We received news this morning that little 2 year old Jimena (one of the victims of the daycare fire that occured at the beginning of this month here in our city) has passed away.
Sheri and Marcela (a Mexican friend) have gone to the memorial service this afternoon. Please pray for them as they search for how to comfort Jimena'a mother and father. Pray that God's love would be so evident in Sheri and Marcela. You may remember from a previous blog entry that Marcela has also experienced this kind of pain. Her youngest child passed away almost a year ago now in the same hospital. She knows what Jimena'a mom is going through.
Pray that God would bring something wonderful out of such tragedy. Only He can do such a miracle.
Matthew 5:4 says "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Please pray for comfort for Jimena's parents.
It isn't easy to be here in times like this, but this is when the church needs to stand up and be the church.
Thank you for enabling us to be His hands and feet in a place and time like this.
Lane
Have a look at what the Elliott's are up to in Northern Mexico
Monday, June 22, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Searching for how to Help
Today I plan to pick up a church member and head over to the other side of town. Her sister (Reina) lives over there, close to the train tracks. I met her sister in church on Sunday. She doesn't normally attend our church but she does come once in a while.
It turns out she is trying to minister to some desperate people and I would like to see if the Lord is leading us to help in some way. The desperate people I speak of come from all parts of Mexico and beyond. Some as far away as Central America. Why do they come you ask? For a chance to make what they think will be, a better life in the States. Our city Hermosillo, is a stopping point for those who travel by train. They must get off their train here and walk (I am not sure how far) to catch the next one. Most of them travel illegally and will attempt to enter the USA illegally as well. They come hungry (some of them haven't eaten for up to 2 weeks), they come dirty, they come bloody (stowed away on a train is a dangerous form of travel and assaults during ones sleep are apparantly not uncommon), and most of all, they come desperate.
In their transfer, they walk very close to Reina's house and she sees them every day, 6 to 8 or more. Most of them are men although sometimes families with children to come by as well. All of them are in search of a better life that they think will be theirs if they can just cross the border.
How can we help? How can we make a difference? With so many different needs that exist, how do we know if this is one that God is calling us to get involved with? We can offer food, we can offer hope through Jesus. For this reason I am going today.
I am also going with something else in mind. We have a team of youth coming from Canada in a months time and one of my responsibilities is to find a morning ministry for them while they are here. The goal is to find a venue where they can reach out to needy, even desperate people. We also desire that God would reach out to the youth group through these needy people as He has done in my life, and continues to do. That these kids would go home changed people for having reached out and touched hurting and desperate people and in so doing, would have had the privilege of serving and touching none other than Jesus himself- "For what you have done to the least of these, my brothers, you have done to me".
Please pray for guidance, pray for understanding, pray for compassion. Perhaps this particular need isn't one to be met by a youth group from Canada, but by your prayers for guidance and understanding, we will see that. There are lots of needs here, we just need to find the right one for them, the one God wants. He simply wants us and them to be His hands and feet in a hurting place.
"Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;
yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;
and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now."
Saint Teresa of Avila
It turns out she is trying to minister to some desperate people and I would like to see if the Lord is leading us to help in some way. The desperate people I speak of come from all parts of Mexico and beyond. Some as far away as Central America. Why do they come you ask? For a chance to make what they think will be, a better life in the States. Our city Hermosillo, is a stopping point for those who travel by train. They must get off their train here and walk (I am not sure how far) to catch the next one. Most of them travel illegally and will attempt to enter the USA illegally as well. They come hungry (some of them haven't eaten for up to 2 weeks), they come dirty, they come bloody (stowed away on a train is a dangerous form of travel and assaults during ones sleep are apparantly not uncommon), and most of all, they come desperate.
In their transfer, they walk very close to Reina's house and she sees them every day, 6 to 8 or more. Most of them are men although sometimes families with children to come by as well. All of them are in search of a better life that they think will be theirs if they can just cross the border.
How can we help? How can we make a difference? With so many different needs that exist, how do we know if this is one that God is calling us to get involved with? We can offer food, we can offer hope through Jesus. For this reason I am going today.
I am also going with something else in mind. We have a team of youth coming from Canada in a months time and one of my responsibilities is to find a morning ministry for them while they are here. The goal is to find a venue where they can reach out to needy, even desperate people. We also desire that God would reach out to the youth group through these needy people as He has done in my life, and continues to do. That these kids would go home changed people for having reached out and touched hurting and desperate people and in so doing, would have had the privilege of serving and touching none other than Jesus himself- "For what you have done to the least of these, my brothers, you have done to me".
Please pray for guidance, pray for understanding, pray for compassion. Perhaps this particular need isn't one to be met by a youth group from Canada, but by your prayers for guidance and understanding, we will see that. There are lots of needs here, we just need to find the right one for them, the one God wants. He simply wants us and them to be His hands and feet in a hurting place.
"Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;
yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;
and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now."
Saint Teresa of Avila
Friday, June 12, 2009
Update on Daycare Tradgedy
After spending some prayer time I suggested to Sheri that she and Marcela (a friend from the church who Sheri is discipling) go down to the kids hospital to see if they could help in some way, via prayer or whatever (in response to the day care fire last Friday that claimed the lives of over 40 children under the age of 5 years).
Marcela comes over to our house to meet with Sheri every Tuesday afternoon. At this time last year Marcela was sitting in the same hospital watching her little girl pass away. Marcela felt she could offer hope to these grieving families and pass on some of the love that God had shown her since the death of her daughter.
They went down to the hospital to find hundreds of people there. Within 30 seconds of entering the place a man stands up says to Marcela, "Don’t I know you”? Marcela couldn’t place him. As they talked she explained that she was looking to pray with the families. He said, “I am an uncle to one of the little girls who was burned, my 2 year old neice Jimena. Her mother is upstairs, would you like to go talk to her?” (Them passing the door of the waiting room would have never happened without the help of this gentlemen). The three went upstairs and talked for a while with the mom, there were tears and encouragement, Marcela shared her new faith in Christ. Phone numbers were exchanged, hope was left.
Please continue to pray for us as we seek to how best minister to a hurting city. Your prayers make a difference!
Marcela comes over to our house to meet with Sheri every Tuesday afternoon. At this time last year Marcela was sitting in the same hospital watching her little girl pass away. Marcela felt she could offer hope to these grieving families and pass on some of the love that God had shown her since the death of her daughter.
They went down to the hospital to find hundreds of people there. Within 30 seconds of entering the place a man stands up says to Marcela, "Don’t I know you”? Marcela couldn’t place him. As they talked she explained that she was looking to pray with the families. He said, “I am an uncle to one of the little girls who was burned, my 2 year old neice Jimena. Her mother is upstairs, would you like to go talk to her?” (Them passing the door of the waiting room would have never happened without the help of this gentlemen). The three went upstairs and talked for a while with the mom, there were tears and encouragement, Marcela shared her new faith in Christ. Phone numbers were exchanged, hope was left.
Please continue to pray for us as we seek to how best minister to a hurting city. Your prayers make a difference!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Day Care Tradgedy
As many of you have already heard, there was a terrible tradgedy that happened this past Friday in our city of Hermosillo. A day care caught fire and to this point, 43 children (most of whom were between the ages of 0-5yrs) have died. As you can imagine, the city is in mourning.
We (our family as well as most of our young adult group) were headed out of the city at the time of the fire. We were driving through an area not far from where the fire happened and it was caos. Traffic was jammed and ambulances, many many ambulances were trying to pass through. Police were directing traffic and trying to bring it all under control without much success. Once we left the city and arrived at our destination for the young adult weekend retreat, then we found out what had happened.
We ended our retreat early in order to return to the city to attend a city wide church service. Many Christians all across the city joined together to cry out to God to heal the remaining victims who are in hospital, heal the families of the victims, and heal the city as a whole. We received a donation from a church outside of the city as an expression of love from them to those who are hurting. That is just one of the ways that we are going to attempt (administering this gift) to bring Gods love and mercy to those who are desperate for it.
Please pray for us, pray that God would show us exactly how to get involved and how to show compassion in His name. We are called to be Jesus to these people, to a city in need. Thank you for your prayers.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Update
Things have been ticking along here in Hermosillo. With the summer heat approaching, we are already feeling that familiar "drain of energy". I remember in Paraguay during the hot season feeling like it was all I could do to get up and eat and kind of just exist day to day. You feel so tired on an ongoing basis. Well that feeling is coming back. We have been regularily up near 40C each day and they say it isn't about to let up. Right into July and August we will see temps of near 45C. You kind of get used to it but at the same time, your body goes into preservation mode and you just can't muster the energy you had when it was cooler.
We bought a puppy for the children finally. He is a little French Poodle, Maltese cross and we named him Gilligan. He is a joy to have around the house but the reality is that he is a lot of work too! We are hoping to have him trained sooner than later but with him being only about 2 months old, we have a ways to go still! The kids love him and he is quite cute. He is a litte white puff ball running around the house.
We have just punched a hole in the back fence in order to connect our yard to the Neufelds yard. They are our teammates here in the city. Now we have easy access to each others yards with the main goal being an above ground pool that will be put just on the other side of the fence. The kids will love it I am sure and are bound to spend many hours in the water as the summer heat swealters.
On the ministry side, I am discipling 2 or 3 young men from the church on a weekly basis. Some of those relationships are based in English, some in Spanish, and some are mixed. It is a unique fact that in this area of Mexico there are more than a few people who speak English quite well. Some of them are new believers and it is a blessing to see their eyes light up when I explain to them a bible passage or a truth in scripture. I wish we all had the same level of excitement about our faith as new believers do!
This Thursday I will be going downtown with "Marina" (if you remember she is the one who we raised money for in order to pay off a debt that she incurred through no fault of her own- and because of that she has been living with her 2 kids on the gererosity of a distant relative-living in their small house- but that relationship is beginning to be strained as you can imagine living in such tight quarters) in order to pay off her debt. She is so excited and is already making plans to move out of their current living situation into their own rented house. It will be a blessing to us to see her living in her own place and having enough each month to provide for her family.
This morning after our discipleship class I am heading downtown with Cesar. Sheri and I have been working with Cesar and Marcela. They are another couple in our church with quite the testimony. Having overcome drug addictions and many other problems, they are now new creations in Christ and Cesar is holding down a regular job. It isn't easy to raise a family on little income each month and there are certainly no frills, but we are trying to help them to manage their money and stick to a monthly budget while at the same time, disciple them into mature believers in Christ. Cesar and I are heading downtown to purchase some fans for their house. Air conditioning is just too expensive for them to buy and to maintain - power bill.
It isn't easy to know where the line is between helping and creating dependency. You know the age old saying "give a man a fish or teach him to fish"? Well that is what we continually struggle with. It is sometimes hard to know the difference. We are aiming to teach Cesar and Marcela how to fish. They are learning as well and have made great strides, however part of the key to learning how to succeed is going through failure first. Man that is tough to see friends failing when you know you could step in and fix the problem. Does that teach them how to avoid the problem the next time though? Usually it doesn't. However we need wisdom in this so please pray for us!
Finally, thankyou for enabling us to be here. We really do love the ministry here and love being where God wants us to be. It is a blessing, not without challenges, but it is a blessing for sure! We hope you are enjoying being where God has put you as well. Lets all remember that our purpose in this life is not earning money to feed our families, rather it is to do the work God has given us, to extend His kingdom by remaining close to Him and being His hands and feet in the world. That is where our true joy comes from!
Grateful for you,
Lane and Sheri
We bought a puppy for the children finally. He is a little French Poodle, Maltese cross and we named him Gilligan. He is a joy to have around the house but the reality is that he is a lot of work too! We are hoping to have him trained sooner than later but with him being only about 2 months old, we have a ways to go still! The kids love him and he is quite cute. He is a litte white puff ball running around the house.
We have just punched a hole in the back fence in order to connect our yard to the Neufelds yard. They are our teammates here in the city. Now we have easy access to each others yards with the main goal being an above ground pool that will be put just on the other side of the fence. The kids will love it I am sure and are bound to spend many hours in the water as the summer heat swealters.
On the ministry side, I am discipling 2 or 3 young men from the church on a weekly basis. Some of those relationships are based in English, some in Spanish, and some are mixed. It is a unique fact that in this area of Mexico there are more than a few people who speak English quite well. Some of them are new believers and it is a blessing to see their eyes light up when I explain to them a bible passage or a truth in scripture. I wish we all had the same level of excitement about our faith as new believers do!
This Thursday I will be going downtown with "Marina" (if you remember she is the one who we raised money for in order to pay off a debt that she incurred through no fault of her own- and because of that she has been living with her 2 kids on the gererosity of a distant relative-living in their small house- but that relationship is beginning to be strained as you can imagine living in such tight quarters) in order to pay off her debt. She is so excited and is already making plans to move out of their current living situation into their own rented house. It will be a blessing to us to see her living in her own place and having enough each month to provide for her family.
This morning after our discipleship class I am heading downtown with Cesar. Sheri and I have been working with Cesar and Marcela. They are another couple in our church with quite the testimony. Having overcome drug addictions and many other problems, they are now new creations in Christ and Cesar is holding down a regular job. It isn't easy to raise a family on little income each month and there are certainly no frills, but we are trying to help them to manage their money and stick to a monthly budget while at the same time, disciple them into mature believers in Christ. Cesar and I are heading downtown to purchase some fans for their house. Air conditioning is just too expensive for them to buy and to maintain - power bill.
It isn't easy to know where the line is between helping and creating dependency. You know the age old saying "give a man a fish or teach him to fish"? Well that is what we continually struggle with. It is sometimes hard to know the difference. We are aiming to teach Cesar and Marcela how to fish. They are learning as well and have made great strides, however part of the key to learning how to succeed is going through failure first. Man that is tough to see friends failing when you know you could step in and fix the problem. Does that teach them how to avoid the problem the next time though? Usually it doesn't. However we need wisdom in this so please pray for us!
Finally, thankyou for enabling us to be here. We really do love the ministry here and love being where God wants us to be. It is a blessing, not without challenges, but it is a blessing for sure! We hope you are enjoying being where God has put you as well. Lets all remember that our purpose in this life is not earning money to feed our families, rather it is to do the work God has given us, to extend His kingdom by remaining close to Him and being His hands and feet in the world. That is where our true joy comes from!
Grateful for you,
Lane and Sheri
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Olds area Christian School comes to Hermosillo
We were blessed to facilitate 40 students and leaders from Olds Koinonia Christian School these last 9 days or so in Hermosillo. They served in many ways- Ministry in a park each morning (kids clubs, soccer, ladies crafts). We also had a work team that came to finish the roof of a small house and install city water into that same house. They also built a security wall for another modest house. Each afternoon these students played with kids in different clubs at the church and in area parks (basketball and soccer). Many kids and ladies made commitments to Jesus! Thank you OKCS!
Monday, March 9, 2009
"Right in the Middle of it"
If you should ever come down to Hermosillo Mexico to visit us and the ministry here, you will find a strange sight as you approach our Church/Ministry Centre. It is surrounded by garbage! Over the last number of years, the dusty dirt road that passes by the front of the church has become a bit of a garbage dump really. You will notice the church at the end of the road in the picture.
On Saturday mornings I usually walk to the church for our weekly men’s meeting and already by 8am the sun is getting hot (we do live in the desert after all!). The searing sun nicely heats up the rotting garbage, not to mention the carcasses of dead dogs and cats that have been left amongst the garbage. All of this provides a distinct odour as one prepares their heart for worship………………………
Now that your stomach is queasy and you are wondering why I have decided to provide you with this intimate glimpse of our church setting, let me explain the point.
Jesus said, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”- Jn 17:15. It struck me one day as I passed by one of those rotting dogs (my nose knew it before my eyes did), that Jesus wants us to be “right in the middle of it”- (my interpretation). When you think about it, where did Jesus spend most of His time when He was living on the earth? I will tell you this, it wasn’t in the temple. He was out there with the sick, the hurting, and the suffering. He got involved in the lives of the dirty and smelly people and He wasn’t afraid to touch them. He even explained why He wasn’t just hanging out in the temple most of the time- “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” –Mk. 2:17.
It doesn’t take long to realize that many things in your and my world are a mess. Just pick up the paper, listen to the news on the radio or turn on the TV. It is all around us and it reaches right into our very neighbourhoods. To me, the garbage in front of our church that one must pass in order to enter the church, is symbolic of the mess that is our world. However this isn’t depressing news to me! You see “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” – Jn. 3:17. How can we be Jesus’ hands and feet and continue the work that He started when He walked dusty dirty roads Himself, if we aren’t “out there in the garbage”?
God wants to change the smell of our world from the odour of rotting garbage, to the sweet smell of redeemed lives! He hasn’t changed over the years, He is still about the same thing, changing lives. The most amazing thing about it is that He invites us to be involved in the process. With His help you and I can “clean up the neighbourhood” to the point that the stench of sin is replaced with the amazing aroma of redeemed lives. We can’t do it however, if we turn a blind eye to the garbage and just drive through it into our garages and close our doors. That is pretending that the mess isn’t there. Or perhaps it is getting so used to the mess that we have given up and just accepted that it will always be there.
Our challenge is to get out and walk through the mess- physically- to remind ourselves of the stench and to determine to find God working in it- it means getting involved in the lives of our neighbours. He wants to change messy lives, He wants to redeem them. He wants to use us to do it just like Jesus did it. We need to be involved in the lives of those who need Him, we can’t ignore them or keep them at an arms length, that sounds like what the Pharisees did as they tried to avoid “getting dirty” in the public squares.
Lets remember that God has put us in the world to bring the sick and dirty and hurting to Him so that He can redeem them and save them! He hasn’t put us in the world just to have us avoid the world. So next time you see or smell the rotting garbage in lives of those who don’t know our Lord, determine not to avoid them, but rather to introduce them to the one who can clean up all the garbage!
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