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| ITALIAN MISSIONARY LEONARDO CINGARY AND MYSELF. |
One of the things that constantly amazes me is the way in which the Lord uses me to connect the body of believers to work in harmony in accomplishing His work. From the simplest of tasks to major accomplishments the Lord is working to see that it all gets done for the furtherance of His kingdom. This is what the Lord wants us to do...to find a need and meet that need. In order to connect blessings with needs the Lord has led me to meet a lot of different people with different types of ministries in the 13 months that I have been serving as a full-time Missionary in Juarez, Mexico.
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| CHILDREN RUNNING TO HELP SET UP. |
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| LEONARDO'S TENT. |
For instance, recently I met Pastor Marie Lara who didn't have anyone to lead the worship services at her new church. The Lord had provided her and her husband with a great looking building to hold services. They started having church services 2 months ago. But they were without a worship leader. Pastor Marie told me about her need and asked me to help her. This was not a problem. I just happened to know the perfect individual who could help her out. I went to look for Manuel Ojeda, who is not only a great worship leader but he also plays the keyboard so well that you would think that an entire orchestra was in the room. Manuel is also an excellent preacher. Manuel was looking for a place to use his God-given talents aside from serving at his father's church. Pastor Marie has services on Sunday at 11:30am and Manuel's father's church meets at 5pm, so there was no conflict in time. Manuel could minister in both churches without a problem. All I had to do was make the connection. I made plans with Manuel last Sunday morning. I picked him up at home and we both showed up at Pastor Marie's church. Manuel not only led the worship but Pastor Marie also asked him to speak. I made the connection and now Manuel will be coming to work with Pastor Marie on Sundays.
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| CHILDREN ENJOYING THE OUTREACH |
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| PIÑATA TIME.... |
A similar connection happened recently. I was visiting the offices of Spanish American Evangelistic Ministries, a Spanish tract ministry in El Paso. The Director of the ministry, Bety Garcia, showed me a small shipment of medical supplies that she had received as a donation to the people in Juarez. Bety asked me if I knew what she could do with the supplies. I knew of a Christian clinic in Juarez that would be thrilled to receive the donation. I made the connection and soon a Doctor showed up at the tract ministry to take the supplies across the border to the clinic in Juarez.
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| THE TENT CAN SEAT 450 PEOPLE. |
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| GOODIES TO BE GIVEN OUT TO KIDS. |
I realized the need to get Christians in Juarez baptized. Very few churches have a place to baptize their people and since we live in the desert there are no ponds, rivers, or lakes to baptize them. I contacted a portable baptistry manufacturer and they donated a unit, free of charge to the work in Juarez. I actually have 2 units, and both were donated. Last week there were 12 people baptized in one of the units.
Last week I finally met another full-time Missionary to Juarez (I'll write more about him in this article). His name is Leonardo. He has a tent ministry and last weekend he had set it up at a Christian School for a three-day outreach. He had a major problem. He needed a team of men to help him take down the tent on Monday morning. The Christian School offered him some students, but he needed major muscle power. I knew that just a couple of miles down the road Pastor Javier Castrejon, who runs a Christian rehab center for ex-addicts and alcoholics, may be able to send help. I made the Call to Pastor Castrejon and on Monday morning 20 men from the center gladly showed up to help with the tent. The tent was down and put up in only 6 hours. The men from the Rehab Center were thrilled to give back to God's work and Missionary Leonardo was blessed. The connection was a blessing to both teams.
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| CLOWNS REACHING KIDS FOR JESUS |
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| HUSBAND AND WIFE TEAM |
Recently a new project was started in Juarez by a hand full of people to try to bring more blessings to the City of Juarez. We meet every Tuesday to come up with ways to help the multitudes here in Juarez. There are tens of thousands of widows and orphans in Juarez due to the murders of the past few years. There are an untold number of kids and elderly folk who go without food daily. The basic necessities of life are far beyond the reach of the majority of people in Juarez and surrounding areas. Our small team was very excited when a ministry in McAllen, Texas, about 800 miles away from El Paso, offered to donate 20 tons of food, clothing, and shoes. This would be a huge blessing for the City of Juarez and its people. The problem was getting the 20 tons of donated items from McAllen to El Paso. But I had my connections already. I just made a call to Francisco (Paco) Salas, President of Root International in Mexico, who lives in Juarez. I met Paco a few months ago and we have worked together in the past. I invited Paco to join us at the next meeting and....yes, Root International will be able to help get the 20 tons of blessings from McAllen to El Paso (more details on that later in this article). As an added blessing Paco informed us that Root international has received a gift of another 20 tons of nothing but rice. The shipment of rice has already been brought to El Paso where it is waiting Mexican government approval so that it may be crossed over to Juarez. This is, without a doubt, a great blessing.
Connections are of vital importance in God's kingdom. I have been very blessed as the Lord continually brings new people in my life. Every time that I meet someone new I know that He has brought them to me for a purpose. I know that sooner or later my new acquaintance will play a major role in God's work as He brings together the members of His Kingdom to hold hands with one another in unity and love...all for His Glory and Honor.
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| MORE GOODIES THROWN OUT TO ALL |
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| KIDS ENJOYING THE CLOWN ACT |
I continue to purchase Bibles to give away to those in need of them. I never cease to be amazed at the joy in a Christian's face when they receive a new paperback Bible. I know that most Christians in the U.S. have a super abundance of Bibles in their homes. I have seen grown men weep as they receive a new Bible. Most Christians in Juarez cannot afford a Bible and there are very, very few Christian bookstores in Juarez.
I keep a steady supply of beans, rice, and other things with me to give out as I run into people with needs. You don't have to look hard in Juarez to find families and ministries who have no food.
I also carry reading glasses with me to hand out to those who can't see to read their Bibles. This has been a great blessing to many.
Recently I have also been helping many people avoid surgery by providing them with the means to pass gall stones. People cannot thank me enough when I show them how to avoid this type of surgery, plus it provides a means to share the gospel with many.
I wanted to mention Missionary Leonardo Cingary again. He has been in Juarez for 8 years. He comes from Italy and his wife is from England. He speaks perfect Spanish. He has used his tent in 50 outreaches thus far, and each outreach lasts for several days. I have posted some pictures of the most recent outreach to children in Casas Grande, Juarez. I have been blessed to meet Leonardo. I no longer feel like the Lone Ranger in Juarez. The Lord is preparing more full-time Missionaries to come to this City to help with the great move that He has already begun.
Lastly, I wanted to briefly mention some of the Mexican government requirements for bringing bulk items across the border to Juarez. First of all, used clothing are not allowed, no matter how clean and de-contaminated. Even new clothing has to be approved. If the clothing is made in China it may not meet Mexican standards and may be refused. A list of every single item has to be made, including brand, size, amount per box, and amount per pallet. Expiration date is also a must. If the items expire in less than 4 months they will not be accepted. The list is turned in to Customs in Juarez, they send the list to Mexico City, where it goes through the channels of approval/disapproval, and it is returned to Customs in Juarez, who then contact the organization making the initial request. That's why anything that expires in 4 months will not be approved. We will follow the government's requirements to the letter in hopes of getting help to the Mexican people. We realize that governments are set up by the Lord and they have their purpose. We pray that the channels will be opened for us and that favor will be on our side so that we may bless and reach as many for the Kingdom of God as possible.
Some of my days here are long. There are days that I get home at 9 or 10 pm. Yet, I still ask the Lord why it was me that was chosen to receive such a huge blessing. Why was I chosen to come to Juarez? What did I do to be so honored? I didn't do anything!!! I am just a small part of the over-all team. It's all God's abundant grace. It's all God's great love. Truly we are all very blessed.
Daniel Torres
11985 Pellicano
Ste. G, Box 169
El Paso, Texas 79936
