ST Highlight

16 June 2015

We. have. water.

We have water!
Yesterday I drove up to the church’s property to see a water company vehicle, a police truck, and a small group of “concerned neighbours”. Yes, it was time, again, to try to get water to the property, after over a year full of attempts.

The water company workers and the police were the constants throughout the day – the neighbours dispersed.

By the evening, this tube was running through our wall, and it had WATER in it!

Yes, we actually have real water. Not really any organized way to deal with it yet, beyond a mess of hoses, and a storage tank. But that’s a whole lot better than no water at all!

Thank you so much, all of you who have prayed for so long. God has answered our prayers.

And now – what? Maybe some electricity? Functioning bathrooms? The sky is the limit! 🙂

29 May 2015

T-minus 13

Jim Missions, Prayer and Praise, ST Highlight 0

. . . your faith in God has gone forth everywhere . . . (1Thes 1:8)

Summer may actually start on the 21st of June, but the season of summer activities begins here in only 13 days – the 11th of June. Lord willing, our first intern (Abby!) will be arriving that day, followed on the 12th by a team of 20 from Mt Calvary Church.

It’s always nice to have graphic designers around, and we’re thankful to Samuel again for coming up with a logo for our summer, which should explain itself –

Going Viral 2015 So what are some of our goals for the summer? Well, we want to see cross-cultural relationships built for the glory of God. We want to see some major steps forward taken in the construction of the ministry centre and church meeting place in JesÃºs MarÃa. We want to serve our community, helping people in practical ways as well as giving spiritual food. We hope to reach out to those with physical and mental disabilities, and to city street kids. We hope to see the work in Las Palmas grow, as relationships are built with believers, unbelievers, and ultimately with their Lord. We want to know our God better, worship Him more completely, and serve Him in love.

We can’t do it on our own – so join us in prayer, that the Spirit will open doors and hearts, give wisdom and strength, and do what we could never do.

At the moment we would especially appreciate your prayers for the intensive time of ministry right at the beginning. Safe travels for those coming on the 11th and 12th, and then for all the activities over the next week – a soccer tournament, baking, English, and craft classes, construction, wheelchair distribution, and time spent just being with people.

May God give us all an infectious faith!

11 April 2015

Change of Address (and other strange mail-related stuff)

Jim Practical matters, ST Highlight 1

Some of you may have received an email about the change of address for the Camino Global office in Canada. Since this is the place we receive mail as well, I thought I’d better highlight it here too.

You can find the new address and other information about contacting us right here on our contact page.

If you are sending donations to our ministry in Canadian funds, this is also the new address for that purpose. Learn more on the Canadian donations page.

And now, an odd note about the Camino Global US office. No, the address has not changed – you can find all the same information about donating in $US right here.

But strangely enough, during the week of November 16-22 2014, the US Postal Service lost some of Camino’s mail. That’s right, a day or two of mail just vanished off the face of the earth.

So if you sent in a check that was never cashed, or you sent us a letter around then, you might just want to double check.

Weird, I know.

Thanks again for your letters and donations and all the other ways that you are a part of what happens here!

10 April 2015

Teens (and young adults) of the Bible

Jim Prayer and Praise, ST Highlight 6

Last month I started teaching Sunday School for the older youth at our church. We were continuing the study that they had been doing before, on the life of David.

After getting some feedback from them, we’re going to be starting a new series for the next four months on teens and young adults in the Bible (otherwise known as jovenes).

It was the idea of someone in the class, and it’s interesting, partly because sometimes it’s hard to tell how old people were. For example, we picture David and Jonathan as two teens, but really Jonathan was old enough to be David’s father. Jacob fleeing from his brother Esau was likely long past his young adulthood.

Joseph and his coat Anyway, I’ve narrowed it down to ten people who were likely in the 12-25 age range, and we’ll be focusing on their lives during that time (no, of course I won’t tell you who they are. That would spoil the surprise! But David isn’t one of them; we just finished with him for now).

Coming to the Bible, whether it be a specific passage or character, is always a surprise. You just never know what God has hidden in His Word!

Do pray for the teens in our church. Many of the challenges that they face are the same as those in the rest of North America. But they are also dealing with things that are probably quite different from what you may experience in Canada and the USA. But our foundation is the same, and our hope is the same, even if the details and strategies of everyday life may be different.

I don’t think any of us need another “how-to” list – not unless it starts with “It is Finished!”, and continues and finishes with the same supernatural power of God. But from that starting point, I have a feeling I have a lot to learn from some of the good … bad … and sometimes all over the place … people we find in the Bible.

Anyway, I need to go and study person #1 – a woman from Genesis, whose life, I’m sure, was not turning out as she had expected…

30 March 2015

Wheelchair Presentations and More (Las Palmas)

Jim Ministry glimpses, Prayer and Praise, ST Highlight 1

Adjusting chairs Last night thanks to our visiting team we managed to assemble a set of wheelchairs to present to new friends in Las Palmas. The assembly process may not have been completely without its ups and downs, and I won’t say that every wheel was put on the right way around (but if it did happen, it was fixed). But eventually we succeeded.

Wheelchair presentation program Then this morning we had a program to present the chairs. The community centre was full of the recipients and their families. Rod shared a bit about the vision of the community centre, and Mayra shared from God’s Word, and then we made sure everyone had the right size chair, making adjustments as needed.

It has been really great to meet new people, some of whom live very close to the community centre itself. And also to see interest in spiritual things.

One of the men who visited today emphasized that he was going to be reading the Bible we gave him. And the other day, a mother and a boy walked in off the street to find out what classes we had. Tina gave them a flyer about some of the summer activities, including a soccer tournament, English classes, and a children’s Bible club. “Oh look!” said the woman to the boy,”They have Bible classes!”

Well, if everyone gets that excited, we’re good to go. Apparently there have been others asking about Bible studies lately too, so – well, the answer is yes, we do those. 😉

More pictures from Tina here.

New Friends

23 March 2015

The Next 14 Days

Jim Ministry glimpses, Missions, Prayer and Praise, ST Highlight 0

The next 14 days are actually the days leading up to (and including) Resurrection Sunday on the 5th of April. As we remember the life that Jesus brought to us, we’ll be sharing that life with people in our communities!

This week is the last week of classes (for this semester) in the community centres. My last keyboard class is on Tuesday.

In the middle of this we’re waiting to hear about the birth of a baby in Kenya, to Shari’s sister Amy and her husband Nate! Anytime in the next few hours!

Anyway, back to local events . . . next we have closing programs both in JesÃºs MarÃa and in Las Palmas on Wednesday and Thursday. We’re hoping for a good turnout at both events.

Our community centre motto is “Give more life to your life!” I would appreciate your prayers as I share a little about the life we have through Christ at each of the programs.

On Saturday we head to the airport to pick up a team coming from the USA! They will be serving with us for a week.

Teams like this one give us a special opportunity to connect with more and different people in the community. This time around, we’ll be doing soccer outreach, and once again we’ll be providing wheelchairs to people who are in special need.

And that’s not all – if I have a chance I can tell you more later!

This month I’ve been teaching the Sunday School class for the older youth at the church in JesÃºs MarÃa. We would appreciate your prayers as we decide what this class will look like in the months ahead.

And yes, Resurrection Sunday is a very special one! We’re still working out the details, but it looks like it will be a outdoor sunrise service with a special focus on worship and thanksgiving!

In short, there are some very important things happening over the next 14 days! May God use us all to share His Word and His Life here in Mexico City!

A day in Ixtapaluca — Another day in Ixtapaluca!

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