Después del día

Buenas noches, todos! Good evening, all! I hope this post finds you all well. I am currently sitting at UTRI enjoying the gentle sounds of my new friend Bonnie, the newest addition to this season's weather phenomena here in the RGV and Gulf of Mexico. Bonnie, a tropical storm, has unloaded a ton of rain on the Valley. We personally have not had any trouble with flooding as of yet -- just mosquitoes the size of hummingbirds jaja :D Seriously, those things are huge :/

I wanted to give you guys an update on Day of Hope. I can hardly believe only a week has passed since my last update and the event itself. So much has happened in such a short time! I will do my best to give you guys the rundown while being brief and organized :)

Ok, so last Thursday night I posted the blog asking for prayer for the event, the team members, and Hurricane Alex. I want to thank you all for your prayers. I praise God for you and for His faithfulness to answer prayer and to empower His Church to do His work. Thanks to the Father, Alex in no way hindered our plans. All team members arrived without problems, and the event in Mexico happened on Saturday as planned :)

Friday: Starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, team members arrived from Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and Oklahoma. By 12:30, all 25 members were safe at UTRI eating lunch. We had orientation with them from 1:30-3 to tell them about UTRI, rules, weekend schedule, and customs. At 3, we began work projects to prepare for the events. The project that required the most people was the assembling of gift bags to give out at the events. These gift bags contained basic hygiene products that many people in the Valley cannot afford to buy (especially those who live in Mexico). The goal was to assemble 400 bags in 3 hours. Initially, the task seemed impossible to me. I said to myself, "How in the world are we going to do this?" But God graciously sent us faithful, hard-working servants who completed the task in 1.5 hours! I was ecstatic. Carla, one of the staff, got nervous because we didn't have anything else we could do until the next day. To fill time, we (the interns) showed the team a skit that we planned to do during the services the next day. The skit is called "cardboard testimonies." Basically, each person writes on a piece of cardboard a word or statement that described them before Christ saved them, while writing on the other side of the cardboard a word or statement that describes them as they are in Christ. The audience then gets a brief, before-and-after testimony of each person involved. We went through the skit for the team, and 15 members wanted to join in, too! I was really encouraged at their readiness to participate, as well as their confidence and boast in the Lord Jesus for what He had done in their lives through His cross.

Saturday: Saturday, in a nutshell, was crazy! Breakfast was at 7 a.m. As part of the breakfast crew, I had to be in the kitchen at 6 a.m. ready to cook. The other members of the crew, Kristen and Stephanie, and I made an executive decision. We reasoned that since we had gift cards to Starbucks (thank you Stacy Murphree -- you saved my tail that day! :D) and because desperate times call for desperate measures, we decided to go get coffee at 5:30 a.m. Many of you might consider us ridiculous, but I am here to tell you that I am alive right now writing this post for 2 reasons: 1) the grace of God and 2) that vanilla latte. Ok, so I exaggerate a little bit. We had a good time and got breakfast out on schedule, so the trip was a success :) From 8-9 everyone had quiet time to prepare spiritually for the day. At 9:15 we loaded all the stuff we needed, got on the bus, and drove to Alamo Community Church where we had VBS. The original plan was to start the service at 10, but here in the RGV we run on this thing called Valley Time where everything starts about 30 minutes later. We began the service around 10:30. We sang songs in both Spanish and English, which was really cool. Clay, our director, shared from 1 Thessalonians 5 about encouraging one another and building each other up because we have been redeemed by Christ. Carlos, one of our interns, translated the entire service. He is an awesome translator! A few of the team members shared testimonies about how God has given them hope in their lives and how He has proven Himself to be faithful and trustworthy. One team member sang "My Redeemer Lives" and did and excellent job. After we did the skit, we had a time of thanks, in which people just stood up and said some things for which they were thankful to God. We concluded the service by praying specifically for the pastors of both the Hispanic and Anglo fellowships and their families. The pastors have encountered some obstacles in uniting the two congregations, and they were really encouraged during this prayer time. I praise God for allowing me to witness His hand work as He strengthened two of His sons whom He has appointed shepherds over His flock.

We spent about an hour outside in the parking lot playing little carnival-type games with the kids and talking with the families. After that, we served everyone lunch, in which we got to spend more time with families. When lunch was over, we cleaned up, packed up, and headed back to UTRI to unload, reload, and head to Mexico for Round 2 :)

Since the event in Alamo started late, everything else the rest of the day was pushed back. We got through customs without any problems, which was such a blessing! Other than some wet and muddy streets, we had not trouble getting to Pilar de Esperanza. Once there, we were set up for service and games by 5:30. The service began around 6:15. The layout of the service was basically the same as the first service. This time, however, way more people showed up! Different people shared testimonies this time, including Stephanie, one of our interns. She did an amazing job! We did the skit again, and Sara, the pastor of the church and director of the orphanage with which we work, spoke to the congregation. We then dismissed, and the kids and their families went and played games and hung out. After an hour or so, the team served the congregation dinner. I just found this out today: that evening, a few people stayed at UTRI to cook the food and meet a couple of the staff at the border so the meal would be hot. However, when they left UTRI to deliver the food, over half of it got left in the kitchen (that on account of one of our interns, Allen Kittinger, hurting his ankle and needing a visit to the ER). When the food arrived at Pilar, we had 48 servings of pasta. 170 people attended the event. Obviously, on paper, those numbers do not work. I can boast in the Lord today by saying that everyone was fed and satisfied, and we were still able to send leftovers with Sara to the orphanage. Insane, right? God never fails to provide and to be our portion :) After the meal, we packed up everything and headed home. We got home around 11:30 that night. My head hit the pillow around 12:30 -- what a day! I must say that the Lord proved Himself once again to be Sustainer of His kids.

Sunday: On Sunday, we loaded up on the bus and drove back to Pilar for church. Worshiping with their congregation was a joyful, fun, and sweet experience. From watching the members of that church, one can easily tell that to be in the house of the Lord, to participate with His body, and to be in His presence are sufficient and are greater than the things of this world. It was truly humbling. One of the team members who pastors a church in Tennessee preached a sermon about the kingdom of heaven in Mark 4:26-32. He encouraged the congregation that God is faithful to continue growing His kingdom, even though sometimes we cannot see that growth. He also encouraged them to remain faithful in the work God has put before them to do in their community because the Word of God does not return void. All present, Americans and Mexicans, were encouraged and exhorted. At the end of the service, one family who attended the event the night before accepted Christ. Praise God for the power of His Gospel to save us! Pray that this family would stay connected to the church, and that God would grow them into mighty oaks of righteousness for the glory of His name!

Well, that should catch you guys up! Overall praises for the weekend include:
* All the team members got home safely.
* The leadership of both Alamo Community and Pilar de Esperanza were greatly encouraged through Day of Hope :)
* Angie is having a girl! (We found out on Tuesday :) ) Keep praying that little Abby will continue to grow strong!

With good often comes adversity. This is some heavy stuff, but I would really appreciate your prayers for the following things:
* Last Saturday night, during the service, Sara asked for prayer for two of the boys at the orphanage. They are about 9-10 years old. They ran away last week and have yet to return. One boy was sent after them, but after no success in finding the other two, he made his way to the church and spent the night there. We thank God that Isaias is safe, but we are still concerned for the other two boys. Sara is extremely upset. Pray that God will keep the boys safe and would lead them home. Pray that God would give Sara and Pauline (who also works at the orphanage) peace and wisdom in this time.

* As tropical storm Bonnie movies into the RGV, floods are becoming a real danger in many areas. Many of our friends in Mexico have already experienced some water damage. Please pray for Hector and his ministry in Los Patos, as their camp is built on the south bank of the Rio Grande. Pray that God would keep the waters at bay, that homes would not be destroyed, and that families would be kept safe.

* Here's the big one: Jonathon, one of the pastor with whom UTRI has worked for years, and his wife Carolina, who was 7 months pregnant, lost their baby on Tuesday. After an extremely long labor yesterday, she finally delivered the baby. The family had a service for him this afternoon. Please pray for them during this time, that God would comfort them and increase their faith.

"When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within, then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 74:21-26

"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has know the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." Romans 11:33-36

Thank you all. I love you! Grace and peace.

Cristo vive por siempre,
Jacq

Hope in the Midst of Chaos

Hello, weather fans! This is Jacquie, reporting to you LIVE from Hurricane Alex! I am currently navigating the streets of Alamo in my kayak, watching the locals dodge debris as they flock to Wal-mart to buy water, sandbags, pool floaties, ponchos, and Spam!

Ok, just kidding. The truth is that I am safe at UTRI enjoying a peaceful but humid summer night. We have received a ton of rain but no damage. We haven't even lost power -- praise God!

I am just writing this blog to let you all know that tomorrow begins our event, Day of Hope. Team members arrive tomorrow morning around 10am. The rest of the day we will prep for Saturday, which is the day of the event. The purpose of Day of Hope is to encourage and serve the Body. We will host two sessions on Saturday, one at Alamo Community Church (the church with whom we hosted VBS) and the second at Pilar de Esperanza (Pillar of Hope Church) in Reynosa, MX. We are super excited about this opportunity to love and exhort our brothers and sisters, both here and across the border. Please be praying for us:

* That the team members would arrive safely. There are 25 of them, and they are traveling from Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. Pray that they would not run into any bad weather, and that as they travel, God would prepare their hearts and minds to do His work.

* Pray that the people of Alamo Community Church and Pilar de Esperanza would be encouraged and exhorted by the event. Also pray that God would challenge them in their own relationships with Him.

* Pray that flooding would be kept to a minimum. As of right now, plans for the session in Mexico may be hindered if rain continues. Pray that homes would not be destroyed and that individuals would be kept safe.

* Pray that our crew would be well-rested and healthy, as we will not get much rest this weekend. Pray that God would continue to unite us by His Spirit to do His work. Pray that God would remind us that no servant is greater than his master, and that we would not consider any opportunity to serve each other or the team members as menial.

* Also, the election for governor of Tamaulipas (the state in which Reynosa is located) is on July 4, the day after Day of Hope. Governor elections in Reynosa are a big deal. The mafia, who is basically synonymous for the cartel, is known for killing unwanted candidates in an attempt to secure their favorite in the office. One candidate was killed on Monday. Pray against bloodshed of candidates and other civilians. Also pray that God would open the eyes of the leaders of organized crime in Mexico.

* Pray also for me, that I would not get caught up in doing tasks in an attempt to organize the chaos. I do not want to become so busy that I neglect to sit at my Master's feet and watch Him move and work. Jesus, this is about you!

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and from ourselves;" II Corinthians 4:7

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth." Psalm 115:1

Thanks so much, guys! I know this update is brief and rough, but I will update again in a couple of days! I love you all!

Cristo vive por siempre,
Jacq

Hola, todos! Hello, everyone! Welcome to my blog! As most of you may know, last summer I sent email updates periodically; however, I decided that keeping a blog may give each of you a better glimpse into life in the Valley. Through this blog, you will receive updates more often and will also be able to see pics from our daily activities. I hope you enjoy it :D

First and foremost, I would like to thank all you for your love, prayers, and support throughout the many seasons of my life. God has shown me so much grace through each of you. I regard you as "men of whom the world [is] not worthy,” and I am so blessed to know you as well as privileged to live life with you. I would not be serving with UTRI this summer nor would I be who I am without you. Muchisimas gracias!

Today is Monday, June 7, which begins week #3 of the 12-week internship. I can hardly believe that two weeks have already passed – how time flies! So many things have happened, so I am going to do my best to give the run-down :)

I arrived at the UTRI headquarters in Alamo, TX, on Monday, June 24. Upon arriving, I was greeted by the staff and introduced the new interns: Allen Kittenger from Tennessee; Amanda Snyder from Missouri; Haley Parks from Tennessee; and Stephanie Stokes from Texas. They are wonderful individuals and hard workers, and each one of them brings a unique personality and complementary set of gifts to the table. I am so excited to get to know them more and to minister beside them in the weeks to come. Our team also includes three returning interns: Ryan Miller from Bartlesville, OK; Robert Broyles from Missouri; Carlos Hernandez from Alamo, TX; and Kristen Methvin from Tennessee. These guys are like brothers and sisters to me, so I look at our working together again as a family reunion. I am so thankful that God has provided me with such a close fellowship even though I am away from home. Praise Christ for providing us with community! (Sarah Malone, you'll appreciate this -- What a Body!) :D

The first week was trying but good. The UTRI staff always sets aside the first week of the summer for the team as a whole to get to know each other and to focus spiritually by submitting to the Word in order to deal with sin. We did this because unrepentant hearts hinder ministry. As a group we studied 1 Peter. With only one week to study the book corporately, we flew through the text; however, God convicted me daily of my sin. The contrast that Peter shows between Christ and man is amazing. We are so sinful, and Christ is so holy. Moreover, Peter shows the centrality of Christ in the life of the believer and the sufficiency of His example in daily life. If Christ is not who He claimed to be, and if He did not accomplish what He declared He would accomplish, we have no foundation for our lives as believers and no reason to live the way we do. Thanks be to God for our Lord Jesus Christ, who satisfied the wrath of the Father that we may live in His presence! :) I praise God for His mercy and grace to give us His Word and to yield it in such a way as to pierce bone and marrow, to separate soul and spirit, and to judge my thoughts and intentions. Good week!

Last week our first team came in. They were from the state of Tennessee's Baptist Collegiate Ministry (once upon a time, Baptist Student Union :) ). Students from several campuses in TN came as a group and accomplished a lot of work for Jonathon, one of the pastors with whom UTRI has worked for a long time. Jonathon not only pastors a church but also trains men to plant and pastor churches in colonias (basically communities) that have no church. The students from TN did a lot of repairs in Jonathon's church, as a rainy spring (which doesn't happen often in the Valley) did some major damage to the ceiling of the sanctuary. We worked with drywall, put mud on the ceiling, put tape over the mud, sanded the mud, and painted the ceiling and the walls. Part of the group put up a fence also. All of the students worked hard, and Jonathon was so thankful for their work. Getting to watch the team work and getting to know them was so much fun and was such a blessing to me. Many of them told us before they left that they were so glad they came, and that during their time in the Word and in their time serving God taught them a lot -- Praise Him! Pray that God would continue to grant these students a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him as they return home to work summer jobs and spend time with their families. Pray that they would be intentional to speak truth into the lives of those around them.

Well, that brings you all up to speed! We have no team this week, so we will do some prep work for the weeks to come and will have some study time/ classes. We have a team coming in next week from Missouri, so pray that God would prepare their hearts to hear from Him and to minister to others. Pray also that He would prepare us to serve the team and those in the Valley and Reynosa, MX, whom God will bring our way! Pray also for our staff, that they would be well-rested and that we interns would serve them well and submit to their leadership in all circumstances. Also, pray for Clay and Angie Anderson, directors of UTRI. Ang is pregnant and has been having some complications. Pray that God would keep lil' Anderson and Ang safe and that He would increase Clay and Ang's (and our) faith!

Thanks again to everyone! I will be updating with brief posts every few days, so take a peek whenever you wish! Feel free to ask questions or leave comments. Sorry if this post is unorganized or shallow. Let me know what you would like to see! This blog exists because of Jesus Christ and His Body (that's you :D)! Again, gracias por todo!

Cristo vive por siempre,

Jacq

Hi, everyone! Que tal? How's it going? I apologize for taking so long to post again, and I appreciate your patience :) Things here have been going well. Everyone is healthy, and the weather is hot and sunny. Last week was a bit crazy, but I will do my very best to catch you guys up :D

Random tid-bit (Most of you probably already know this info, but I thought the way God put it all together in my mind through His Word was cool, so I'm going to share. Feel free to skip down if you get bored :D): So about two weeks ago, during our personal morning Bible studies, Rob (one of the returning interns) and I were both sitting in the front room studying at the tables. Rob broke the silence with, "Whoa, that's serious!" I, of course, replied, "What's serious, Rob?" He said, "Check out Deuteronomy 21:18-21." Upon turning there, I read:

"If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them, then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown. They shall say to the elders of his city, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.'
Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from your midst, and all Israel will hear of it and fear."

That day I had been reading Psalm 119, which is David's meditations and prayers relating to the Law of God. Over and over again, David speaks of his delight in the totality of God's Law -- all the commandments, precepts, testimonies, ordinances, statutes. David describes them as faithful, just, right, true, everlasting, good, etc. He, a king, values the Word of God more than treasure, and he unashamedly proclaims and boasts in the Law in its entirety. I was blown away: David, who did not have the New Testament, delighted himself in the Law of God (the Old Testament to us), which many people (Christians and non-Christians) consider harsh, boring, or irrelevant. The Law is not a checklist to prevent smiting; it is God's revelation of His holiness and character to fallen, unworthy man. God revealed to me that I should take a cue from David. No iota of God's Law is a thing of which I should be ashamed.

Now, I am not at all saying that we need to go kill some rams and burn them on an altar. There's more: Also that week, the interns and staff were corporately studying Matthew 5-7. I started thinking how the Law, which was David's delight, became distorted by the Pharisees. Jesus, then, in His Sermon on the Mount, raised the moral law by discounting the "righteousness" of the Pharisees. But Jesus did not only raise the law, but He also fulfilled it. Through His sinless existence on earth, Jesus died as the perfect sacrifice and atonement for our sin and was raised with the Father's seal of approval that justice had been satisfied. So basically: God gave us His Law to reveal to us His holiness and to magnify our sinfulness so that we would understand that we can never meet the standard in and of our own will power. God, in His justice, provided Christ to fulfill the requirement of the Law. So now we have Romans 8:1-4:

"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

If you're a believer and you're reading this right now, praise God for His mercy in giving us His Law, but more than that praise God for His grace in sending His Son Jesus Christ! If you're not a believer, I pray that God would give you grace to understand this and that you would see Christ as your only plea before the Holy and Just God.

Whew! Thanks for hanging in there with me! I get a little excited sometimes when the dots connect :D

Last week was yet another trying week, but once again God did not disappoint. We hosted a youth group from Glidewell Baptist in Springfield, MO, who put on a bilingual VBS for a local church here in Alamo. Our schedule was packed! We were on the go from 8:30 am until 9:30 or 10 pm each day. At UTRI in the mornings we had breakfast, quiet time, chapel, and VBS prep. In the afternoon we grabbed lunch and hit some work projects, which included more VBS prep and painting the gym at the church. Shawn, one of our staff, drove our bus to pick up kids in the area, so at 4:45 each day I jumped on the school bus to play bus monitor :). VBS was from 6 - 8:30, followed by the return bus route. Dinner was 9 - 9:30ish, plus clean-up. We had an intern meeting each night after clean-up. Needless to say, none of us slept much. We did get a few afternoons free to "cargar las pilas" (recharge our batteries), which were a complete blessing from the Lord! I can honestly say that physically, the Lord was our portion and sustainer!

The team members were young, mostly freshmen and sophomores in high school. Having deeper level conversations with them was hard, as they were a little slow to open up. For those of you who know me, I do not usually ask questions that permit one-word answers, so there were many moments last week that I became discouraged with my conversational skills :/ However, God was faithful to move in the lives of His kids, even when I least expected it. At the end of the week, the team had the traditional UTRI prayer service. The interns did not attend this service - just the group members, leaders, and UTRI staff. After the service, Clay and Ang came back and told us that the service was awesome! The students opened up a ton, confessing their sins to one another and asking for prayer. Praise God! Later that night, I went by the girls' dorm on my way to bed, and as soon as I put my head in the door, I was bombarded with statements like: "You missed it!" "It was awesome!" "Even the boys opened up -- some of them cried!" I was really encouraged by their words. I am so thankful that God, in His power, is able to move the hearts and minds of men.

VBS itself was crazy, too. First of all, I never want to drive a bus. I have so much respect for my bus driver now. Doyle Criner, thank you so much for bringing us home alive every day. I apologize for my unruly behavior! I am so thankful for Shawn's willingness to drive rowdy kids around on the forgotten streets of Alamo and San Juan, TX. I say "rowdy," but that's an understatement. Many of these kids come from rough situations. To this day, I have not seen a majority of their parents. Most of the kids were dropped off or rode the bus. At registration, they registered themselves, and many of them asked their friends questions like, "What's my address?" "Emergency phone? I don't know who to call. We don't even have a phone." It was really sad. In the case of the older kids, they were so disrespectful to each other and to their teachers. At least one fight occurred every day among the older boys. Even in conversation with each other, many of the kids were so quick to anger. One of the older girls, when getting off the bus, decided that she did not want to wait and began pushing her brother. When he resisted, she proceeded to say many derogatory and profane things in Spanish to him as she climbed over the bus seats. I never in my life thought I would have tell a kid at a VBS not to swear. Mom, don't ask how I know what she said. I was lost once, too :D :/ I am not saying these things to evoke pity from you. I am saying these things to evoke thanksgiving and prayer. The biggest issue here is the problem of sin and that these kids have no saving knowledge of God. Also, most of these kids get neither love nor discipline from their parents; in fact, many of them are victims of malice, deceit, neglect, and abuse. Thanks be to God that He is Our loving Father; that He disciplines those whom He loves; that He saved us from ourselves and our sin! Pray that those planted seeds would be watered, and that a harvest would be reaped in the hearts of these kids through continued work. Dad and Mom, thanks so much for loving and disciplining me. I could be one of those kids. If you have parents that didn't let you get away with anything either, tell them thank you! Ask God to begin teaching you now how to train up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Through interacting with and watching the kids, God revealed so much to me about my own sin. I cannot tell you how many times last week that I said to myself and to our staff, "If I were allowed to spank, that one's butt would be mine!" Mentally, my patience ran out quick. The sassy one-liners would trigger that "Oh, no, she didn't!" reflex, and I would be annoyed and offended at such a lack of respect. But God, rich in His mercy, quickly reminded me that I am not so different from our students. Not only was I once exactly like them, but I am still like them on so many levels. I had no right to get impatient with them because God has been so patient, so slow to anger, and so full of steadfast love toward me. Furthermore, my pride and sin offend God so much more than the kids' language and smart remarks offend me. God also reminded that I have extremely limited knowledge of their hearts, minds, and personal lives. For this reason, I was to speak words of love, truth, and life to them at every opportunity, as they may not hear anything other than words of malice, deceit, and strife at home or among peers. Tori Camerer, you couldn't have said it any better -- our ministry is reconciliation. Thanks be to God for Our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us while we were yet sinners and enemies of the Father, and by whom we are reconciled to the Father!

Well, you're all caught up! This week we will finish painting the gym at Alamo Community Church, work at UTRI, go the orphanage in Mexico, and finish some prep for Day of Hope. Here are some things for which you can pray:

Tennessee Baptist Collegiate Ministries statewide: Last week, Tennessee summer missionary Palmer Maphet was killed in a head-on collision while serving in Maine. Palmer was a solid believer whose life testified of the truth of the Gospel. Pray for his family, friends, team, and supervisors as they go through this trial. Pray also that non-believers who knew Palmer would see Christ and believe the Gospel.

Day of Hope: In two weeks, we will have a week in which we minister to members of the Body in churches in Reynosa. This week will be similar to Navidad a Reynosa, but on a much smaller scale and with a more discipleship-oriented approach. Pray for those who are coming down to help us with this event, as well as though whom we will serve and equip.

The Vasquez kids: Gina, Arturo, and Jasmine attended VBS. Pray that the three of them would be loved in their home; that God would protect them from the schemes of the devil; and that any seeds that were planted would be watered. Most of all, pray that God would make these kids realize that to be loved is better than to be feared.

Thank you all once again for your love and support. You will hear from me again soon! Sorry this post is so long. Once again, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or complaints (haha), please leave some feedback. This is for you!

Cristo vive por siempre,
Jacq