the flu that seems to be everywhere. Alongside that, tragedy hit Art and Brenda's family which brought them back home to mourn the sudden death of Arts brother-in-law. We are doing well considering that we are under staffed. But then we had another water leak today that seems to suck all the hot water out of the hot water tank! Cold showers are NOT pleasant! So as I am writing this entry, Brian is busy hammering through the boys dorm shower wall and floor trying to find the problem spot. I should maybe include everything else that seemed to go wrong today as well. The new hot water tank that was purchased, turns out to have this huge dent in it, so Brian went up town to purchase another one. And the burgers took forever to cook through! As we are busy trying to fix and fill in where needed, it is such a blessing to hear how God has been touching the heart of the group here. Yesterday night after the American church service, a little girl named Hannah asked Christ to be her Savior. :). Listening to the older children talk about what they have seen at the different out reaches is so worth the stress and craziness lol! Pray for Brian, he has sure filled the leadership role, and even more with our directors going home. The rest that he gets is sufficient, and that he doesn't get sick.
God bless you all!
Clarissa
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God bless you all!
Clarissa
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Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Jesus, Christmas and Coca-Cola
It all started a week ago with Brian and Rob Kehler at a stop in Guaymas. There were squeegie boys doing what they do, and Brian and Rob were brain-storming on what we could do as an outreach on Christmas Day. The thought came " if the squeegie boys can do this, why can't we spread the gospel the same way?" At first the thought was to squeegie. Nope, too much work and there were going to be kids around. How about Coca-Cola? Give a gift (the Coca-cola) and a tract explain the way to salvation. It is the reason for the season. :) This was the agreed upon plan for the Wiebe and Enns family for Christmas Day.
With 500 mini Coca-Cola bottles chilling in a huge cooler and barrel, the gospel was shared. The reactions were really neat. Some were asking how much it was going to cost. Then they found out it was free, and that Jesus also was free. When a man realized why we were there, he asked for prayer. (Prayer also is free!!) Than I was told that my son Cole had prayed over this man. (I am one proud mama!!) For me to see Mason excited about what we were doing, and watching Brian and him working as a team. I am reminded of the opportunities we are given and that we need to make the most of them with our children watching. Making sure that we include them.
We were at a corner where there was a beer store just across the street with two young men. At the end we had 2 cokes left and Juan and Chris walked over and shared the gospel and why we were doing what we were doing. I'm standing on the sidewalk watching this all unfold, praying that their hearts may hear. You can imagine my happiness when I saw them taking off their hats and bowing their heads in prayer!!!
We ended our outreach with prayer over all the people we had encountered and the 5 people who received Christ, with the reminder that everything we do we do for eternity.
With 500 mini Coca-Cola bottles chilling in a huge cooler and barrel, the gospel was shared. The reactions were really neat. Some were asking how much it was going to cost. Then they found out it was free, and that Jesus also was free. When a man realized why we were there, he asked for prayer. (Prayer also is free!!) Than I was told that my son Cole had prayed over this man. (I am one proud mama!!) For me to see Mason excited about what we were doing, and watching Brian and him working as a team. I am reminded of the opportunities we are given and that we need to make the most of them with our children watching. Making sure that we include them.
We were at a corner where there was a beer store just across the street with two young men. At the end we had 2 cokes left and Juan and Chris walked over and shared the gospel and why we were doing what we were doing. I'm standing on the sidewalk watching this all unfold, praying that their hearts may hear. You can imagine my happiness when I saw them taking off their hats and bowing their heads in prayer!!!
We ended our outreach with prayer over all the people we had encountered and the 5 people who received Christ, with the reminder that everything we do we do for eternity.
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