1 John 4:12

"No one has ever seen God; IF we love one another, God ABIDES IN US and his love is PERFECTED IN US." 1 John 4:12. This verse has been on my heart for the past few days. Jesus makes himself known to the lost and needy by acts of love by his children. We can see what God is like when we submit to everything he is and truely live out ouf life for him. This verse says that we can actually see God's character if we love one another! God wants us to understand him and to discover who he is! Praise God for this truth!

Friday was a very long, but very awesome day. We started out with the feeding program routine, and as usual told the kids to wash their hands, prayed before they ate, and then played with them/babysat them while they waited on their rides. But instead of the usual 15 kids, we had about 30 some! I was so thrilled to see so many people come out to the CTC, it was a blessing! Some ladies from a church in Texas came down this week and were holding a "ladies day out" at the CTC. They pampered them with nice things and gave them free things to take with them. One of the ladies actually cried because she was overwhelmed with the love that was being shown to her. Not only did she enjoy the ladies day out but she was so happy about some of the construction of her house being completed by mission groups working with Buckner. Buckner had put shingles and windows on their house. I have had the priviledge to get to know this ladies children. What a blessing that has been! I've got to share my testimony with them and answer their questions about Jesus and various things about the bible and why I am here. :)

With so many children at the CTC Friday I got very overwhelmed. Although at times it was hard, I enjoyed reading to the kids, talking with them about their life, and sitting and just hugging them. We went outside and got to play dodge ball and do sidewalk chalk as well. Some of the kids have learned my name and are starting to ask more questions about me and why I am here and where I am from. This is what missions is all about! About the friendships and connections we make in this community. Two of the volunteers at the CTC asked for my picture with them. I had never really spoken with them since they do not speak english but I had seen themc oming in with some children and to help clean/volunteer with the feeding program. I felt special as they asked me to take a picture with them. It warmed my heart that they can be so warm and accepting without even knowing me or speaking with me much. I think it is the act of just being there and helping out their communities children that makes them appreciate what we are doing. In the Colonias near the CTC most poeple know each other and they live as a family sort of. I really admire that they take care of each other and spend time with each others famlies. That is something I wish American's would do.

As the children were waiting to be picked up I was talking to this one girl that I have got to bond with this week. She invited me to a block party in the evening. I hadn't heard anything about it until then but I told her i'd love to come and I would try to. I know that Buckner has held block parties before but I didn't really know exactly what went on. She told me that they have popcorn and pizza and movies and a moon jump thing (not sure if that's the right terminology). So I was looking forward to that after we got off of work. I have been wanting to spend time in the neighborhood with the famlies that I have come to know over the last 3 weeks!

After work was over we got something to eat and were on our way back to Penitas when we got a call from one of the staff members saying that there wasn't a block party and that some of the people were out waiting for Buckner to come (they had heard from someone it was friday night). Needless to say, there was a communication problem so there was no block party on friday night in the area they thought it was going to be. There was one a few blocks down. We were driving through one of the neighborhoods where we thought it was going to be and all the sudden we see 5 kids running to the van (they knew it was us since its the van that picks them up for the feeding program). My heart melted as I saw them smiling and asking us if there was going to be a party. They got their hopes up and it just killed me and Samantha. We told them we would see them Monday and that we were very sorry! After that we went and spent time with some of the teens/kids that we had come to know. They enjoyed us being there. Two of the little girls wanted to play this paper game with us where you pick numbers and it tells you something. The teenage girls showed us all their animals; their goats, chickens, chicks, dogs, and ducks. They loved being able to talk with us about that. They also told us taht it was dangerous there at times, and that people steal other peoples chickens and other sthings, as well as violence occuring pretty often.

As the sun was setting I was just in love with spending time with this precious familiy and just so heartbroken at the same time to hear how it isn't safe to live their and to hear some of their personal struggles. I pray for them that God will be their hope and their light in the dark areas of their life. I felt a lot of different emotions as we left...I just felt so overwhelmed that that was the way life is for them, they are used to it, and who knows how long they will live the way they do. I know God has them in his hands and I pray that they will trust him to guide them in this life.

After we visited them we drove through to see if one of the pasters we had met was at his church, sure enough he was, and we randomly just chatted with him for a while. lol. Since we just got the van to ourselves we were going to the areas we had been to to fellowship with the children and adults we had come to know. We had such a great time. We also saw some of the kids we had met through a VBS the first week...they were playing soccer and some were having a church bible study at a house. That was so neat to see! It just melted my heart...there were teens, adults, and some young children sitting together under a tree. I asked one of the young boys about it and he said that they meet there every friday to talk about the bible. Praise God! He is alive and active and he is doing a mighty work in some of these communities! After our random talking with people..and Samantha speaking a little bit of spanish..(our only hope to actually communicate with some of them)...lol...we headed home. We all three enjoyed the time we had to visit people in the colonias..and to spend a little bit of time with them. I am looking forward to this last week. Now that we have a vehicle to drive we will will hopefully be able to spend time with the kids! I am just so grateful right now that God has brought me here and has shown me what he is doing. I am so excited to see what is going to happen with these families. I believe God is going to bless them so that he will be glorified. I believe also that I need to really pray and support this mission down here. I think that is one of the reasons God put it on my heart to come here. I now feel a connection with the area and these people have a piece of my heart. I will always be thinking about them and hoping/praying that God takes care of them! Please pray for me this last week as I continue my mission work on the border!!! May all the wonderful things that happen show how great our God is!!!