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About us (How we got here...) In 2000 - 2001 Shelly and I rededicated our lives to God. We were both saved years before, but were not living as we should. We had been in and out of church for years, but through many prayers being offered up for us and a plan God had for our lives that we had no idea of, we finally made God "Lord" of our lives. We grew tired of just going through the motions of normal Christian life. There had to be more than just warming a pew Sunday after Sunday and spending our time working to pay off all the stuff we neither needed nor could afford. I knew that we were created to do more than that. We had the American dream, I had a great job where many people depended on me to make things work. Shelly finally was able to stay home and be the traditional housewife/mom. The closer I drew to the Lord the more dissatisfied I became with everything considered ordinary or normal. I had been building MY kingdom for as long as I could remember and I still was not satisfied nor fulfilled, I knew that there had to be more. I was like the servant in the parable, I wanted to use the "talents" God gave me for Him instead of for myself. I began to seek the Lord on how to do this. Everything I did, I always did my best - even to the point of being a perfectionist. I still knew that there must be more. God finally revealed to me through His Spirit that some of His children were using their talents for Him on the mission field as "Technical missionaries". Not the stereo-typical preacher/missionary that comes to mind holding a bible and standing in a huge boiling pot like in many comic illustrations, but one who preaches not so much with their lips, but more with their hands. You can see the example set by Jesus, before he preached or taught, he met physical needs. His first miracle was connected with water-he turned it into wine so a wedding party could continue. We seek to meet needs, build relationships and trust with the people here before any invitation to accept Christ is given. Around 2001 I received the opportunity to go on a short-term missions trip with our church to Mexico. At the time really I didn't have a desire to go to Mexico for some reason or another - I don't know why. I decided to go anyway as a step of faith to see if my desire to serve God on the mission field would be confirmed. I went down with a group to help get an orphanage ready for children. While pulling wires in an attic with the temperature outside hovering around 120 degrees Fahrenheit and who knows how hot in that attic, I knew then that this was what I was called to do. I returned home with a passion and a vision, a vision that my wife at that time did not equally share. I did not force the issue, but sought Godly counsel through my pastor. After a year of prayer and seeking God, the time was right for Shelly. God opened a door for us to serve with a lady in Tamaulipas for a year helping her get an orphanage built and ready to receive children. That was over seven years ago. God has brought us a long way. We have seen church groups and evangelistic teams come and go. They come and preach, do VBS and then they leave. They do serve a purpose, but after they go home, what then? The people here must be discipled afterwards. To do this we are actively working in two villages most visited by church groups working with the children with Bible lessons, games, puppet shows, etc. You can tell someone that God loves them or you can show them the love of God. Jesus said we are the salt of the earth. What does that mean? To me it means sprinkling the salt of Jesus' love around in the form of water projects, wells, children's outreaches, feeding programs and other life improving acts. The result? A thirst that comes in the form of "why are these people doing this for us for free?". It is then we can offer to quench that "thirst" with the "Living Water" of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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