Update on Financial Crisis: Good News, Bad News, AMAZING news

The good news is many people near and far have mailed or used our web site to send financial support, and it is making a huge difference.  Activities this weekend are testament to this:  school supply distributions, health kit distributions, worship services at six locations, three local mariachi performances, Bible classes…

The Bad news is we aren’t out of trouble yet when it comes to paying our pastors, ministry workers, and electric bills next week.  The deficit is $15,000.  Ouch!  (Yes, we need all the help big and small possible.)

The AMAZING news is that a Christian foundation in East Texas is taking steps to send us a check for $25,000 when they meet on September 11th.  The foundation member who contacted us had been told about the work we are doing and feels the Lord’s leading to send help.  Also, YLM friends in El Paso are making plans to hold a Golf Tournament Fundraiser to help sustain our services.  Please keep our need in your prayers.

The good news is many people near and far have mailed or used our web site to send financial support, and it is making a huge difference.  Activities this weekend are testament to this:  school supply distributions, health kit distributions, worship services at six locations, three local mariachi performances, Bible classes…

The Bad news is we aren’t out of trouble yet when it comes to paying our pastors, ministry workers, and electric bills next week.  The deficit is $15,000.  Ouch!  (Yes, we need all the help big and small possible.)

The AMAZING news is that a Christian foundation in East Texas is taking steps to send us a check for $25,000 when they meet on September 11th.  The foundation member who contacted us had been told about the work we are doing and feels the Lord’s leading to send help.  Also, YLM friends in El Paso are making plans to hold a Golf Tournament Fundraiser to help sustain our services.  Please keep our need in your prayers.

We Can Help These Children

by Vicar Stephen

Coats for Children

School Supplies for Children

Christmas Toys for Children

Meals for Children

Bible Instruction for Children

Scholarships for Children

“Go and Baptize all Nations”

Last night I was talking to a friend who recently visited our newest mission site in the Juarez area.  She was surprised at the number of children who came seeking a hot meal.  Everyone who sees the need here walks away knowing that the need is real and wondering how to help.  As the new school year begins, YLM is doing more than just providing food for children caught in the tumoil of a city shaken up by cartel violence, and economic collapse.

• Food is cooked and served weekly in addition to food baskets sent home with families.
• Scholarships are helping more than 15 children continue education this year into high school (free public ed. ends at 6th grade).
• School supplies are reaching more than a 1,000 children this year.
• Sunday school, VBS, and other special classes and worship are teaching kids they have an ever-present God who gives them eternal salvation in Christ.
• Homes are built and fixed
• Health kits (includes toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, wash clothes, etc…) are distributed 2-3 times  a year.

This year you can help us lift and empower the spirits of children in this economically ravaged and cartel-abused valley.  Donate today and help us provide emergency food, scholarships, school supplies, health/hygene supplies, Sunday school, worship, hugs, smiles, music lessons, home repairs, and more…   If funds aren’t available and you would rather organize a donation drive, here are some important options:  ramen noodles (used every Wednesdays combined with vegetables) , canned goods, beans rice….  Also children’s vitamins, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc…  Also, when winter comes, the temperature here shoots down to temperatures in the teens.  Sending coats, blankets, mittens, hats, etc… will keep many children warm in the winter months.  See donation needs for more ideas.

Funding Questions

- by Vicar Stephen, COO

We are thankful for the many, many people whose gifts large and small come together to enable the huge impact YLM has in our region.

- How are donations to YLM used? A person working for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans told Chris (our-Super-Chef-turned-grant-writer/project-foreman) that YLM has a reputation for making a dollar go farther than most anybody else.  (We’re hoping that means they’ll give us a grant again soon.)

93% is used to assist the poor and equip missions.

6% is used for support services (admin) and

1% is used for fundraising.

You can download our full 2007 IRS 990 disclosure from our financial information page.  I’m still compiling the full IRS 990 report for 2008 (In my spare time since I can’t hire a CPA to do it for me  …any pro bono CPAs out there?).

- Do you have an endowment? Unfortunately, not yet.  Our board of directors, however is working toward the establishment of one, and a few knowledgeable Friends of YLM are suggesting ways to encourage supporters to help get it going.

- Do you receive the budgeted support of any synodical agencies?

YLM and all but one congregation is fully dependent on local offerings, and contributions from caring supporters.  The one congregation receiving subsidy  (that has been decreasing each year) from the Rocky Mountain District, LCMS, is San Pablo.

We are pleased that LCMS World Relief & Human Care has granted us funds for relief efforts in Sparks twice.  We are also for the Sunday School offerings and contributions from LWML groups that come to help our work.  In the past we have also received large grants ($100,000 +) for community service programs (funded by the Paso del Norte Health Foundation).

- by Vicar Stephen, COO

We are thankful for the many, many people whose gifts large and small come together to enable the huge impact YLM has in our region.

- How are donations to YLM used? A person working for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans told Chris (our-Super-Chef-turned-grant-writer/project-foreman) that YLM has a reputation for making a dollar go farther than most anybody else.  (We’re hoping that means they’ll give us a grant again soon.)

• 93% is used to assist the poor and equip missions.
• 6% is used for support services (admin) and
• 1% is used for fundraising.

You can download our full 2007 IRS 990 disclosure from our financial information page.  I’m still compiling the full IRS 990 report for 2008 (In my spare time since I can’t affort to hire a CPA to do it for me  …any pro bono CPAs out there?).

- Do you have an endowment? Unfortunately, not yet.  Our board of directors, however is working toward the establishment of one, and a few knowledgeable Friends of YLM are suggesting ways to encourage supporters to help get it going.

- Do you receive the budgeted support of any synodical agencies? Only the San Pablo congregation receives a subsidy  from the Rocky Mountain District which is decreasing each year.

We are pleased that LCMS World Relief & Human Care has granted us funds for relief efforts in Sparks twice.

The major source of help for YLM and the communities being served comes from individuals, Sunday School offerings, and contributions from LWML and the servant events.  The Mariachi Ministry also brings in performance fees and donations as well as CD sales.  In the past we have also received large grants ($100,000 +) for community service programs (funded by the Paso del Norte Health Foundation).  Thrift Store sales help generate funding…  All in all our funding is quite diverse.  Operating in communities with such overwhelming poverty makes funding a constant challenge.  See financial information page for a complete disclosure.

Week of August 15-23

Who better to close out the summer servant event season than our friends from North of the border? A veteran group of 16 youth and adults from Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, left the land where the sun shines for around 6 hours a day at this time of year and spent the past 5 days working in Sun City at 2 sites in Sparks.

Two thirds of the group was assigned the task of finishing a build that was begun back in June; stuccoing the exterior, finishing the drywall—or “gyp rock” as it’s called in Canada—taping, mudding, sanding, painting, and tiling is what remained to be done. Having brought two carpenters by trade and several other group members with sufficient knowledge and experience, these tasks did not pose a challenge for them; they nearly completed then entire list and were also able to install ceiling fans, rebuild the ramp on the front of the house to make it sturdier for the woman’s handicapped son (and build a handrail!), and add another layer of OSB to the deck between the new house and the existing trailer. They even contributed to the décor of the home’s exterior by hanging a Canadian flag on the front! Friday afternoon saw an emotional dedication service accompanied by the presentation of several gifts to the new homeowners.

The remaining third of the group had to draw upon their expertise to fix a trailer roof that had been plaguing owner Rosa Chavez for months. Even after a previous YLM group worked there in June, she still reported a leak. A section of over-roof along with some new insulation and paneling inside turned out to be just what the doctor ordered…just hope the leak is underneath the over-roof! In between enjoying Rosa’s incredible iced tea several times a day, these individuals were also able to go above and beyond the call of duty, fixing faulty wiring that posed a serious fire hazard and hanging a section of cabinets that Rosa had been given but was unable to hang herself.

Today the group is taking advantage of the fact that they are the last servant event of the summer and spending the day at Carlsbad Caverns, meaning they fly home tomorrow on a Sunday instead of the usual Saturday. It’s been a joy to host our Canadian friends this week—and to learn a bit about construction and a bit about Canadian culture in the process—and they’ve already rebooked so we’ll see them again next year!

The crisis hits… us.

by Vicar Stephen

YLM’s financial savings are gone and we are operating on what we call “our manna.”  Last week we had to face the reality that there was only about $150 in the bank.  Yet God is not through with us yet, and we are pushing forward, ready for anything.  These impossible times in Juarez and El Paso are the reason we are here.

Pray for us.  If the Lord moves you, please send help.  The most important things in life do not come easy and this season reminds of of that.

This week we are giving school supplies and food to hundreds of children and families in Anapra, El Paso, and throughout Juarez.  A servant event from Canada is with us repairing homes in Sparks and six YLM Pastors and a Vicar will be opening up God’s Word throughout our region.

Summer Servant Event Impact

By Krysia Heimer

This summer, by the grace of God, YLM has enabled 26  servant event groups (311 servants) to reach out with God’s help and love on the border.  Their work has helped:

• Construct 10 homes (including YLM’s first ever 2nd story) and a new Sunday school room at Cristo Rey.
• Repair 10 homes in Sparks and Horizon City, TX.
• Complete repairs on Pastor Hernandez’s home as well as some of his mission sites.
• Begin renovations on the recently donated Sin Paredes mission site in Anapra.
• Work on various projects around the YLM campus, including the renovation of a building into Sunday school classrooms.
• assist 1,069 patients at an eyeglass clinic in Chihuahua City
• assist 96 patients at the first ever medical clinic held at the Socorro Ramirez Community Center in the Sparks, TX, colonia.
• Give 52 free haircuts to Sparks residents.
• host 31 people at CPR and First Aid classes also held at the Socorro Ramirez Community Center.
• Witness to more than 1,508 children through VBS and other outreach programs.

Hundreds Hear Good News, Mariachi Style

by Vicar Stephen

Evangelism at the park in Bakersfield

Beto and Mia

First concert in Vail (near Tucson), Arizona

When in California, you HAVE to visit a beach.

Concert in the Field in Lodi, CA

Downtown, streetside farmers market concert

in Bakersfield, CA

It was beautiful.  Mariachi San Pablo performed in a variety of settings:  in front of an old winery, in a field, in a market, in a back yard, in a park, in a parking lot, and… yes, in a few churches too.  From July 25 to August 3rd, Mariachi San Pablo traveled throughout Arizona and California assisting churches in outreach and proclaiming the gospel to all who would listen.  The largest turn out at a single event was in Lodi California where 565 people came to the outdoor performance held in the field behind St. Peter Lutheran Church and School.  We were told that over 70% of the people who came were not members of their church.

On this tour, seven of the nine performers got sick.  This isn’t normal for tours, so even as we honed our skills and delivery, it was with complete reliance on the Lord that we dealt with the unknown effect of weakened bodies and stood up to witness to God’s grace.   The tour was excellent!   …though it was tough dealing with illness.  Every concert went beautifully!   …and we relied on God’s strength when sickness sapped our strength.  God is  faithful.

A Random Sunday in Juarez

by Vicar Stephen

Familiy at San Lucas

Worship at San Lucas in Anapra

Children’s Message

Sunday School Class 1

Sunday School Class 2

Sunday School Class 3 & 4

Brenda and 2-week old

Cousins and baby Jaden

I finally got my passport renewed, so after a two month exile from Mexico, I was eager to visit our brothers and sisters in Christ.  On August 8th, Krysia, baby Jaden, three of Krysia’s cousins and I packed into a YLM van with instruments and sound equipment loaded to visit the San Lucas congregation.  We had an old mixer/amp and microphone to bring to the church since their old system finally stoped working.  Above are some of the pictures from the worship service.  It was great to add our music to the service and more great to see ALL the children there.  After the children’s message the kids filed out to the other building to receive instruction from four teenage girls who Rosy has been training as Sunday School teachers.  God’s church is growing.  This was a plain, ordinary summer Sunday in Anapra.

Week of August 1-8

The first week in August, which also happened to be summer volunteer Kristine Neu’s last week in El Paso, brought a mix of old faces and new to the mission. Russ Zage’s group of seasoned veterans from Illinois and Wisconsin—the two congregations have been traveling as one group for years now—were joined by Justin Gudel’s rookie group of fellow Wisconsinites, from Hope Lutheran in Fond du Lac, to be exact.

Russ’s group worked across the border at Pastor Hernandez’s San Pedro y San Pablo mission site; currently this is a house church that does not host any regular activities, although the hope is to eventually do so. The team labored all week with very little shade to build an addition for the family who has opened their home to this ministry. Unbeknownst to them until they arrived on Monday morning, they actually worked in the same area last year and so were able to recognize and be recognized by many of the people who were around their worksite all week!

Justin’s crew worked on the U.S. side of the border in Sparks—although with a similar lack of shade!—putting a new roof on the Caballero home and putting some finishing touches on the Morales home. The five or so people who went to the Morales’ braced one last section of floor, sealed any remaining gaps to prevent unwanted critters from getting in, and installed baseboards. Everyone else spent the week demolishing an old roof—and the rotted insulation and ceiling panels that resulted from it—then rebuilding everything that they tore down! Looks like they did quality work…thus far no leaks have been reported!

The week drew to a close with an outdoor barbecue/farewell celebration for Kristine on Friday night, which climaxed as Stephen presented her with the “Siervo de Cristo” award for her 3 months of dedicated service to YLM. We miss her and wish her well as she begins her sophomore year at the University of MN-Crookston!

Eyeglass Clinics in Chihuahua City

by Erin Mackenzie, YLM Servant Event Coordinator

The same week that a group of 40 from Barrington, IL, spent a week in El Paso building a house, running 2 Vacation Bible Schools here, and sponsoring a third at Santisima Trinidad (July 18-25), there were 12 additional servants working for the mission…about 5 hours away! A MOST Ministries group composed of team members from Illinois, Virginia, and California, made a longer trek than most YLM servant events and spent their week conducting an eyeglass clinic in Chihuahua City. Chris and I had the rare opportunity to leave the mission for a week to accompany them as interpreters. I think they were grateful for our help because our first language was English and not vice-versa, and also because we stayed with them and could therefore interpret for non-clinic related issues as well.

The group traveled to one of YLM’s partner churches in Chihuahua City, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, which is served by by Pastor Martin Tovar and his wife Blanca. This particular one, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, is located in the heart of downtown Chihuahua, which made sightseeing during downtime a piece of cake. We stayed in a combination of the parsonage and fellowship hall, both of which have extra spaces that have been converted into bunk rooms, and enjoyed Blanca’s authentic Mexican cooking all week; the menu varied from staples like enchiladas and gorditas to include more traditional fare like barbacoa, a pork dish that is typically eaten at Christmastime, real asadero cheese, and coffee with cinnamon and cloves.

The clinic was held at Jardin del Abuelo, a government run senior citizens’ center. The spacious venue turned out to be ideal for the needs of the clinic, unlike the previous one which was held in Gloria Dei’s sanctuary. A total of 804 people were seen in 4 days, which amounted to 840 pairs of glasses—most of which had positive prescriptions—and 390 pairs of sunglasses passed out. Patients first registered with Pastor and Blanca’s son and daughter-in-law (Misael and Erika) who gave of their vacation time to serve with us, then consulted with one of the two nurses, completed the reading and distance tests, selected their glasses, and finally had them fitted and cleaned and got to pick from a selection of cases.

The first three days were somewhat slow, but word must have gotten out by the final day as we had to tell Erika when to cut off registration or we would have been there all night…and we still saw over 250 people! Several media crews came to witness our outreach as well, and my interview aired on the news later that night!

The Chihuahua missions don’t see many servant events, but we had a fantastic and memorable week—check out the attached pictures!—and I would urge anyone who reads this to learn more about them, pray for them and their unique ministries, and maybe even consider booking a trip to one of them!