To find out more about Casa Hogar Misericordia check out this website
www.casahogarbrcc.com
Trips to Chihuahua have been suspended indefinitely due to drug violence in the city and the surrounding area. Fidel & Marianita ask that you please pray for the children at Casa Hogar and the people of Chihuahua.

BRCC has planned several trips to Chihuahua in 2008.  
March 18-22
May
Aug 29 - Sept 1 (canceled)
October 10-13 (canceled)
Dec 27-30 (canceled)
GET YOUR PASSPORT NOW!

This was an unscheduled trip, but Fidel asked for us to help him by sending a team of men to work on the orphanage up in the little town of San Juanito, nestled in the Sierras. The men worked long hours putting up walls and preparing for the roof. Here are some special words written by one of the guys on the team, Roy Gomez.

                                     Walking On Water

All events have their defining moments – acts of bravery, turns of fortune, inspirational words that change tides irrevocably – and these occasions stand out. Singularly. Uniquely. In each case we feel a sense of the incredible. Indeed. We as Christians just call them miracles. Having just returned from our latest mission to Casa Hogar – where a handful of men from BRCC helped to further a colossal dream – I’d like to share a comparable instance.

While gathered in a little adobe church of pastel green, set high in the Sierra Mountains at San Juanito, Chihuahua – the site of Fidel and Marianita Rubio’s second orphanage – it was during this pastoral Sunday service beneath serene blue skies and majestic Pine Trees that Jim Gipson drew from Matthew (14:22-34) to address the significance of our calling that weekend.

He spoke of Peter having walked on water. He had walked on it – albeit for an instant, perhaps for only the blink of an eye – but Peter had stood on water and he had indeed overcome Natural Law. We all know this story. It was a miracle. The event depicts the apostle’s faith.

Keep in mind, moreover, that the other disciples had been called out as well this day. Of course they didn’t respond. We’re familiar with this part of the scripture as well. But – as Jim pointed out – we don’t give this detail much thought.

Agreed.  Why?

I speak for myself now. Is it possible that the disciples’ failure to trust in the Lord at that moment touches some raw nerve in us? Maybe. I can’t really say. I’m also no theologian. I only recognize that bold action is frightening. It is stressful! During most of my trials, in fact, I easily prefer the comfort and safety of my own little boat, so to speak, than to risk the dangers of the unknown.

This is the sad part. It suggests at least two things: I may suspect myself unworthy; worse yet, I don’t know the Lord.

Still, there is no reason to fear. I know this at least: The Lord forever pursues us.  And He delivers.  Witness the crux of Jim Gipson’s message: We all are separated from the extraordinary – stalwarts such as Peter – by little more than even the “scent of a mustard seed.” For remember, folks, Peter did sink. The man went under. Just as the Lord repeatedly redeems us today, He reached down into the lake that afternoon and rescued Peter. A crucial point here! It was with the faintest shadow of faith that the future cornerstone of our church had tripped along the water at all. The dynamics of this miracle are simple. Peter obeyed the call of Christ.
Great reading, Jim. The analogy served us poignantly.

For there we were, eh? With creaking bones and aching muscles – exception noted, Mark – this motley crew of paunchy, aging men couldn't dismiss the grueling challenges that defined our final workday. Personally, I was exhausted. My mind secretly whined. Feeling the toll of our labor, knowing that I had to summon energy from some source, I suspected that we were well beyond the points of individual endurance.

Suddenly the event came into perspective. I understood that I was standing outside our boat now, striding water, frail will in hand, wondering whether I’d sink today or fulfill His call.

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter had said, “tell me to come to you on the water.”  “Come,” Jesus replied.  And Peter walked on water.

Man, I love that part! It became my defining moment. I’m convinced, moreover, that at this very instant we all understood whose voice it was that called us. For it’s no different today than yesterday. With this one word, “Come,” my dread dissipated and the majesty of the Lord’s spirit filled me with inexplicable energy and joy. I recalled that nothing is impossible to God.

All things taken into consideration, this tiny event on a remote mountaintop in Mexico may not seem so miraculous – hardly worth mentioning, really – but you can only judge for yourself by attempting to walk on water.

Ten first-timers were going on this trip; I was so excited for them. Our plan was to visit with the children at Casa Hogar and give them their school supplies, serve Fidel and Marianita and have our guys install windows and doors at the clinic.
 
As we arrived, I was glad at our planning meetings that I had stressed to “be flexible” when they arrived in Chihuahua. On Friday evening, as we drive into the compound to see the children and greet Fidel and Marianita, we find out that the city had come and dug up their water lines and they hadn’t had water for 14 days. They were down to very little gas for their stove and the kids had probably been eating nothing but tortillas for a few days. God had sent us at just the right time. Our group went to work…water and gas was trucked in to fill the tanks. On Saturday morning, we took Marianita to Sam’s so she could get food for the month, 7 baskets and a flatbed full of necessities.

Saturday morning, Misty Femea and her team encouraged the children with arts & crafts projects, beaded bracelets, popsicle stick creations and much more.

Saturday evening, hamburgers were made for the 80 children from Casa Hogar plus the 40 children brought in from the Sierras. Many of the children had never had a hamburger, they had a great time. That evening, the kids were treated to movies, popcorn and other goodies. They stayed up until 10:30pm.

Two gentlemen from a church in Arvada, Colorado, were visiting and they had brought school supplies for the children, also. So on Sunday morning before service, we all got together and filled backpacks with school supplies; and for the Sierra children, hygiene items. After service, each child received their own backpack. All the children were so happy, each with their own little backpack, looking through their supplies, paper, pencils, and crayons. The 40 children filed on to the school bus with their backpacks ready for their 3-hour bumpy ride back to the Sierras..

Our construction team was kept busy the entire weekend fixing plumbing, replacing lights, making sure water and gas was brought in and tanks filled.

The entire team used their gifts…translating, arts & crafts, cooking, serving, plumbing, electrical, and just loving and serving the children.

The team went to Chihuahua thinking they were going to change the lives of the children, instead the team came back with their lives forever changed.

 On November 11, 2005, a group of 23 from BRCC took off for Chihuahua, Mexico to visit Casa Hogar Misericordia. Though they met a few obstacles at the border, they made it to Chihuahua. On Saturday morning, all the men got up at 5:00 for the 3-hour trip to the Sierra.  The men worked all day digging trenches, breaking rock and mixing and pouring cement for the construction of another orphanage. All the women plus 2 musicians stayed at the orphanage to minister to the children...cutting hair, working on arts & crafts projects, cooking and worshipping with the children. The trip was a quick one, but much was accomplished. 

Reflections from Muddy Streets

On Memorial Day weekend, 34 people from BRCC made their way to serve the Casa Hogar Misericordia orphanage in Chihuahua, Mexico.  As we approached the Eastern Sierra Madres nearing our destination, a violent storm pummeled our vehicles with quarter-sized hail.  When we arrived at our turn off to drive down the muddy streets leading to the orphanage, a small river of run-off water blocked our path.  What seemed like an obstacle and hassle turned out to be a blessing.  That area of Mexico had been suffering from a drought for 12 years.  The rain and ensuing floods came as good news.

The director of Casa Hogar, Fidel Alvarado, didn’t show up for some time.  He had two flats tires on his way to meet us and had to change and fix the tires in the rain.  For over 16 years, he and his wife, Mariana, have taken care of hundreds of orphans.  For the past two months, they have dealt with the challenges of getting 85 children to school with two minivans and a truck.  Their bus had broken down.  Makes the problems I face seem a little less significant.

One team of women from BRCC spent two days delousing the hair of the children.  They also gave the children haircuts and taught the teen-aged girls how to use curling irons and facial products..  Another team concentrated on completing the roof for the clinic.  They lugged buckets of concrete up to a roof to build a concrete roof for a clinic.  The roof measured over 170 square meters and was 6 inches deep.  That’s a lot of concrete.  With 13 men, handling hundreds of buckets, the roof was completed in one day.  Love comes in all kinds of ways.

Still another team of people spent two days helping the children create different kinds of art projects and personalized jewelry.  BRCC provided three sets of TVs and VCRs, along with dozens of Spanish language movies geared for children of various ages.  For the first time in a long time, the children had a chance to see a movie.  The water heater had gone out in the main house and the families had been taking cold showers.  BRCC provided a new water heater and a team who joined us from Rainbow Hills Baptist Church helped install it.  Love comes in all kinds of ways. 

But the biggest hit came when Corey and a band from BRCC led the children in some “church that rocks” Spanish worship songs.  The children kept asking for more.  So the band played all the songs again in English.  You know, we are really blessed to have such gifted and rockin musicians willing to use their talents to help children experience God’s joy.  On the last night, our BRCC team took the Alvarado’s children out to play games at an arcade so Fidel and Mariana could have a date night out.  When you have 4 children and another 85 kids you care for, date nights don’t come often.

On Sunday, Fidel drove me and a team member to the foothills near a mountain range where numerous Indian tribes live.  They have never heard about Christ before and live in desperate poverty.  Fidel’s vision is to establish a base camp there and lead groups to reach out to the people he calls the “truly poor”.

As we pulled out of Chihuahua early Monday morning, traces of mud still dotted the road.  We pray a little love shared in Jesus’ name touched these children.  And many thanks to those who gave to help us make a difference:

                BRCC donations towards supplies:  $3,352

                Non BRCC donations:  $1,877  

                BRCC designated cash donations:  $6,000

                TOTAL DONATIONS:  $11,229

Vaya con Dios,

Brent

This was my second trip to Casa Hogar. This time I knew more people than I did the first time, what roads we’d take, I knew where we’d stay, what the orphanage was like, as well as some of the children at orphanage. The element of the unknown was less than the first time. Yet only as He can do, God brought unexpected opportunities for me to partner with Him to serve, learn and grow.

It’s truly hard for me boil God’s work down. So here are four areas where God gently inspired me.

God’s Provision

When I was first asked to lead a team during this trip, I was immediately drawn to the hygiene team—the team who would give lice treatments, haircuts, face and nail care training.  It seemed like a good fit because I love hosting manicure parties for my friends and I knew a bit about lice treatment as I had gotten it on the last trip. So why not?

At our trip briefing I met Monica, who would turn out to be an invaluable partner. She was a dream partner because of her initiative, ownership and commitment to see the task to completion. Seeing her serve, I got a new twist on a parable that Jesus taught in Mark 4:4-8. I’d always understood the seed that the farmer was sowing was symbolic of the good news about Christ. Monica was sowing seeds of the good news of Christ with a twist. This good news was God working through her and other folks to serve some of His children at Casa Hogar who needed help. She sowed this seed to her clients, co-workers, employer and another local church. As she simply shared her story of what was going on in her life, God used her to spark the giving of $1,800 in cash donations and supplies.

A Study in Patience

It was our first morning. As part of the hygiene team, we were working to set-up our “Salon and Barber Shop.” This was a new endeavor for our BRCC and for us as well. With Spanish worship music playing, balloons, streamers, banners,  6 “salon stations”, we were excited and ready to go—or so we thought. We were deluged with children. That morning alone not only did we give lice shampoo treatments to 8 heavily infested children each taking 1-1½ hours each, hair cuts for over a dozen children, we did this while being surrounded by a sea of children. They were curious to see what was in our supply boxes, and how to use the hair clippers.  I must confess I was reminded in the midst of this flurry of Jesus calling the children to come to Him (Matthew 10:13-16) and gained another level of amazement for my King.

What spoke to me the most was the patience of our 8 young girls that morning who bent over in the sink to have their hair shampooed three times and sat as we painstakingly combed their hair to remove the lice eggs without complaint for well over an hour. It was a honor to witness patience from such gracious and trusting young ladies.

Pressing On

From clogged toilets, to getting meals on the table for 84 children everyday, to taking the trash to the local dump, to lodging charitable work groups to generate funds, to stopping and picking up shoes or toys along her path, I was simply overwhelmed by the enormity of the task that Marineta, co-director of the orphanage, does for these children. She embodied Philippians 3:12-13. Through a translator, I asked her how she does it. Before the translator finished relaying my questions, I knew how she’d answer. She’d say “by the power of God.” And I knew she meant it.

Power in Christian Community

Over 20 folks from BRCC. Almost 10 folks from other local churches. Many new to Casa Hogar and one another. The common purpose to worship God through service coupled with riding in a van for 2 days, eating and working together was quite a combination for God to unite us in community. I was rejuvenated in the hope and power of His community as I watched Him at work through his people at several points along the way.

• The Holy Spirit led several members to give money to replace funds that were stolen during the trip. Each gave as they were lead and when all was said and done it totaled exactly what was stolen—$140.
• The Holy Spirit ignited a 15 year dormant talent of the Spanish language in Nancy. Her gift and heart allowed many connections with the children. Nancy spoke at length with one young lady of 17 years. Nancy created an environment of safety and this 17 year old young woman shared how she feels close to God during her quiet prayers, the struggles of being a Christian without peer community, the recent death of her father and the recent reconciliation with her estranged sister. Yet through the tears, she shared of her future plans and dreams of starting college in the fall. What would have been missed for all without the ignition of the Holy Spirit and the availability of His servant Nancy.
• The Holy Spirit led members to purchase new televisions to replace the ones with stripped electrical wires that were being plugged directly into the socket by the children.
• The Holy Spirit led two of our translators, Angelica and Lourdes to move beyond translating and become itinerant teachers in various bathrooms around the orphanage to teach children, young adults and staff members how to care for their hands, faces and hair.
• The Holy Spirit prompted scores of folks at BRCC to donate $3,600 in hygiene supplies. In addition they donated arts & crafts, videos, VCRs, sports equipment and cleaning supplies. I must confess I had my doubts if the supplies we hoped to donate would come because the need was large. I was moved to tears as I walked into the church office and saw countless bags of supplies that my church, our church, had taken the time and money to purchase for children they most likely had never met. Thank you, thank you.

So more than the tasks completed, the trip was truly about stepping out of my everyday life to develop relationships within your local church, across socio-economic, ethnic and national lines, and with my creator and sustainer of life. It’s truly amazing what God did and will continue to do in my life, those on the trip and for future sojourners to Casa Hogar.

Sarah Linely