Three Weeks in Fundación Emmanuel

First of all I want to apologize for not being able to keep up with everybody these past few weeks.  I moved into Fundación Emmanuel about 3 weeks ago and I didn't have internet access for a little over 2 weeks.  I didn't think I would make it, but here I am! haha :)

I have learned and seen so much over these few weeks. We currently have about 20-25 girls.  5 younger boys and 5 older boys.  And a 4 month old baby.  The kids are so different.  Not one is the same.  Not one has lived the same life.  They come from everywhere.  The majority of the kid's mothers are in the prison.  A lot of these kids have been raised in the prison.  A lot have been raised on the streets.  The 4 month old baby was found on the railroad tracks drinking from a bottle full of drugs.  She came in at 2 months old addicted to drugs.

These kids have a lot of problems.  I'm not going to lie to you and say that everything is great here.  It is hard.  The kids hit.  They bite.  They push.  They kick.  They scream.  They cry.  They run away.  They swear.  They mock you.

But...

Jesus is here.  God is moving in this place.  God is transforming hearts.  God is changing lives.  These kids were once without a home.  They now have a home.  They were once without food.  They now eat 3 times a day.  They were without clothes.  They now have clothes.  They were once without parents.  We are now their parents.  They were once without a family.  Now they have a family of 40-50.  They were once without a God.  But now they have Jesus.

God is at work.  Over the past few weeks I have undergone so many emotions.  I don't even know how to explain it.  I haven't had time to really sit down and process all that I have been feeling, experiencing, learning.

I'm going to tell you guys a few stories about what I've experienced here:

~My first day a little girl came up to me and sat on my lap.  I asked her her name and she told me to call her "niña de la calle" (street girl).  I told her no.  And I asked her what her name was.  She again responded street girl.  I kept asking and she kept responding street girl.  After about 10 times I asked her why she says that is her name and she told me that is what everybody used to call her.  She finally told me her real name and I told her that she was a child of God, a princess, that she is loved by the God of the universe.

~I let a little girl borrow my Bible and she ended up writing a message and a picture in the back of it.  She wrote:  Erika te quiero mucho. Dios ve tu corazon. Te quiero mucho. De Dayana.
Erika I love you a lot.  God sees your heart.  I love you a lot.

~I've seen kids daily pray for forgiveness for their behavior and from their sins and asking God to give them a spirit of obedience.

~I've talked to a 7 year old girl who grew up on the street with her family.  Her mother, father, and 2 younger brothers are still on the street.  She started crying and crying because she hasn't seen them in over a month.

~I've been working with a 7 year old boy who when he was born the doctors said he wasn't going to live past a few days.  He has a million different medical problems.  He has survived many diseases, tumors, surgeries, fevers over 104 degrees F.  Almost a year ago he learned how to walk.  And he is starting to talk.  He understands English and Spanish.  God has huge plans for this precious little boy.

God is at work here.  Pray for restoration for these children.  Pray that those of us in charge would have rest, patience, love.  Pray that God would teach us how to work with these kids in grace and truth.  That God would teach me how to love.

I want to learn how to love.

1 Peter is rocking my world!

PRAISE 
be to the
God
and
Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In
HIS GREAT MERCY
he has given us
NEW BIRTH 
INTO 
A LIVING HOPE 
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
and into an inheritance that can
NEVER PERISH, SPOIL OR FADE
-kept in heaven for you,
who THROUGH FAITH
are shielded by
GOD'S POWER 
until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you
GREATLY REJOICE, 
though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
These have come so that
YOUR FAITH-
OF GREATER WORTH THAN GOLD, 
which perishes even though refined by fire-
may be proved genuine
and may
RESULT 
IN
PRAISE,
GLORY
AND HONOR
when Jesus Christ is revealed.
THOUGH YOU HAVE NOT SEEN HIM, 
YOU 
LOVE 
HIM;
AND EVEN THOUGH YOU DO NOT SEE HIM NOW
YOU 
BELIEVE 
IN 
HIM
and are filled with an
INEXPRESSIBLE
AND
GLORIOUS
JOY,
for you are receiving the goal of your faith,
THE SALVATION OF YOUR SOULS.

1 PETER 1: 3-9

Ephesians 1: 13-14

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:13-14


I have read these verses a million times before, but I read them and meditated on them last night and it is sooooo cool!!!

First of all we are "included in Christ"!  Such a cool thought to be INCLUDED in Christ.

The word of truth = gospel of our salvation

We were included in Christ when we heard and believed the word of truth-the gospel which brought us our salvation!

We were marked in Christ with a seal of the Holy Spirit.  The "promised" Holy Spirit.  God "deposits" the Holy Spirit in us.  This deposit guarantees our inheritance in Christ.  We are God's possession.  He is going to redeem us.

And all of this is for the "praise of his glory".  Have you ever actually broken down the idea that we are for the PRAISE. OF. HIS. GLORY.?  Our lives should be a living praise for Him.  For His glory.  So cool!

But the coolest part of this whole passage that I had never really seen before was the type of vocabulary used.  All throughout the passage there is vocabulary related to money, banking, etc.

~marked
~seal
~deposit
~guaranteeing
~inheritance
~redemption
~possession

I don't really know why I didn't see this before, but it is such a cool parallel!

And in Spanish it reads:

"En él también ustedes, cuando oyeron el mensaje de la verdad, el evangelio que les trajo la salvación, y lo creyeron, fueron marcados con el sello que es el Espirítu Santo prometido.  Este garantiza nuestra herencia hasta que llegue la redención final del pueblo adquirido por Dios, para alabanza de su gloria." Efesios 1: 13-14

Que padre!!!  God's possession = el pueblo adquirido

Como esta escrita en la canción-- "SOMOS EL PUEBLO DE DIOS!  EL PUEBLO DE DIOS!"

NUESTRAS VIDAS SON PARA LA ALABANZA DE SU GLORIA!!!  

What do we really need?

So just about every day I walk past WalMart to catch a bus to go somewhere.  Every day I see the same girl with her 2 children standing in the middle of the street begging for money, food, anything.  The first day I saw probably about 5 people walk right past her not even acknowledging her existence.  This is such a common scene in Mexico.  A person sitting or standing on the side of the street living in complete and utter poverty; they are desperate; they have no hope.  And we just walk by them.  What is wrong with us?

How can I walk by someone who is obviously in need and not even think twice about the coffee that I am going to buy for $3 that could provide a meal for them?  I am truly disgusted with myself.  How can I call myself a follower of Christ if I simply ignore the family standing in the middle of the street?  How can I call myself a follower of Christ if I do not love this family?

About a week ago I walked along the middle of the street and said "hi, good afternoon" to the woman and she was shocked.  She smiled back.  Funny though, she didn't ask for anything.  She just smiled and was happy that somebody actually acknowledged that she existed as a real person.  So for the past week anytime I walk by I make the effort to walk by her and smile and say hi.  Every time I walk by, I always regret that I have forgotten to bring some food with me- a granola bar or something.

Today when I woke up, I was praying and just really seeking the Lord on what I am doing here in Guadalajara, what my purpose is.  And it hit me, no matter where I am at, no matter what my profession is, no matter what I am doing, I am here to love.  The first thing I thought about was this this girl and her children.  When I left the house this morning I remembered to grab some food to give to them.  I walked by and they weren't there.  I'm not gonna lie, I was really sad.  So I went about my day and when I was walking home from the bus stop I saw her.  I don't know why, but I got really excited and God filled me with so much joy.  I must have had a big goofy smile on my face haha.

After almost getting hit by at least 2 cars and 1 bus, I made it to the middle of the street.  I started talking with the little girl who is 6 years old.  I gave her some cookies and she immediately ripped open the bag with a big smile and started eating them.  The mother looked at me and smiled, but didn't say anything.  I went over to her and started talking to her too.  She was holding her son who just turned 2.  The mother is only 20 years old.

Twenty years old.

She is a year younger than me and she is living on the street with her 6 and 2 year old.

She has nothing.  Literally nothing.

God, it breaks my heart.  I'm actually crying right now as I think about it.  I'm sitting here typing on my computer.  I'm living in a really nice house with everything I could possibly want/need.  And yet I am not satisfied?  What is wrong with me?

If I really understood the gospel.  If I really understood who God is.  If I really understood my purpose here on earth, would I really be sitting here typing on a computer I don't need, in a chair I don't need, in a room I don't need, in a house I don't need?  What do I really need?

What do we really need in this life?

I can sing in church: "all I need is You, God", but do I really mean it?  Do I really believe it?  Does my life reflect that?  I know in my heart that I believe it.  All I need is Jesus.  I pray that my mind would get it.  I pray that every day I would be reminded of my complete dependence on Jesus.

Before I knew God...

"Antes de ti" por Marcela Gandara

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT_GSYa_z7I

Antes de Ti no había razón // no había nada sin Ti.

Before You there was no reason // there was nothing without You.

No había canción en mi corazón // no había nada de mi.

There was no song in my heart // there was nothing in me.

Después de tanto buscarlo lo hallé // mi corazón encontró ese lugar.

After searching for so long, I found it // my heart found that place.

Eres todo lo que quiero // luz a mi alma.

You are all I want // light to my soul.

Todo lo que nesecito // llenas mi espacio.

Everything I need // You fill my emptiness.

Eres mi vida, mi todo // eres lo que quiero para mi.

You are my life, my everything // You are what I want for me.

Y en Ti encontré // la razón de mi existir.

And in You I found // the reason for my existence.

Antes de Ti vacío viví // no había nada en mi.

Before You I lived empty // there was nothing in me.

Sin ilusión en mi corazón // no había nada sin Ti.

Without hope in my heart // there was nothing without You.

Después de tanto buscarlo lo hallé // mi corazón encontró ese lugar.

After searching for so long I found it // my heart found that place

Eres todo lo que quiero // luz a mi alma.

You are all I want // light to my soul.

Todo lo que nesecito // llenas mi espacio.

Everything I need // You fill my emptiness.

Eres mi vida, mi todo // eres lo que quiero para mi.

You are my life, my everything // You are what I want for me.

Y en Ti encontré // la razón.

And in You I found // the reason

Eres todo lo que quiero // luz a mi alma.
You are all I want // light to my soul.
Todo lo que nesecito // llenas mi espacio.
Everything I need // You fill my emptiness.
Eres mi vida, mi todo // eres lo que quiero para mi.
You are my life, my everything // You are what I want for me.
Y en Ti encontré // la razón de mi existir.
And in You I found // the reason for my existence.

Eres mi vida, eres mi todo // eres mi anhelo // la razon de mi existir.

You are my life, you are my everything // you are my desire // the reason for my existence.

Over the past week I have had some really cool conversations about God with various people in Guadalajara.  All of them know about God (in the "saber" way- as in the factual way), but they don't know God (in the "conocer" way- as in a relationship).  It breaks my heart.  It really does.  It makes me think back to before I knew God.  

Wow.  I didn't know God for 19 years of my life.  In fact, I didn't even believe in God for 19 years.  Wow.  God can change hearts.  He can change lives.  He has changed my life.  I had nothing to live for.  There was something missing, even if I didn't realize it at the time.  I was empty trying to fill myself with anything and everything. 

God came in and made me full.  He gave me life.  He gave me life to the fullest.  God is my everything.  He is the reason I am alive.  He is my only hope in this world.  I pray that I would never forget where He has brought me.  I will never forget who I was without God.  I will never forget what God has given me.  He has given me all that I need.  He has given me life.  

I pray that we will never forget.