Snapshots of January

It seems that each January begins with lots of activities, ideas, projects and plans for the upcoming twelve months and this year is no exception. Last week, in fact, we had five separate group gatherings in our home for everything from a birthday breakfast, to a strategy session, to a holiday celebration for the staff of the family crisis center. It’s a privilege to have a home where we can receive people from all different sectors of our community and share with them what God has given to us, both materially and spiritually. Allow us to give you a snapshot of a few of those times with people and what they can mean for our lives and work this year.

Monday morning David hosted a breakfast for the men’s prayer group he has been meeting with once a week for the past ten years. For many years we have had the vision and desire to see our city joined in prayer for its leaders and its specific needs in events like the ones we have attended in San Diego, Bakersfield and Washington, D.C. Around August God placed it on David’s heart to begin a “prayer breakfast” with the men he is already meeting with and build from there. Now the third Monday of each month this group is gathering to share a meal and pray for the city and its leaders.

Monday evening we met with three other couples to pray and strategize about ways to impact our community. One of the ideas discussed was a retreat similar to the one we attend each December at Mount Hermon but hosted down here by the Mexican delegation. Other ideas were a community center for counseling, medical care, training courses, Bible studies, etc; a breakfast program for needy children; a toy and blanket drive; a feeding program for the homeless and other ideas. These ideas are just in the dream stage, but what we did commit to was to gather for prayer each Friday morning at 7:30 am to allow God to lead us and seek His direction for what He wants us to do.

Friday morning Karen hosted a surprise birthday breakfast for our good friend, neighbor, hair stylist and Reflejo member, Dina. The exciting part was that the guests were women who live here in our neighborhood. The first guest arrived at 9: 30 am and she, along with two others, didn’t leave until 2:30 pm! Several mentioned that they would like to do it again. Perhaps this is something that could grow into a monthly gathering, or….

These are just a few of the plans that have us excited about what God may have for us during these next months. In addition we continue with our counseling several days a week, monthly times of gathering with Reflejo (our faith community), discipling and team building times, two home Bible studies, home church, David’s times with the men from the gym, a new monthly breakfast gathering in conjunction with another local ministry, two women’s retreat, a men’s retreat, at least two work weekends with Casa Esperanza (a woman’s shelter), raising our girls and being involved in their lives and activities and all the administrative tasks that support the infrastructure of this work.

What snapshots do you have of the first four weeks of this new year and decade? What are you excited about for the months to come? Let's work hard and trust even harder that God's dreams for us are even bigger than our own.

A Breakfast at City Hall

History was made today in our city!

Public servants representing the three levels of government met over breakfast at City Hall with leaders from the professional as well as the religious community. David attended the event accompanied by two friends he had invited--Hector Amador, a former school principal who currently holds a position with the government in the area of Physical Education and Marisela Luna, former first lady of Ensenada, former City Councilwoman and the former Director of Social Development.

Around 40 people attended this fourth Leaders' Breakfast organized by our friends at Ensenada Outreach Center (EOC) and the first to be held at City Hall. Co-hosted by a City Councilman and his assistant and members of the EOC team, the spirit of the gathering was one of relationships, friendship, unity and mutual support. Padre Miguel, a priest from a local church, read from the book of Deuteronomy and said the blessing for the food. The closing prayer was offered by Pastor Abraham, who serves with EOC as a liaison to the local churches and the Ensenada community.

Lucy Meza, a partner with us in ministry and Administrative Coordinator for EOC, wonderfully shared the vision for future breakfasts reflecting on her experience of attending the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. two years ago.

Those of us who have been praying for years for a Prayer Breakfast for our city, state and country view this gathering today as pivotal and monumental. Please join us in praying for the monthly Leaders' Breakfasts that are now being held the first Thursday of each month at the EOC facilities. Please pray as well that if this is God's timing and plan, that out of these relationships and our times together would come the seeds for future gatherings focused on the person of Jesus and on prayer for our communities.

A Gift for Three Kings' Day

In Mexico, January 6 marks the official end of the Advent/Christmas season. Today is the day to commemorate the arrival of the Wise Men to worship Jesus and present Him with their gifts. Children receive toys they have dreamed of all year and families and friends gather to eat together the "Rosca de Reyes" a delicious bread adorned with figs and dried fruit.

For the second year, our family has accepted the invitation to serve the noon meal and the "Rosca" to residents of our local "Asilo de Ancianos" (Home for the Elderly). The four of us greeted the "abuelitos" (grandparents), helped set up for the meal and served plates of roasted chicken, beans, rice and tortillas to the appreciative recipients, followed by the bread and a cup of hot chocolate.

Many of these precious abuelitos have no family in the area. The majority are sick and weak. Some need to be spoon fed, while others eat slowly with trembling hands. They especially loved seeing our girls and the children of the other volunteers.

We were there a couple of hours. We helped out where we could, shook hands, wished them well, and smiled a lot. It wasn't much and it didn't take long, but it reminded me of a song that became one of my favorites this past December.

Light your world let the love of God shine through;
In the little things you do, light your world.
And though your light may be reaching only two or three;
Light your world.
It only takes a little time to show someone how much you care.
It only takes a little time to answer someone’s biggest prayer.
Light your world….

By Eddie Caswell, Marc Aramain, Oliver Wells and Niles Borop
Sung by NewSong on the album "The Christmas Shoes"

It wasn't gold, frankincense or even myrrh, but hopefully our humble efforts to bring a ray of light to a few dozen older folks can be a gift worthy of our King.