Mision Educarte - Rossy's - Bonfil

Some of the children in Bonfil - they were so eager to help paint

There are two girls who live in Bonfil we’ve gotten to know better this summer.  They make us smile every time we are with them because of their sweet yet spunky personalities.  We know that God has a great plan for their lives!  Recently, we discovered that neither of them can read, and struggle with the abc’s and numbers.  We know that they are not alone in their educational struggles and want to provide after school tutors every day who can help the children of Bonfil.  We are trying to be more intentional with the educational programming at Mision Educarte.  For years, the kids in the neighborhood have heard about Jesus through Rossy’s classes.  Every Wednesday & Saturday she has a Bible class with a craft and feeds the children.  For 19 years she’s done this alone.  We started working with Rossy in January 2013 to provide her with additional resources, bring teams, provide a hot meal, and help her with the Bible classes.  Because we believe in going deep with our ministry partners, we have been evaluating the children and the program to determine their biggest needs and how we can help.  Our desire is that the children will love God with all their heart, soul and mind, but we also want to help make a difference in their educational, physical, emotional, and social needs. 

This summer we took one mission team (Horizon Church College Group) to go and paint the community of apartments – called a cuartaria - where many of the children live.  The one room apartments are about 12 x 15 feet.  Most apartments share one community bathroom and only have a small electric stove for cooking.  The mission team was able to repaint the entire lower level of this cuarteria.  The kids and some of their Mom’s helped with the painting. We also had VBS every Tuesday night with the help of many local volunteers.

Praise & worship time

Samuel is one of our faithful volunteers who helped with VBS

Small group time

Pasta verde....yum!

Beltway Baptist Church helping prepare to serve the kids dinner.

Singing the Psalms...

Julie, Jeny, Erick & Adela - 2011

Jeny 2011

This is Jeny in 2011.  Back2Back had just started working with her and her family. In order to help her Mom - who was a widow - keep her children.  At the time we thought of it as “orphan prevention” but it’s really Family Preservation.  Family Preservation helps families stay together.  Oti, Jeny’s Mom, needed help, to provide and care for her 8 children.  At the time we started working with Oti, she was desperate and ready to take some of her children to an orphanage (a Casa Hogar or what we call a Children’s Home). I love this picture of Jeny because it captures her personality so well.  She always has a smile and is full of love.  In 2011 she was 10 years old and never attended school.  Back2Back saw the need to help her get into school and hired a tutor to come every day after school to help her with her homework.  This was important because her mother cannot read or write and we wanted to make sure she was getting the help she needed.

Jeny 2014

This is Jeny now, 3 years later.  She loves to read, she’s excelling in school, and she still has a smile that lights up her face.  Recently, Sarah, who is part of our staff, gave Jeny a Bible. Jeny was so excited to start reading it.  Sarah asked Jeny if she had a favorite book of the Bible and Jeny wasn’t sure.  Sarah said…"the Psalms are songs they used to sing in Bible times"…knowing that Jeny has often said she wants to be a singer when she grows up.  So Jeny asked Sarah, “do you know what the tune is to this Psalm?"  Sarah answered…."No." Jeny didn’t miss a beat. She said….”I know.” And started singing the Psalm. Making up an upbeat melody.  How precious that must have been to Jesus, to hear Jeny singing a Psalm! 

2014 Mother's Day Card from Jeny

This is the Mother’s Day Card Jeny made for me this year.  She had no idea how much I needed that card.  It was the first Mother’s Day in 21 years I wasn’t able to be with either of my children (Eliza & Nick).  She wrote I love you Julie." Just what I needed to hear!  Please continue to pray for Jeny.  I know God has great things in store and I can’t wait to see the rest of her story.

EL ROI - The God Who Sees...

When my children were little we would listen to the same cassette tape anytime we were driving.  It was Steve Green’s Hide it in your heart Bible melodies…do everything without complaining, do everything without arguing so that you can become blameless and pure children of God (Phil 2:14).  Lately, I’ve had to remind myself of this verse often. I remember the song and sing it in my head.

Our work here has been overwhelming and I have felt so inadequate and tired.  I find when I take my eyes off Jesus I start to sink and give into complaining.  I have realized that complaining never makes anything better, it only contributes to the downward spiral of negative emotions.  I think that is why God told us to take captive every thought.....to think on good things. So when I start to complain or focus on a problem I stop and pray and praise God that He sees the situation.  I recently started a 30 day praise challenge (book by Becky Harling).  It’s been great in redirecting my thoughts and leading me to praise God for who He is.

Checking the man's blood sugar levels

I can praise Him because He is the God who sees….my strong tower, the God I can trust.  He sees the man in Bonfil who wanders around without a home - who can’t hear and can’t speak.  He came recently to a medical outreach in Bonfil. The doctor examined him and he (the man with no name) checked out alright.  The medical team decided to stop what they were doing and pray for this man....who God sees.  As we were praying, even though the man couldn’t hear anything he began to weep.  We all felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in that place, and it was evident even to the man who couldn’t hear.

Choosing to find beauty...a wall at the Tres Reyes Community Center

God sees the little 6 year old girl in Tres Reyes who is being treated for STD’s.  He sees the little girl with heart problems, the children who are neglected, the broken hearted and abused, and He cares so deeply.  He longs for restoration and I can trust Him with all of this.

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13)

EL ROI – The God Who Sees

Word for the Year.......MORE

In 2007, our family was asked to help start a new church plant in Caledonia, MI. In October of that year, along with about 50 other individuals, we launched Journey Church. At the first service of the 2008, our pastor, asked the congregation to identify a "Word for the Year." A word that God was giving us that would define a goal, a new direction, or just an area that God was laying on our hearts. That first year my word was "Waiting." I was waiting, although not very patiently, to see if God  was going to call our family to the mission field. (In case you didn't know, He did.)

Ever since that first year of identifying God's Word for the Year for me, Julie and I, along with Journey Church, have continued this practice. We have found it very helpful and signficant. So this year, when Julie and I began talking about our Word for the Year, she quickly identified "Joy" as her word. For me, it took awhile, but just this past week, God gave me the word "Appetite." My prayer and ongoing pursuit is to have an appetite ONLY for God. Not for what He can do for me. Not for comfort. Not for anything this world has to offer.

In-Depth Parenting classes by a
licensed therapist and volunteer

Yesterday, Julie and I were listening to the "Word for the Year" message online, and our pastor spoke of the word God gave him for Journey Church for 2014. That got Julie and I thinking - is there a Word for the Year for our site? Our staff team? Our ministry partners? And you know what, we believe the same word that our pastor chose for Journey is a great one for our site - "MORE."

More depth with the children and families we serve
More miracles
More kids excelling in school
More lives transformed
More restoration of families

More progress with the Tres Reyes Community Center
More volunteers

Kids at Rossy's  reading the Action Bible

More Staff
More teams
More team members, whose lives are deeply
impacted when they care for the Fatherless and Widows
More wisdom and discernment
More of an appetite for God

Now to Him who is able to do IMMEASURABLY MORE than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory. (Ephesians 3:20)

Pray with us that God will give us Immeasrably More, all for His glory and honor.

"I have chosen you."

I love how God uses scripture to encourage us right when we need it the most. Recently I was reading a passage in Isaiah and the words were exactly what I needed to hear:  Isaiah 41:9b...from the farthest corners I called you.  I said you are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

These words reminded me of my call to serve the orphan and the widow here in Cancun. I "happened" to read them the day before our ground breaking ceremony for the new community center in Tres Reyes. So we were buried in the details for the ground breaking, plus we got some discouraging news regarding one of the kids we serve. But in those verses God reminded me that He is the one who called us here. He also called the employees of Certa Pro Painters of Indiana, Tom & Karen Woelk, and John Guckenberger all to come and serve on that day.....I wasn't alone. God reminded me He is our helper. His call may not be easy, but He will strengthen us.

With this foundational truth and reminder, we did want to share with you some pictures from the ground breaking ceremony. We also want to assure you that not only has God called us but He has called you, whether to pray, give, go, or serve right where you are. We know that without your prayers and financial support, we couldn't be fulfilling God's call on our lives.

Thank you for your partnership and for helping us serve the orphans and marginlized families in and around Cancun.

Spiritual development in Tres Reyes

If you've been on a mission trip with Back2Back, chances are you've heard at least one staff member say something like: "Back2Back believes in going deep with those we serve." What does "going deep" mean? In a nutshell, God has called our ministry to come alongside orphans and single mothers to help them become self-sustainable. It means we usually spend years, not months, working with an orphan or widow in five areas: 

Spiritual, Physical, Educational, Emotional, and Social

Recently we were in Tres Reyes, and we are excited about the consistent Spiritual investments being made there by Jimmy, our national staff, and an awesome group of volunteers who focus their attention specifically on spiritual develpment.  Our prayer is that each individual would be transformed by hearing the word of God. And that they understand that they can trust the Everlasting Father -when they have no earthly father; be comforted by the Prince of Peace - when there is caos all around them; and know the God that sees them and cares (El Roi) - when they are alone and afraid. 

We had 27 kids last Saturday at Pastor Victor's church.

These children and families we're working with may one day be involved in the community center we're building in Tres Reyes. We are planning a ground-breaking ceremony in November for the community center with plans to provide a meal for any who attend. It's exciting to dream about how God may use the commuity center and our current efforts to increase the number of children who are adopted into His family.

Jorge (in red) leads the spiritual growth efforts in Tres Reyes

Please pray with us for the spiritual growth in Tres Reyes and all the other places we serve. Ultimately, all the work we do is about introducing Christ to those who are lost and hurting. And seeing their eternal destinies changed. 

If you are interested in helping us finish the purchase of the land for the community center, or in investing in the construction of the center, please contact our home office or the Mowerys directly. 

Thanks for your prayers and support.

A Tribute to Our Child Sponsors

Chris and Lori Peters with Gloria's family

It's always encouraging to see the children we serve 

get to spend time with the people who sponsor them.  

Earlier this month we had a team from Dayton, Ohio,

Apex Community Church, come to serve.  A couple on their team sponsor 4 children from the same family.

While they were here they were able to celebrate birthdays with Vanesa and Candy. It was precious to see them laughing with the children and making special memories with them. 

We took them to Peter Piper Pizza and the children loved the pizza and games. I'm sure this celebration won't soon be forgotten they children or their sponsors.

We want to thank all of our child sponsors for your faithful support of the families and children we serve. Through your prayers and financial support, you make it possible for us to meet many of their spiritual, physical, educational, emotional and social needs. And if you've never been down here, we would love to have you serve with us and hang out with "your" child.

Thanks for your partnership. God bless you all!

If you have't been to the Back2Back Child Sponsor Facebook page, click HERE to see pictures and much more of these awesome families and children.