Trials Before a Great Work of God

With school having started a few weeks ago, I have been busier, more tired, and stressed lately. Even though this past weekend I had a chance to relax, I wasn't feeling well Sunday. Besides a few other symptoms, I felt a little weak, tired, and easily felt cold. Sunday is usually the day I do laundry and having problems with the washing machine as well as knowing that the next day I was working all day either in the school or as caretaker for the boys, it only made matters worse and made me more discouraged to say the least. I admit that when I was with the boys Sunday night and Monday, I didn't necessarily have the attitude or patience that I should have had. Fortunately, despite my shortcomings, God remained faithful, still used me, and got me through to Tuesday where I felt much better...and it was that Tuesday night when God did something great! But first, before I get to that part of the story, I had finally started the idea I had earlier where I would have a couple verses each week for the boys in the dorm to memorize where they could earn tickets to buy things (either little erasers or time playing games on my cell phone or using my camera, etc.). The boys were really interested and many of them were motivated to memorize the verse and learn the answers to the questions (each verse had a couple questions and answers that they had to learn). The verses this week were Romans 3:10-11 (As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.) and Romans 3:23-24 (For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:) - obviously, they would memorize it in Spanish, though. Many times, the boys would be working on memorizing the verses and would want to try to tell me it. Often, they wanted to do it at the same time, so that would be difficult at times when half of them are swarming me to be the next one to attempt to recite the verse - especially when many of them still didn't have it memorized yet. Already, though, a few of them have already told me the two verses for the week and I told them one of the verses for next week that they can work on ahead of time. So it's encouraging to see the motivation from many of the boys - even if the motivation is mainly to earn tickets to get time playing on my cell phone instead of being motivated to memorize the verse for the sake of learning the verse and hiding God's Word in their hearts. But still. Anyway, as great as it is that some of the boys are memorizing Bible verses, Tuesday night God did a great work. Tuesday night, once the boys were ready for bed, I was getting ready to read to them. (We're reading through the book of Joshua.) However, one of the boys had a question - this particular kid always seems to have questions about the Bible. He asked about the guy who was blessed and had his name changed to Israel. So to answer his question, I instead read the story in Genesis about when Jacob fought against God and God changed his name to Israel. I mentioned at the end how Moses wrote the book of Genesis and four other books in the Bible and we talked about which people wrote which books in the Bible. He asked who wrote Revelation and I told him about John and what Revelation was about and how much of it is about the future after Christians would be taken to heaven and the tribulation happens on earth. (By now, the other nine boys in the dorm either were asleep or falling asleep.) He asked me if I was a Christian and I told him I was. I asked him if he was, and I forget if he said no or if he didn't know. But I asked him if he knew how to become a Christian. He didn't know and so I explained to him how, as sinners, we are going to hell as a punishment for our sin; however, because God loves us so much, He sent His Son Jesus to take the wrath of God the Father in our place when Jesus died on the cross; and now we can be saved and go to heaven if we believe and accept Jesus in our hearts as our Savior. (As I explained it to him, I even got to refer to the two verses of the week in Romans that he had memorized.) I finally asked him if he wanted to accept Jesus into his heart. At first, I think he said, "No soy grande" - I'm not big. I asked him if he meant that concerning his age. He said yes, and I explained to him that if he understood what I said to him, he can accept Jesus into his heart even as a kid and that he could die that night and that he doesn't know when he would die. But also, even if he lived longer, he could have Jesus with him now. I explained to him that God wants to bless us (which doesn't mean we won't have problems, but that God will use those problems to help us). When I asked him again if he wanted to accept Jesus into his heart, he said yes and I helped him with words to pray to God. After, I told him that now he always has Jesus with him and he's going to heaven and that it was real cool that he asked Jesus into his heart. It was really neat to not only see this kid accept Jesus into his heart but to be the one used by God to finally lead him to Jesus. From the beginning of my time here, I could see in this kid an attraction and curiousity concerning God and the Bible. My first or second Friday here, we had a bonfire and a time where we split into groups to pray. I was in his group and after the other adult in our group prayed, this kid asked me if I wanted to pray. I did and then I asked him if he wanted to and he did. I've also noticed that he's one that will memorize verses and would ask many questions when I read to the boys at night. He'll often read ahead in the story in his own Bible when I read at night as well. In addition, a few weeks ago when some of us volunteers went on the retreat, part of what was encouraged was to have one or two of the kids in our hearts to pray for. This particular kid was one of the kids that came to my mind. So now, looking back at all that and seeing how God had already been working in this kid's life and how he used me, it's really neat. However, I know this is just the beginning for him and that God has great plans for him! If God puts it on your heart, please keep him in prayer, that he would grow in his relationship with Jesus. For those who are interested in praying for the work here at Pan de Vida, below are some other specific prayer requests: Prayer Requests: 1. That God would continue working in this boy's life and that he would grow closer to him. (If you want to know the boy's name, just leave a message and I can text you his name - for privacy reasons, I try not to use the kids' names online.) 2. That the boys would continue to be encouraged to memorize God's Word AND would apply it to their lives. 3. For any other of the kids here that have not made a personal decision to follow Jesus and accept Him into their lives as their personal Savior, that they would see their need for a savior and would accept Him into their hearts. 4. That the school year would continue to go well and the kids would learn what they need to. 5. For me and the other staff here that we don't get discoraged or tired in the work and that we do all by the power of the Holy Spirit and not in our own power. It can be very tiring and discouraging at times as there is much to do here and many lives to influence for Christ. Obviously, the enemy does not want these young lives reached for Christ, and will do what he can to hinder that work. Thanks for all your prayers. Derek

A Wedding and a Retreat

 

The kitchen and dining room in the cabin
 where we stayed during the retreat

This past week has been busy at Pan de Vida. Last Saturday, we celebrated a wedding. Two of the volunteers – Kris and Lucy – got married here at Pan de Vida. On Monday, twelve of us staff went on a retreat together. (Obviously, all the staff couldn't go at the same time as some staff was still needed to take care of the kids and Pan de Vida. Later this month, there will be another retreat for the other staff that didn't get the chance to go this time.) It was a nice time where we stayed a few days in a cabin, played games together, got to go sightseeing, and had some Bible lessons focused around the theme of connecting – connecting with one another (the kids we serve as well as other staff) as well as maintaining our personal relationship and connection with God. One of the days, we hiked to a waterfall with a scenic view. Another day, we drove to Zacutlan where we met a friend of Kike's who showed us around the town. It was a tourist town known for the apples that grow there. There was a nice scenic view in one area of the town as well as some very artistic murals in another part of the town. Overall, the retreat was nice and it was nice to be able to connect with and get to know the other staff that I work with here at Pan de Vida.

Mineral Del Chico - A small town we visited on our way back
 from the retreat. The town's known for having been a place
 where they mined ore (silver I think).

Monday begins the school year here at Pan de Vida. I'll be teaching second grade and am told I will have 9 kids in my class. I'll be teaching math and Spanish (reading and writing). Many of the kids here at Pan de Vida are behind academically, and Pan de Vida has their own school on campus where the kids that live here attend instead of attending public school. Many of the kids are behind, and are grouped by grade according to their academics rather than by their age. So that means I'll have at least a few kids in my second-grade class who are older than the normal second-grade age group in the States.

A scenic view of a waterfall in Zacatlan

Besides teaching in the school, I'm continuing to help out on guardia duty once or twice a week and continue to be in the Medianos Dorm with the 10-13 year old boys. Sometimes at night for a story, I'm going through the book of Joshua in the Bible with them. I also was able to give the boys in my dorm that were interested their own Bible (they all have one for school, but this one they can keep in their dorms). The Bibles that I give them are just normal Spanish Bibles that I found really cheap online, but I am also planning on getting a few kids Bibles and comic Bibles that are more geared to different age levels of kids that might be more interesting for them and helpful to them in understanding the Bible. This way, I'm thinking each dorm at Pan de Vida could have a couple of these Bibles to lend out to the kids in the dorm that are really interested in reading them. One of the boys in the medianos dorm yesterday showed me one of the verses in Psalms that he liked and memorized it and then recited it to me. I've already been thinking of doing something with the medianos to encourage them to memorize Bible verses where I'd give them verses to memorize and they can earn points or tickets that they can use to buy little prizes. I had mentioned the idea to a couple of the boys last week and they seemed interested in it.

Overall, this coming week looks like it will be a busy one. Please keep me, the other staff, and the kids in prayer. Below are some specific prayer requests.

• For the school year – that the kids will learn and excel, especially those that struggle or are behind academically.

• For the teachers in the school – that we will be able to teach to the best of our ability, be an example of Jesus to the kids we teach, and will have wisdom in how to reach all the students in our class.

• For the spiritual growth of the kids – that each boy and girl here would know Jesus in an intimate way. That the boys, especially the ones in the medianos dorm with me who showed an interest in having their own Bible, would read it and spend personal time with God.

• That the boys would be encouraged to memorize Scripture – that, if God wills, that the idea I have about giving the boys verses to memorize where they can earn points/tickets to get things would be a good tool to get many of them to memorize verses.

Please feel free to write me (either through email or leaving a comment below) or call me if you ever want to know more details about what goes on here, etc. Or, if anyone is ever interested in knowing more about individual kids here, I can share pictures, stories, and/or prayer requests of individual kids that live here. I know on this blog, I keep things (relatively) short and general, but if you're interested in more detailed information, just let me know.

Blessings,

Derek

Sowing Seeds

     When we were at camp the other week, I had shared a few devotionals with the older boys' group. One of the themes that I focused on was the principal of sowing and reaping from Galatians 6:7-8: 

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 

I encouraged the boys to seek God and to read His Word, even when it seems like God's not there or isn't talking to them; I encouraged them to keep sowing.

     Anyway, with multiple staff going on vacations and such, this week I was moved into the middle-aged boys' room. There are three groups/dormitories in the boys' house: Los Chiquitos (eight of the younger boys aging from about 3-9), Los Medianos (The nine middle-aged boys aged from about 10-13), and Los Grandes (The six older boys aged from 13-16). Each night, there is a person responsible in each room to make sure the boys go to bed, wake up in the morning, clean the dorm room, do their chores in the room (such as sweeping and mopping the floor), and then send them off to the kitchen/dining room/living room where they have morning devotions and breakfast. The person that usually sleeps in Los Chiquitos's room went on vacation this past week, so Kris - who is from Canada and has been here for many years - moved from Los Medianos to cover Los Chiquitos. With Kris in with Los Chiquitos this week, I took over his spot in Los Medianos for the week and will be in with the medianos next week as well (Kris is going back to Canada for his wedding, so he'll be taking some time off). I have my own little room and bathroom off the main dormitory of the boys' room. All three of the dormitories are set up like that so the adult sleeping there has their own little place within the larger room.

     Each day, there are three guardias (caretakers) that watch the boys. The staff rotate responsibility, and I have already done guardia duty a few times now. With it being school vacation, the guardias for the day are technically off-duty at 9:00 pm when they send the boys to their dorms and the adult of that dorm is then in charge of that group. Depending on the person in charge of the dorm, sometimes the boys can play for a little while, brush their teeth, and do whatever else they need to do to get ready for bed before lights are out. For the medianos, sometimes Kris would read them a story or play music as they fall asleep. Although the boys have morning devotions, church, and other times the staff here sow spiritual seeds into their lives, I also wanted to take advantage of some times I can also sow seeds into their lives. I downloaded some Bible stories in Spanish that I could play for the boys at nighttime before they go to bed, which so far, they seem to like.

     Also, while at camp doing the devotionals with Los Grandes, I had mentioned to them that they should read God's Word daily which was a way to sow seeds to the spirit. I asked them if they had Bibles and most of them said no - they only had Bibles in school but not in their dorms. I asked them if they wanted a Bible, and one of them - who seemed very engaged during my devotionals answering the questions, helping fill in my blanks when I struggled with the Spanish vocabulary or grammar, and seemed to be familiar with the Bible - said that he would. Looking on Amazon.mx (That's Amazon, but for Mexico - where everything's priced in pesos, so that it looks super expensive but isn't necessarily. $1USD is about 20 pesos.), I found Bibles for only 25 pesos each (about $1.25 USD). I bought a few of them along with some other things. When my package from Amazon arrived, it was sitting outside my room in the medianos' dormitory. A few of the boys saw the package and asked what I got, so I showed them (Bibles, a few sharpies, a mouse for my computer, and shampoo). I forget if I asked or if one of the boys just said it, but one of the boys asked me for one of the Bibles and said he didn't have one other than the one in the school. I told him sure if he would take care of it (sometimes the boys don't take care of their things), and he said he would. I told him I'd give it to him later that night. There was once or twice later that he reminded me about it and asked if now was the time he could have it - which was nice to see his eagerness. The next morning I gave another one of the Bibles to his older brother who was the one at camp that had told me he would like a Bible.

     Last night for a story, I told the medianos how I wanted to share with them the story of Samuel from 1 Samuel 3 when Samuel was a boy in the temple under the care of Eli and God had spoken to him at night. As Samuel was just a kid, knew about God, was under the care of someone else who would teach him about God, and did not live with his parents or see them very often, I thought this story had many similarities to the boys' lives at Pan de Vida. I emphasized the importance of having a personal relationship with God and having God speak with them personally through His Word and prayer. I encouraged them to read God's Word for themselves and pray to Him and not just rely on the morning devotional lessons they get each morning and the fact that they attend church each week - that's not the same as a personal relationship with God.

     Overall, it has been going well here, and I've been enjoying my time and have been forming better relationships with the boys and staff. I've been continuing to master the Spanish language, though I still have a ways to go; I'm thankful, though, for how much I do know of the language and that I can at least communicate in Spanish - even if my grammar and pronunciation aren't always great. I am enjoying it here and am looking forward to be used more by God to continue to sow seeds into these boys' lives.

Galatians 6:9: And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

     For anyone who may be wanting to know how they can pray for me and the kids here in Pan de Vida, here are some prayer requests. Thank you for those who have been praying for me and the kids and staff here and have been participating in that spiritual sowing into these kids' lives through your prayers. 

Prayer Requests:

• That the boys would have a personal relationship with Jesus and grow in Him and would be interested in reading His Word daily.
• That if any of the boys (or girls) here have not accepted Jesus into their hearts as their personal Savior and sacrifice for their sin, that they would understand what that means and would ask Him into their hearts and then start that personal relationship with Him.
• That I would take advantage of the opportunities God gives me to speak into these boys' lives and be a light for God so that they see Jesus in me.

Blessings,
Derek

Note: Because this website is public, I purposely left out names of specific kids, but if anyone wants more details or stories about the kids mentioned or wants specific ideas of how to pray for specific kids, leave a comment below and I can contact you and share more in detail what's going on or answer any questions you might be curious about.

Camping

      This week we took the kids camping in the woods in the mountains in Hidalgo, Mexico, which is the Mexican state next to Queretaro. It's about a four or more hour drive. We got up before sunrise on Tuesday morning and camped in the woods until we left Friday afternoon. During our trip, we did some hiking and got to see some nice views from the mountaintops. At times, especially at night, it got chilly enough for a coat - not really the type of temperature most people think of when they think of Mexico.

     For the week, the kids were divided into four groups with adult leaders for each group for competitions and games. (In my pictures/videos, you can see some of the teams' cheers that they created.) We played games like races, dodgeball, capture the flag and more. For meals, the four teams that were created for the week took turns making meals and washing the dishes. At night, we slept in tents with about two adults and five kids assigned to each tent. We had morning and evening devotion times where the kids would divide into small groups with a leader and have a small Bible devotional. I got to lead a few devotionals with the older boys group.

     Overall, it was nice getting to know the staff and kids better, especially some of the girls in Pan de Vida that I haven't really gotten to know yet. As nice as it might have been to have this experience, though, it certainly was nice to sleep in a warm bed last night instead of the hard ground in a cold tent and to finally take a hot shower again.

     If you want to see pictures of our time camping, you can click up on the top right link for pictures and go to the folder that says "Camp Pictures".

First Few Days

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     The first few days here, I've been getting to know the boys and trying to learn all their names - I have learned almost all of them except for a few of the older ones - as well as learning more about what daily life is like here - at least what it's like during this month of their summer vacation. I'm helping in the rotation of being a "guardia" (caretaker). Basically, three volunteers are the guardias each day for the boys (the same would be for the girls' house). The guardias' job is to watch the boys, make sure they stay out of trouble, and that they do any chores that they have to do for the day (particularly cleaning up after breakfast and dinner).

Aqueduct of Queretaro

     Breakfast is at nine and I'll go down and eat breakfast with the boys. After breakfast, the boys clean up. They have specific jobs to do such as the dishes, sweeping, etc. Then, they usually hang out and play unless there's something else on the agenda. For instance, on Thursday, all the kids got to go to a basketball camp. Friday was my day to help as guardia and the boys helped cut the lawn using sickles and machetes to help cut some of the brush and long grass that the lawnmower didn't get in the area where the fruit trees were. There's usually a late morning snack such as fruit or cookies and a drink. They have a late lunch around 2:30, which the girls, boys, and staff all eat together in the girls' kitchen area. Then they have the afternoon to hang out and play some more. Dinner is around 6:30ish and then the boys do their chores of cleaning up and hang out until bedtime and/or watch a movie.

     Dany and Betania, the son and daughter of the directors of Pan de Vida, offered to take me to see the center of Queretaro on Saturday night. Altogether, five of us went. I got to see the famous aqueduct of Queretaro as well as some other popular spots.

     I updated the Google Drive folder with more pictures and videos that I took over the past few days and captioned many of them. If you wanted to check them out, it might give you a better picture of what it's been like the past few days.

     Tuesday we leave to take all the kids camping. I'm sure I'll have more to share after our three or four-day camping trip. Until then! Hasta luego!

Pan de Vida

 

     I know that while I had mentioned it to many friends and family back home, there were still some of you that I hadn't gotten to give all the details to. However, basically, God has provided an opportunity for me to help out at a Christian children's home in Queretaro, Mexico. The home is called Pan de Vida, and they have about 40 boys and girls that they help take care of. If you go to Pan de Vida | Children Of Hope and scroll down, you can see a video of Pan de Vida and just some of what they do. I'll leave it up to you to watch that video if you'd like; it is very informative and will give you a much better idea of what the place is like. You can also visit the other web link given at the header of this blog for more information about the home. For those of you who like to be kept up with what is going on and how God is working in and through me and others here, this blog will hopefully help you feel part of it all. Up on the top right of the page, I have included a link to a Google Drive where you can see pictures I upload throughout my time here.

     So, anyway, I left Tuesday morning, and after traveling all day, finally arrived very late at night at Pan de Vida. This morning, I got to meet the boys and eat breakfast with them. (The boys' house and the girls' house are separate buildings on the property.) After breakfast, Enrique (the current director of Pan de Vida who also goes by Kike) and his wife Grace gave me a tour of the property, introduced me to many of the others here at Pan de Vida, and shared more about the ministry.

     One of the many things that is so wonderful about this ministry is their focus on the children's mental health and mindset. Many of the kids come from abusive situations and have a victimized mindset. However, at Pan de Vida, they are shown love from the staff but are also taught responsibility and structure. For instance, the kids work together to complete chores each day such as cleaning up their rooms, preparing meals, cleaning up after meals, etc. In the center of all that the staff do with the kids and teach them, they constantly point the kids to Jesus, a relationship with Him, and a life guided by Biblical principles.

     After spending some time learning more about the ministry, I hung out with the kids in the field where some of us played charades, some played with Legos, others kicked around a soccer ball, etc. (If you look at the pictures, you can see some videos of the kids playing charades.) Soon after that, we had lunch and then many of the boys went swimming in the pool. (The boys and girls switch days when it is their turn to be able to use the pool.) I stayed behind and played Legos with three or four of the boys that didn't go swimming. After swimming, the boys hung out and played until dinner. (I uploaded a few videos and pictures of a couple of the boys playing with bubbles.)

     Overall, it was a good first day getting to know the kids - particularly the boys whom I'll be working with the most. I'm still trying to learn all their names, but they are wonderful kids who are so welcoming (and help me with my Spanish). Talking with Enrique and Grace, I'll be helping out a lot with "los medianos," the middle-school-aged boys. Kris, who is a volunteer who will be leaving for a little while to return to Canada to get married, currently helps take care of this group of boys. I'll be shadowing him and will be helping to fill in while he's away. Also, next Tuesday, the kids and staff will be going on their annual camping trip out in the woods; so I'll be going camping with them next week.

     That's it for now, but please don't forget to check out the pictures and videos through the link on the top right of this blog.  Also, feel free to share this blog with anyone else you think might be interested and feel free to leave questions/comments or contact me.

Blessings,

Derek

Picture taken without changes from: File:Queretaro in Mexico (zoom).svg - Wikimedia Commons