YUGO Ministries

Easter Report

2010-04-15T23:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

It has been an adventurous time this past while. Earthquake, accident and even a short stint in a Mexican jail. Read the attched to find out the rest of the story. Below is a detailed explanation from Leonard Janssen, YUGO's Executive Director of the accident.

In His Service,

Rod & Cheryl

Hello All,

We have a new driving rule for all YUGO drivers in Mexico: Never follow another driver who stops immediately on the highway to avoid hitting a chihuahua! On Saturday at about 4pm we were hauling some of our materials back to Tijuana from our Mexicali outreach conferences. I was following Rod in our "new" 1977 GMC motorhome. Rod was driving our 1992 Ford van loaded with a big grill and several ice chests full of left over food, etc. We were going between 50 and 60 mph on the four lane Boulevard 2000. All of a sudden I saw Rod sliding to a stop and the pickup rolling over in the dirt in the median. When the other driver slammed on his brakes, there was nothing Rod could do except lock up his van and trailer brakes. The collision crushed the front of our van, but neither Rod nor volunteer Joyce Friesen was hurt. There was no one else in the van.

There were about 8 Mexicans in the later model Ford Explorer Sport pickup. It rolled over twice and landed on its wheels. The pickup bed and front end were thoroughly thrashed, but the passenger compartment did not collapse, protecting the passengers really well. The three children were pretty banged up and traumatized and one lady looked like she was in shock. (The paramedics later took her to the hospital on a body board.) We provided water and paper towels so they could clean themselves up. Then, when a couple of the children started feeling cold we got some blankets to give to them.

One of the frustrating things about the location was the lack of cell phone service. I was able to make contact with my wife, Pati, only to tell her that Rod had been in an accident, but was okay, and then the service cut off! Joseph Fruin, another volunteer, was able to get through to his parents but then was cut off.

They don't do things in Mexico as they do in the states. When I told the police that I had frozen food in the van, they let me take anything out that we needed. In fact, one police woman said that we'd better remove anything we really wanted to keep! They didn't do any measurements of skid marks or relative distances of vehicles. They didn't even take any pictures. I agreed with Rod that he might as well get some shots on his own camera. We then asked if they would leave the trailer for us to take back to our Tijuana center. They complied.

When I asked about Rod, the accident investigator said that he would be going with him - to his "office". When they all left, I took off the find a better cell site, leaving Joyce, Joseph and Claudia (a Mexican volunteer) with the trailer. I had to drive 11 miles west to the coast road to find service. I got hold of Chuck Motz to find someone to bring
a vehicle out to tow the trailer back to the center. I also needed to communicate what they had done with Rod. We also needed to get Martin Castro to go with Chuck and Cheryl to Rod's destination to help with all the details. I also made a preliminary report to our accident insurance company.

We were happy when Joseph's father, Andrew, showed up with another van to tow the trailer. He even brought us some pizza. While we were getting the trailer and supplies to Rancho YUGO, Rod was learning about the investigator's office. After seeing it briefly, they put him in a jail cell! They took his clipboard with ID, insurance papers, money, etc., but let him keep his phone(?). Since there was no cell service, he took pictures. He actually got to experience two jail cells in different locations. They gave him the privilege of traveling between the two locations without "esposas" (Spanish for Wives and Mexican for Handcuffs). When Martin Castro finally was able to make contact with the insurance company and they finally made all the determinations, Rod was allowed to come home at about 1:30am. Our Lewis and Lewis insurance, which we have paid for for many years, came through with flying colors, paying 400,000 pesos for all liability (over $33,000!).

Things could have been a lot worse. Praise God they weren't. One of the Mexican officials said that if one of the truck passengers had died, Rod could have gone to prison. We wish he would not have even brought up the subject. It caused some unneeded worry. But, the realization of how the laws are so different across the border shows us how gracious our God is. Praise God that no one was more seriously injured, and that Rod is now able to get "right back in the saddle" to do what he was called to Mexico to do.

Make sure that you always have your paperwork with you while driving in Mexico. Don't follow people who stop for dogs, or make sure they are far ahead of you.

Praise God for His Great Grace,
Leonard

2010-01-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

What a privilege it is to continue being used by God to influence the lives of young people. We had a small group from Michigan with us in Mexicali earlier this month. They worked with a country church close to our Bible institute there, sharing the gospel and encouraging the people. One day during the students’ devotional time the area was hit with a 5.8 earthquake! Imagine asking God to reveal Himself and feeling the ground shake!

We think you will be encouraged by the testimony of one of the teenage girls:

Through this week I have received an opportunity to understand what it truly means to fear God, to feel His power and have Him literally shake my world. God changed my heart and soul so much, there really isn’t enough space to write it all. This week has taught me what it means to surrender all I am truly to Christ. God’s power cannot be contained, and His love needs to be shown to all. Thank you so much for this week.

We also want to say thank you to our financial partners for the part you play in making all of our ministries possible. Your generous support makes it possible for our staff to be a blessing to so many Mexican people who desperately need to see the love of Christ.

May God continue to bless you abundantly.

Check out the slide show/video made during our week in Mexicali. Go to www.youtube.com and “search” for yugo ministries. Scroll down the to New Year’s week for 2009-2010. Take a look at some of the others listed there, too.

2009-12-15T15:04:00.001-08:00

Something on My Mind

I'd like to give you a glance into the mind of a missions fanatic - mine. Once you've been bitten by the missions "bug", you see everything differently - even Christmas! I was so excited to see the song below again, but in a way, for the first time. One of my favorite old albums is Ray Connif's "We Wish You A Merry Christmas". I used to love the hear the crazy harmonies and the ways he used bells in the song I've quoted below. Then I finally listened, really listened, to the words.

There are certain phrases that really mean a lot to a "fan" of world missions. I had to listen over and over to be certain of what I was hearing - Tell all the world, Jesus is King; Tell it to all in every tongue; throughout the earth tell the glad news of Jesus' birth. These words were almost lost to me in the music. I wonder if the singers realized what they were singing.

Christmas is a wonderful time to hear again all the wonderful truths that are proclaimed in the music of the season - so much amazing doctrine that we get to hear and sing and proclaim again. The fact is that our missions-minded God SENT His Son to reach our lost world. We are seeking to be like-minded in convincing many more to follow Jesus into the world of the lost sharing the GOOD NEWS of His birth and death and resurrection. It's great to be a fan.

Leonard Janssen
Executive Director

RING CHRISTMAS BELLS

Ring Christmas bells, merrily ring
Tell all the world, Jesus is King
Loudly proclaim with one accord
The happy tale, Welcome the Lord

Ring Christmas bells, sound far and near
The birth-day of Jesus is here
Herald the news to old and young
Tell it to all in every tongue

Ring Christmas bells, merrily ring
Tell all the world, Jesus is King
Ring Christmas bells, toll loud and long
Your message sweet, peel and prolong

Come all you people, join in the singing
Repeat the story told in the ringing

Ring Christmas bells throughout the earth
Tell the glad news of Jesus’ birth
Loudly proclaim with one accord
The happy tale, Welcome the Lord

Ring Christmas bells, sound far and near
The birth-day of Jesus is here
Herald the news to old and young
Tell it to all in every tongue

2009-12-12T22:50:00.001-08:00

In case you are not aware of YUGO's ministry to orphans, here's our Grace Childrens Home E-News:

Christmas greetings from Grace Children's Home! Please take a few moments to read some of the highlights from the last few months at GCH. We hope that you will be blessed to see some of the fruits of your continued prayer and financial support.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT- ISAAC
Isaac joined our GCH family two and a half years ago with his older sister, Francis, and younger brother, Jacobo. He is in third grade and currently attends a private school. Isaac is bright and speaks very good English. This semester he received excellent grades. He plays on our GCH soccer team and enjoys playing tazos and marbles in his spare time. Isaac is always looking for ways to be helpful and can be depended on to see a task through to completion. Within his world of responsibility he is meticulous and neat. Isaac is affectionate and never short on hugs. Above all, the love of Jesus is evident in his kind, gentle, and caring ways. We are thankful that God brought this wonderful boy to be a part of our family.

BAPTISMS
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." Matthew 28:19

Our vision for Grace Children's Home is to make disciples. For this reason, when three of our older girls expressed a desire to be baptized, we were thrilled to encourage them in this step of faith and obedience to God's Word. On Sunday, September 27th, Flor, Jennifer and Valeria were baptized at Rosarito Beach. One day, all of our disciples will therefore go. As pastors, evangelists, doctors, missionaries, lawyers, and teachers, they will make disciples of this nation, México. Many of them are already doing so. They are sharing the gospel with their friends and teachers. As we continue to disciple and equip the saints, we rejoice when we see them taking steps of faith and obedience.

GCH SOCCER
Many of our kids expressed an interest in playing soccer in their after-school sports programs. In light of the cost and the complex logistics of getting everyone to different practices and games, we decided to form our own GCH soccer team. We practice two times a week and schedule games on the weekends with other local teams. A group of families from the States got together and donated new turf shoes for all of our players. Others donated jerseys, socks, shin guards and goalie gloves. A local soccer field donates practice and game time. Good sportsmanship, commitment, teamwork, respect for authority, physical exercise, and having FUN are just a few of the themes we are able to encourage on the soccer field.

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THE BABY HOME?
After finishing the foundation of the Baby Home, we waited on the Lord for almost a year before moving forward with construction. While in our finite minds we cannot completely understand the Lord's ways and His timing, we trust Him nonetheless. It seems fitting that God opened the doors to continue construction on Thanksgiving Day. A team from Westgate Church rolled up their sleeves, picked up their hammers and framed most of the first floor in one weekend. As we walk through the skeleton of what will one-day be a home to orphaned babies, we are humbled by the awesome responsibility of caring for 20 more of God's children at GCH. We rest in this promise from God's Word, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

GCH CELEBRATES THE HARVEST
As an alternative to Halloween and Día de Los Muertos, we hosted our 3rd annual fall outreach to our community. On October 30th over 100 neighbors walked through our gate. The evening included games and crafts for the children, dinner, live Christian worship, and a presentation of the gospel message. As we were intentional to put our focus on abundant life rather than death and evil; the Lord of the Harvest was faithful to increase His kingdom. Fifteen adults made first time decisions to follow Jesus Christ.

HELP US SHOP FOR OUR KIDS FOR CHRISTMAS
This Christmas, we've asked each of our children to choose two gifts from Wal-Mart. They each chose one large $30 gift and one small $15 gift. You can shop for our children and purchase gifts from our wish list at walmart.com. We included the 29 children that live in our home as well as our 10 staff children. Thank you for helping us make this Christmas special for our children.

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:22

The greatest contributions you can make to Grace Children's Home are your prayers. Please remember to make GCH a priority in your daily prayers. Here are some ways you can be praying for us:

Pray for healing. Pray that The Great Physician would heal the wounds that are deep and hidden in so many of our children.
Pray for spiritual growth. Pray that our children and staff would continue to grow spiritually in their relationship with God, in their understanding of His love for them, and in the wisdom of His Word.
Pray for unity. Pray that our GCH family would be bound by God's love for one another and fortified by His order.

My Kingdom Go

2009-11-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

Some of us in YUGO Ministries are enjoying a daily devotional that quotes from A.W. Tozer. We thought you would especially appreciate this one from November 25. It is hosted by Literature Ministries International - www.litmin.org. You might want to consider subscribing.

November: Spiritual Warfare and Sin

To be entirely safe from the devil's snares the man of God must be completely obedient to the Word of the Lord. The driver on the highway is safe, not when he reads the signs but when he obeys them.

That Incredible Christian, 51.

November 25

Spiritual Warfare and Sin: My Kingdom Go

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
--Matthew 6:10

It may surprise you that Aldous Huxley, often a critic of orthodox and evangelical Christianity, has been quoted as saying: "My kingdom go is the necessary correlary to Thy kingdom come."...

Certainly His kingdom can never be realized in my life until my own selfish kingdom is deposed. It is when I resign, when I am no longer king of my domain that Jesus Christ will become king of my life.

Now, brethren, in confession, may I assure you that a Christian clergyman cannot follow any other route to spiritual victory and daily blessing than that which is prescribed so plainly in the Word of God. It is one thing for a minister to choose a powerful text, expound it and preach from it-it is quite something else for the minister to honestly and genuinely live forth the meaning of the Word from day to day. A clergyman is a man-and often he has a proud little kingdom of his own, a kingdom of position and often of pride and sometimes with power. Clergymen must wrestle with the spiritual implications of the crucified life just like everyone
else, and to be thoroughgoing men of God and spiritual examples to the flock of God, they must die daily to the allurements of their own little kingdoms of position and prestige. Who Put Jesus on the Cross?, 173-174.

"Lord, I quit, I resign, I'm no longer 'king of my domain.' I die this morning to 'my own little kingdom of position and prestige.' Rule in my life today. Amen."

Transformations

2009-11-03T14:52:00.000-08:00

It’s hard to imagine just a month ago the Ensenada Outreach Center was packed with hundreds of campers over the weeks – building homes, running children’s programs, worshipping in chapel, enjoying tacos, and living in community. What an amazing summer it was – watching lives being transformed… both here in Mexico, but also across the United States and Canada!

The transformations that happen among the teams are amazing! As a youth pastor I can reflect on the hundreds of lives changed from spending one week in Mexico. I think back to youth like Dan who come alive when he’s in Mexico, forgetting about the struggles and pressures of life back home; or Stephanie who becomes so stirred by her weeks in Mexico that she decides to dedicate a year to volunteer at EOC as an intern; or Bill, a professional contractor who now sees Mexico as a home of spiritual renewal and awakening as he returns year after year to use his gifts.

Now as an EOC staff member, I can see first hand the transforming power of Jesus in the lives of the Mexican people we serve … through the countless number of children being fed a healthy meal through the breakfast program, or the families who received a home after living in tarp shacks or cardboard shanties, or the pastors who gained a team of people and resources to help them extend their reach in their community.

The most amazing transforming moments are when these two worlds intersect. I remember one particular home dedication ceremony and the team had just passed over the key to their new home, sharing prayers, blessings, and tearful thanks to the family they built for. When it was the families’ turn to share some words the mother… shared how grateful she was to have met this team and to have made friendships with these once strangers from the United States. She shared how if she had to choose between the new home or having her new American friends stay with her, she would choose the friends. What a reflection of the unifying love of God. Where complete strangers can come together and share in powerful moments of servanthood and humility.

I am excited to see what God will reveal and stir up in this place and in my life as I spend an extended period of time on staff with YUGO Ministries. I am confident in a place of such community and purpose we will continue to see God move, work, and transform. As we strive to be the hands and feet of Jesus, we see a bit of heaven come to earth. Not because we have it all together, but because we are inviting the transforming love of Jesus to be real and alive in and through us. May we continue to reflect on those moments of transformation, and pray that a revolution of Jesus’s love may continue to transform our lives and this world.

Blessings,
Rhonda

Logos Bible Institute, Mexicali

2009-10-27T15:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a letter that we just received from the Logos Bible Institute in the Mexicali Valley:

Beloved Brothers in Christ,

We greet you in the name or our Great Lord Jesus Christ. The desire of our heart is that God is blessing you in all your ways.

We would like to inform you that we began classes three weeks ago, and we have SIXTY part time students! As always, we ask for your prayers. This year we have eight different classes - Romans, Christian Education, Church Administration, Christian Home, Paul's Epistles, a class for pastors and another for pastor's wives. We have five teachers. God is using them.

We would like to thank you for the support we have received from you, especially through your prayers. God has been good to us. We praise His faithfulness and protection. We are happy to be working for Him here in our valley. Once again we ask for your prayers for us, as you know, God's work is great and there is always a need for more workers.

In God's Service,
Antonio Agundez
Director

We in YUGO Ministries are blessed to have a continuing role in supporting the Logos Bible Institute in Mexicali and the Grace Bible Institute in Tijuana and San Quintin. Your gifts to our National Workers Fund enable us to help these strategic training centers in Mexico. If God leads you to help us to help them, you can send your gifts to:
YUGO Ministries
P.O. Box 58
National City, CA 91951

Here's a Book We Recommend

2009-10-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

You really ought to read Max Lucado's new book, Fearless. He points out that fear is not only a universal problem for us weak human beings, it is one of the problems that Jesus referred to most in His earthly ministry. I wonder if the disciples ever reflected on the most-often-repeated phrases of Christ. If so, they would have noted, 'He was always calling us to courage.' Do not fear. Take courage. Let not your hearts be troubled.

For us who work in Mexico, our hearts were certainly challenged this year with all the reports of violence. Lucado's book is a great reminder of the courage that we gain when we focus on our Lord. He is truly our hiding place and our fortress and our example. His calm spirit in the midst of the storm is our refuge.

In His death Jesus provided us with so much more than a great example of sacrifice. But why did His death have to be so violent? Wouldn't our salvation have been paid for by a single drop of His blood? Did the atonement for sin demand six hours of violence? No, but His triumph over sadism did. Jesus once and for all displayed His authority over savagery. Evil may have her moments, but they will be brief. Satan unleashed his meanest demons on God's Son. He tortured every nerve ending and inflicted every misery. Yet the master of death could not destroy the Lord of life. Heaven's best took hell's worst and turned it into hope.

Let's avoid the stampede of fear out there and find comfort and courage in the arms of our strong Savior.

Update from Ken and Dee Holcomb

2009-10-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

What an incredible summer we had. Our mission’s trips went especially well.

Dee, Peter, and I along with 3 Mexican nationals went to Spain to work in three youth camps. We saw many come to Christ and had a rich experience. Peter counseled and Dee and I worked in the kitchen and helped where we could. We were able to share our testimonies and do some one on one teaching.

A second team went to Costa Rica and ministered in the church we planted and in one of its missions where they put on a VBS. They were especially pleased with the attendance which averaged 65 children and adults with over 100 in the closing program.

A third team of teachers from Nogales Seminary went to Panama to work with Missions Door missionary Luis Matute. They taught in homes in the Extension Bible School Luis has set up there.

A fourth team did a pioneering work in the country of Cuba. We sent two students, Ricardo and Socorro, from the Nogales seminary along with a Cuban pastor. They visited many house churches that have been established there. They were a great blessing to the Christians who have little contact with believers outside of Cuba. The highlight of the trip was to participate in a youth rally of some 700 youth!

These teams could only go because of the prayers and sacrificial giving of many of you. Thank you so much. Your investment will reap eternal rewards. Praise God.

House of Little Faces

2009-09-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

The visión for the ministry in Ejido Sinaloa is three-fold. While the ultimate goal is to provide food and protection, the more immediate need if for these children to know the love of God. These children are desperate for even the slightest amount of affection. Here they receive the love they need abundantly. We have received many children who through the neglect or oversight of their caregivers have received no significant education; therefore, an extracurricular educational plan, or in essence a ‘Heads Up’ program has been implemented in order to prepare the children entering their respective grade level.

Phase I begins with the Day Care Center, currently legally registered as “Casa Caritas”. Its purpose is to serve the community at large as a refuge for children with one or both working parents. Some of our children would be left in the care of an older sibling or worse, left to fend for themselves, until late in the evening if it were not for the presence of the day care center. Currently, we have this situation in which the oldest sibling is 12 yrs., the youngest is 5 yrs. These 3 little girls were literally rescued from the street where they spent the majority of their time wandering, depending on the kindness of those around them for food or shelter until their single mom’s return which can be as late as 12:00am.

Phase II of the ministry is called ‘Pescadores en Vision’ . This program is designed to mature the youth for ministry and evangelism. Currently this program involves a choir, a sports ministry, a homework help, and Bible studies for the jr. and sr. high grades. This program is designed to enrich the spiritual life of the young believers and mobilize them for ministry in areas that God leads.

Phase III of the ministry involves providing the adults in training discipleship for both men and women, equipping them for ministry as teachers, pastors, evangelists, and missionaries. (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Through the Eyes of God

2009-09-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

YUGO missionaries Raul and Emily Castro have planted a growing church in the town of S.M.P in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. They are learning Mixteco to be able to communicate better with the people. They are now taking the exciting and bold step of taking some of their church youth out to other towns in the area. Here is some of what they have shared about their new ministries.

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light, those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. Isaiah 9:2

For the past two days we have not had electricity. No refrigerator, no computer, no washing machine, no lights. Sometimes we take for granted having electricity. At night time it's really, but I mean really dark. But what a difference a flashlight or a candle can make. This made me reflect upon the people around us who are living in spiritual darkness, those who do not have the Light of the world in their lives.

The youth that are serving alongside of us have been doing an incredible job in S.C. and L.M. They have been supporting the schools, giving health classes, teaching how to read and write, etc. They are building relationships with the people with the hope that one day they will come to know Christ as their personal Savior. They are praying for these communities. As they walk, teach, sleep, and eat amongst the people they are proclaiming that the Kingdom of God be established. They are tearing down the strongholds of the enemy. They are bringing light to those who have been walking in darkness for so many years. As Jesus said in John 8:12, I am the Light of the world, he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.

In a recent prayer meeting, Hermana Mari praised God for the opportunity that the youth have to work in these communities. She shared that these places have been closed to Christianity until now. Sometimes I do not realize the magnitude of the things that we are doing. But we are opening doors for God’s light to move into these places. The people will see through our lives, our service, our love, the God that we serve. Please continue praying with us for S.C. and L.M.

Please pray for what God is doing in Oaxaca - for the communities of L.M. and S.C. and for the youth serving alongside of us (Etny, Juan, Bernardo, Isaias, Marvin, and Cesar).

We encourage you to shine brightly wherever God has placed you. May all the glory be given unto HIM.

The End of An Era

2009-09-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

Back in the late 1980's we became acquainted with Dave and Joy Hall when they applied to become YUGO missionaries. After retiring from the U.S. Coast Guard in 1966, Dave and Joy spent the next ten years serving as missionaries in Puerto Rico. Dave decided that he wanted to get more training, so they moved to Chicago to study at the Moody Bible Institute. After studying and serving the Lord in the area for another decade, they began seeking the Lord's direction for a new mission field. That's when He sent them to us. In 1990 they moved down to the heat of the Mexicali Valley to teach at our Logos Bible Institute and to help with several church planting projects.

Dave's specialty was teaching Evangelism Explosion, Bible and Theology, while Joy taught English and helped with ladies Bible studies. They also proved to be a blessing to other missionaries and to teams of American and Canadian youth that came to both Mexicali and Tijuana. Many times Dave used his expertise as a mechanic and electrician to help fellow missionaries and Mexican workers with their automobiles and homes. His calm and peaceful spirit was a great example to everybody.

When it finally became time to retire from the mission field in 2002,
Dave and Joy were rewarded for their faithful service with a home in the Bradenton Missionary Village near Sarasota, Florida. Since the beginning of 2009, Dave's health took several turns for the worse, being unable to recover completely from an injury. Then his immune system could not fight a case of double pneumonia. He was welcomed to his final home in glory on August 19. He was 80 years old.

Joy is doing quite well with all the wonderful support of her family and good friends at the retirement center. Please pray for grace and peace for the entire Hall family. Praise God for the wonderful missionaries whom the Lord continues to send our way.

TJOC Summer Report - Thank God for interns

2009-09-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

"Whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice" Zechariah 4:10a. We may not have had the biggest summer ever, but we saw some great things happen, and we got to know some great people. God did a great thing this summer through our staff in Tijuana. We only had 13 teams but still the Gospel was presented to almost 4,000 people, and 127 children, youth and adults prayed to receive Christ. Plus, we introduced our team ministry to almost 50 Mexican youth and their leaders. A number of them will get to share their testimonies with the pastors who will gather at the Tijuana Outreach Center on September 28. Wouldn't you like to come and hear them?

We are especially grateful to our summer interns who worked so hard to make the summer ministry happen. We want to say thank you to Kat, Mo, Kylie, Frank, Jordan and Bryce for spending 6 - 10 weeks with us learning and serving. They also did some shopping. Even with our small numbers it was still a challenge. It is fun, and a little embarrasing, to show up at the cash register with enough carts to block the isle. Someone always says, "Are you guys really that hungry?" Or, "Are you having a party or something?" Maybe we should answer, "When we are all done with this there's going to be a party in heaven."

We thank God for all of our staff at TJOC - the Kongs, Canotes, Houses, Rod, Laura, Martín and Chuck. You all helped us turn a corner this summer, and we all can rejoice in what God did through you.

Prayer is the key

2009-08-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

We have told the young people on our evangelistic teams that they will be praying a lot while they are with us in Mexico. In fact they will probably be praying more during the one week with us than they have for the last year. Many have agreed with us. They pray during their team meetings and during the quiet time that follows chapel. They pray before leaving for their ministry sites and during their meetings there. They pray before meals and during the share times we have at the end of the day.

It's also true that their parents and church leaders back home are praying for them, maybe as much for their safety as for their ministries. We believe that prayer is the main reason that we get to see so much fruit through their ministry. We do want to make it clear that none of our groups in Tijuana or Ensenada saw any evidence of violence while in Mexico.

Chip Kirk, one of our chapel speakers and a representative of Operation Mobilization, said that he was warned not to come to Mexico because of all the news reports. He reported that the only violence he saw was when some of the kids tried to take the nose off of his ventriloquist puppet, Junior.

We are hoping that some of the young people will catch the vision for prayer and start up prayer meetings in the churches and schools.

350 Backpacks from Costco!

2009-08-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

How many small steps does it take to change a culture? We don't really know except to say that we just saw a small step in the right direction. One of our missionary couples, Cindy and Jose Luis Pesina are doing everything they know to help the poorest children in East Tijuana. One of the problems is having the resources needed to attend school. They have raised significant funds to help over 100 children in the past. This year they decided to approach the Costco managers in Tijuana for help. Here is the response (taken from Cindy's prayer letter):

“Can you bring 45 kids from far east Tijuana to Costco Zona Rio” they asked? “Of course” I replied. (Costco would give them all free backpacks.) Then when we arrived at Costco she said “can you get together 125 kids together in the Valle Redondo area?” “Of course” I replied! (180 kids showed up).

But only God can do these things and so we hit our knees and prayed and then employed the help of a lot of volunteers from Mexico, and guess what!!! Costco donated 270 backpacks to the kids of Tijuana through YUGO Ministries and they personally gave out 200 of those backpacks to the kids with us! We then traded some of the backpacks for equal backpacks with a lot more supplies. In all, 350 backpacks were distributed through 10 different churches and about 300 of the backpacks were full of supplies! We were able to fill all these backpacks through many generous donations and the help of seven Mexican youth from a Rosarito church who worked with us in assembly line fashion for two days!

Praise the Lord!

God Uses Each of Us

2009-08-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

It is difficult to communicate how amazing our last two weeks were at the Tijuana Outreach Center. Having 45 Mexicans with us the first week and 12 staying for a second week made for a whole new dynamic with our evangelistic outreach program. It was so great seeing them realize that God could use them in the same way that He has been using Americans and Canadians in the past in their own communities. Imagine the powerful effect on two teenage girls when they heard from the pastor's wife how good their lessons were for the women who came to the Bible study! Even the adult leaders on the teams were excited to be leading people to faith in Christ.

It was fun watching as Pastor Martín Castro assigned young people to their teams. They didn't get to stay with their old friends. They had to make new ones in the context of serving God. It was such a blessing watching them pile into their vans to go out and then singing at the top of their lungs several hours later as they returned to our center.

One of the young girls had just become a Christian the week before she came. Because her family life has been so terrible, she found that life in the family of Christ was a real miracle. She said, "I didn't know that people could spend so much time together without yelling at each other." She really did not want to go back home. We even spoke to her pastor about getting permission to stay a couple more weeks with our summer interns.

Please pray with us that we'll be able to learn all we can from this year's experience to be able to do it again next year with even better results. Praise God for a wonderful summer of evangelism and discovering how God wants to use all of His children to reach out to those in need.

TJ Testimonies

2009-08-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

We are more than excited to share the following testimonies. They come from just a few of the 45 Mexican youth and adults who served on 3 teams at our Tijuana outreach center last week. Each team was assigned to a different local church where they ministered to women and children. Our regular sports ministry to young men didn’t work out as planned. They were so blessed to see 29 children, 2 young people and 4 adults pray to receive Christ.

Being in this place I was able to find and clarify what God wants for my life. The best part was being able to have more communion with God.

I don’t have words to express how beautiful my time was this week.

I have had an unforgettable experience. God answered my prayers in many things.

This has been a most beautiful experience that has changed my life. It was so great to see the children open their hearts to the Lord and receive Him.

I am leaving this place happy because I have discovered the ministry that God has for my life.

The YUGO ministry is the best ministry in the WORLD!

We want to say THANK YOU to all who gave a special donation to make this week possible.

I Got to Hear It Again

2009-07-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

I never get tired of hearing it - this time from a middle-aged Mexican
Christian woman. "I never knew that God could use me this way. What a blessing it was to see the hope on the faces of those who were hearing the gospel for the first time." Ofilia is part of a group of 45 Mexican young people and adults who are doing outreach this week out of YUGO's Tijuana Outreach Center. Another sister in Christ said that she knew that her group was here because they were replacing those who didn't come from north of the border because of fear. God is now giving us the opportunity to do what we should have been doing all along. She said that, when they arrived at the church, they were told, "We thought they were sending some Americans." She told them that Mexico is part of the North American continent, and "we're the Americans God has sent to you!"

It's only Monday night and we've already seen 10 children pray to receive Christ. We sincerely appreciate all those who have prayed and participated financially so we could follow through with this historical ministry. What an encouraging sight it's been to see them loading up and heading out to share the love of Christ with those who need Him.

Leonard Janssen
Executive Director

Mid-Summer Update -- We're Still Here!

2009-07-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

After all the attempts by the news reports to keep people out of Mexico, YUGO is still operating a ministry that is blessing the hearts of hundreds of Mexican children, youth and adults. We have terrific staff members, both in Tijuana and Ensenada and a great group of summer interns in both outreach centers.

One group we just hosted in Tijuana came all the way from Manitoba, Canada. Another group that comes every year from San Jose told us that it would take a lot more than overblown and overstated news reports to keep them away. So far those who have come have only seen the Lord use them to share the love of Christ. Nobody has seen any evidence of violence (or swine flu).

We thank God for all the groups who have come to Mexico with us – to share the Gospel, to build a home or help with Grace Childrens Home. Dios les bendiga!

Grace Children's Home

2009-07-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

Grace Children's Home is proud to be sending 18 GCH sponsored kids to attend the private schools this next school year! George and Stacey tell us this is amazing, especially due to the difficult economy that has been hard on everyone. But praise God, several generous donors have commited to sacrifice to give our children a better future! The private schools offer computers, art/music, English, more days of instruction, and higher academics. We have prayed each year for more and more of our children to have this opportunity. This year, we even got one more sponsored then we had anticipated.