Sport's World
The Lord is so Good! This past week was amazing and it was a blessing to see just how active God is in the lives of His people. The God that we serve does not just sit up in heaven and observe the world below, He is actively involved in all that goes on in our lives. This week was a great testimony to how much the Lord desires for the Gospel to be shared. He organized all the details so that Sport's World could happen.
First was the preparation before hand, the young people here in Mexico and Phuong did a lot of thinking, praying, and planning. Three weeks before the camp started we all meet together and went to the field to pass out flyers in the surrounding neighborhoods. And this year many of the Mexican young people were involved and they consistently came to help with the camp-last year it was not like this. Secondly, this year about 90% of the children that came to Sport's world were unchurched. The first day we had 80 children and by the end of the week we had 99. The Lord provided the perfect field that was in a visible spot within the neighborhood. The field caretaker was happy to have us there and one of the stores provided water and bathrooms. The weather was perfect; it was as if the Lord was smiling on us and encouraging us to continue.
Thirdly, the high school team from Denton Bible was great! They came ready to serve, they took initiative, they invested in the Mexican children and youth, and they had wonderful attitudes-Praise the Lord! I loved getting to know them and serving with them.
Fourthly, Friday night of that week we had an outreach to the families of the children that attended the camp. That night we cooked 260 hamburgers and gave them all away. A soccer coach gave his testimony and the IBUC band played, also I was able to teach some of the children how to line dance- it was a lot of fun!
I could go on and on about how the Lord provided and worked this past week and the amazing thing is the work is not stopping. On Sunday one of the guys from the camp came to church with his father. Some of the guys from the church were able to talk with them and hopefully they will continue to come. Also, this Sunday we are having a follow up serve at IBUC and the youth will continue to reach out to that neighborhood. The vision for this camp was not only to spread the Gospel, but to also build relationships and offer discipleship. Please pray that many more opportunities will flow out from this event.
Posted August 3, 2007 by Kathlyn.
One Month in Monterrey
*This past week Galilea hosted a Vacation Bible School. Kasey, Phuong, and I got to help with the children. The theme of the week was "Pure in Heart" and the lessons were on the life of David. It was a blessing to see how many people from the church gave up there time to make this week happen; different adults took off work to come a teach the lesson each day, stay at home moms prepared the lunches and crafts, and the youth lead the singing and games. I mainly helped with crowd control :) It was a great week and the Lord bless us with about 50 kids or so . *Last Monday night at IBUC, the elder's wives met and a lawyer came and gave a presentation about abused women. The elder's wives want to start a minister to the abused women with in Monterrey and they are trying to gain as much information as they can. One thing that I found interesting was that women experience more abuse during the summer months. Suzanne told me that the heat here can bring out the worst in people. *Phuong has been working with the elder's wives and wants to help them minister to the women in the church. While there is a great need to minister to those outside the church, right now there is an even greater need for ministry within the IBUC church. These women need to know how to grow themselves and how to teach others how to grow in Christ. *Last Wednesday we celebrated the 4th of July with some of the Americans that live here in Monterrey. We had hot dogs and apple pie! It kind of felt like I was at home. Normally, on Wednesday nights Phuong and Melissa meet with these American women and go through a Bible study, but they are taking a break for the summer. One of the ladies is a Christian, but her husband is a non-practicing Catholic, so it is hard for her to attend church and grow in Christ. One of the other ladies is actually from Hungry and she is not a Believer, but she came to the Bible study. If the Lord allows, Phuong tires to keep up with her weekly and tired to share as much as she can about Christ with her. * One thing that the Lord taught me this week was that He will provide all that I need for ministry. In Mark chapter 6 when Jesus feeds the five thousand He tells His disciples "You give them something to eat", but the disciples had nothing to give the people; they had to depend on Jesus , He was the only resource that they needed. Jesus is the only resource I will never need to complete the good works that He has prepared before hand for me to walk in. May He be praised!
Posted July 14, 2007 by Kathlyn.
" Are You Clean on the Inside?"
God as been so good to me these past two weeks; I have experienced many new and wonderful things: Iglesia Evangelica Galilea- *Women's ministry: Every Tuesday during the school year the Pastor of Galilea meets with a group of women from the church and leads them through the Bible Training curriculum provided by Denton Bible Church. The women are faithful and very hungry for God's truth. Also, this Wednesday they planned a women's evangelistic breakfast. There were about 70 women that attended, 50 non-church goes and 20 believers. After two songs and a testimony, the Pastor gave a Gospel presentation. 19 women indicated that they would like to receive Christ as their Savior and Lord. Others were interested in attending a Bible study. It was amazing!
*Children's Ministry: On Saturday, we went to a neighborhood about 30 minutes away from the church. One of the men in the church expressed a desire to minister to the people in his neighborhood, so people at the church put together a program for the children. One lady named Juny dressed up like a clown and explained the colors of the power bracelet. The children from the church put on a play and danced to a song about Jesus being the only one who can cleans you on the inside, also they went through some evangelistic coloring books with the neighborhood children. About 70 or so people attended, children and some of their families. Many seeds were planted and some are interested in Bible studies. Afterward, one of the girls from the church asked me, "Are you clean on the inside?" And by God's grace a could answer "Yes!"
*The Village: On Sunday, I got to experience life outside of the big city. I went with one of the elders and his family to a village just outside of Monterrey. They have been ministering to this village for 13 years and they built a small meeting place for the people to attend a worship service. About 7 people came, we sang songs and the elder gave a message. The elder's wife took the children outside and taught them a Bible lesson. It was amazing to see the love and devotion that the elder and his family have for those people.
I thank God for letting my experience these events. The people here, in general, are more concerned with relationships then with time and getting things done. It has challenged me to consider what I am investing in; do I care more about using my time in a "productive" manor or do I really see the people around me and stop to love them? May we all keep our eyes focused on the eternal and invest in what will last-His people!
Posted June 26, 2007 by Kathlyn.
06-15-2007 The Lord's Provision
