McDonald's in Mexico
July update and prayer letter
July 2010
July update and prayer letter
July 2010
In June this year we graduated our first generation of Graduates from the Pastors and Leaders Training! We had a great celebration at Rancho las Palomas in Tecate (East of Tijuana-) at a beautiful location! Praise God for all the graduates and their friends and family who came out to support them. In Typical Mexican fashion, our 90 minute celebration lasted for 3 hours! The students had a lot to say!!2 weeks after that I trained almost all of these students pictured on the left along with another pastor from Mexicali ( a city 3 hours east of here in the desert) and a couple more from La Mission (town about 1 hour south of here) in how to be teachers so that they can take this training to pastors and leaders that they know. This summer I've been helping them with the paperwork necessary to enroll students for the fall. We have about 70 applicants as of today and I'm hoping to hear from some more-- we are probably looking at 80-100 students in total taking this training next year!! Praise God the the growth he is bringing and for the interest in the part of the potential students.
The main reason this is so popular is its affordability. I just receives some scholarship applications the other day and am continually amazed at how great the financial needs are in the area we work. Most of the people declare their income to be about $150 -$300/ month- which for an average family of 5 is $1-$2/ day / person. What they lack in finances, they make up for in zeal and desire to serve our Lord! There is a movement about that has people excited to go south and plant churches in areas where their currently are no or very few churches or Christians!
The cost to attend is US$150/ person over the course of 2 years-- but for many people struggling to feed their children on such little income-- this is 2 weeks or 1 months pay and is really undoable- even over the long term.
Praise God that this Spring we received donations to cover half the costs! Please pray for the remaining $6000 to be raised over the course of the 2 year program!
I'm looking forward to seeing How God multiplies the ministry in the coming years and sends workers to the unreached parts of Mexico and across the World!
SPANISH CLASS
This summer has been busy with Spanish class for Shar and the boys. I am teaching Sharlene and Elijah and they are having oodles of fun learning how to conjugate irregular Spanish verbs! A local MK, Joseph Fruin is teaching Caleb and Jacob, but they are not having nearly as much fun as their teacher teaches them spanish by making them play games and build puzzles and do stories. :)We're hoping that this concentrated time in Spanish class will help them to become more confident in their language abilities and enable them to interact more in the community!
COMEDOR/ FEEDING KITCHEN MINISTRIES
This Spring Andrew Fruin- our local handyman/construction guy was very helpful in helping to finish off the feeding kitchen that a group of Canadians had come down to build this winter. With the extra money they had raised he was able to put in tile flooring, counters and shelves, build benches, buy tables and set them up with indoor plumbing (for a sink, anyway). He has been a great help and this ministry is now flourishing.Dolores feeds about 50 kids a day/ 3 days a week in one of the poorest areas in Tijuana and she does it on $200/ month. That works out to be about 30 cents/ meal. But God has blessed her efforts and multiplies them as well and she is able to feed these poor children well for that little amount!
Please pray for the feeding kitchen, her 1 year of funding runs out in September and she needs that $200/ month to continue this ministry and would like to feed these kids 5 days/a week if the Lord provides.
CHILD TAX CREDIT
Thank you so much for praying! God has worked out our Child tax credit fiasco and we have been justly reinstated until June 2011!!
FURLOUGH
We will be taking a 6 month furlough from June 2011 until January 2012. We will use this time to reconnect with you folks, our supporters, and hope to spread the word of what we are doing with others as well.
We have been excited to see all that God has been doing through our ministry- yours and ours- together here in Mexico:
10 Grads from the pastors and Leaders Training.
70+ new students set to start in September.
10 grads from the Calvary Chapel Bible Institute where I teach.
1 church planted- and another one to be started this fall.
2 Feeding kitchens feeding 85+ needy kids a day.
Thank you for your faithfulness in praying and giving toward this ministry. I am certain you are storing up treasures for yourselves in Heaven that will never rust or rot away!
God bless you all!,
The McDonald Family
MT 6:19-20
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
