Always Providing (July/August 2026 Update)
The summer months are always our busiest times of the year, filled with events and outings and fun things for the kids. This year was no different, but it was actually quite scary, to be honest. At so many points, I had those thoughts of "Are we actually going to be able to make camp happen? Are we going to have to cancel VBS? Is our teens event going to be possible?" I honestly thought that this could possibly be the first summer where we didn't have anything special like this going on.
But God provided. Again. Despite all the cuts and low attendance, we still needed to raise $455 to make our Kids Summer Camp happen. We went to camp knowing this. I was praying for a miracle. And then I was told that the buses we use gave us a very low price when I was expecting more. More money saved there. Then the campground gave us a huge discount too when I was told that there was a set price that I had to pay and that it wouldn't change. And it happened to be just the amount that I thought I still needed to raise. God made it happen. 37 kids and 25 staff were able to experience camp and learn about how God gives us the power to change the world! The more amazing thing to see is the boldness of the kids after camp, how they just step out and pray for their sick or hurt friends and family without even thinking about it, and actually seeing those people healed from their pain and sickness after the kids pray for them! This was my prayer for camp this year: that the kids would go back home filled with the power from God and actually do something with it. And they are. Thank you all who supported our Kids Camp so that these kids could truly be changed, filled with the power of God, and bring that change to their homes and towns. Keep them in your prayers!
From an unexpected donation, we were able to make VBS happen, too! We talked with and taught the kids about how they can turn to God to help them with their emotions and how it's important to express our feelings with others and with God. We taught them how God gives us true peace when we face moments of sadness, anger, depression, and fear! Many new kids came to VBS, and it was so amazing to see God ministering to their hearts. So many kids let go of problems that were heavy on their hearts, and it clicked in many of them that Jesus really is our refuge and strength through the tough times. The biggest point that we taught was that God isn't the one who causes bad things to happen, nor is He the one who "just allows" us to go through bad things. Satan is the ruler of this world and the one who causes these bad things to happen and persist. God extends His powerful hand to us to be able to grab onto to make it through the bad times that are going to happen. For all the horrible things these kids go through, this was something that they needed to know. Thank you all who support us so that we can continue to have events like these so that these kids and break free from fear, depression, anxiety, and anger and live the wonderful lives that Jesus has for them ♥
We were also blessed by Tijuana Trails Ministry to be able to take our middle schoolers (now 20 in total!) to a day at the movies! We're slowly but surely getting the middle school group back together, and we're praying and believing for the group to stay together! Middle schoolers are so overlooked here in Tijuana, and it's the age where most kids disconnect and honestly do away with God. We want to make sure that, although they may grow out of our kids programs, that we still love them and care so much for them and that we want them to be able to continue to grow with us so they continue to form into strong men and women of God. We want them to know that God has such huge plans for them and that in Him is where they can find their true safe place and identity.
We also did an all-nighter with them two weeks before, where for just around $5 we provided pizza and spaghetti, chips, snacks, soda, games, and a movie. We were blessed by another unexpected donation to be able to go above and beyond of what we thought we were going to be able to do, and the kids had all the snacks, soda, and food they could eat. We also talked about something many teens (and people in general) think about: if God exists, then why do bad things happen? We got real with them and were able to talk about how the world gives God such a bad look and blames Him for everything when He isn't the cause of it. We also discussed the importance of placing our eyes on Jesus and not the problems we face and that bad things are going to happen and are unfortunately inevitable, and that Jesus will help us through them so that we come out of those difficult moments even stronger than before. Events like this for these middle schoolers are exactly what they need: a place for them to just be them and feel accepted for who they are. But we don't want to just limit them to events. We want them to have a place each week to where they can come together and learn about God on their level and hang out with their friends and find that they have a place with us in their group. Please pray for us to be able to keep the teen group going and to find the best balance for them and for us, as we do many different ministries with many different ages, and it can get hard to balance them all.
Many big changes are coming very soon for our ministry, so please keep our family and our ministry in your prayers. We are also looking for a new home and a building to do ministry in, whether it be by buying land and building on it or even finidng a building already built that we can rent. It is not in our budget at all, but since we know that God will provide one way or another, we're walking in faith towards the vision that God has placed on our hearts. We know, as we have experienced in our everyday lives, that if we remain faithful to God and obey what He tells us, He will always remain faithful to us and provide everything. Thank you all so much for your help in all of this thus far. God has been using you to bring blessings to so many kids and teens who need to see a move of God in their lives, and that is something that we and the kids here will ever be grateful for ♥
"Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands." - Deuteronomy 7:9
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