Friday, July 24, 2015

Pastor & Family Spotlight | July 2015 | Juárez, México

Pastor & Family Spotlight
Ciudad Juárez, México
Meet Pastor Jose (Joe) Borntreger (pictured to the right). He has been an active member on our Pastors Committee since 1997. He is originally from the US, but has been serving the people of Juárez for many years.
Jose and his wife have helped start five churches in Ciudad Juárez over the last thirty years. Since 1997, Pastor Jose has been sponsoring families to receive homes through Casas por Cristo. In his years of service, he has helped provide quality housing and share the Gospel with 168 families. He is in a unique situation as one of our local pastors because he is fluent in both Spanish and English. Therefore, he is able to share about Christ with both the families he sponsors and the volunteer teams that come to build homes.

Torres Family
Valdez Family
Pastor Jose recently sponsored the two families pictured above to receive homes through CpC. Both of their homes were built by a group of youth and adults from Parkview Christian Church in Mt. Carmel, Illinois. At the home dedications, Pastor Jose shared with each family that the homes were not just a physical blessing, but they were also to serve as a reminder of God's love and provision for his children. These homes were to represent hope and grace to the entire community. Pastor Jose then shared with the team that he appreciated their sacrifice, time, and energy to help him in his ministry. He said he feels the volunteer teams really come to help him and his church. While the homes were being built that week, Pastor Jose was busy visiting the work sites and overseeing the addition of a second story to his church's building. As a result of Pastor Jose's partnership with CpC, their church is now bursting at the seems and needs more space to keep up with the steady growth! 
At one home dedication, Josefina Valdez (pictured above), the matriarch of the family, broke down in tears as she tried to convey how much the home meant to her and her family. She has been praying for God's provision for her family for a long time. You see, this has been an incredibly difficult year for Josefina, her four children, and her seven grandchildren, who have all been living together in a tiny shack made of pallets and cardboard. Earlier this year, Josefina lost a four month old granddaughter to an illness. She said this new home represents hope for the future for her family. She thanked God for sending a group of strangers from another country to provide for her.


 

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