How did you manage your stress level on voting day? I managed mine by fleeing the country!

I joined Vicente, one of our ministry partners, in Mexico on some all day outreaches he does each week with the bread we bring to him. It was such a blessing to see first hand what Vicente has been telling us about. Mind you, he knows probably less English than I do Spanish, so we are quite the pair. But we have fun figuring out what each other is saying, and above all, we just love what God does in the midst!

Vicente had been telling us about “the people who live under the doors under ground”. I always thought, ‘wow” what could he be trying to tell me? Well, I got to see first hand! We drove down into the concrete canals or aqueducts of the Tijuana river were people live in the tunnels behind the levee doors (pictured above left). Many of these are drug addicts and many are deported immigrants or both. As we arrived, the driver of our vehicle would shout out “free sandwiches” and those interested actually began rolling out from underneath some of the propped up levees! It was surreal as I realized there was an entire underground (literally) culture of really broken people. It was the closest I had ever come to those who literally live on trash heaps. The trash, the smell, the filth of the sewage water were all indicators of why I may not want to hang around there long. But after seeing the sunken eyes of the human beings that lived in the midst of it, I got a second wind and renewed passion to assist feeding and praying for them.

One guy (pictured above right) was actually going through withdrawals and desperately crying out for help from us to help him get off the powerful drug of heroin. Another guy was in the process of shooting a syringe into his neck, when we walked up to him, so he just left it hanging there as he took the sandwich and allowed us to pray for him. I will never forget that scene. Several others, coming across to meet us on the other side, attempted to leap the path of sewage flowing down the canal only to still land one foot in the contaminated water. I myself did the same as I skipped across a couple of tires to bring a sandwich to a lady who feared crossing the waters. As we drove away from there, I was left with the stench of my own wet feet to serve as a reminder of the conditions that these human beings live in everyday. Though some may be addicts, some may just be having hard times. One example is a man named Franciscan, who I prayed with. Franciscan explained in good English that he had lived in Oregon since he was 2 yrs old, and made a mistake at the job where he worked as a non-citizen which resulted in his deportation. He had no idea what to do in Mexico, having never been there in his adult life. He did not know where to live or how to even survive in Mexico.

After the aqueducts, we also visited a place where elderly people (the elderly in Mexico, are called, ‘antigua’s’) live. In Mexican culture, the elderly would normally be taken care of within their own family. However, these 120 antigua’s had no family at all. They are being cared for by some special folks at this ‘Casa Hogar Para Antigua’. Unfortunately, the recent violence in Tijuana, affecting the climate for visitors and tourists, has prevented food sources normally brought from the U.S. to this home. Vicente delivers bread here after we bring it to him. Our current economy has also affected the amount of donations we get, thus these dear ones are lacking as well. At times, they may only have one meal a day provided. When we arrived with a few small bags of bread and a single small bag of pastries, Vicente began to spoon out small portions of the pastries into cupped hands of each person sitting around in their wheelchair (pictured above right), or on their bed. Again, a surreal picture of those who may have been forgotten – but not by the Lord. It stirred a greater passion in me for discovering new resources for donated food, so that I could get it to Vicente to distribute.

Finally, we visited a facility where the extremely ill are cared for. This is not a hospital, but it is for those in need who are very sick and have no funds to be cared for in a hospital. Many were elderly but a few were very young. One young man I prayed for had HIV, and he appeared to be extremely close to death. He just looked like skin stretched over bones. As I placed my hand over his, his only effort in return was to look into my eyes. I prayed that he could see my hope and faith for him as I prayed that Jesus would comfort him. The building they were in was really just a large garage, so it was full of gaps in both the walls and ceiling. As it was a very cool day, many of them were covered in thick blankets for keeping warm. As I prayed with this desperately sick young man, I thought to myself, the last thing he needed was to experience the cold that could so quickly be remedied by a warmer building.

Please join me in prayer for the ongoing needs that I have shared with you here. Thank you to those who responded to our request for 15-20 partners of $100 monthly gifts. We received about a quarter of our goal for this support so far. Please know that a gift of any amount is much appreciated. Remember we can give tax deductible receipts for 2008 until December 31st. We pray a wonderful Thanksgiving season for you and yours.

To see all the photos from this outreach click on TJ River Outreach under Links.

p.s. Last month I mentioned telling you more about Human Trafficking in this report. I bumped that to next month as I was excited to share this recent outreach with you!

Was your summer as fast as ours? As cliché as it sounds, I can’t believe the holidays are around the corner. We have found ourselves as busy as usual with work and ministry.

The outreach each week in TJ is going strong. We have seen a large increase in the numbers (including women with their children) who show up for bread. We meet a lot of people who are still struggling through their drug addictions and some who may even have a current or past criminal involvement. But honestly, down there in the streets of Mexico, I am not sure if I would be able to do differently if given the same circumstances and without the Lord. The dirty streets, abandoned cars, the strangest saddest dogs you would ever see – all make up the dynamics of a forgotten world. Guys we minister to explain that the “Policia” often come and round up random people without ID’s, and haul them off to jail in order to get some free labor out of them. One person told me that in addition to working for free on street repairs or whatever needs to be done, if you have any money on you when you are taken to jail, it is collected and not returned. We have taken bread to the near by jail in order to establish some rapport with the local Policia but also because we learned that those held there are often not fed because there is no food.

Not too long ago, we were late in getting to our street corner to do the outreach at the normal time. Everyone who was waiting on that corner was harassed by the Policia. Anyone without an ID who was not able to scatter fast enough, was carried down to the jail. When we went to this jail to take bread, sure enough, we saw many of our regulars there lined up, chained to one another, waiting to be strip searched and put in a holding cell for the night. Often, when we have taken bread to this jail, while carrying the bags into a kitchen, we pass right by a row of naked men, standing outside of a cage-like jail cell, waiting to be cleared for hiding anything on their person. The amount of humiliation and intimidation tactic is overwhelming. Not unfamiliar to how you would imagine a zoo is run. Mind you, these people are not necessarily criminals. They were just on the street and got rounded up because they had no i.d.

I realized, upon seeing friends we pray with each week being treated like this, a greater picture of what setting the captives free could look like. I also realized how fond I have become of many on the streets, as I was so grateful for those who were not in the jail, yet knowing that they may have been there many times before. Yes, they may be an addict, yes they may have been a criminal, yes they (we) are sinners. But they (we) are not without a Savior Who comes to set us free. Just as the Lord showed me a vision of a clean and saved Victor (who last I heard is doing well, clean and sober), I can have the same hope for so many more we meet each week.

We need you to pray about something, each and every one of you who reads these updates! We are asking the Lord to show us where to best put our “hands to the plow” regarding ministry we are called to. We have been here a year now, and feel that our transition has been made and provided for along the way. Those of you who are faithful in sending support, have made it possible for Wayne to commit 10-15 hours to Mexico each week, thus only working part time 30 hours for our own cost of living. But there are endless ways for expanding the amount of potential donated food. And an even greater amount of need that could be filled with that expansion. It is our feeling that we want to be more readily available to work at meeting those needs. In addition to serving and feeding more, Carol is ever burdened to work toward worship and intercession outreach, that has long been on her heart.

Our goal this past year was to adjust to the relocation and be sure about what we were committing to do, before presenting it to those of you who can help us DO IT. We felt that we needed a break from full time ministry as we took on secular jobs to pay the rent. Now that we have an idea based on what we are already doing and the potential to broaden it in a full time way, we need help backing it.

To be very specific, we need 15-20 partners to commit to $100 a month in order to cover Wayne’s part time job income as we prepare for full time ministry again.

As awkward as it is to ask for support, I always search my own heart and realize that I love to invest in and support others who I believe in, who are serving those Jesus called them to serve. With this in mind, I realize it’s not that awkward to ask you to do the same. Many of you already are doing just that, and may not feel led to sow into this ministry and that’s certainly ok. But many of you might consider this. Though true that times are tough right now, God’s Kingdom continues on a different system. And I know He will reward you! He rewards us with daily bread and has not left us hungry yet!

P.S. Just last night, one of the guys we regularly minister to (who I might add made an honest effort to stay in a rehab for 2 weeks before ditching it), had a few beers too many and started hitting on his girlfriend. She stopped the Policia and told them to come inside and get him. We were standing right there next to the Policia pick-up truck (praying for another guy), which was full of guys arrested with no i.d. They had just collected these men off the street. We watched the Policia chase this guy across a roof as he jumped down onto a van and ran down the street. I know what you’re thinking…”like right off TV” I don’t know if he got caught or carried to jail but I know that I will see him again and get yet another chance to offer hope, grace and redemption to him through Jesus.

Praises!

“We give thanks to the Lord for some financial blessings through the benefits of our work in Mexico. Our connection to the orphanage led us to a repair on Carol’s truck where we saved much money by doing the work with our neighbors “on the other side”. And we continue to save $40 a week due to gas being at least a dollar or more less per gallon by fueling both vehicles there. Gas has been the same price in TJ throughout the entire gas rage these past few months.”  Blessings to you, love Wayne & Carol

. . . that between 14,500 and 17,500 human beings/victims are trafficked into the U.S. each year?

Stay tuned to our next update for more information, and how VOB has become involved in this statistic!