Memo part 2

Hey everyone,

The other day we went to the beach with the Didsbury Zion Youth team. I know, tough life.
Their time here is winding down as they will be leaving on Monday. If you read our previous blog entry, you will know that Memo (Guillermo) is a new believer who accepted Christ at a church family camp about a week ago. It has been a joy to see him jump right into ministry with the Didsbury team this week- orphanage ministry, fun outings and outreaches with our ministry in the poor area where he used to buy drugs. He has done all this with English speakers from Alberta even though he doesn't speak English!

Anyway as we were at the beach I was translating for one of the leaders and Memo. Memo told me a story that they write books about! Here is what I mean. Memo said that he was involved in a plan to assault a man who was going to be carrying a bunch of money. It was a simple plan, just jump the guy and take the money. These simple plans can sometimes go wrong as we know, and lives can be ruined forever. The plan was made and Memo was to be the guy to carry it out. So he was set and ready as the appointed day neared. Then he started doubting the plan and he began wresting within himself with doing such a thing, even though theft etc had been part of his life for many years.

Thursday night came along and the 2 friends that Sheri and I have been pouring into invited Memo to the church family camp over Easter weekend. Memo accepted, relenting to the still small voice inside that had been calling him for the last few weeks. He wanted to come to the church and see what it was all about. Once he arrived, he found a caring family with open arms. Of course not everyone was waiting with open arms, but he got to know some people and I was blessed to be one of them. He felt like people cared and he felt like he was starting to belong. This community felt so much more authentic than his "gang" in his neighborhood. Memo was becoming attached.

Then Friday night at a camp fire, the gospel was presented and a call to surrender to Christ was offered. Memo willingly gave his heart to Christ with tears streaming down his cheeks. He had found purpose and a place to belong.

As we wrapped up our talk at the beach Memo finished with this, "the assault was supposed to happen on Saturday , (he pauses- his eyes watering), look at the goosebumps on my arms".

Isn't God good? Wow, again, I marvel at how He works and His timing. Christ saved Memo from the trap Satan had set for him on Saturday, and He used His church to do it! Shouldn't love and accpetance and a sense of belonging in the church be replacing those same things young men look for in gangs? Memo is now experiencing the authentic version of what he was seeking.

Pray for him as he overcomes his addictions. He told me he has good days and hard days. The youth team leaves on Monday as I mentioned and the activity level will go way down as people get back into their routines. That might even be harder for Memo as he will have to go back home to his neighborhood where all the temptations will be. PRAY FOR HIM! He wants to find a job and start university, studying to become a Physed Teacher. I can vouch for him, God has certainly gifted Memo with kids!

Thank you for praying and lifting up Memo.

Easter means New Life!

Where to start, wow! The last 12 hours have been the culmination of something the Lord has been doing recently. I am not sure where to start. I know, I will start with Memo.

If you have been a frequent reader of our blog and or prayer letters, you will know who Cesar and Marcela are. They left a life of drug abuse and homelessness just over a year ago after losing their 18month old daughter. One of the members of our church reached out to them in their need and their lives have never been the same since. They know what it is like to go without food, eat out of dumpsters, beg on the streets and be addicted to drugs.

That brings me back to Memo. He is someone who lives not that far from where Cesar and Marcela live. They saw him at the park hanging out with “the boys” which means the gang he runs. Cesar could see the signs that they were a gang and that drug abuse was common place for them, as he knows what to look for. So Cesar and Marcela started forming a relationship with Memo with the hopes of leading him to the Lord. They felt like if He would give his life to the Lord then the rest of the guys in the gang would maybe follow in short order.

Onto Alejandra. She is someone who lives in the poor area where we have been reaching out. She is 18 and still lives at home with her mom helping out. She came out to one event we had and played soccer with us. We have encouraged her to come to church and keep coming to the soup kitchen etc. She has done so and has attended church a few times. She has professed a faith in Christ but it seems she knows very little about her faith nor the bible.

Onto George. George is a man in his 50’s who got in trouble with the law in the US where he has lived all of his life. He was born in Mexico and moved up to California with his parents as a young child. He never bothered getting his papers and so lived his life there in California as an illegal. He got into trouble with the law and after a lengthy jail stay, he got deported to Mexico. George has no family in Mexico and Spanish is not his first language (man can I relate to that!). The first day after arriving in Mexico, George fell and broke his leg (compound fracture). So he arrived in Hermosillo where the main hospital is and received medical care – surgery. He was put up in the homeless shelter and has been there since. Shelli Neufeld, our colleague, has been doing therapy at the hospital and came across George, who was drawn to her because he heard her speaking English. Shelli invited him to church and he accepted. He has been coming for about a month or so.

Ok, fast forward to this weekend. A team from a church in Didsbury is here and we have just finished a weekend family camp at the church. Memo was invited by Cesar and Marcela and accepted. George also wanted to come. I called Alejandra and encouraged her to come and she accepted. Last night we had a campfire and one of the leaders from our church gave a great message. God started moving, tears started flowing, and hearts started breaking. Memo gave his life to the Lord! George wants to take his newfound faith more seriously and Alejandra does as well! All three of them are going to get baptized tomorrow! Wow, what a testimony to the changing power of the Lord!
Today we went out into the poor area with Memo and Alejandra, Cesar, Marcela and group of the youth from Didsbury. Alejandra was giving out sandwiches in the name of the Lord to her neighbors and Memo was passing out Bible tracts to his suppliers (drug suppliers)! Surely they thought he was coming to buy more drugs but instead he was coming to give them the good news about his new faith! They offered him drugs and he replied “no I am done with that stuff”. I am overwhelmed by what the Lord is doing right now!

When we finished our distribution of tracts and sandwiches, we returned to the church. Cesar said, “I have done all sorts of drugs but nothing compares to the rush the Lord gives me when I see him use me like this”!

Pray for Memo, George and Alejandra tomorrow. It will be a big step for them! Pray for the guys in Memo's gang who will really be wondering what has changed in Memo. Continue to pray for Cesar and Marcela to stand up against the old temptations of the life they have left behind. God is using them and so Satan will continue to attack them.

Thank you for standing in prayer with us!

Lane for Sheri and the kids