Walking in Love in Mexico: October 2012

These past few weeks have been some of the most exciting and trying weeks of my time here in Guadalajara.

As you know I have been serving here in Guadalajara with “Enfoque Ciudad” for 2 ½ years now and I have absolutely loved it. We have been training and preparing to start an orphanage. However God has given the 2 team leaders a heart for the youth and they feel led to start a youth program for boys who are 16 years of age and older. I am very excited for them, as they feel called to work with that age group and I know they will do an amazing job with those youth boys. However my roommate Tania and I feel God calling us to start an orphanage with younger children. We’ve been praying for a while now about how to make this transition and we feel led to start our own 501c3 non-profit (Journey Home) in the US and a non-profit here in Mexico to start an orphanage.

In general this is no different than what we’ve been doing already. We’ll still volunteer with the same orphanages we’ve been at and we’re still planning on starting our own orphanage in the future. However it is a challenge to start something new from zero. We’re currently in the process of getting certified as a tax-exempt 501c3 non-profit. We have filed as a religious corporation in the state of Arizona and in November we will be filing the “1023 form” with the IRS to gain “tax exempt” status.

There is a lot to do to get this all started up, but Tania and I are so excited to emark on this journey to start an orphanage and we have seen God start to put the puzzle pieces together as He guides us in this process of starting an orphanage.

The other day I came across an article that asked the question:

What would you be willing to attempt for God if you knew that you could not fail?

Starting something new is scary, because it is leaving the familiar and the comfortable to an unknown territory full of questions, new things and uncertainties. Deciding to take this step of faith in branching out to start a 501c3 non-profit and a Mexican non-profit brought a lot of fears to mind. We were in a comfortable position in where we were at and yet we had a deeper longing to start an orphanage. Starting an orphanage comes with a lot of risks and trials. It means raising a lot of money. Trusting that God will provide enough finances, food, clothing, school supplies, housing, staff etc. to provide for an orphanage full of kids. However our God does just that. He provides for His children, especially for the hurting, the broken and the defenseless.

Am I scared? To be completely honest with you: Yes. Scared that I might fail. Yes. Scared of all of the paperwork/legal things involved with starting a 501c3 and a Mexican non-profit? Yes. But the thing is, God is bigger. A lot bigger. Yes to be honest with you I worry about the little things, all of the unknown details. But I'm trusting Psalm 37

"Commit your ways to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act."
Psalm 37:5

We are trusting in Him and waiting for Him to act. I am so glad I don't need to find my worth and identity in what I do or in what I accomplish, but rather I am secure in Him.

In the meantime we will continue persevering as we are patient and persistent in this process of starting the 501c3 and orphanage. Oh yeah, and we will continue to have tons of fun and love on these kids at the orphanage! Thank you again for your prayers and financial support in making this dream possible to start an orphanage in Mexico!

Check out the photos below: