Thank you Calvary CRC

A big thank you for the 8 men who came and helped at the Rehab center.

The bathroom was tiled,

the roof over the third section was poured,

many new bunk beds and storage boxes were made,

and good food was eaten!

On Friday we had a thanksgiving service with the guys from the Rehab center. Lee and Derek gave their testimonies as well as several men from the center. We prayed for each other.

The celebration ended with a meal of Carne Asada! The group was a blessing to Carlos, his leadership team, and the men at the rehab center, and they in turn were a blessing to the group from Calvary.

Calvary CRC

On Saturday the 7th of February the team of 8 men from Calvary CRC arived in "sunny" San Diego.

On Sunday they worshipped at the Cristo Arca De Salvacion church in the morning, and with the guys at the rehab center in Terrazas at night.

Monday morning brought more rain, yes it does sometimes rain in Tijuana, and mud!

Despite the cold and rain, the men began working on various projects at the rehab center. Lee led the tile crew in the bathrooom.

Several men began making bunk beds for the new dormatories.

They learned how to tie the rebar together for the second floor.

and then they engineered a ramp for the cement pour that is taking place today, Wednesday.

Thanks to Derek for the photos! for more pictures and the group's view of the experience go to their blog at http://calvarytrips.blogspot.com/

Testimony

Antonio was born in the city of Obregon, in the state of Sonora, Mexico. He is now 40 years old, years in which he has had many struggles and difficulties, but most recently he has found happiness.

His difficult and critical times began when he was 8 years old; he began to smoke cigarettes while in third grade. Within three years he progressed to smoking marijuana. Soon Antonio got lost in the world of drugs and dropped out of school.

At the age of 16 Antonio met a teenage girl who became the mother of his four children. One of his greatest sadness is that he is still estranged from his wife and children because of his former drug addictions.

When Antonio was 29 he was sentenced to 6 months in prison in Tijuana for violent theft, again a result of his drug habit. During the ten years after his release from prison he lived on the street, rejected by his family, neighbors, and society at large. He suffered much during these years, yet God had mercy on him.

Over a year ago, God reached out and led Antonio to the “Forjando Nuevos Destinos” rehabilitation center in Terrazas del Valle, Tijuana. He is now drug free and continues to live at the center as a graduate, thanks to God’s power and Antonio’s salvation through Jesus’ death on the cross. Through the study of His Word, God has powerfully changed Antonio’s life. Since arriving at the rehab center he has learned to live each day in relationship with God. He is grateful that now he has the opportunity to serve others at the rehab center. Anthony is part of the leadership team at the center, and helps the new arrivals begin their rehabilitation. He also works as a school “bus driver”, using one of the center’s vehicles to chauffeur a group of children to school.

In January of this year, Antonio, along with 5 other men from the rehab center, enrolled at the Bible Institute here in Tijuana. His desire is to continue to grow and learn so he will be better equipped to serve others.

Answer to Prayer

Sunday, the 28th of December, the Reformed Bible Institute of Tijuana opened for it's third year of classes. We have been praying for new students to attend, and God answered the prayer with 12 new students! Five of the new students are men from the rehab center, Carlos the director of the rehab will also be attending. In all there are 7 men and 5 women who began classes today!

Pray for these new students as they take this new step in their spiritual lives. Pray also for the returning second year students, and the two students continuing their studies at the seminary in Mexico City.

The two graduates from August (shown receiving a graduation gift) are active in their churches, one is working as an obrero at a mission.




Pray also for the pastors, missionaries and elders who teach at the institute along with their many other duties.
photos by Andrea Baschal

Thanks!

Yesterday we had LOTS of rain, even thunder and lightning. Rain means mud, especially in places like Terrazas where the Rehab center is, so the guys had a "rain day". Today Harv and Ed completed the last drawers under the new bunk beds in the new dormatory.

The men at the rehab center held a thanksgiving service for them in the afternoon and prayed for them and their families. They are grateful that 12 men now have their own bed!

Harv and Ed completed their work at the rehab center early and helped us put up trim board in the sancturary at Agua Viva. Tomorrow they head back to Michigan, if they don't end up with a snow delay!

Update on the Rehab center

This week Harv Koetje and Ed Holstege from Rusk CRC of Zeeland, Michigan, are building bunk beds for one of the new dormatories at the Rehab center. There are 12 new beds complete with a storage drawer underneath!

The rehab center now houses over 80 guys, and many do not have beds or are sharing single beds. We continue to build better facilities, and this new dorm room is part of the two-story construction which began this spring.

The 6th of December the Rehab center held a graduation for 30 men who completed the 3 month program. Many stay on for a longer time, up to two years. There are plans to build a half-way house for graduates to help them to readapt to life on the outside. This would also give them an opportunity to continue their Bible studies and be part of a discipleship program. Several graduates have already become members of the mother church "Cristo, Arca de Salvacion" and hope to someday study at the Bible institute.

Pray for Carlos Vazques and his leadership team as they direct the ministry at the center and as they plan for the new half-way house.

Queretero

This month we had the opportunity to visit Marcia's sister Julie in Queretero, Mexico. We (Scott and Marcia) were in Mexico City for our annual business meetings and took a few days of vacation afterwards. Queretero is a colonial city with historical significance for Mexico.

The cathedrals, parks, and acuaduct are awesome!

Since we were there in early November there were still a few decorations from Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrated on November 1 and 2.

We also saw Guanajuato, a colonial mining city, hitting all the tourist spots except the mummy museum.

Give Thanks

We are thankful for all of the blessings we have received this year. This year Marcia's parents are here to spend Thanksgiving with us. On Thursday we invited Pastor Armando and his family over for a traditional turkey dinner. We shared the meaning and history of Thanksgiving and then each took a turn giving thanks for blessings they had received this year. In the afternoon James, Barbarita, Joshua, and a friend came over to help us with some of the leftovers! On Friday we celebrated again with friends in San Diego. We have one more big dinner this weekend, a potluck at church on Sunday!

We are thankful for the many friends who pray for us and support our ministry. You are a blessing!

Family Life Training

This week, from Monday through Thursday, 16 couples attended a training class with Family Life International. Leonel and Miriam Motta, and Gabe presented the training.

John and Shirley Wind from Merida were also with us during the training.

We learned how to give "Home Builder" Bible studies and what is needed to form a Family Ministry team here in Tijuana.

We worked on several group projects aimed at forming a vision and plan for the future. Please pray with us that the Bible studies that are planned will be a blessing to the couples who attend, and that as a group we would have a vision to promote healthy families in Tijuana.

Weekend to Remember

This past Friday and Saturday, 61 couples attended a marriage conference "Weekend to Remember" given by Leonel and Miriam Motta with Family Life Int. We had 61 couples attend and all were blessed. Of the people attending, 10 prayed to receive the Lord, 81 prayed to give lordship of their life to the Holy Spirit, 69 renewed their commitment with God and their family, and 6 received assurance of salvation or lordship of Christ. 15 of the couples are also attending a training course this week with the goal of starting a family ministry in their churches and city wide in Tijuana. Please pray for these key couples that they would be encouraged to help others.

Agua Viva beach outing

Last Sunday, the mission "Agua Viva" had its first church outing. After the morning service we all went to a beach between Tijuana and Ensenada. The weather has been hot, in the 90's most days, but when we first got to the beach it was foggy and cold. Soon the fog burned off and we enjoyed a nice afternoon. We ate a picnic lunch, some brave kids went into the cold water, and others played soccer. We continue to develop a sense of fellowship at church. Please continue to pray for this new mission, the regular attenders, and visitors.

"Weekend to Remember"

We (the Lees and Geurinks) are planing a Marriage conference called "Weekend to Remember" here in Tijuana. The conference is presented by Family Life International. We plan to hold the conference the 17th and 18th of October. Fellow missionaries John and Shirley Wind from Merida are helping us with the planning and will be here to help during the retreat as well. Please pray for us as there are still details to work out. Please also pray for Dr. Leonel and Miriam Motta (from Family Life International) who will be giving the conference.

We are planning for 100 couples to attend the conference. Please pray that at least that many will be able to come. There are several conflicts with the dates, and the economy here in Tijuana is difficult at this time. Marriages are in crisis, there is such a need, but we also feel opposition.

The next week, October 20 - 23 the Mottas will be giving a training session for couples in Tijuana who want to begin a ministry to families in their churches and the city. We are praying for at least 15 couples to take this training. Our hope is to organize a local group to give follow up Bible Studies, and plan future conferences.

We appreciate your prayers for the conference and those who will attend.

Summer Vacation

We enjoyed several weeks in Michigan this summer. We spent a week at the Christian Reformed Conference grounds on the shore of Lake Michigan.

We also spent a weekend "up north" kayaking.

We had time to visit family and friends as well.

The hardest part was saying good bye to Dan and Melissa.

Farewell Party

On Saturday we hosted a farewell party for four of the young people here in Tijuana who will be leaving to continue their studies at Bible colleges and seminaries. Diamandy and Tito will be studying at the Reformed Seminary in Mexico City, Melissa will be studying at Kuyper College in Grand Rapids, Michigan (formerly Reformed Bible College), and Jana will be studying at Providence College in Ontario California.

We had a cook out in the back yard, played volley ball, and had a piñata (which was really the paper mache balloon we used for the VBS puppet show).

Friday, saying good-bye and thank you

This morning at 8:30, the group was all packed up and ready to leave. We thanked pastor Armando and Adriana for their hospitality at the Cristo Arca de Salvacion Church in Pancho Villa. The border wait was a long one, but there were no problems returning to the US. The group had giant pizzas at the beach and enjoyed the water, sun, beach , pier, and shops while the guys dropped the boxes off to be shipped back.

At 2:00 we said good-bye to the group and Daniel, as they left for the airport. Thanks again for all of your work and ministry this week. Thanks as well for allowing Daniel to come, what a wonderful surprise.

Thursday, finishing well

Thursday was the last day of work, and it was a lot of work!

The Agua Viva team poured two more slabs of cement, finished laying and grouting the tile, primed the instrument storage room, and worked on the bathroom foundation. In the afternoon, the entire team met at Agua Viva and had a prayer for the new mission, that God would fill the buildings with people who want to know more about Him.

The VBS team had a good last day with 110 children attending. In the evening we had a closing service for the VBS. The entire group from Haven, the men from the Rehab center, many of the children, and several mothers and fathers attended. The youth from Tijuana did the puppet show again along with help from a few Haven youth. Marcia gave the last lesson about Naman and his encounter with God. We also sang some worship songs and a few children's songs. Please pray with us that the seed that was planted this week will be watered. Pray also that some of the children and their families may begin attending services at the Dios Viviente mission.