Dear Friends:
We are preparing for our annual Christmas Fiesta at Casa! We expect about 350 people to come, and if you have ever thought about coming to see what God is doing through this ministry, this would be a great time for you to come, because we need lots of volunteers! We need to oversee all of the set-up of chairs and equipment, organize the games and activities, help with food prep and distribution, admission, passing out presents, trash & garbage pick up, and numerous other things. We will be going to Palomas from the Light in 2 vans, one on Thursday, Dec. 12 early afternoon, and the other on Friday, Dec. 13, mid afternoon. One van will return Saturday night, and the other on Sunday morning.
Those going should take a pillow and sleeping bag. We have a women’s bedroom & bathroom and a men’s bedroom & bathroom. Please let Jim or Pat or Emiliano know if you wish to come with us!
We will be taking Christmas presents from those sponsors who have not previously brought them to us. Any of you who have not yet brought your Christmas presents by, please bring them to the church by Wednesday, Dec. 11, because we need to go through them and organize them before we take them. If you have any questions, please call Pat at (505) 670-5659. We will be giving out presents to about 180 kids. We will also be giving out beans, rice, and flour to families, as winter is the time of year when they are the most needy because there is no work in the fields.
Emiliano Leon will lead worship. Pablo Nuño will lead a short drama on the meaning of Christmas One of our speakers will give Christmas message.
We are still looking for a housemother or houseparents who feel that they have a calling from God to become parents for orphan girls. Right now, we have 3 girls at Casa, but it is time to re-fill the house with girls needing sound parenting as they grow up! Our model is much different than the other orphanages in Chihuahua, because it is our goal to raise the girls as a family, to teach them family skills, and to provide them with the love and encouragement of parents that can get them the best start in life. The other orphanages raise kids in an institutional setting, where they never really learn about the love, support, and skills of family working together. If you know anyone, or if you feel God may be calling you into this important position, please let us know! If you don’t, then please pray that God will lead the right people to us!
Last month, we continued with our theme from Deut 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." NKJV
We talked about how our culture and our society try to pull us away from God through secularism, idolatry, and misplaced values. Fear can be such a big factor in controlling our lives, often without us even recognizing it. We fear what others will think of us if we “go against the flow.” We don’t trust God, but instead put our trust in everything else to solve our problems. We allow our culture to establish our priorities instead of seeking first the Kingdom of God in our lives. Or, we cave in to selfish attitudes, like the idea of “if it feels good, do it.” All of these things work to destroy our effectiveness for God’s purposes, and they often control us through fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of loss.
We live in a society that needs redemption, and only we Christians have the knowledge of how to obtain this redemption. Both in Mexico, and here in the US, I believe God is turning a corner. He is telling us to be bold and courageous like Joshua and Caleb were when they spied out the land that God wanted them to take to establish His order and direction for the people—Our goals must be to bring glory to Him and to expand His Kingdom in the midst of our culture. We can make the difference through the power of the Holy Spirit, that will set people free from their fear and bondages, that will give them a new direction and a new hope that will bring life, rather than death.
This month, we are praying for all of you. We are praying that as you give and have given, God will give to you. We are praying that you will find renewed hope, renewed courage, renewed strength, by drawing close to God, hearing that still, small voice of the Holy Spirit, and overcoming fear as you boldly proclaim the Good News of life and redemption in Jesus. May the Holy Spirit fill you enthusiasm and purpose and may you cause people to give glory to God everywhere you go!
The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.
Hoping you have an excellent Thanksgiving with friends and family! We have so much to be thankful to God for!
Jim and Pat