What's going on in:
San Diego
&
Aguascalientes
There is a lot going on and I want to keep you all informed with the highlights of each month. Thank you to all who pray for and support these ministries. We are able to bless so many people and we couldn't do it without you. To God be all the glory. Gracias amigos!
March was a great month! From being in the Philippines and then back to the USA, there was a lot to do and I am very grateful for the opportunities to serve God alongside so many wonderful people.
While I was in the Philippines, I took a trip from Manila to Bacolod. I got to visit some of my good friends who started a chapter of the He Cares Mission in this city. The founder of He Cares, Joe Dean Sola, and I flew over to see how things were going. It was great to see everybody again! Many years ago, we all met and served together at He Cares in Manila when I used to be a full time missionary to the Philippines.
While in Bacolod, I got to visit many of the neighborhoods that He Cares is helping. One of the towns was very poor and made up of shacks. There was no plumbing, just a well for the whole town. Another village was so far out there that we had to walk 30 minutes just to get there (there was no road that our van could drive on). We went to the local "church" (a tiny structure with a laminate roof) and asked the locals to come. Joe Dean met with the people and decided that He Cares will be helping this town with a feeding program, school scholarships and most importantly with regular Bible studies. It was cool to see it all start! Also while on this trip I was asked to speak to their youth/scholars. I gave a message to about 40-50 young adults and their parents about putting down the phone for a little bit each day and picking up their Bible. We all need to make more time for God! It was a blessing and an honor to be able to preach for this great ministry!
After 3 days in Bacolod, I flew back to Manila. I was there for He Cares' Saturday feeding program which I love so much! I drove to a couple of neighborhoods and picked up some of the kids. We brought them to the center where we sing worship songs, play games, teach them the Bible and then feed them. The volunteers prepare all of the plates of food and then we serve the children. Over 100 kids show up every Saturday and it is such a blessing to be part of this ministry.
I want to give a special thank you to Joe Dean & his wife, Ardis. It was such a blessing to be able to see them again and help out in the amazing ministry that they have created. Their love for God and their dedication to serving Him is so powerful and it is such a joy to be around. I have grown to love He Cares very much and believe that it is one of the best ministries that I have ever been a part of! They are truly helping so many people in need and fulfilling Jesus' call to serve the poor. I will be praying for God's blessing over them and I really hope to go back soon and see everybody again.
After a great mission trip I had to say goodbye and return home. I got back to LAX on March 10th and then fought off jet lag for the next couple of days. There is a 16 hour time difference between California and the Philippines!
Back at Horizon Christian Fellowship, I was ready to teach the youth again. I did a presentation of my trip to the Philippines and talked about serving God through missions. One of the girls in the class was really excited and said: "I wanna go on a mission trip!" It was cool to hear that and I hope to plan more activities for the kids to go out and serve.
I also taught them one Sunday on forgiveness. Jesus said in Mark 11 that we must forgive others if we want God to forgive us. To explain this, I covered myself in plastic and let the kids cover me in all kinds of condiments. This represented the stains that sin and anger/bitterness can leave on us. But once we ask God for forgiveness, "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Once I asked for forgiveness I ripped off the plastic and came out clean and unstained...except for a little bit of ketchup that got on my face. The kids have bad aim!
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And we have a new volunteer. Iris will be helping out the 4th Sunday of every month. I'm excited for her to join the team. Please keep her and our youth program in your prayers.
