June 27, 2009 - Spirit Midwest Ministries Festival

Tijuana Team 2013 - Day 7

Post by Julie Barnes on Fri Mar 1st, 2013

What a day! We arose earlier than normal and tried to pack a lot of things into the last bit of time we had left. First on the agenda was finishing our construction project. That one wasn't optional. If we didn't finish it, we'd stay till the work was done and not be able to go to the other places on the list. That also wasn't optional, as everyone had their favorite place or person they wanted to go back and see. So, we worked our rears off and got the work done! We were about an hour late, but that ended up okay.

As we presented the home to the family and prayed over them, Enrique prayed over us, as well. He and his family have been so overwheled by the love of God this last year that they were moved to tears. Barb's heart for giving was evident once again as she brought fresh baked cookies for everyone and homemade blankets for Enrique, Lilly & Enrique, Jr. They were so appreciative - especially Enrique, Jr, who was immediately moved to tears when he saw his superhero blanket.

They were also amazed to see the shower in the bathroom - which included a flushing toilet and sink with running water. These are unheard of in their neighborhood in Tijuana, so they felt like kings & queens! We were so humbled by their gratitude!

We were sad to learn that there was no school today, which meant the feeding kitchen wasn't open. So our plans to bring more milk and cookies didn't come to fruition. But God knew what was best . . . which must have been sending cookies home with the Cruising for Jesus guys after they left the base tonight. We invited them to come for dinner & a movie. It ended up also including an awesome time of prayer & worship, dominoes, cards, pool and ice cream sundaes! We had such a great time! I'm sure this will become a new tradition for our group. It was wonderful to be able to just hang out with the guys and get to know them and hear their stories. Wow! What a day!

Thank you so much for your prayers. Tomorrow we have to leave the base by 7:00 a.m. to be sure to get to the airport on time, so please pray for us to be ready in time! If you'd like to see the pictures from today, click here.

Tijuana Team 2013 - Day 6

Post by Julie Barnes on Thu Feb 28th, 2013

Thank you so much for your prayers as you've followed our journey this week! Yesterday was an amazing day filled with glorious signs & wonders of God . . . which meant the enemy wanted to squash that action. Because of your prayers, he did not prevail! Hallelujah! We are so excited about what God is doing in each one of us, as well as through us as we walk the path He preordained for us long before our feet ever touched this soil. He has allowed us to see people come to Christ, share testimonies with the downtrodden to help lift their spirits, worship Him in dance and in song as we shared His love with others and so much more!

Today we visited the men at Campo de Fe men's hospice on the outskirts of Tijuana. It was a beautiful day for the drive and we were so blessed by the men! A few of them shared their testimonies, as we reciprocated with a few from our group. Isaac wowed us with his guitar skills and then we glorified God with a few worship songs before Marcial shared a word of encouragement and some songs the men knew. The Spirit of God was evident - both in the room in general and in Marcial in particular. We are so blessed to have this man "on our team" each year when we come!

After leaving Camp de Fe, we took the afternoon off and headed to the beach in Rosarito. It's just a 15 minute drive from the hospice and seemed like the perfect setting in which to get refreshed and revived after a rather hectic week. Many of us enjoyed ATV rides on the beach, horseback riding, dipping our toes in the ocean and shopping in the market - but I personally enjoyed basking in the sunshine and warmth! What a gorgeous day God made for us today!

As we retire for the evening, we are all reflecting on what God has in store for us tomorrow. We know it's something big 'cause the enemy has been fighting hard against us. Please keep us in your prayers! We will be finishing the construction project in the morning and then celebrating with milk and cookies at the dedication. We will then go back to the feeding kitchen, where we will share more milk and cookies before heading back to the Dibujando orphanage to share milk and cookies, as well as some lovely cross necklaces Al bought for the kids. From there we head to the Cruisin' for Jesus rehab where we'll be picking up the guys to bring back to th base for a time of worship and prayer, followed by a spaghetti dinner & movie night (complete with pop and popcorn!). Please DO keep us in your prayers!

To see the pictures from today, click here!

Julie and Al Barnes are the founders of Spirit Midwest Ministries, which began in the summer of 2006. They have continued and expanded the ministry through faithful supporters like you. Read more of their blogs entries on the blogs page. SMW