Practical matters

6 September 2013

Quick Update Regarding Donations

Thanks so much for all those who give to the ministry here in Mexico! There is no way that we can thank you for the eternal impact that you’re having.

I just wanted to let you know that I’ve made some updates to the donation page for those donating in Canadian dollars. There is now a new online donation page, for example, a part of the ongoing updates at the Camino Global website.

So here are the relevant pages for all countries:

How to donate to the ministryâ€¦ (summary page for all countries)
Canadian Donations
US Donations

Please remember, all donations can now be made out to Camino Global. Thanks again!

8 June 2013

Land and Building for the Church Update

Jim Practical matters, Prayer and Praise, ST Highlight 0

I can hardly believe it, but the final payment for the land will be completed this month! Thanks so much to all of you who helped! And thanks to the church here – so many people worked so hard to make this a reality!

So what’s next, you may ask?

First, some paperwork needs to be completed so that we actually have access to the land. That will be worked on over the next few weeks. There are still taxes and things to be paid, but that is now covered. We’re hoping this step will be done mid-July.

Second – DEMOLITION! Currently the land is filled with cement pigsties. So if you like destroying things, come on down and give us a hand! The rubbish will have to be cleared and the land leveled where necessary.

A team will be coming in August, and we’re hoping that by then we’ll have access to the land and they can help!

Third – build! Yes, after all that we still have no place to meet. So, some building will have to take place!

Now this step will probably be pretty gradual. Likely we’ll start with a wall surrounding the property, and then some kind of a tent so that we can meet there. Then building will take place little by little as the funds are available. This part could take – months – years – who knows?

If you’d like to come down and help – contact us! If you’d like to donate to this project – click here!

That link also shows a chart with the percent raised and percent needed, so you can see the progress. If you’d like access to updates with more detailed information, check our latest newsletter for the link.

Thanks again to so many who have prayed and given! It’s hard to believe we’ve come this far! Praise the Lord! 🙂

4 June 2013

Visa Update: After 568 days, “One Down”!

Jim Family, Mexico, Practical matters, ST Highlight 0

Yes, we’ve been working on getting our visas for 1 year, 6 months and 21 days (but who’s counting?). And as of today, out of the four Mexican visas we need for our family, we now have – ONE!

All it took was a drive through Mexico City and then Toluca, inquiring of the guard, waiting in line in the sun, talking to the official, signing in in the correct tent, getting in line, talking to the lady at the computer, waiting in another line, talking to the official, signing in in the building, waiting in another line, watching lots of other people with more complicated things to do come and go, talking to someone to explain why I was there, waiting some more, explaining again, waiting, and then finally talking to the person who had my visa (and all I really had to do was sign to say I had it and leave). Oh, and then the drive home.

So as of this afternoon we’ve already started the ball rolling so that the rest of the family can get their visas. No, we’re not ones to sit around for two weeks when there’s something else we can do. Hopefully the process won’t take another 568 days… but due to some complexities (which I won’t trouble you with until the time comes) it may be a while until – well, we’ll just wait and see. Why try to guess? I never would have guessed the first step was going to take so long!

But it’s always nice to see a little progress, isn’t it?

14 May 2013

Visas – Another step forward (podcast)

Jim Audio Blogs, Mexico, Practical matters, Prayer and Praise 1

I was able to make some progress on our visas today! For more details, listen to the podcast. 🙂

(Can’t see it? Click here and scroll down a bit.)

25 February 2013

Visas: Another Update

Jim Mexico, Practical matters, Prayer and Praise 1

I know that many of you are interested in what’s happening with our visas. Or maybe morbidly curious, like someone watching a train wreck. 😉

The last thing I reported was that I obtained the document that I needed from the Mexican Consulate in Calgary.

Upon my return to Mexico, I got another document I needed (although they made me fill it out twice because I made a mistake. Give me a break – it was 1:30am!).

Last week, I was given another document to fill out, and two more to check over. I had to check with our lawyer about some information on the new document, and I heard back from her today. So I’m still in the process of getting the new document done.

We’ve also had to check on vehicle paperwork, which is connected to our visas.

Everything now has a countdown – my visa will need to be done first, but we also have a limited time to get paperwork done for the vehicle and for everyone else in the family.

So – thanks to all those who are praying! We’ve come a long way since I was in Canada, but we still have a long way to go.

19 February 2013

Back in Mexico (early this morning)!

Jim Practical matters, Prayer and Praise 0

At 2am this morning I got back home from Canada. It was a bit of a short night.

The trip went well overall, but – no offence to anyone – I’m really ready to NOT travel for a LONG time. But – no one knows what the future holds (except God, and He is wise and good)! 🙂

That being said, it was good to reconnect with a few people. I actually wasn’t able to see too many. I invited as many people as I could to the events I was at, but I understand that people are busy. But I was able to see at least a few people that we weren’t able to see last time we were in Calgary (in other words, we haven’t seen them for years!).

I enjoyed a time of worship and fellowship on Sunday with friends at Cremona Country Fellowship.

You’ll see in the picture that I saw some weird things – like this cold white stuff on the windshield of the car! But I only saw it a couple of times – it was actually pretty warm while I was there, getting up to 8 or 10 Celsius most days.

I was pretty much the last person in the airport as I went through customs in Mexico City. They handed out the forms late in the flight, so I filled them out after we landed. Unfortunately I filled out one box I wasn’t supposed to fill out, and so had to re-do a form (and the poor lady just wanted to go home!). But I got the forms and stamps that I needed on my documents, in order to go on to the next step in the great visa adventure.

Then they searched my luggage – but at least this time it all arrived at the same time! 😉

To be honest, I’m not feeling at all well – but hopefully I can get some sleep and recover over the next few days. It is a busy week, though – so sometimes getting rest takes some discipline! 🙂

Thanks for all your prayers, particularly regarding our visas, but also your prayers for my travels and also for our ministry in Mexico. We appreciate it more than you know!

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