Making New Friends and Loving On The Kids

We have started to attend a little home church, here on Isla Mujeres the past few months, and it is great to meet new people. Through going to the home church, we have been able to reach out to the community that surrounds them and love on some new kids. Our extended family came down with some friends for a couple of weeks and brought shoes for the ministry, as well as buying some from the local merchants. It was such a blessing to have folks do the handing out with us so that we can take more photos, and also take the opportunity to visit with the people longer. As all of you who have had the pleasure of going with us know first hand it can get rushed sometimes, to say the least. Yesterday we got to go with the Pastor and his wife to meet a family with very special kids. Emma, the 17 year old girl, and Ricardo who is 14, do not speak. Emma has ear problems, and Ricardo hears well but for some reason does not speak. We took them both one of the "In Touch Ministries" recorders we obtained for more outreach opportunities here. The photos say it all as they lit up with joy hearing the word. Ricardo did not put his down or stop listening the entire hour we were there, and now and then he would look up, give us 2 thumbs up, grinning from ear to ear. It is always humbling for us, as continue to seek out His will, that He uses us for such occasions as this. As we were leaving, Martha the mom came out with a gift for us. It was a rose she had made out of fish scales. The ability so many of our new friends have to take stuff we would throw away and turn it into such beauty is pretty neat. We keep seeking out new avenues to venture down, and kids to love on, as the summer months are gaining momentum here in the Caribbean. We ask that prayer be lifted up for this tiny Island in regards to the Hurricane season approaching. That we are missed for another year here, as has been the case the last 5 years. Blessings from I sla Mujeres

April is disappearing in a hurry and the heat is starting to come upon us for the summer months ahead. Greg is going to be completely done with the painting he took on 9 months ago at the condominiums and what a celebration we are going to have this Friday. We have had a lot of visitors this past month that have blessed Islazapatos with tons of shoes and a whole lot of love for the kids here. We have been blessed with the continued flow of shoes coming our way along with another opportunity God gave us. A dear friend gave us a website through In Touch Ministries that give out little recorders with 35 messages and the New Testament on them. They come with a charger and are also solar powered for those without electricity. We qualified and received 30 of them a few weeks ago. Our beloved friend Cecilia was the first recipient and what a blessings to see the peace of God wash over her as she sat and listened to the word. She is one of many folks we have met here that are illiterate so needless to say we are so excited to hand these out and allow His word to minister to them. Gods grace continues to give us good health and protection from the many things we face each day here in the Tropics. So much is taken for granted in our lives but we always give thanks to God for the little things each day as we pursue His Kingdom and love on the wonderful people we have gotten to know over the years.

People Who Love...

There are so many people who share their love for the children of Isla Mujeres by giving of their time, their resources, and their creativity! We want to thank each and every one of you for your gracious love and support for Zapatos Para Los Ninos. Denny and Rose brought us a unique gift this year. A Papa Noel Zapatos bag! We can't wait to deliver shoes from this cool sack!!!! Also, Debbie picked out these sparkling shoes for one of God's special little princesses. Some little girl is going to have a huge smile on her face when she walks away in these! Ryan gave us some beautiful photos, and along with Alicia, took the time to help us deliver shoes. We would like to thank you all by name, but your names are already indelibly printed on our hearts and imprinted on the lives of the people here, whom you have so generously given to. You know who you are, and God has seen you water the garden of His precious little ones. Our motto continues to be, "As He has given to us, so we give to you..." , and as you give, we go! It is a tremendous blessing to be supported by YOU, and as we start into this next year of ministry here, we look back with grateful hearts for the wonderful people who have been, and are, standing beside us in partnership. We love you all, and from the bottom of our hearts say, "Muchas Gracias"!

Back on Track

Well, it has been a long 6 months for us around here to say the least. Greg started a repair and paint project on our Condo building back in August of 2011 thinking it would take a couple of months to complete. Here we are almost to March 2012 and he still needs to put the finishing details around the building to be completely finished. We have seen how easy it is to get busy and how it tilted ours lives to a pretty amazing degree of upheaval. Natalie had to start doing little things around the house that Greg had been doing for four years. We have not even had time to go to the beach and say hello to all our friends that work there as Greg's exhausting schedule kept him working eight hours a day, six days a week. Natalie became his biggest cheerleader and kept him looking towards the final time he would have to set up and tear down the scaffolding around the building. Shipped it back to Cancun last week and he is now back on solid ground for the rest of the painting. Praise God for giving us the strength and support to make time for several shoe drops and to love on the kids of Isla Mujeres. They are always so appreciative for the shoes and we are so blessed to be able to hand them out in the name of Jesus thanks to the folks that continue to give for His glory.

Blessings In The New Year

Meet Nancy (in the orange dress) and her little sister. Nancy's mother is blind and Nancy is constantly seen leading her mother to her school in the morning. Once there, Nancy's little sister leads mama home. They are a beautiful sight to us and a wonderful example of caring for others in life. We pray that in the New Year, you may be blessed to hold the hand of someone in need, or that someone will see your need and hold yours! We always take comfort in knowing God's hand is constantly stretched out to us. He is our ever present Help in time of need. Loving Him and you in the New Year, Greg and Natalie

Christmas Shoes

We want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year, and to thank each and every one of you who have been a part of Zapatos Para Los Ninos! On Christmas Eve we were able to deliver almost 300 pairs of shoes, and for the first time, every child who came for shoes got them! Whoo hoo! We had many generous helpers who brought shoes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, new clothing, hats, blankets, and special gifts. It was a real festival! Our local friend, Manuelin, blocked off the road so he could set up several piñatas. Chairs lined the street, a few of the local ladies made tamales for everyone, and then Santa Claus showed up for a visit. It was so special to see the children all dressed up in their best clothes, and excited for new shoes. When we first began delivering shoes to certain parts of the island, almost none of the children wore shoes. Now when we go to deliver shoes, we are more likely to replace an old worn pair! Praise the Lord!And thank you to Kirk Blackburn for putting together this slideshow!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

This morning we woke up to 54 degrees and 90% humidity. Cold to say the least for Isla Mujeres. Downtown in the plaza the decorations are going up and homes around the Island are starting to glow with a Christmas theme. We are gathering quite a bundle of shoes and assorted goodies as we prepare for our annual Christmas outreach. Such an exciting time for the kids here in anticipation that Papa Noel (Santa Claus) is coming to town. As Christmas approaches we are reminded of the greatest gift ever given, Jesus Christ and the price He paid for us. A gift given with unmeasurable love and our desire is to share this love with every pair of shoes. Blessings during this wonderful Christmas season and thanks for all you do.