132 runners joined us on Saturday morning to run 3.1 miles in support of families facing poverty with courage.  The day included lots of  laughter, sweat, beautiful views, snacks, music, and lots of fun!!!

Thanks again to all our vendors, sponsors, our fantastic 80s cover band from Newbreak Church, and all the Lion Chase participants.

If you missed the fun this year, make sure you join us next year for the Lion Chase 5k!

Amor has impacted your life…what if it ceased to exist?  We are asking you to help today so Amor can continue to impact lives into the future.  This fall season is the toughest Amor has ever faced.  Recently Amor’s founders, Scott and Gayla Congdon,  sent out a letter asking for a significant donation during these challenging times.  Please read the letter that was sent and prayerfully consider a gift to the Ministry.  You can donate at www.amor.org/give.

Why do we find it so hard to ask for help?  Our son Jordan, upon his return from Puerto Peñasco last year, told us of an encounter he had while he was serving there.  As he was overseeing a building site a father from the community came up to him and offered to help out in return for food for his family.

This actually happened twice during that trip and Jordan said both fathers were begging him with tears in their eyes.  As Scott, Jordan, and I processed this experience we acknowledged that in all our years of serving in Mexico we had never had a father approach us begging for food.  Times are tough.  James 4:2a says that we do not have because we do not ask.  So again I ask…Why is it so hard for us to ask for help?

Over the past 31 years Amor Ministries has served faithfully.  We have weathered many storms and you have been there with us.  But the last three years have presented us with some unique challenges: fear of Mexico, the economy, and even fear of the swine flu.  Through it all, many groups and individuals have returned to serve.  This year we had our largest Amor Family Camp in 16 years of “families building homes, homes building families.”

But unfortunately our recovery from these past three years has not been enough.  As those two fathers did when they approached Jordan to beg for food for their families, we are humbling ourselves and coming to you to ask for your help.  James 4 talks about submitting to God in humility.

Historically, August through October has always been the leanest months in our ministry. And in our 31 years we have never once cried “wolf” and we aren’t right now. And yet this is the toughest fall season we have ever faced.

Our dedicated staff has taken several pay cuts and remained committed after a round of layoffs.  Through it all we have been the most humbled by their willingness to make sacrifices in order to move the Ministry forward.  We can say with passion and conviction that we all believe in what we do now more than ever.

So we are humbling ourselves and asking for your help.  To keep our staff intact.  To put food in the Food Banks in Mexico.  To end homelessness on the San Carlos Reservation.  To fund our Ciudad Juarez Pastors as they build the homes in arguably the most dangerous city in the world.  And to continue moving Amor’s mission forward.

We have to raise $100,000 by September 15 in order to meet these needs. You have been a friend to the Ministry by investing in our vision to serve the poor.  We are asking for your help today because you are someone that has been impacted by Amor and loves this ministry as much as we do.

In the spirit of those fathers that asked for help with tears in their eyes, we are asking you to help us.  On behalf of our staff and the Pastors we serve, “muchas gracias” in advance for the gift that you are giving.

Serving faithfully for 31 years,

Scott and Gayla Congdon
Founders

For questions or donation information call 619.662.1200 or visit www.amor.org.

By Dave Gladson, Year-Long Intern

It’s funny when the student whom you thought wasn’t paying attention is the one who teaches you something…

It gets pretty busy down on the worksites, trying to show everyone how to do all the different jobs that come together to create a house, while at the same time trying to keep them safe and making sure that the house gets built well.  It’s easy sometimes to focus on the ones who are eager to learn and who seem to get it.  When there is a student who seems to lack a desire to work it’s easy to lose track of them while you are running around doing everything else.

Last week there was a girl in one of my groups who seemed like she would rather be anywhere else than in Mexico working on a house.  I tried showing her some of the basics, like how to hold a hammer, and found her some projects to work on.  But about ten minutes later I would usually spot her sitting down playing with the children from the family and after 3 or 4 attempts at this I shifted my focus onto other participants.

On day four we finished the house and spent some time praying with the family.  Then it was time to head out.  Guess who the family said the warmest goodbyes too?  Yup, the one who I had thought wasn’t very engaged in the project.  She had spent a lot of time hanging out with the family and playing games with their children, and she had built up a great rapport with them.  It was then that I remembered the house that we build is not the most important part of the trip.  The relationships with the family and with the local church are way more important than the actual building that we build.

That girl, who I had been trying to teach all week, taught me a great lesson!

This year we have decided to create 12 Monthly Focus points to help you learn more about Amor’s programs and to ask for your prayer in support of these programs.  July’s monthly focus is Project Hope: Back to School!

Education is Mexico is not free. Most families have to pay a school fee, pay for uniforms and all the school supplies.  When there is not always enough money for food or housing, money for school can fall away from the priority list of a family.  Without this money, some children may not be able to attend school.

Education is an extremely important step in breaking the cycle of poverty.  The Back to School program provides school supplies to help ease the burden of the cost of education in Mexico.

The Back to School program can also be used as an outreach tool for the Pastors to reach families that we may not be able to build a house for.

How to Get Involved:

• Donations to the Back to School program can be made online, by sending a check, or calling our San Diego office.
• We ask you to join us in prayer for this program.  We pray for the education system in Mexico. We pray that each child would be able to go to school.  We pray that this fund grows and that it would be used to serve God.

Click here to make a donation to Project Hope: Back to School.

Last month’s focus was Project Hope: Hunger No More.  Click here to read more about that!

Recently, Amor was featured in a local Tijuana paper, The Frontera.  To see the article about Amor’s work in Rosarito click here.  The story is translated in English below…..

Families in Rosarito benefit from homes

ROSARITO, Baja California.  After the return of Amor Ministries (known as Comision de Amor in Mexico) to Rosarito, 75 families have benefitted from the construction of small houses, which helps improve their living conditions. The houses were mostly built in the poorest areas of Primo Tapia, said Luis Millian, a representative of Amor Ministries.  At this time there are still 15 more homes to build in Rosarito.

He explained that these homes are a part of a list that was already approved for some time, but only this year was it possible to complete the work.  It is expected that 120 homes will be built in Rosarito in 2012.

The houses are built with a concrete floor, the walls wood and cement.  The houses can be used immediately after they are built. Luis Millan added that the homes are provided to families with limited resources.