Dear Friends:
Now that the election is over, we can refocus on God’s call in our lives. It is good to be reminded that He is in control, and our response to His call in our lives is more important than ever! I was reading in Exodus 15, and reminded of God’s Covenant and law set for his people when he brought them out of Egypt: “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees you will be protected—(Noble paraphrase). So, let’s pay attention to His call, and seek to obey His Word, and I think we can confidently leave the rest to Him!
So, now, let’s talk about happenings in Palomas, Mexico! It is interesting to me to watch how girls mature distinctly differently than boys. Their world is often all about beauty, and wanting to become beautiful, while boys are much more interested in perhaps athletic accomplishments, or doing things that make them feel “cool.” As a result, we watch our girls go through the “make-up phenomenon” at Casa.
Suddenly everything is about using make-up in ways that they think will make them beautiful (it is a learning process) and wearing things that they think make them look sexy. This usually involves wanting to find ways to show off some skin somewhere—the favorite site seems to be the belly button area!
The culture in both the US and Mexico often emphasizes this, and it makes it hard for us in trying to help the girls get a better perspective of themselves than the world gives. The Bible teaches that beauty is something far deeper than simply wearing make-up or sexy clothes:
1 Peter 3:3-4 3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward — arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel — 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. NKJV
In many ways, Mexican society is even more difficult for girls growing up, because it emphasizes beauty in women and machismo in men much more than in the US, I think. As a result, the girls begin to think of outward beauty as being a major goal in life, something needed so the boys will come after them, and all of their romantic interests can be fulfilled. It becomes a major life-goal. And, of course, it is devastating for girls who think they cannot be beautiful no matter what they do! Eventually, of course, they learn what a dead-end it is because those who rely upon it alone for their future end up dependent, unable to provide for themselves, and discovering the ideal romance that was somehow going to carry them through life is really not going to work out.
The wisdom of the Bible in this, is really important, and so we are trying to instill this in the girls. I came across a teaching about this recently. It is basically a reminder that “beauty” and for that matter “handsomness” is really a matter of how a person impacts the five senses of others. When people see us, what do they see? When people hear us, what do they hear? Do we leave a good “taste” or a bad “taste” in people’s mouths? Do our actions, our lives, “smell” right? What about the sense of touch? Is our touch reassuring, threatening, pleasing? How do we “touch” people?
I really think this is what Peter was getting at when he wrote 1 Peter 3. We impact people by our entire being, not just by outward adornment. And if we have “inner” beauty, we have the ability to impact many people for the better!
In Philipians chapter 4, Paul expands:
Phil 4:4-9 4 Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do. Remember that the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank him for his answers. 7 If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.
If Paul can minister this while in prison... encourage us to develop a good thought life, bring beauty into a world filled with ugliness by the way we live our lives, then it is something we need to take to heart, and the hidden beauty of our hearts will become our greatest witness for beauty in this world. Let us pray that the girls, and, really, all of us, can adopt a “beautiful” mindset that transforms us and those around us by the power of the Holy Spirit into useful members of His Kingdom!
What a month it has been! We are all fighting through this pandemic and making the best of the current situation. During the normal year, we would start getting very excited about the holidays and all the preparations! We hope that in the midst of so many unfortunate events, we can bring some light and hope to our students and their families.
All of Chihuahua has recently been declared “red”, meaning that the covid-19 outbreak is really bad and people should stay home as much as possible. This month we begin preparing for the holidays and that means meeting with our students and all of their siblings. We took great precaution with the planning of this month’s event. We scheduled the churches to meet us at different times and once they arrived, they were all maintaining social distance and released as soon as possible. We got the names from all the siblings, their shirt and pant sizes, and we took pictures of most of them. Each student was able to go home with a food pantry kit, thanks to your donations.
We have no idea at this point what Christmas will look like in Palomas, but it is likely that we will NOT be able to have a big Fiesta this year. The churches may not even be able to all meet together! All we hear from the kids is how tired they are of all this, not going to school, not being able to spend time with their friends, and generally feeling pretty bored. Of course, it has affected their parents’ ability to work also, which means that the food supplements we are providing for them are really helpful for them!
This season, as we give you their pictures and sizes for Christmas blessings, we are hopeful you will really think about and pray how you may touch their lives this Christmas season! We want to keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the One who will see all of us through this pandemic and who can satisfy all of our needs if we will only draw near to Him!
Thank you for your support! In such uncertain times, it is a blessing to be part of this organization and witness the peace and reassurance your donations provide to our students and their families.