Dec/Jan Newsletter

As we jump into 2009, I am so excited to be able to continue to share with you all about what God has been doing here in Ensenada! He is GOOD and it has been a great adventure to work alongside Him!

Since last time...

The end of November brought quite a few short term groups from California. With these groups, we hosted food and clothing distributions at the churches. Also with these groups, we distributed Christmas Shoeboxes to the children in the communities we serve.

We have continued teaching English at the Boys' Home (Centro de Restauración). As we continue to build relationships with the youth there, it becomes more and more rewarding. Teaching English is harder than I originally thought it would be, but I'm really enjoying it and using my education degree!

I got to go home for a 10-day break over Christmas. It was a great blessing to get to hug family and friends, and share with people I love.

We hosted a New Year's Eve party at the Second Floor (my current place of residence) for all the churches we serve. It was nice to have all the churches together for food, fun, and FIREWORKS! :) It's legal in Mexico.

Looking ahead...

As we move into January, we will be moving out of the Second Floor and into a house. In our stead, a Youth Center will be taking residence here. We are still in the beginning stages of working out details, but are hoping to have it up and running soon. Casey, Sarah, and I eagerly anticipate working in the Youth Center, building relationships with the youth, and giving them a safe and fun place to hang out.

We are hoping to offer our support to a local ministry, Gabriel House, that ministers to disabled children. We have been given a lot of freedom as to how we support them, but one of their main needs is for people to come spend time with the children and do activities with them and alleviate some of the work for the staff as they are understaffed.

At Camino de Cristo, the church with which I work directly, we are working through plans to better reach the community. As Tomasa, Faustino's wife, preached this Sunday, we are called to be a light in the darkness and the church wants to have an impact on the community.

Snapshot!

Last week there was a group in from North Carolina. On Thursday we went to Camino de Cristo for the mid-week service. The service started as normal, but in the middle of worship, a family walked in, walked straight to the pulpit, and asked for prayer for their baby who had been burnt badly earlier that morning. Everything was stopped and we all prayed for the baby.

The family stayed the rest of the service and it was an amazing testimony to the faith they have and the trust they have in God.

In all of this, I was left with a great impression of God's great love for us, his children. The pastor from North Carolina had prepared a sermon out of the scripture in Mark 9:24 when the father of the sick boy exclaimed, "I do believe, help my unbelief!" to Jesus after being challenged to believe that Jesus could heal him.

It was clear that God had this family in mind when He put this scripture and message on the pastor's heart. It was striking how the scripture paralleled the experience of the family and God gave the pastor words of challenge, comfort, and encouragement for the family.

I loved seeing God work out the details of how He wanted to shower His love on them amidst this difficult experience.

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Prayer is FUEL

Your prayers are the absolute best thing you can offer! God listens and promises to answer our prayers. So please, join with me in prayer for:

• Camino de Cristo (Way of Christ), that they would hear God's voice clearly as He calls them out into their community to shine like lights
• Unity among our team of leaders in the ministry as we work together for God's glory
• The young men at the Boys' Home, that they would hear God's voice as He longs to make them whole again
• The Youth Center, that we would be able to work out details well, get it running, and that youth would be reached for the glory of God

On a personal note...

I've been learning a lot about how God wants us to love one another. I've known for a long time that He calls us to love, but the how in all that has remained somewhat fuzzy for me at times. God continues to show me His sacrificial love in the relationships I have and calls me to love in the same way--always putting myself last. It's a great lesson to learn, accompanied by a lot of failures on my part, and a lot of grace from everyone else. Ironically, or maybe not, the central theme is STILL, "Kourtney, it's not about you!"

The further I delve into knowing God, the more I realize how little I actually know. The further along in my walk I go, the more I realize I have a LONG way to go. But this is a great journey, and I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! It was a huge blessing to be able to touch base at home for 10 days, share in church, and be with family and friends. I look forward to hearing about how God is moving in your lives and how I can be praying for you!

love.love.love

Kourtney