Hitting the Streets of Tijuana
By Justin Evans
Over the last week, the Lord has walked the team through a bit of fatigue (some spiritual, some physical, mental, emotional, and volitional). At the beginning of the week, some friends (and family in the Lord) came to visit. Seth and Carrie Ann were used by God as a refreshment to us. As Mark and Jen led the team this week, they were able to learn how to give us an opportunity to rest in the Lord (extra quiet time). As the week carried through, the Lord gave us an opportunity to share with the children in a little event where there was some face painting, musical chairs, songs and then a testimony of the Lord's grace (Jacob shared with the children) followed by a time for the children to share what God has rescued them from. It was so great to hear the impact of the Lord on these kids' lives through this place.
On Friday night, we hit the streets once more and the Lord allowed us to use a skit known as "fix you" to display His love to onlookers. Then Rich got up and shared in spanish how the Lord brought him from these same streets to a living faith in Christ. It was great to see the Lord touch around ten people at the first opportunity. I met a man in this bunch named Demitri, who cam down from Modesto, CA. He accepted the Lord, and prayed for a blessing. At the second opportunity, there were a number of people we spoke with after the drama, including Jose Ysidro and a man who was in a wheel chair who's been wanting to share with others the harm of living a life in the streets. He cried as we prayed for him.
The Lord's been teaching me over the last week the importance of rest in him from all angles, even things of the past that I remember. He blessed me this morning with a few verses:
Hebrews 8:12 - "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."
AND
Jeremiah 31:34 - No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Previous prayer requests:
- for more people in Mexico to be touched by the love of God
- for more people in Mexico to be touched by the love of God
- for the team to minister out of resting in the Lord
- for the team to trust in the Lord with our finances as He brings them in
- for the next two leaders (revealed tomorrow) to be confident in the Lord to empower them in their role for this season
- for wisdom and many encouraging words for each team member to know what the Lord is doing in them
- for Darlene and I to be used in God building up these leaders with God's heart for them
- for the Lord to continue to refresh my sight of Him and see with even more clarity who He is, and how He's made me
- for the team to trust in the Lord with our finances as He brings them in
- for the next two leaders (revealed tomorrow) to be confident in the Lord to empower them in their role for this season
- for wisdom and many encouraging words for each team member to know what the Lord is doing in them
- for Darlene and I to be used in God building up these leaders with God's heart for them
- for the Lord to continue to refresh my sight of Him and see with even more clarity who He is, and how He's made me
Answered this week:
- people in the party areas of TJ received God's free gift of salvation and a relationship through our Savior Jesus Christ
- the team is learning to rest and was empowered by God to minister in the streets
- God blessed the team with around 2500 more dollars last week, and encouraged us
- Mark and Jen learned about the importance of resting in the Lord and letting Him organize and reorganize our schedule
- The Lord totally gave me visions for Mark and Rich this week, to encourage them in pursuing Him
- Darlene and I were able to sit with the leaders this week and walked them through a little evaluation, so they can continue to improve as leaders
- The Lord let me see how He doesn't remember my sin any longer
Please continue to pray:
- for more people in Mexico to be touched by the love of God - The children at the Purple Palace to know Him continually
- for more people in Mexico to be touched by the love of God - The children at the Purple Palace to know Him continually
- for God to prepare the hearts of those in Voca Del Rio to receive the gospel
- for the team to minister with wisdom as that is our topic for devotionals next week
- for the team to continue to trust in the Lord with our finances as He brings them in
- for the next two leaders (revealed Monday) to be confident in the Lord to empower them in their role for this week
- for wisdom and many encouraging words for each team member to know what the Lord is doing in them
- for Darlene and I to be used in God building up these leaders with God's heart for them
- for the Lord to help me grasp these lessons of His choosing to remember my sin no more
- for the team to minister with wisdom as that is our topic for devotionals next week
- for the team to continue to trust in the Lord with our finances as He brings them in
- for the next two leaders (revealed Monday) to be confident in the Lord to empower them in their role for this week
- for wisdom and many encouraging words for each team member to know what the Lord is doing in them
- for Darlene and I to be used in God building up these leaders with God's heart for them
- for the Lord to help me grasp these lessons of His choosing to remember my sin no more
I pray you are blessed by these verses and by the Lord's work in this trip. Please continue to pray for Mexico, the team and I as we leave to Voca Del Rio for the next two weeks.
Unfortunately, I may not be able to write back over the next couple of weeks, but will let you know of the happenings as I am able.
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Lord bless ya!
Justin
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Lord bless ya!
Justin