In Mexico recorded 22 deaths from cold

This article was just reported in the El Diario newspaper on January 30, 2011.  This is the translated version.  Here is the link to the original http://bit.ly/ifVAUu.

Low temperatures have been recorded in Mexico from October 21 until last Wednesday have left a toll of 22 dead, reported Sunday the Ministry of Health.

The unit asked the public to take extra precautions to prevent the spread of respiratory and other problems caused by hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning and burns, the latter two related to the rudimentary heating systems used in marginal areas.

According to Telesur, the Health Ministry said that 18 of those deaths were reported in the state of Chihuahua and two in Coahuila, both in the north, while the other two deaths were recorded in the central state of Puebla.

This week, the minimum temperatures occurred in the town of Temochi, in Chihuahua, with 10 degrees Celsius below zero.

This breaks our hearts and is the reason that we are building homes and raising funds to provide electric blankets for families in Mexico. We are encouraged however, that over 4,000 families have received Casas por Cristo homes and will have adequate shelter when the freezing temperatures hit.  Providing electric blankets is an extension of our home building yet is done solely through donations.  We would like to provide each family that receives a home with this gift that may be potentially life saving.  With a cold front expected to hit us on the border tonight, temperatures are estimated to be in the teens this week and possibly snow Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Please keep these families that will have to fight the cold in your prayers and consider helping tangibly by coming to build a home or donating to help provide more electric blankets to more families. Here you can find more information on how to come on a Team Casas build or give to the Heat Fund.

Safety in Juarez

Watch the news report on ABC about Casas por Cristo and the safety precautions we are taking as we continue to share God's message and provide housing to those living in poverty in Mexico.

Missionaries Take Safety Precautions When Going to Juarez

Casas por Cristo Promo Video

By The Word of His Power

Did you look up at the Lunar Eclipse a couple of weeks ago? The announcement of the eclipse was all over every media and news outlet in our country. It was probably even announced in schools. It was stated as a scientific fact that we won’t be able to see another total lunar eclipse in this hemisphere for the next 4 years. FOUR years… The uniqueness of an eclipse makes it special. I think we could even go beyond that and say that it is precious. It is precious because at one moment in time, God gives us perspective that we do not normally see or understand completely. For this moment, we are able to see the shadow of the earth on the moon. We can somewhat feel the sun, moon, and earth lining up. We can visualize this and know exactly how things are up there for just a brief window of time.

In our flat perspective of the world, it’s important that we remind ourselves of the vastness of the universe that God has made. For most of us, we stay in a relatively small area of the world for most of our lives. For us at Casas por Cristo this small spot in the world is El Paso. By staying withing this vicinity, going home, to work, and to church, our perspective of the world tends to lull us into a false sense of security and control. We can all wake up and for the most part have an idea of what is to come in the day. Knowing what’s coming and feeling in control of our day’s destiny helps us feel safe and in control. For many of us it is rare to give much thought to what is going on beyond our city, state, country, continent, hemisphere, world, solar system, galaxy, and universe.

So how big is the universe? According to Nasa, no one knows if the universe is infinitely large, or even if ours is the only universe that exists. Other parts of the universe, very far away, might be quite different from the universe closer to home. It is estimated that there are 200 billion galaxies in our known universe. In our galaxy, the Milky Way, there are 5800 to 8000 visible stars but even that is just a sliver of the amount of stars in our galaxy. The estimation is around 300 billion. That is 300 billion stars with their own planets in our galaxy. Our galaxy is 1 of 200 billion galaxies in our KNOWN universe. Not to mention that there is a super massive black hole right in the middle of the Milky Way galaxy that is 4 million times the mass of the Sun. Our galaxy is spinning at a rate of 225 kilometers per second. In addition, the galaxy is travelling through space at the rate of 305 kilometers per second. This means that we are traveling at a total speed of 530 kilometers (330 miles) per second. That means that in one minute you are about 19 thousand kilometers away from where you were before.

Our planet is the third from the sun. Our planet has the exact properties needed for sustained life; The Exact. Think about this for a second. We are the exact distance from the sun needed for life. Any closer and we are dead, any farther away…we are dead. The planet has the exact physical properties, both in gas and minerals, to sustain life. Altered in any way, we are dead. The moon regulates tides, wind, and weather. Without it, we are dead. If an asteroid or comet hit our planet, most likely, we are dead. By the way, there are trillions of comets, and 18,000 known asteroids just in our solar system.

Let’s take this a step further. Your body has trillions of cells. So many in fact, no one can get a close count. Each one of these cells is like a mini-solar system. If the right kind of chaos happens in just one of these cells, you can get cancer. According to the ICD (Internal Classification of Diseases) there are 12,420 diseases, and there are 14,199 diseases if you include Chapter XX (External Causes of Morbidity and Mortality).

I’m not putting all of this in here to give a hypochondriac a heart attack or to scare us. Rather, I’m trying to give us some perspective. A perspective in which we can understand how vast but fragile the universe is. It is unbelievably fragile. How can anyone not believe in a creator who not only designed things to function in such balance for life but also holds all of it together? There is so much chaos and so many factors that exist that it’s a miracle that things hold together even for a minute. But God in His infinite wisdom and beauty is involved and active in His creation. 

Lee Strobel wrote a book called “The Case for Christ”. Strobel was an atheist whose wife became a believer. One day, he decided to attend church and start research for the purpose of proving that the Bible and Christianity were false. He believed he could prove it. At the end of his research he made a list. He drew a line down the middle of the page and on one side wrote the facts that proved Christianity true, and on the other side, facts that proved it false. He concluded that it would take more faith to believe that the God of the bible and the scriptures were untrue. All of the evidence pointed straight to there being a creator God who created and holds the world together, who also saved mankind from their sin by coming in human flesh, dying, and resurrecting from the grave. Strobel is now a believer.

Doesn’t it take more faith to believe in the non-existence of God? 
Look at Hebrews 1.

Heb 1:1                Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,

Heb 1:2                 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Heb 1:3                 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

At every moment of every day Christ is holding up the Universe by the word of His power. He is holding all of this together. Is that not incredible to think about? Do you realize the implications of this? Every moment is Grace. Every moment is mercy. Every moment is love. When you sinned, He was holding you together. When you sin again, He will hold the very fabric of your being together.

Job 12:10             In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.

Act 17:24              The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,

Act 17:25              nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

Every breath we breathe is in the palm of His hand. Everything about us He is willing into being. He gives us everything. This perspective is precious. We have no bargaining place in the Universe. Our life is His. Our every moment is His. Let the truth of His control, grace, mercy, and love fill us from head to toe. He created us and is holding us and everything together for His Glory and because He loves us. These truths are meant to draw our hearts to Him. The signs and wonders that He does in creation are meant to give us perspective. Like the eclipse.

Every time that you can be a part of something that gives you perspective like this…embrace it. We need to be reminded of who is in control of everything. We need to be reminded that there isn’t anything God can’t do. He is in control of our body and everything in the Universe. Thank Him.

We Need You!

Life for many Americans is harder now than it has been in decades. Financial struggles are felt all across this country as well as the globe. Vibidiana Zapot is a woman in Juárez who is struggling as well. Vibidiana is a twenty one year old single mother of a five year old little girl named Jaqueline. Her story is one that motivates, encourages, and challenges us to change our perspective and moves us to action. Six days a week Vibidiana heads off to work a ten hour shift in one of the local Juárez factories, earning only $62 per week – not nearly enough to provide for her family. Vibidiana relies on her parents to take care of little Jaqueline while she is working.  On her day off each week, Vibidiana sets a strong example for her daughter by attending Misión Puertas del Cielo church and trusting in God. 

Vibidiana is living with her parents and dreams of one day having her own home for her and her daughter. That dream is closer than ever to becoming a reality. On February 18th, Team Casas is scheduled to build a home for Vibidiana and Jaqueline, and WE NEEDYOU. We still need two volunteers who would join us to make this dream come true. On March 7, 2008 Vibidiana applied to receive a home from her local pastor and almost three years later, we are only 2 volunteers away from providing the gift of a free home for her and her daughter. Will you join us on this trip?  Will you give the gift of a free home to a family struggling each day to survive? We have a spot for you right now so call or email us to sign up today.

Visit our site for more information by clicking here

Beautiful Cycle

 Luke 11:1-13

Many of us have our own picture of God.  He takes the form of a grandfather to some and a tyrant to others.  He is seen as glorious and powerful to some, power-hungry and stern to some, and unbelievably gracious and selfless to others.  What is your picture of God?  Whatever it is, it most likely shapes the way you pray and the way you behave toward Him.  Fortunately, God has left us with descriptions and truths about what He is like and how He feels toward us in scripture.  If we would take the time to try to get to know Him, our prayers and our behavior toward Him may change overtime for the better.  Our relationship with Him, instead of being filled with guilt, may become more fulfilling and peaceful.  Our prayers - instead of being dull, boring, and uncomfortable - may become more passionate, intimate, and sustaining.  Let’s dive in and understand God a little better.

Luke 11:1      Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."

Luke 11:2      And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.

Luke 11:3      Give us each day our daily bread,

Luke 11:4      and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation."

The Lord’s Prayer.  Nothing new here for many of us.  Our prayers should be God-exalting, God- glorifying, God-centered.  Even the statement, “Give us each day our daily bread,” has God in mind.  Look at another place we see this statement in scripture:

Pro 30:8-9      Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?" or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”

The idea here is that God will give us just enough for our day so that we may glorify Him with our lives. Not too much, not too little.

God has set up our relationship with Him to be cyclical.  God gives, and then we give back.  God blesses, and we bestow blessing, honor, and praise.  God restores and we praise.  God heals and we glorify.  God loves and we love back.  Do your prayers reflect this cycle? Does your life reflect this cycle?

How one-sided is your relationship with Him?  We tend to be in one of two places when we are out of whack with God.  We either believe that God is demanding, commanding, and taking, taking, taking.  We see no blessing from God, but only His impossible demands on our life to serve and obey.  Or on the other hand, we have no clue that we are giving nothing to God but the leftovers of our time.  If we are giving Him seven minutes of our day, it doesn’t appear that we are loving God with “all our heart, soul, strength, and mind.”

Again, what do your prayers look like? What does your behavior toward God look like? Is it a beautiful, cyclical relationship? Or is it unhealthily one-sided.
I love this next part because it really does highlight what our relationship with Him should look like.  This example reveals the heart of a person that knows the goodness of God over time and believes in the beauty of that relationship.

Luke 11:5      And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves,

Luke 11:6      for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him';

Luke 11:7      and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'?

Luke 11:8      I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.

Luke 11:9      And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Luke 11:10      For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Luke 11:11      What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;

Luke 11:12      or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

Luke 11:13      If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

I always thought this story was kind of odd.  Where is the cyclical relationship here?  Here, the friend in the house is God, and we are the friend knocking. What honors God here is the fact that the friend knew he could come to his friend in the middle of the night in his time of need.  He knew that his friend would come through.  The friend honors his wishes even though it isn’t deserved.
We can come to Christ for anything at any time.  We honor Him when we go to Him for help because we know that He is loving and kind.  We know that He is gracious and merciful.  We know that He always does exactly what He promises to do.  We know that He will come through no matter how crazy the circumstances - in the middle of the night, empty-handed, even when we have not honored Him or His wishes. God will answer.  Our boldness to ask and our faith in His provision honor Him.
Do you come to Him boldly?  Do you come to Him despite the circumstances?  Do you honor Him with your belief in His provision?  Do you honor Him with the belief in your relationship with Him?  Do you know His goodness well enough to run to Him with any burden?
In this crazy life we try to live alongside our Creator, may we come to know that God created our relationship to benefit both us and Him.  God gives and we give back.  Knowing His goodness, we give are faithful and we believe.  And He honors our boldness and faith.  It’s a beautiful cycle.

Thank God right now for your existence.    Thank Him for designing a beautiful and mutually beneficial relationship.   Then reach out and take an active role in your relationship with Him today.

Stepping Out

Juárez is in trouble.  Not because there is a drug war going on, but because so much of the Christian community has turned its back.  The innocent families on our waiting list of three years, those who have nothing to do with the drug cartel, are suffering.  They are left wondering if Casas por Cristo is going to make good on its promise to come and build them a home.  Wondering how to trust God to provide for their families.  In the past, families applying for a home didn’t wait longer than a year.  Today, those on the list will wait almost three years.  In 2009, we built 225 fewer homes than we did in 2007.  It’s not that we are disappointed that our “production” is down.  It’s for the simple fact that 225 fewer families received this amazing miracle.  And that is exactly what we believe these homes are…miracles.  A home is truly the largest and most valuable gift any of these families will receive on this earth.  And beyond that, it is an enormous expression of God’s love for them. 

But in addition to these families missing out on a great blessing, there are hundreds and thousands of volunteers that are missing the opportunity to be a part of something greater than themselves…a part of sharing Christ’s love and provision with those in need.  The following is one definition of the word mission:  “a course of services given to convert the unchurched or quicken (to make alive, or to cause to burn more intensely) Christian faith.”  How true this statement is to what we do here.  The definition is two-fold, as is the mission of Casas por Cristo.  Through our service of building a home, we are able to reach out to those who don’t know Christ and at the same time, our own faith is being quickened and ignited.  Brilliant.  I am pained for the thousands of volunteers who didn’t get to experience this quickening because fear kept them away. 

In his book, Crazy Love, Francis Chan sets forth the following challenge: “God doesn’t call us to be comfortable.  He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through.”  Juárez is in trouble, and its people need God’s presence, peace, and love now more than ever.  Please come.  Please serve.  Please trust God to take you outside the things you are comfortable with.  Be encouraged that there is no better place to be than in His will.  Come and help us share love and let’s fight together to make His name known.

-Amy Lowrey