Missions For A Day: Take 2

The Friday before we left for Christmas vacation we had a second go at our new idea of missions "day trips". Once again we made plans with a family who had found us via the internet. We arranged to pick them up at their hotel in the morning, and we spent the next nearly four hours together.

We had a chance to share with them about Back2Back Ministries, about the heart behind what we do and what we do on a global scale, and then what we are doing locally in Cancun. We then spent the majority of the morning visiting with children at the Casa Hogar Espranza and the Casa Hogar San Jose.

I believe it was an incredible morning for all involved. For us it was a joy to get to share our hearts, and then to show this family first hand what some of the needs are right in Cancun. For the children in the children homes it is always great to have a chance to interact with people who love the Lord and desire to make deposits into their lives. It was so great to be able to engage this family with the children we love and serve here, and to watch as God himself captured their hearts.

On a personal level it was a blessing to connect with people who not only have a heart for the Lord, but who so quickly gained a passion for what God's doing here and who eagerly want to be a part of it. We were blessed to be a part of such an incredible morning - and to have made friends in the process. We can't wait to see the ways the Lord continues to cross our path with this family - and we can't wait to see who else He brings our way!

Meeting the girls from San Jose

Mari, Jenny, Ana, Betty, Ami & Jiromi from San Jose

Our visitors with the children of Esperanza

Visiting and coloring with the kids from Esperanza

Three New Faces

We want to introduce three new friends, and three new faces to the Casa Hogar San Jose. Shortly before we left for Christmas break three sisters ended up at San Jose, after their mother was unable to take care of them adequately.

As soon as we heard about their arrival Julie was anxious to go and meet them. Instantly we wondered about their situation and about their arrival to the children's home. We wondered how they were adjusting, and where they were sleeping. We wondered how they were fitting in, and if they needed anything.

When we arrived at San Jose to meet them we couldn't have been more surprised. Jenny, Betty and Mari are three beautiful sisters who already seem to have found a special place at San Jose. The three sisters are currently sharing one twin-sized bed, but they appear extremely content in their new surroundings. We have no doubt that on the inside it has been a time of great adjustment and turmoil, and that there little heads are without a doubt filled with endless questions - but for the time being the seem to be adjusting extremely well. Probably what brought us the most amount of joy was how extraordinarily well the other children were treating them. It was obvious that the others were going out of their way to make these girls feel welcome, feel comfortable, feel...at home. I know it won't be long until these little girls find a very special place in our hearts - in a way they already have.

Jenny

Betty

Mari

That Same Old Nervous Stomach

We constantly have reasons to feel proud of our children. They just recently had their Christmas program at school. To me it doesn't matter what they are doing, in my eyes they always stand out. They stand out as the tallest, as the most gorgeous, as the best dancer, as the best singer, as the best smile, as the smartest, you name it - we're just proud. Of course I know, every other parent feels exactly the same about their own children.

It's funny to me that as our children go through life we re-live so much of our own past experiences. Like this Christmas program for example. As the kids were having their rehearsals, and as we got their costumes around, and the night of the show approached - it felt all too familiar. It was taking me back to Christmas 1984, and to my 5th grade Christmas show at Mary L. Daly elementary school. I could remember the music, and what the lighting felt like, and what I wore. I could remember worrying I was going to forget my lines, I could picture the crowd, and I could even almost remember the nervous stomach I felt before I took the stage.

But now I'm on the other side of the stage. Now I'm the one with two 5th graders, two 3rd graders, one in Kindergarten, and one in pre-school. Now it's me taking the pictures of my kids up singing an dancing in front of everyone. Now it's my wife and I who have to stress out over the costumes. Now it's us who have to help our kids feel confident about themselves before they take the stage. Funny how 25 years later, on the other side of the stage, even though it's not me getting up in front of everyone...I still feel equally as nervous until every single one of my kids is done performing and off the stage. Once again, we were so, so proud. They did an awesome job, and they really were the best ones up there, haha!

Caleb, dressed as a gift, with his Kinder 1 class

Caleb

Caroline with her "Kinder 3" class

Caroline, the best tree on stage!

Cami, playing the part of a devil

In case you're wondering what devils have to do with Christmas, because, well...I was. As the story is typically portrayed in Mexico - the devils were trying to keep the wisemen from arriving at the birth of Christ, and the angels had to fight them off. I'm just amazed that they are allowed to even talk about the birth of Christ in school, huh?

Jake, well, didn't have to try as hard!

Corinna, by far one of the best dancers!

Chloe, another amazing dancer, and great presence!

Cami & Jake with friend and neighbor, Andre - playing

the part of an angel - haha!

All six Cooper Kids after the show - BRAVO Coopers!

A Source of Light

This last week, before we left for vacation, we had a chance to see the teens from the DIF shelter one last time. It was a bittersweet visit. Many of the teens who had been there just one or two weeks before were now gone. We of course want to believe that it's a good thing for them, to move on, to go with family. One boy we had begun to build into went to live with his father in the U.S. He had shared with us that it had been what he hoped would happen. The two teens who we mentioned had made decisions for Christ just a couple of weeks before have been discharged, and have moved on to a new placement. One went to live with a brother in another part of Mexico, and another I'm unsure where she has gone. It's sad because we realize we may never see them again. It's hard because we want to be able to ensure that they are doing o.k. and that they can begin to take steps in their new-born faith. For us it's an act of faith to trust that the same God who opened the door for us to begin spending time there will continue to watch over them, and that He still knows what is best - for each one of them.

During this last visit before vacation we spent time together giving thanks for the new friendship that we've been able to form with them - and looking forward to the new year, and the dreams we can begin to realize together. The staff of the shelter asked the teens if they had anything they wanted to share with us. Much to our surprise a handful of them had some incredibly sweet things to say. They shared how they appreciated us, they shared thankfulness for the time we've invested in them, and they shared their sadness that they didn't know if they'd see us again. I couldn't believe my ears to be honest, to think that in this very short amount of time that God has really blessed the relationship, and the level of love and trust between us and these children.

Then something happened that surprised me most of all. One of the staff from the shelter began to share. He shared about the darkness that is encountered all around us every day. He shared that if you pick up a newspaper you see all kinds of darkness in the stories of lawlessness, of death, of corruption, and of evil. And then, even though this man is not a Christian he identified us, Back2Back, as a "light" to the DIF, and to these young people. He didn't even realize it but this man was testifying about the Lord, and about what it is that the Lord is doing by allowing us to be a presence in this place! I literally couldn't believe my ears.

I am beyond thankfulness to the Lord. Thank you Lord for the door that you opened in the DIF. Thank you Lord for allowing us to find continued favor among not only the children and teens there, but with the staff (Christians and non-Christians) as well. Thank you Jesus, that you are the true light, and anything the people identify in us as light is really only a reflection of you in us. Thank you for allowing others to see it - may you continue to help us shine brightly for you Lord.

Thank You God For All You've Done In 2010

As a staff team the four of us went out for brunch to celebrate Christmas together last week. While we were together we took time to give thanks to the Lord by remembering and making a list of some of the incredible things He's done this past year. We want to share a list of some of those very things give thanks to the Lord for in 2010.

• God beginning a very special friendship between the four of us (a little over a year ago)
• Matt's dream about "the one boy"
• God's word about wanting to do something new, and it not being "about strategy, but about His Spirit's leading"
• God revealing that He wanted to bring "life to Cancun" through us
• God speaking through a speaker at a conference telling us that where "He has given vision, there will be provision"
• God providing incredible donors and partners to help us begin Back2Back Cancun
• God providing complete funding for our children's schooling for the first year
• God reminding us that He was the first one on the scene!
• God opening doors within the local government (DIF, CAT)
• God allowing relationships to grow with the places we serve
• A great first-ever missions team: The Men's Group
• An incredible first-ever Christmas Trip: The Women's Group
• Salvation of 2 teens at the DIF
• Salvation of 75 people at a community outreach we played the worship music at
• Word from Revelation 3 to Julie

The truth is, the list could go on and on - these are just to name some of the major ways we have seen the Lord working in our midst. We are so continuously thankful that He "goes before us" and that He was the "first on the scene". We are so thankful that this is HIS STORY, and we are looking forward to amazing things happening in 2011!

My Heart For A Boy Named David

I'm not sure what it is, but God always seems to give me a heart for the teenage boy. And many times it's the difficult teenage boy at that! There is a boy by the name David at the Casa Hogar Esperanza. Let's not call him difficult, and let's not even say that he's a problem-child, but let's just say that David is in a rut. He's having a hard time being motivated. He's having a hard time having much vision and passion about life right now. He doesn't want to go to school, and so he dropped out. He doesn't want to work, and so he hasn't. He doesn't want to follow rules, and so, you guessed it, he hasn't done much of that either.

The other day when we came to visit the Casa Hogar we found David sitting on the street. He was on the curb outside the children's home. He was sitting with the hood of his red sweatshirt pulled all up around his face, hiding from the world, yet wearing his emotions on the outside for all to see.

I sat down with David, and gave him an infamous side hug. He barely responded. He obviously wasn't in much mood to talk. After I insisted that he tell me what was going on he just mumbled that he was in trouble with the directors of the children's home.

Upon further investigation, and talking with the house mother of the children's home I discovered that David has been showing up late several nights in a row, and that last night he didn't come home before they locked the gate, so he had to sleep outside.

I went back with David and talked to him again. I told David that he needed to talk to the director, and that he needed to make a new deal with him if he expected them to even consider letting him back in. I urged him to consider his future, and to consider how he wants this to all turn out. He agreed that he would. I made him promise me. He promised that as soon as the director returned from his errands that he'd speak with him. I admit that I wasn't sure he'd follow through, but in my heart of hearts I was hoping so.

The next day I returned to the children's home. I was so glad to see David there. This time he wasn't pathetically slumped up on the curb, but rather he was holding a paintbrush, and giving a fresh coat of green paint to the outside gate.

"I take it you talked to the director. Congratulations," I commented.

"Yes," he replied.

"And I'm assuming you have yourself quite a list of work to do around here?"

"Yes," he replied.

"How's your attitude been?," I asked him.

"What attitude?," he replied.

"THAT attitude," I said. "Rate yourself, 0-10, how's your attitude been?"

"About an 8 I suppose," he said with a little grin.

"Now THAT'S what I like to hear. I like you David," I told him. "I know we don't know each other very well but I want to help you. I see all this potential that God has placed in you - and I want to do all that I can to help you. Would you be up for hanging out with me?"

"Yes," he replied, with a great big tooth-bearing grin.

I cannot wait to hang out with David. I cannot wait to see what God wants to do with his life.

Missions For A Day: Take 1

Did you know that Cancun is the number one foreign city visited by American's every year? And did you know that on any given day there are at least 20,000 tourists in Cancun? And did you know, that despite any sort of financial crisis in the U.S. or around the world, that tourism is still up about 20% in Mexico this year?

So what does all this mean for us? It means that we, as a ministry, have a unique opportunity to reach out to people ALREADY coming to Cancun. We have the opportunity to expose them to the "other side" of Cancun. We have the opportunity to expose them to Back2Back Ministries. And we have the opportunity to involve them in what God is doing here in our midst. On Friday, December 10th we had our first-ever opportunity to do just that.

A married couple who was going to be visiting Cancun from Ohio contacted us after finding out about what we did via the internet. We made arrangements, picked them up at their hotel, and took them to a local children's home in the area where we serve.

We had made arrangements ahead of time with the Casa Hogar Esperanza to tour the home, and then to take the four youngest children for an outing. We toured the children's home, and gave the couple a chance to drop off some donations they had brought from the U.S. We then piled the youngsters in our suburban, and headed out for a morning at McDonald's. It felt like a win-win-win to us for many reasons. The visiting couple had a chance to see the needs of the children's home, to interact with the kids, and to understand more of the heart of Back2Back. The children had a chance to get out of the home for a little bit, to interact with people in a social setting, and enjoy breakfast at McDonald's! Likewise it was a blessing for the children's home workers because they had a break from their normal routine of non-stop taking care of children.

We greatly look forward to seeing who all God will bring across our path as we continue to receive these "guests for a day" - and we even more so look forward to the ways He wants to bless not only the children and children's homes, but the very lives of the visitors as well!

Loaded up for the outing!

Playing in the playland

Eating a little McDonald's Breakfast

Before and After

During one of our first visits to the Casa Hogar San Jose when we moved here in the fall the head mother of this catholic home identified a project that she said was the most urgent in her mind. They wanted a new roof for the area where they wash their clothes and hang them out to dry.

With the visiting men's group that was here the weekend before Thanksgiving we were able to see that project come to fruition. As we prepared for the project before the men arrived in Cancun, we realized that nearly all of the wood structure underneath needed to be replaced as well. So one day with the men we did the demolition and preparation, and the next day we built the new structure and put on the new roof.

The Mothers were extremely pleased with the finished project, and in general continue to express just how blessed they have been our presence and support. They have started referring to us as their superheroes. We won't put on our capes just quite yet! Praise the Lord that He is using us to be a blessing in this home.

The Laundry Area - BEFORE

The Laundry Area - AFTER

A Gift For Oti's Family

When the Women's Group was here God did many, many things. One of things that He did, and always does, is touches the heart of those who are here to serve. During our visit to Oti's family there were a number of women who were very moved by her situation and wanted to know what they could do about it. They began to look around at the little that this mother of 8 had in the space they call their home, and they immediately saw a needs they wanted to meet. A few woman left behind money with us to be able to buy meat or groceries for Oti if she finds herself in a pinch, and another handful of ladies approached us and wanted to know if they could leave money with us to purchase tables and chairs for Oti and her family. Their desire was for Oti to have a place to eat with her family, and place for her children to sit and study, or play.

A couple days ago, we were able to purchase two 6 foot tables, and 12 chairs - and we delivered them to Oti's house. She was so extremely grateful. She immediately said, "Oh, how marvelous, we never have anywhere to sit down, and now I'll have somewhere for people to sit when the come to visit."

Thank you, ladies! Thanks for your hearts, and thanks for desiring to bless this mother who desires to give it her all to keep her family together. Thank you so much for seeing a need and meeting it! What a blessing!

A Word From Revelation 3

The above is a picture of Mau, Lizy and us, and three key women in local government who God has led us to in our short time here in Cancun. Through our relationship with these contacts God has allowed us a level of influence in the teen pregnancy program for the county, as well as with the emergency shelter for children. One of these women is actually the coordinator of all programs related to working with teens and unwed mothers. The second women, her boss, is who they refer to as the President of Child and Social Services for our county here, and the third woman is the second women's boss. For whatever reason, God has opened a door, and allowed us a place of favor in the eyes of not only these women, but many whom they work with. It feels like a really big door...and at times we continue to wonder exactly why it has opened, and for how long it will be open to us.

In the Message version of the Bible, Revelation 3:8 says this: "I see what you've done. Now see what I've done. I've opened a door before you that no one can slam shut. You don't have much strength, I know that; you used what you had to keep my Word. You didn't deny me when times were rough."

As we've been working together with the government Child Services here we've always been cognizant of the fact that at any point they may no longer welcome our involvement, especially after April when a new Mayor is elected. God however spoke to us clearly through this verse last week. He has opened this door and no one can shut it but Him. Therefore we will continue to go forward and if there comes a time when we will no longer be able to be involved in the government programs, then it will be because God has shut that door, not man. And of course the bit about us not having much strength, well, that's for another post...but entirely true as well!

A Fresh Coat Of Paint

Now, you might think that after a week like the one we'd just had that the women might have been ready to colapse...or maybe that was just us...but upon their request, we decided to get a couple hours of old-fashioned labor out of them! So, after leaving the party at San Jose we went back to the pregnancy center for the afternoon, and the ladies helped us to get some much needed work done. They spent the next few hours putting on a fresh coat of paint while Mau and I advanced a little further with the dry wall. Together we made some great strides - and we're super pleased about how the project is coming along.

Extreme Dorm Makeovers

We spent the whole morning at Casa Hogar San Jose that day with the women. We arrived in time to serve them a pancake breakfast, and stayed until after we had served them lunch. In between we did a whole slew of things as we celebrated Christmas. We played games, performed the skit, we decorated the house and a Christmas tree, frosted cookies, did crafts, and handed out presents to each one of the kids. However, my favorite moment of all was surprising the kids by redecorating their dorms.

While all of the kids were busy playing, decorating and making crafts - a handful of women were busy in the dorms stripping sheets, and putting on new matching bedding, and even a personalized pillow for each one. Before we let them in to see I gathered them around and explained that we had one more surprise in their rooms. They could barely hold the excitement in, they could hardly wait to see what had been going on in their dorms. Just when they were about ready to burst, we had them close their eyes, and then led them into their dorms. The looks on their faces, and their response was priceless. They were jumping up and down, and squealing, it was nothing short of awesome!

As the girls were going crazy jumping all over their beds, and discovering their new personalized space, Mau and I led Jorge over to his dorm to see his surprise as well. I was starting to get a little nervous, just wondering if as a boy he would be as excited as the girls - and after all we had worked this up to be something pretty special. Well, much to my surprise, he was equally as excited. It was precious actually. He laid down, and sprawled out on the his new soft blanket, and let out a big, "Ahhhhhh, I wish it were time to go to bed already!" Mau and I both jumped on his bed with him, and in total guy style we took turns piling up on the other. It was a great moment.

Thank you ladies for all you put into making this "makeover" happen, know that you truly blessed the lives of these children, not just that day, but every night at bedtime, for many, many nights to come.

The Girl's Dorm: BEFORE

The Girl's Dorm: AFTER

Ready for their surprise!

Discovering their new space!

The twins with their new pillows

Jorge's Bed: BEFORE

Jorge

Jorge's Bed: AFTER