April 20, 2012
…..Today we are celebrating Chuy’s birthday. Chuy really is miracle child from the Lord. Many of you know his parents, Luz del Carmen
and her husband Juan Manuel and their family of six. Many of you have come to know them on your
visits to our church and have taken the time to love them, accept them, and
help them as a special family that the Lord gave us as a body to come alongside
and be “Good Samaritans” too. Chuy suffered in-vitro alcohol syndrome. Consequently he has faced speech problems and
learning disabilities.
The Lord did a miracle in the life of this family by giving
them grace and favor before the school system this past fall. Chuy had never before completed a year of
schooling….he turns 13 today.
Fortunately Mexico has changed their policy in regard to accepting
children into the school system without any previous years of elementary school
completed. This is a place where “no
child left behind” really has benefited this community of children. Under the new law all of Luz and Juan’s
children were accepted into school. Well
we are into the last quarter of the school year and the kids just received
their report cards. Chuy is passing
along with his other 3 brother and sisters.
The biggest struggle for this family has been the extreme
poverty they were experiencing and a mother and father who really have just
needed someone to come alongside them and to teach them basic life skills and
how to walk in Jesus. Last summer our
brother Tom helped by buying a metal roof for them which replaced their
cardboard one that leaked like a sieve in the rainy season…two of our young men
at church installed it and they are now “in the dry”. Then a team came in the fall and put in a
back patio for them with a bathroom and a shower and an area to wash laundry. Ohter brothers and sisters have come along the way and helped install plumbing, a kitchen sink and other things. Amazing how these made incredible “life”
changes in the whole family. Dad works
more and mom can now do her housework in a much better environment and the kids
can now bathe in a real shower instead with a bucket behind the kitchen
door. The church basically has adopted
this family by providing all they need for the kids to attend school; school
supplies, uniforms, and tutoring in order to follow their progress.
In Matthew 28: 19-20 says, “Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The part I love about this is “make disciples of all nations”. In reflecting on this in my quiet time I see
that in order to disciple you have to teach how to become a follower of
Jesus. We can evangelize but it is so
very important to know how to translate this into practical life, teaching
followers of Jesus to obey His word. The
Lord put this very needy family into our church family to challenge us as a
body to care in a more impacting way by making a difference practically, meeting
their physical needs, and more importantly their spiritual needs teaching them
how to apply God’s word in their everyday living.
Well what has been the result of this practical
discipleship? The kids are now more consistent in their school attendance, they are more orderly in their persona
and in their home life. And the most
powerful of all – Juan Manuel Sr. came to church on Sunday and came forward for
prayer! He has struggled so much with
alcohol that many a day his children have been left hungry as he returns after
a week of work with no money in his pocket.
Well this Sunday he came to church and I believe the Lord really touched
Him as Pastor Bill taught in Philippians chapter 1:6 “being confident of this,
that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the
day of Christ Jesus.” God is completing
the work He has started in this family; simply because we as a body have taken
the time to give them a “cold cup of water”.
Because Bill and I can see everyone from the pulpit, (him teaching, me
translating) we can see all the faces.
Juan Manuel was completely attentive!
In the past he was so embarrassed that he wouldn’t even come into the
church. God is so amazing and “will”
complete the work he has started in His children! The most beautiful thing about this as shepherds of His flock is to see how the body of Christ as learned to love them and have participated alongside us in bringing this family to those lovely feet of Him who brings Good News!
It is beautiful to watch this community of believers learning how to love the most unlovable, the destitute, the needy into the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Of course we thank the Lord for all of you as well who are far away who have been part of the great work the Lord is doing in our community through are church as you faithful have come behind us in encouragement, prayer support and with your financial support as we minister to His children here in Puerto Vallarta
A Happy Boy on His Birthday!
