A new start at Rosarito Beach

We’ve been very busy getting started here in México so the blog went on an unplanned hiatus; thank you for your patience! There will once again be a new post every Wednesday..

Karen and I are amazed at the turn our lives have taken lately. We expected to be living in Chapala, near Guadalajara, but we’ve been moved to Rosarito Beach in Baja California instead.

We are now leading a church here called Baja Christian Church. It is a very young church that meets at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, a historic hotel that was first opened in 1925. The hotel used to be a favorite hangout spot for Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, as well as many of the Hollywood favorites. Rita Hayworth and the Shah of Iran rented a whole floor of the hotel during their stay in 1954, and a sign over the entrance says, “Through this door pass the most beautiful women of the world.”

Now the hotel is the base of our operations as we reach out to this growing community. Since the room where we meet is right on the main street, new people come in every week and share their stories with us. The people who come have as rich and varied histories as the hotel itself does. We have people in our church from Australia, Jamaica, Alaska, the Deep South, various parts of México and, now, even Scotland. Some of our people are deportees who spent most of their lives in the US but are currently stuck south of the border against their will, and others are people from America and other countries who are here by choice.

There is a great liveliness amongst the people as this church is already growing and experiencing vibrant new beginnings. Not only have the Sunday services experienced significant growth in our first four months here, we’ve also started Tuesday Bible studies in Spanish, 12-step recovery groups for people dealing with addictions, a food-bank program to help provide food for people who are hungry, and exciting classes for new and growing believers on Sunday mornings and nights. The church’s Wednesday night Bible study has grown so much that it’s already outgrowing the smaller Activity Center where it has been meeting.

Of course, the most exciting thing is not simply the growth in numbers. The most exciting thing is that we are seeing dramatic changes already happening in people’s lives right before our eyes. People who had all but given up on life have found new hope, and we can hardly wait to see what happens next as more and more people are finding that hope in Christ! One woman’s father experienced a dramatic healing in response to the people’s prayers, and his doctors are baffled by his recovery; other people who had spent their lives bound by the mistakes of their pasts are finding new starts; and even the mayor, Hugo Torres, has taken notice and come to speak to the church and express his support and gratitude for what is happening through this group that meets at the Rosarito Beach Hotel.

Karen and I will also still be involved in important work throughout México as we pursue various opportunities for evangelism, church planting, and the training of leaders and evangelists across the country. But, in addition to that, we’ve found a home in Rosarito where the potential for the miraculous is being converted into reality day after day before our eyes.

Thank you to all of you who are supporting this ministry both with your prayers and financial support! There is no doubt that God is blessing the part you are playing in the work here. Please continue to remember us in your prayers as we continue serving the Lord here and across México!

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If you are interested in visiting Baja Christian Church, our services are at the following times:

• In the Salon Las Americas at Rosarito Beach Hotel:
  Sunday Service in English — 11am
• In the Baja Christian Church Activity Center, Rosarito Beach Hotel:
  Christianity 201 — Sundays at 9:00am
• Christianity 101 (the basics of the Christian faith) — Sundays at 6:30pm
• 12 Steps Recovery Groups — Tuesdays at 2:00pm & Thursdays at 6:30pm
• Spanish Bible Study — Tuesdays at 6:30pm
• English Bible Study — Wednesdays at 6:30pm

World AIDS Day revisited

This is a post by the webmaster to acknowledge an important campaign as well as this blog’s first post from one year ago;
World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is an international effort to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS around the world. Held 1 December every year, it has been an ongoing campaign since 1988. Understanding the facts is that crucial first step to finally fighting the prejudice and continuing to protect ourselves. With more people than ever before living with HIV across the globe, it’s not surprising that Christopher first posted herein on this date last year from a sincere heart and serious concern for the many affected. I encourage you to read that post and allow this issue to become personal for you, if it hasn’t already, for the statistics are not yet getting better:

People living with HIV

• 33.4 million people living with HIV worldwide
• 31.3 million adults
• 15.7 million women
• 2.1 million children under 15

New HIV cases in 2008

• 2.7 million people
• 2.3 million adults
• 430,000 children under 15

HIV-related deaths in 2008

• 2 million total deaths

All figures from UNAIDS.

Parkinson’s: The quest for a cure

It was only the second time I ever saw my dad cry. He walked in the front door of our home in Reedley, California and told me, “I have Parkinson’s Disease.”

He’d had a relative who had Parkinson’s Disease, so he knew well what it does. It’s a degenerative neurological disease that does terrible things to the body. Over the past several years, we’ve watched as it has taken its toll on my dad. Through it all, he’s managed to stay in good spirits and provide us all with a good example of strong faith and resilience in the midst of adversity. In some ways, I think his spirit may be stronger than ever, though his body is weak.

All the same, how many times we’ve all wished and prayed for a cure!

In America alone, more than half a million people are affected with this disease. At least six million around the world have been diagnosed with it. I’m sure they’re all hoping and praying for a cure.

But is a cure possible?

Prominent neurologists believe it is. In the 1980s, a doctor named Bill Langston made a breakthrough that opened up several promising avenues of investigation into the causes of Parkinson’s. Since then, prominent researchers such as Dr. Langston, Dr. Jeffrey Kordower and Duke University researcher, Miquel Nicolelis, have made great strides toward finding better treatments for the disease and towards the possibility of a cure.

Ten years ago, many in the field of neurology believed in the possibility of finding a cure but very little research was being done. This was due to a lack of finances made available for that research. In the mid-1990s, very little research money was directed toward this disease, in spite of the fact the research opportunities were so promising.

However, in 2000, actor Michael J. Fox (who has Parkinson’s Disease) started the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. In the past nine years, the foundation has funded more than $149 million in research directly or via partnerships. Through the work of aggressive funding and the raising of awareness around the world, great strides have been made in the improvement of treatment and the quest for a cure. In fact, they believe that a cure could be found within the next decade.

As a follower of Christ, I believe that one way we can live out our faith is by responding to causes such as this one. We are not called just to preach a message of “going to heaven someday,” but to also seek out ways of demonstrating God’s love and the values of His Kingdom through frontal assaults upon issues of injustice, poverty and illness around the world.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation generates funds for research through the generous giving of people around the world who care about the cause. For me, this cause is not some generic concern out there that is competing for our attention. For me, it has a name, and its name is Dad.

It has various names and some who are reading this will know it by one dear to you as well. Maybe it is you, or maybe it’s somebody you love.

If you’d like to join the quest for the cure, you can find out more about it at this link:

About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

I believe this urgent goal will finally be reached as more and more of us get involved.

“Medical science has proven time and again that when the resources are provided, great progress in the treatment, cure, and prevention of disease can occur.” — Michael J. Fox

What I see myself doing in a year

In thinking about our upcoming move, Karen and I are very excited about this new chapter of our lives and the opportunities that have come our way. We have a clear vision for México and are looking forward to pursuing it.

I’d like to to share this vision with you by dividing it into the 5 things I see myself doing one year from now: 1) Spending a lot of time with Karen, 2) sharing great news with lots of people, 3) teaching others to share great new with lots of people, 4) finding ways to solve big problems, and then 5) spending a lot of time with Karen.

1. Spending a lot of time with Karen

   I’m extremely grateful to be married to such a wonderful woman who loves God and loves me so much! We are both especially grateful, amidst preparing for our life as volunteer missionaries in México, that we have this opportunity to work together. When we first arrive in México at the end of November, Karen’s primary job will be to learn Spanish. She hopes to attend a Spanish school while there and I’ll also continue tutoring her in the language. Then, as time goes along, we plan to work more and more together as a team. I’m so glad have such a great partner in the work!

2. Sharing great news with lots of people

   A big part of our mission in México will be to let people know that religion is dead.

   We’re not interested in spreading religion. There’s enough of that already in the world. Religion is man’s futile attempt to get to God through human efforts, and it tends to lead to judgmentalism and hypocrisy.

   Jesus’ message, however, is about grace. Grace means he recognizes that we’re all messed up people but that God made a way we can be forgiven for all of our “messed-up-ness” and given a new and vibrant LIFE… a life of purpose that lasts forever. When God changes our lives, it’s REAL, and we will be sharing that message with people all across México. God’s message is about never-ending, purposeful life — and it’s also about engagement with the community, not simply through the giving out of tracts but through the living out of Love in practical ways.

   

   In 2010, we plan to focus on ten towns. We’ll first go to the towns to prepare the people in the churches for an outreach into the community by giving them training on how to continue what is started during such an event. Then, two months later, we plan to return to each town and lead a large outreach.

   What is an outreach? It’s simply a time of “reaching out” to people with God’s love and truth. The plan is to present God’s truths to the people, showing them how He engages with the realities of life and offers vibrant, life-changing answers. The plan is also to seek tangible ways of reaching out to the needs of the community; whether it be through meeting unmet medical needs, feeding the hungry, or engaging with its residents about how to tackle unmet social needs within the community in consistent ways.

   Such an outreach isn’t simply a week-long time of reaching out followed by 51 weeks of in-reach. The goal is to train the local church to START things during that time that will then continue throughout the life of the church.

3. Teaching others to share great news with lots of people

   The term they use to describe what I do is “evangelist.” That term has, of course, been used for many kinds of people. Sometimes, when people think of an evangelist they think of somebody who is simply trying to coax people into raising their hands in a meeting or converting to a particular religious cause. Some see an “evangelist” as somebody who is very forceful and legalistic.

   However, the term really just means somebody who shares “the good news.” As the term has been abused and misunderstood by many, I could easily be tempted to look for a different name to describe my job. Yet, this is the term they’ll be using for me in México so — for now — I’ll just concentrate on redefining its meaning, or really trying to “restore” its meaning to the original intent.

   One way that we plan to pursue that is by training up a new breed of evangelists in México and sending them all across the country. I’ve been asked to put together and teach a course with the purpose of training up Mexican evangelists. Through this course, my teaching will focus on a biblical theology of what true evangelism is all about and giving practical training on how to teach the people of México about the good news of Jesus and how to live it out. I’ll also be taking each of the students out with me to various outreaches and teaching them through practice and practical opportunities.

   I’ll be teaching church-planters as well; teaching people how to “plant” — or start — new vibrant churches that have a glocal vision and a relevant impact upon their communities.

4. Finding ways to solve big problems

   México is such a beautiful country, filled with wonderful people. And a lot of these wonderful people have some very big problems. We want to engage with them and try to help them solve some of their practical problems.

   For example, 40 million people in México don’t have access to safe drinking water. Therefore, we want to look for ways to help them provide safe drinking water to their communities.

   There’s also a real problem with violence in the youth culture. In fact, for young people between the ages of 15 to 19, murder is the second highest cause of death. Thus, we want to try to find ways to help young people find purpose and value in life and give them opportunities to engage with the world in a non-violent way.

   As we engage with the people of the various communities and discover more and more about their physical and social needs, we want to always be asking the question:

   “How can we live out God’s love in this community by getting involved?”

5. Spending a lot of time with Karen

   Our work will keep us very busy, and we are very excited about it! We also believe though that God wants us to have balance in life. No matter how good the cause, we can’t take care of others if we don’t also take care of ourselves and one another. I think that’s one of the reasons God initiated the principle of Sabbath at the very beginning of the world.

   He has built our bodies and souls with natural rhythms. When we don’t honor those rhythms, we wear out and break down. If we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies don’t function properly. If we don’t honor our body’s need for food, we waste away. And if we don’t honor our body and soul’s need for emotional and mental rest, everything suffers: our work, our relationships, our health.

   

   For this very reason, Karen and I are committed to balance and to guarding our need for a Sabbath rest. Every week, we take our day off. It’s not an optional thing. It’s as important a commitment as the commitment to our work the rest of the week.

So, a year from now; I see us working hard in the communities, sharing good news, teaching others to share good news, and finding practical vibrant ways to solve very real problems. I also see us taking time to let our relationship with each other grow and to let our relationship with God grow.

Karen and I are increasingly excited about México, and we are grateful for all of you who are a part of what we’re doing through your love, prayers and support!

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