Women's Retreat Life Changing

During the weekend of July 9-11 women from Bakersfield and Ensenada (along with two from Chula Vista and one from Tijuana) met once again for the annual B&B Retreat. This time the talks were titled the "Spirit of Fear" and "Faith the Antidote to Fear" taken from 2 Timothy 1:7.

We learned that most of the emotions we struggle with like worry, concern, doubt and the like, come directly from the spirit of fear and that does not come from God. We also learned that faith comes from God, we can ask for more of it and just a little bit of it can move mountains.

As we met in small groups the last evening, we shared where fear most manifests itself in each of our lives and prayed for one another. There were some powerful breakthroughs as we began to identify the root of fear in areas of our lives and realized that God can help us to overcome them and be free.

We are already looking forward to our next retreat February 2010 in Ensenada!

Service Project is a Dream come True

As we reflected on the completion of our project after 14 hours of work, we were amazed on all that was accomplished, on the wonderful group of friends that had come alongside us to share the load, and on the realization that this was truly a dream come true.

The name CAME is likely familiar to most of you. It is the initials for the family crisis center where we volunteer doing counseling and helping with the fund raising. It means Center for the Support of Ensenada Women, but truly everyone, men, women, children and teenagers, receive help for their problems and needs there.

Giving the Center a face lift through cleaning, painting, pulling weeds and planting flowers, was definitely part of the satisfaction we felt. But it was the community that came alongside that caused us to reflect on everything God has been doing to answer our prayers and accomplish His purposes.

One of the desires that we shared as we began working with leaders in the Ensenada community years ago was that as they give their lives to follow Jesus, He would give them a heart for the things that touch the heart of God—namely the poor and needy--and that they would commit to investing their time, talents and resources to loving those neighbors. We saw this in action that day.

Another joy was to see the body of Christ join together to serve in a practical way in His name. Whole families worked together side by side. The ages of the volunteers spanned from seven to 72! Representatives from seven Reflejo families were present and two even came from north of the border. One of Karen’s patients at the center took her grandkids and worked alongside the rest of us all day as well.

The same group of people met together the following day in a local picnic spot for our monthly gathering with Reflejo for a time of fellowship and fun as families. One family came for the first time. We are so grateful to God for our family here.

photos by Daniel Meza

Defeating the Spirit of Fear

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and
of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

For a young mom it is a shocking realization that in spite of the overwhelming love she feels for her child she has repeated the pattern of abuse she herself suffered. This verse has become a source of hope and comfort as we share with her and her husband in counseling and study of God’s Word.

A young, professional woman struggles with depression and anxiety, yet she is trusting God for her healing and has experienced significant improvement. She and her husband are currently stepping out in faith in the areas of their careers and ministry. However, meeting with an “expert” last week, our friend received advice filled with fear and pessimism that threatened to pull her back into the hole she has been climbing out of. As we met with them and reflected on this verse, she recognized that what she knows now in her heart to be true defies any professional wisdom that ignores the reality of faith in God and His plan for their lives.

Another friend, married for 14 years, has come to realize there are major problems in her marriage. Through meditating on this verse together in a counseling session, she is taking courageous steps to overcome the fear of making decisions to provoke change while at the same time trusting God to rescue and restore her family.

We are aware that right now fear permeates much of people’s thought processes, decision making, and attitudes. Especially given the current political and social climate and events occurring both here and around the world, people are in a word—scared. Even followers of Jesus Christ (including the friends mentioned above) are not always aware when we allow fear to dictate what we think and feel and how we react. Incidents of violence, we run and hide. Talk of a flu virus; we lock ourselves in our homes, put on surgical masks, close schools, businesses and even churches. Economic problems, we panic and worry about if we’ll have enough. What do all these reactions have in common? They isolate us, tempt us to depend on our own wisdom and efforts to ride out the storm, and cause us look inward instead of outward.

As a family and as a community we are taking steps to reject the spirit of fear and step out in the spirit of power, love and of a sound mind that are ours in Christ. We are seeking to help those in financial need, praying together for the safety and healing of our city and our land, taking on community projects that have been sidelined as those who have historically helped are staying home; and speaking boldly about the truth that can set us free in any and every circumstance.

We are excited and optimistic about the opportunities that are opening up precisely because of these more challenging times. More and more people are considering their need for God and we want to be available and prepared to help meet needs and share the hope we have in Jesus. Please continue to pray for us and thank you for partnering with us in this spirit of power and love.

Remembering Samuel Garcia

After a prolonged battle with diabetes and a brief battle with cancer, David's brother, Samuel (53), passed away and joined their parents in heaven this past April 28. Tonight another of the brothers sent a tribute video of Samuel that he posted on youtube. If you would like to see it, you can access it with the title My Brother Samuelson

The photos in the tribute were taken March 21 of this year during a family reunion of the Garcia family in Los Angeles. Until then we had no idea how ill Samuel was. We were able to visit him two more times and then one short month later he was gone.

We thank God for Samuel's life, for his family and for the legacy he leaves behind...and especially because one day we will see him again.

Is it Safe to Go to (or live in) Mexico?

Given the very negative publicity Mexico has received in the major news media since last year, the recent alert by the state department, and the concern that has created, we would like to share two perspectives with you that address very well what the reality is in our city and state. Both of the authors are not residents or citizens of Mexico, but they are frequent visitors and people who have guided groups down over many years. Both have been in Ensenada, and one in Tijuana as well, several times over the past few months. So their observations and assessments are not just historical, but likewise current. We are in complete agreement with their conclusions as well as the calls each make to consider the spiritual implications of our reactions given the real threat of violence, but also the sensationalized coverage that serves to stir up fear.

The first is by the Director of Risk Management from Westmont College and because of the length of the report I will only include the link so anyone who is interested can search it out for themself:
http://www.westmont.edu/_offices/risk/TijuanaTurmoil.html

The second one we recently sent out as a way to respond to some of the inquiries and concern expressed by friends, family and partners. I will paste it onto this post so that you can read it in its entirety.

We covet your prayers for Ensenada and all of Mexico. There are definitely problems, and serious ones at that. Please pray that God will not only eradicate the problems, but that He would use them to stir up His children to action and cause those who don't know Him to look to Him for their security and peace.



Dear Partners and Friends,

We recently received the following from a friend who was a co-worker with us in Agua Viva, and who has continued to partner with us in ministry projects throughout the years. Even though they currently live in San Diego, as a family they frequently come to Mexico (Tijuana, Rosarito and Ensenada) and maintain a home here. They received these thoughts from another friend who also ministers in Tijuana and has for many years. It is thoughtful as well as accurate to what our experience has been as well here in Mexico.

"First off, I totally agree with the truth 60 minutes presents that we, the U.S., share a big responsibility in helping solve this problem. The sobering truth is that U.S. demand for illegal drugs is the root cause of all this. That, combined with the flow of money and arms to Mexico from the U.S. makes us, as a country, responsible as much as Mexican authorities in solving this problem. 60 minutes seemed to nail this truth well.

At ground level though, and perhaps of more immediate need to define reality among ourselves and those we lead into Mexico, it's important to embrace a few critical truths.

1. The violence is horrific, no doubt, but it is largely limited to drug cartels and authorities.

2. Last year there were fewer murders per capita in Tijuana than in Gary Indiana, Cleveland Ohio, and WAY less (about 1/5) than New Orleans. While the violence is gruesome and heavily-documented by the media, the truth is that Tijuana (and the surrounding area) isn't the war-zone the media makes it out to be.

3. In the midst of this drug violence, Americans are not targeted. That doesn't mean bad stuff can't happen, but then, bad stuff can happen anywhere, including in the U.S.

4. The areas we currently serve in aren't hotspots for drug cartel activity or violence. Compared to Ciudad Juarez (quite a distance east), Tijuana and Ensenada are much safer. I understand some do serve in Juarez. Violence and corruption are worse there, no doubt.

On a bigger picture level though, I feel it's important to acknowledge that I feel our efforts in Mexico are God-led. I try not to be a reckless, careless, Pinto-driving, danger-seeking missionary. But there's an even bigger truth I feel we need to embrace.

Take a couple more minutes and read through this passage. It is stellar.

Romans 8:28-39

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God is at work in Mexico, and a few of us desperately desire to join His invitation to partner with Him in that. And while God doesn't promise immunity from violence or bad stuff, like Romans 8:31 says: 'If God is for us, who can be against us?' "