It brings me great joy to say I have worked side by side with the Grove Church! Justin has built with them for a few years now and was excited for me to finally work with them as well. Each person was a wonderful, sarcastic, hard-working child of God who truly had a heart of a servant. It was a pleasure to build a home with them for a single mom and her five kids. Not only was it my first time working with this group, it was my first time building in Acuna. Despite the extremely hot and humid weather, the week was incredible!
The father of the family took off to San Antonio some time ago and Marisol and her children (ages 11-18) never heard from him again. They fell behind in rent and were forced to move out. Fortunately, the church they attend allowed them to live in a room at the church (one small room) so they did not have to be on the streets. Obviously one small room is not enough space for six people to live in, so Marisol's sister let her have a piece of land - and that is where we came in and built them a new home!
It was a blessing and honor to build a home for this beautiful family. Each one of them had a gentle, kind, patient, and gracious spirit. They were eager to practice the little English they knew with us, as well as teach us some Spanish. The kids were also excited to help us build, whether it be putting the walls together or hanging drywall. The mother was so grateful of what we were doing for her family that she and her two daughters made lunch for us every day (the tamales and salsa verde were the best!). But the most amazing and beautiful thing happened at the end of the second day, when the walls were up and the roof was on...everyone was inside of the house, exhausted and ready to call it a day. As usual, one person prayed, another translated...and just then Marisol broke out in worship to God; praising, singing, thanking Him for what He had done, crying "santo, santo, santo" (holy, holy, holy)...while the rest of us stood in awkward silence that soon turned to awe. Here was a woman (most would say a poor, unfortunate woman) standing in front of us, unafraid and unashamed to outwardly and publicly express her love for God, because He was/is the only thing that mattered to her. She truly was grateful that He was providing for her family...but it was more than that. You got the feeling that she loved and worshiped the Lord, no matter what circumstance she was in, for the mere fact that He is Lord. We all learned an important lesson from her that day...
There is no doubt in my mind that this family will use this house to further serve the Lord and we will one day see them in heaven. Praise be to God!
phillipians 4:12-13
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Language School
Greetings Friends and Family,
It is our hope that you are doing well during this summer season! Hopefully it isn’t as hot where you are as it is here. I think I have been in a perpetual state of sweating for the last three months. Yuk! But it is all for amazing purposes. Right now, I am writing this to you in the midst of our very busy summer season of building. Since May, Julie and I have built six homes and we have two more left this July. We have seen God’s power by the way He is miraculously providing for impoverished families’ physical and spiritual needs. These families are experiencing the outpouring of love from churches all over the United States, Canada, and even a church from London. This building season has brought with it amazing blessings but it has also revealed to us a truth about our ministry.
We have come to the point in our ministry where our potential to reach out to families and to partner with Mexican pastors is bottlenecked by our language barrier. We have realized that in order for us to take the next step and to deepen our ministry, I need to learn how to speak Spanish better. Julie and I have talked at length about this and we feel that it is time for me to go to language school.
I am signed up to attend IPEE immersion language school from August 21st to September 28th of this year. The school is located in Costa Rica. I will be spending these five weeks living with a Spanish speaking family and attending class for 6 to 8 hours a day. Many of you may be wondering, “Why all the way to Costa Rica?” From speaking with many individuals who have learned Spanish, they have said that immersion learning is the best way to learn Spanish. Basically, what this means is you totally surround yourself with only Spanish for 24/7. This forces your mind after a time to start learning the language. I chose this school in Costa Rica because several of my coworkers in the ministry have used this school and have greatly benefited from it. If you would like to check it out, go to www.ipee.com and you can learn more about it.
The cost to go to this school including the plane ticket is $3000. I need to raise this amount in the next month. If you would really like to make a greater impact on the ministry you are already supporting, this is the best opportunity you are going to have this year. If you are not currently a financial or prayer supporter of ours, this is a great way for you to jump on board and really make a difference. If you have built with Julie and I, you know the challenges of the language barrier. Please consider and pray about this opportunity to improve our ministry here along the border.
We love all of you and are deeply thankful for the support you have already given. This is just one of those things that is essential for our ministry. Feel free to call me at anytime if you have questions or advice. If you would like to give to this cause, send a check made out to "Casas Por Cristo" to the address below. If you could, also write "For Justin's Language School" on the memo line, that would be great! You will receive a tax deductable receipt for your donation. We hope that you can be a part of this. Go swimming in a lake for me! There aren't any here.
Love you all,
Justin Kirklin
Casas Por Cristo
PO Box 971070
El Paso, TX 79997
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