Posts Tagged ‘Building homes’

Homes, Medicine and Interns in TJ

Posted: June 28, 2014 in Christianity, Ministry, Missions, Prayer, Tijuana
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The church group with Jesus and his family with the completed home in the background

The church group with Jesus and his family with the completed home in the background

A New Home for the Doctor

One of the highlights this week was witnessing the completion and dedication of the home-built for a doctor that ministers with my friend, Daniel Nuñez and Lo Mejor del Trigo.

It may be a little corny, but you could say a new home is just what the doctor ordered! 😉

The Value of Interns

Our summer intern, Nicole Silva worked with the church from Ohio that came down to build the house. One of the positives for us when we have summer interns is that it enables us to extend our reach. Nicole is gaining some valuable ministry experience and she is helping us to further our relationship with our ministry partners.

Dawn and I enjoy being able to work with interns. We like the opportunity it gives us to build into their lives and to give them new experiences in ministry. Our hope is that these experiences will have a life lasting impact.

One of our hopes and prayers is for the Lord to grow our intern program over the years.

Nicole wasn’t able to be involved in building the home for the doctor for the whole week, but she was able to help them. She met some people from a different place, and ministered alongside them. She also touched the lives of some of the Mexican children that showed up while they were working on the project.

Joy in Medical Missions
Jesus and Dulce and their family inside their new home

Jesus and Dulce and their family inside their new home

What a joy to see the smile on the faces of the families that are in need that we build homes for. The awesome thing about this particular build is that Jesus is a doctor and he plans on helping Lo Mejor del Trigo with their outreach in the community. There are many needs the people have, and often they are unable to pay for the medical attention that they need.

You might remember last week we held a large medical clinic with a number of doctors, nurses and dentists coming down from Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. I loved playing a part of that outreach. Many people come into the church through medical ministries.

We pray that this ministry will grow. I’m in conversation with two other churches right now that have an interest in bringing down medical professionals to minister in Tijuana.

One of the benefits about having Jesus and his family in a community near El Niño is that they will be continually connecting with the people. They will be able to love and minister to the people. Jesus’ wife, is named, Dulce, which means sweet. We pray that the sweetest of Christ and the gospel will emanate from this family and their ministry to the people.

Pray with the us that the Lord will continue to increase our borders as the gospel goes forth!

In His Grip, Dave

DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org

What About the Time to Build?

Posted: February 24, 2014 in Christianity, Ministry, Prayer, Tijuana
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In my last post I wrote about how we’ve endured a season of trials, but now things are getting better. We are hopeful and even rejoicing in what God is doing!

A Time to Build
Two of our friends, Pepe & Ulysses working on the house. They also helped me get my car fixed!

Two of our friends, Pepe & Ulysses working on the house. They also helped me get my car fixed!

There are various seasons of life

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance

— Ecclesiastes 3:4

The passage in Ecclesiastes 3:3 also mentions, “a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up” among other things. There is a time for everything.

The Lord has been bringing healing, and whereas we felt like we were being broken, God is building. He is building in our lives, as well as literally building via the ministries we are serving with.

Even in the midst of the tumultuous ride that we’ve been on, the Lord has been at work. Last week we had a wonderful time with Redeemer Church San Diego and Lo Mejor del Trigo Rojo Gomez.

Hunter Benson, back left with some of the others from Redeemer that came on the trip

Hunter Benson, back left with some of the others from Redeemer that came on the trip

I talked to Hunter Benson, the leader of the Redeemer group, and he told me about all the positive reports that he has been getting since the trip from those that joined us.

I also saw Scott Griffiths, who guided the construction on the pastor’s home. Scott said he really enjoyed working with Redeemer. They did a great job, and worked hard to get the project done.

You might remember that my car broke down during the trip. It needed a new fuel pump. I was able to get it fixed for a reasonable price, which is a huge answer to prayer. I picked the car up on Friday, and I saw the house at the church in Rojo Gomez. It’s close to being finished.

While I was at the house they were working on the some of texturing, so they could paint the inside of the house, and put up the kitchen cabinets. Our hope is that the house will be completely done and ready for Abraham and his family to move into in about a week.

Joy in the Journey

It gives me joy to see how committed God is to his work advancing. I know it isn’t dependent on me. I am thankful that he allows me to be involved, and to be blessed as I work with friends to bless others.

Thank you so much Jesus for this tangible demonstration of your love.

The Lord Builds the House

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

—Psalm 127:1

O Lord, do build the house. Do watch over the city. We recognize our dependence on you for all things – for the advancement of your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven!

In His Grip, Dave

DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org

Two Churches, Two Cultures Serving Together 3

Posted: February 18, 2014 in Christianity, Ministry, Missions, Prayer, Tijuana, Video
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A Fruitful Weekend in TJ
Redeemer working on the kitchen cabinets

Redeemer working on the kitchen cabinets

Wow! What an outstanding weekend the Lord gave us in TJ!

On Saturday morning I met the Redeemer San Diego church at the border, and we drove into Tijuana together. Redeemer brought 38 eager people down to minister with the Lo Mejor del Trigo church in Rojo Gomez.

Ministry Through Building and Connecting
Having some fun while putting the roof on

Having some fun while putting the roof on

Our mission was to build a parish home for Pastor Abraham Velazquez and his wife, Martha. That was the main focus of the trip, and the group pulled up their sleeves and got to work once we made it to Rojo Gomez.

One of the highlights of the trip is just seeing people from very different cultures, who speak different languages come together to minister together. I could tell that it really touched the heart of a lot of those that came down.

Redeemer also worked with Pastor Abraham to minister to children from the community. They lead the children in fun activities including crafts, painting and games.

Then Abraham taught the children a gospel story about the prodigal son. The children that came were very engaged, and they enjoyed their time with the group. I’ve included a sample of the time in the video below.

A Home for Abraham and Martha
The group working hard to finish up the house

The group working hard to finish up the house

It was so encouraging to see how hard everyone worked to complete the pastoral home. This home will be a huge blessing to the church, and specifically to Abraham and Martha and their two children Gadiel and Salmai.

It’s important to have someone live next to the church partly due to the need for security. I just talked to one of my friends, Pastor Leo Nevarez about this very need. Leo pastors a church in Rosarito. He told me that a group donated a number of toys for Christmas gifts for the children in the community. They stored the toys in the church, but before they were able to give them to the children some thieves broke into the church and stole 100 toys.

What a bummer for the church and the children!

That is one of the reasons it’s important to have someone live near the church. In this case it also helps out Abraham and his family. They don’t have a car at this time, so it aids them in their commute to work.

A City Set on a Hill

Our prayer is that the church in Rojo Gomez will be a city set on a hill that shines the light of Christ brightly in the community.

Abraham said that since he started serving at the church it has grown from about 30 to over 100. In many of the churches in Mexico there are many women and very few men. They started with three men and now they have more than 11. God is blessing!

Prayer & Praise
Worshipping together before we start the work

Worshipping together before we start the work

Join us in praising the Lord for the good work that he is doing on the border. It makes my heart glad to see people’s lives changed as they minister the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love seeing our friends from Redeemer being affected in a significant way through their interaction with the Mexican people.

Thank you Jesus!

Thank you friends for standing with us in prayer.

We did have two setbacks, which reminds me that we need to intensify our prayer covering.

My car broke down while we were in Tijuana, and it is still there being repaired. One of the vans Redeemer rented was involved in a fender bender coming back into the US. It is a real headache trying to work with the insurance companies. Pray that both of these cars will be fixed soon and without any major expense.

I give thanks that the Lord kept us safe and used us to spread the love of Christ in Mexico.

In HIs Grip, Dave

DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org

Two Churches, Two Cultures Serving Together 2

Posted: February 14, 2014 in Christianity, Ministry Partners, Missions, Prayer, San Diego, Tijuana
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An Exciting Weekend Ahead!
Fun in Worship with the Children

Worship & Outreach with the Children in Rojo Gomez

Today I’m making the final preparations for our weekend taking Redeemer San Diego to Tijuana to work with Lo Mejor del Trigo in Rojo Gomez.

The prep isn’t my favorite part of the trip, but if you don’t prepare well the experience will reflect that. We want everyone from both churches, on both sides of the border to have a wonderful experience.

Your prayers are huge! So please continue to pray and lift us up.

Two Churches Working Together for God’s Glory

I am looking forward to working side by side with friends from these two churches. The churches bring so much energy, and it’s so good to watch them connect with people from a different culture, who speak a different language.

The love of Christ is very evident as those that come to serve bless their brothers and sisters in Christ. The light of Christ also shines brightly through these dear friends. The Lord uses the curiosity of those that live near the church to attract them. They are curious, because there are a lot of people, and most do not look like them or talk like them.

This will be the second time these two churches will work together, so over time relationships are built and God does some amazing things.

I look forward to writing next week about all that the Lord will do through this outreach.

Pray for a Fruitful Outreach in TJ
Dave at our missions table with Pastor Abraham and his wife Martha and their two children

Dave with Pastor Abraham and his wife Martha and their two children, Gadiel and Salmai

We head down to Rojo Gomez Saturday morning. Pray for the safety of the group, and that the Lord will use us to bless the community and the Lo Mejor del Trigo Rojo Gomez church. We will be building a home for Pastor Abraham and his wife, Martha. The church will also reach out in the community through fun children’s activities.

Thank you so much for joining us on this journey!

In His Grip, Dave

DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org