Summer Ministry With One-By-One Ministries

Here I am in Colonet in July, 2014, with Stephen Gould, his team, and some of the men that reside at the facility. We, as in years past, were taking the Good News to the men in treatment. It was a wonderful day and about 40 men gave their lives to the Lord. Stephen and his team shared hamburgers and a Christian movie and Scriptures with the residents. As usual, it was a joy to be there. God surely blest all of our efforts.

During Stephen's summer visits, we go to centers that treat both men and women. And, I know this is hard to believe, but the one at the beach in Jaramillo has to changed to be almost all teen boys. Amazing, but true and sad.

Your Job Is Important

Who Has The Most Important Job In The World? Who has the most important job in the world? Well, to be quite direct, you do! Your job is even more important than what the President does. How can I say that and mean it? With your job you support and take care of your family. You buy them food, a home, health insurance and even take them on vacations. Your job, therefore, is of the utmost value to you and that makes it, without a doubt, the most important job in the world. There was this lady, with a key job, she was a church officer of some sort, possibly a deacon, perhaps a member of the board of directors or some other church official that made this one incredible statement. When I heard these words, I was in shock, I was amazed and I was really offended by her attitude. But, maybe she was right, perhaps, just a little. To tell the truth, I am not sure. I still can’t digest what she said. Nevertheless, she said that she got to decide who is going to Heaven and who is going to hell. How is that possible? She, this one authoritative religious lady, controlled the mission funds for her church. She was the go-to-person who determined where the church’s mission funds were to reach and how they were to be spent. So much startling power placed in the hands of just one person. Standing next to her, I felt weak and anemic. She was the ‘Decider,’ of all human fate, controlling the destiny of lost souls; she was a truly formidable human being, to say the least. You see, even though she was called to do some central work at her church, she was not, after all, such a weighty person. The person at the other end of the story, the missionary, was actually the person doing the real soul-saving work. It was he, or she, that had forsaken so much to share the Word of God with some lost and lonely souls in some far-off land. The person on the front-line is that special kind of person that responded to the call of God on their lives and perhaps learned a different language, customs and culture to be able to properly extend the Good News of God’s Love to people that this church lady would never, ever see. “Pray you therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest,” Matthew 9:38. And, was this money actually her capital, funds that this particular lady had supplied, no, it wasn’t. She just managed the donations of others and sent them out and most likely, didn’t suffer any loss for all the work she did at her church. Now, her work is still good, because, it really does take a team to make a mission happen; it is never just the work of one simple soul. A true missionary knows that they work for their supporters, their church and above all, for the Lord. We extend God’s Kingdom by all humbly working together. You see, missions are part of God’s plan of salvation. Mark 16:25, “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” He asked us to go, He asked us to pray for our missionaries and it seems that He asks people to support their missionaries. "For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:13-15. This powerful lady at this big church, well, God Bless Her. Yet, God Bless the Mission Supporters, too, and all those that pray, and everyone that sends or brings a gift and God Bless all those that are out there on the mission field, helping to save souls and representing all of these other fine folks that make up all the many parts of the other most important job in the world, Soul Saving. Without this team of champions, there would be no missionaries and without missionaries, God’s plan of salvation through missions, would be frustrated more than one might think. No one is a Superhero in the saving grace department, except Jesus. Because, that word isn’t even intellectual enough to explain what Jesus did for us. 2nd Corinthians 5:19, “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.” How He took back what was rightfully His. Nor does it have the potential to express the intense Love of God that was working through Jesus, which now works through churches, organizations, individuals and missionaries. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” It really takes a whole church to run a mission. The most important Job in all the world, apart from yours, is saving souls and we all should, could and had better take a part in this work because it really is our Father’s Business. Amen. 1st Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (emphasis mine) Luke 2:49, “And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Fathers business?” (emphasis mine) Here in Mexico, everything we do at this mission base is to serve God. I realize that we all are His hands and feet; we are all His tongue, spreading His words and His love. God Bless You All & Thank You, again and again, for your generosity and support!

Join With Us In Prayer

Rancho Santa Fe Mexico Mission Prayer List June 2014 1. The need for extra visitors is always important to our work here in Mexico. We actually love to share the work here with as many people as we can. We covet your prayers and welcome you to come for a weekend, a week or even longer. We now have a much larger water supply and we always have more than enough for everyone to do. I can assure you that all of your help is more treasured than you might know. Acts 16:14-15 2. The rain has been less than we would have hoped for this year. A lot fell in the late fall and after that, very little has come down. Hundreds of thousands of camp workers depend on the rain to have a job. Also, if the dry weather continues, prices will go up in the stores as they will be selling fewer products for more money to make up the difference. Please, pray for rain, we so desperately need it. May God Bless Your Prayers. Job 5:10 3. The new governor or Baja California has raised taxes beyond what anyone guessed he might. And, many are calling for reform and asking that something be done to lower them but, to date, nothing has made a difference. It seems that some are presenting real, tangible and workable programs to reduce the prices of gasoline, electricity and groceries, but these ideas are falling silently to the floor. Mexicans don’t earn enough money to make ends meet as it is, please, go before the Lord on behalf of these people. Proverbs 11:14 4. The people reached through this ministry value every bit of help that comes to them through the gifts that you share with Rancho Santa Fe. Unlike many missions or foreign-based ministries, we don’t charge a cent for what we give to the needy. Nor, do we demand that they only come to our church if they want our help. I never saw where Jesus asked anybody their church affiliation before doing a miracle in their lives. I can’t do that. But, please know, that all you share makes a real and solid change in the lives of some poor and disadvantaged people. Psalm 82:3-4 5. Please, keep our mission improvement and construction projects in your prayers. We have always tried to make improvements that are timely, low-cost and necessary. The idea is that you deserve a nice and safe place to stay while you serve the Lord with us. So, all that we do, is done first to bless the Lord and then to show our thankfulness for all that you do for the mission and its outreaches. You are a real and honest and needed blessing. Amen! Psalm 127:1 6. Have any extra construction tools lying around your garage, barn or property? If you don’t have a need for something, we probably do. And, if not here, we do pass things along to others here in San Vicente, Ensenada or farther down the road. We want to bless not to hoard. Hebrews 13:16 7. We are wondering if we will have a Summer Bible School program this year. We have not had any offers of help from the north but will do what we can do to make sure that our kids get a summer session of Bible lessons and activities. If you can’t come to help, we would still love to have your prayers. We are looking at the middle of July for the start date. It will run for five days. Thanks for helping us with your prayers, they are always needed. Luke 18:16 “The Poor Have The Gospel Preached To Them,” Matthew 11:5 God can't resist the prayers of a the humble and poor in spirit. He is the God of YES! "For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." Second Corinthians 1:20

Mexico Learns To Love Israel

Mexico is not an anti-Semitic nation, and for the most part, at least in Christian circles, there is a growing appreciation and developing brotherhood for all things historically Jewish among the faithful. Probably the main reason for this is the freedom of religion act that started in 1993 and the reality that many foreign missionaries have come to share the Jewish side of Jesus and more detailed information about the lives of the early believers with their congregations. Genesis 12:3, “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Trust me, many Mexicans are learning to love Israel not for the blessings that follow the promise, but simply because it’s the right thing to do. They are, after all, God’s Chosen People. Be that as it may, in this one case, and it’s not isolated, a Mexican man decided to make an anti-Semitic website, he then got the Mexican officials to give it a green rating, despite obvious racism and anti-Semitism. I won’t show you the page or tell where to find it, but as one surfs the site and sees all the anti-Jewish stuff written all over the page in Spanish, you can see the man has built an openly racist site. Of course, everyone knows that anti-Semitism isn’t only found in Mexico, hardly! Racism and racial purity movements can be found in every country on earth. For that sickening and sad statistic, I am personally sorry and so ashamed. I know people have asked me, “Where was God during the Holocaust?” And, my questioning answer is, “Where were all the human beings during the Holocaust?” Back in November 27, 2012, in Mexico City, Jacqueline Hoist, the President of the Council to Prevent Discrimination in Mexico City, said that 35,000 messages were posted on Twitter that where against the Mexican Jewish community. Said Hoist, "There is a call to hatred against the Jewish community that affects coexistence and creates a perception of fear, it creates bad behavior. It’s true that a large series of disgraceful electronic assaults against members of the Jewish Community in Mexico occurred via Twitter. Just like the rest of the Jewish-Zionist garbage, it poisons the consciousness of the Mexican people and therefore should disappear." Even as good as Jacqueline Hoist’s words are, the Chiapas Herald takes an uncritical view of a local festival where they celebrate the burning of Judas and other Jews, reporting that as far as it concerns Mexicans, this anti-Jewish display, “fosters unity and respect,” and “purifies the soul.” All Christians have a duty to love the Jewish people for their donations that gave beginnings to the Christian faith. Jesus Christ was an outstanding Rabbi from Nazareth and He said, "Salvation is of the Jews!" John 4:22 We should carefully consider what the Jewish people have imparted to Christianity: The Sacred Scripture, The Law, The Golden Rule, The Prophets, The Patriarchs, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus Christ of Nazareth, The Twelve Disciples, The Apostles, ETC. It is impossible to say, "I am a Christian," and not love the Jewish people. The Bible teaches that love is not what you say, but what you do, 1 John 3:18

. In life we know that a bell is not a bell until you ring it, a song is not a song until you sing it, and love is not love until you share it. While some Christians try to deny the connection between Jesus of Nazareth and the Jews of the world, Jesus never denied His Jewishness. He was born Jewish, He was circumcised on the eighth day in keeping with Jewish tradition, He had his Bar Mitzvah on his 13th birthday, He kept the law of Moses, He wore the Prayer Shawl Moses commanded all Jewish men to wear, He died on a cross with an inscription over His head, "King of the Jews!” Jesus considered the Jewish people His family. Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren (the Jewish people), ye have done it unto me.” Part of any missionary or outreach pastor’s job is to biblically teach about the relationship that exists between Christians and Jews. And, I certainly do that and so do my students. And, we promote love, relationship and connection with our Jewish friends, even with those living in Mexico. This flyer is still posted on a wall near the beach in Ensenada and it’s a bit confusing as an X crossing the photo might mean, ‘no, not a good thing to do.’ But, it can also mean, ‘yes, a good thing to do.’ When people go to vote in Mexico they must draw an ‘X’ over the candidate of their choice. I hope that in this case it means, ‘no, not a good thing to do!’

Happy Mother’s Day, 2014 On this tiny planet, on this very ordinary human plane, apart from Jesus, God’s only Son, our Mothers are one of, if not, the most valuable gifts that God has given to us. They should be treasured as much as is refined gold and pure silver. Mothers are most often the ones who not only cultivate the good in their children, but they also love each of them unreservedly. Mothers are teachers of kindheartedness, tenderness and pluckiness. It’s been said that a woman, when she becomes a mother, becomes complete in heart, mind and purpose. She shines in this role and works hard at becoming a real, true and living heroine and at being a life-builder as she does her best to serve her children with such a deep and real love that she would willingly lay down her life to save her children from harm. Mothers are amazing. Mothers keep infants alive, they sacrificially care for them, gently cuddle them, bathe and change them and then mold them into little boys and girls that would die without her tender and continuous care. In the Scriptures, there are ample citations, in which mothers are regarded as the matchless individuals. Genesis 3:20, “Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.” Leviticus 19:3, "Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God." Isaiah 66:13

, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem." A giant and powerful Happy Mother's Day, to all my family and friends that are mothers or that still have their mothers living around them. Mine is in Heaven and I know that she is doing just fine. I do miss her. I hope to see her again and to honor and worship the God that gave me to her. He knew what He was doing. I pray for all the Mothers, God’s Best and Richest Blessings to all who are reading this message. Please, know this, you are blessings sent from God to a needy and nearly dead earth. You bring much happiness to the world. Your work here on earth is extremely valuable. And, I mean that. Amen. "Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever." Author Unknown "The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom." Henry Ward Beecher "A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them." Victor Hugo