Week 2 Outreach!

Hola! Como estas? Estoy Bien! We just completed our second week of DTS Outreach, & this week went by so incredibly fast! I am learning more Spanish daily. The phrases I began with say, "Hi! How are you? I am doing well!" In the photo above are 4 snapshots of what daily life looks like here in Mazatlan, Mexico. From fresh pressed smoothies- yum- to taxi rides in the back of a truck with reggaeton blasting, to the local church we attend & minister at every Sunday & of course, beach! Mazatlan is an eclectic mix of local village life such as fisherman, & those selling handmade goods, to surfers, vacationers, retirees & people from all over Mexico who travel here to sell their wares. The pandemic left hundreds of thousands out of work, & left many families having to leave home to the coasts to make a living off of the tourists. It has an active night life- 7 days a week. It is very interesting to hear taxis drive past at 11pm on a Tuesday night with music blaring. You almost forget there was a pandemic, which seems to be the goal with the constant party atmosphere in the evenings. Underneath all of the tourist attractions, & Beach goers is a city that is deeply broken. The locals live in astonishing poverty. Neighborhood children live in abuse from alcoholic & drug addicted father's, the men standing in the alleyways of the row of shanty homes day & night shooting up & drinking. This is what little boys grow up witnessing in the impoverished barrios. Little girls receive abuse of all kinds, most sexually abused by extremely young ages. When you visit the neighborhood, children are left unattended, unkempt. The ministries we have been partnering with receive & minister to the discarded ones, the addicts, the children, the dump.

This past week, I was honored to get to share & teach at a men's maximum security prison. The pastor, Adrian, is the son & law of the man who runs the Sinaloa drug cartel here in Mexico. He is in prison for stealing from him. He does not know how long his sentence is for, but he met JESUS in the prison & now the most fiery believer I've ever met! We worshipped together with about 20-30 prisoners- most now believers, some just coming to faith. It is a dark place, but the love of the Father doesn't know borders or even prison bars. He came to set the captive FREE. I shared on how the affections of the Father transforms & changes our identity from slaves & prisoners of sin, to sons & daughters. Every eye in the room had tears, many receiving prayer & even deliverance from demonic torment. The testimony we hear as a team in every place we have gone is just how different we are. That they see light in us- this from both believers & unbelievers. It is the testimony of JESUS, not of ourselves! He has been showing off with extravagant love in every location we visit. From the prison, to the street as we go on treasure hunts, searching out what was lost we see Jesus encountering ones He deeply loves. It has blown my mind just how specific of words He has given us- directing & leading us to people we may not have otherwise found, & it shows me that He SEES, He HEARS, & He ANSWERS.

We continue on discipling the families through a values course, connecting with a single mom & loving on them with the love of Jesus weekly! Our team also connects with local children through a skate ministry, as well as futbol (soccer) twice a week, a women's rehab center, a hospital, feeding programs, blessing the missionaries that live here by taking some work off their plates, partnering with a local church to run their Sunday services & children's ministry, as well as visiting Stone Island weekly- a historic island given to a group of families nearly a hundred years ago. Evangelising, meeting & connecting with local families, praying for them, celebrating birthdays & mourning losses. Every place we go, we pray for the people we meet & it is still beautiful to see them encounter Jesus- many for the first time.

We will be visiting the prison-church again this coming week, Stone Island Monday & Thursday, feeding the community at the dump, discipling through the values course- where we're throwing the 15 year old a surprise quincerea, similar to the sweet 16 in the states, but the mother cannot afford it. We're SO excited to love on her! We will also return to the women's rehab center & continue connecting, & ministering to the women there. There are SO many opportunities, & our weekly schedule is FULL. But we are full of JOY watching Jesus love on & encounter the precious people of Mazatlan! Three more weeks before we continue on to Columbia, & we are cherishing every moment we spend here. Each of us has fallen completely in love with this city, & these people!

Please continue to keep us in PRAYER! Several of our team members have experienced one form or another of stomach issues, one of our girls has broken a tooth. We cannot take photos in the many of the places we minister, but as soon as I am able, I will update with what I can! We are exhausted, but joyful, & REALLY appreciate the love, prayers & support! Until we meet again, hasta luego!

~Jo

"Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them." Isaiah 42:10