Adela & Susana . . .

These two amazing sisters (l-r), Susana and Adela, have been our 'neighbors' in Durango for as long as I can remember now, and have a very special place in the hearts of me and my wife.  A very special friend of ours blessed us with some extra finances so we in turn could bless them with something that has been lacking on their little feet for months now - a brand new pair of tennis shoes, or any kind of shoe for that matter, along with some socks, and some other stuff God blessed them with today. Most of the time they are barefoot, and it's a rarity when we go to visit them that they are both home. Adela usually goes to work with her parents to help make ends meet for the family. They both have not been to school for a number of years now, which just adds more heartbreak for us each time we see them - they may be moving to La Paz very soon. Please pray for these two precious sweeties - that God's will be done, that they get to stay in Durango, that the Lord would provide a way to get them back into school, and their parents wouldn't hinder them anymore. Our Father in heaven is a father to the fatherless, and a friend to the friendless. My wife and I over the years have run into so many instances, where we have had to step in and be that father or mom to the kids we work with. Please continue to pray for us as we minister to all of the kids in the communities where God has placed us.
Shalom

The Crews We Work With . . .

My wife and I have been working with a very special group of kids from the community of Zorrillo since the spring of 2012, and with those same kids as a bible study group since August of 2014 - some of these kids are in the photo with us, along with our Durango kids, who also make up another bible group in their own community. Today we went out looking in Zorrillo for a semi-permament 'home' for the bible study group - currently we meet in homes in the community. Please pray for us so that: we find a place large enough to expand the group; that it be relatively inexpensive; that in the very near future, if the Lord is willing, we would be able to expand and offer tutoring for the kids, something that we have done for all of the elementary, jr. high, and high school kids we have worked with in the past; that we be able to start bible lessons with the elementary kids asap; that God would provide every necessity required to serve these kids, and serve our Lord; we have God's protection and covering over us; that God be glorified in every step we take with Him. Also, please pray for our groups who currently meet on Wednesdays and Saturday nights at 6pm . . . God's will be done with these precious kids - disciples of Christ.
All of our love,
Walt & Maribel

Hope Endures . . . Thank You Hope Chapel!

Sunday morning . . .  my wife and I drove south for three hours from Santa Barbara and reached Huntington Beach, the home of this beautiful little church called Hope Chapel, with pastor Paul Harmon at the helm. We had been invited by our dear friend Wayne, who I first met down in Mexico way back in 2008. Everything leading up to our chance meeting, and then our invite to visit his church and fellowship with them was totally orchestrated by the Lord. We felt so welcomed there, and for my wife, the very first church she has stepped into on U.S. soil. The worship was filling and the message was timely. Our prayer is that we would continue to be welcomed at this church and our relationship flourish - my wife and I have been praying and longing to be supported by a church stateside, especially for prayer covering. As the Lord would have it, this small church has been praying for me and my wife for weeks, and we are so grateful because we know that God answers prayers. If it be the Lord's will, also please pray that God would touch the hearts of those on the mission board - that perhaps they can somehow support us with a bit of finances - that would be the icing on the proverbial cake. Either way, we are just grateful to know that there is a body of people praying for me and my wife - God's will be done with us and this beautiful church of believers. God is faithful . . .

Maribel Goes To Santa Barbara - Next Stop, Disneyland

That's my precious wife Maribel sitting in downtown Santa Barbara waiting for our pasta salad. If you had told me in 2007 that in eight years I would be sitting with my mexican wife in downtown S.B., I would have told you to your face that you were crazy!
God truly works in mysterious ways - during the entire weekend that my wife and I were visiting up north I had to pinch myself and make sure I wasn't dreaming. That saturday (10/10) was our 17 month anniversary - we are finally (long story) going to have the opportunity to have a honeymoon in early November, something the both of us had been dreaming about and praying for, and which was all made possible with the long awaited approval of my wife's visa. The 'permiso' to cross the border and travel anywhere in the U.S. was just a formality. Now I get to take my wife to a place we've been talking about for years, and perhaps a place that most of us take for granted. Friends of ours and my son have offered to bless us with this trip, and we are so grateful for this opportunity. When you're living on a missionary's budget, something as simple as a trip to Disneyland is a huge blessing! We are so thankful that God has placed people in our lives who have the heart, compassion, and the gift of blessing others - we are also grateful that God uses us to bless all of our kids in the communities we work in -- we serve a God who is in the business of blessing people - all glory to our Lord.

Honey Are We There Yet?

I had crossed the border twice in the last two months, the last time with my wife, her very first trip to San Diego after receiving her visa! Both times I asked the border agents, are you sure my wife can get her 'permiso' (permit to travel 25 miles north of the border) after crossing the border in a vehicle - both times they said yes. So last friday my wife and I were in a hurry to get to my hometown, only her second visit to the U.S., so we could visit and she could finally meet my family. Again our friendly border agent mentioned we could just park the car and walk over and request a 'permiso'. Unfortunately that was not the case. I was scolded by an officer in the processing area and was told my wife and I would have to walk back across (searing heat & humidity that day) to Mexico, then re-enter the U.S. to obtain the magic 'orange card' to be able to apply for her permiso. So we walked back in the heat, I waited 90 minutes in that Sentri line (no shade) while my wife sat in the shade. After all was said and done, 2-1/2 hours later after getting in line, my precious, patient wife finally had her permiso! She can now go anywhere in the U.S.! We were just happy to hop back into our air-conditioned car and be on our way to Santa Barbara to visit family. It was a very long drive with tons of traffic and more heat - in fact it never cooled down, even in Montecito where my son lives. As we tried to sleep that evening, I couldn't help thinking just how faithful God has been to me and my wife. We had battled for a visa for almost a year - it literally was a miracle how my wife finally got her visa - and finally, she now had her permiso in hand. Thank you Lord! I kept telling my wife on the way up the coast - I will NEVER have to drive alone again when crossing the border. God is faithful. It was so much fun having my wife with me during the whole trip. God is faithful.

It All Started With a Hot Dog . . .

Saturday was another first for our bible groups -- our kids from Zorrillo and Durango got together for the first time for some great fellowship, courtesy of Wayne and Jason and friends, with some help from Genesis Diez. We were rollin' 20 deep when we walked into Costco and drew many stares. For some of our kids it was their first Costco hot dog, very different from tacos de carne asada or adobada you can buy in the street. From there we headed out to the beach and had some more great fellowship, swimming, ate some watermelon, and had a teaching on 1Thess5:11-"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." I reminded the kids that encouragement can come thru words, and sometimes, just by our actions. We were all encouraged that day by Wayne and Jason, who took time away from their home life in Cali, just to come down and spend time with us, and minister to us in food and fellowship. Sometimes, the best encouragement can come by just being there for these kids. Thanks again for all the "animo" you gave us over the weekend!
All of our love,
Me & Maribel and the crews from the Z and the D . . .

The Gift of Giving . . .

That's mama Sandoval, grandmother of one of our bible study kids from Zorrillo, with her great-nephew, being attended to by Jason over the weekend. Besides having open heart surgery just over a year ago, she has battled with an upper respiratory illness for quite some time. Please pray for complete healing, and that she follow doctor's orders.
Jason also had the blessing of visiting our other grandmother, Francisca, who's grandkids also attend our bible studies. Together these ladies of faith have blessed me and my wife tremendously over the last year with the gift of opening up their homes so that we could meet with our jr. high bible group in the community of Zorrillo. They both are adamant that they want their grandkids being raised in the things of the Lord, and what better way to know they are being taught the Word of God then to keep them at home? Please continue to pray for their health - they both have been so thoughtful of giving us the gift of hospitality - we want to remain steadfast and continue to raise their grandkids in the knowledge and understanding of the Lord and His Word -- they were both so grateful that Jason could make a house call and minister to their medical needs. Thank you Lord for hooking this up!

Hope Endures by Loving People . . .

That beautiful photo of one of our kids from Zorrillo, Mariana, was taken by Jason over the weekend. I can remember years ago being at another ministry as a director, and having no food, no finances, to feed over 50 people at the time. We had been praying for a miracle for quite some time, and late Sunday night someone who I had never met showed up at the facility in a van, opened his door and shouted, "Someone here has been praying for food!" He brought a van load of food for us.
Those are the kinds of things God has done over the course of serving here (8 years) in Mexico that I will never forget. God always provides for us in His timing so as to build up our faith and solely trust in Him.
I remember taking Mariana's older sister, Rosa, to the beach just a few weeks ago - it was her first time at the beach here in Ensenada! Saturday was the first time Mariana (12 years old) stepped onto a beach - it's a beautiful and wonderful thing when God uses you to bless someone in this manner. We often take for granted the finer things in life God has blessed us with, like going to the beach. God loves our kids from Zorrillo and Durango, and we love to be used by God to reach out and bless them. Much love to Wayne, Jason, and Genesis Diez for making this possible.
All glory to God - He wanted to bless Mariana on Saturday with her first day at the beach. Praise Him!

Wayne and Jason Make History!

Our very first group to visit us, I mean, literally visit us at our home, Wayne and Jason of Hope Chapel in Huntington Beach! They came, they ate (Maribel's mean posole), they ministered, and invited us back to visit their church this weekend! Please pray for us as our new relationship with Hope Chapel develops and that it become fruitful for both sides, in Jesus Name!
Truly, God used these guys in the most miraculous and loving way, as they provided literally so much hope for the sick, the down trodden, and especially lifting up our bible study kids and blessing them with a weekend outing. Their gift of encouragement comes thru the power of the Holy Spirit, and we were honored to have them in our home. It had been too long (over four years) since I had any type of fellowship like this . . . love my homies for coming down and 'lifting' up me and my wife in prayer, encouraging us to stay the course, and blessing our families and kids in the communites, along with the kids at Puerta Hermosa and Genesis Diez. God is faithful . . .

The Kids of Durango . . .

We have prayerfully and purposely been meeting with the jr. high and elementary kids of Durango for over the last three weeks and it has been nothing short of spectacular . . . we love that all of the kids engage in worship songs, activities, and especially when it comes to the study of the Word they truly know that Jesus is Lord as the majority of our kids attend church in one location or another in this very tight knit community. The last two saturday evenings with the older group has been full of worship and prayer, bible study, and an amazing sense of family as we get together to encourage each other and pray for one another. Please continue to pray for all of our kids in Durango - living in poverty is not easy for anyone, but the smiles of these kids as they show up to the El Faro community center for our bible studies is something everyone should experience - truly the Lord has His hand on these kids, and my wife and I feel so honored that the Lord has placed us there for such a time as this . . . God is able.

It Was Blazing Hot Out There . . .

About over a week ago in Zorrillo . . . my wife and I had to hustle up 100 kids for a special gift -- the good people of Costco thru the Genesis Diez ministry wanted to bless the kids of the community with backpacks for school. We thank God for the pastors at the nearby church who were so gracious to allow us to use their facility for such an event. It was blazing hot and humid that day, and the kids showed up almost an hour early to get in line for that much needed item for school. In fact, over 125 kids showed up! Thru the grueling heat we had to maintain some type of order as to not disturb our neighbors, and much love goes out to Los Eligidos (jr. high) bible group who provided much of that crowd control and keeping the elementary kids in line. Also much love to our neighbor across the street who's large tree provided shade for most of the kids during the wait. In all over 125 kids received brand new backpacks, and the almost two hours they waited in line while we provided ice cold punch for them, was definitely worth it. God is good all the time!