Monterrey's Mayor gives the Keys to the city to Jesus

Last week, the Mayor of the city of Monterrey symbolically gave the keys to the city of Monterrey to Jesus.  For a link to an article in english - click here.

The Mayor, Margarita Arellanes Cervantes was quoted in the ceremony saying, "In the last few months, and I say this with humility, we have been witness to increasingly obvious change for the better in our city, and this has happened because we have opened our doors to God. While we acknowledge that human participation is key, it is clear that only the light of faith in God can drive away the darkness.

"This is why we are gathered here today, and I, Margarita Alicia Arellanes Cervantes, hand over the city of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, to our Lord Jesus Christ, so that his kingdom of peace and benediction may be built.  I open the doors of this municipality to God as the highest authority.  I recognize that without his presence and help we cannot truly succeed."

She continued and said, "If the Lord does not watch over the city, the work of its guardianas is useless, which is why, with profound respect and reverence, I humbly ask God, with the community as my witness, to come into this city and make it his home and to live in the hearts of each of its inhabitants.  Lord Jesus Christ, welcome to Monterrey, the house that you have built for us, this is our house, Lord Jesus, Lord of Monterrey, thank you."

Talk about INCREDIBLE!! Don't you wish the mayor of your city would do that?!?

If you want to see the youtube video - it's all in spanish but here it is.

Wisdom Guided Love

When the going gets tough around here, I'm beginning to think that the smart get weak.  By that I mean, the intelligent turn to God and surrender to his leading instead of trying to toughen up within their own strengths like we are so quick to try to do when surrounded by struggle.

I recently re-listened to a message by Jedd Medefind, the president of the Christian Alliance for Orphans.  He says that "wisdom guided love" knows the worlds' brokenness and it's own brokenness and still chooses to act.  We must choose to act despite the worlds' brokenness.  Wisdom guided love flows from the gospel itself.  Because in the gospel we know that we do not have all the answers in ourselves.  We do not have to justify ourselves.  We can admit our flaws and failures.  We can admit that we are still learning.  Because we have been loved passionately by God, we can passionately love others.

I want this to be true of myself - to keep choosing to act.  This world is broken.  And ministry in a broken world can all too easily leave one feeling broken right along with everything and everyone.

Ministry these days feels like I'm walking out onto a battlefield every single hour of every single day.  You know the battlefield scenes in movies like The Patriot.... where they all line up and just get shot at from point blank range.... well that kind of sums up how my life feels right now.  If we are to smart in battle we need to be weak in ourselves, in our ideas, in our efforts - and need to be strong in the Lord - in His promises, in His strength, in His power and in His timing.

Please pray for me this week.  I need it.

Progress

Meet Arturo.  He is 10 years old and has 4 younger siblings.  He and his siblings moved into the children's home in January of this past year.  His past could break the hardest heart of stone but I won't and shouldn't share that because it's his.  But what I will share is how proud I am of him.  

In January, when he moved in with us into my dorm, he could barely read.  He is 10 years old but this is his first year in school for his entire life.  For his age, they threw him into 4th grade because that's policy in this state.  We've worked with him every single day for the past 5 months to improve his reading and basic math skills.  What started with us reading picture books to him has now grown into Arturo reading chapter books like a big boy.  

He's currently reading  the Tree House series in spanish and is on book 4.  He is thrilled that I have more than 15 books in the series in Spanish and he can't wait to read them all.