New YLM web site is here!

After a lot of work, we have finally made the new website public.  Visit www.ylm.org now for all official news, information, and resources from Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care.

We will no longer be adding articles to this Web Blog, which served us well as we developed the new website.  We will keep it here for a long while, though so that you can find the articles and photos you know are here.

Visit www.ylm.org

for the latest news.

 

We LOVE our Volunteers!

This past Saturday, 2/19/11, YLMHC celebrated Valentine’s Day a little late with our annual volunteer recognition banquet. As has become customary, chef Chris provided the “catering” (lemon pepper chicken, mac n’ cheese, green beans, and peanut butter fudge cake), Mariachi San Pablo provided the entertainment, and Office & Program Manager Elvira Viramontes emceed the event. Everyone enjoyed the afternoon of scrumptious food, wonderful music, and door prizes!

YLMHC is an organization largely supported by volunteers of all ages, from all across North America, and with all kinds of gifts and talents, so it is always a blessing to show them all how much we LOVE them! We LOVE those of you who weren’t able to make it to El Paso too!

Send us your Six-strings!

YLM needs your old guitars and guitar supplies! Three of our Mexico mission affiliates have begun offering guitar lessons, but cannot provide instruments to the students,  many of whom cannot afford their own. The purpose of implementing such programs across the border is to form groups of musicians who can provide music for worship services and special events, so as to increase their self-sufficiency and reduce their dependency on YLM and Mariachi San Pablo. San Lucas, Cristo Rey, and Santisima Trinidad have courses in place and are managing with what they have on hand, but all 3 sites would benefit from additional guitars, replacement strings, picks, and straps.

Contact Chris or Erin at (915)858-2588 if you have items to contribute, or if you would like to donate funds designated towards supporting these exciting new endeavors!

Sweet Pictures from Juarez

Jeff Boone, was here last fall as a short term volunteer and took these amazing pictures in Juarez.  I downloaded them onto my computer and they make me smile so much I HAD to share them with you too.  Praise God for His presence in the lives of these children and families during such difficult days. — Vicar Stephen

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Download New Winter Newsletter

The new winter newsletter has been sent to the printers, and as usually you have the “breaking news” opportunity to download it a couple of weeks before others will receive it in the mail.  This newsletter contains stories that have not been posted on the website before.  Enjoy!

YLMHC Live on Television!

Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care has long been represented on El Paso/Las Cruces/Juarez’s KSCE TV with its weekly program, The Great Commission, which airs on Friday nights at 10:30 pm. The past few weeks, however, have been earmarked by the station inviting us to up our on-air presence, including several live broadcasts. Despite everything already on our plate, and the financial crisis that is a daily reality, God is shoving us through even more doors for reaching out to the Lower Valley community.

First of all, we were invited to host 6 weeks of live programming on Wednesdays from 11:30-1 pm. The topic will be the El Paso Healthy Marriage Project’s “6 Building Blocks of a Healthy Marriage;” beginning later this spring the same course will be offered in person at the mission on a rolling basis. Rev. Jesus Astorga, assistant pastor of San Pablo Lutheran Church, is teaching the TV version. He arrived at the station yesterday and was invited at the last minute to appear on another program featuring prayer for government leaders in El Paso and Juarez and intercession for prayer requests that were phoned in. Both his planned and unplanned programs received a wealth of responses. One caller was a CBP agent who plans to meet with Pastor Astorga later this week. Another was a woman who is not Lutheran, but has been watching “The Great Commission” since it began and notes that it stands out among other shows thanks to its firm Biblical basis. Before leaving the station, Pastor Astorga gathered the phone numbers of all the callers and spent an evening touching base with them. He also spoke with one of the station execs, encouraging and inviting them to partner with us in outreach and ministry to their viewing area.

Secondly, Pastor Martin Tovar and his son Misael answered yet another request for a live appearance. Impressed by the faithfulness with which the elder Tovars (Martin and his wife Blanca) come every other week from Chihuahua City to record “The Great Commission,” KSCE TV invited the Tovars’ son to do a live interview about his dual roles as psychologist and pastor. He wound up being on air for nearly 5 hours, much of which was filled by questions and prayer requests from viewers. It was a one-time deal, but due to the volume of calls received, the station may extend a repeat invitation.

Finally, watch for familiar faces again on Valentine’s Day; the station plans to center their programming around Christian love and marriage, so two couples from the San Pablo congregation–one recently married and one with many years together–will be represented on camera.

If you live outside the KSCE TV viewing area, click here for a live feed!

Bella Vista Braves the Cold to Serve!

The first week of February 2011 in El Paso will be remembered for record low temperatures that wreaked havoc on the city, but at YLM we will never forget the servant event from Bella Vista Lutheran Church in Bella Vista, AR, that braved the cold temperatures–and NO running water in the dorms for most of their stay–to serve!

Ron and Kay Gaudian joined fellow BVLC members Ivan and Millie Hirsch, two of YLM’s “Snowbird Servants,” for a week of catching up and buckling down. After attending a Sunday worship service at Santisima Trinidad during which Ron passed out Spanish Bibles to congregation members, Monday was the only outside work day. Kay, Ivan, and Millie painted the exterior of the YLM office building, while Ron helped repair a roof near Mission San Pedro y San Pablo on the outskirts of Juarez. The family was grateful to see the project finished just in time for the cold and snow! The rest of Bella Vista’s week was spent indoors: more painting, staining, and floor tiling.

We’ll try and order up some warmer weather for Bella Vista’s 2012 servant event…keep the congregation’s new youth director in your prayers as he contemplates furthering the church’s relationship with YLM by organizing a youth mission trip!

YLM’s Winter Storm Response

In Juarez 2 million people are in emergency shelters because temperatures dropped below zero this week.  YLM is responding by providing blankets to the municipal agency running the emergency shelters.  Also, Pastor Hernandez is taking blankets, rice, beans, and water to the people living in the impoverished colonias where he serves.  Please keep the people of Juarez in your prayers.

Snowbird Servants

Ivan & Millie Hirsh, Dave & Paige Rohlf, Mike & Marcia Steckleburg, Bob & Kathy Zeeck, Gene & Darlene Pashe

 

The “Terrific Ten” (formerly the Super-Six) have made it their winter tradition to spend two to three months at YLM, living in their RVs, and volunteering at YLM.  These are five retired couples (some connected to Laborers for Christ) who park on YLM’s RV pads behind the church (near our warehouse) and give of their time and talents for the glory of God.   With funds from their home congregations and own pockets they have simply asked the question, “How can we help?” and then navigate their way through the list of 1,000 or so projects we throw at them.  Right now they are filling cracks in building walls, preparing building #4 for a rennovation, helping in the office, deep cleaning the dormitory, and other “high detail” projects many servant event groups don’t have time to work on.  In addition to projects at the YLM campus theyhave also helped construct and repair homes in Sparks, TX, and in Anapra, Mexico in past years.

  

Would you like to help us keep them busy?  Donate funds for more materials

Contest for Mariachi T-Shirt Design

Special invitation from Mariachi San Pablo:

Hey there Mariachi San Pablo Fans!!!!!  We need your help!!! We want to create a new T-shirt design for our supporters to purchase and show their MSP pride!!! The problem is although we have a bunch of musical talent in our group, none of us are really artists. So we want to ask you to help us. From January 25-Feb 18th, we will be accepting artwork for our new T-shirts! The winner will be posted on the Mariachi San Pablo Facebook on Monday, February 21st. We will choose 3 of our favorite designs and Mariachi San Pablo members will decide which one wins! The winner will receive all 3 of Mariachi San Pablo’s CD’s and the winning T-shirt signed by all the group members, as well as having your artwork worn all over the country!!! So hurry and get your artistic juices flowing and send in your pics now!!!! Please send entries to mariachi@ylm.org. Entries will be posted on our Facebook when they are submitted to us. Not really an artist, well we can still use you help.  As submissions are posted, vote on your favorite design and help make our decision easier!!! Good luck!!!
***By submitting this design, you agree that all rights to this work will be given for the use of Mariachi San Pablo, and understand all compensation received is listed above.