Then She Made Me Cry . . .

John11:35 - "Then Jesus wept." It is so hard not to become emotionally involved in any ministry, but I think as a missionary, it's just that much harder. Jesus Christ should and always be our example. On the same day I was asking the older kids about their college plans, as soon as lunch time rolled around I had already decided I was going to wash my hands and head over to the 'Snack Shack' (some english I taught all the kids!) to get some grub. As I reached down to wash my hands, some tiny girl, I'm not even sure who it was, just reached up and grabbed me and gave me a huge hug. I really didn't think much of it until the volunteer moms in the kitchen said out loud, "Ay que lindo!", or in english, "Oh how lovely!". At that moment the Lord tweaked my heart - here was this tiny girl giving me a hug as if to say, "Thank you for all you do for us." How could I not respond to this kid's beautiful gesture of thanks? I think I said something like, "Gracias mija", which is my slang for, "Thank you sweetheart." Then I walked over to the snack shack with tears in my eyes thinking, "Lord, you always do this to me. You always make me weep for the helpless, for the fatherless, for the defenseless." God always has a way of reaching us with His love and His passion for those in need, and sometimes He does it in the most simple and beautiful way. To God be the glory. His will be done in Zorrillo.
C.L.

The Ministry of H.E.L.P. . . .

A few weeks back while driving through Ensenada, the Lord gave me an acronym (H.E.L.P.) and it's meaning, "Hope Endures through Loving People." I can recall all of the encouragement that came thru the hands of the Lord as He used ordinary people like us to do extraordinary things for Him. I often (over the last 5 years) found myself involved in helping other ministries through out Ensenada with food, clothing, and whatever else God wanted me to do, with everything being donated graciously by my Reality family and friends. That afternoon the Lord reminded me of every ministry He had blessed - every family and child He had blessed - I was just the messenger. I love blessing people. Please continue to support me in prayer as well as financially, that God would continue to give me these divine appointments. The amazing young lady in this photo, my fiancee Maribel (helping a friend with her newborn), has the same heart too. Please continue to pray for both of us - that God's will be done in this new endeavor the Lord has laid on our hearts. To God be the glory.
Shalom
C.L.
P.S. Today I also had the blessing of being at my first service at Reality Santa Barbara, and my good friend Berta blessed me with a ton of clothes for the kids of Zorrillo. God is faithful. Please pray that everything I bring down makes it across the border.

Sweet Memories . . .

The other day while driving in town I saw this sign going up for yet another pharmacy in Ensenada (there's a pharmacy on every corner, literally) and my immediate thought was, "Cool! A pharmacy named after my uncle, or as I use to call him, "Mi tio Roma." It's been a couple of years since he passed away, but driving downtown, especially when I pass by the Hotel Bahia or the Casa del Sol, brings back all the memories I had as a kid visiting cousins here with my parents and my uncle and his family. Then just today, while sitting in a restaurant with a friend, looking out the window to see the Bahia Hotel, it occurred to me that God had been preparing my heart since I was a kid to fall in love with this town. I really do love Ensenada, and the people who live here. I go into culture shock whenever I return to California to run errands. To all my friends and family and Reality family too, please come visit me! I would love to be your tour guide, and in terms of how safe it is to stay here - I feel safer here than I do in Santa Barbara, I just can't vouch for Tijuana.
Shalom!
C.L.

Why I Live Here . . . Ensenada . . .

I can remember coming down to Ensenada as a kid and staying in hotels which are located on calle Primera, back in the day when the beach was just a block away. Almost 28 years later after my last visit, I ventured down to Ensenada with a group of kids from an orphanage from Tijuana in the year 2000, my very first missions adventure which impacted my life greatly. The following years I kept coming back to visit other orphanages through other ministries and churches, until the Lord finally directed me to move down here as a missionary from Reality in 2007.
God continues to give me direction, and I am here for good reason, and also a season. Please continue to pray for me as the Lord directs my steps - Ensenada is my home now. This coming from a missionary who had NO desire to come to Mexico, but when God changes your heart, He "causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." To God be the glory.
Shalom
C.L.

The Kidz At Zorrillo . . .

This morning while contemplating whether I should get out of bed (after a night of no sleep) and head out to the new ministry planted in Zorillo by Lantern Hill ministries, the Lord in His infinite wisdom gave me the same scripture He has given me now on three different occasions before heading out there - Luke 8:16,17 "No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all." Then just a few minutes ago, another friend asked me, what is this place? My immediate reply - that place is known as the LightHouse. God is doing something absolutely amazing on this small piece of property that He has so graciously given us to minister to the 'lost' kids of Zorillo. Please pray for healing and salvation to come to every single kid that steps on this property, and all glory be to the Most High King. Praise Him . . .

The Ministry of Love . . .

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails . . . and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
During my transition between ministries, all the Lord has called me to do is love Maribel with the love He has poured into me thru His Holy Spirit. Please pray for me and Maribel, the most amazing woman of God I have ever met, and all those years of waiting on the Lord for that special lady, now only seem like a few days . . . to God be the glory.