Jay and Faith TenBrink and their kids -- Isaiah (14), Elizabeth (13), and Kai (4) -- are part of our missionary staff in Cofradía. They have been with the ministry for over a decade and bring a wonderful dynamic to our team. One of their primary ministry focuses is to the Cora Indians, an indigenous group native to Nayarit who trace their roots directly back to the Aztecs. They live primarily in the isolated regions of the Sierra Madre mountains, in the foothills of which Cofradía is located. If you would like to follow more of their ministry to the indigenous, please check out their website.
Jay recently sent out an update that shared some really unique experiences with a group of Cora believers as well as updates and pictures from the continued construction going on to finish the new church facility this summer. Here it is for your reading enjoyment!
I have exciting news!!! We are going to add Sandy to our full-time missionary staff!!!!! I have mentored her for the last five years and watch her grow and flourish with every challenge and step that has come her way. We all believe that she is very ready for this step. She has expressed a call to missions since I first knew her, so it is exciting that she will have the opportunity to step into that call full-time at home with us rather than have to see her go far away!!!
We have written a letter seeking support INTEREST. Please note that this is not her official support letter. At this time we are seeking out whether or not there is enough interest in supporting her monthly in order to start the process of moving her to Cofradía and putting her on staff.....as a confirmation, if you will. So, please read the letter, and if you are interested in participating with her, then just let me know by clicking the "Email Me" link on the left. That way when the time comes I can make sure that you receive her official support letter directly from her!
Please continue to keep Sandy and the onsite staff in your prayers as they move forward with this step!
Steve has been branching out into video updates for his monthly updates! So, I thought you might like to view this update about the ministry activites in March. There's video and other pictures from some of the events I've already blogged about. It's always fun to see more and to hear from somone down there directly! Enjoy!
For the 9th year, the youth of Cy-Fair Christian Church in Houston, TX spent a week in Cofradía working, hanging out with our youth, and reaching out to new youth through evangelism and friendship. This team has had such a powerful impact on our youth through their freindship, longevity, and consitancy in loving on them and caring for them in personal ways. Their ministry in Cofradía has grown from ministry TO our youth to ministry ALONG SIDE our youth. The two youth groups have truly become friends and co-laborers in the same way we have seen happen with the women of the two churches!
So, they were in Cofradía March 12-19, 2011, and Steve has just posted a report about their week together on his blog. I am reposting it here for your reading enjoyment! So, enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cy-Fair Christian Church has sent down youth teams every spring break for almost a decade. Our students have developed a great relationship with the students that come down and this year those relationships continued to grow strong.
For the past few years, we have worked together to reach our community. While the team spends their time in the morning with construction projects, our students are in school. This year, those projects included some who painted the second floor railings, the stairs, doors and windows while others set the tile in two children’s classrooms.
Each year, the Cy-Fair team serves our students a meal during our Student Ministry Awards Banquet. This is a great time to reflect on the past year and recognize our leaders and the Award winners amongst the students.
There are four awards that we give out:
The Spirit Award
This student is enthusiastic when it comes to participating in events and games. Not only does this person participate with a good attitude, but encourages others to participate as well. This year’s winner is Jonathan Elias.
The New Generation Award
This student is a newcomer to the youth group who was in Elementary school the previous year. They stand out with leadership potential and have a good attitude. This year’s winner is Cecilio Rodriguez.
The Servant Award
This student stands out with a servant’s heart and helps to meet needs without being told. Leadership is inevitable with this attitude. This year’s winner is Jesús Orozco.
The Brave Heart Award
This student has grown in the Lord and their leadership skills in the past year. This is the only category in which our Student Leaders have the opportunity to be nominated. This year’s winner is Gregorio Hernández.
The team had four other nights of activities with our students. Two of those activities will stand out as highlights.
The first was a community service project that we work together on. This year, we painted the bridge that connects Cofradía to the rest of Mexico. Some were scraping, some were sweeping, some were mixing cement, some were painting, and we even had flaggers to direct traffic.
(left) The bridge from down under; (right) Scraping
(left) Painting; (right) Pastor Jeff adding reflectors
Finished!!!
The other activity was a Life Application Cultural experience as we took everyone out to visit a man who makes bricks. As Pastor Luis interviewed him, he explained the process of how to make them. He mixes clay-like dirt to mix with his dirt, manure, and water. Then, he stomps on it to make a milky mud in order to place it in the forms. He lets it sit for a day and a half to dry, then stacks them in preparation for the fire. The bricks are in the fire for 8 hours, and then they’re ready.
(left) Mixing it all up; (right) Adding water
Pouring the mold
What an amazing teaching! We met in small groups afterwards as we talked about how this applies to us. We are like the bricks as God is forming us. Those who are closer to the fire become stronger and can withhold more. Every brick has a purpose—to be used and not forgotten or left alone; they are meant to be together. Those are just a couple of many applications that we talked about. I’m sure you could think of more.
In the end, the team did a great job in making connections again. Our students really enjoy having them here. Thank you for your prayers.
I moved back to Virginia from Mexico on January 12, 2010. For the previous four years -- ever since I went on the mission field -- I had sent updates every month on what was going on in ministry and life. So, when I moved back to Virginia, still a missionary on the Mexico ministry staff, I just assumed I would do the same. What I didn't realize was that since I wasn't living there, it would be very hard to have enough to report every month. So, I wasn't very good about getting those reports out every month.
Therefore, for 2011, I have decided to send reports out at the end of each quarter. That way I will have enough stuff to report on as well as pictures and such to share. So, on that note, I am pleased to present my 2011 1st Quarter Report: January through March, 2011. Enjoy!
Dave and Kathy recently sent out an update about the inauguration of our new church facility. They included a letter from Pastor Goyo about how the local church is settling into its new home. I thought you might enjoy reading this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finally, we are in the new church facility, a multi-use place. For quite a while now it has been in use as a space for the enjoyment of the youth, the women, and the men.
For the youth it has a very special significance. Here in town there is not much that can keep them busy, and at our new facility they can invest their time in sports, and in that way distance themselves from the things that can affect their lives like drugs and all the other distractions that go on in this day and age.
For the adult men and women it is a place where communion is fostered and friendship is generated not just for the people within the church but also with those who normally wouldn’t participate in congregational activities. It is a place that brings together qualities necessary for everyone’s development, not just for Cofradía but also for the surrounding villages. It is a tool that will help people to know Christ, to be in fellowship with one another, and to bring restoration to those who arrive within its walls.
So, we want to say thank you so much to all who have been, and still are, involved in the construction of this facility, it is a very special and important extension of the Kingdom of God. Thank you for the gift of God that you are. Thank you.
Colleen is one of the ladies who has led women's teams from Cy-Fair Christian Church in Houston, TX to Cofradía each year. They do minister to the women doing bible study, crafts, prizes, visiting in their homes, learning from them, and building deep relationships. They have also supported the growth of the women's ministry in Cofradía throughout each year by providing materials for the library and bible study materials for their meetings.
Colleen recently posted on her blog an update on the Women's Outreach Event that our local ladies hosted in Cofradía one week after the Cy-Fair Women went home. She has graciously agreed to let me post her report here on my blog.
If you'd like to read about the Cy-Fair Women's outreach in Cofradía, just click on the following links:
And you can also read another post by Colleen about this women's outreach event: Saturday Cofradía Outreach
Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last weekend my husband and I hiked over Hot Springs Mountain and I noticed a downed tree that seemed to grow into my thoughts even as it no longer grew on the mountain. This fallen forest member was different from those we normally come upon. In this area, the rocky soils are exactly as Jesus' parable illustrates: the trees that grow have shallow roots," they endure for awhile, and when tribulation or persecution arises … immediately he falls away." (Matt. 13:21) The tree I noticed Saturday had good roots, it's just that they wrapped around stones and gripped the rocks instead of spreading far and large in search of fruitful soil; then when the wind blew, the roots held onto the stones and the entire tree fell down.
This reminded me of an update from the women in Cofradia that I have been meaning to relay to you. A week after our team left, the local church women had an outreach and invited other village women to come for a fun afternoon of food, games, ministry, and fellowship. A total of 85 women came – more than expected! At the end of their time together an invitation to come forward for prayer was well received and perhaps 20 or so women came to be hugged and prayed for. After the event was over, one of the local church ladies came to Kathy, one of the base missionaries, and relayed her experience during that prayer time. We'll call our sister Erika.
This is what Erika experienced during that prayer time. About 10 years ago, a neighbor's mother (I'll call the neighbor Wanda) put a curse on Erika's husband and ever since that time, Erika and Wanda have been feuding and fighting. Erika has since been saved and intellectually knew that the curse was superstitious, but the bad relationship continued. Wanda came to the ladies event at the Cofradia church and went forward for prayer at the end of the service. Erika saw her go forward, and almost without conscious thought went up and prayed for Wanda. Her actions seemed to surprise even herself and led her to search into her heart to find out "What happened here?"
Erika told Kathy that when she went forward, she did not have hate in her heart towards her neighbor any longer. As she prayed with her, she realized that she really cared about and maybe even loved this person. Emily had searched her heart and found that it had been changed and softened. Above all, she testified that God had to have done this because she couldn't have done it herself! God promises,
"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey my rules." (Ezekiel 36:25-27)
Erika most wonderfully realized that she had a new heart of flesh, inhabited by the Spirit of God that gave her genuine affection for her neighbor. She found out that her new heart enabled her to keep the commandments found in Ephesians 4,
"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (31-32)
Are you holding onto stones of bitterness, anger, or unforgiveness? Do you realize how it will weaken you in a time of stress or trouble? Are you willing to search your heart with God's illumination to find and un-grip those stones? God promises to remove stones, give new life, nurture, and train.
Praise God that we are given some small glimpses of these transformations.
Oh what a most GLORIOUS trip I had to Mexico!!! Oh it was superb, wonderful, perfect!!! I soaked up every moment of it, and came home completely satisfied!!!! There is nothing I wanted to do that I did not get to do, and that is very rare when you only get 1 week :) So, I praise and thank the Lord for such a wonderful blessing and for the joy and encouragement He has poured into my heart and life through it!
I arrived in Mexico on Friday, Feb 25 at the Guadalajara airport. There were some hiccups in figuring out which bus to take to get to Cofradía, but after a few hours of waiting and a bus change in Tepic, I made it to the small town of Las Peñas around 7 pm MDT where all the bus drop-offs are. This was the first time I have ever been able to make the trip through Guadalajara in one day! Thankfully, in the last year Delta has added a second arriving and a second departing flight through Guadalajara, which meant I was able to make the whole trip in one day and have an extra day IN Cofradía.
Peñas is about 20 minutes from Cofradía, and Faith was waiting there for me! Oh what a joy to see her and hug her again. We became friends during my very first STM trip down there during Christas 2005, and we continued in our friendship after I joined the staff. We've always enjoyed good fellowship and the ability to challenge each other and encourage each other and pray together, so it was so great for her to be the first one to greet me upon my arrival!
She drove me to the base in Cofradía where I proceeded to dump my stuff and go in serach of some friends who I was supposed to find as soon as I arrived. They had already gone home since I arrived so late, but I discovered that Kathy was hosting a kids movie night at Toña's house. I went in and had some joyousness in greeting Toña, Kathy, Favi, and a few others who were there with their kids. It was hard not to interrup the movie with our joy, but we did our best.
Then I went in search of dinner at the restaurant I always enjoyed when I lived there, Restaurant Heidy. It's just down the street from the base and is owned by one of the church elders and his wife. Rosa & Everardo became good friends while I was there, as did Beto, one of the teens that works with them. It was such a joy to spend some time visiting with them and enjoying Rosa's great cooking! Then it was on to settle in and get some sleep!
Rosa & Everardo (center) in their restaurant/store with their neice Concha (right) and their friend Lupe (left) who help them in the restaurant. Beto is not pictured here.
On Saturday I went to see Ana and her baby Milan who was just turning 8 months old. She was born last year, after my last visit, so this was the first time I was getting to meet and hold little Milan. Ana, her mother, and I visited and caught up, and I got to hold and play with Milan. What a sweetie!!
Ana, Milan, and I at the inauguration during lunch. Milan is wearing a dress I took down for her!!!
Then it was on to get ready and head out to Arrayanes. I agreed to pick up all the youth for youth group, but I went early so I could have lunch with Sandy and her family. Oh the joyous greetings that went on in their yard! They all hid, so when I went in they tried to surprise me. It was awesome! We ate one of my favorite meals: enfrijoladas. It was one of the foods on my list of things to eat while in Mexico, and Sandy's mom, Flavia, makes them the best! Then Sandy and I stopped to see Gabriela and Diana and their parents Erika & Gabriel and Pola & Juan Luis. I also got to meet baby Isaac for the first time, who was born in November. Oh, it was wonderful!
(left) Me with holding baby Isaac and flanked by Gabriela (left) and her parents, Erika & Gabriel (right); (right) Me with Pola (left), Noé, and Diana (right)
Noé (English = Noah) and I...he calls me his girlfriend and sends me kisses over the phone!
Then we headed off to youth group which was not a normal youth group. The youth group had signed up to clean the church up for the service the next day, so that's what they did, and they did a good job of it. I helped my good friend Mari and Sandy and the other girls set out tables and figure out how to arrange them in the sanctuary. Then it was off to take the Arrayanes girls home, spend a little more time with the family, and then head back to the base for some fellowship with the Canadian team that was there and some more great food from Rosa's restaurant.
Sunday was the service, which I blogged about here. Check out the post and watch the video. It was GLORIOUS!!! After the service, I drove the Arrayanes folks home, and then spent some more time visiting with Sandy and Mily and having some much-needed heart-to-heart discussions.
The sanctuary full of people!
I had the privilege of singing with the worship team for Worship and Ministry Time
We had lots of congregation participation includine a word of encouragement from Brad Pembleton (left) from Texas and John Ruben from Canada (right) and a song sund by a Hichol indian woman in her own language (bottom)!
Magdaleno and his young assitant graced us with some of his own compositions in the Ranchero style. They are full of good stuff and yet they are quite humerous!
One of my favorite kids, Eva, came and sat with me during lunch. She and I enjoyed bopping along to Magdaleno's music!
All our sunday school classes have their own real classrooms now! (left) "Welcome Grades 4, 5, & 6"; (right) The class with their teachers Geña & Faith (front right) and aids Aidé & Julio (front left)
(left) "Welcome Grades 1, 2, & 3"; (right) The class singing with their teachers Toña (in pink) and Favi (in white)
The Preschoolers used to be in with grades 1-3, and now they have thier own classroom! (left) "Welcome Preschool/Kingergarten"; (right) The class sininging with their teacher Kathy
The nursery and preschool rooms have their own doors into this enclosed play area. Here are the nursery kids having fun with Matilde (white), Gabriela (jeans), and Josefina (far right)
Lunch is served! We had beef birria with rice and pasta, beans, tortillas, and lemonade!
(left) Servers carrying food to the tables and (right) serving it!
Favi & Erika's families all enjoying lunch together...Provecho!
On Monday, I headed back to Arrayanes, and Sandy I did our second study of Stepping Up by Beth Moore. The rest of the day we spent visiting all my beloved friends in Arrayanes. Tuesday through Firday I spent visiting with all the folks in Cofradía and Santa Fe! I was able to watch a movie with Toña and Kathy, like old times. Faith and I had one of our old fashioned coffee dates. Sandy and I went to Santa Fe for dinner with Luis & Mari (other youth leaders) to celebrate Luis's birthday (Mari, Sandy, and I were like the three muskateers on Saturdays!). Jazmin came and hung out with me numerous times throughout the week, and I got quality time with both Gabriela and Diana, which never really ocurred even when I was living there! And I was able to visit with Luci in her new home built by Dwellings last summer.
(left) Toña and I; (right) Me with Luci and her two youngest sons
(left) Pastor Gollo, his wife Mati, and I; (right) Me with Mirna and her son José. Mirna is Diana's older sister.
Also, Sandy and Mily's birthdays (March 8 & 12) were right after my trip, while their little brother's was at the end of my trip (March 5), and their dad's was at the end of the month (March 21). So, we had planned to do a family dinner/party for all their birthdays. I went down loaded with presents for all four of them (among others), and I expected just a family dinner night. Sandy had spent the night the night before, and when we were talking with her mom that morning to see if we needed to take anything with us, she made a point of telling us to make sure we got gussied up. It struck me as odd, but I went along with no reason to insist otherwise. Then when Sandy and I arrived, there were tables in the yard and it appeared that they had planend something a little bigger. At this point, Flavia came out to greet me and explained that the party was actually for ME! She had told everyone that since they didn't get to celebrate with me for my birthday back in November, she was throwing me a birthday party NOW, and so folks were coming for MY birthday party rather than that of the girls, Diego, and their dad. I was floored! They were thrilled! They had finally successfully pulled off an Amber-style suprise on me! It was awesome. Flavia's sisters and their families were all present and we had an awesome meal of POZOLE!!!!! That is another one of my favorite authentic Mexican meals that was on my list of TO-EATs while in Mexico. Oh, it was so much fun!
The arrangement was that we would have the party and I would spend the night. So, when everyone left, we all got in our pajamas, piled into Mily and Aidé's room and began doing presents. There was soemthing for everone, including me to my surprise! We had such a blast openeing presents, yelling with delight, eating up the anticipation, and celebrating with each one! It was AWESOME!
My birthday presents
Diego and his birthday present fun! It is the custom to always give the birthday person a hug when you give them their present!
Benito and his birthday fun!
Flavia and her just-for-the-heck-of-it fun!!
Aidé and her fun from me and her US godmother!!
Mily and her most exciting birthday fun!!!
Sandy and her most excellent birthday fun!!!
Sister of the heart on our birthday fun day!!!
On Friday Veronica came from Ruiz to spend the day with me and Sandy since it was the last time we would get to do so before her wedding and move to Guadlajara. We had some great one-on-one time catching up and talking about wedding plans and looking forward to marriage. Then we ended up taking a walk that afternoon back down to the where the new church is to see this huge house that has been constructed right across the street. When I say huge, I mean palace huge! Luckily for us, we were able to find the guy who is taking care of it since it's owners are still living in the US, and he let us look around inside! WOW!!!
This is the huge, two-story house from outside its perimeter gate. It has two drvie-in entrances, and the one seen here is the actual driveway that leads into an enclosed US-style garage!
(left) The front door...yes, it's actually a beautiful cedar wood door, unheard of in these parts!; (right) Garage; (bottom) Birds-eye view of front yard
(left) Stairs going to second floor in the entry foyer; (right) Waterfall wall in the entry/foyer...yes it really works! (bottom) Looking down to entrance/foyer from upstairs landing
(left) The American-style kitchen!!!; (right) Living room with fireplace!!!
Upstairs landing. There are five bedrooms upstairs and one guest bedroom/office on the first floor
Four upstairs upstairs bedrooms! All had balconies and built-in closets!
The master suite
Master bathroom and shower. In the left picture you can see my arm at the very back checking out the massive walk-in closet!
Master bath jacuzzi tub!!!!
Back terrace! There's space in the back yard for an inground pool, and I believe they are considering that at some point!
Then that evening the three of us went back to Mari's in Santa Fe to learn to make flour tortillas! What a BLAST that was! She spent the night with me that night and we left Cofradía together the next morning.
By the time the week was over, I was sad to say goobye, but I was most content with the trip as a whole. I left on Satruday, March 5 and headed to Guadalajara to stay with my good friend Erika and her family before flying out on Sunday morning. I arrived just in time to leave with her to go to youth group for her new church! It was so great to meet her new church family and pitch in to help them clean up their new home for their first service the next morning. It was truly an Inauguration Weekend! After youth group, Erika and I headed back to her house to make dinner: Molletes!!!! The final food item on my list. We always eat Molletes when I visit her, so it was fun to relive old traditions. We started talking and catching up while making dinner, when suddenly there was a knock on the door. To our surprise, all her friends from youth group had decided to come and hang out with us at her house. What a blast! They were all so fun, and we had a good time eating and laughing and hanging out. After they left, we hit the sack and talked until the wee hours catching up on all that had gone on since we saw each other a year ago. PHEW!!! It was a marathon conversation, but so worth it!
I flew out early on Sunday morning. The same taxi guy who ferried me to and from the airport the last couple years I was in Mexico was able to deliver me once again, so it was nice to catch up with him as well. My flights went well, and I arrived in DC safe and sound with a 2-hour drive ahead of me. But it went off without a hitch, and I was back to work the next day with the triplets.
As I meditated on my trip the last day I was in Cofradía, Sandy commented that the week had gone by so quickly and she couldn't believe it was already time for me to leave. I agreed with her, but I also shared that at the beginning of my trip I had prayed for the Lord to multiply my time there so that even though it was only a few days, it would not FEEL like a whilrwind trip but be quality time with my Mexican loved ones. He answered that prayer most faithfully! By the time I flew home, I had seen everyone I wanted to see and spent quality time with them, not just greetings in passing. In fact, I'd even seen and visited with some I had not expected to see and visit with! I had eaten and drank everything I had wanted to eat or drink while in Mexico. I had soaked up every moment, and though my mind knew I had only been there 1 week, my experience felt like it had been 2. I never felt rushed or gipped or like there wasn't enough time. God is truly faithful, and I can't imagine this trip having been any better! It was truly perfect. PRAISE THE LORD!!!
My what an amazing time it was! The whole thing was planned and executed by the local church body. They had elected a committee for the purpose of planning and preparing for the inauguration service. So, they took care of planning the order of the service, lining up the menu and the cooks and the food-deliver, renting tables and linnens, recruiting the necessary people for the different components of the service, and even clean-up! It was so amazing on two levels: 1) Seeing them really step into being their own church and owning this momentous recognition of their church-hood and future vision and purpose in God's continued work in this area, and 2) we as the staff really didn't have to do too much! It was a first!
The service took place on Sunday, February 27, 2011. It started at 10 am and went until around 4 pm. It included worship, a message from the pastor, ministry time, a huge lunch for which we literally killed the fatted calf, and a time for people to fellowhip and also share testimonies or songs or anything else their hearts desired to share. We had about 400 people there from all the surrounding villages (Cofradía, Arrayanes, Santa Fe, Ruiz, Rosamorada, Las Pilas, Paso Real, Tuxpan), the United States (Virginia, Texas, & Washington state), and Canada (Manitoba). It was so amazing...truly a Jubilee celebration!
So, here is a video that Jay put together of the event. Please watch and enjoy, but please also know that those of you who have supported me, the rest of the missionary staff, the ministry in general, and/or local believers are part of this celebration. We are celebrating God's faithfulness, God's vision, God's LIFE in this area of Mexico, but we are also celebrating all those who have participated in getting this church to this point in their church life. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
The announcement poster below was created by Jay to announce our facility inauguration on February 27 to the towns surrounding Cofradia. Everyone and their mother-in-law is invited!!! On it you are seeing the logo for our Cofradia church planting ministry (the tree with deep roots bearing its fruit in season and whose leaves never wither...ref Psalm 1) and the local church's motto: "Grow & Let Grow". At the bottom is an areal shot of the church facility taken about a year ago.
Here is the poster's translation:
Christian Center "Grow And Let Grow"
Cofradia Christian Center is pleased to invite you and your esteemed family to its Inauguration the 27th day of February 2011. The event will take place in the new home of the central church. We thank you in advance for your attendance.
Place: Cofradia Christian Center Day: 27 February 2011 Time: 10 AM
I'm a US-based missionary to rural Mexico who seeks to have a dynamic, vibrant life that testifies to and glorifies the God of the universe in everything I say and do!
Recent Comments