SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS 2005

Many times God is up to something wonderful in our lives, and we have no idea until much later when He unfolds His plan. The following paragraphs will introduce you to 4 more of America's amazing youth. We so love these young people as our own and had a hard time giving them back. Maybe God and these parents will loan them to us again some time in the future. Thank you parents for trusting us with your most precious treasure in life!

"Jamie, you started all of this. Little did we know how God would develop our own little 'school of missions' out of your tears."

Last October 2004 Jamie Thomas was with us in Chenalho along with several others from the Lafayette, LA area. Jami had been to Chenalho on various trips prior to this one and has a close relationship with the youth of the local church in Chenalho. Before this trip even ended, Jamie was already heart broken at the thought of leaving her friends and the world she has grown to love so much. Without hesitating or knowing what would develop from this statement, we assured her that she was welcome to return and help us during the summer. She and her parents agreed with the idea, and the details of the trip was worked out as the year progressed. Little did we know God was birthing something very special in that moment. Jami being so comfortable with the people and culture was an asset as we hosted several other groups and many of those individuals were new to the mission experience. We all learn from each other, so Jami was a big help in so many ways. Thank you Jami for all your assistance and for the faith to believe God to provide for you to go where He sends you! Yes, Jamie did return to Chenalho this past summer as well as accompanying us to Monterrey last Easter break. That's when we met Hailey...

Hailey Goodwin rode with us from LA to Monterrey and back last spring. Her kind and gentle spirit made it very easy to be around her. She enjoyed putting her high school Spanish into practice and seemed to really have bonded with us as well as those she met in Mexico. Just like everyone Hailey did a variety of work, but she soon became our right hand in the kitchen and household responsibilities. Earlier in the year we were unaware that we would not have made it on our own through the tasks that were ahead of us for the summer trips, but God knew, and He sent us who we needed to get the job done. So much preparation goes into hosting a group before the team ever arrives, and there is much follow up after they leave. These 4 young people experienced first hand that aspect of the normally unseen part of missions work, but none the less, as vital and necessary as any of it. And what servant's hearts they showed in doing so! Everyone did kitchen duty and laundry, but after one day, Hailey knew the routine and how to get the job done even before we asked. Some of the meals she had to help with were cooked on an open camp fire, but that just caused her to enjoy the challenge even more. We consider mealtime important because it is essential to keep teams nourished and in good health so that they can accomplish the purpose of why God has sent them to Mexico in the first place. Meals are not fancy, and most all of them are cooked from scratch. It is very time consuming and not always prepared under easy or convenient conditions. Each team always has servants of their own that are more than willing to assist with these household chores, and there is always enough work to go around for everyone to get a turn. But it was extra comforting to have "a daughter" to lean on with such commitment to seeing these task through to completion. It brings us great joy that God has opened the door again for Jamie and Hailey to assist us during an upcoming women's conference this fall.

Jory Billiot! How do we even begin to describe Jory, except maybe with "To know Jory is to love Jory"! He cannot speak Spanish nor any of the Indian dialects we were around, but that had no barrier whatsoever on Jory's unique and wonderful ability to communicate with everyone he met. His positive attitude about life comes from the depth of personal relationship he has with our Lord Jesus Christ. He has an encouraging word or smile at all times. The gift of his very special personality has been surrendered to the Lord to use as He chooses, and He chose to shine through Jory continuously. It was special of the Lord to send Jory to touch the lives of many Mexicans, Indians and Americans that were with us this past summer. He was a great help with the work load both physically and spiritually. But may we say we were extra blessed when God sent Jory to us as well for those few weeks because he brought tremendous joy to our lives also. Our early days of mission's work in Mexico were at a time when our own sons were young boys and accompanied us everywhere. We miss them greatly, but they are fine men of God today serving in the areas He has them to be at this present time. So God blesses us with other young people that bring immeasurable joy through the body of Christ working together. Jory worked so hard but always managed to make it seem like he was having so much fun. We appreciate his work ethics and his enthusiasm for life, but most of all we appreciate his devotion to Christ. We know God has wonderful plans for Jory's life, and he will be a blessing wherever God places him.

Shane Manning is one of Jory's best friends. Having met both of them on an earlier trip with Pastor Dwayne Bland and their parents, Russell was impressed by both of these young men. He encouraged their return for the following month to assist us with the upcoming work load and summer youth conference. It was miraculous that both of these young men were able to arrange work schedules and finances to fulfill this request. It was a joy to see Shane allowing God to use his life to touch others. It has been said by many that Jory and Shane compliment each other and make an incredible team. Shane has a muscular build and good looks, but we know that it isn't the outward appearance God is looking at, even though He created us. Yes, we know it is the condition of the heart that matters most, and we can testify first hand that Shane's kind and compassionate heart is as big as it gets. Shane's hard work and willing attitude to help out in any way he was needed, was so appreciated, but his mission experience was shortened by the illness of his grandfather, or "P" as he is known to Shane. P was hospitalized after Shane's first week with us, and the report did not look good. Even though his parents encouraged him to stay on doing a job that was bringing such reward and benefit to his own life and others, Shane was emphatic about his decision to return to be by P's side. Shane was able to say his needed good byes to his beloved grandfather as God chose to call him home shortly after Shane's arrival. Prior to this missions trip, Shane had given up an afternoon of going jet skiing with Jory to spend time with his closest friend P, so we knew that this was no ordinary relationship. Even at a young age, Shane chose to be caretaker of his grandfather and spent more time with him than at his own house. We have great admiration for a young man who had such depth in connecting with his grandfather in a most unselfish manner, something that we as grandparents normally only dream about.

So, while we had not planned or expected this extra blessing this past summer, God knew our need, and we thank Him for sending us these 4 remarkable teenagers. We pray God's continued guidance in their lives and journey in serving Him!

Church in the Son - Youth missions Trip July 17-25, 2005

Divine appointments for this youth group began even before they left US soil. Flight delays gave various team members opportunities to share the love of Jesus with others while in route to Mexico. Gordon led an individual to Christ before he reached Houston and some of the girls were able to pray with a lady who was so troubled with burdens for her family. This delay caused a change in arrival time, but it just increased the fire of the Holy Spirit already burning in hearts of this group!

The Monday morning arrival in Tuxtla gave only enough time to pack up the camping gear and supplies in Chenalho and drive immediately to our destination of Israelita. The additional 4 to 5 hour journey further than Chenalho found us leaving the cool mountain air and camping in the summer temperatures of the valley region. It would remain a challenging factor that week, but it is all part of the cost. Since the group is from Florida, they were somewhat acclimated, but none the less, it was hot!

Youth pastor Ryan Jordan had brought his team last year when the block church in Puntito was built. We didn't know if we would ever see them again after what we all went through that week. The conditions we had to deal with were extremely difficult, but much was learned and gained from that experience. So it brought us great joy when Pastor Ryan and 4 of his youth returned along with several new faces for another week just as challenging. These Floridians will have special jewels in their crowns for passing the endurance test and doing so with great attitudes!

Most of the journey to Israelita is just a winding dirt road crossing mountain ranges. It is necessary to stop a mile or so from the village and "everything" from that point must be "hand carried" to the designated location in the village. Israelita is built along the river so 10 months out of the year the only way in or out of the area is by crossing a swinging bridge. The wooden slats seemed to be so far apart and the bridge was higher and longer than we had anticipated. Even though the area had been scouted out and Russell had even taken pictures of the bridge, nothing had prepared us for the way it would swing when the children of Israeliata would run back and forth on it while we hung on for dear life. The whole village turned out to help us carry the enormous load we had, and we provided them with lots of entertainment as they watched us trying to keep our balance. Israelita is a small community. Most Mexicans have never heard of it, much less been there. God knew where it was though, and He loves these people. He also knew how to get help to them and show His love through a group of people who live several thousands of miles away.

Our 3 nights of tent camping, cooking on a open fire, bathing in the river and of course the out house experience is always a part of this type of missions trip. There are so many stories that can be written about this aspect of the trip alone, but may we just say that the group went to do a job, and we left with the mission accomplished in spite of the difficulties of our conditions. The church in Puntito was painted one morning. Transportation there and back was typical Indian taxi style where the group stood up to ride in the back of a truck with tall wooden sides. Those who had returned from last year were able to see many of the children they had bonded with the year before. The roof on the church in Israelita was erected and the cement floor was poured (by hand, of course). What a great team of workers!

There are always a few moments in each missions week where God takes the ordinary and touches our hearts in an extraordinary way. Of course everyone is always touched by their experiences and generally first timers to the mission work have never seen or been exposed to such poverty. Everyone is always touched by the joy of life and commitment to Christ that these precious poor people have. But we were all broken when we heard the cheers of excitement from the children when their moms said they could have our bags of trash. Angela began to cry, so did several others; they still may be crying. We know we will never forget what we heard!

Yes, we see extreme poverty, but it is the relationships that are built through such experiences as ours with the people of Israelita that keeps us all going back to do it all over again - in another village, but where the needs are just as great. Before our departure Pastor Ryan and Pablo asked to have special prayer with all of our new friends. They washed the feet of the pastors and leaders and it was incredible how God's glory and love surrounded that place. We were such a diverse group, speaking 3 different languages, but in those moments, we were completely unified in Christ as one body. We were dirty and sweaty and so were they, but no one cared or noticed. The tears flowed like a fountain and washed us inside and out. The sun was beating on us and it was probably over 100 degrees, but know one even noticed. We were cooled by the wind of God's Spirit and the tears of our new brothers and sisters.

Our group returned to Chenalho on late Thursday afternoon. Everyone was able to eventually get a good shower and enjoy a wonderful meal prepared by those helping with a team already in Chenalho. Dr. Jim Nichols had led this construction/medical team to another location that week as well. It was so enjoyable to be with all of them and share our stories with each other.

Our week concluded with a youth conference that was held in Tuxtla on Friday night through Sunday. The Word of God was rich and powerful. Each evening the Lord met with us in a very special manner. Sunday evening was such a glorious celebration in the presence of God. Pastor Ryan has done an excellent job in preparing his young people for service in God's kingdom. The ministry qualities were beyond what anyone would normally expect from teenagers, and we were all blessed by God using them. Very anointed ministry went forth and lives were changed forever. We are here to tell you that the Christian youth of America are amazing! Thank you Pastor Ryan and Church in the Son for a marvelous week!

One additional note of how God orchestrated the week must be shared as well. A few months prior to this missions trip, Pastor Ryan and his wife met a young Mexican man named Pablo and his wife Stacie at a neighborhood garage sale. They had moved to Orlando but had not found a church home. Pablo's parents pastor a church in Juarez, Mexico. Having grown up so close to El Paso gave Pablo the opportunity to be completely bilingual and observe many others interpreting in a English/ Spanish team. This young couple began attending Church in the Son and helping Pastor Ryan in youth ministry. Only days before the trip, the decision was made for Pablo and Stacie to join the team. Another divine appointment, we might add. Even though it was his first time to interpret for Pastor Ryan, Pablo's gift was instantly apparent and God has united all of our hearts. Everyone that was with us in Chiapas had an immediate bond with him, and we saw the favor and anointing of God in his life. Not just Pablo, but in Stacie as well. Please keep this couple in your prayers as they diligently seek God for His will and purpose for their lives. What a tremendous blessing they were to us all!