This week in Mexico 2-1-25

Here’s a glimpse of our week of outreaches in Mexico.

Quick links to the other parts this week:

 

Happy February GTF fam! ♥ I’m so excited to share these outreaches with you today! I have two outreach posts for you this weekend! I missed sharing our Mexico outreaches last week because of power outages during the storms. We had the strong dry winds from the North that caused fires both in California and here. And then a strong southern wind brought the most rain we’ve had all winter! We are grateful the Santa Ana winds are over now, and the fire risk is much lower. Thank you so much everyone for praying!

At the end of last year, we had materials donated by some friends who felt led to specifically help young families. We gave the materials to several local families who are very much in need, and now we’re excited to go around with our crew to help them use the materials!

Our next project brings us full circle to the beginning of our home repair and building days. It’s so exciting to see how the Lord brings things together and blesses everyone involved.

Project Israel!

Israel and Erica have two kids. Israel helps us with every project that needs electrical and plumbing work. He works full-time as the resident electrician/handyman for a community in Rosarito. This job doesn’t pay him enough to meet their needs, but it does give them great private medical benefits—which they needed after his wife suffered from Bell’s Palsy and some other medical complications during and after pregnancy. And so he now works extra jobs on nights and his one day off (many people here have only one day a week off) to make ends meet.

Knowing how much their family needs it, we are always so grateful to be able to hire him for our projects. And now, we are grateful to bless his family with a project for themselves! And this project has such a fun backstory!

The first project

The first project we built with concrete block was for a young family whose property was too small for our usual 20×30 concrete slab foundation. There was room for a small bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen/living room area. Israel helped us with the electricity and plumbing. We left the roof with rebar columns so they could tie in a second story later as their family grew. At the time, they had a toddler and a new baby. We built the floor, walls, and roof, and the husband then finished the bathroom and kitchen.

A few years later, the wife’s father passed away. He had been the full-time caretaker of her mom, so they had to move back to the mainland to care for her immediately. Israel and Erica had just gotten married, and her family owned the land beside theirs.

So they called Erica and explained the situation. They had put all they had into that lot and would need money to move back and care for her mom. They bought the land, but the house had been a gift from the Lord, so they couldn’t sell it. But, they explained, if Erica could buy the land, they could give them the home to start their family!

Erica met with her mom and her siblings. Her dad had passed away several years earlier, and he had a herd of cattle they maintained. He had loved the cattle, so they hadn’t wanted to sell them, but they were expensive to feed. Her family became convinced that the Lord had led them to keep the cattle for precisely this—to have the money to buy the land and receive a house from the Lord. And so they did!

They sold the cattle, bought the land, and were able to move in just in time for their first child to be born! This was twelve years ago. Not too long after, they would have their second child and experience some scary medical complications, but everyone survived! They didn’t know they’d need to take a big pay cut when the Lord gave them this house. But they saw His hand in it as soon as their need arose. They had a stable, safe roof over their heads that let Israel put his wife’s health first. :pray:

This little home has served them well these 12 years. And it desperately needs the second level that was planned so many years ago! Two parents and two kids with one bedroom can be challenging, especially as the kids reach adolescence. The unfinished concrete roof absorbs rain and humidity, so they have to clean mold off the ceiling constantly. So we are very excited to help this sweet family!

I love seeing how the Lord brings things together, and I love sharing it with you so we can praise Him together! It’s incredible to see how the love and prayers and support that you offer keep blessing families year after year after year. There are so many things the Lord is doing right now that we won’t know the full story about until later. He is constantly at work blessing His people, and I’m so grateful we get to join Him!

Ok, now that we’ve set up how this project came to be, let’s dive into the details.

Project: before

Second Story begins!

Israel has done some work over the years, but a second story is a lot of work for one man, bit by bit. Our crew is so excited to help them finish this!

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Groceries to families in need

Each month we bring groceries to families in need in several different areas.

Our kids group: our Escuelita

 

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Thank you so much for praying with us for those we serve together!

Quick links to the other parts this week:

Thank you for your love, and your prayers for those we serve around the world! It’s absolutely amazing what happens when we come together and follow the Lord’s leading. I’m beyond grateful for you all!

If you’d like to see more than we can share here, email me for access.

Thank you for keeping us, this ministry, and our outreaches in prayer, and thank you for your support! We couldn’t do any of this without you.

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God bless you!
♥ Samantha