2009 Nov - What's Up/Summer Ministry Wrap-up II

We praise and thank God for all of you that know how much we need your prayers. This can be a difficult time, as we continue to raise support to get on the field in Tijuana, especially after having had a taste of the ministry this past summer that God will have for us there. It’s not just about building homes for people in need. It’s about people that don’t know Christ and the doors that will opened through the building of these homes – not just the people that will receive the homes, but their family and friends as well. It’s about being a part of the evangelistic outreaches in so many different ways. It’s about working along side others (interns and short-term team members alike) as they get a taste of what it’s like to serve God as they step out into another culture. It’s about the relationships we make as we attend church and serve with other Christians at the church in Rosarito. The list goes on and on. This is just a glimpse of what life will be like for us in Mexico. It was amazing to see all the opportunities and possibilities, and how things just started to fit together, like a puzzle.

One of these ways was His provision for a home. As you know, Ron filled the temporary position of Head Cook for the summer. Unfortunately, the person he was filling in for, and her husband, have had to leave the mission field. This is a great loss and they will be severly missed. However, because of this, there is an empty, three bedroom house on the YUGO ranch in Tijuana with our name on it. This is a huge blessing, as we will be able to jump right into ministry without having to build a house for ourselves. So why not leave now and head down to Tijuana? Well, first of all, we own a home in Wisconsin. This is the biggest factor. We are very seriously considering moving to Tijuana in the spring. However, we feel that moving and having to pay a mortgage is not a wise use of the money God will provide for us. Especially when we are only at about 40% of our monthly financial need. All of that to basically say that we have a new home waiting for us in Mexico. Please pray with us that God will sell our “old” house in Wisconsin. His timing is perfect. He has a team of partners out there providing prayer and financial support for us. He will reveal to those He would have yet to join the team. So please pray with us that their hearts would be open.

As previously mentioned, when we were in Mexico this past summer, Ron was having some pain that he thought might be a pulled muscle. It turned out to be a hernia (not related to his back, but most likely a birth defect he has had his whole life). After much prayer, we decided to go to Cruz Roja (Red Cross) to have it looked at. Shortly thereafter, Ron went in for surgery and everything went very well. He spent a few immobile days recovering from surgery, followed up by several weeks of more recovery. Things have been healing up very nicely. Unfortunately for Ron, this came right at the time the interns were suppose to spend a week on construction projects. Originally we had hoped to build a house this week, but there was not enough funding. But God used this opportunity to give us the chance to bless three families with repaired or replaced roofs. Kristy and the children were able to go out with the interns and staff that week, while Ron stayed home recooperating.

There are currently 55 families on a waiting list for a home in the Tijuana/Rosarito area. Eventually, we would like this ministry to involve pastors going out into their communities and finding people in need of a home that don’t attend church. However, we need teams to come down and build homes for both the church and non-church members that are currently on the list, before we can work on expanding the ministry. If you have a youth group, college group, or any adult group that is looking for a mission opportunity or team-building trip of any kind, please contact us. We would love to talk to you about opportunities to serve in Mexico.

YUGO Ministries has now combined their California offices into one new location. Please pray for them as they continue to organize and consolidate.

¡Dios le bendiga! (God Bless)
Ron & Kristy