Prayer Needed

Most of you have heard the saga that has been transpiring over this past week. Our church got together to help the non-profit, Children of the Americas, in stuffing backpacks with school supplies for needy children in Mexico. We had a wonderful turnout of over 40 people!! The group put together over 500 backpacks that were to be delivered to Mexico in 2 trips.

In the past, we rarely had problems going over the Mexican border and delivering food, school supplies, toys at Christmas and making special trips when needs arose, such as a house needing to be rebuilt due to fire, children needing shoes or blankets during the winter months. After 9/11 this all changed, but more so over the last 4 years.

The border guards started pulling us over and asking us for written authorizations for the items we were bringing over. We did this with the right officials following those requests, but the guards continued to periodically pull our cars over, and even with written authorizations they would sometimes confiscate items, or tell us that there were some things we were not allowed to bring over. Sometimes it was a certain type of food, other times a certain type of toy. The authorizations were not working anymore.
This back pack trip was the trip that finally frustrated me enough to try and contact officials in Mexico. I have written to Hispanic media outlets. I have written to Feinstein and Calvert to seek help. It has been days and I have not received a response from anyone.

The border patrol guards not only kept our backpacks this trip, they also detained our volunteer for over 12 hours and confiscated our van. They told us they would give us the van back for $1,200. Needless to say, our volunteer did not have $1,200. with him, so Pastor Dave drove to Mexico to pick him up and bring him back home, after waiting 4 more hours before they would let them go.

Our volunteer came back the following day, hoping to get our van back. The guards now told him it would now cost us $2,200. to get the van back and would not even comment on our backpacks and school supplies.

I don't know what else to say or do at this point, except to ask anyone reading this to join us in praying for our non-profit, to pray for this situation and to pray for our two countries as it seems relations are becoming more strained as time goes on.

Please also pray for the children that this non-profit reaches out to. Without our presence there will be no more breakfast homes to feed the 300 children breakfast in the mornings. There will be no more school supplies and help with tuition. There will be no more toys at Christmas, blankets in the winter and shoes for the children who have outgrown the old shoes... these are the poorest of the poor. These are the destitute of a country that seems to have forgotten them.

Their neighborhoods are loving. Their schools embrace them. The families embrace each other, and they have become our family too. We are one in Christ.

I am not writing to provoke anger, but rather prayers. We can not fix all that is broken. Some things are too damaged for mere humans to fix. But we can pray, without ceasing during our days, and all that I ask is when you are praying that you bring this to mind and offer this up to the Lord.

In peace and wisdom, I pray the outcome will benefit the children and all concerned. And I thank you for joining us in praying. A conversation with our Lord is good for all.

Thank you!
Blessings to you and yours!
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17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. (James 1:17)

The Prayer of Faith
13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. (James 5:13-20)