Friday, September 30, 2011

Day 19 | Servants Hearts

In Matthew 20:28, Jesus says about Himself, “the Son of Man came to serve, not to be served.” With that in mind, today we ask that you would pray that all those who claim to follow Jesus Christ would be true servants. Jesus came to this world and showed us how to live the life of a servant. He cared for others before He cared for Himself. Wherever we find Jesus, we find Him to be serving others. This attitude of service often flies in the face of what our society preaches. We live in a world that says, “watch out for number one.” We see professional athletes holding out of training camps in order to get as much out of their new contract as possible.


Being a servant means we put someone else's needs before our own. I am reminded that some of the greatest moments captured in sports is when a runner stops to help a fellow runner, a competitor, who has stumbled just short of the finish line. They stop, support their weight and help them cross the line. Those moments inspire us all.

A servant is all of those first responders that ran into the collapsing World Trade towers while everyone else was running out; those that put the needs of their fallen brothers before their own. True servants change the world and they change how we view the world. Even though we may not understand what motivates them, they inspire us.

Those people that live out the words of Matthew 25, caring for the hungry, the sick, the imprisoned, the naked and the strangers that are in their own communities and neighborhood; those people are true servants. Those people that give up a week of their vacation to come to México or Guatemala and build a home for a family that they have never met; those people are true servants.

Do you want to help change the world? Do you want to look in the mirror and begin to see a reflection that looks a little more like Jesus Christ? Do you want to help change someone else's eternity? Be a servant! I dare you!

Today, join us and pray that God would rise up new servants all across this world; servants that will think of others needs before their own safety. Pray for more people — more servants — that will help change the world!
-David

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Day 18 | Church and Team Leaders

Today’s prayer focuses on our Church and Team Leaders. Let’s just be honest, it’s hard to be a team leader. In the past, being a team leader meant that you were the person who got your team registered, planned travel/housing arrangements, planned meals, promoted the trip and recruited team members. That was hard enough. But over the last few years, our team leaders have had to become our advocates within the local church.

It’s hard for a team leader to try to battle all the misconceptions and misinformation that is circulating about the safety in México. Over the years our team leaders have had to face church leaders and parents who are trying to balance their responsibility of keeping their young people and church members safe with providing opportunities for spiritual growth. These have been serious struggles and overwhelming at times. Please pray for our team leaders as they are facing these tough situations.


Often times we hear people refer to us as being on the “front lines,” but really the greatest battle is not here in México or Guatemala, it is in the local church. Our team leaders are the ones who find themselves on the “front lines.” If they don’t win their struggle in trying to convince, inform, and assure church leadership and parents, we will never even see their team.

Our church leadership and team leaders have serious decisions to make. Pray that God’s Holy Spirit would move amongst them and give them a peace about being able to schedule a trip with us that will challenge their team members to trust in God more, to let their faith be spurred on and to share the love and grace of Jesus Christ with a family that they have never met before.
-David

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Day 17 | Interns

As we continue on our 21 Days of Prayer, we come to the day we are asking you to lift up our interns in your prayers. Our internship program has played a vital role in the ministry of Casas por Cristo over the years. It is literally a part of who we are that we could not do without.


Throughout the years Casas por Cristo has seen hundreds of interns pass through our ministry. Each year they are able to make a tremendous impact on the teams they work for, the families they build for, and the pastors they partner with; planting seeds and in many cases reaping a harvest that may not have been realized. God has been good and used this season in their lives to change not only the lives of those they come in contact with, but their lives as well.

We are asking you today to join us in praying for those interns that have served with us in the past. Pray that God is continuing to use them wherever He has planted them. Also join us in praying for those interns that God is preparing for service here at Casas in the next year and in the years to come. Pray that He would place a burden on those unknown interns’ hearts to come and serve. Pray that they would hear the call much like Isaiah did when he heard the voice of the Lord asking who he should send and who would go for Him, and Isaiah replied, “Here am I. Send me!” Then the Lord sent Isaiah out to the people to proclaim God’s message.

Our hope and desire as we pray for our interns today is that God will bring the right young men and women to Casas por Cristo and that He will use them to proclaim His message of hope, mercy, grace and love to those who are lost and hurting in Mexico and Guatemala.
Please continue to join us in our 21 day prayer challenge as we lift up our past and future interns.
-Scott

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Day 16 | Eternal Differences

Today we're praying for eternal differences to be made in the lives of the families that we build for and in the lives of the team members that build the homes. We know that God is doing so much more through our ministry than what is visible to us. There are families in communities all over Acuña, Juárez and San Raimundo that are in need of housing. The process that takes place before a home is built connects pastors, families, and churches in two different countries.


When you show up at our office on Monday morning we don't know your story, we don't know how you got here, we don't know where your faith is, all we know is that you are here. The same goes for the family that you will be building for in México. They have dreams, fears, doubts, and a story just like each of us. For each family that receives a home we pray that God would connect the right team at the perfect time. Although we don't see all of the interworkings, we know that God has a plan; a specific reason to have you paired with this family, with our staff and in this community.

Will you pray with us that God will work through the hearts of the families that we build for? Pray that He will meet each family exactly where they are, at the exact moment in their lives when they need to see His abundant love and grace most. Will you pray for every person that will be a future team member or is considering coming on a trip now? Pray that they will also feel His presence when they need it most and that God would work in their lives. Pray for open hearts for the families and boldness and grace for the pastors. Will you pray for us as we seek the Lord in scheduling each home that is built with the family and the team? We know that God is in control of our ministry. We pray that everything that we do will bring God glory and change all of our lives for eternity.
-Brittany

Monday, September 26, 2011

Day 15 | Guatemala

“Guat” can we pray for today??

It has been a really exciting year so far at Casas por Cristo. We love what is going on in Guatemala. For as long as I can remember it has been our vision to reproduce what we do in other parts of the world, outside of Mexico. It has been very fulfilling to see Guatemala take shape and become a place where great ministry is taking place.


We began 2011 looking at a small list of countries we’d like to expand to and narrowed it down to Guatemala. After some initial planning on our first trip in February, we can say now that we’ve built four homes through local churches in the small village of San Raimundo. We could not have made it happen without God showing up in huge ways. We saw God bring us a great partner in ministry with Morning Glory School (a school, clinic, and church planting organization.) We also witnessed the development of a team of 12 pastors to serve alongside and build up their churches. Finally, after many problems with immigration, our tools arrived and are there to stay. We know that prayer has made all the difference and seeing God’s plan in action has brought peace and enthusiasm to the work going on there.

Please join us in prayer today. We want to pray for the first few families that have received homes. We pray that it was a huge blessing and a life changing event for them. We want to lift up future teams (we are already having registrations come in for 2012) and the work they will do to share God’s love. We want to pray for our pastors there, that their vision remains strong and that they can use the tool we are providing. We want to pray for the ministry of Morning Glory, that their work will impact the kingdom and that we can provide another element of ministry that can be useful to them as well.
Thank you for your prayers.
-Pete

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Day 14 | Finances

Would you join us today as we pray for the financial strength of Casas por Cristo? God is “the owner of the cattle on a thousand hills.” He is the Creator, Sustainer and Provider. Sometimes we can get overwhelmed when we look at our income and expenses. We get all worked up about what “We” have to do to raise money. Pray that we will be reminded that it is God who supports this ministry and all other Kingdom ministries through the generous donations of our faithful supporters.


Pray today that God would continue to touch the hearts of just the right people, at just the right time, so that all the finances needed to continue this ministry are provided. Pray as well for Casas por Cristo, that we would be good stewards of those funds that are donated. Pray that we would use these funds wisely; that we would not spend foolishly but also that we would not hoard it in a savings account. We live in a world where money is needed to operate and do business, but pray that we would never forget that we are not a business. We are a ministry. We are His ministry.
-David

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Day 13 | Future

The American culture, more than maybe any culture, is driven by the future. And why shouldn’t it be? It was the very reason so many people migrated here. The American dream. We are a land called the great melting pot. Our very roots were grown from the hope of the future.


As a child growing up in our culture, everything revolved around the next step. We must perform a certain way to make it into an elite University. We must get the degree, to get the job, to get us to retirement as quickly and richly as possible. Plans are what form the basis for our future. We need to have an air-tight plan. So as a Christian in our culture, what I find myself doing is making plans even though my life was purchased by Christ.

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." 1 Cor 6:19-20

We make plans and try to pray them into being as if God is a genie. Surely God will honor my plans if I have fit him into them. How often do we ask God for His plan and then wait for the answer? By designing our own future we place ourselves in the position that should be held by God. James calls it an “evil arrogance.”

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'-- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." James 4:13-16

So today, though there are many things that we here at Casas want for our ministry’s future, let’s pray that God’s desires and plans would come to fruition. Pray that God would grant us peace by revealing His heart to us even at small steps at a time. Pray that we would trust God to be the leader of our ministry and our lives.

God we ask that Your kingdom come, that Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…
-Justin

Friday, September 23, 2011

Day 12 | Future Missionaries

There has been a lot of talk lately about “short-term missions.” Some people love them and some people would do away with them all together. That’s a blog for another day. I tend to fall into the “love” category. I’ve been leading these trips for over 10 years of my life, but I think the reason I love them so much is the two-fold purpose behind them. A short term trip impacts those serving and those being served. It’s a win-win, really. I think that it’s amazing to be a part of an organization that changes lives; making a huge difference in such a short time that lasts for years to come (through a home and more importantly through the connection to local pastors.)


I’ve heard hundreds of stories of lives changed because of a short-term trip. I’ve heard stories of people committing their lives to ministry because God called them or revealed something to them on a mission trip. I know of missionaries serving in other parts of the world that wouldn’t be doing so if they hadn’t first gone on a week long mission trip. These trips do make a difference.

I don’t think that everyone is called to make “that” kind of commitment. However, I think we are all called. I think the trip itself is a catalyst for so much more. I think God uses the short window of time to reshape and remold our vision as Christians for the whole world. All of us are called to be missionaries, not just those of us serving full-time with Casas or other missionaries serving in different places with other organizations; all of us.

Plain and simple, we are all called to show Christ to everyone we come across. All throughout the New Testament there are testimonies of people that are going and showing Christ’s love as missionaries in their daily lives wherever they are. Will you?

Today we simply ask that you pray for God to raise up new “missionaries.” Pray that as people return home they have a vision for their communities and their cities. Pray that others would answer the call to full-time service in the ministry. Pray that God will use these trips to change and mold all of us into the followers He desires us to be.
-Pete

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Day 11 | Drug Cartels

Today’s prayer topic may seem odd to some, but today we want to pray for the Drug Cartels that are ravaging Mexico. In Luke chapter 7, Jesus says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (I encourage all of you to read Luke 7:27-36)



My natural reaction is to want to curse the drug cartels. Their violence and the media’s coverage of it has left a climate of hopelessness in this city that we love. Their tactics have scared thousands of believers away that used to come to Juarez on a regular basis, bringing hope and sharing the love of Jesus Christ. We are one of the very few U.S. ministries that still operates in this city. So when I see my neighbors hurting and persecuted, it is very easy for me to just want to curse the cartels and wish evil upon them. But, that’s not what Jesus wants.

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He says it is His wish that NO ONE should parish, but that all would be able to have eternal life. So, what do I do in response to this? I pray for those who mistreat the very people that I love. This is my challenge to you. Instead of praying that God would just stop the cartels or that He would condemn their leaders, PRAY! Pray that God would move inside of the very top leaders of each cartel. Pray for the salvation of each and every cartel member. Pray that one day you will be able to stand side by side in paradise with those very cartel members that have been keeping you away from Mexico.

Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” If we want to stop the drug war that is ravaging in Mexico, then first we have to win the spiritual battle! So Pray! Pray! Pray!
-David

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Day 10 | Staff Missionaries

As missionaries with Casas por Cristo, we are often complimented on the radical way we have chosen to live our lives. I think the first time I received a compliment like that I had no idea how to react. Sure, doing this can be difficult, but the difficulties that come with being a full time missionary don’t seem to be that big of an issue. When you write down the sacrifices on paper, it seems like a lot. We have all moved away from our families and put everything we know behind us. We sleep in Mexican churches for half the year. We lead construction in some of the worst conditions with untrained volunteers. We even have to fundraise our salaries to work here. But to me, these difficulties don’t seem that bad.


It’s like when you were a kid and the doctor gave you a lollipop to distract you from the shot. Jesus Christ and all that He is doing melts away the difficulty. When I see a single mom receive the key to her home and then give thanks to God through tears, difficulty might as well not exist. God has given us such a vision of His love that it’s all worth it. I think of Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:15-18:
For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
I don’t write all of that to brag or boast in us, but rather to boast in the Lord for what He accomplishes through ordinary men and women. We receive compliments all the time for being extraordinary, but we know that we are supernaturally sustained and blessed. All glory, honor, and praise go to our God who uses us to do wonderful things. I don’t think anyone here at Casas saw themselves doing this. God shaped us, moved us, and worked to assemble the team we have here. And the sight of Him as he works through us creates such a profound peace and satisfaction that picking up a cross to come after Him is truly a joy.

Pray for us today that God would continue to give us a vision of eternity. That everyday would be a joy to lay down our lives for the sake of others. Pray that as we come to know Jesus so deeply, so would the teams and families that we serve. Pray for the Holy Spirit to empower us and embolden us to make a large impact for the Kingdom. We need your prayers, it is God who sustains us.
-Justin

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Day 9 | Families to Know Christ

Today our prayer focus is for the families we serve to come to know Christ and accept Him as their Lord and Savior. Sometimes, because our ministry uses the building of a home as our main tool to spread the Gospel, people get confused and think that our purpose is humanitarian and what we care about is providing shelter. We do love that at the end of every week of service we get to hand the family keys to their new home, and we walk away with the knowledge that they will no longer live in that cardboard and pallet, or tin shack that sits beside their new home. However, we love it even more that we walk away knowing that we have played a part in planting the seed of God’s word into their lives, and that we have opened a door for a local pastor to have a relationship with a family he might not otherwise have been able to cultivate.


Casas por Cristo exists to build homes, change lives, and save the lost. While we realize that only the blood of Jesus and the grace of our Lord saves a person’s soul, our ministry exists to be a tool to bring someone to that point in their life where they realize their desperate need for Him. The building of a home and handing it over as a free gift is meant to point them to an even greater free gift offered to us through Jesus Christ. We desire more than anything to carry out the great commission given to us in Matthew 28:19-20

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Please pray with us that every seed that is planted in the form of the building of a new home produces a harvest. Pray that the families and those in the communities around them that we serve will come to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
-Scott

Monday, September 19, 2011

Day 8 | Acuña

Many of you have had the opportunity to travel with Casas por Cristo to Ciudad Acuña. For those of you that haven’t let me share a little bit about this city.
Acuña has a population of about 225,000 people.  It is located across the border from Del Rio, TX, about 150 miles west of San Antonio.  Many of the people living in Acuña are employed by U.S. factories, earning about $75 a week. 


In early 2009, Casas por Cristo decided it was time to branch out and open a satellite operation.  We “accidentally” landed in Acuña.  I remember making the trip to Eagle Pass, TX to research the location there, only to realize we weren’t going to be able to launch our operations in that location.  It was a failed attempt, or so we thought, until on a whim we decided to swing into Acuña on our way back to El Paso.  The people were receptive to our work and we were encouraged to see their enthusiasm and excitement. Just a couple of months later we were building our first homes there.
Now, two and a half years later, we have served over 150 families and partnered with about 40 pastors.  It has been a privilege to see the pastors become unified for the kingdom work that Casas is doing.  It has been encouraging to see how receptive the people are to the good news of Jesus and his love and mercy.  The teams that have served here have made a lasting impact on the community and it’s people.  The people of Acuña recognize our trucks, our people, and our work as a sign of God’s love – a huge testament for the kingdom.
Please join us in prayer for the 150 families that have received homes and joined in community with local pastors and churches.  Pray for the families on our waiting list to receive homes.  Pray for the future families that will be shown God’s love through the gift of a home.  Pray for the economy of Acuña and Mexico and the poverty the people face in their daily lives.  Pray, most of all, that God’s love shown through Casas, our teams, and our pastors would impact the people of Acuña in a powerful way.
-Pete

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Day 7 | Peace

"The fruit of Silence is prayer. The fruit of Prayer is faith. The fruit of Faith is love. The fruit of Love is service. The fruit of Service is peace." - Mother Teresa

There are people all around the world that live daily in cities ridden with violence and heartache. They are far more familiar with a state of fear rather than one of peace. They are constantly concerned for their well being, along with that of their families and their children.  For those that have no escape from this reality, we pray that the peace of Christ which surpasses all understanding would cover them.



We specifically pray for those in Juárez, Acuña and San Raimundo today.  We pray for those that don't have the option of simply crossing a border to seek freedom from their fears.  We pray for peace in Juárez as innocent families carry out their normal lives, all the while an ongoing drug war plays out in the background. We pray for children and parents living in Guatemala where child labor runs rampant due to the desperate need to survive. We pray for those all over the world that live under the oppressive hand of poverty.  We pray for peace in parent's hearts as they seek to provide for their children and their family's basic needs.

Our prayer is that Christ will tangibly cover these families today and that His peace will be more visible than the concerns and worries that overwhelm.  We pray that He will calm the raging seas as His peace crashes like waves around them.
-Brittany

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Day 6 | Teams




Our teams make everything that we do here at Casas por Cristo possible.  Without teams, the doorway that is opened for pastors to minister to families in their community is taken away.  In the past three years we have had a huge drop in the number of teams coming to build homes. We have gone from building almost 400 homes a year to 150 this year.  With the decline in the number of homes being built, the number of families that are waiting and in need is only growing.  Our waiting list has gone from six months to up to three years.  Families' prayers daily are for the homes that they are waiting to receive and for the teams that would come and build them.  

We want to show the families that are waiting that our God is big.  We want them to see with our actions that we trust in His provision for our own lives.  We are praying for teams to return that have built with us in the past.  We are praying for new teams to hear about our ministry and jump on board.  Families are waiting.  We are waiting.  Will you step out in faith and join us?
-Brittany

Friday, September 16, 2011

Day 5 | Kingdom Growth

"Doing the work of God is dangerous…not doing it is more dangerous.”

Wow!  How true is that statement?  I know that it means more to me now than ever before to serve God in spite of the danger around me.  I’ve done an evaluation in my own life of what it means to serve God even when it’s dangerous.

What would happen if I die?
Would my family be okay?  
How will I be remembered?
Was it really worth dying for?

Today our prayer is that kingdom work continues to go on; that God’s will for the world and all of mankind is achieved – no matter the cost.  In many places around the world, serving God comes at a great cost, with great risk. However, the work must go on.  Christians must stand up and point people to Christ, using whatever means possible, no matter how dangerous or difficult that task may seem.


Throughout all of history we have seen God’s hand at work through different people, different nations, different ministries, even different humanitarian aid organizations – all to bring good and glory to His name.  We know that we at Casas are not the end all and be all of ministries.  There are hundreds and thousands of organizations, groups and churches out there serving God in different ways, but still with one common purpose – to proclaim His name.

Our prayer today is to lift up all of the kingdom work going on across the world.  We pray that Christ is evident in their work; that it is done to bring glory to His name and that others may know of His love and grace, whatever the cost.  
Thanks for joining in our 21 Days of Prayer.
-Pete

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Day 4 | Pastors in México and Guatemala

Today we lift up the Mexican & Guatemalan Pastors. They work behind the scenes of every mission trip, every Casas por Cristo family, and all of the families that are waiting for homes. So much happens before and after the week of a mission trip that is only possible with their help. We are so thankful for the partnerships we have with the 125+ pastors, and for the work that their churches are doing for the glory of God.


The pastors of Casas por Cristo use the homes built as a way to show their communities that there is hope, that Christ is alive, and that He cares for us all. We are all doing our part in sharing the Gospel, but most of the time it is the local pastors that these families look to for guidance and spiritual knowledge.

We ask that you pray for the strength and endurance that is needed to be a pastor; that they may be bold in their faith and that God would continue to use them. Pray for each pastor’s special gifts and God given talents. Pray for their families and that they may be able to continue to grow in Christ.
-Mikell

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Day 3 | Pray for Staff Support


Today we ask you to join us in praying for the financial and prayer support of the staff missionaries of Casas por Cristo.


Every missionary has answered God’s call to serve; walking by faith, to serve Christ and His people. Each missionary has left the comforts of friends, family and their hometown to move to the middle of the desert to be used by God.  They work hard every week to accomplish all of the ministry’s tasks that keep it all moving. When not building across the border, they can be found in the office doing everything from answering the phone and emails, getting materials ready, and meeting with families and pastors. These staff missionaries do all of the jobs necessary to accomplish the task of leading international mission trips; all the while raising their own support.

We ask you to pray for the staff today; that they may be confident in their decision to lead a life of service, and that God will bless them. Pray that God will provide the financial gifts and prayer support needed to further and continue a life of a service. 
Join us in praying for Bob, Brandon, Brittany, David Q., David R., Gwen, Jason L., Jason R., Josh, Justin, Kurt, Pete, Scott, Mikell, and Miquel.
-Mikell

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Day 2 | Pray for Families' Physical Needs

If you've ever been on a trip with Casas por Cristo, you know first hand the stark contrast between the world in which we live and the border cities in which we serve.  It is almost incomprehensible to understand how such poverty can exist only yards away from such wealth; how one fence can make a line in the sand that changes everything.  Today we are praying for the physical needs of those that live daily in extreme poverty.  The most obvious necessity that we at Casas por Cristo address is the need for adequate housing.  However, the physical needs of those that we serve reach far beyond the lack of shelter over a family's head.



We tend to become most aware of the great needs of the families that we serve as we recognize our own basic needs in life. In the winter, we become aware of the freezing temperatures as we seek warmer clothing and turn up the heat in our homes, only to realize that for most families across the border this luxury is not an option.  When we sit down for a meal, we are reminded of empty refrigerators and cupboards that we see in families' homes daily. When the storms come and the winds and the rain barrel in, we think of the buckets on the floor of homes that we visit, or stories of makeshift walls falling in on families that could not withstand the howling wind. Whenever we step into a warm shower, we are reminded of the bucket and bar of soap we have seen in a pallet shack with a dirt floor.  We think of the number of times that we've seen a child in a metal basin bathing inside their home with water heated on the stove. When we turn the key in our cars countless times daily, visions flash by of people standing on street corners waiting to catch the bus or walking their kids miles to school. And as we lay down at night to go to sleep, we think of the children that we have seen sleeping on concrete slabs and on air mattresses in the dirt. We remember the elderly couple that holds one another in the cold on a twin cot, or entire families that pile together into one bed, because a bed is already a luxury in itself.

So today as you go about your normal routine, we encourage you to think about everything you do from the moment you wake up to the time you lie down to sleep. Become aware of these privileges in the normalcy of your day.  Don't let them be overlooked today.  Recognize them for the gifts that they are.  Allow your eyes to be opened to all that surrounds you.  Thank God for all that you have, and pray for those that are without.  Pray for individuals in desperate need that seek daily what you may have never known one day without.
- Brittany

Monday, September 12, 2011

Day 1 | Juárez



For those of us that love Casas por Cristo, Juárez holds a very special place in our hearts. For almost 20 years, Casas has been, and continues to be a fixture in colonias all over Juárez. Completing over 3,700 homes is no small feat. That’s a lot of lives that have been changed, mine and my family’s included.

Juárez has changed a lot in the 10 years that I’ve served with Casas. I remember coming to Juárez as a young, crazy 20 year old college student to serve in the summer of 1999. I have great memories from those days. Juárez was smaller then, geographically and numerically. I remember there being more dirt roads than paved ones. I remember driving in the fumes of loaded down buses, buses that outnumbered the cars two to one. I remember sleeping under the stars in the back of an old pick up outside of Casa de Jesus after a long day of mixing volcanoes under the 100 degree sun. A lot has changed since then. Roads that were dirt are now four lane paved highways. Cars equal buses as they fill the streets. Sparse colonias are now unrecognizable as they are filled with stores and homes. Despite all of the changes in Juárez as the city has grown, the thing that remains the same is the families; the smile on the faces of families receiving homes, the love in their hearts as they serve a meal that comes at a great sacrifice, and the hope for a brighter future for their families because someone cared enough to come share the love of Christ.

Despite the growth in Juárez, the people there are still in desperate need and seeking the light and love of Jesus Christ.  Please pray for these families and their struggles. Pray for ministries trying to answer God’s call and meet the needs of the communities in Juárez. Please pray for city leaders to remember the people. Pray that God’s will be done in Juárez as it is in Heaven. Thank you for your prayers for this city that will always be home to us.
- Pete

Thursday, September 8, 2011

The Daniel Challenge: 21 Days of Prayer

Are you brave enough to join us!? Do you have what it takes to step up to the plate? Will you join with thousands of other Casas por Cristo followers in the Daniel Challenge: 21 Days of Prayer?




Well before you answer those questions, maybe I should fill you in on what we are asking you to do. It all starts in Daniel chapter 10. Daniel has received a message from God that he is supposed to pass along to the people of Israel. There must be something he doesn’t quite understand because he started praying to God for an answer to his questions. In verses 12-14, we find the following response,
Then he (God’s Angel) continued, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, the arch-angel, came to help me, because I was detained there by the prince of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you…
Daniel had a need and immediately went to God in prayer. But he waited three weeks and had not received an answer. The answer that the angel gave him is amazing. The veil was pulled back and we got a glimpse into the spiritual battle that is raging all around us. The angel told Daniel that his prayer was heard the very first day that he prayed, and that he was dispatched that very first day with a response. Along the way, the demonic prince of the Persian kingdom detained him and he had to send for reinforcements. It is not until God’s arch angel, Michael, showed up that he was freed to deliver the message. I don’t know about you, but this passage makes me realize that there is a lot about the Spiritual world that I don’t understand. If Daniel would have stopped praying, would the angel have ever made it to him with the answer?

I am reminded of Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Sometimes I get so consumed with what is going on around me that I forget that behind all of this there is a spiritual battle raging for the souls of men/women. I get so wrapped up by the ongoing violence in México, and how that affects our teams, that I forget that this drug war is just the outward semblance of the spiritual battle that is going on for the very souls of those innocent people living in the shadow of these drug wars.

So, instead of just wishing that the violence would end, we acknowledge that there is also a spiritual battle going on and we want to challenge you to pray like Daniel. For 21 days we want you to join with thousands of other Casas por Cristo followers and pray for the effectiveness of this ministry. We realize the stakes are high, and we want all of you to join forces for 21 days to make a strategic strike against the enemy.

HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED

We want you to take up the Daniel Challenge: 21 Days of Prayer.
The dates will be September 12th – October 2nd. We will start on Monday and end on a Sunday.  Each day we will bring you a new video and blog explaining the topic of prayer for that day.  You can subscribe to our blog below this post to get an e-mail update each day.

If you can't follow online with us here daily, click on the "21 Days of Prayer" logo on our website for a printable calendar with the prayer topics for each day.  We want you to put this wherever you will see it most, as a reminder to pray with us daily.

We are asking you to become part of this movement and get everyone around you involved.  No passport or airplane ticket necessary.  We want you to take this to your churches, your Sunday school classes, your youth groups, small groups and families. Add this twibbon to your profile picture on Facebook and Twitter.  Link this blog and our YouTube videos on your social media pages daily.  Invite your friends on FB to this event.  

You will be joining our pastors in three different cities and two different countries, all of our staff, churches and volunteers from around the world in this challenge over the next 21 days.  On the final Sunday, October 2nd, won't it be amazing to know that churches from all over will be joined together in prayer, that no borders or language barriers can separate?

We want this to be huge.  We want to turn Juárez, Acuña, and San Raimundo upside down for the kingdom of God.  We want families living there and the teams that come to serve to see Christ moving so clearly that it cannot be denied.  Join us in this fight as we come together united, submitting these prayers to the creator of the universe that "no power in the sky above or in the earth below, nothing in all creation" can stand between. 

Become part of the Daniel Challenge: 21 Days of Prayer!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Missing Juárez?


In a city that so many are afraid to visit, God is still at work and moving strong. We want you to see some of what we saw happening this summer in Juárez. We saw families come to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We saw lives from the US side of the border transformed. We saw laughter and hard work as we crossed cultures to serve together in the name of Christ. We filled the streets of this forgotten city with praises to our Father. If you haven't been here to share these moments with us in a while, you're missing out on all that God is doing! Come back and join us! God is very much alive and moving in Juárez and we want you to be a part of it. Here are some scenes from a worship service that we shared this summer with Peach Church and 513FREE from Wisconsin and families living around the SHOC. If only the media reporting on the heartache in Juárez could see the hope that we see here daily!