PRAY!

Today is the 21st...that means everyone please say a prayer for the Hernandez family. Today is their appointment with immigration and they are travelling back from mexico. Pray that the Lord will open the eyes and hearts of the INS officials involved. Also, pray that the family gets back safe. I'll post pictures when I have them.

"Call to me and I will answer you"

Before I share about my day today I want to share two quotes from my blog yesterday:

"The summer began with us losing one of our most involved kids to deportation. I didn't know that my heart would ever heal for that. It's still a tough subject."

""Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" Ephesians 3:20"

Now on to my story.... you're going to need to sit down for this one. To understand this story fully you need to go back and read "Chandy...we got our miracle" that I wrote on March 9 of this year. To sum that blog up, last March the family I am closest to at Cross & Crown, the Hernandez', were torn apart by deportation and I had to say goodbye to them all, including 14 year old Osvaldo who was the heart and soul of our Rock Island ministry. The hardest thing I've had to do since coming into full-time ministry a little over a year ago. On May 6 I wrote a blog titled "Viva la Mexico". In that blog I wrote about the plan I had to go see the Hernandez family for Osvaldos 15th birthday that is coming up on September 13th. Now that you're up to speed I will go on with my story.

On Sunday night I had a dream about Osvaldo. I dreamed he was walking towards me in a white t-shirt with a huge grin on his face, he told me he was coming home. On Monday morning when I got to work I told Luke & Ron about my dream and told them that I just had to go to Mexico and follow through on my promise for Osvaldo's birthday. I was actually considering taking a bus down there by myself. So I pretty much prayed all day yesterday for the Lord's guidance in what I should do. I knew He was telling me something about Osvaldo and I couldn't figure it out.

Today was the second day of the school store and after a long day of handing out close to 200 backpacks the staff was exhausted. I was tired and weary and ready to head home. The doorbell rang and Paul went to get it. A few seconds later I look up and in walks Luis, Osvaldos 22 year old brother. Luis stayed here when his family got deported in order to keep a job and send money back to Mexico. Luis has only been to Cross & Crown a few times, he is kind of shy and has never really acknowledged us as someone who loves and cares about his family, so the fact that he was standing in the middle of the sanctuary shocked me. Immediately my heart sunk into my stomach and I thought something was the matter. I wasn't prepared for what he told me next.

He was heading to Mexico this evening to pick up his family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Their mother has been given an appointment to renew her papers at the immigration office in Texas. THEY ARE COMING HOME! All of them...including their mother Maria and newest baby brother (who I've never met) Ezekiel. Osvaldo had called and asked Luis to come down and tell us. He also asked Luis to make sure we saved a backpack for all of them. They are getting back in time to start school. My immediate reaction was to start crying, which I did for a while... and then I remembered my dream.. the Lord wasn't telling me to go to Mexico, He was telling me that they are coming home. Never has Ephesians 3:20 rang so true. He truly is doing immeasurably more than I have asked or imagined.

To end this... I ask everyone to pray for their family. Specifically on the 21st. That is when Maria has her appointment with immigration. Pray that the Lord intervenes and brings their family home safely as soon as possible. Tell everyone you know to be praying all day on the 21st. The Lord is so very faithful to those who believe. And He says,

"CALL TO ME AND I WILL ANSWER YOU" -Jeremiah 33:3

Summers end....just the beginning!

This morning on my way to work I was thinking back on this summer. This is the first summer of our full-time youth ministry and to say it was exhausting would be an understatement. But when I thought back about this summer I began to cry. The Lord has truly done some amazing stuff that I didn't even think possible. I can't imagine what amazing things He is going to do during the school year.

The summer began with us losing one of our most involved kids to deportation. I didn't know that my heart would ever heal for that. It's still a tough subject. But soon after the Lord started bringing kids from all over Oklahoma City who have now become a family. We had our share of hard times: the youth center was broken in to about 5 times, one of our kids got stabbed, a few of our kids spent and are spending some time in jail, there were a few gang encounters and as recently as this week, 3 of our youth kids are enduring the death of a parent. But then there is the good stuff: camp was life changing for so many of our kids. About 10 accepted Christ for the first time and had their first encounters with the Holy Spirit. We did slip and slide in the front yard of Rock Island, played basketball in the rain, watched tons of movies, had many pool tournaments, had watermelon eating contests, and ate lots of ice cream and pizza.

I remember a few weeks ago during a particularly tough time asking myself what in the world I am doing. I think I ask myself that at least once a week. I love what I'm doing, but sometimes I wonder if I'm equipped. The Lord then reminded me of a prayer I prayed months ago. I said, "Here am I, send me". That is a bold prayer and it still scares me, but I dare anyone to pray it. The Lord not only will overwhelm you with predicaments, but he will open the flood gates to His blessing. As we near the closing of our exciting summer and the kids head off to school I can't help to be excited about what's going to happen next and thankful I get to be a part of it.


"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" Ephesians 3:20