A new thing!

Isaiah 43:19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland. ...

God is ready to do a new thing...However a "NEW" thing means, the old has to change... The way we have been doing things must change no matter how long the tradition, no matter how much we are in the habit of doing, no matter how good we think they are... The most important question today for HIS PEOPLE is:

Let thy will be done!!!!!

Looking for Christamas Angels....

Have you ever experienced a day that you wished would never end? Yesterday was one of those days for me. We took a day trip with a group of kids that God has allowed our family to walk with the past 8 months. Most of the kids come from neglected or impoverished homes. They are bused to a center every Monday and live an institutional life during the week, allowing them an opportunity to eat and attend school.

We were able to accompany these kids to the state fair yesterday. We had an amazing time jumping on air trampolines, we all rode on a roller coaster, entered to view robotic display of dinosaurs, and ended with a ham and cheese sandwiches at our car...

However the joy did not come from being able to help with the charter bus, getting them on a ride, or providing lunch.. It was seeing the genuine smiles. It is seeing a new confidence that is only in a child who knows he/she is loved. It was talking with the director and hearing her testimony about how much the kids have changed ....

I thank God for allowing our family to be such a personal part in the lives of these precious ones! As we are preparing for Christmas, my heart became very heavy! How do I provide a Christmas for these precious ones! WWJD? (What would Jesus do?) We try to give the best to these children.

We would like to provide each child with a warm and precious gift this Christmas. However it is difficult with our limited income. We are hoping to find Christmas Angels, agents of God's love in the Church Universal out there who can help to bring Hope and Love to them...

There are about 50 kids and we are trying to budget about $20 per child (This will cover for gift and a Christmas party for all of the children) ... Our family will be placing a new stove in the cafeteria.

You can see the kids pictures on my facebook page. If anyone is interested in becoming a Christmas Angel for one of the children or a group of children please let us know or send a check to us at the below address with a memo, "Albergue Christmas"

Hope Yucatan
1816 Millhouse CT
Greensboro, NC 27407
336 306 8447
If possible please make checks to Kyle Wilson or Hope Yucatan

Albergue Story ...

Albergue is a system of institutions run by the Mexican Federal social services. Albergue provides housing and nutrition for underprivileged students, and allow them a chance to grow healthy in body and mind. It is partly funded by the UNICEF's millennial goals program. However there is always shortage of resources when it comes down to the actual point where the children receive care. We want to fill some of the void that an "INSTITUTIONAL" living causes. Often many of the kids do not get intimate care and love due to lack of staff. The directors at the San Antonio facility are wonderful but have a handful trying to manage all of the children.

We are committed to visit the children on a weekly basis to share a time of close relationship through the power, hope and love of Jesus Christ.

We hope to walk with them for the long term, and not just be a ministry that visits once a week. This means:

1. We look for every opportunity to make personal relationships through long term commitment to the children who are brought to San Antonio Sodzil location.
2. We look for opportunity to be a bridge of real HOPE for students who would like to pursue their dreams beyond middle school, through stipend internships and scholarships.
3. We want to look for ways to find justice and reconciliation for the families to help the children live in safe and nurturing environments. Such as home repair.

Preparing for the Sun Synod Retreat!

It has been way too long since I place a blog. But I felt this necessity to share this especially with all those who will be attending the Sun Synod Winter Youth Retreat...

About a month ago, I had a vision of speaking in Texas this winter, I was blown away when Pastor John from Austin to come speak in Texas for the Sun Synod Winter retreat. This will be my 3rd time (for different events) in the span of 4 years in Texas, I began to wonder, "God why?", a great anticipation began to build in my heart about what God has in his heart for Texas. God first shared Joel 2:12, "return to me with all of your heart with fasting..." In Joel 2:15 it says, "declare a Holy fast call a sacred assembly"... Our family and our ministry team here in Mexico began a three day fast praying deeply for revelation and preparations for the retreat in Texas. On the first day of the fast God declared clearly through my wife, His will for the retreat.. "He wants our roots deeper and deeper into His marvelous LOVE"...Ephesians 3:17 ....

What does this mean...I turned on the TV and Karate Kit 3 was on (the original series with Miyagi, pretty bad movie but I watched it for good 30 minutes anyways)... In the movie Mr. Miyagi and Daniel are back in California after their visit to Japan.. Mr. Miyagi finds a bonzai tree that looks dead, but begins to care for it. Daniel does not faith that the tree will survive... Skip over 30 minutes or towards the end of the movie... WOW the Bonzai has become healthy again...Daniel says, "I can't believe it, how?" Mr. Miyagi says, "Good ROOTS"....when you have your have good strong roots...the tree will live...
Often we find ourselves like a neglected Bonzai... Our environment here is not nourishing... maybe out right harmful... But we know that our roots are in Jesus... One who gives eternal, LOVE, life, and nourishment....

I believe that God wants to raise us and fill us with this powerful love... But are you ready.. Are you anticipating and preparing for God to restore you??? If not it is simple... ask Him? Call out to Him.. No Cry out to him.. and prepare your heart... Make a place for him... We have a now less than a month before the retreat... God says there will be pouring out of my Love in Texas are you excited to go deeper ....

"I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men." So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:19-20

We live in a time where most of us will have to leave a place called "home" several times in our lives. But, the difficult thing is returning back to the place you left. You wonder if you did enough while you lived there to share the love of God? In the Bible the prodigal returns home with a deep need for love but feeling in his heart, he did not deserve love. But the father comes running unexpectedly to embrace him. I always wondered how the prodigal felt? Most of us live our lives thinking we are the faithful older son. However, as I returned home to Greensboro this past week, I wondered, "Was I really a faithful son while I was here? Did anyone miss us at all?"

I placed a small notice on facebook, "Get together at Buffalo Wild Wings at 4PM". As we drove up to the restaurant where I had many fond memories, I caught a glimpse of few youth kids waiting on the corner. They ran up to embrace us. At that moment I felt the love of the Father. No matter how many mistakes we have made, whether we did a great job or not, we are loved because who we are. We are the children of the living God. We are family. God embraces us with this kind of love. He longs to have us return.

Living Waters For the World

Sacalum means "White Land". We did not know how significant this meant until we began boiling the water. We buy bottled water for drinking, but for cooking we used the local water. After cooking our pans would have a white haze built up on the sides; there is so much calcium in the water that it instantly forms as a residue when you boil the water! (Check out my fingers in the photo) Many of the people in Sacalum and the surrounding villages drink this water. No wonder that kidney stones are common for even teenagers. The cost of a 19 liter bottle of water is 17 pesos (@$1.50). Not all of the families can afford to have clean water all of the time.

Korean First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro has partnered with Living Waters for the World, http://www.livingwatersfortheworld.org/, to help bring clean waters to our friends here in Sacalum. We have taken the first step of raising the funds to purchase the equipment for the water purification system. The Living Water program here in Mexico is coordinated through the Nacional Presbyterian Church of Mexico. We are working with the local mission church in Sacalum and also a larger church from Ticul to bring clean water to Sacalum and its surrounding villages. The local church here is very excited and also has pledged its time and funds for the project. BUT we are still not completely funded to complete the project. We are hoping that that this is something you can all pray on. We are looking for either partners for the clean water project and/or persons who may be willing to donate or loan the funds for the remaining stages of the project.

PRAYER REQUEST: We are fasting and praying from 12/14-12/16. We will be making an offer for a small house to place the water purification system. We are hoping that God will provide this place for $3500 US.

Our First Mission Team

After being in Mexico for only two weeks, we received a short term mission team from Greensboro NC. We were barely unpacked and trying to get used to the hot temperature and our new environment, when we had to drop everything and pick up our group from Cancun. In the chaos God had planned an amazing week of fresh relationships for all of us.

For the first the team decided to stay in Sacalum (the name of our small town) rather than at a hotel in a nearby city. This bold step of faith to be with the people in community released an abundance of blessing on all of us. Psalm 133 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

Through our time in Sacalum the women cooked together, the children (and older kids) played together, we prayed together, We praised God together, and we loved one another. On the last night our friends in Sacalum and Ticul give us a surprise party and presented a gift for each member of the team. It was a beautiful moment of hospitality. We learn that mission is not simply giving to the poor but sharing our lives together in community.

Continue to pray for us as we live in community...

Conquistador Christian

I was meditating on Matthew 5 and especially on verses 13-16. You are probably familiar with the text about the "salt of the earth and the light of the world". A picture of a hacienda in Merida kept on coming popping into my head (the capital city of Yucatan). The large house, now a museum and tourist attraction, has intricate stone work that decorate the entrance. The large detailed stonework show two conquistadors fully armored standing on the heads of Mayan Indians. It made me cry! The Christian came to Mexico with a cross in one hand and the sword on the other. They came in the name of our Lord Jesus to proclaim the Good News! or did they?

I had dinner with my new Mayan friend who is a professor of tourism in a university in Ticul. He shared with me the brokenness of that picture. He shared with us that many Christians have come in the name of Jesus only to subjugate his people in the name of "helping". I could only cry!

We are the salt and the light that lets people taste and see who God is! But what they tasted was death and bitterness. However the God does not waste anything. The Spirit of the Living God is burning in Mexico. I have seen Jesus shining bright in my new friends. They welcome and embrace me unconditionally. The women of the church came yesterday to help clean our house. As I watched a women who was suffering with a tooth ache on her knees wiping down the floors, I saw Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.

I pray that I may in the form and image of our Lord Jesus. I pray that I may see Jesus in all whom I meet and MOST of all that people may see Jesus in our family. We hope to break the memory of Christian conqueror and find true relationship with our brothers and sister in Christ.