May 2024

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 Vencedores: Changing Lives And Making An Impact

(Written by: Pastor Ron Brink)

What a blessing to finally reopen the Vencedores youth rehab. We have seen the youth rehab center bear a lot of fruit, both in the lives of the young men (11-18 years old) and their parents. It was located in the Xochimilco church which was a blessing but also difficult. Churches are very open and welcoming while rehabs are just the opposite . A little over a year ago we were donated a large four story home that was unfinished for the rehab center. We were unable to operate the rehab and finish the new facility at the same time, so we temporarily closed Vencedores. A few weeks ago, we reopened and received our first young man, Diego (in thepicture above with Pastor Ron), and are slowly increasing the number of youth we now have three. On Easter Sunday, Diego asked to speak with pastor Ron after the service about changing his life. After about an hour of sharing the gospel he made the decision to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior and since then the changes in Diego have been a joy to witness. The boys are often visited by their family on Sundays at the church. His mother has noticed the change during her weekly visits at Calvary Chapel Xochimilco and expressed her gratitude for all that is happening in his life. It is our prayer that she and Diego’s sister will soon follow him as he follows Jesus.

Another story of how Venecedores is impacting lives centers on Miguel, who became a disciple of Jesus several years ago while at Vencedores. Upon graduating from the program, he married a beautiful Christian girl from another church where they attend and serve. Miguel’s mother, Rufina, during her visits to him while he was in Vencedores, made the decision to follow Jesus and now serves in various ministries at Xochimilco. And, recently, her youngest son has begun to attend services and we are praying for him also. These are just two of the numerous examples of how the ministry of Vencedores is changing and impacting lives, and not just the lives of the boys we minister to in the program but also the lives of their families, friends, and those who live in the communities they are from.

Thanks to all of you who partner with us through your prayers and financial support that make this life changing ministry possible.   <top>

Exciting News: Revamped Intern Program

(Written by: Staff)

Throughout the years Touch Baja has hosted a number of interns that have served the Lord in different countries and ministries in the U.S. Though it was an informal program, it produced much fruit and continues to do so. Considering the successes of these past interns, along with the long term needs of Touch Baja in mind, we recently decided to start a formal program and actively seek individuals who desire to investigate the possibility of serving Jesus on the mission field or in their home country.

Honestly, we probably should have done it sooner but, with the addition of Steve Venable to our team, the timing seems right to launch this new intern program. Leveraging Steve’s past experiences with the designing and implementation of an internship program for a large ministry that saw an incredible amount of fruit from their cross cultural program, we are close to launching Touch Baja’s Forge Intern Program. We still have a few more program details to hammer out, but Forge will consist of a six month stay here in Tijuana where the students will participate in the various ministries of Touch Baja while also doing course work. It will be a life changing opportunity for those involved. We expect to begin recruiting interns soon.

Touch Baja has touched many lives throughout the years and we have seen God do some incredible work through the ministry to grow his kingdom. Possibly the most impactful ministry that Touch Baja can do is to equip of men and women to serve Him for their lifetime to His glory, multiplying ministries like our own both in Mexico and the uttermost parts of the world. Please pray for Forge Intern Program and the interns the Lord will equip to serve Himself through it.    <top>

Calvary St. Fe On Mission… Again

(Written by: Staff)

Calvary Chapel St. Fe went on their third mission trip to Southern Mexico. You might remember that we wrote about their first trip in a previous newsletter and how, traveling to the northern mountains of Oaxaca, they ministered among an indigenous group of Mixes. There being many different dialects of the language in that region, the particular group the team worked with had no written word available to them. As such, no one in the community including the pastor is able to read or write. So you can imagine what an incredible blessing it was, then, for the group to be able to give them the Bible on CD in their own dialect on that first trip. For the very first time the pastor and the church members were able to hear God’s word spoken in their own language.

On this third trip, the team from CC St. Fe were blessed to return to this same group of Mixes, but this time they brought a course to help teach the leadership how to read and write in Spanish. They also took some of the members of the church in Oaxaca City with them, who had taken a course taught by Calvary St. Fe equipping them to teach others to read and write, using these members to help teach the course. After returning to Calvary Oaxaca, the group held a conference at the church on the fundamentals of discipleship. These fundementals will help the Oaxaca church in it’s five different mission works to three different indigenous groups – Mixtecos, Mixes and Zapatecos. They then traveled to the northern mountains of the state of Puebla where they ministered in three different communities following the example of Luke 10. Splitting into groups of three people, they looked for “sons of peace” who would accept them into their homes for a couple of days. All the groups found housing and with the money they saved, by not staying in a hotel, they were able to purchase food to make a meal to thank their host families, as well as their extended family and friends, where they shared the Gospel. Eight decisions to follow Jesus were made!

Touch Baja is partnering with the church to send two missionaries for three to four months to disciple the new believers.  <top>

Meet The Staff: Maru

(Written by: Pastor Ron Brink)

We have written before about our ministry called Compassion which works in a number of different areas such as hospitals, with the elderly, orphanages. etc. One of those ministries is the hospital ministry that is headed up by an incredibly talented woman, Maru (pictured front row in the yellow shirt), who loves her Lord Jesus, and others for Him, with all her heart in word and deed. That love spills out of her and on everyone around her, a river of living water. For several years she has been in a battle for her life with brain tumors that have required several brain surgeries. There have been times that it looked like maybe her time and ministry here were nearing its end. But, you might remember that in our last newsletter we shared a praise report how she had successful surgery and was recuperating well. We are so blessed to report that she is now back 100% and has returned to her ministry of loving people into the kingdom and helping others do the same. Recently, I followed along with a team from Calvary Chapel St. George that was ministering in one of the local hospitals that specializes in treating children. The hospital has a floor solely dedicated to treating children with cancer. Groups of individuals went to each floor offering to pray for each patient and their family, inviting them to a meal we had prepared at the church as we were serving outside in front of the hospital, giving small gift packets to the children that were prepared by the St. George team. To note, we are limited in what we can say on the inside of the hospital but outside we are able to speak and minster freely. By the end of our time there, every room in the hospital was visited and every patient, as well as many other people, were ministered to.

We have begun the plans to convert one of the large rooms in the St. Fe facility to temporary housing for the families with children with cancer. Most of them are indigenous peoples who work in the fields of southern Baja and will often sleep on the ground at the hospital. We have seen many people come to the Lord as we minister to them. There will be three private rooms for the families with a common kitchen and living room. We should be starting construction soon. The families will stay in the housing multiple times during the treatment course for a week to a month each time. For way too many it will end with the death of their child but, for some, it will result in a new life in Jesus.   <top>

Praises

  • We received donations that allowed us to purchase a pickup. What a blessing to be able to move items from ministry to ministry.
  • We were able to secure the funds for Karina’s, Shori’s wife, surgery which she had. Recovered, she is back home assisting in the ministry at Carmen Serdan.
  • The roof of the school in St Fe had a problem with a leaking roof, causing classes to be cancelled each time it rained. We received a donation that enabled us to seal the roof, keeping it completely dry inside after rains. 
  • Blessed with so may children, the Granjas church’s present facility is too small. A church is presently working to bless them with a new building.   <top>

Prayer Requests

  • This is the time year that we begin to receive more mission groups from the U.S. Please pray that we would be able to utilize them in a way that produces fruit, for safety and the construction projects they will be doing.
  • Our ministry to Morocco has been on hold since the pandemic. Please pray that we would be able get moving again.
  • Please pray for those effected by violence. That the Lord would be there comfort, for the peace that passes understanding and that He would be glorified.
  • The U.S. dollar has lost about 20% of it’s value against the Mexican peso and with inflation it is making it difficult for the ministry and our workers.
  • Please pray for the Mixe church and the new believers in Puebla.   <top>