Today we visited a “Comedor” – what we would call a “soup kitchen”.  The border crossing took longer than expected, so when we arrived there was already a worship service in progress.  We were able to find some space in the back, and joined our brothers and sisters in worship.  Praise God!

After the service, the room was turned into a dining hall, where hundreds of people were fed.  We brought the food from the kitchen to them, and cleared the tables as they finished eating and more people rotated in to take their place.  After everyone had finished, the comedor staff handed out food supplies to the people to take home with them.  The whole time this was going on, Stacy was seeing people with medical needs in a storage room off to the side – care they are unable to pay for at the local hospitals and doctor’s offices.

After everyone else had left, the staff (who are purely volunteers – they don’t get paid) served us a hand-prepared authentic Mexican meal.  The food was great, but hearing their story and praying with them was awesome!  We were blessed to meet, minister to, and be ministered to by people with such a heart for Christ and the people of Juarez.

At the Comedor

Today our team visited an elderly men’s home in Juarez.  In Mexico, families traditionally care for their elderly, and they are respected as wise family members who have already contributed greatly to the family.  In some cases, however, they are “orphaned”, and have no family able or willing to care for them.  The facility we visited today is run by an amazing group of local people who have a burden for the men in this situation.

While this would have been a great visit in and of itself, the Lord provided something that made it extra-special.  It wasn’t just our team that went there today – we were also able to pick up and bring the children from the home we visited yesterday.  It was wonderful to see the connections the children were able to establish with the elderly men.  They were able to immediately engage the men in conversation, and were even able to share the gospel in their own language in several cases.  Only God could have provided such an effective way to share His love!

Child Sharing God's Love

Finally, our first day in Mexico!

After a morning of prayer (and breakfast!), we loaded up the bus and headed across the border into Juarez.  It was amazing to see the difference between the two sides of what used to effectively be one city (El Paso and Juarez).

We visited a children’s home, where we were greeted by many smiling children and the adults who take care of them.  We talked, ate, read God’s Word, prayed and played together – what an experience!  Unexpectedly (at least to those of use who hadn’t been on a trip like this before), one of the most popular things was the Name Tag station.  The children (and several of the adults) from the home and surrounding area were excited that someone cared enough to sit down and write out their name, and they proudly displayed them on the front of their shirts.  We even had a few coming through the line twice.

The children were plainly hungry, and it was great to be able to provide them with a meal.  What was more fulfilling, though, was knowing they were getting the Gospel.  The food will soon be gone, but God’s Word will take root in their hearts and lives, and is of eternal value.  Nothing else we can provide them with can match that!

Making Balloons

On the ground in Texas!

Our flight to El Paso was completed without incident (all kids and baggage present and intact!).  After a bus ride to Fabens, TX, we were given a warm welcome by the staff and volunteers at the House of Cornelius (HOC), our “base of operations” for the next week.

We were joined by two more teammates (Daniel and Sally) for breakfast, and traveled into El Paso for church this morning.  It was a great experience to worship side by side with brothers and sisters in Christ we’d never met before.  God’s family doesn’t know earthly boundaries!

After lunch back at HOC, we went through some more training, after which we began our final preparations for tomorrow’s trip into Juarez.  Music rehearsals, puppet show practice, making signs, playing kids’ games – it’s exciting to see it all coming together.

Tomorrow we’ll be crossing the border into Mexico and visiting a children’s home there.  Please continue to pray for the team, as well as those we’ll be ministering to in Juarez.

Trying Out the Games

We leave Today for El Paso!

Our team of 20 will be leaving Boise at 3:00.  We will be meeting at the airport to check in at 1:30.  We’ll meet and pray near the Wright Bros. plane at 2:00 before heading through security and on.  We will be on the plane for almost 5 hours.  The plane will make stops in Las Vegas and Phoenix but we will not be able to get off the plane.  We’ll arrive in El Paso at 8:15pm and IFM will be there to pick us up and take us to the House of Cornelius (HOC) campus.  Please pray for the team and our day of travel:

Marlene Martinson, Doug, Stacy, Eryn, Heidi Schoenborn, Dave, Shelly, Jordan, Tyler Arnett, Vosco, Sunny Abby Rash, Lorna, Channing, Charise Mitson, Phil, Jan, Melisssa, Amanda, Philip, Jessica Sheridan.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20

When I worked at G.T.E. years ago, the acrostic that I used for it was “Go Tell Everyone, God Truly Exists”! I believed it then and I believe it stronger now than ever! Jesus told us to GO! It’s a life of faith that God wants us to live for Him and to live out before others. It takes action as we step out of our comfort zones and GO to a world that needs Jesus!

I want to encourage you to reach out to others in your service for the Lord. There are so many “good things” in life that we can be doing, but sometimes these “good things” can be the worst enemies to the “best things” in life! No doubt, one of the very best things in life is to be in the will of God on a daily basis. As you seek Him, He will guide you through prayer, through the Bible, through other Christians, circumstances, His peace and confirmation, and more! Keep seeking Him, keep trusting Him, keep praying and serving Him each day!

Well, we are having a very special ministry day planned here at UBC on Sunday, October 25! It is the second year we are doing this and it is called our “Outreach Ministry Sunday”. Pastor Greg spoke earlier about the importance of ministry service outreach as one of the Core Values of our church. It is a priority that we hold to as your servant leaders!

We have invited these ministries listed to join us and they will have a booth or table set up in the narthex. Some of you are already serving the Lord in one of these ministries with your time, energy, affections or resources! I praise God for you and for doing this! I’d like to encourage you to continue to do this as the Lord leads you! Please help me as we welcome them, please get to know them, and if you are not yet involved with one of these ministries, please consider it, pray about it, ask God for His guidance, and if He wants you connected with one of these outreach ministries!

These ministries include…

• Birthright
• Boise Rescue Mission
• Chrysalis House
• City Light
• Gideon’s
• OCC (Operation Christmas Child)
• Prison Fellowship

Please make these ministries feel welcome as they come to share with us what great and mighty things the Lord is doing! You have a wonderful opportunity to get to know who they are and how we can be involved in their lives personally and with their ministries as the Lord leads us! Thank you ahead of time for showing them our hospitality!

Please pray for God’s will to be done and His people to make a difference as we “GO” to work together in His Kingdom work, all for His glory!

Giving thanks to God for you! Always!

Pastor Mike

THE BIBLE IS TRUE - READ IT

The photo shown is from a hillside just above the city of Juarez, Mexico.  Even though there is a great deal of sorrow and suffering in the area, there is always the hope of Christ. 

Please be praying for the team preparing to go on the outreach October 24-31, 2009.  Pray for the team’s preparations, health, unity and finances.  Pray for the missionaries with International Family Missions (IFM) who are there every day and that our team could be a help and encouragement to the ongoing ministries in the Juarez area.  But most importantly pray that the people that we come in contact with will see the love of Christ in and through each team member and that they would come to know Christ as Savior and Lord!

Upcoming events to remember:

October 4, 2009 – Juarez fundraiser lunch at the church after 2nd service.

October 24, 2009 – Team leave Boise for IFM in Fabens, Texas

October 26-30, 2009 – Team will be ministering in Juarez each day.  Pray hard!

October 31, 2009 – Team will travel home to Boise.

Join us Sunday, Sept 13 at 6pm for an ice cream social followed by a congregational meeting.

Jenny Odell will be sharing about her recent mission trip to Kenya.

Don’t miss it!

The food drives ends Sunday, Sept 13 and it’s going very well. It appears that we will exceed what we donated last year (842 pounds). In a time of economic hardship for many, the caring and compassion of the people of UBC is a sign that the Lord’s work is our mission.

Items still needed:

• Canned Vegetables (#10 Size Preferred)
• Canned Fruit (#10 Size Preferred)
• Canned Meats (#10 Size Preferred)
• Boxed or Hot Cereal
• Rice
• Pasta
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Pancake Mixes and Syrup
• Macaroni and Cheese

The Mission is on pace to serve 320,000 meals this year. They are also on pace to bring 370 more people to Jesus Christ in 2009.

“For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in.” – Matthew 25:35

“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ ” – Matthew 25:40

Thank you all for supporting this important ministry in our community.