New Year, THREE New Houses!

A group of 36 from Mayer Lutheran High School in Mayer, MN, celebrated the start of 2010 by building 3 houses in Anapra. It was the group’s 5^th consecutive time ringing in the new year at YLM. They arrived by coach bus on the morning of Tuesday, December 29, 2009, and left on the evening of Sunday, January 3, 2010. The group, which was divided into 3 work crews—Casa Uno, Casa Dos, and Casa Tres—didn’t want to waste any time getting started, but snow of all things changed their plans, and Tuesday had to be spent scouting out the worksites, visiting home recipients from previous years, and shopping at the Mercado Juarez. They didn’t have any trouble, however, finishing all 3 houses over the next 4 days; a total of 20 people received additional living space.

In addition to those that saw the love of Christ being lived out via hammering and nailing, many more saw it via hugs, conversations in broken Spanish, handing out candy, Bibles, hygiene kits, etc., and craft projects that were all happening at the same time. Kids and adults alike learned of our presence and gravitated to each of the worksites; it was no secret that by the end of the week many group members had found a plethora of new friends.

Unlike most YLM servant events, Mayer went to church in Mexico at the end of their week instead of the beginning, and, thanks be to God, they were joined by the majority of those new friends! All the houses were within walking distance of Iglesia Luterana San Lucas, so all week the group had been inviting anyone and everyone they encountered to come. At the conclusion of the service, the Sunday school kids serenaded their special visitors from MN with several songs they had been practicing, complete with actions. A tearful goodbye followed not long after, but the sadness of leaving new faces behind eventually turned into excitement to come back and see them again next year!

Preparing for Maximum Impact this Christmas

Elvira and volunteers are working every day to sort donations to give to the poor this Christmas.  YLM is preparing to provide 1,500 Christmas gifts to children  and to distribute 1,470 food baskets, 836 jackets, 600 hygiene kits and 1,200 blankets.  Also, our Mariachi group will be adding their joy filled music to community gatherings in 6  sites throughout Juarez and 7 in El Paso and Las Cruces.  Later this month a servant event team from Mayer Lutheran High School in Mayer, MN, will arrive to build three houses for families in Juarez, lead a basketball camp, and make repairs to a mission church.

“Who else is going to be God’s voice in Juarez?  Not the military, police, or government officials…  As they work to bring order, we work to bring mercy and grace to all,”  commented Stephen Heimer, COO of YLM and vicar at San Pablo Lutheran Church.  ”What we do in response to the suffering and sorrow that exists in our valley will make a lasting difference in the lives we touch this Christmas and throughout the year.”

If you would like to join us on the front lines of hope this Christmas, please consider sending items or making a financial gift today.

Give a Gift to Change a Life

The 2009 Christmas Giving Catalog is now available online and in printed form.  Those of you who wish to reach out with God’s love to the poor this Christmas will find 17 ways to do so here.  With your help, YLM will be blessing 1,500 children with Christmas presents this month.  Also we plan to build three homes in Juarez and distribute 1,470 food baskets, 836 jackets, 600 hygiene kits and 1,200 blankets.  Reach out to the people of El Paso and Mexico by giving a gift today:

Choose from 17 ways to

help others this Christmas

1,200 Meals Served on Thanksgiving Weekend

“Blessed to Serve”…and that is what they did. On Wednesday, November 25, a group of 25 from Our Father Lutheran church in Centennial, CO, made their 15^th annual pilgrimage to El Paso. They joined up with Servant Event Coordinator Erin’s parents, brother, and sister from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Des Peres, MO, to serve the Lord on the border. The theme for the week was “blessed to serve.” The group cooked, transported, and served over 1200 Thanksgiving meals of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, ranchero beans, salsa, rolls, and cake at San Pablo on Thurdsay, Cristo Rey and San Lucas on Friday, and Santisima Trinidad on Saturday. Each meal followed a brief worship service honoring the real reason everyone was gathered together to enjoy a fantastic meal. They also cooked for the over 100 volunteers who come toYLM every Saturday and left behind enough food for the attendees at this Wednesday’s King’s Table luncheon at Sin Paredes to have Thanksgiving too.

To many, that would be enough to keep everyone occupied for the three work days that were put in, but not for this group. Not only did they feed 1200 hungry people, but they also painted YLM building #1, formerly leased to the El Paso County General Assistance program and now home to Mariachi San Pablo and San Pablo’s Sunday school classrooms. The building really does look sharp, and our hope is to paint the rest of the campus buildings with the same colors eventually.

Just in case that still wasn’t enough, 6-7 people also helped “winterize” a trailer in Horizon City on Friday and Saturday mornings. The family, a mom, a dad,  their 2 young sons, and another one on the way, basically live in an 8 foot by 26 foot trailer that you would tow on the back of your truck when you went camping. Leaking roofs, a plywood floor, and broken windows were all tackled by the crew. A new roof was built over the trailer (and sealed to prevent water and cold air from getting in through the top), windows were sealed with black plastic, and new tile was laid on the floor. Please pray that we will be able to build this family a new home in the coming months.

The group also went to the market in Juarez on Thanksgiving Day, and spent each evening in a Bible study that tied the lives of 2 “minor” characters in with the “blessed to serve” theme. They departed early on Sunday morning, November 29.

Their dedication was truly inspiring; we praise God for this ongoing tradition at YLM and can’t wait to do it all over again next year!

Mid-West Churches Bring Sight to Juarez Poor

The fourth and final team that YLM hosted this year from MOST Ministries was here from October 24-31. The team was comprised of individuals from various churches in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Northern Illinois, along with their fearless leader Gayle Sommerfeld and her husband Don. This was Gayle and Don’s second trip to YLM, as they brought an October team last year as well, to do the same thing: a 2-day eyeglass clinic at San Lucas in Anapra, followed by a 2-day eyeglass clinic at Cristo Rey. As is tradition for MOST teams, Friday is reserved for sightseeing.

Eyeglass clinics require a significant amount of set-up, so the group arrived early to church at San Lucas on Sunday so they could arrange tables and unpack green army duffels of glasses. As was the case all week, they had to factor in the beginning of Daylight Savings Time in Mexico, a week earlier than in the U.S. They left at the time groups typically have to leave to arrive at the service on time only to arrive an hour early—AND they got to sleep in a little later than normal all week!

Monday and Tuesday the clinic was at San Lucas, and then Tuesday afternoon everything was packed up and shifted to Cristo Rey so it would be ready for Wednesday and Thursday. The pace was much slower than the team was equipped to handle due to a government assistance program for the poor, pouring rain, and a cold front, but the slow times made us all slow down and pray that God’s will be done, and it allowed the pastors and leaders from each church to spend more one on one time with each person at the final station—evangelism. All in all, 481 people were seen and 559 pairs of glasses were distributed.

It was a week spent giving people the gift of spiritual sight as well as physical sight, and a week filled with memorable moments, but I don’t think anyone will ever forget the kindness of José Ángel. He was an optician who saw a report about our clinic on the news and stopped by Tuesday afternoon to lend his services. The clinic was closing, but we told him where we’d be the next day and he came without fail for the next two days. He brought some of his personal tools of the trade and was an invaluable asset to Ron and Jane at the fitting station. When asked if he was a Christian, he said that he believes in God but isn’t very serious about it, he just likes to help people!

Fall Servant Event from Barrington, IL

The first of the few and far between fall servant event groups was made up of 5 familiar male faces from St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Barrington, IL. Their trip started off with a party  in Juarez at Santísima Trinidad Lutheran Church on Sunday to celebrate Pastor Hernandez’s 20^th anniversary in the ministry. Following the festive service, the whole group was invited to sit at the head table for the dinner and party afterwards; Pastor Hernandez kept reminding everyone that they got to eat first because they still had a long bridge wait ahead to get back to the mission!

Monday was the end of the partying and the beginning of the roofing on the home of Olga Reyes and her husband Tony in Horizon City. They came to YLM several months ago with a slab and the plans for their dream home, and little by little we’ve been doing what we can; so has Tony, a plumber by trade. This week, the tasks consisted of finishing the tar paper on the roof and shingling it as well as running Romex inside. Energized by a circle prayer each morning, YLM Project Facilitator/Development Director Chris was the Romex runner extraordinaire, while the roofing crew, under the watchful eye of the group’s resident former roofer, finished in a whopping TWO DAYS!!! With the project they had committed to nearly finished…there was still almost a full day of wiring left that Chris took it upon himself to finish…the group decided to work with Pastor Hernandez for the rest of the week, purchasing their own materials out of pocket.

The decision came on the heels of a long talk with Pastor Hernandez on Sunday over dinner, in which they came to realize that while the need in Sparks and Horizon City is at times overwhelming, God is calling His servants to Juarez in the midst of the evil violence, and its citizens need to see and hear the Gospel being proclaimed now more than ever. The five guys set their hearts, their minds, and their wallets on building a porch at Pastor Hernandez’s San Pedro y San Pablo mission site, something he has dreamt of for a long time that will make the site ever more ready to host weekly worship and instruction there.  Pastor Hernandez plans to dedicate the porch on Reformation Day, Saturday, October 31, 2009, at 3:00 pm and begin weekly ministry there in January.

Enrique Carrejo, at Home in Heaven

Sr. Enrique Carrejo, the man who many volunteers came to know and love as their driver and translator for servant events,  passed away and went to be with his creator early on the morning of Wednesday, September 16, 2009. He was 68 years old.  Enrique had been suffering from brain and lung cancer for almost a year and was placed in hospice care a few months ago. We praise God that he repeatedly beat every odd he was given throughout his illness, and we rejoice that, as the master in the Parable of the Talents (Mat 25)  invites the faithful servants to, “Come and share your master’s happiness,” Enrique is doing this as we speak.

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!

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.

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!