Puzzle Pieces Coming Together

I often go for walks.  It helps me think, process and pray with God.  I also love nature and it is so beautiful here in Chapala that I love to take advantage of it.  The other day I went for my usual walk to talk with God and seek Him on various things.  As I walked I passed by a huge cornfield with about 30 cows.  Normally this field has about 2-3 cows, so when I saw 30 cows I couldn't help but look and ask myself why there were so many cows.  As I continued walking and looking over my shoulder I tripped and fell.  Yes.  I fell.  It was quite the sight.  I'm not exactly sure how I fell.  I probably tripped over my own two feet.  But right as I took the fall I felt the Lord say to me that I am so easily distracted.  I can be praying one moment, seeking Him and a field of cows catches my attention and I'm distracted. 

How many things call for our attention every day?  There are so many demands on us every day and a lot are good and necessary things in life, but if they cause us to take our eyes off the most important thing in our life (God), things can quickly go downhill and we can fall just like I did on my walk. 

I want to live my life for the only thing that matters, God.  I pray that we wouldn’t be distracted by things that pass and fade away.

PUZZLE PIECES COMING TOGETHER:

This past Friday we had a prayer meeting with the majority of the people involved in launching the ministry with girls who are victims of human trafficking/prostitution.  Over the past few months I have seen the project as a lot of puzzle pieces scattered around.  But now during this meeting I started to see the big picture as the pieces start coming together more and more.  As of right now we are looking at the various areas of the ministry and where each person feels called.  We are currently developing the following aspects:

• Outreach on the streets 
• A friend of mine (ex-prostitute) and I are heading up outreach on the streets.
• We go out at night to try to start up a conversation with the girls as we hand out small gift bags with a business card with a phone number.
• This is the first contact with the girls as we start gaining their trust and eventually invite them to the café.

• Café
• On the streets it is very difficult to have a long enough conversation with the girls to gain their trust and offer them a way out.
• We have envisioned a café to provide a safe place for them to talk, enjoy a meal as well as the opportunity to offer them a way out.
• A young couple has had this vision to launch the café to reach out to the girls.

• Legal things
• To run a safe house is not only a lot of physical work, but legal as well.  It is necessary to have somebody constantly working on the Mexican non-profit, accounting, etc.
• The pastors of a local church are heading up this legal area.

• Safe House
• Once the girls have decided to leave the streets we are setting up a “safe house” for them to receive care, healing, restoration, education, etc.. 
• The caregivers of the house are a missionary couple.  As well we are currently looking for other people to help in this process.  We plan to rent the house mid-February.

• Re-Entry
• The goal is not to simply save the girls from the streets, but for them to heal and eventually rejoin society.
• Another local church is heading up the job training, education, re-entry aspect.

I am so excited to see how things have been developing over the past few weeks. 

Morelos Park- One of the areas we have doing Outreach

Gift Bags we are handing out.

  Please join us in praying for:

• Open hearts as we keep reaching out to the girls on the street.
• Logistics of starting a café. Location. Funding.
• Favor with the Mexican government in the non-profit process.  We are almost done with the process!
• Financial support and volunteers from local churches we are partnering with.  (We have been extremely blessed with many Mexican churches coming together on this project.)
• A woman called to be the "house mom" at the safe house.