A WILLING VESSEL WITH A SERVANTS HEART

A SERVANTS HEART: I read this morning in Luke how Jesus came to serve and His example of humility is what we should all be desiring in our own lives. We were touched by our friends from New Jersey once again with their love and serving towards the kids of Isla Mujeres. Debbie, along with her family came down with shoes, little flashlights, glow sticks, Frisbees, and a whole lot of other stuff for the kids. We were blessed by getting to go with them and take photos as they loved these precious souls in the name of Jesus. She is the C.E.O. of the Original, "JERSEY GIRLS" that we have written about in past blogs. This trip she brought her 2 daughters and husband to join her first hand in what she has been doing the last couple of years. They have heard all the stories and seen the photos from past visits but this time, they came and experienced it together. What a blessing they were to the kids as they marched right in like they had done it everyday and loved on them as they handed out all the goodies. It is great for us to stand back and allow others to take home a changed heart, experiences of a different culture, and most of all, their testimony as to how God used them to serve others. Our desire here on the Island is to be "WILLING VESSELS WITH A SERVANTS HEART" as we continue with the work God desires to do through us. The GLORY is all His and we are humbled by the folks He directs to us for the furthering of His Kingdom. Thanks Joe and Debbie for sharing in this journey with us.

More shoes and lots more love

We see from our last post that a month has already raced past and August is coming sooner than we want. We handed out shoes last week and saw a lot of familiar faces in the crowd. It was a special day for us since school is out and the kids were all there to greet us. When school is in session, we miss 1/2 the kids since they go half days and strange hours throughout the week. As we loved on the kids and handed out shoes, we were reminded of how fast they are growing up. These two guys were 9 when we met them and not very big but wow, what three plus years will do for a growing kid. We have seen a swing in the older ones in the way of fashion desire. It is very cute to see that they become a little bit more aware of styles. It is not that they are not grateful but we want to be sensitive to their surroundings and love on them none the less. Crocs... or a pair of flip flops with some bling on them is all we are talking about and the price is the same. The little ones still like the kick off in a hurry style so that when they want to run fast or rough house, off go the shoes and away they go. They are still kids at heart and such a joy to watch when they interact here. They create silly games to pass the time and you hardly ever see them quarreling. We have visitors coming in August with shoes and lots of love to share. Thanks for your prayers and support as we continue to march forward and love on the kids here.

Is it June already?

It is simply amazing to us here on Isla Mujeres that time slips away so quickly. We have had a very busy past month with shoes and visitors. We can't thank the faithful supporters of our ministry enough for their sacrifices in giving so we can provide shoes for the children here. Knowing that times are tough for everyone to make ends meet blesses us beyond measure as the support continues to comes in at the perfect time. A group of 16 just left this past weekend from Missouri that came down to do other missions work yet found time to bless us with over 180 pairs of shoes. The non-profit Organization, P.E.A.C.E. here on Isla Mujeres gave us enough money to buy 50+ pairs of shoes and then our core supporters sent in their monthly support as well. We took the group up in Guadalapana and let them experience our world first hand and what a blessing they were. We keep loving on the kids here and are so gladdened to be riding down the road on our Moto and hear our names called from the kids walking around. We were overwhelmed by Manuelin the other day when we handed out shoes with the group from Missouri. He told them that a lot of people come and live here on the island, spend a ton a money but not to help the families of the Island. He then told them that we are always helping the kids here and that they are grateful for us because of the love we show to the Island. That love he spoke about is because people from all walks of life give freely to the ministry so we can be conduits for the Lord in sharing His love. We are preparing for another round of shoes soon and will post more when we complete the task before us. Life has slowed down to a crawl here with the tourist season in the down swing but the folks keep smiling and are thankful for what they have each day.

The Shoes finally Arrived

Well, as we have stated before, "Nothing happens fast in Mexico." The shoes for Fernanda and her brothers finally got here. Her cousin that is living with them received a pair as well as we saw it only fitting for her to be included. Thanks to the support from faithful people, we took them to the shoe store and let them pick out a special pair. Mom had a lot of input as well and then we had to wait for them to arrive. Here are the photos of the kids with their newly purchased shoes and much thanks included. We have a group coming from U.S.A. the end of June that are bringing $100.00usd each to buy shoes and go with us to hand them out. There will be a total of 16 people in the group. Hope we can fill the demand as the Island is preparing for the off season and might not have the quantity on hand to fill the order. God is good all the time and we will continue to trust in His provisions as the time approaches. The weather is warming up early this year and no rain for 3 months to speak of. We are always learning new aspects from the locals about this wonderful culture and continue to fall deeper in love with them.

Blessing a whole family

Fernanda and her family have been our friends for about 3 years here on the Island and such a sweet family they are. We first met them when we handed out shoes to the "Hillside Gang", a group of kids that are always out playing on the hillside when we pass on the Moto. We first took Fernanda down to a little shoe store and blessed her with new school shoes a few years back. One day, they were gone and we could not locate them. The neighbors around them said "No they do not live here any more." Well, for those of you that have spent time in this culture know what that means. They answered our question correctly, and we forgot to ask the next one. "Do they still live here on the Island and if so, where?" As we were on our way home a couple of weeks ago, enjoying the beauty of the Caribbean to our left we heard of yell to our right. There across an undeveloped lot stood Fernanda and her two brothers yelling "Natalie... Gregorio", jumping up and down with radiant smiles beaming. We had found their new location and decided to bless them as a whole family this time. We took them down to the shoe store and let them pick out shoes. They all ended up having to order them from the catalog, but they got what they wanted. (With a lot of guidance from Mom.) We will update as soon as they get the shoes and let you see the results. The photo with Natalie and the lady is Fernandas Mom, Maria

Helping Hands

We feel the Lord's blessing from top to bottom when we are enabled by our supporters to buy shoes, and then with the Helping Hands of others who care, distribute them.
A profound thank you to all. You know who you are, and most importantly, God knows who you are. His Word clearly mandates caring for the poor and needy. It is simply the right thing to do however one undertakes to do it. These are some photos of just one small way to care for others. (We often remark that what our beautiful friends lack in worldly goods, they seem to more than make up for in close family ties and joyful hearts. Monetary poverty is difficult, spiritual poverty is depressing. Our longing is to make the journey less difficult, and to restore a vision of heaven in hearts that have lost their way. Please join with us in prayer for this.)
Love Always In Jesus,
Greg and Natalie

What are you well known for?

"Si, Natalie y Gregorio usted es bien conocido en Isla." This is what we were greeted with one day as we paid for our umbrella on the beach. She was smiling with great delight as she said this to us and we were not sure what she had expressed. Natalie whipped out the dictionary as she always does, eager to learn a new word or phrase and we were humbled upon learning what she had said to describe us. We had talked to her once before several months back and wanted to refresh our memories with her name. She told us it was Karina and then as Natalie started to tell her ours, she stopped her and Said,"Yes, Natalie and Gregorio are well known on Isla." It gave Greg something to ponder for the rest of the day as we sat and watched the world pass by us on the beach. What are we well known for here on Isla? It is a reflection of Christ? Is it an example worthy of following? Is it one of kindness, patience, gentleness? It made me think about the years past and the stops we have made during our journey with God. How will we be remembered in those places when we cross their minds? We can all be well known in the community, whether it is for good or bad. This little island has the ability to let your actions be known from one end to the other in very little time. We try and live a quiet life and mind our own business here on Isla Mujeres as we go about seeking to do His will as He has laid it before us in our ministry. This statement Karina shared with us was very encouraging as she smiled and reassured us that she knew who we were. How well known are you in your neighborhood or community? Maybe your whole town or city knows of you. Is it good to be well known for who you are and what you do? We have a heart to love these kids here and do all we can to share Jesus with them however that may be. Shoes, playing a game with them, buying them a bottle of water on the beach, or stopping along the road as they walk home from school and give them a high five. We give the glory to God for all that He is doing here through us and the folks that keep coming to the Island that He puts before us to share with. With all the travelers we have met, gosh, we could be known around the world..... and we pray that it is more for the good deeds than bad.