Women Making a Difference

Last night I had a women's cafecito here at the house. There were seven of us around the table ranging from young moms in their 30's to a grandmother. It had been a few months since the last time we had met.

To get us caught up I asked for each one to share what had impacted, challenged or excited them in their lives recently.

It was amazing to hear how with passion and spontaneity each and every one shared that what was most exciting in their lives had to do with an opportunity that God has given them to serve in the community. Here is a sample of how God is using women from our home church and Reflejo to make a difference to those who need it most:

• Thermalton--a project between a Pre-school, an Elementary school and a Family Therapy clinic to collect long underwear as gifts for the 54 children and youth of a local orphanage
• Casa de Paz--the name of the orphanage mentioned above. Another woman, a psychologist, is working together with other colleagues and professionals to direct a program for the 11 special needs youth that live there
• Casa para los Bello--gathering resources to build a house for a retired pastor who is blind and his wife.
• A home Bible study
• A Day Care Center for working moms
• A feeding program for the homeless

And what did I share?...How I was witnessing a dream come true before my eyes--leaders who are following Jesus and are sharing the heart of their Saviour; to bring hope, help and healing to hurting people.

Agua Viva Colleague Shares at Leadership Breakfast

Shaun and Maria Sheahan worked with us at Rancho Agua Viva during the majority of our time there from 1986-1993. Our friendship has continued and our lives and families are deeply connected and our life and faith journeys have been interconnected although we now live in different countries.

For that reason it was our privilege to invite them to our most recent Leadership Breakfast and to have Maria speak to the group that gathered there. Her comments challenged us to consider what it is that motivates us to serve God and serve others.

Along with the Sheahans, three other members of the community where they now live and work came down and attended the breakfast with them: John, Bri and Laurie. Sharing friends with friends--that is one of the most rewarding parts of our work.

A Home Church Family serving the Community

Juan Carlos and Laura have been friends for many years, even attending the same church at one point. Because of Juan Carlos’ career as an executive with Mexico’s largest privately held corporation, they moved frequently, but each time they came back to Ensenada we would reconnect. Laura is a psychologist and has been a tremendous support to our work with the CAME crisis center.

This past February we “happened” to be at a CAME gathering at their home when Juan Carlos informed us that he had resigned his position that very day. Laura was even surprised! That evening when everyone else had left, we listened to their story and also shared with them what God has been doing in our lives and in our faith journey and told them about the Home Church. The next morning they called and asked if they could attend, and ever since then they have become part of our church family along with their 22-year-old son, Gabriel, who is also a psychologist. (At far left in the picture is Manuel, their oldest, who lives and works in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.)

Laura is also recently retired after 30 years of working as a school psychologist. But don’t picture them in rocking chairs somewhere! In May they cut the ribbon and officially opened their own counseling center called Desarrollo Personal (Personal Development) serving the Ensenada community with professional and value-centered therapy and support.

But they did not stop there. While promoting the Center’s services they connected with a local children’s home (sometimes known as an orphanage) that has 11 special need youth transferred from a psychiatric facility. So for the past few months this family and others on their staff have been developing and implementing a program for these young people, training them in basic motor, cognitive and interpersonal skills.

God has also given them the grand vision to assist the children’s home in becoming self-sustaining and in the process they have been inviting other friends and colleagues to partner with them in this project. It has been an incredible set of events that has us in awe of our awesome God!

As members of our Home Church it has been our privilege to support them spiritually as well as participate in this exciting new phase of their lives and life work. Leaders loving and serving God as they love and serve the community—That's the fruit we trust that God will continue to develop here in Ensenada.