Dear Friends:
For much of my Christian life, I have been led by a statement from Henry Blackaby in a devotional he made, called “Experiencing God.” It is rich in godly wisdom. The statement is this: “Find out what God is doing, and then join Him.”
Think about it—First, we must start looking for God’s hand in our world around us. Whose lives are being touched by Him, and how? We know that there are people who are very close to God’s heart: the poor, the weak, the hurting, the helpless, the widow, the orphan, the barren, the lost. So, often, that is where we will find God at work through some person or some ministry.
And when you get involved in a ministry where God is at work, there is no limit to the possibilities, because God Himself has no limits! He can and does overcome our bad decisions and our failures. He can and does overcome the consequences of sin in our lives. He can and does overcome sickness, disease, and incurable conditions.
And when God touches people, and they respond with thankfulness and dedication to Him, you will find more happiness and joy than anywhere! Think of the story of the Gadarene demoniac in Mark 5. Here was a miserable, tormented man, he clearly was not in his right mind, and he hurt people. He was possessed. He lived in a graveyard. His whole life was filled with death and destruction. Jesus came and with a word, delivered him. The man was instantly set free from all of the terrible things that had been going on in his life. He was able to clothe himself, to speak and act intelligently, and to sit at Jesus’ feet. When Jesus had finished his work there, he got ready to leave and the man pleaded to go with him, to continue to sit at the Master’s feet. But Jesus forbade him. He told him that he was to stay where he was and to spread the Good News of salvation and deliverance through Jesus Christ! We can only imagine what an awesome ministry that must have been! What was God doing? Setting people free! Transforming them! Giving the hope! And a brand new ministry began with this man telling the story.
As I get older, I realize my years of ministry are limited. They will come to an end. Perhaps sooner than later—only God knows. But through the years, it has been exciting to always be on the look out for what God is doing, and then to join Him in it. So, as my friend Chuck Pierce would say, “what is God doing?” Ask yourself, look around, there is plenty that He is doing, if we will only open our eyes to see and our ears to hear.
Right now, God is opening the doors for us to minister to more teenage girls. Last month, Ana Montoya and I met with the DIF Director in Juarez, and she spoke positively of being able to work with us and to send us more girls. What would that mean? It would mean more lives touched for Jesus. It would mean giving girls a future and a hope that they might not have without us. But wait a minute! What if we are not able to complete the work available in front of us? What if we cannot find the support people we need to work at Casa? What if God calls us home, or what if we don’t have the funds? What if....? I think, again, we must remember that if God is doing a work, He will see it through, meaning He is preparing people and hearts to join Him in what He wants to do in these young people’s lives.
What are the barriers?
• Finding enough qualified staff (really hard in Palomas).
• Ana has health issues that make it difficult for her to be fully effective (healing needed!)
• Finding a way to pay new expenses that are likely to require increased revenue of $1,000 to $2,000 more per month.
• Finding volunteers who will go to Palomas and invest in these young people’s lives.
We are called to live by Faith, we are called to Trust God. We are called to join Him in the things He is doing as long as we are able. Again, I ask, “What do you see God doing? Are you ready to join Him?” Obviously, you have an interest and a heart in helping orphans and disadvantaged kids, is God saying anything more to you?
In Isaiah 54:2-7 (Message) we read:
2 "Clear lots of ground for your tents! Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep. 3 You're going to need lots of elbow room for your growing family. You're going to take over whole nations; you're going to resettle abandoned cities. 4 Don't be afraid — you're not going to be embarrassed. Don't hold back — you're not going to come up short. You'll forget all about the humiliations of your youth, and the indignities of being a widow will fade from memory. 5 For your Maker is your bridegroom, his name, GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies! Your Redeemer is The Holy of Israel, known as God of the whole earth. 6 You were like an abandoned wife, devastated with grief, and GOD welcomed you back, Like a woman married young and then left," says your God. 7 Your Redeemer GOD says: "I left you, but only for a moment. Now, with enormous compassion, I'm bringing you back.
We are called to join our Redeemer God in the things He is doing! Please pray with us about the needs above. Maybe you have thoughts or answers for us---please share them! Together, we can continue to transform young people’s lives for the Lord! Ministry week-end in August on the 13-15. On Friday evening, the 13th, we will celebrate Andrea’s graduation with her, as she prepares to move to Chihuahua to begin her college career!
May the Lord bless you and keep you, may He make His face to shine upon you, may He fill you with His Spirit, and may He grant you peace!
Jim and Pat
Hello, Alas de Amor family. It is once again time to read about the latest events with our students, their families and our volunteers. This July, we celebrated the end of the year with our students. Every year that each of our students finish is always great cause for celebration, and we want to let you all know just how proud we are of our Alas students. However, you the sponsors are what have made another year possible, and we also thank you for being the driving force behind our efforts.
In past years, we usually hold a big blowout with the children. However, due to a smaller volunteer group and COVID, we chose to have a big movie day, along with some delicious hotdogs and Cheeto’s. Though it was a calmer event than we usually hold, it was still quite a fun and special time. Our elementary and middle school students watched the new Aladdin, while our high school students and the parents watched Miracles from Heaven. The movie was such a success that our students and parents gave it a round of applause.
All in all, it was a fun and easy-going day for all of our students and families, something which was sorely needed. This coming month is a special month as well, as we will be welcoming our new Alas students to the program. We will first hold meetings with our existing students, while also holding meetings with our students to go over our program’s rules. We will also be handing out school supplies to our students.
The state of Chihuahua has still not come to a decision whether students will have to attend classes in-person, and for this reason we are not sure in what form we will be helping our students. If there are no in-person classes, there is no need for uniforms and the money could be used for pantry kits. As this situation develops, we will inform you of how we will be helping our students. We want to be wise with how we invest your donations so that we can maximize the help we can give the students of Alas. We also ask for your prayers so that God may guide us during these uncertain times.
We would also like to talk about our college students. As of right now, we currently have 4 students in the Alas program that have graduated and are looking to attend college. While college tuition in the United States has a prohibitively cost, tuition in Mexico is much more affordable. The average cost of tuition in Mexico is $3500 pesos per semester, which is currently little under $175 USD. We know that there are people out there who might be interested in helping our rising college students. Perhaps you know a friend or family member who is looking to make a life-changing difference in a student’s life. Perhaps you find yourself blessed in such a way that you can contribute to our college students’ tuition. As always, any amount greatly helps our students.
We would just like to emphasize that whatever help that can be given to our college students will bring these students closer to finish their degrees and having a career. As you all know, a college education is simply not a reality for most students from Palomas. This is our chance, as a community, to start changing that. As always, Alas family, we also ask that you keep these students in your prayers, as only God will see them through their studies and careers.
Once again, we must sign off. The Alas de Amor team is eternally grateful for each and every one of you that finds in their hearts the desire to give and pray for us. The financial support you choose to give to a student is nothing short of a miracle, and a miracle that God has set in motion in your heart. Alas de Amor continues to be a living, breathing testimony of God’s love in the community of Palomas. We must continue to honor God by carrying out his work. We would also like to say that we are looking for any volunteers who are able to give their time in order to help our in-person efforts in Palomas. Though we understand that most of you will not be in a position to be able to make such a long trip, we feel that it is God that is asking us to extend this invitation to all of our donors.
May God bless you all. We thank you.
Bere