Most of you have heard "don't drink the water in Mexico". The reason is that the water comes from water sources that are not treated, purified or filtered and many people can be very sensitive to it. In general, everyone here has adapted to it and we add micro-derm to what we drink to help kill some of the unseen bacteria. However, there are occasions when water is delivered and you will notice an odd smell or taste and many have reactions to it.
We had a filter system in the kitchen for drinking and cooking with but it mostly prevented physical particles from going through. With health in mind, Pan de Vida made a water system a priority and we received a huge blessing of a more sophisticated system that will deal with bacteria that can't be seen. New pipes were installed from the cistern that will fill a water tank that is in the kitchen and then that water will go through professionally installed filtration. We are very thankful to now have more purified water for consumption!
The Pan de Vida youth group celebrated 3 years in ministry this past weekend. The theme was "Masterpiece", with the focus on how God has been working in their lives to create a wonderful piece of art. In preparation, the youth were divided into teams of 3 to draw their own masterpiece. As an incentive to be very creative, they were told the pieces would be judged and a prize would be given for the winner. This stirred them to really reflect and focus on making a blank piece of cardboard into a beautiful testimony that others will see. It was very interesting to see all the different approaches each group made but still resulted in true masterpieces.
The night of the celebration, a local pizza business donated all the ingredients for the youth to make their meal. The youth then had a banquet feast of pizzas and pasta salad. Afterwards there were games that involved quizzing on the messages and scriptures that they have been learning through the meetings and outreaches they have been having. They were then given an opportunity to share testimonies and do skits, dramas, worship music and other games in praise to how God has used the youth group to work in their spiritual growth and personal relationship with Jesus.
Kike then gave a message based on the theme Masterpiece. Then they each received a photo album to remind them of how much God has done in their lives through the ministry of the youth group. It was definitely an evening of celebration and motivation for the kids to continue to persevere and work hard on following God and seeking His plan in their lives.
Last week the Children of Hope staff from Canada came to Mexico and hosted a retreat for all the volunteers of Pan de Vida and Dulce Refugio Orphanages. This year our guest speaker was Pastor Tim Klassen of Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Pastor Tim started the sessions with scripture from 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 stating that we are encouraged and equipped to walk with God. He then gave us short and to the point questions asking How close are we to God, why and what are we going to do it about it? This caused us all to look deep within ourselves and where we are in our journey.
We then moved into 4 disciplines on how to improve our relationship with God. Discipline #1 is turning our affection from other things and learning to preach the gospel to ourselves. He went on to ask us Idol indicating questions. It is scary how much more time we can put on other things that really are not important in the grand realm of things. We need to really believe God's love for us and His sacrifice to come and fully restore us through with the presence of His Holy Spirit and a personal relationship with Him.
Discipline #2 was about Cultivating Humility. We need to acknowledge our need for God, express gratitude, be active in the Word and prayer. We also need to examine our relationships, cast our cares upon Jesus, reflect on our days and always rest. This helps us become consistent in our behavior and receive the positive affirmation of God's Love.
Discipline #3 focused on rest. We can get so busy doing and often it can be in service to Jesus but then we never take time for Him. We must rest in Him. The Discipline #4 focused on Prayer and the way we show our dependence on God.
During these sessions Pastor Tim gave us time to have personal reflection in our current relationship with Jesus and really evaluate the questions we had been asked. We also prayed corporately and he emphasized on the need for us to always pray personally with Jesus. I cannot express how much all of these sessions over the 3 days refreshed us and confronted us with our need to have more of Jesus in our lives and to feel his presence within us.
I am thankful that Children of Hope provided us with this ministry to come together and encourage one another through intimacy with Jesus and fellowship with one another. Now the hard part begins with putting the disciplines into action. We were reminded that we will only get out of a relationship what we are willing to put into it. So if we take time away from the unnecessary things that can only distract us and shift it to focusing on Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross, we will feel His Holy Spirit and know He truly loves us!!
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
The end of October marks the time when many countries have traditions of celebrating Halloween. Here in Mexico it is a 3 day holiday called Día de los Muertes/Day of the Dead. History has it that Halloween is a time to celebrate the harvest season but also it is where the boundaries of the living and dead worlds overlap. Often the dead will send spirits back to cause havoc. In doing this, many people would dress in costume to mimic or appease them. Over the years, Halloween has evolved to now being more about people dressing in costume, especially kids, who then go trick or treating. However, as much as it is cute to see kids all dressed up, there is still something very real and serious about provoking spirits.
Here in Mexico, the Day of the Dead is not about kids trick or treating. I will briefly describe it but if you are a real history buff, you can google and get the in depth version.
For the Mexicans, what the day represents, is taken very seriously. The people continue to follow this pagan ritual and build shrines to commemorate the day. The people then visit these shrines to pray for the dead to come back so they can communicate with them. Often the shrines will be built out of the cempasuchitl flower, also known as the flower of the twenty petals or the flower of the dead. The shrines will be decorated with pictures, clothing, music, and other favorite items of the loved one. Many of the altars will always include favorite foods of the loved one so the dead can enjoy the aroma, tissue paper that represents wind, water in a container to quench the thirst of the spirit from it's long journey and a candle that will be lit for each soul.
Many people will dress as skeletons to embrace the celebration and show that it is not a time of mourning but a time of unity. I have some pictures to give you an idea of how serious the people are about this tradition and how misled they are about the spirit world. We as Christians know that the one and only spirit that we need is the Holy Spirit of our Saviour Jesus Christ. He is the truth, the life and the way!!
Recently the Pan de Vida Youth Group, The Levi, did an outreach following a conference about Compassion. Guest Pastor, Miguel Carrozco, came to Pan de Vida and talked to the youth about showing compassion in times of suffering. Discussing how Jesus, in the midst of his own suffering on the cross, was still very compassionate to others. Therefore, we too, in our own suffering can care for others who hurt thus taking the focus off ourselves and pouring in onto others. He went on to explain 5 stages people go through when suffering, which are denial, anger, negotiation, sadness/depression and acceptance. Then he discussed consolation during these times. The youth were very impacted by the conference and testimonies he shared during it.
That weekend the youth followed up by doing an outreach to a local emergency room to show compassion on those hurting physically and emotionally. A flyer was prepared based on the information from the conference to share the message of God's plan and hope for people in the midst of their suffering. They distributed these along with sandwiches, pastries and coffee to those in the waiting room.
The on-site police and staff were very receptive to the youth group and curious to details of the mission and Pan de Vida Orphanage. The youth also gathered prayer requests as they visited with the people. Later the team gathered outside and divided into groups and prayed for all the requests and people in the emergency room. Several shared testimonies on how grateful the people were and expressing blessings for their service. Our prayer is that the people will understand God's message of salvation through the care he sent them during this time.
2 Corinthians 1:7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
Baptisms are such a meaningful part of our Christian journey as we publicly profess our faith in Jesus Christ who died and was resurrected. Recently Pan de Vida held a Baptism in the church. In the past, the event took place at a local waterpark or swimming pool off site. This year it was more intimate as not only 3 children(Daniel, Bertha and Vanessa) of the Orphanage were baptized but also 4 adult members of the ministry and church congregation.
Also, while we were in Nova Scotia, we attended a Baptism that took place in the ocean. This was special for us as it brought back memories of our Baptism which was held in the same location. Ira was honored to speak to the 3 women being Baptized in encouraging them as they were being obedient in believing and being Baptized that this was their outward expression to an inward change that they were burying the old ways and accepting eternal life with the presence of the Holy Spirit that comes through our Saviour Jesus Christ. He also shared on how now they have the responsibility to testify to fulfill the Great Commission.
We pray that our new brothers and sisters will become true disciples of Christ and they witness to those around them. What a glorious celebration!!
Matthew 29:18b-20 "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
