Calmer/Springfield Luther League Christians in Action

The team is here!! We got to the hotel, got to eat some delicious authentic tacos for lunch, had our orientation meeting and then went to the church we will be serving at. We met pastor Raúl and his wonderful family! The church has a beautiful view of Ensenada. We started our week with a great dinner made by the church and prayer time with the pastor.

Thank God for allowing us to have a great first day!

Prayer walk before church service today! We walked around the community, prayed for them, handed out crocheted hearts made by Bridget with verses and invited some of the neighbors to church and VBS this week. What a privilege to get to be part of God’s global mission through walking, praying and encouraging others!

Today, we had a church service after the prayer walk. First, the pastor's wife, Isabel, gave a bible study about trusting in God. Then, the pastor's children came up and led us in worship. They are very talented! After that, our team led us in worship as well, shared a couple of testimonies and Tony shared a message. We truly felt God's presence, and we are so happy for what's ahead!

We went to a local market to buy and prep the food baskets that we will be giving out this week. Everyone was excited because we walked through the market and saw different ways of packing and storing things at a grocery store. Like milk and eggs outside and not refrigerated.

The team helped get everything on the list and arrange the groceries to fit each food box.

We are ready for the food distribution tomorrow! God is good!

Today we even had a chance to go to the lookout point! We had this beautiful view of the city of Ensenada.

Today, we had the opportunity to start with a construction project at the church. It is so special to come alongside the local church and help them with their building expansion project. We had a church member helping us, and Tad from our team was leading us!

Today we had the huge blessing of being able to give out food baskets. Jovita was one of the people we visited today. Her life and testimony were so encouraging. Please help us praying for her, her husband and three kids. She has been restored by Jesus, has been going to Pastor Raul’s church for a year now and is growing in her faith in the midst of so many difficult situations in her physical and emotional health. Praise God for this opportunity!

Today was our first day of VBS! The kids were so excited to come and participate and were even more excited to get to spend time with them, teach them God’s word, play and make crafts. The kids had a great time learning about John 3:16 and the love God has for the world and how He wants us to share his message to everyone! It was a blast to hear their laughs and be a small part of their walk with Christ.

We have the first wall up now! Today, the first thing we did when we got to the church, was putting up the wall. This is something very special for pastor Raúl since he's been dreaming about expanding the church for a long time, and the time has come. We praise God for the opportunity he has given us to be a part of His perfect plan.

Today, we had our second and last day of VBS here at Casa de Dios Monte Sión. We loved having these kids with us, learning and having fun. We pray they would continue to grow in faith. We'll miss them!

What a blessing it's been to do food distribution! We are grateful for this opportunity we have to share God's love in this way. We are getting to know amazing people and we also get to encourage them and pray together. May God continue to bring them peace and blessings!

To end our day, we had another church service! It was a great time of listening some very powerful testimonies from our brothers and sisters of Casa de Dios Monte Sión. We enjoyed the time we spent together, and we pray for continuing strength and wisdom for our brothers and sisters.

Today we delivered food to Eulogia and Miriam. Miriam is Eulogia’s daughter. They have a big and wonderful family! Even though they are united, they are suffering for the loss of Eulogia’s husband (Miriam’s father). They were discouraged with the church and today we were able to impact them and remind them of God’s love through a food basket, conversations and prayer. Thank God for this great opportunity.

In the afternoon, we got to go to a place where the homeless meet. We shared sandwiches, chips, cookies and the word of God. Toni gave the message of hope and the rest of the team shared verses from scripture to uplift and encourage them.

Help us pray for these people, may God continue touching their lives and hearts.

Today, we finished working on a construction project at the church. We put up another wall, and almost finished the last wall. We are thankful for this opportunity to come and serve alongside pastor Raúl and other church members. We hope this would be encouraging for them, and that they can continue with their church expansion project.

Today, we enjoyed a time of recreation! It was a good time where we enjoyed some touristic places here in Ensenada. We visited La Bufadora (the blowhole), which is a natural marine geyser. We also went to the beach and downtown! We thank God for a great time here in Ensenada.

Today, before dinner, pastor Raúl asked us to write our names on the walls so he could remember us and pray for us every time he sees it. It was a very special moment. We also said goodbye to the pastors, their daughter, the cooks and the bus driver. Between some tears and laughs, we shared a bittersweet moment, but we are so grateful for the opportunity God gave us to have met them and serve alongside them. God is good!