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!
April was a great month. We had a fun outing with the youth group and I also got to spend a big chunk of the month down in Mexico. Even though things didn't go as planned, I am still very grateful for the opportunity to see and help out the people that I care about.
I had a great Easter Sunday, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. I had the day off from the youth ministry so the kids could be with their families. I left a note for the kids who came to the classroom that said: "The tomb is empty and so is this classroom. Please go to main service." It was nice to relax and go to church with everybody else. I miss that sometimes. Afterwards I went to a friend's house for lunch and later to dinner at a nice steakhouse with my parents. Thank you Lord Jesus for Your death & resurrection - It is the power of salvation to all who believe! (Romans 1:16)
The weather has warmed up so the kids wanted to have a beach day. This seems to be their favorite activity! We went to La Jolla shores and had a fun time of fellowship. The kids went surfing and we had a BBQ. They were feeding the seagulls and that made the birds pretty bold. As I was barbecuing, I turned my back for a couple of seconds and they got a couple of hotdogs. I'll have to be more alert next time.
I flew down to Aguascalientes on April 20th. I had some things I needed to take care of and I was missing all of my Mexico family down there.
Elvira is on spring break. It is always nice when she can take a break from classes and get some rest. Med school is very demanding! While she is on break, she has picked up some extra shifts working with fellow Horizon missionary, Chevon. She has been working with her as a nurse/caretaker for awhile now and she is doing a great job. It's giving her some good practice for when she will be a doctor taking care of patients. We got to spend lots of time together and my favorite - go on our coffee dates. I really enjoy catching up with her and hearing about all that is going on in her life.
Before
After
I spent time with Chevon and helped her out around her house - she always has a list of things for me to do when I get down there. I fixed the front door, a leaky sink and the biggest job was cleaning out her "tinaco" (water storage tank). Some of the nursing staff told me the that the water sometimes came out a little dirty so I checked it out. Sure enough there was about an inch layer of dirt and sediment at the bottom of the tank. I climbed in (it was a cozy fit) and got everything cleaned up. You can now see a big difference!
La Feria de San Marcos (the San Marcos Fair) is in town. This is the biggest event in Aguascalientes and lasts almost a whole month. I went with several of the girls that I knew from the orphanage. I have known them for many years, since they were very young, and we still keep in touch. It was fun hanging out and being able to take them and some of their kids on the rides.
And I want to introduce you to this young man, Jan (pronounced John). We met when he was a young boy in the orphanage and I have known him now for almost 10 years. He really desires to stay on the right path. I am impressed with the decisions he is making and I really wish to see him succeed. Growing up in an orphanage can be tough and after you turn 18 you're pretty much on your own. Jan is working full time, putting himself through school and continues going to church. Recently he was asked to leave the house that he is staying at and he needs to find a new place very soon. I flew down to Aguascalientes so I could drive him around and look for places; this was the priority of my trip. I thought it was going to be an easy task but it turned out to be incredibly frustrating! I reached out to around 20 different ads about renting a room and after a week straight of trying to find a place for him, we got nowhere. People were horrible with communication! And the few people that did respond didn't have what we were looking for. I ask that you keep him in your prayers and pray that he finds a place soon. I am going to be looking out for Jan and making sure he has everything he needs to succeed. He's a good kid and I pray that God will bless him in all that he decides to do.