Well hello there lovely blog followers, friends, family & random strangers! It has been a busy and exciting (as always) time for us Nexus serving in Mexico. We, as a group, have been prone to reflecting on our weeks to one another as they come, and we decided as a group that we would like to make this blog entry just that – a thought or two from each of the Nexus participants – a quick opportunity to share with you some of our favorite moments of the summer so that you might be able to see Mexico and Amor Ministries through our eyes.  I don’t believe there is any one moment that far exceeds any other. Serving in Mexico has just been a stream of moments and events that has created this special, unique and fantastic place in each of our hearts. So, I introduce you to some of the inner workings of our hearts and minds as we share with you:

Mark  - A favorite moment of mine for this summer was at a dedication of  a house in Lomas del Pedregal when the father/grandfather of the household was unable to express words of gratitude because he was so choked up.  This was really emotional and showed the impact of Amor is more than building a house. It changes lives as people step out and put their faith into action. 

Rachel – The best moment of my summer was not one big event or particular day or hour. My best moment was a combination of all the little things. Being on a worksite and seeing someone use a hammer and pound in a nail or a saw to cut a board for the first time, and seeing them succeed. Watching the faces of a group that has never built anything before when they stand up the walls for their house. Seeing the local kids, who are always on the worksites make friends with the trip participants even when they don’t understand each other. These are the moments that make up my summer.

Jessica - One of my favourite moments was our third week down in Mexico, our first week with a group. We were working with a group from Florida. The father of our house was handicapped so he couldn’t help with most of the house building. One day, the group went to lunch, but Mark and I stayed back and tried to finish the chicken wire on one corner. The father came down and saw what we were doing and started to help. It was like he saw a window of opportunity to put his touch and be a part of building his family’s house. He didn’t let his disability hold him back from helping any way he could.

Jon - One of my favourite moments of this summer was working with a group called ‘The Peterson cousins.’ They were all family and they really seemed to just “get it”. I was truly blessed to work with them and I definitely took a lot from that week.

Kate – One of the most fun things that happened this summer was all because of four 9-11 year olds who weren’t afraid to put themselves out there. Back at camp there were three Mexican girls about the same age who were timidly hanging out at the Camping-Pros tent waiting for their relatives to be done working. I am still astonished by the way the four American girls who know no Spanish and the three Mexican girls who know zero English were able to form a bond that led to games, smiles, hugs and finally tears when they had to leave. I will never forget sitting around a table eating hamburgers eagerly trying to get to know each other through motions, smiles and laughter. I wish everyone would be able to experience this trip through the trusting, excited and loving eyes of a child.

Linz -  I could speak for hours if you gave me the opportunity, but I will limit myself to an experience I had in a circus tent while serving alongside the incredible people of Family Camp. They have been coming for anywhere in between 1-15 years, from all over the United States, and every evening they had a beautiful time of worship music led by John Thomas Oaks. As I sat in my far back, far right seat and observed the families in worship each evening, I was so incredibly moved, and even brought to tears as I watched the parents lovingly embrace and worship together with their children and spouses. Whether it was an arm around a shoulder with the older “cooler” kids or actually picking up their little one and swaying with them, every family was together and sharing the Lord together. It was highly impactful, and I realized what a truly beautiful gift these parents were giving to their children. They were instilling the highly important values and amazing gifts of family, servanthood, loving our neighbours and most importantly loving God in a highly apparent and direct way. Their entire week went this way, and I was so blessed to have served and shared with them and its directed values within me in how I would like to share God with my own family one day.

With hundreds upon thousands of memories and moments that we have each experienced this summer, I am so glad and blessed to know we could have the opportunity to share at least 6 of them with you in this week’s post. Hope you all have a blessed week and get the opportunity to reflect on some of your own special Amor moments!

- Linz and the Nexus team

To read more from the Summer Nexus team, click here

By Craig Parrish

It all began about 10 years ago on a “day trip into Mexico to help build a home for the poor” with a group called Amor Ministries.  Little did we know where we would be today!

After returning from our trip, my wife Sherri and I knew we were being called to help more, but didn’t know exactly what that looked like.  We had a dream to develop a ministry to help those in need in Nashville and wanted to call it “Double Impact” because when one helps others it not only impacts the person that is helped, but also the individual being used.  Additionally, we felt that it was time to mentor and encourage younger generations to reach out beyond themselves and change the world.

God led us to Mexico one or two times a year working with Amor over the next 8 years.  We saw so many lives changed on these trips and knew that it was only a matter of time before God would change our lives forever.  One of the many things that we noticed after these trips was that the young adults desired to carry their experience to their own communities throughout the year.  So, in 2007, Double Impact was officially formed.

God told us in no uncertain terms that the time was now. We aspire to serve Him through “Mentoring, Service and Missions.”  Much like Amor, Double Impact mentors everyone who attends a trip (leaders included).   We desire to bring God glory by being used as His vessels through missions around Nashville and the world.

Today, Double Impact takes those same kids who started out on an Amor Mission Trip and works in food banks, soup kitchens, as well as local schools, all-year round.  Our dream was that people of all ages would have their hearts changed and would want to help those in need after a short-term mission experience.

Seeing how Amor Ministries operates and boldly goes out into the world to make a difference inspires us at “Double Impact.”  It makes us feel like nothing is impossible with God, and we see that in action every trip we take.  Thank you Amor, for mentoring us, even though you never spoke a word!

If you have a story about how the Amor Mission Trip transformed your life along with the interesting work you’re now doing as a result, we want to hear more!  Reply to this post and share with us.

Members of Community Christian Church Naperville building homes in Tijuana, Mexico alongside Amor Ministries.

Living in 4 small shacks huddled together, the Valenzuela Olague family struggled through many hardships. Throughout it all, this family has remained close, continually praying for one another.  Here is their story:

Q: Tell me a little about yourself and your family.

A: My name is Petra Valenzuela. I have a wonderful husband named Felix and five beautiful children, three of which are grown and have their own families. My youngest sons, Luis and Eduardo, are still teenagers and live in our home with us. Luis has suffered for many years with a lung disease and it has been very difficult to keep him healthy. My two older sons, Victor and Jose, were in gangs when they were younger and would drink excessively but, by the grace of God, they have come to know Jesus Christ and now live right next door to us with their families. My daughter, Anacira lives next door to us as well. We have been reaching out to people in our community to have a church service and share about Jesus Christ, but were only able to meet outside because there was no room in our houses.

Q: How did Amor Ministries come into your life?

A: Pastor Armando Ponce is a pastor in our community of Tlatelolco and he saw our need for a dry and sturdy house. We are an extended family of 17 and had nothing but 4 small shacks that we called home. We have battled many years with Luis’s lung condition and found it very difficult to keep him in a dry place to help him breath. Pastor Armando contacted Amor Ministries and a group of Americans came into Mexico to build us all houses!

Q: Did you have to purchase any of this?

A: No. People who had never even met us and were unable to come and build this house, helped to provide these materials through Amor Ministries. I was astonished as the materials were delivered to our doorstep before the groups even came. I was also amazed at the dedication and love that this group showed while building our homes! A representative from Amor Ministries dedicated these houses to the Lord and told us that they were a gift, not from the Pastor, from the group, or even from Amor Ministries, but from God. I truly believe that this gift is one of the miracles we’ve been praying for.

Q: Did you connect with anyone in the group that came to do the labor for your house?

A: Oh, yes. My husband built right alongside this group of about 75 individuals and sat on the roof talking with them while they worked. We had the chance to speak with many from the group and we will never forget them. My sons shared their story about how they used to be drunk all the time and were in gangs in this same community but are now able to minister to their old friends and the gangs by telling them about Jesus Christ and the freedom they now have because they believe in Him. My sons are very passionate about what Christ has freed them from and were very excited to share their testimony with the group.

Q: How has your life changed since you received these houses almost a year ago?

A: We are so excited to actually have bedrooms! We used to sleep in the same bed with our kids. Eduardo and Luis used to sleep on the floor. We did the best we could. Little Yuliana, my granddaughter, is 5 years old and now has a place to dream and enjoy her “princess” decorated room. Every child should have that chance to dream and be a child and, with a dry place to live, Luis’s health has improved! These homes have given us hope for a better tomorrow. We are so grateful and appreciative of the blessings God has given us. We now are able to hold our church services inside our homes.

Q: Have there been any other home improvements since the groups left Mexico?

A: Before, we didn’t have anything to be proud of and now we do. We’ve added flat wood panels and decorated each house according to each specific family. We also have pictures hanging up on the wall of all the individuals from Indiana and Oregon who helped construct our home. The pictures are up to remind us to continue to pray for them. We actually saw one of the individuals who had helped to build our house about a year ago in Mexico. He was driving by our home in an Amor Ministries’ truck! We learned that he now works full time with Amor Ministries and helps other families like ours. This young man, named Jonathan, stopped by to say “Hi” and we were able to show him all that we have done since last year.

Q: What was it like to see that Jonathon after all this time?

A: Oh, it was such a joyous reunion! We have never forgotten all the people from those groups and Amor Ministries is now a part of our family. Whenever Jonathon, the staff member from Amor, gets home-sick in Mexico, he is always welcome to come and visit us. Every time he drives by our homes, he honks his horn and we run out to wave. He has become like one of our sons.

Q: If there is anything else that you could ask for, what would it be?

A: God has given us so much already. He has shown us His great love through Amor, the Pastor, and the group. God brought my sons home from the streets and now has given them a ministry. I have so much to be thankful for and want to share that with others in our community. One thing that we lack is Holy Bibles. We ask the Pastor and Jonathon a lot of questions about the Bible when they visit and we relay those answers to the community. We wish we could afford to give the community their own copies of God’s Word.

Tecate, Baja California, Mexico

Photo By Katie Gardner.  View Katie’s portfolio by clicking here.

If you have a photograph from an Amor Mission Trip that you would like to see as our Photo of the Week, please email it to jon@amor.org

My favorite web browser recently released its latest upgrade, but I downloaded the beta (test) version some time ago and have been using it because I couldn’t wait. Beta is defined as “a nearly complete prototype.” It takes a certain kind of personality to use something that isn’t perfect and learn to work with it – flaws and all. It is a lesson we can adapt to our lives and our walk with Jesus.

As a follower of Jesus, I am still in beta mode.  While my spirit may be perfect in Christ, my flesh is beta and being commanded by an operating system that is often more temporal than spiritual. This results in crashes (stumbling), the occasional screen freeze (stagnation), and exposure to an occasional virus (sin). Oh let the madness of computer-to-faith comparisons stop here!

Where the concept of BETA really hit me was reading about George Barna’s new book on American Christians entitled:The Seven Faith Tribes – Who They Are, What They Believe, and Why They Matter. The website description of the book as written by the author says, “In The Seven Faith Tribes I provide a research-based profile of each of the faith tribes: Casual Christians, Captive Christians, Jews, Mormons, Pantheists, Muslims, and Skeptics. Despite the differences in their beliefs, religious practices, and worldviews, the twenty shared values are what have kept America knit together until recently.”  I am going to take the book with me on the plane to London next week and will give a review upon my return.

Before I jump into the book, I have been pondering what the difference is between the Captive Christian Tribe and the Casual Christian Tribe. Could it be something as simple as Captive Christians get that the church, although perfect in her design, is shepherded by a bunch of developers who are always working in beta mode?

How would we approach working in God’s world, kingdom and His church if we approached it like our Microsoft operating system? What if we expected mistakes and failures to happen? Would we be more willing to be authentic in our approach, communication and acceptance of others?

One of the joys of working on the mission field is seeing how willing the average participant is to be humble, accepting and learns to go with the flow. What if we applied that to the mission field inside our home, church, and community? What if we didn’t let the common language and experience get between us and those who God has put in our path? What if we showed the world that we are flawed in our humanity and it is only through God’s grace and the sacrifice of Jesus are we able to reboot and try again? Wouldn’t that change how the world sees Christianity?

I know it has changed how I deal with other Christians. I don’t put anyone on a pedestal expecting more of them, regardless of their position or maturity, than I do of myself. God’s church and his people are in beta mode; let’s try hard to love one another with the love given by God, and then once we understand that we are all flawed, we reach out to help each other grow in Christ. Just an idea.

By the very nature of who Jesus is, people want to be like Him or run. Jesus spoke to the prostitutes and didn’t judge them. He didn’t go to them after they got their lives together. He also didn’t ignore or avoid them. He met them in their need and reflected God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and repentance while holding them accountable, but loving them with the grace of God. He allowed them a chance at changing their life because of His love and mercy. And for the most part, as members of the church, we get it. It is about loving people and meeting them where they are at in their need because that is what God did for us.

The Church is an interesting dynamic to watch – to see a group of believers and observe how they live out their faith, interact, and deal with conflict. It is an amazing thing. God gave us the church. Everything that we read about in the scriptures talks about the body, the Church. If you are not a part of a church, you are denying a body of believers your amazing self, and the opportunity to see how you live out your faith.

Maybe you have been hurt by people in the church or by organizations, but how does that benefit the kingdom of God? What does being a part of the Church mean and how does that truly make us different? It is all about Jesus. Do not look at what is good about the Church or what is bad about the Church. I challenge you to look at the Church with a new and fresh perspective, especially if you have grown up in it. Ask God to teach you new things about the Church and why He established it.

Some of my earliest memories of the church are of transformation. When I was in the 4^th grade, I witnessed my Church embrace the town drunk. They reached out to his family, helped walk the father through AA, restored his confidence, and helped him get on his feet again. I saw transformation. I saw a man become whole again. And it was a blessing to our entire church to witness and share in his transformation.

I have grown up in the Church since I was eight years old. And I have always loved it. I thank God for His Church, and for you, the body. This love for the Church and the importance of it is also why it is a core value of Amor Ministries. This organization will live beyond Scott’s and my leadership. We work through the Church in Mexico, and they share Christ with the people in their communities. It is such a privilege to be a part of that. We are grateful to help with their ministry through vacation bible schools, outreach activities, and providing homes, food, clean water and school supplies for the community. But on a day to day basis, when it is all said and done, the local Church is the true ministry presence.

After an Amor building team packs up to go home, crosses the border, eats Mom’s cooking and takes a warm shower, the Church is still in Mexico.  Every day, perpetually, the Church is there.  It brings a community of people together to share, to encourage, and to support each other.  I love the Church.  And the Church is at its best when we are serving together.

All around us are incredible transformations. And that’s why Amor is more than a ‘house building’ ministry.  We are a ministry that serves the Church.  When people see us serving, they see the Church the way it is supposed to be—the body, living out the values, practices and teachings of Jesus, by the leading of the Holy Spirit.  And the result is transformed lives.

By Gayla Congdon, Founder & CSO of Amor Ministries

Click HERE  to read Part 1

People come to the Church simply to be loved. I’ve read many church surveys that have asked, “Why do you come to church?” and the highest percentage of answers was always “for someone to love me.” Too often, that is exactly what people are looking for but are met with judgment instead because their life is not perfect. Church is not a place for perfect people, but for the imperfect people working out their salvation together and serving each other. How do you respond when someone comes into your church that is different than you? Do you embrace them? Even if other’s sneer?

Christ calls us to deny ourselves and follow Him. When people come to the Church, we need to do a better job at teaching people to understand and live out the cost. It will come at a cost. Living for something greater than yourself always does. Just think: If it costs you nothing, does it mean anything?

The Church is an anomaly to the world when we live out life together as the hands and feet of God, serving alongside each other and realizing how much we need each other in order to fully function. This is why Amor Ministries’ #1 core value is the Church. We wouldn’t be here without the Church. We wouldn’t function as a ministry without the church. It is the Church in Mexico that is there every day for the families we serve. It is the Church body that comes together, with all of our differences, unique talents and gifts to serve the poor. The Church is showing Christ here on earth to everyone we meet.

When I taught at Pacific Christian College, the California State Fullerton campus was just across the street. The students at the State college watched us and didn’t care most about whether we smoked, drank, or danced. What they noticed was how we treated each other. What they wondered was how we would treat them. Being the church is about being Jesus so that when they look at us, they see Him.

Who do people see when they look at us? When they look at you? Do they see Christ or religion?

By Gayla Congdon, Founder and CSO of Amor Ministries

Read more by Gayla by clicking here.

During a recent trip to the airport, the famous lines from the Serenity Prayer came to mind:

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.”

The airport environment is just one great example from our every day lives where we need the serenity to accept the things we cannot change and the courage to change the things we can. For the hurried traveler, encountering the TSA Security Lines can be a spot where things feel out of control.

It reminds me of childhood days of waking up and fighting with your parents about not wanting to go to school. Some of you may be having those very same arguments with your kids right now! Without fail, the daily dialogue always ended with a phrase that went something like this, “You don’t get to choose whether you go to school, it’s the law.”

Even for the child who enjoyed going to school, the notion that you had NO choice in the matter was confusing and frustrating.

As I watch the Security Lines in our airports, I wonder whether we are approaching them with the same youthful confusion and frustration. Are we spending too much mental energy on “why do we have to do this”?

We know the experience from our end, but do we ever appreciate the view from the other side? Recently I spent 5 minutes chatting with a TSA worker about the experience from their perspective. This is what was shared with me (by a very nice woman):

• “It gets frustrating because people don’t seem to understand or respect that we have a job to do and that we don’t make the rules.”

• “90% of the people coming through the lines are actually pretty good, but the 10% that are bad, they are REALLY, REALLY not very nice.”

• “It’s interesting to watch people move through the process because they often just follow the person in front of them – without thinking very much.”

Perhaps it would do us all some good if we were able to release the need to fight the system with those that don’t create the structure. If the person behind us is going to follow what we do, maybe we should start with gratitude and compassion. That we can control.

After all, we can still have nap time on the plane.

Jason Barger, 11-time Amor leader and author of the book, Step Back from the Baggage Claim:  Change the World, Start at the Airport

Baño at Tijuana Worksite

May 2009

Photo submitted by Lorna of Las Vegas, NV

If you have a photograph from an Amor Mission Trip that you would like to see as our Photo of the Week, please email it to jon@amor.org