We have a cook in our family

It's fun to see God develop your babies into growing kids with individual gifts, talents and interests. Mark has had a creative flair to his personality and recently he has channeled that into cooking. Our whole family has benefited from this for sure. He created one dessert he has called "Mark" and three other names I don't remember. When I'm in a pinch for dinner or any meal for that matter, Mark jumps in and says "I'll cook" Here you can see his award winning (award by me) pancakes and his famous "Mark" that he made for snack at school.

Two sides of my path

Yesterday morning, Hope, Julie , Meme and I prayed and walked around the Rio. Quite often when we visit there we stop and pray with people as we visit. Yesterday we did a little of that but mainly concentrated on praying against spiritual warfare found in the Rio. God revealed to me the reality of sin and how it opens doors to satan's scheme. As we walked on a path down by the river I was overtaken by the contrast on either side of this path. On one side was a reflection of God's creation. A beautiful river, that appeared clear, the green plant life and trees that lined both sides. As I looked I couldn't help but praise God for his creation. He has given us so much beauty to enjoy. In the very same spot that I stood, I turned to the other side to behold not just a pile but a slew of garbage lining the embankment of the river. To me this represented the sin that spills out from our lives. What seems like a little thing we refused to forgive someone for grows to become a breeding ground full of infection and sickness that could lead to death if we aren't careful. We did stop at one house after hearing harsh words coming from inside. It was a mom with three daughters. As we stood to pray for her I felt overwhelmed for her hurt and how in return she was passing that on to her children. As we prayed we glanced down to see beer cans littering the ground. God has victory through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus has come to be light in a dark world. We prayed for the people of the Rio and in our lives as well that Jesus would bring light to expose our darkness. That Jesus would move in and clean up our garbage filled ravines so that we can reflect His beauty.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within Me." Psalms 51

relearning the importance of prayer.....

Been praying a lot lately. God has moved here when there are people praying. Tomorrow a few of us are going to the Rio to pray over the spiritual warfare there. We need your prayers to cover us as we pray. There is a deep stronghold there. Please pray that God would break it. He is victorious.

Also this weekend there is a youth conference, retreat kind of thing at a local church that many of our youth are going to. Please pray for lives to be changed. For God to break spiritual bondage in the lives of these kids. Pray that decisions will be made for Christ.

Pray, pray, pray. Thank you.

New Huffer family photo

Just wanted to show an updated photo from this holiday season. We were blessed to be home for Christmas this year. We were able to see a few people however there are many of you we didn't get to see. Thought I'd add this to show how our boys are growing. Ben is 12, Luke is 10 and Mark is 8 years old. We are truly blessed with our family.

Some pictures don't require explanations....

a picture speaks a thousand words.....

Can you see the story on Mama Cony's face? The story of difficult times, the many times she has been on her knees, the countless times she has sought the face of the Lord, has cried out to Him on behalf of the orphan. Can you see the lines that have been made from countless tears and feelings of hurt for the child she has cared for? See the lines caused by worry and concern, wondering what will happen to these kids? Wrinkles that show love for these kids. It reflects times like when she hosted school in their children's home because the school building wasn't ready in time to start the school year. This face tells of the times she brought in yet another mouth to feed when they had nothing more to give. On her face I see the many times she smiled to light up a room as God's faithfulness was shown to her once again. Provision after provision and she was aware of them all careful not to miss how faithful God is. Mama Cony's confidence is clearly seen on her face. Not confidence in herself but in the God she serves faithfully. We are blessed to work with such a woman of God. God Bless Mama Cony.

Praying and Waiting

I don't know why these are two REALLY difficult things for me to do, but they are. Right now in Monterrey there are few to no jobs. People are struggling to make ends meet. Its a great time to pray when you are in need. When you can't figure out the next step. Really anytime is a great time to pray. really, think about it. And listen. Been reading Isaiah 40:31. Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint. Will you join me in praying for people without work, for people surviving after an earthquake, for those who don't have answers, who don't know what to do or what is next. Will you join me, in praying and waiting......

Sometimes I just get overwhelmed, do you......

I've heard a cry of an orphan child and seen the one who cares for him lend him a deaf ear. I've heard of a father who sits unconcerned as his baby is choking. Stories of a wife sitting in a group as another women shares how her husband came to her room during the night. Reading from a blog of missionaries in Haiti, I learn to the heartache of a medical clinic that received a call about a man that had walked for days trying to find help. He was badly hurt in the earthquake, was vomiting as he walked. He was expected to reach the clinic before the day was over, he never made it. Mass graves and families that will never know where their loved ones ended up. A nation of people who have endured plenty are now living a nightmare. The injustice..... the pain.....the sadness..... and the sorrow, it never seems to let up.

"The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. " Isaiah 40 28-31

"Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble. The Lord will protect him and preserve his life;he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness. " Psalm 41:1-3

Vale la Pena.......It is worth it.....

Today Hope and I went to the Rio. One of the moms asked us if we knew of a store to buy a children's Bible. She explained to us that her daughter Yajira had told her that they learned John 3:16 in class at the soup kitchen. She told her Mom she wanted to read it out of her Bible so they looked at it together. This Mom was hoping to buy her daughter a Bible that she could look up the verses and read it on her own. How exciting to see the impact this class has on this girl and her mom as well. Hope, Memo, Cheque, Sebastian and Marilin do such a great job with these kids. Here is a video of them learning John 3:16 and singing Yo tengo un amigo que te amo. God is doing a work in the lives of these kids. Every Saturday this group from Back2Back spends most of their Saturday(5-6 hours) putting together these classes. Some days its really cold and others its really hot. With all that these people sacrifice, when you hear a mom share how it is impacting her daughter, I can't help buy think it is worth it. Vale la Pena.

Don't want to bury it in a coffee can.

Marlene helping these kids learn John 3:16

Ashley and another girl at the soup kitchen learning John 3:16

It seems like my blog has gotten to be a lot of reporting about what happens here. Truthfully, I think that's ok and what keeps people posted on the goings on here in Monterrey. But I want to be careful to report the heart issues also not just the money things. Some times I use this site to ask people to give and then thank those that gave. Today I just wanna try and be in this blog entry.

One great thing about my job is we pray for something......like food for the kids or God to provide for the soup kitchen or a job for a family, or to heal the hurts of the orphans, or that a teen would come to know the Lord. And when God answers I get to somehow be a part of it. So many times I feel like the guy who is on the sweepstakes and comes to the door with great news for people. God often touches the hearts of people and they give in a way that meets a need sometimes before we even know about it. Recently in my time with God, I am discovering the many gifts and power that is available through my relationship with the Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit. I am awakening to the idea of needing to share this freely as if I have a check for 1 million dollars for an un-expecting person answering the door. Indeed we are truly rich with our relationship with Jesus and the gift of the power of Holy Spirit as we are showered by the love of the Heavenly Father. I won't stop sharing of what the Lord is doing here on our campus, in the children's homes we serve or in the Rio areas that we minister in. However my prayer is that I may ring the door and invite you to share in the riches of the Lord Jesus and all that is available to us.

This reminds me of a song from Steven Curtis Champman

called Live Out Loud. Goes like this.

"Got a phone call from Regis asking if I wanna be a millionaire

They put me on the show and I win with two lifelines to spare.

Picture this, act like nothing ever happened, bury all the money in a coffee can

I've been given more than Regis ever gave away,

I was a dead man who was called out of my grave."

I think its time for making some noise..... Wake the neighbors, let the word out.

Come on, crank up the music, climb a mountain and shout

We have life that's worth living, let there be no doubt

Lalalalala Live Out Loud. " OK something like this.......My prayer is that we Live Out Loud.

Baby its Cold Outside

Yesterday it was freezing outside. No really, it was 0 degrees Celsius. It was not by chance that we were scheduled to go to the Rio the coldest day since I've lived here. God is good as we had blankets to hand out, as well as a hot meal and hot chocolate to boot. The MRO group that went with us was wild from the beginning with a massive dog pile on the 150 blankets that packed the back of our bus. Because it was so cold we anticipated not many wanting to leave their houses to come to the comedor so we set out with 5 wheel barrows filled with blankets, food and hot chocolate to go door to door to the people at the Rio. We had many opportunities to give food and warmth and also offered prayer to many as we walked along the Rio. Our group even played for hours with the kids that rode bikes for hours in the afternoon. Why is it that they never seem to get cold. We were blessed and I wouldn't have been any other place on the coldest day thus far.

I choose Joy

Seems like I have written this before. It seems like a lesson I have learned several times over. If I have written this, obviously I haven't really learned it yet and its worth repeating. When we first reflected on 2009, many bad or negative things came to our minds. Our car that was broken into in August, sickness and illnesses within our family, an Greg's uncle that past away, many unexpected expenses in the month of December. I won't bore you with all the others. Thinking about all of these things were getting us down. So we naturally thought, "Did anything good happen this year?" Greg had lassix eye surgery this year that went really well and allows him to see well without his heavy duty contacts, we were able to see family twice this year, we visited Mexico City with the kids school this fall. Even with the large expenses God kept us from having to borrow money. He had prepared our account to handle such a load. 1 Thessalonians says "Give thanks in all circumstances" not for all circumstances but in. The Lord is teaching me that in these circumstances if I focus on myself or the circumstances I am distraught and depressed but if I choose to seek God then I have Joy and thankfulness that only comes through Him. I have chosen Joy. So the next time something bad happens to you, will you give thanks? Will you trust God for who He is? Will you choose Joy? I pray I do.