NEW DANGER IN TIJUANA!!!

It seems like every day our colorful little city of Tijuana takes a media hit! Blood and gore!

News is news and it's got to sell and the more gory and gut wrenching the news the more it sells. The media is known for a lot of things but none of them include honesty. Take these stories with a grain of salt.

Indeed the killings in Tijuana are terrible but in almost all cases they are criminals killing criminals. Drug Cartel members and Mafia types.

Evil men killing evil men for all the right reasons ... greed!

I'll admit there have been kidnappings. Most tourist kidnappings have been the result of foolish tourists. They drive expensive cars or very-expensive RVs, wear expensive clothing and jewelry, frequent expensive hotels and resorts. If you are kidnapping tourists, who would you choose to kidnap? The wealthy couple or the average Joe Blow and his wife? It doesn't take much of a brain to figure that one out.

Sunday I'm heading into one of the more dangerous areas of the city to preach. Does this make me a hero or a fool? Neither. I'm just doing what God wants done in a dark part of the city that needs a little light. I'm not preaching scared nor walking scared.

Several of our staff bring their children into Mexico on a regular bases.

HERE'S A WAY TO LOOK AT THIS PICTURE: Take it from a man who has worked in Tijuana more than half a century. Tijuana has always been a dangerous city and I guess with the growing poverty it always will be. I don't see it as any more dangerous then it was when I started ministering here.

God has been gracious in protecting the groups we bring down and ourselves from injury and death. We've never even had an attempt on our lives. This is a full on miracle when you consider how many years we have been serving here.

To God be the thanks and Glory.

Isn't it interesting how we Christians trust God to protect our missionaries and their families where they serve in remote and dangerous areas overseas, but when it comes to us being a missionary for a day ... well ... join us again in ministry to the poor in Tijuana, we'd love to have you with us.

QUEEN OF HEARTS

I received this great e-mail recently, and I thought it should be shared.

Von, I wanted to tell you a little story about this money we are sending you/Spectrum. I belong to a Rotary Club here in Hawaii, and every week we have a raffle drawing called the “Queen of Hearts” drawing. Everybody gives a dollar for a ticket and a chance to draw the Queen of Hearts from the deck of 52 cards. One half of the money goes to the club and the other half goes to the winner. Well, the pot had grown to $2,800.00 with only seven cards left in the deck, so I bought six tickets and before they picked the winning ticket I felt God telling me to give the money to you if I won. So I told the gentleman sitting with me that I was going to win today and I was going to pick the Queen of Hearts.

When one of my tickets was called I knew it was meant to be. So I walked up and let God pick the card and we won!

The total came to $1,402.50 Then I went to your website (Spectrum Ministries) to get your address and read the story of the 100 children that were kicked out their orphanage. Well, my wife heard the story and wanted to match the $1,402.50, and then my Office Manager heard the story and she wanted to give $1,000.00. So you see all your prayers are being heard even all the way across the ocean.

Thank you von, for all you do in the world and Mexico. I know you will put this money to good use.

In His Grip, J.K. & M

TRIBE OF JESUS ORPHANAGE UPDATE

Yesterday I went back to try and locate Edith and the kids of the Tribe of Jesus. We hadn't heard fro them for a while. We drove to the last location and found all the orphanage stuff sitting like it was left, right across the dirt road from their old locked out location. Edith was sitting in a chair reading her Bible. As we stopped up the road Juanito saw me and came running up the road yelling von! Von! Juanito gave me a big hug, and held it for some time. It's been a lonely time for them all. Edith followed a little slower and gave me a big hug.

The last I talked with her she was hoping for a good piece of property with about three acres. (I've looked at it myself.) It has water and electricity available and a small very old house. Edith was so excited about it! She was hoping the owner would sell on time but he wants the $125.000.000 up front ... so back to waiting on God. At this point she's hoping to re-negotiate another contract with one of the three owners of the old property. I'm not particularly excited about that BUT ... at best it will be an insecure rip-off of her money.

Of course no one really wants to invest in the orphanage until they are sure the property is secure. A painful dilemma.

Meanwhile she sits there reading, praying and waiting. When I was about to leave six other Tribo kids, returning from school came running up the road to greet us. Hey von!!

We played a few games in which each kid won a dollar. Each boy wore a million dollar smile!

As we were leaving Edith hugged me especially tight asking for our prayers. We'll get her the money for everyday expenses but big money for the property? We just haven't got it.

The other kids have been shuttled temporarily to homes around the area and most are continuing with their schooling.

To think of it, there are people that could write off a check for $200,000.00 with out blinking! Here are a bunch of happy but dirty little kids ... just needing a place to call home. And a neat little lady still sitting by the dirt road, with no where to go but ... wait!

Let Your "Yes be Yes"...

As I drove home today from the dusty pot-hole infested roads of Tijuana I was asking myself a question I end each day with. Did I love God and love people today?

I was glad to answer yes to both. I sat with a young man today named Ernesto he is 21 years old and I have know him since he was 15. He was released last year from prison he did a year and half stint for robbery. He was proud to hold up his baby boy all of three weeks old. He said "Aaron now we can raise our boys together!" I myself have a little boy of five months. As Ernesto and I sat and talked about being fathers he reminded me of many life lessons he has learned from teaching he had heard in his time with Spectrum as a teen. I was amazed to how much he had been paying attention at times I wondered if he had learned anything. Obviously Ernesto has made some wrong choices and they continue to haunt him. But you know what? With God's grace and your continued prayers we will be here tomorrow and the next day loving God by loving people just like Ernesto. Thank you for allowing us to be out here serving.

A SUDDEN EVICTION!

OUT ON THE STREET!

Early this morning I got a call from Aaron, “Von, I have some bad news. Ernesto just got a call from Edith and they're all out on the street and she needs help.”

It seems that yesterday Edith and the Tribo Jesus Orphanage kids (more than a hundred) were evicted. Everything and everyone was literally put out on the dirt road next to their former facility. (A pretty lousy place, I might add)

Aaron and I had different plans for today but, considering their situation, we quickly adjusted to new plans. They have no money. Spectrum's general fund is so low that Aaron, our director, had to wait until the middle of this month to cash his salary check. What a time for this emergency! Often people don't like to commit to a general fund, but that's where the money for a situation like this comes from.

Somehow, Aaron quickly scraped together $1,700.00 in cash and I took off to see the situation for myself and give the money to Edith (the director of the orphanage). I stopped at our dormitory in Tijuana to pick up Armando, then drove the dirt road to her involuntary campsite.

In all my born days (I have many!) and all my time spent in Mexico, I have never seen an eviction of an orphanage. Over one hundred and twenty people and everything they owned ... out on the street in a matter of a few hours! Then again, this is Mexico... Tijuana to be exact.

When we drove up, I was surprised to see Edith sitting peacefully in front of the locked gate eating breakfast with several staff and a couple of kids. She was smiling. “God will provide”, she said as she greeted us and told us what had happened.

"Where are all the kids?", I thought. My answer came as she continued her story. This morning after a hasty “breakfast”, she quickly shuttled most of the kids out to a variety of families and a church. Several were returned to their dysfunctional families. No real solution, just a temporary fix. How temporary? We don't know.

As we said good-by we told her Aaron would be down in the afternoon.

I'm ashamed to say it, but I don't think I would be as peaceful as Edith. To me, this seems to be a rather legitimate environment for worry ... but not for Edith. She sits there trusting God. Wow!

Just wanted to ask for your prayers for Edith and her little “tribe of Jesus” kids.

Pray for us, too, as we choose what part we can play in the lives of these kids.

Welcome

Greetings!

Welcome to Spectrum Ministries new Weblog (Blog).

While we offer frequent newsletters and other announcements on our site, this journal will allow Pastor Von, Arron, and others who work for and with Spectrum Ministries to offer a more personal insight into our work in Mexico.

So, please, be sure to check our Weblog now and then. We know you'll find it inspirational and informative.