Ministry in Meliton

About an hour away from La Paz there is a Migrant workers camp in a small impoverished town called Meliton. The pastor of the church in that little town came from our church in La Paz and has been there for almost 10 years. From a very meager beginning, they have built a wonderful work there. They have grown not only in numbers, but in favor with the camps. Where there used to be great restrictions, they now have great freedom to go into the camps and minister to the people. John, myself, our kids, Denny and Danette, and Matthew (a friend visiting from Canada) went out there for the day. John led in some amazing worship, I got a prophetic word for the church body, and Denny and Danette spoke an amazing word on identity. It was a wonderful time of ministering with the church, praying for the sick, playing with the kids, eating lunch together, and enjoying the fellowship.

Serving the Vision of Another

Many effective leaders are shaped by faithfully following the lead of another. Joshua spent 40 years as an associate before leading one of the most notable accomplishments recorded in scripture. He kept his focus; he remained a faithful steward of another man's vision. The vision to conquer the Promised Land did not originate in the heart of Joshua. He was merely called to be a faithful steward of another man's vision. Moses experienced the burning bush and received God's call to lead the children of Israel into their new future; Joshua's task was to help bring that vision into fruition. Jesus said it like this, “And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?" (Luke 16:12)

When God told us that we would be moving to La Paz, he put in our hearts the desire to come to serve Denny and Danette Taylor. I can’t begin to tell you how amazing these people are. Before we left, I wasn’t exactly clear on what that looks like or why God was telling us to do that, but thought it was a good idea to be obedient. Now, we can’t see ourselves doing anything different. The Taylors have deep wells of wisdom that we have not even experienced yet. They have so much to offer and we are grateful that God made a way for us to serve them and their vision. We are learning so much from them. They make “serving” them very fun, easy, and the best life in the world. We are excited to be partnering with them in transforming the nations.

Your not going to pay for my dinner??

So I had a dream last night and then while John and I were praying this morning, God gave me revelation- thought I would share.

Dream:

I was walking up to Outback Steakhouse somewhere in the United States. Kris Vallotton was a ways in front of me and kept turning around and waving at me. Finally, he slowed down enough to where him and I were parallel and he asked me if I wanted to join them for dinner. I did (who wouldn't!!) When we got to the table, there was a lot of people around that I knew from Bethel and it seemed they were a part of his staff or something of that nature. Anyway- I ordered this extravagant meal and LOVED every minute of it! Then it came time to pay. The waiter brought the check to Kris. Kris then proceeded to pass it around so everyone could see how much their order was. So people started laying their money in a pile in the middle of the table. Funny thing about this was that we were in the United States, but the bill and everyone was paying in "pesos." The bill got to me and my meal was $450 pesos (roughly around $40.00) And I remembered that John had my purse in the car and he went somewhere with Kelly. All I had in my pocket was $200 pesos. (Not enough) So Kris wasn't going to pay for my meal, John wasn't there, and all I had was half of what I needed to pay for my portion.........I put my $200 pesos in the pile- then I woke up.

Revelation:

So John and I were discussing discipline tactics for our children this morning. We were not on the same page really. One thing that has really always bothered me with our kids is Dis respect/talking back (I CAN NOT STAND THIS!!) Well, they have been doing this and instead of me giving them choices, I have resorted back to my old nature of control. (which looks like, "YOU WILL DO WHAT I SAY, AND YOU WILL DO IT NOW) and that just has not been working out for me really well. In fact, while talking this morning with John things just seemed impossible. I felt like I was telling God," this is impossible for me to change the way this makes me feel. " The whole circumstance, feelings, me seeing that I needed to change- felt hopeless. So while we were praying I got the understanding of my dream.

Kris being a spiritual leader in my life and Outback symbolizing "Good Food"- I felt like God was saying, " Your spiritual leaders are not Your source, your husband (he wasn't there) is not your source, and you can not do it on your own (me not being able to pay completely) So my only source that can bring HOPE into this situation is God. Total Dependency on God, even for change in my attitude with my kids. When things seem hopeless, sometimes people just "aren't gonna do it for you."

Anyway- It was an answer for me this morning and gave me hope! Thought I would share in case there are others that need "hope" in any area that seems hopeless. Reminded me of who my source is and where my Joy comes from when my kids are pushing buttons :)

The Balance of Stability and Flexibility

So yesterday while I was painting, I felt that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me. Took me a minute to figure out what He was saying, but I think I got it. He showed me an airplane. Then showed me it’s wings. You know how when you are on a plane with a window seat and you can see the wings? Know how those wings also have other flaps that can adjust to the wind and give more control? Well, the Holy Spirit was telling me that the wings of the plane will never change (all planes have wings) but what can change is their adjustment to certain types of weather, wind, etc.
So essentially I felt He was explaining to me the balance between stability and flexibility.
Stability in who I am in Him and Flexibility with WHERE I am (my environment)
Flexibility:
1. capable of being bent, usually without breaking; easily bent
2. susceptible of modification or adaptation; adaptable
3. willing or disposed to yield; pliable

Flexibility is what changes- adjusts. (the flaps on the plane that adjust to the circumstances with the weather.)Stability is the “wings” to stay in the air. (All planes have wings- that never changes)I feel like the Lord is teaching us (mostly me) how to be flexible and stable at the same time. I felt like the plane represents us in Mexico and He is teaching us how to adapt to our new environment-whether there be “turbulence” or blue skys- learning to be sensitive to the “wind” of the Spirit.

We Made it!

Hola!! We made it here safe and sound. After staying up all night packing and cleaning up the old house we crammed almost everything into places it shouldn’t have fit. Ditched a couple loads in storage for next time, shot a couple “Five Hour Energy’s” and hit the freeway. Fortunately we got to recuperate in Loma Linda with family for a few days before crossing the border. It was a VERY long trip from Tijuana to here though, Approx. 1000 miles from the border to La Paz. It was a miracle in itself that we weren’t harassed at the border for having a van and trailer packed full of electronics and such. Many times you have to pay tax on something if it appears “new.”

Our kids were INCREDIBLE!! We were in the car for two days. The DVD player was a life saver. There was the occasional bickering, but for the most part they were awesome! As we were driving through desert land, Dylan kept repeating “We’re in the middle of nowhere!!” and of coarse the resounding... “ARE WE THERE YET??” It was an experience– one that we’ll take every six months! We have to come out of the country every six months because of the type of

visas we have.

As we were driving somewhere in the desert between here and Tijuana, Jessica was having a conversation with the Lord. She was asking Him if we made the right choice and if He could let her know that we did. She said, “Lord, can you just show me a rainbow or something?” Shortly after this as we were coming over the mountain, there was not only a rainbow, but THREE!! It was AWESOME!! Needless to say we will no longer ask that question. Apparently rainbows are rare in that place.

It’s usually scorching hot down here this time of year but for some strange reason it has been rather cool. Some nights we just leave the windows open and let the breeze come through. The base has a beautiful orchard with cocoanuts, mangos, dates and citrus. A perfect trade off for the cockroaches, scorpions, ants and lizards in the house. We have been unpacking, settling in and getting organized. We’re trying to learn the ropes around here and where everything is located. Grocery shopping is a little different here and the pace of life is A LOT slower. We’re gonna take the rest of this month to adjust, adapt and spend time as a family before the official “ministry stuff” starts. Should be a very fun, exciting, busy year here! We’re still overly excited and have high expectations for a great move of God.

Thanks so much again for all of your support, whether it is prayer or financial. We know we are exactly where God wants us!

Hanging on the Blood

In a dream I had recently John and I were with Denny and Danette (The amazing couple who we are going to serve in Mexico) and a group of people. In the dream I seemed to know everyone, but I only remember Denny and Danette, John and a friend of ours , Brad Nelson. Denny told us that we were going to the top of a mountain nearby for some team building exercises. When we got to the top he gave us directions for what we were going to do. He showed us a red rope and started explaining that he was going to hold one end while we took the other end to run and jump off a nearby cliff!! I was thinking in my head, “THIS GUY HAS LOST HIS MIND!!” I was the only one thinking this way. So people started taking the rope and running off this cliff like it was no big deal- laughing and roaring all the way off the cliff. It got to my turn and Denny handed me the rope. I looked at him and said, “sorry Denny, but you have lost your mind!!” “There is no way that I am going to do this!!” Then I proceeded to tell him all the “what if’s” about going off this cliff. After I finished murmuring to him, he simply looked me in the eye with a soft smile and said, “Jessica, you just need to trust me.”

The dream flashed to the next scene where I was plummeting in mid air!!! I felt something harnessed around my waist. As I looked down at my waist, I noticed that the red rope was tied around it. It was like I finally had a revelation while free falling- I thought to myself, “Well dang, If I woulda known that, I would of totally jumped!! I didn’t notice they were tying it around them. Then I woke up.

The dream is about me trusting God in a step of Faith when I don’t see all the ways things are going to happen. The red rope represented the Blood of Christ, and was tied around my waist (a vulnerable area). That is what’s holding me during the time of Trusting in Him- His word is faithful.

The Christian life is meant to be impossible. The moment we can do everything on our own is when it ceases to be CHRIST-ian. We need to live in such a way that we are constantly dependant, suspended and vulnerable to the Holy Spirit’s provision and protection. The safest place in the Kingdom is to be at the front lines of battle, in the same manner that Jesus sent out the seventy as “sheep among wolves.”

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the Land and feed on His faithfulness."
"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
"Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass,
”He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.”
”Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret………….”
Psalm 37:3-7

When John and I made the decision that we were moving to Mexico in August, everything was working out beautifully!! Things were smooth, support was flooding in, and everyone felt that this was the right time for us to go. Then, we received a couple emails in regards to support…… A couple of our main supporters had to change their committed amount due to life circumstances. This was hard to swallow. Things just days earlier seemed to be flowing and now they seemed to be drying up. Was this the right time to go?
Later on that week, after nothing was working and I felt that my hands were tied, God spoke. We were taking the kids to the park and I decided to stay in the car and soak a bit. I noticed that I had my bible in the car- I asked God, “could You please give me something encouraging, something to hold on to in this season?” He gave me Psalms 37:3-8. This was just what I needed to hear for that moment. I began to dig in to the depth of what the Lord was giving me.

TRUST- in Hebrew means to be secure, feel safe, and be care less or care free. God was telling me, “Jessica, you need to know that I am going to bring to pass the desires of your heart. You need to be secure in who I am, feel safe with what I have told you, cast all your cares about this situation on me, and be care free. The last part of that verse, “dwell in the Land and feed on His faithfulness,” reminded me to feed on everything that He has done for me. Feed on the testimonies- that is what will sustain hope in this situation.

DELIGHT- means to be pampered, to make merry over, or make sport of. God was telling me to relax and let Him pamper me!! Let Him make merry over me!!

COMMIT - As John and I studied this word, we found that it means “to Roll, or to Roll onto.” I thought to myself, how do you get “to roll” from “Commit? There are a number of passages that used this when talking about rolling the stone off of the mouth of the well. A friend had just given me a word during this season that is so fitting with this. She said “Jess you really need to knock it off (meaning stop picking it back up and worrying about it) Your worry is getting in the way of what God is trying to bring to pass.” Essentially I was acting as the stone over the well that needed to be removed in order to access the flow beneath.

REST- There are two things that I am not really good at: 1) being still and relaxing 2) Being quiet. This word in the Hebrew means to be silent before the Lord. Don’t repeat what you have already told him. Stop the idle murmurings. This is exactly what I was doing!! Every time support would drop, I would bring it God and say, “WHAT NOW?” and every time it looked impossible- I would let Him know! As if He doesn’t know! LOL!

As I’ve been resting God has been providing. A friend of ours called and said they wanted to commit to us monthly $300!! I would have never expected!! Another friend of ours who pastors a church in Nevada called and said they would take us on as their missionaries that they support monthly!! God is good!! We still have a little more to go that we need to raise for monthly support, but God is on the move and working on our behalf- We will leave at the end of July to live in Mexico as ambassadors of the King’s Domain!

He Makes All Things New

It's easy to feel guilty when doing missions work on white sandy beaches with the most crystal blue gradient sea expanding out to the horizon. This would be heaven on earth if it weren't for the surrounding desert land. God is so clever in his design of the earth, we got to dwell in this beauty over the past week while getting to know some of the most incredible people on the earth. While it could have been easily mistaken for a vacation we were enveloped in gaining vision and strategy to bring God's kingdom to Mexico. Where do we start? How can we best assist the team? What will be our role? How do we fit into this huge puzzle?

On this trip I was reminded of a few years ago, it seemed that every time I would see any video to do with missions I would get all choked up and teary eyed. I had no clue that God was resonating something inside that had been long overlooked. In 2007 I attended a Jesus Culture where Lou Engle was speaking and his words shook me to the core and awakened purpose. He said, "Pay close attention to your tears, for they point you to your destiny."
My eyes had been opened to the clues that had been there all along. The first clue I remember was during "The Passion of the Christ." I broke when Jesus, soon after the scourging, turned and looked at his mother and said, "see mother, I make all things new." Tears flowed like a river. It was God putting me in tune with his harmony of redemption. I was being led to my call...National Transformation. God began to awaken hope. Not just for my future but the future of the earth. This place wasn't meant to go to hell in a hand basket. He put us here in glory and that is what He's taking us back to. This is redemption, this is reconciliation, this is all things NEW!!! Bringing restoration is not so difficult after you realize that it's what God intended to do all along. We simply have to come into agreement with what He is doing. Just as Jesus only did what He saw the Father do.
Bringing the kingdom is more than salvation, it includes deliverance from bondage, it involves healing diseases or (dis-EASE). It does not tolerate the earth suffering from sin, because the price was paid on the cross. We are the sons of God that are to ensure the justice of the cross is being enforced.

"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." Romans 8:19-23

We've begun some of the foundational relationship building that is essential for the work that lies ahead. We did get to see where we're going to live and better prepare ourselves for the big move, doing mental inventory of what we'll be able to fit in the van vs. the things we'll have to sell. The anticipation grows daily as we prepare ourselves for this leap. We are even more excited after having tasted of the plans that God has in store for Mexico. I can feel my brain expanding for a second language, and I'm shocked how I can retain language when my livelihood depends on it, but nearly flunk it in college. We also heard a lot of the drawbacks to La Paz. The brutal heat/humidity, hurricanes, extreme mosquito/gnat pestilence etc. All of which come around the same time of the year. Having counted all these costs our hearts are still in motion and we continue to anxiously await September 1st.

Safe and Sound

We made it through a long night of air travel and in the morning landed in Guadalajara for an eight hour lay over. During this time a couple came and sat across from us. We didn't think much of it until person after person kept asking to take their picture with the gentleman. Finally after much curiosity Jessica asked, "Who are you?" He replied "I am a Goalie for a big soccer team, the Chivas." We conversed a little and decided to get our picture taken with him since everyone else was doing it. They thought it was funny, then they asked where we were from and we shared with them what we are doing in La Paz. Luis Michel and his wife went on their way. We pray God would bring them across our path again somehow or at least bring us across their mind. We pray blessings over them.

The rest of the trip has been incredible! We were welcomed in by four couples from the church who bought us an anniversary cake, which we were very grateful for. They each went around the table and shared their joy with us being here. We've been getting hungry to learn more Spanish to knock out the language barrier. So as soon as we get back we'll be cramming.

Pray for us, tomorrow we'll be going into the public places looking for people to encounter God. We hope to have many more stories to share as we bring the love of God to the people here in La Paz.

Prepare to Launch

So far we have been amazed at all the love and support flooding in. Just a few months ago we thought this move would be impossible. Thank you all so much for believing in the call of God on our lives. We know it's crazy. But "crazy" should be the normal christian life.

We will be leaving for a La Paz short trip Easter Sunday night, and we'll be there for a week. Pray for us that things flow smoothly. It's a perfect time as we will be there for our 8th anniversary. It's wacky because we were just in La Paz last year for our BSSM mission trip during our 7th anniversary.

We'll keep you all updated with pics and stories of what God is doing.