Piedras Negras - Black Rocks

This is a funny story that can only be told thru the Lord's amazing sense of humor and timing. Back in November (see related story and photo below dated Dec 28th) I remember the Lord had told me that He would restore the original joy I once had when I first started working at Casa Esperanza way back in late 2007 & 2008. Those were the days when I spent most of the time with my kids - just hanging out with them like a dad.
This last year as co-director was a challenge to say the least, and the enemy had robbed me of a lot of that joy I once had in those early years - but in just these last three weeks after my return from sabbatical, this is exactly what the Lord is doing! Restoring the joy of just ministering to my kids, hanging out with my kids, and having the opportunity to love and treat them like my very own. I praise God for that.
So last Saturday after meeting three missionaries from Cali at the toll booth in Ensenada, the Lord again reminded me of what He was going to do this year - restore my joy of serving here, because truthfully part of it had been stolen.
As we were driving back into town the Lord brought to mind the time when I was a kid and how excited I use to get driving down with my parents to visit family in Ensenada. I would always ask, "are we near the black rocks yet? Have we reached the black rocks!?" I knew that once we reached that location (see photo), Ensenada was just around the corner, and that 10-hour drive was about to end! Do you remember 55mph speed limits?
God has this amazing way of knitting our lives together and showing us His purpose - I was reminded of that joy as a kid entering Ensenada, and then recalled where the Lord had first taken me when I came back as an adult in 2007 - a friend and I would go out to Las Piedras Negras Saturday mornings with food and gospel tracts to witness to the homeless and the drug addicts. That was exciting. We saw some radical stuff there, and we also saw God do radical stuff.
So last Sunday when I took out the Casa family for a boat ride in the harbor, the Lord again tweaked my heart and just very quietly spoke to me as those Black Rocks came into view again - He was going to restore EVERYTHING the enemy had stolen from me. The joy and excitement that comes from serving the Lord.
We serve an awesome God.
Shalom
C.L.

Das Boot - Get Ready

Last week on my way to the Casa I saw this amazing boat out in the harbor - one of the largest cruise ships I have ever seen in the bay of Ensenada. So I grabbed my camera and went to take a 'shot' near the big Mexican flag downtown. The cool thing was as I was snapping away a loudspeaker came on and I heard someone (the captain?) giving his passengers directions - couldn't really make out the words, but immediately the Lord put on my heart the story of Noah, and how God had given him direction to build the ark because the flood was coming - to board the boat with his family so that they would be saved.
Then again the Lord reminded me that we are currently living as in the 'days of Noah', and that the captain of the ship, Jesus Christ, is coming again to save His family, and God is giving us direction in these last days to be ready. For some of you you may not want to hear this, but this is exactly how the Lord speaks to me. The Lord is coming very soon, and I'm always praying that my entire family will 'board' with me. Let that be our prayer for all of our families.
Shalom
C.L.