MANY, many things have happened here in Juarez since my last blog entry. Today I finally get to sit down and write about them. I don't like to make these blog entries too long so this will be just a brief synopsis of the events of the past two months. If I related all the details I would write a book. But I mostly want to share about the visit with the team that came down from Arkansas. The team arrived on June 7th and departed on June 16th. In the past I have referred to the team as The Dream Team.
Previously I have tried to inform readers about the ministry in El Paso (which is right across the border from Juarez) that is called Spanish American Evangelistic Ministries or SAEM. This is a tract printing ministry that prints Spanish tracts for the Spanish speaking world. Some tracts are also printed in English. SAEM is a ministry and as such it relies on the financial and physical assistance of Christians in order to survive. This summer 20 year old Michaela Lorton, from Searcy, Arkansas volunteered one month of her time to intern at SAEM. Michaela bravely took her very first airplane ride to get to El Paso. She flew from Little Rock, to the mass confusion at Dallas International Airport, and then to the El Paso airport where I picked her up. I took Michaela to SAEM and in a few days I took off to Arkansas for my younger daughter's graduation.
Victoria graduated from High School and will be attending the University in Jonesboro this fall. I also visited my other two daughters. Melissa in Oklahoma City and Christina in Memphis. And I also visited churches and many friends. The Lord had incredible things planned for me on this trip to Arkansas and it will be a trip that I will never forget.
Once back in Juarez I began to prepare for the arrival of the team from Arkansas. Most of them have been in Juarez before and I was very excited about their return. At this point in time neither one of us had any idea of the wonderful and life-changing things that the Lord had planned for this team. It is amazing that we go through life doing our every day things and keeping a routine. Sometimes we sink into a rut and we don't ever realize it. And all the time our God, who is very busy and constantly working and planning, has something just ahead that will transform our life like we never dreamed of or thought possible. And God had something very special waiting for this team here in Juarez, Mexico, which is a place that very few people want to come to. God calls us to impossible places and He does impossible things so that we may also do impossible things with Him. If God only did the possible, He wouldn't be God. Anyone can do that! And as children of God we are called to do the impossible.
I continued to prepare places of ministry that the team would go to and visit. One day I took Michaela, the young SAEM intern, with me to Juarez and we visited and made plans with several ministries in preparation for The Dream Team.
The Dream Team consists of the Lorton family (Mike, Regina, Matthew, and Michaela - our SAEM intern), Mike Lee, and Grant Cooper. This was Grant's first mission trip ever. But Grant worked like a veteran in Juarez. Grant was lovingly given the title of "Captain America" and I imagine that the title will stick.
For this trip I decided that The Dream Team will work primarily with Pastor Manuel Martinez and his wife Dolores (who everyone here knows as Lolis). I did a blog entry about this couple and their wonderful work in Juarez on August 15, 2013 (please scroll down and refer to that blog entry). The team stayed in Juarez for a week at Dolores' parent's house, which was very comfortable. Dolores also prepared all the meals for the team during the week. Home-cooked Mexican food every day! Dolores also happens to have the gift of prophecy.
Very briefly the first three days of ministry went as follows. We visited an orphanage that we call Cecia's (for the name of the director there). We bought food and spend a few hours with the children. Then we went to a girls Teen Challenge center for another few hours, where we also brought food and had a time of ministry. The next day we went to one of the most dangerous communities on the North side of Juarez called Anapra. There we visited another orphanage called Rivers of Mercy. Not far from there we went to another orphanage, except that this one is for young adults mostly in their teen years. It is called Tree of life. In both of these we shared food, crafts, and one on one. The next day we went to a place that the team had never been to before. I had been hesitant to bring them here in the past but I thought that it was time that The Dream Team visited this very delicate place. We were there only about 2 hours because I didn't want to make the team too uncomfortable. It is a ministry that ministers to and houses people who come off the streets. The residents are mentally "challenged", to put it mildly. Their bodies and mental capacities have been damaged due to years of drugs, alcohol, prostitution and living in the streets. Some are brought in with their bodies rotting. But the great news is that there is healing for them in this place. Many come out of here and lead productive lives. Pastor Jose Galvan,who also came off the streets many years ago, founded and operates this ministry. There are about 120 people living here and they are precious in God's sight. For more information about this ministry look up Vision en Accion Jose Galvan in Juarez on the Internet. Youtube has videos, many in English, about this ministry and reporters from all over the world come here to report on this lovely ministry. What did the Dream Team think of Vision en Accion? They said that next time they want to visit longer, serve food, and help minister. Of course, we never go to place where we don't leave a lot of food and some financial help for the ministry. And that was the case at Vision En Accion. From there we moved on to a feeding center that was once closed because the Pastor who operated it was tragically killed and the funds quit coming. Pastor Corina, his widow, has been trying to re-open the ministry which is located right in front of her tiny church. The Dream Team came to help. We bought lots of food, had Bible study, and gave away some stuffed animals in conjunction with the Bible study. We served about 100 people, about 90% were kids.
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| THE DREAM TEAM WITH PASTOR JOSE GALVAN (SECOND FROM THE RIGHT) |
During these "planned" days of ministry the Lord always opens doors for things that we do not plan. I always tell the teams that we have to be flexible and nothing is written in stone. We go where the Holy Spirit leads. My favorite word about this is: Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. One such stop was at a nursing home for older men. I had to stop there to visit the Pastor and director of the ministry. While there we found out that the roof on one of the buildings was in dire need of repairs. Immediately we made plans for the ministry to get the $400 needed to fix the roof. And today the roof has been fixed. One day I was also called to help with a dying man in another part of town. I took Grant with me and we left while the team continued their work. We transported the man to a hospital where 8 days later he passed away. But not before having heard the gospel of love. We dealt with other issues in Juarez that were not scheduled and we were blessed for being flexible.
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| Mike Lee |
For the next three days I had an outdoor evangelistic campaign planned at Pastor Manuel's church. It was the first campaign ever in that church. I work with a team of 3 other ministers and we do at least one campaign in Juarez per month. I made all the arrangements and with the help of The Dream Team we had a very successful campaign. The team supplied food for everyone who came for three days, they visited the adjoining neighborhood and invited people, they helped with the children's ministry while the adults were being ministered to, and they set up for the campaign every night. The Dream Team also brought enough dresses and pants to clothe over 150 kids. They were all made by the ladies at their church, The River Church, and those were handed out one night. Many people accepted the Lord and many were also healed. It was wonderful. A few days ago Pastor Manuel and I baptized those who came to the Lord at a public swimming pool.
Our prayer and sharing time in the mornings were always very special. Sometimes we would spend 2 hours or more on this. On one particular morning the Lord led me to do something different. We moved all the chairs out of the way and we began to pray for each individual on The Dream Team. It was here where the Lord began to move though Pastor Lolis in prophetic messages. God began to call people out into pastoral work. Grant Cooper, aka Captain America, was given a Pastor's heart. Gabi, a 27 year old woman who helped me with translating, was given a Pastor's heart. Mike and Regina Lorton, were not only given a Pastor's heart but were directed by the Lord to move to El Paso for the ministry. Mike Lee received special honor as being God's servant. Michaela and her brother Matthew were given special instructions for the future. I received a message about a stronger and wider ministry reaching to other Nations along with a promise of a helpmate. It was a morning that we will never forget. 
And it was a week that we will never forget. It was a week where all things became new. New horizons, new possibilities, and new visions were opened.
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| NEW DRESSES |
Thank you Dream Team for blessing me and our City. Our work is barely beginning. I'll see you very soon.
P.S. Anyone who wants to join The Dream Team may contact me. There is a possible trip this fall from Arkansas to El Paso to work at SAEM. Along with a visit or two to Juarez. |
| CHANGED LIVES |
Daniel Torres
650 Linwood Drive
El Paso, Texas 79928
1-501-827-7679
Covenant Fellowship
P.O. Box 8126
Searcy, AR 72145
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