Mexico

www.cbmission.org

Project Renewal and Crossing Borders

August 6, 2011

Dear Carol,

Thank you very much for your donation of the Project Renewal study guides for us to distribute in Mexico.  You mentioned that others had donated to make these books available for free; please pass our Thanks along to them.

[To the left] is a photo of Pastor Raymundo Rendon and his wife, Lisa.  Raymundo is a native Mexican and Lisa is from Tennessee.  It is quite a miraculous “God story” as to how they met about a decade ago, and how they both faithfully waited on God to lead them in their romance as they lived 1500 miles apart.  They married about 3 years ago and have two lively boys.  Lisa has a tender heart for the women of Mexico.  Cultural traditions allow the men to be quite authoritarian and even abusive, and Lisa wants to help women realize, become free from and recover from abuse. 

Our mission group goes into Mexico twice per year, and one of our main emphases is to leave behind resources for the pastor’s and churches to use.  We were thrilled to be able to provide these useful resources to the Rendons.  At this time, the Rendons are establishing their presence in a new colonia (poor neighborhood).  They are starting by building relationships with the people, helping with needs of food, medical care, counseling and other aspects.  Project Renewal is a great resource to help the ladies and families.

Thank you for your part in this simple but life-changing ministry.

Lee Berger

Project Renewal: A Blessing to Mexican Ministries

Crossing Borders www.cbmission.org is a U.S. based mission-experience ministry that travels into Mexico twice each year, introducing the missionaries-in-training to many facets of cross-cultural mission work and sharing resources with our Mexican ministry partners. A few months ago, Carol Meyer (author of Project Renewal) contacted Crossing Borders about distributing this amazing workbook across the border into Mexico.

During a weeklong mission trip to Mexico (June 21-27, 2010), the Crossing Borders mission team was able to present copies of the Project Renewal workbook to several appreciative ministries in Mexico. All the recipients were especially grateful that the book is in the Spanish language—making it much easier for Mexican churches, support groups and individuals to utilize the much-needed material. (We say “much-needed” because, unfortunately, male abuse of women is an all-too-common situation in the Mexican culture).

Copies of the book were given to Raymundo and Lisa Rendon, directors of Sal & Luz Centro Ministerio (Salt & Light Ministry Center) in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The Rendon’s ministry is focused on bringing together pastors and ministry leaders from across denominational lines to work in unity for the Kingdom of Christ. On the day we met with them and presented them with the workbooks, over 40 pastors and wives were arriving in town to begin a 3-day pastoral training conference. Lisa cried as she thumbed through the book, sharing that it has been her heart’s desire to help ease the scars many Mexican women have from abusive relationships. Lisa shares in a later e-mail, “I am going through the workbook myself and will be sharing it with my Pastor, hoping to work with the ladies at the church who have been and still are in this situation.” The Rendons look forward to sharing the Project Renewal resource with many pastors, churches and individuals in the days ahead.

Copies of the workbook were also given to Pastor Raymundo Rendon and his wife, Lupita (the other Raymundo’s parents). The elder Rendons run Casa Hogar Douglas, a large group home for foster children. Mama Lupita was extremely excited; she plans to go through the study herself and then start the project with the group of women who are working at the orphanage—who all come from abusive family/marriage situations. Pastor Rendon is also the mentor/leader of an association of several churches farther into the interior of Mexico. He will share Project Renewal as he travels inland and conducts counseling and training for many church leaders.

Additional copies were given to Pastor Pedro Castillo and his wife, Loudres. They have planted two growing churches in two of the poorest colonias near Nuevo Laredo. The housing would be considered “shacks” to most Americans—small one-room or two-room shanties made from scavenged wooden pallets, sheets of metal, scraps of plywood and tarps. In the colonias of several hundred families, family abuse is common. As many of the women and children (and less frequently the men) come to know Jesus, Project Renewal will be a useful resource to help begin the healing process in their battered lives.

P.S. The recipients of the workbooks are all truly grateful! But the need is great. They have already asked for additional copies (which they cannot afford to purchase themselves). If anyone feels led by God to help provide more of this useful book to these ministries (who themselves are in a position to distribute them widely), we’ll gladly accept designated donations and get the books into the grateful hands of waiting recipients in Mexico. To help make this happen, you may contact the author at cmeyer@avmi.org. Or you may designate your gift for Project Renewal/Spanish Pastors and send a check (made out to Avant Ministries) to:

Carol Meyer Avant Ministries 10000 N Oak Trafficway Kansas City, MO 64155

Copies of the workbook will then be sent to Crossing Borders ministry, and you will receive a tax-deductable receipt for your gift. Thank you in advance for considering this.

Lee Berger

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