What the World Doesn't Do

I'v been chewing on this from the beginning of my journey as a Christian missionary. I've always wondered how the Non-christian portion of American society sees Christian missions. Does the American "world" see God's power because the American church is missional internationally? Does the church testify to Grace and validity of Jesus because of the American missional outreach to the world? If it's not clear what I am asking, let me clarify by starting with an equal comparison. 

AAH: Action Against Hunger; www.aah-usa.org

ADRA: Adventist Development and Relief Agency International: www.adra.org

Air Serv International: www.airserv.org

AFSC: American Friends Service Committee: www.afsc.org

American Jewish World Service: www.ajws.org

American Red Cross: www.redcross.org

ARC: American Refugee Committee; www.archq.org

AmeriCares:www.americares.org

CARE: www.care.org

Catholic Relief Services; www.catholicrelief.org

Childreach/Plan International USA: www.childreach.org

Christian Children’s Fund: www.ChristianChildrensFund.org

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee: www.crwrc.org

CWS: Church World Service; the service agency for the National Council of Churches (USA); www.churchworldservice.org

Concern Worldwide US: www.concernusa.org

Direct Relief International: www.directrelief.org

Doctors of the World: www.doctorsoftheworld.org

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Food for the Hungry, Inc.: www.fh.org

International Aid: www.internationalaid.org, www.gospelcom.net/ia

International Catholic Migration Commission: www.icmc.net

IMC: International Medical Corps: www.imc-la.com

IRC: International Rescue Committee: www.irc.org, www.theIRC.org

Latter-Day Saint Charities:             800-240-1201 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            800-240-1201      end_of_the_skype_highlighting      

Lutheran World Relief: www.lwr.org

MAP International: www.map.org

MCI: Mercy Corps International: www.mercycorps.org

NMIT: Northwest Medical Team International: www.nwmedicalteams.org

Operation USA: www.opusa.org

Oxfam America: www.oxfamamerica.org

Refugees International: www.refugeesinternational.org

Relief International: www.ri.org

Salvation Army World Service Office: www.salvationarmyusa.org

SC/US (SCF/US): Save the Children/US: www.savethechildren.org

United Methodist Committee on Relief: http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor

USA for UNHCR: www.usaforunhcr.org

United States Fund for UNICEF: www.unicefusa.org

United Way International: www.uwint.org

Women’s EDGE: www.womensedge.org

World Concern; www.worldconcern.org 

World Relief: www.worldrelief.org

World Vision: www.wvi.org

This is a list of google searched, "Humanitarian Organizations." I left the Christian organizations

mixed in with the secular organizations on purpose. It all sounds the same. "Action Against

Hunger" and "Food for the Hungry" really sound like the same thing despite the fact that one is

gospel centric and one is a secular humanitarian organization. You can slip the word "Christian"

or "Catholic" in the name, but I really don't think in changes much. 

The only real way to tell the difference is to actually go on a trip with these organizations. In our

case, if you come on a trip with Casas, we communicate that the main goal is the gospel and

not necessarily to end poverty. In light of this, It's obvious to us that the Non-Christian portion of
the US doesn't go on a trip with a Christian mission organization. From our experience, church
groups go on trips with Christian organizations. My opinion is that America's Non-Christian
portion of society will not see the power of the gospel through American based international
missions. It may be revealed by those who went on the trip sharing their experience with their
neighbor, but left alone, the Non-Christian America populous will not see God's work, fingerprint,
or power because they are not there to experience it or see how it differentiates from
Humanitarian organizations. 

I am not saying that those ministered to by American based missions don't see Christ, on the

contrary, I think that they absolutely do. So what is the point of me writing this?

My point is, international missions isn't the light that America needs. I have tended to think that
what I am doing will be a light to the world. It is, just not to those whom I came from. America is a
unique place. No one is sending missionaries to the US because, generally speaking, the global
church sees America as the most Christian centric country. We have been sending the most
missionaries to other countries than any other country. I think South Korea may have just
overtook us but don't quote me on that. Because missionaries aren't sent by outside sources, it
is up to Christian here in the US to be the missionaries to its own people. In light of that, its only
going to get done by those who aren't paid clergymen. Pastors and priests generally don't leave
their Christian bubble. 


Missions organization and missionaries may blend in to humanitarianism, but if you would go
love your neighbor, you can bet that you won't blend in. Our society is not out loving and being
intentional with their neighbor. They are comfortable inside their homes, enjoying there kingdom,
staying out of everybody's business. Go stand out. Go be missional to your neighborhood and
the people you work with. Be your communties missionary. Jose in his shack need Jesus just as
much as your neighbor Bob does. May the power of God be seen through your passion and
transformed heart. Give the United States what it is lacking most. Missionaries. 

Looking Forward to the Future

For awhile, it felt very unstable around here. Since 2007, the number of volunteer groups coming to Mexico has been on the decline. One word has stood out the most to the groups that used to come. That word is "Liability." The truth is, if a church organizes a trip to Mexico and something happens, somebody is going to be liable. Pastors, elders, deacons, church leadership, and parents are having a hard time letting there congregation or children participate in missions where the risk is so great and liability stands in the way.

I'm not going to go in to the specifics or whether I think this is right or wrong, but I wanted to say that because we haven't posted a blog entry for a year. The reason we haven't written anything or celebrated ministry the way we should have is because when you write a blog, you want to describe how well ministry is going. You want to say you are supporting something that is succeeded. You want to write that God is good and everything is grand. Truth is, Julie and I were swimming in a sea of uncertainty and inevitable failure. That sounds crazy, and in hindsight isn't really true, but right or wrong that's how we felt.

News hit last April that the ministry was going to have to lay off five missionaries. My initial thought was we were on the way out because I am the newest hire and the youngest missionary here. I contacted several people about jobs that may be open and prayed for internal peace. April and May were tough. We waited and prayed. It was hard to see something that we had given ourselves so completely to reveal the first real tangible signs of failure and closure. Casas por Cristo has been used by God to do so much in the communities that we build in. To see such a beautiful thing in jeopardy of going out of business is a tough pill to swallow and causes one to ask "God, why?"

The instability that we found ourselves in was enough to blind us to the good that was happening. We were still building. In fact, we still led twenty builds in 2011. That's twenty families whose lives were changed and hearts opened to the gospel message. We saw several families put their faith in Jesus. It is frustrating that the excitement of that passed us by because we were to busy looking at the raging waves of the sea rather than focusing on the beauty of Jesus.

It just so happens that we weren't laid off. We had to say goodbye to five friends, but God kept us here. It just so happens that we ended the year financially stable as a ministry. It also just so happens that we planted our ministry in Guatemala and already have 20 houses scheduled there for 2012. The question is, why do we doubt God and despair when failure seems inevitable. We need to remember this ministry is God's and it is in His hands. Success or fail, it's God's.

After an unstable 2011, we feel that our feet are planted firmly on the ground for 2012. These Guatemala registrations can't help but make us feel like we have a good foot hold. God was good in 2011 even though it didn't seem like it most of the time. Like David in that Psalms, we look back and see God's goodness and know that it will be there for the future.

Holiday Build With Cornerstone Christian Church

  I took this picture on Christmas Eve outside of our apartment while thinking about the coming build week. Beautiful. Many people ask us why we don't go back to Michigan for the Christmas Season. Since working here, we have yet to be home for Christmas. As many of you know, the busiest times for building are during school breaks. Christmas break is no exception. Many families and workers take that time off with their family to be able to do missions trips with organizations like ours. So every year, between Christmas and New Years Day, there are usually a high volume of groups that come to build a house with our ministry.
The high volume of volunteers is one big reason we stay here to build, but perhaps the biggest reason that we choose to remain here to build over the holidays,is to be a part of giving such an amazing gift to a family during the Holiday season. For some reason, that act of gift giving is magnified in emotion during holidays. Maybe it's the spirit in the air, maybe it's psychological, maybe it's the time sacrifice on our part; but building a house for a family while everyone else is vacationing is spectacular.
This holiday season, we built with a group from Cornerstone Christian Church, located in Illinois. This is the second straight holiday season we have built with them and the third time we were privileged to partner with them in house building. Many from that group are quickly becoming like family.
This year we built for Juan and Celia Mendez Rojas and their 5 children and grandchildren. The interesting thing about this family was that our ministry had already built them a house. Unfortunately, back in 2006, the house that had been built was destroyed in catastrophic and out-of-characteristic floods that hit the area. They re-applied to receive a home and this week they finally received a new home...again.
When I had heard of the story about the floods, I immediately wondered what God was doing. As a group, we discussed the possibility that God needed them to hear the Gospel a second time and that maybe the flood was an act of God's mercy rather than an act of evil. Maybe what evil meant for evil, God intended for good. Whatever the case was, whatever God was doing, we made it a point to take advantage of the circumstances.
We started building the Tuesday after Christmas and were able to finish the house on Friday. Weather conditions were pretty rough but God gave us a spirit of gratitude to be a part of what He was doing. A bad sandstorm was followed by two days of cold wet snow. The conditions only made us think about the family; How they had been living in a two room cinderblock structure that was small and un-insulated. It made us think how they have been physically suffering for years.

We dedicated the house to the family on Friday afternoon. They received a new Bible and keys to their new home. Most importantly, they received the gospel message of Jesus Christ. This family already professed faith in Jesus Christ but you never know where they are really at inside. The dedication brought tears to their eyes and they were in agreement to the truth in the message that was given to them. It is our hope that the new, fully insulated, three room house stands as a monument of God's love to them that was built by His people.

That night, the church we stayed at had a New Years Eve service. The Mexican Pastor's name of the church is Gedeon Solis. Every year he accommodates the American volunteer group into the service by making it bilingual and participatory for the volunteers. Several of the volunteers were able to give testimonies about the trip and about their personal lives in front of the Mexican church congregation. The group also sang a song entitled, "How Great Is Our God", led by yours truly.
Thanks for your prayers to anyone who prayed for us. If you would, would you say a quick prayer for the family? Ask God to continue to go after their hearts and seal them in salvation. If you could also pray for the group we built with, that God would continue to sanctify them into missional living. It is our hope that the experience they had here transforms their lives in the truth of living the Gospel to those around them. Love you All!

Fiesta de Navidad

Every year, like many organizations or companies, the staff at Casas Por Cristo has a Christmas party. The staff of Casas Por Cristo would have dinner at a restaurant in El Paso. Usually a nice dinner to celebrate the ministry over the last year and to give thanks to God for all that he has done. This year, we decided that a better way of expressing our appreciation for what Christ has done in us and through us was to hold a Christmas party for a Mexican community that we build in.
In the southern part of Juarez, MX., our ministry owns a facility that is capable of hosting 500 hundred people. We call the facility the "SHOC" which stands for "The Shane Harris Outreach Center". We usually use this building for volunteer groups to sleep in during a build week. As you noticed, the word "Outreach" is in the name of the facility. One of our dreams for the facility was to use the building for outreach. The ministry strategically bought property and built the SHOC in the particular community that it is in. The people who live in the community are some of the poorest people that we build for. It is a community of great need. The picture at the bottom is a picture of the main room setup before our guests arrived.
Three days before the Christmas party event, three men from the ministry and I passed out a flyer to every family that we had built for in the community. This is what the flyer looked like:
Can you read it? Its ok if you can't:) This tests my limits as well. (In fact, the ministry actually let me make it!)
It took about two and a half hours to pass all the invitations out. It was pretty surreal seeing all these families that our ministry has built for. I wonder how they felt when a crazy white boy rolled up and invited them to a Christmas party.
When we were finished handing all the invitations, we realized that we definitely needed to buy more food. Our original estimation was about 200 people coming but we soon changed our estimation to about 400 to 600 people. 400 to 600 people! Can you imagine!? We had a lot of grocery shopping to do. We bought 400 chicken breasts, 400 hot dogs, a giant bag of rice, and the necessary ingredients to cook a Mexican soup called "Menudo". For those who don't know what menudo is...well...just look it up.

So on December 4th, we arrived at the SHOC about 11 am and started grilling like crazy. It took about 3 and a half hours of grilling! People started to pour in the door around 2pm and the place filled up fast.

 

The line was out the door, in fact... One more chance to serve these families. One more chance for them to hear the gospel message. We could have celebrated the normal way; 30 of us heading to a steak restaurant. But with the leading of the Holy Spirit, we were directed to use this opportunity to celebrate what Christ has done in a more Christ-like manner.


The serving was on as the room filled up with people. One of the pastors from our pastors committee brought a couple of his guys to do praise and worship music. They played for a bit until everyone was seated. Then pastor Gedeon Solis, president of the Casas Por Cristo pastors committee, got up to the front to speak about the hope that is found in Jesus Christ.

At the end, Pastor Gedeon asked if there were some who wanted to receive the hope found in Jesus Christ. Fifteen or so raised their hands. We are thankful for what Christ is doing in the lives of the families that we build for. The amazing thing about working in the mission field is that we receive way more than what it seems that we give up. God has blessed our ministry with the ability and opportunity to do these kinds of things for families who desperately need not just physical but spiritual relief. Thank you to everyone this Christmas season that continues to pray for my wife and I as we work in this ministry. Merry Christmas and remember the miracle of the son of God coming to this world to save us.

                                                                                        Justin

Christmas Building

Our next build is coming up in just a few short weeks. We will be starting the build on the 28th of December, just a few days after Christmas. How cool is it that people are willing to build a house over Christmas and into New Years? What an incredible gift to give to a family. I find this act of love inspiring for many reasons. Instead of enjoying the comforts and rest of Christmas time and vacation, these men and women have decided to love a family they've never met and owe nothing to. They have decided to be a Christmas miracle.

The group that we are building with is Cornerstone Christian Church from Shiloh, IL. I have built with this group twice and am looking forward to the third. They will be giving this amazing Christmas present to the Rojas family. They are a family of six make an income of $50.00 a week. It is starting to get cold outside. In fact, I just turned the heat on in my office. Can you imagine living in a pallet built home in the middle of winter? About the time we go and build this house, it will be cold enough to snow. This gift of a warm insulated home is going to give this family relief and give them joy this winter.

With all the things that come with the house, the message of the gospel and the tangible realization of God's love is the most important. We celebrate the savior coming into the world on Christmas. What better way to celebrate His coming than to come to a family with love and the message of Jesus. Pray for us as we prepare to bless a family with this gift. Pray that God would be working in their hearts and minds to receive His word and His love.

                                                                                                                        Justin

Back and Ready

Hello Everyone! Its been a while since I have been able to write to you. I was in Costa Rica for 5 weeks. I got back 2 weeks ago and immediately had a staff retreat followed by a conference that I was signed up to go to for advertising our ministry. Whew!!! Well, not that I have a moment to breathe before I start building again, there are a few things I would like to update you on and some things I would like to say to everyone who supports and prays for Julie and I.

Language

Let me begin by honoring everyone who donated money and sent me to Costa Rica to learn Spanish. I'm going to leave you anonymous because many of you probably like to give secretly. I can't explain to you enough the gift that you have given me or those that we are working for in Mexico. You have empowered me and gave me confidence in Spanish. Instead of hearing a bunch of blah with a few words here and there, I know am able to hear just as many words as I do blah. I know that sounds funny but its the truth. I'm smiling write now as I write this. But the important thing here is that I am able to comprehend enough to understand people. The rest of the language will start to fill itself in. I'm so excited about learning Spanish and am looking forward to the coming year. Keep praying that I will continue to build my vocabulary and be able to speak with more efficiency.

Perhaps the most important thing about learning Spanish is the fact that I can more effectively minister to the families that we build for and work better with the pastors that we are partnered with. When I say we...I mean you included. None of the ministry that we are a part of could be accomplished without the financial sacrifice and prayer support that comes from you. You are a part of bring the gospel and giving houses to families you may never meet. Thank you.

Let me tell you a little bit about what Costa Rica was like and then I will update you into the things coming up.

Costa Rica

I stayed with a Costa Rican family. The lady of the house, in Spanish it's the Ama de la Casa, name was Zoraida. Her two daughters and their sons lived with her. I had the whole upstairs of their house to myself. Everyday, she prepared breakfast and dinner for me. We would sit for two hours and talk while we ate. It took me a little while to get the hang of speaking with her. At first, I understood almost nothing. By the end, I felt confident in speaking and listening to her.

After Breakfast everyday, I would go to school. It was a 15 minute walk from Zoraida's house. The school did 3 two hour sessions. By the third session, my brain would be fried from trying to comprehend everything people were saying. I would leave school exhausted and wanting nothing to do with Spanish. All of the teachers were nice. They hall had really different teaching styles. Some talked so fast I couldn't keep up. Others talked slow enough for me to understand. All in All, I enjoyed the classes.

After school I would go to a coffee shop and use the internet. During every day of school, I would write down a word I didn't know and then look it up after school at the coffee shop. This tactic really helped me pick things up quicker. After looking up words and drinking enough coffee to make me shake, I would return home to eat dinner with Zoraida. We would talk for awhile and then I would go up to my room, do homework and try to learn the words I had learned at the coffee shop. FUN STUFF!!By the third week... My Brain was done. I took it easy on the word studying and decided to try and converse more with others.

The weekends were filled with more studying but one weekend I took a bus to a beach called Manuel Antonio. It was beautiful. They have a national park there where there are secluded beaches and different animals. I was able to see some monkeys and even a sloth. At night I would go into the town and enjoy dinner while listening to the waves. Seeing the beauty of this place really stirred up worship in my heart. God is so beautiful. I can't wait to see what He has in store for eternity!

I was ready to come home after week four but I toughed it out. The school gave me the book material for the things I wasn't able to cover in class. Can you believe that I made it to the advanced classes! Me neither. Again, thank you to everybody who made this possible. You are awesome!

No What?

Now, Julie and I are preparing for some building and a trip home for thanksgiving. Our two builds are October 25th thru the 29th and November 12th thru the 13th. The October build is going to be a little different and more difficult than normal. The team I was supposed to build with cancelled but paid for the house to be done. So now I am looking for people who would like to come down on short notice to build this house with me. If you are reading this and you feel like this is something your interested in, I could use you! So far I have four people committed. I hoping for some more. Never built one of our larger model houses with 4 people but I'd ready for whatever God throws my way. I just want a family to receive a house and the gospel to be proclaimed. Be praying for Julie and I as we try to prepare for this build.

We love you all. Keep us in your prayers. We still need monthly supporters. If you would like to do ministry this way, we encourage you to pray about donating to us on a monthly basis. If you are already giving, I'm excited for you because of the relationship you are building with God by giving to this mission and I'm excited for the eternal rewards that you are going to harvest. To God be the Glory forever and ever. May He have our crowns and all of our offerings. May in cost us something to love and follow Him.

Justin

While We're Apart...

Hello everyone!


Justin has been gone for over three weeks now and will be coming home in eleven more days (not that I'm counting!). It has been hard for the both of us, but we have been lucky enough that he has internet access so we can skype about once a day. Justin is well, alive, learning lots of Spanish and likes the family he is living with. Over the past weekend, he took a two and a half hour bus ride to the beach and rented a cabin. (I'm a little jealous :) He hiked around a national park where he saw brave little monkeys that stole things out of other peoples bags/purses! So funny!


As for me, I'm doing well. I've been picking up extra shifts at the hospital, hanging out with some of the casas girls, watching lots of chick flicks, doing some shopping, and doing things around the house that I've been meaning to do for awhile (like clean the porch off, which I just did!). I've appreciated all the cards/letters/gifts that people have sent me over the last few weeks. Thanks to those who let me know that they care and are thinking of me!


I am really anxious for Justin to get home, as is he, but the Lord has been watching over the both of us. I'm sure once he gets home he will post pictures and a blog of his experience in Costa Rica. He tells me it is a beautiful country. And I'm hoping he took some pictures of the crazy monkeys!


Til the whole world hears,


julie

The Grove

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.

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 21^st to September 28^th 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

Visiting Irving and Veronica

Many of you don't know the extent to which we try to minister and bring the Gospel to the families we build for. After a build, myself or my director, partner with a Mexican Pastor to visit families that we have built for. We usually are able to visit them within a year of their house being built. The above family is a family I visited yesterday that I had the pleasure of building for back in March.

They are Irving and Veronica Reyes with their two Children Jose and Irving Junior. I wrote about them back in March. As a refresher, they lived in a little pallet shack that was the same square footage as a queen size mattress. Literally, when you walked into their old shack, you stepped onto the mattress. We were building the house and in wasn't finished yet. Veronica had already moved some things in because she was so excited to be in her new home.

I visited this family yesterday with their sponsoring Mexican Pastor. We have a committee of pastors who are responsible for sponsoring and keeping up with their sponsored families. I you have built with me, you know that I am a huge proponent of our pastor sponsorship program. When we build, we don't just hand them the keys to a house, say Jesus loves you, and leave and never see them again. We partner with sponsoring pastors who minister to the family before, during, and after the build. We want to be thorough and effective ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Anyway, that's what I was doing yesterday. When we entered in the house that I had built with a group for Vista Grande Baptist, it was pretty emotional. The two children knew who I was immediately. They rushed up to me to be held and hugged; almost like I had never left. Veronica hurried to get us a 2 liter of Coke so that we could sit and visit with them for awhile. This was an important visit. I could tell that the pastor knew this family very well. We started to ask them about the condition of their home and how everything was working. It was in perfect order which was great to see. I told them that their house is a gift from God and that they needed Jesus in their hearts for Joy and eternal life. The pastor started to speak with them about following Jesus and told the story of the prodigal's son. Irving had been wandering from the Lord for quite a long time. We prayed with them  and I took their picture. You can tell that they were very emotional. I hope and pray that God used our visit to bring their hearts to Him. Pray for Irving, Veronica,and their two children.

The Families of July

A Quick Update

The March Builds

Greetings! We are finally posting the stories of this crazy March Madness of building. We are busiest as a ministry during the school break seasons. I am proud to say that we, as an entire ministry, have built 57 houses this month! Julie and I were a part of leading three of those. Each family's story is unique and is full of need of God's grace. As you read these stories, remember that God, sending us to these specific families, is proof that he is pursuing their hearts and minds for freedom and life. How good is God that he would allow us to join in that. To all of you who are financially, prayerfully, and directly involved in these works, God is using you to accomplish a miracle of grace and intentional mercy.

(March 8th) Bertha Hernandez Jimenez and Her Three Children

 

On the week of March 8th, Julie and I built with a group of 20 from Evergreen, Colorado. They are from Evergreen Lutheran Church. I was really excited for this build because I have established a relationship with the Pastor and some of the members of this church in the last year. This was the third house I would be leading for this church. Also, Julie hadn't met anyone from this church yet and she finally was able to. This was also the church where Jim Ritter is from. Jim is my friend who gave me my truck. So needless to say, It's a pretty cool feeling knowing that there are people who care about us coming to serve with us.

This build was also unique because we were literally 5 feet from another house being built by another team with our ministry. This is unique because teams usually build in their separate location with their own group. We had two church group teams, from different churches, from different denominations, working side by side to build for two families. This was awesome. But what made it even better, was the ability to build for two families who were part of the same extended family.

We were unable to see Bertha(homeowner) during the week, because she was at work everyday. Being a young and single mother, she couldn't take time off of work to miss the income and, she couldn't afford the risk of losing her job. Her brothers were at the work site everyday, representing her. Bertha only made $60 a week for her and her 3 children to survive. We were able to see her children at the worksite during the week. The other house being built was for Bertha's parents. The children were being watched by Bertha's mother. Bertha's mother's name is Guadalupe. Guadalupe was the major ambassador to both teams from her extended family. The extended family all lived together in a shack built out of cardboard and pallets.

For families like this that we build for, there is a major glass ceiling over their heads. There are essentially no opportunities for a family like this to get out of the situation they are in. It is difficult to find a job in the city, education is too costly for a family that makes barely enough to survive, and the jobs that there are, only pay meager wages of $50 to $80 a week. Consequently, they cram together in a little shack of garbage, and live in an old city landfill. This is heart breaking. Through our ministry, we were able to meet a major physical need of this family, but the house we build does so much more than meet a physical need. Through it, we can display to these families that Christ loves them and cares for them in their desperation. The love and the free gift of a home is just a taste of what can meet them in eternity. Eternity and the life after becomes the only hope many of these family's will ever have. This hope is the greatest and most life giving hope of all. This hope is salvation, joy, and life through Jesus Christ.

We built the house in a quick 2 and a half days. The building was fun and laid back. God showed that he was watching over and taking care of us as we built. After we were finished, the group from Evergreen Lutheran did a neighborhood cookout in a local church as an outreach event for the local Mexican church. Mingling with the local neighborhood was pretty cool.

At the end of the week, we dedicated the houses together with both groups to the extended family. Both families received keys, new bibles, and gifts for their new home. Amazing!

It was a pleasure building with the group from Evergreen Lutheran. There were a lot of new faces from the year before. Their commitment to loving God and each other is inspiring. But more than that, their commitment to love the world around them truly is unique and remarkable.  They worked hard and were able to change the lives of a family in need in Mexico for hope and life. Thank you Evergreen Lutheran for your service and love.

(March 15th) Eleazar and Laura Favela and Their Two Children

The build for Eleazar and his family was in our expansion city of Acuna, MX. The ministry expanded to this city a year and a half ago and have now built 50 homes in the city. Eleazar and his family is one of those families. I partnered with First Baptist Church from Willis, TX to build this family their first home. Eleazar and his family inherited a peace of property from his mother but had no means to build any shelter on this property. Eleazar had been out of work for a couple of years before we arrived. We were thankful to learn that he had found a factory job two weeks before we arrived to build them a house. Still...His wages were at a meager $70 a week. Eleazar and his family had been living in a friends house until they could find a place of their own.

Another piece of good news from this family was the fact that this family are fellow followers of Christ. When we arrived, they saw God coming to answer their prayer. Can you imagine the kind of feeling that gave us? Humbleness, thankfulness, and joy were in abundance during the week because we knew we were a part of God's plan. 

Unexpectantly, the first day we arrived to pour the foundation, it rained like crazy all day. With determination and love, we still poured in the wet and cold. This act of determination from the group really moved Laura, Eleazar's wife, in her heart. She expressed to us how good it made her feel to know God and the group loved their family that much, to work in miserable conditions. The second day was sunny and warm and we were able to finish most of the house. Wednesday, we returned to finish several things on the house. Then we dedicated the home to the family around lunch time. There is no doubt in my mind that the family was touched by the love of God and that they are living everyday in thankfulness to Him.

Thank you First Baptist Willis for partnering with me to do an amazing work in a family's life. You provided shelter and safety for a family who never had a home of their own. Thank you for your continued partnership year after year with our ministry. Hope to see you next year.

(March 22nd) Irving and Veronica Gonzales and Their Two Children

By this point in the month, Julie and I were pretty tired. But, the group we worked with and the family we built for were the perfect combination for the weary missionaries.

We built with Vista Grande Baptist Church from Colorado Springs. This was also a unique experience because they brought 60 people, 40 of which were youth. Groups are not usually this large. Between the 60 of them, we built three homes last week. Julie and I led one of them. The group we led was made up of half Vista  Grand church members, and half members from another local church. It was a pretty cool experience to be with two partnering churches at the same time.

The family we built for lived in the smallest and worst living conditions of any family Julie and I have ever built for. The shack they lived in was no bigger than the size of a queen size mattress. They were also a very young couple who had some issues with their extended family. Most families we build for cohabitate with their extended family. This is more economically smart for these families because they are able to combine resources from the family's past and present. But with this family, they didn't have that going for them and they were newly starting out on their own. Both Irving and Veronica were 20 years old with two children. Irving had a factory job and earned $70.00 a week for his family.

Another important aspect of this build was the obvious spiritual need of this family. They were not followers of Christ, and they needed His grace and His hope. A woman named Gloria who was on the team was very good at Speaking Spanish. Instead of primarily focusing on building, I had her focus on ministering and sharing the Gospel of Christ to this family. Gloria explained to the family that Christ wants them to be a part of the kingdom. He wants to save them, love them, and give them life. God sending us to build them a house was proof that God was pursuing their hearts and their minds for the benefit of what they could have in Him.

At the end of building the house, during the dedication, the family's sponsoring Mexican pastor reiterated what we had been claiming all week about Christ. Irving was moved by what we said and told us that he will be thinking long and hard about the words we have said to them.

Please join with Julie, myself, and Vista Grand in praying for this family, that God would aggressively enter into their hearts and minds and do work their. They need him desperately.

Thank you Vista Grand and partnering churches for the new relationships I was able to build with your group. It was energizing and worshipful to serve with you. Keep investing in the youth that you bring down every year. Love you Guys.

Also, Special thanks to Joe Curtis, who wouldn't want me to thank him publicly but I'm going to anyway. He purchased for me a very expensive and amazing tool for leveling the forms for the foundation. The tool is called a transit. Your the coolest PAPA JOE.

Quick Update

We have built every week this month so far and we are about to start the final build of this month today. I just wanted to say thank you to all we have built with and also to everyone who has been praying for us this month. Expect a lengthy report next week, but for now...going to meet the group and cross the border in about an hour. Love you all...

Til the whole world hears,

Justin

His House Christian Fellowship Build

This year I wasn't able to lead the build with the His House Christian Fellowship group, but they let me lead worship for them on Sunday morning. This is a video of us singing while you can see the crew building houses with with my ministry. Awesome video Kurt!