Pastor Mark and his group from Minnesota were here during Hurricane Alex at the beginning of July. Though they were not able to continue ministry at the original work site, their morale did not falter. The group went around our ejido (neighborhood) here by the Gateway, inviting kids to a Vacation Bible School on our campus. We had about 20 kids, and they had a blast! The youth shared a bible story, a skit, and a craft, then they brought out the toys to enjoy with their new friends. It was a great chance to minister to the kids right here near the Gateway, and showed that nothing can stop the love of Jesus from being spread.
The group on the 6/13-6/18 project worked with Pastor Eric's church "El Salvador" in ejido Sandoval. They built this office at the church, held VBS, did door-to-door ministry, and worked at the children's home "Pan de Vida" in Sandoval. It was a great start to the summer and they were able to bless many people.
There is still so much water here!!! ...but we continue to reach out to the families here. One family we have been working with this week has a broken water pump and therefore they have no way to get drinkable water unless we bring it to them. We have been working to fix their pump but it turns out that we are going to have to buy a new one for them. We are all God's Children and we need to take care of each other like this. Her name is Mauricia, please keep praying for her and her 6 children.
We need another storm. A PRAYER STORM! Please be praying for us and the ministry. Pray for the groups here and the ones coming. Pray for the families we come in contact with. Pray that the Rio Bravo doesn't fill up anymore and flood our areas. Most of all, please pray that God will be Glorified and that we know Him more! Thank you all for your prayers and helping with the "Prayer Storm."
First of all... thank you all for your prayers! We appreciate you all keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.
Also, thank you for all the groups that have come so far. You guys have been doing a great job and it's been exciting to see.
This last week we had something happen that wasn't in our schedule.... a hurricane. We changed many plans to try and stay safe while at the same time being able to do some ministry. We couldn't go to town because of the hurricane but we did have a few families come and stay at our facilities for safety. We had a Vacation Bible School with their children and some of the neighborhood children as well. Surprisingly we had about 20 kids and it was a great time for ministry. The day after the hurricane passed we still couldn't make it into town. Fortunately, we were able to make it through a couple of flooded roads to a children's home for more VBS. Here are a few pictures of it all.
We (the AIM staff) are no different than you as servants of Jesus Christ. We need to be prepared for serving and we need to be prepared by HIM. We are in that stage of preparation right now for this summer. We are focusing a lot on the Spiritual part, and by that I mean seeking God and spending time in prayer. We are spending time KNOWING God and furthermore, knowing HIS VOICE. We seem to have a great group of staff coming together for this summer and a lot of experience as far as leading projects goes, but... we know that no matter how many projects we have led, we must continue to seek God and ask Him to pour out His Holy Spirit upon us. We want more of Him. We need more of Him. We will fail as His servants this summer unless we can rely on God and let Him lead us. I hope that you all will be coming with the same attitude this summer.
Safety, safety, safety...... This is something we have been
praying about down here. As I've been talking to some of you who are
coming, you've also asked about it. You hear the rumors and advisories
and wonder how safe it is to come. I can tell you that we see God's
hand and anointing upon this ministry. Wonderful things are happening!Lives are being forever changed!God's Kingdom is advancing!! It's an
incredible thing to be witnessing down here....
I was talking with one of the pastors here and because of all the rumors he asked me if I had been seeing any violence down here.
He said that he was curious to know how bad it is.
I can only explain his attitude as"We hear about it, but we don't see it..."
The people here are hearing the rumors just as you do and becoming curious just as you do,
but in all the areas we are working,we have had no incidence of
violenceor anything of that sort. We hear the news and we pray for
God's direction in our lives and in our ministry and He has been
Faithful to us in direction, in guiding us, in being our refuge, and in being our
place of safety!
God
has great things in store for those of you who are coming. Please
continue to pray for His direction and that He continue to keep us
safe.Pray that God will prepare you for coming here and as you come,
that lives will be changed, that seeds would be planted, and that He
would receive the glory.(In Christ's name.... Amen.)
Hello to everyone coming here this summer! I (Dustin) am the ministry coordinator for your mission trip this summer. I am excited as we continue to setup all the plans for ministry, we have had a couple wonderful projects down here already and have had over 400 people minister (safely) to the people down here. We are praying that this Work of God continues down here with you. This is going to be a great opportunity for many of you and your youth groups to not only see the suffering (both Spiritual and physical), but actually do something about it! Christ did not call us to see and hear the suffering of others, He called us to be "doers." By coming here and "doing," you will make a difference in someone's life when you come.
It's a real blessing to have you all here. All of the staff continues to work hard as we prepare for you to come. We have been speaking with many of the local pastors here and they welcome you into their churches and to be apart of the ministry. I have been contacting some of you already and I look forward to meeting you in person.
Please, if any of you have any questions, concerns, or comments, contact me by clicking the "contact" link. I will be continuing to speak to you as we prepare for this summer.
The above video is our director Richard addressing the safety concerns for this summer. With all the news going on in the US it's easy to get scared about coming here, but life goes on here and we continue to do ministry as we have been called to do. Guess what? God keeps us safe and we see His hand working down here! If you're uncertain about this summer and whether you should come and minister here, please, read these Scriptures, think about them, pray about them.... God is with us!
Genesis 28:15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.
Deuteronomy 3:6/8 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your GOD who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
Joshua 1:5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
1 Chronicles 28:20 Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD GOD, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you not forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.
Isaiah 26:3-4 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an EVERLASTING ROCK.
John 6:39"And this is the will of HIM that sent me, that of all that which He has given me I should lose nothing..."
2 Tim 1:7 for God gave us a Spirit not of fear but of POWER and of LOVE and of a SOUND MIND
Let's keep these on our minds and in our hearts for this summer. The Lord does great things and gives great promises. We can't get any better promise about safety than what God has already given us. There are many of us who are down here living and working day-to-day. We see God's hand upon this ministry here and invite you all to be apart of it.
PSALM 91
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD,
"My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under His wings you will find refuge;
His Faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place-
the Most High, who is my refuge-
no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.
For He will command His angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you
will trample underfoot.
"Because he holds fast to me in Love,
I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows My name.
When he calls to Me,
I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
