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.