No Other Name Ministries

Moving forward

2010-01-23T12:49:00.006-06:00

A new semester has just begun at the community center. We are teaching English levels one and two for adults and youth, conversational English, guitar levels one and two, English for kids, voice, beginner computer classes, and a tutoring class. So far there has been a good response from both the church and the community with our biggest class being the kids English with 14 students. A surprise adult English class was started at the last minute on Saturday afternoons by Alan McManus as we had parents, that came to bring their children to the kids class, ask for classes as well. Our biggest challenge now is to seek opportunities to share the gospel with those who come.

With the 1st upstairs room finished we are now looking at beginning the next construction project. We hope to finish another room by this summer and possibly begin on the third floor. However, we have had some difficulty getting the permits out of official hands and into ours. We need the paperwork in our hands so that we can continue the work and pay the appropriate dues.

The above picture is where the next classroom will be built.

Here's just a fun fact: For those of you who worked so hard on getting the electric set up in the back room by the ladies bathroom and in the men's bathroom, it has finally been accomplished. Yes, there are a few more holes in the walls, but it is done!!!!! :-)

'Roof'

2009-11-06T14:33:00.002-06:00

The roof for the classroom has been finished. Lucio had a team of about 10 men who helped him carry the cement up to the second floor roof while he and two others filled the gaps between the block and rebar, smoothed it out, and gave it the finishing touches. This post might remind you of a previous post by Alan where they did a similar roof for the downstairs classrooms.
We are really excited about this room being completed. It will help us be able to have expand our activities on the community center side as well as the church side of things.
A big THANK YOU to all of the teams that came this last summer and gave time, effort, and $ so that this could be accomplished. Also, there were several churches that gave for this project. You have been and continue to be a great encouragement to us.

Classroom progress

2009-11-02T09:54:00.000-06:00

Here are a few more pics of the progress on our 1st second floor classroom. The picture above is of the completed wall structure of the entire classroom. (with a few drop offs to the left) Humm safety codes??? Lucio is going to make a railing for this problem next week. :-)

Here we have a picture of the medal framing that gives the roof it's strength. This framing has to be just right as it will bear the load of the cement once the roof is completed.

This picture is of the wood support structure that will hold up the freshly poured cement as it is hardening. This structure will be up for 15 days.

This is the inside of the room. It looks smaller in the picture, but is going to be the biggest room we have yet. We plan to use it for English classes when we start up again in January.

Stairs completed and more

2009-10-24T10:58:00.006-05:00

Work has continued at the community center. The stairs to the second floor are finished. We have also started work on a second floor classroom and hope to have this done by early November.

It has been truely amazing how quickly these projects are getting done. We hope to use the upstairs room as our new English classroom as we are sometimes cramped in the downstairs classroom with an average of 15-20 students.

Grace Team work project

2009-10-11T16:01:00.002-05:00

Our last team of the year has come and gone. We enjoyed having the Grace Church of Ovilla team here with us. This team consisted of no less and no more than 7 ladies. Believe it or not, some of them put on grubby clothes and sanded the red brick one morning.

They also painted, helped with the English classes, brought and demonstrated crafts for the church ladies ministry, gave a water and food sanitation seminar, a wellness/health seminar, and sang for the church on Sunday. Below are a few pics of what was accomplished by Lucio with the gifts the team brought. He has been working on putting the stairs in so that we can begin construction on one of the second floor class rooms. Thank you Grace Church!

ESL is here...

2009-09-16T23:05:00.001-05:00

Teaching English in Mexico is like telling people that you are going to offer free food. At the New Image community center we have begun the fall program. The evening English class has gotten off to a great start with 9 consistent students and some other visitors. This is exciting to us as it is taking time to build trust within the community, and we've seen several new faces in this class! We have classes on Tuesday's and Thursday's from 8:30 to 10:00pm. Because most people here work till around 7:00pm, they need some time to get home and eat before coming to class. I'm really curious where the Lord is going to take us from here.

The English class for kids has also started up again along with the guitar classes and voice classes. Kathryn and Samuel go to the English class in order to learn, socialize, and help with proper English pronunciation. They always come back excited about having been with others to learn and play. Josiah and Biranna Yingling are teaching the class and they do a great job!

Walkway Completed!

2009-09-03T15:50:00.001-05:00

Lucio has done it yet again. In about three weeks time he, along with his son and a few other helpers, completed the walkway project. This will allow us to build the stairs leading up to the second floor and begin work on the second floor classrooms.
The stairs to the second floor will go to the right of this picture to the right of the above supporting concrete column.

So where do we go from here?

2009-07-18T00:20:00.006-05:00

Nacho and I thank the Lord for all the teams that have come to work and give this summer at the New Image community center. Each team helped us get one step closer to starting work on the second floor. Our construction supervisor/worker named Lucio finished up the archway stucko. He has also taken down the corrugated roof over the open hallway connecting the bathrooms in order to construct the frame for pouring a concrete walkway on the second floor. This walkway will connect the two second story classrooms. The stairs to the second floor will then be added on to this section. Finally, we will begin work on at least one of the classrooms on the second floor.

Here you can see the corrugated roofing has been removed and to the far right some rebar is being prepared for a new load bearing columb.
In this pic the red brick is being laid which will bring the wall up to the second floor level.

We also thank the Lord that we now are able to officially operate as a 'business/social services provider' in the community. I might add that Nacho had to jump through some hoops to get that permission. God has been working to put everything in place. Thank you all so much for praying, giving, serving with us, and caring.

We'll post more in August about the developing plans for the fall.

Crafty

2009-07-08T01:26:00.006-05:00

It is craft time at the communtiy center. As you can see it was a big hit. We were so encouraged to have the Christ Community Church team share with the ladies from the church. Also, there was at least one guest who had just learned about Christ. Marta, who brought her children to the kids English club, is seeking to know Christ (look at previous blog post about the fair). Please look at one missionaries blog for an update on Marta: Icecreamgram.blogspot.com

Construction progress

2009-07-08T01:04:00.007-05:00

I have really been overwhelmed with the amount of work that was accomplished at the New Image community center this week. Thanks to the hard efforts of the Christ Community Church team we are on the verge of our next phase of construction, which is starting to construct the 2nd floor. In the next week or two work will begin on the connecting walkway between the two 2nd floor classrooms. This work will enable us to put in the stairs and begin constructing at least one of the 2nd floor class rooms.

A short note of thanks is due here to all those teams who have participated with us these last years. Thank you for your service to us, with us, and through us for God's glory and the proclamation of the truth of Jesus Christ.

English Fair

2009-07-08T00:16:00.015-05:00

The fair on Saturday July 4th was a great success. The Christ Community team did an excellent job with the face painting, craft table, balloon animals, and simply helping out where needed.

Josiah and Brianna Yingling (with the help of some others) planned some fun games like # bowling, shape bean bag toss, alphabet fishing, and a matching game (where they were to match a series of pictures with their English vocabulary word).

The bounce house was also a big asset; and thanks to Sergio no one got hurt and everyone had a good time.
Besides the good times of bouncing and playing, several of us were able to talk with some of the kids parents that stayed for the fair. One parent in particular was very interested in what we were doing. Her name is Marta. Marta met with Ruth Yingling, who prayed to encourage her, as she has been really going through a hard time lately. Marta went to the church on Sunday and also a ladies craft time on Monday. It seems that she is seeking the Lord Jesus and wants to hear more about Him. Nacho's wife, Mari, is planning to begin a bible study with her. This is the most wonderful news! This is what the community center is all about.

Kids English day 3

2009-07-04T11:59:00.013-05:00

The team has been doing a great job teaching kids English using short sentences, games and songs. It has been special to see some of the same kids coming back and enjoying the program. We have had a regular attendance of about 10 to 12 each day and are encouraged as the parents seem to like the results.

As I talked with one of the parents, Esteban, he gave me some insight in how we can make our English program more appealing to the community. He told me that we needed to charge a minimal fee and that we should have more classes during the week. So, with this new information Nacho, Josiah, Brianna, and I are going to work on a plan for the fall to incorporate his suggestions. We'll see how it goes...

Speedy work

2009-07-02T21:34:00.004-05:00

I was unable to go to the community center this morning, but when I arrived later in the afternoon I was very surprised to see all the work the Christ Community church team had accomplished. The area that needed stucko was virtually completely finished. Also, the walls below were primed and then painted (note: have any of you tried to paint a stucko (cement) wall or ceiling? It feels like an endless job as you are always trying to get the little wholes filled with primer or paint).
Thanks for a great day of work.
On a side note the Kids English club had two more kids attend this afternoon. Thanks Jean and team for your efforts!

2009-07-02T09:40:00.007-05:00

The Christ Community Church team is teaching some kids English classes as well. They are teaching every afternoon from 4:30 to 6:30 on July 1 to July 3. On Saturday they will help participate in a fair with a bounce house, face painting, animal balloon shapes, and several game booths where the kids can win prizes. The goal of this English class and fair is to build relationships and trust in the community in order to share the gospel.

Thank you so much Christ Community for your great service and help to us here!

Just put us to work

2009-07-01T23:17:00.018-05:00

The Christ Community Church team from West Chester, PA began work with a passion. While here they are going to stucko three walls and many arches. This involved mixing cement by hand (shovel), appling the fresh cement to the walls, and then scraping off the excess before it hardens.

Also, they will continue the work stared last week by priming the red brick; which by the way, is now looking so much better.

Last they will be doing a variety of other jobs like painting, dusting, etc...

Today was day one and the place is really getting a face lift :-)

Cough!

2009-06-24T13:21:00.014-05:00

The Carlise Evangelical Free church team is helping the New Image community center in two areas. They have, first, been 'beautifying' the place by sanding the red brick. This work creates a great deal of dust so masks, gloves, and protective eye gear are needed. you can see that they are all using them diligently :-) After the sanding work is done they will put a clear coat cover of paint or sealer on the brick which will make it look nice and shiney.

The team is also helping with some relationship/trust building in the community through playing sports at a local park. They are helping us do this kind of activity in order to share our faith in an informal atmosphere.

Thankyou, Carlise Evangelical Free team for your hard work and service!

Several missionary kids slipped into the team almost unnoticed in order to take advantage of the great time to sand bricks... Can you guess who they are???

Healing the sick

2009-06-16T18:23:00.008-05:00

It was so great to have Concord Baptist Church of Jefferson City, MO with us on June 8-9th. They spent the better part of each day caring for over 100 people who had different medical/dental needs. Many of the 100 people expressed great interest in the gospel. The church that meets in the New Image Community Center is working on a follow up plan of contacting and discipleship.

Thank you so much Concord Baptist for your care and for your desire to see people hear about and come to know Christ! We appreciate your efforts.

2009-05-27T11:14:00.005-05:00

It has been a great privilege to have Josiah and Brianna Yingling helping us at the community center. They have been teaching an English class for kids on Saturdays at the same time as the guitar class and a voice class. They put a lot of effort into preparing and planning a good time for the kids. One week there were 8 kids and then with the whole flu scare we had to cancel one class. Since then we've had good attendance.

Some of the kids do not know Christ. This is a great encouragement to us as it is exactly what we are aiming for. We hope that through these English classes the kids would hear about Christ and would put their faith/trust in Him. And that thought this we would be able to get to know their families and begin growing relationships with them.

This last week, one mother along with her children, came to the Church that meets at the community center. Praise the Lord!

Over the last two years that we have been serving in Mexico, and with the advice and experience of fellow missionaries, we have seen that working with children is the way to build trust and relationship with families. We hope that through several programs Nacho and I are planning for this summer (Summer missionaries), along with the teams that will be coming down we will begin a good foundation of trust in the community that will open doors into the family unit. Then with these open doors we can love the families and help them with the true problems that they face.

Thank you Josiah and Brianna....

Waiting for the concrete to arrive...

2009-05-20T20:50:00.009-05:00

Day three for the Decatur team was quite a day. Above is the pump truck that sends the concrete over the wall in a large tube and then is spread out over the desired area. This truck was a pleasant sight, although the more pleasant sight was when the concrete truck arrived. This happened sometime after 4:30 pm and the last part (the middle) of the court was finished. It looks excellent and we can't wait to start using it on Saturday's for the kids English class. Here's a night shot of the new court with a few rain sprinkles.

The tile floor in one room was completed and only the grout needs to be put in on the second floor for it to be finished (Not including the closet). The electrical work that we needed done was also just about completed.

We so much appreciate you for the hard work, pain, and mess that you all were willing to get into here for His Glory. Now we can play sports at the community center with the definite plan of using this to make disciples. Now have more comfortable classroom space for teaching, communicating, and making disciples.

Simply put... Thank you for your hard efforts for HIM!

Mucho Worko

2009-05-20T12:01:00.010-05:00

Day two was very productive. The team helped Lucio smooth out the fresh concrete on the court. This time Nacho hired a truck to bring the concrete instead of a small mixer. Needless to say, everyone was very happy to not be mixing cement (we've learned a little since last year)!

The tile work is going very well. Most of one room is finished and just under half of the other room.

Also, the 'pulling' (running the wire through the conduit) of the electric wires for outlets and lights in part of the bathroom and one of the classrooms was almost completed.

Oh and by the way...Enjoy!

TO WORK!

2009-05-20T00:40:00.009-05:00

Bethany came on Day one to supervise the work... :-)

On Monday May 18 the team from First Bible Church, Decatur, AL began working at the community center. The day was rainy and they were unable to pour the cement for the court.

However a great deal of work was accomplished in getting everything ready so that the cement could be poured "first thing" on Tuesday morning.

Also, there was a good deal of tile work accomplished and some electrical work.

Thanks for a great day!

First Summer Team May 09

2009-05-15T22:39:00.007-05:00

Our first summer work team has arrived!

This team is from the First Bible Church of Decatur, AL. WELCOME!

Over the last few days Lucio (a concrete magician) has been hard at work leveling one side of the New Image community center front parking area in order to get it ready for pouring the volleyball/soccer/basketball/all purpose outdoor activity court. You might notice the steps by the facility that were put in just over a month ago. These have made access to the building much more comfortable as before there was only a steep dirt embankment.

I thought you might enjoy seeing what it looked like before and after... Here's the before picture...

More to come next week...

2009-05-15T21:45:00.007-05:00

It is too easy to take people for granted...

I would like to share with you about one of our fellow missionaries that has been diligently serving the Lord and loving people. John Buynitzky has been here for about a year. He has been our adult English professor at the New Image community center. I have been very impressed with his attitude of service and general interest in being diligent for the Lord. John has taught two English classes throughout the year. One in the morning and one in the afternoon with few breaks in between. He has also tutored others on Saturdays.

John also has been faithfully serving by sharing Christ with his neighbors. Several times he has asked for prayer as he planned to go out to share the name of Christ. Although John will probably not want this post on here, I believe it is only appropriate to share about what God has been doing through His servants. To God be the Glory!

What has been happening?

2009-05-13T14:47:00.007-05:00

You may be wondering what has been going on at the community center since the last post. The adult English classes have continued thanks to John Buynitzky and Alan McManus. Some general construction has been accomplished (ramp up to the building and stairs for easy access to the building or sitting for an event, painting and tile work). Nacho and I (Tim O'Brien) have been making plans for the summer months and for the fall. We will be hosting several teams as well as having some kids clubs (more on these events in the coming weeks). Here's a pic of the new ramp up to the building with my kids... :-) Kathryn, Samuel and Bethany

Nacho and Scott Yingling have been working on getting the zoning permits and architectural designs in order to continue with the next phase of building. This summer we hope to finish the soccer court, tile two classrooms, and possibly build two classrooms for the first phase of the second floor (is that confusing or what?).

We have also begun three Saturday afternoon classes at the "New Image" Community center. (Yes the community center now has a name :-). There is an English class for children, a guitar class and a voice class. These classes will run through June 6 and then will start up again after the summer break in the end of August. Please pray for us as we seek to develop relationships through these classes (especially the kids English class) with the parents.

Guitar class

2009-05-13T14:32:00.003-05:00

The guitar classes at the community center have been going really well. This last week we had six people for the class (they all stayed for the voice class as well). Each student is at a different level in their musical ability, but they are all working at learning and that has been an encouragement to me.
My hope is that some of these students would learn how to play well and then be able to teach others how to play. I also hope to train them how to share the gospel through their ability to play in hopes that one day they would be the teachers of the guitar classes at the new Image community center.

Written by Tim

Three in One

2009-01-26T22:19:00.002-06:00

[this is a repost from my personal blog, Knowing Your ABCDs, but it applies very well here]

It's not very often that we have three unrelated events going on at once at the community center. I took these pictures last Thursday afternoon. We have our new intern, Sarah, who is teaching a kids' English class, a theology by extension class in another room, and another English class for adults in a third room. It's great to see the Lord using this property to provide a variety of opportunities to help both the unsaved community and believers as well.

Still Feeling Our Way Along With ESL

2009-01-18T21:44:00.002-06:00

We're still taking "baby steps" here with the ESL beginnings. John Buynitzky began a "conversation" class last Monday that will run weekly Monday to Thursday through February. We're charging 50 pesos for the entire 7 weeks which is about $3.75. Just a nominal fee to encourage attendance. We did make payment optional the first week so as to make it "try before you buy" I suppose.

Unfortunately, a few of the students stated they would be starting afternoon school in two weeks. So, I decided to offer a morning conversation class from Monday-Wednesday through February...same 50 peso fee (it's still a bargain). I announced this opening class this morning at church services and several of the youth expressed enthusiasm and the intention of coming tomorrow. We'll see what happens.

I don't mind having mostly or all church members coming to our classes at this time. We're learning a lot as we go and we can use the "practice" for now. I'd rather discover our problem-areas with folks from church rather than with a lot of visitors who might get upset over anything we might discover should be changed. So...pray for this developing project.

We've learned some things concerning some ongoing issues that are external to the community center but could very well apply to our situation. It would be wise not to post the details here on a public blog but do pray for us that we'll have wisdom as we go along. There's no known problems or issues affecting us at the moment but we're aware of potential pitfalls to avoid and we probably don't know them all yet.

ESL Beginnings

2008-12-24T11:44:00.003-06:00

Our first "semester" of ESL has completed and Manuel and Tanya from our Beginners and Intermediate classes received their certificate of completion. There were 5 others who attended the classes as well but who missed too many sessions to achieve the certificate.

It's something to build on and we hope that as we resume classes in January, we'll see even more participation and more opportunities to reach the local community with opportunities to share with them the Gospel and to help them in gaining more proficiency and understanding of the English language (a very valuable commodity).

Please pray for this work and its development. Pray for wisdom as we plan out the coming months.

Work in Progress

2008-12-11T00:27:00.002-06:00

Some of the interior looks different now too. It is much more pleasant and the new curtains help keep out some of the wind and dust during the church's Sunday service. Lucio is still helping out. I took these photos just before teaching the intermediate ESL class. When my class was finished at about 5:30 p.m., I was pleased to see Lucio go to his truck, pull out his Bible and a study book and come back inside for a Bible study with Nacho.

New Roof and Floor

2008-12-11T00:18:00.003-06:00

Despite not posting here for 2 months, the community center is still very much in development and construction and events are taking place. These four photos are from the room in the back right corner of the building. Those of you who were on teams this past summer would know it as the room with the sagging roof with the lake on top and located behind or to the side of the new women's bathroom. The roof has been completely torn out, the walls elevated and all the concrete to replace it has been poured.

Here you see the inside supports for the new roof, a shot of the new concrete roof, and a couple of looks into the area where eventually two stairwells will be placed. Note that the dirt floor has been replaced with concrete and a makeshift utility sink has been installed.

Small Beginnings

2008-10-07T09:34:00.002-05:00

The past couple of days have been milestones for the ministry center. First, we had an excellent Christian counselor, Laura Reyes, come from Puebla (5 hours by bus) to address topics for women. She spoke to many ladies from the church in the afternoon on Sunday and then to a publicly open workshop on Monday morning. This was followed in the evening by the first public class session of a Beginner's English course. This afternoon will be the first session for the Intermediate English course.

I'm sorry to say that I can't announce some great attendance numbers for these first attempts at reaching the community. There were only 2 ladies who came for the counseling workshop and surprisingly only 1 student (a church member) came for the English class.

Looking at the bright side of that, both ladies seemed to be positively impacted by the ministry of Laura and one of them expressed an interest in coming to the Beginner English class. She said she couldn't come last night but would come Tuesday night to see if there was still room in the class (our limit is 10 students). I think there will be room!

It's too early to tell how successful these English classes will be for this quarter. I won't be surprised if we see attendance pick up this week, but we'll keep our expectations in check since we were already very surprised and disappointed at the lack of attendance for the first class. If after this week we're still not seeing the enrollment pick up, we'll evaluate our time schedule and other aspects of the courses. We may switch to morning classes if that would possibly make a positive difference.

I don't have any photos or videos to share with you (I didn't think the one student English class would impress anyone!) but my mother-in-law posted some photos and a blurb on her blog from Sunday's counseling session with the church members.

Here's the link: http://icecreamgram.blogspot.com/2008/10/laurita.html

Stay tuned...and I hope you'll join us in praying for many lives to be drawn by the Holy Spirit to come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ through the developing outreach efforts of this ministry center.

A Current Walkthrough of the Ministry Center

2008-09-16T12:34:00.004-05:00

A lot of progress was made this summer and it appears this represents most of what we can expect in 2008 as far as construction is concerned. Lucio is working on adding a bit more temporary roofing to give us more usable space and also help keep out wind, rain and noise. It may also allow us to feel secure enough to leave the plastic chairs out after services rather than stacking them every week and after ever event. If you've ever been in a "chair-stacking ministry" (lol), you know what a relief it is when it is no longer necessary!

In a small meeting yesterday we made significant progress on planning out our ESL program as we covered, costs, curriculum, class times, course length, etc. It appears we will begin classes on October 6th. We'll have to see how the enrollment actually leads us but we hope to have two courses going at once. One will be a M-Th Beginners level and the other will be a Tu-Fri Intermediate level. John Buynitzky will be teaching both of these courses 3 consecutive days and I (Alan McManus) will be teaching the 4th day as a review and "elective" sort of addition to the classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All the classes will be in the afternoon or evening and run about 90 minutes. Students will pay for their text and work books and will also pay a small monthly fee on top of that to help maintain the ministry center and for supplies and materials related to the courses. The total fee for a four month course will cost students approximately the same as it would for less than one month tuition in a commercial language school in the area. This should offer a very attractive economical option for the community.

Also beginning October 6th will be professional Christian counseling for women and possibly couples (I'm not sure of all the details). Laura Reyes is completing her masters in counseling and has an excellent reputation as a believer and within other ministry work. We're very pleased that she has agreed to come from Puebla (I think for a couple days per week at this point) to provide a ministry need that has never been met here in San Juan del Rio. She mentioned that she wants to come here to offer her services because in Puebla there are many Christian counselors but here in San Juan del Rio, there are none.

A Timely Reminder

2008-09-14T12:24:00.004-05:00

"Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash."
- Jesus
Matthew 7:25-27 (NLT)

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
- Jim Elliot

A New Name and a Lot More

2008-09-13T09:29:00.005-05:00

What's This? A New Post?!?

After nothing but silence here on the blog for 2 whole months, finally there's something to report! Actually, there have been developments on the ministry center the past couple months but without the excitement of BIG progress from work teams, much of it didn't seem significant enough to post. BUT...now there is!

THERE IS A NAME

First, in the late summer, the ministry center took on a new name. A Spanish name for what the No Other Name Ministries Center will be called here in Mexico.

To explain a little, the "NONMC" name was a name I personally came up with for lack of any other suggestions way back when I started this blog. There had to be a name for the blog and I needed one quick so that's what I came up with. I still like that name but obviously, there needs to be a Spanish name.

With the input of our Mexican co-director, Nacho, our American co-director Tim O'Brien, and a few others of us (Scott Yingling, John Buynitzky, Paul Becker and me, Alan McManus) we finally arrived at a very solid "Mexican" name: Centro Cultural - "Esperanza Personal" which in English means simply Cultural Center - Personal Hope.

I know...it probably doesn't sound like a very good name in English, but this name has a ring to it in the ears and perceptions of the Mexican mind and that's the mind to which we're appealing. We don't yet have a sign logo or anything like that but I think one is in the works.

CONSTRUCTION

There is still a LOT of work that needs to be done and as always, there's no funds available for much of anything. We have been getting some work done using leftover funds from the summer teams but we've exhausted those funds now.

The ladies now have a working bathroom from what I've been told. I need to go over and take a video of the progress...hmmm...well....I'll have to either take Beth with me to take the video or go over when there's no one over there. I'd like to see the finished job with sinks, bowls, dividers and two working showers! Wow!

I understand that the men's bathroom has undergone some work too and that I haven't even seen that at all yet as we've been away for two Sundays during our vacation. I'll catch some photos and/or video of that too.

I realize bathrooms aren't terribly exciting to a lot of people, but if you were here working on these projects at some point this past summer, I know you're very interested in seeing the changes and improvements after all the hard work you put into this ministry center project.

ESL

The first real program that we're getting underway is teaching English classes. This is still very much in its infancy but we've finally gotten some curriculum materials and a list of students interested in taking classes. The students will need to pay for their materials and a small fee which will help in replenishing the materials for more students as these classes develop and are expanded. John Buynitizky has materials now for a beginners level (enough for 8 students) and an intermediate level (enough for 4 students). After a final planning meeting next week and the arrival of the rest of our curriculum order late next week, he should be set to get these classes underway.

To be on the safe side with this "pilot" program most, if not all, of this first batch of students will be believers from the church, many of whom have expressed an interest for many months in also taking these courses to learn English. Gaining feedback from them and using their experiences to help tweak the program seems like a wise way to begin so we can adjust to any potential unforeseen problems that might possibly arise.

We want to be sure that when we're reaching unbelievers through these classes in the future, that we don't inadvertently lose their participation in the classes due to a mistake on our part. The classes will be open to anyone but at this point, pretty much only the church folks even know about them. We'll see how all this develops over the next few months.

FAITH and YOU!

As with everything associated with the ministry center, this is a "faith" ministry. There is no budget, no revenue or income stream. We're depending on God to provide as He wills through His people.

People like those from Pontiac Bible Church in Pontiac, IL that sent us two work teams and generous funds for the work they accomplished.

People like those from Carlisle Evangelical Free Church in Carlisle, PA that likewise sent a team this summer and a couple in the early spring along with generous contributions for the work.

And people like those from Frisco Bible Church in Frisco, TX who also came and worked and provided a generous offering of fund for the work.

There was also the team of men from the First Evangelical Free Church in Austin, TX who came down in the spring and poured the main floor for the meeting area and likewise brought the funds to pay for the materials involved.

To all of these churches and individuals, we want to express our deep gratitude and appreciation for your labors of love, your sacrifice of time, money and real blood, sweat and even tears! THANK-YOU!

Finally, the work is far from completed. We're not even half-way done yet with all the work that remains unfinished. Would you continue praying for God to raise up more people, more funds for this physical project that will accomplish much in the spiritual realm for eternity?

If you'd like to know more about the most current needs and how you might be able to help with them, please feel free to email for more information. The address is listed here on the blog and also I'll post it here: nonmc.sjr@gmail.com.

Keep checking back here...I hope to have some more new photos and/or a video in a few days.

Kids' Club Update

2008-08-05T20:49:00.002-05:00

Thank-you for praying for the kids' club yesterday. There were no problems whatsoever yesterday or today. There were even more kids that came the last two days than came last week (the clubs began Thursday and ran through Saturday). There were between 35 and 38 kids today and yesterday and even some adults and teenagers wandered into the party hall and sat down and watched and listened. Many seeds of the Gospel have been planted! Praise God for keeping everyone safe and for blessing the club meetings and answering the many prayers and requests to Him!

How to Make a Cement Roof in Mexico (part 2)

2008-08-05T19:27:00.001-05:00

CEFC Work Team ROOF DAY (part 3)

2008-08-05T18:13:00.001-05:00

CEFC Work Team - ROOF DAY (part 2)

2008-08-05T09:19:00.002-05:00

Scott & Ruth Yingling's kids did a great job helping out. Josiah, Aaron and Monica worked very hard for most of the day. Toward the end of the day I think Aaron had reached his limit! I'm pretty sure he was out cold here.

I didn't get a photo of Josiah but he was one of the few of us lifting buckets of cement up to the 2nd floor. He's a strong young man and we were glad he joined us with that most difficult task of the day.

Monica, age 12, filled buckets with sand all afternoon. I don't know too many 12 year old boys who would have been able to keep up with her! Great job Moni!

Moni discovered that 5 gallon buckets are a great replacement for shoes filled with sand and water. I suspect bucket shoes will be the new fad among kids before the week is out!

CEFC Work Team - ROOF DAY

2008-08-05T09:02:00.002-05:00

Sandra looks over her notes for the morning devotional. Nothing like starting the day with reflections from Scripture. We needed it on this challenging day.

Toward the end of the work day...mixing cement, shoveling it into buckets, carrying it up to the roof. The whole roof job had to be finished in one day, otherwise the roof would collapse after the forms are removed. Early in the work we were wondering if working till midnight would even be allow us to finish the job! After the first 2.5 hours, we weren't even a fourth of the way finished and we were exhausted and worn out already!

Praise God that some brothers from the church came out to help at about the halfway mark. This was the only reason we finished before dark and possibly the only reason we finished at all! Whew!

I heard Scott Yingling say it out loud that this would be the last time we try to pour any of the roof work without a cement truck. We're definitely going to remind everyone of this when we finally get to the next roof project!

How to Make a Cement Roof in Mexico (part 1)

2008-08-03T23:44:00.002-05:00

Carlisle Evangelical Free Church Work Team

2008-08-03T23:03:00.002-05:00

We're half-way through our time with the work team from Carlisle Evangelical Free Church Work Team and I realize I haven't given any kind of update at all yet. Sorry...I was the fifth of five children and this is the fifth of five work teams...I know all about not getting your picture taken. LOL!

They're juggling time with construction and a kids' club each day and I haven't been with them except for the Saturday construction but forgot my camera. So, I grabbed these photos today just before church services started. Notice we've got a makeshift ramp to carry the blocks up to the roof. We moved 350 blocks that weigh about 25 lbs about 30-50 feet. About half of those we took up to the rooftop. The team also tiled a classroom. Some of that work has been given a setback as the tile cement was very old (purchased a couple years ago apparently) and the tiles have been coming unglued. This may result in some extra work to re-do some of the floor, possibly a lot of it. We'll see how it looks.

I have a short video of this interesting construction work and I'll try and post that soon.

Tomorrow (Monday) we'll be mixing cement (if all goes as planned) and pouring it over the blocks on the roof. Should be some hard work involved in carrying buckets of cement up our ramp.

The kids' club has been going Thursday through Saturday and resumes tomorrow afternoon (Monday).

Please pray for this kids' club. The national believers who are in charge of directing this club are fearful of the potential for problems tomorrow. Apparently, several of the parents of children in attendance are angry that the club is teaching the Bible and not under the authority of the Catholic church. We don't know what to expect, if anything, but there is potential for problems. May God protect the team and the national believers directing and helping out with this evangelistic outreach, and may He be glorified in everything that happens.

PBC Work Team 2 - DAY 5 - DONE!

2008-07-25T19:42:00.001-05:00

Both large metal doors and the metal window covers were sanded, primed with an air compressor paint gun (Pastor Brian had the honors of shooting), then given 2 coats of brown oil-based paint via compressor paint gun. All of this on the inside and outside surfaces. I'm not sure if Pastor Brian should be allowed to have a gun back home...he was awfully good with it...I sure wouldn't want to be caught sleeping through one of his sermons if he's a gun-owner! LOL

This photo has nothing to do with the work team. You can ignore it. Ha-ha! Actually I felt I should take this picture to point out that this new metal cage is designed to keep people from stealing the electric meter. Why would we do that? Because the first one was stolen! (A cage was put over the water meter too!)

I'm not really sure what is happening here either but I think Steph was demonstrating why this method of mixing mortar for bricks doesn't work. Good job Steph! Now we know!

This room wasn't even an individual room on Monday! Now it's a storage room with a tile floor, painted walls and ceiling and has a lockable door! Wow!

The future women's bathroom is just about ready for fixtures. It was a big challenge to line up the tiles...and they are a bit crooked but it wasn't the team's fault. Our lead Mexican worker didn't notice that NONE of the walls are square with each other! So...the lines got a bit off and it was a bear to finish the last line of tiles that were all cut to varying angled widths all along the wall. But they did the best they could and we're pleased to be a big step closer to having a nice women's restroom, complete with 2 showers!

2008-07-25T19:28:00.002-05:00

A new wall to close off the corner classroom with a doorway.

Our Mexican worker building up the wall to the final level of the 2nd floor. Some of the existing roof on the other side of the building is not acceptable for use as a 2nd floor. Thus, the entire first floor will have to have a couple feet added upward to the current walls so a new floor can be poured a bit higher up. It's complicated but the most efficient way to do it.

This team created a nicer screen for sifting the sand. Sand doesn't come pre-sifted here so the small rocks have to be screened out. It's interesting to see each team come up with alternative solutions to this necessity. Very impressive.

PBC at Work!

2008-07-21T19:25:00.001-05:00

PBC Work Team #2 - Day 2

2008-07-21T17:53:00.005-05:00

Got a few photos in this afternoon at the end of great day's work. I missed Gideon (sorry about that but the hardest workers are always the ones most difficult to get in a shot, right?) but I got everyone else in getting some finishing touches done on the day.

2008-07-21T17:51:00.000-05:00

PBC - Work Team #2

2008-07-21T11:25:00.002-05:00

Saturday was a long day for the team of 9 from Pontiac Bible Church, Pontiac, IL. They were up and at 'em somewhere around 12:30 to 1 a.m. and I'm not sure if they all even went to bed before that kind of wake up call. They arrived safely to San Juan del Rio by late afternoon and after a brief introduction and supper they pretty much hit the sack for some much needed rest.

Sunday was a great first day for the team. They seemed deeply impressed by the church service and the genuine interactions among the church members and their concern for each other and their hunger for a deeper understanding God's Word. After lunch we walked downtown and observed just about everything! So many things are different and new and bring questions relating to culture, religion and all things Mexico.

It was a lot of fun and an eye-opening experience to see first-hand what a typical Catholic church looks like here in Mexico complete with many statues of saints and Jesus and more than anyone, of Mary. The evening closed out with a light dinner with the Yingling family and Scott Y. shared about the history of the Bible church here in San Juan and of the various ministries he has started and developed in the past 15+ years.

Today the work began. I have a lot to do with other responsibilities so am glad that I wasn't needed on-site to help with their tasks. I am not even sure what they're working on today so I'm just as anxious as you are (are you?!) to find out what they're doing. There are many projects to choose from so we'll see and hopefully we can come up with some photos to show their progress. Keep checking back...more posts to come.

Pray for their health to be good all week and for safety in their work and travels across town.

So far, I think I've been the only one to make anyone nervous on the roads while traveling...ha-ha! Welcome to aggressive, defensive driving class 101. It's a requirement for Mexican streets and highways. (might be why all 9 of them didn't complain this morning about squeezing into Paul's van with room for only 6 passengers! LOL)

God's Still Working (anyone surprised?!?)

2008-07-14T13:16:00.002-05:00

During testimony time yesterday at our church service, Mari (the wife of Nacho and the lady in charge of last week's kids' clubs) reported that 35 children accepted Christ as their Savior during the week of clubs.

AWESOME!

It was great to see Maria Regina (I think that's the correct name) attend church yesterday along with her husband and children. She and one of her sons (I'm pretty sure) attended the ESL classes a couple weeks ago. She was the one who mentioned wanting to have a Bible study.

AWESOME!

We miss our FBC ministry/work team. They were a great group and we really did have WAY too much fun together. They did a tremendous job at everything they did and they accomplished a LOT!

Apparently, they were impacted by their experiences here too as God worked in them, not just through them. Here's a few samples of feedback we received (I didn't ask permission to share these notes so I'll just give first initials):

A. said she left part of her heart with the children. She was crying the whole time at the airport. A. and K. left fairly quickly, but said they had a great time and said the missionaries and the young adults from the kids' clubs were awesome. R. and K. headed out quickly but R. said he had a good experience. H. was pleased with what they accomplished, but wished there had been time to do even more.

Being back in the States today, I have no desire to turn on the TV, check news on the Internet, etc. D. & I have just spent the whole day looking at pictures and talking about the great experience there. I wonder if we'll be cut out for a long-term mission assignment one of these days? I sure am hoping so.

One thing that the trip did for me was to show me how needy, whiny, and selfish I've become; and that I've got a lot of personal work to do in certain areas. Every American should have this experience. It sure would cut down on our complaining and our pursuit of vain things.

PRAISE GOD FOR WORKING IN AND THROUGH OUR NEW FRIENDS FROM FRISCO BIBLE CHURCH!

in other news...

John Buynitzky arrived here from Guatemala on Saturday. He's in the process of finding an apartment, learning his way around this crazy and crooked-street city. He has no car so he'll be learning the bus and taxi system too.

Tomorrow morning we'll have a meeting with Tim O'Brien (NONMC co-director), Nacho (NONMC co-director), Scott Yingling (board member of Promesa de Esperanza, A.C - the official entity that oversees the NONMC), Johny Buynitzky (ESL teacher), Paul Becker (resident do-it-all guy) and me (Alan McManus, director of ESL who hopes to become qualified for the position as time goes by...heh-heh).

Would you pray for this meeting and this group of men as we begin these first steps of looking toward proceeding into the future weeks and months and planning the how, when, what and who. With so much construction left to do and a lot of other "loose ends" our first steps will definitely be baby ones...but step-by-step is what we're aiming for.

FBC Week of Ministry - Part 6

2008-07-12T15:59:00.004-05:00

THANKS TO DANNY JACO FOR ALL THESE GREAT PHOTOS!
THANKS FOR SHARING THEM!

The smile says it all.

Cute little girl...not sure what her name is

Game time...pass the potato! (when the music stops...you have to eat it or something like that)

I guess rectangular glasses are "in" right now..very cool.

FBC Week of Ministry - Part 5

2008-07-12T15:48:00.003-05:00

CRAFT TIME!!!

FBC Week of Ministry - Part 4

2008-07-12T15:35:00.004-05:00

"God is good, God is real, He loves me, He always will"

Some praying and some peeking

Benjamin (age 16) with the "wordless glove"

FBC Week of Ministry - Part 3

2008-07-12T15:22:00.004-05:00

Michele gave an informative and helpful talk on health and fitness twice on Thursday. The ladies that came had a lot of questions and enjoyed the junk food snacks as well (hee-hee!).

Hannah is giving Nalleli the run around (or vice-versa?). Actually, they were practicing "Duck, Duck, Goose" ("Pato, Pato, Ganso"). They didn't really need the practice but it sounds cool in Spanish and they wanted to play just so they could get to say it.

The morning kids' club

The afternoon kids' club

FBC Week of Ministry - Part 2

2008-07-12T14:52:00.004-05:00

Kayla sifting rocks and chunks out of sand for the mortar and stucco.

Harry teaching us something about either construction or BBQ...I don't remember which. Either way...I forgot what he said.

Nearly finished walls.

Harry was in charge of the construction crew which is why we never let him out of the truck except for lunch and bathroom breaks.

FBC Week of Ministry

2008-07-12T10:44:00.004-05:00

Our FBC construction team: Danny, Michele, Harry, Amy and Rex
(Not pictured: Kayla was out of action with a migraine).

Most of our happy group from the week
(not sure what we're smiling about...someone probably said something funny...not sure who that would have been!)

Most of our morning kids' club crew: Josiah (MK from SJR), Kristin, Hannah, Brianna (MK from SJR) and Angela (missing Beth Hanna)

Our old and still current bathroom complete with shower curtain door. Here is Michele demonstrating how to guard the door because as you can imagine, it would be embarrassing to walk in on someone, and we wouldn't want that to happen.

FBC Work Team...Building a Baño

2008-07-12T10:28:00.001-05:00

FBC Work/Ministry Team Update

2008-07-08T15:42:00.003-05:00

Not a lot of time to post since the team arrived Saturday but I'm leaving the construction team on their own for a couple hours to catch up on stuff I need to do around the house here, including putting a few photos up of the team here on the blog.

Saturday the team arrived in Mexico City and they enjoyed their first-ever taxi ride in the largest city in the Western Hemisphere and arguably the largest city in the world. I warned them beforehand that if they are nervous riders or backseat drivers to sit on their hands, button their lips, close their eyes and avoid screaming at all costs! Everyone did very well and after we arrived at the bus station to take us away from Mexico City and on to San Juan del Rio, I commented honestly that this was the the smoothest and calmest taxi ride I'd ever had in Mexico City. The team responded with a hearty laugh. I guess they didn't agree!

Saturday evening I gave a presentation on Roman Catholicism, especially as it relates to Mexico and it's version of this religion. They said it was very helpful and I noticed someone taking notes! Wow! I didn't know it was THAT good!

Sunday the team enjoyed their first-ever church service in Mexico and in Spanish (of course) and we splurged for a very nice restaurant meal consisting of beef, chicken, Mexican sausage (chorizo), cheese and nopal (flat cactus) sizzling hot inside a rock molcajete. It was a fabulous meal and everyone enjoyed the authentic Mexican cuisine. Where could you eat a first-class meal like that in the U.S. for about $8 per person (tax and tip included)? Never mind...I already know you can't!

After lunch we traveled to the colonial city of Querétaro and enjoyed a vista overlooking the famous aqueduct (dates back to the 1700s), a nearby mausoleum resting place of some famous local patriots, and finally a walk in the center of the city for a little bit of shopping and a visit to a Catholic church that was rebuilt after a fire in the 1800s but has roots back to the 1500's.

Monday morning the construction team got at it first thing and began installing wall tiles in the new women's bathroom. Several had never done this craft before but picked it up very smartly. The kids' club team started a bit later and enjoyed working 4 hours of clubs (2 hours each club) with a total of about 40 children.

Today (Tuesday), the construction continues and the morning kids' club was packed out. The kids brought friends! It was great to hear that. It helps too that it has rained every day and even this morning (it is quite rare to see morning rain here) so what else are the kids going to do? I know they're having a blast too.

The Bible teachers for the kids' clubs are three older teenagers from churches in Puebla (3.5 hours away), Cuernavaca (3 hours away) and Irapuato (2 hours away) who trained for 10 days up at Camp Koinonia. They're also doing a great job and it's so great to see national youth taking a leading role in reaching children for Christ here in Mexico. To have this team of gringos from Frisco Bible Church have an important part in this outreach event is also a blessing to see.

THANKS SO MUCH TO FRISCO BIBLE CHURCH (FRISCO, TX) FOR SUPPORTING AND SENDING THIS TEAM OF MOTIVATED AND ENERGETIC BELIEVERS TO MINISTER HERE IN MEXICO! We're so blessed to have them and we're having an awesome time together.

More pics and maybe a video clip or two to come...if I can get away long enough to work on them. I hope so but if not this week...keep checking back...I'll get more time next week I'm sure.

Frisco Work Team Mania - #2

2008-07-08T15:30:00.001-05:00

Frisco Bible Church Work Team Mania!

2008-07-08T14:58:00.002-05:00

ESL and Intern Video - 7 Days of (almost) Everything

2008-06-28T22:39:00.004-05:00

ESL and Intern Photos

2008-06-28T12:14:00.003-05:00

Crystal, Jonathan, Abby, Brooke & Emily
Great job this week everyone!

We attended the 497th anniversary of San Juan del Río on Tuesday (Día de San Juan) in the center of town. Thousands of people came to watch the fireworks display that included a fireworks tower of "Saint John" and a couple hours of mariachi music.

After the finale we ended up dodging a huge piece of fireworks that apparently was a "dud." Instead of rising up a couple hundred feet in the air and exploding into a huge blossom, it only went up about 50 feet and showered the crowed with flying sparks and debris. We escaped getting hit by a big flaming chunk by just a couple feet! Just another example of the excitement to be had at events like this!

Crystal, Brooke and Kendra very non-nonchalantly express surprise over the contents of their "molcajete" lunch.

Actually, we thoroughly enjoyed a meal at the nicest restaurant in San Juan del Rio that we've ever been to. One intern commented that she'd never been to a restaurant where the waiter placed the cloth napkin on her lap for her. Of course, where in the U.S. could you enjoy this kind of service for about $10 a person?!?

ESL Wrap-Up

2008-06-28T11:30:00.003-05:00

Wow!

I'll say that again with more enthusiasm.

WOW!!!

This was an awesome week together with our visiting interns. They ministered so effectively and with such amazing enthusiasm and excellence. I am thoroughly impressed.

A huge thank-you to Kendra Cervantes for your total commitment to preparing and training everyone involved for this week of ESL and for the next few weeks. We'll be practicing what you taught us for years to come.

The interns all taught singly or team-taught twice a day for 2 hours each class-session. The attendance averaged about 25 students a day. (I'm not sure exactly...I think Jonathan may have the daily attendance sheets with him on his way to Mexico City as I type this..."Hey Jonathan, I'll send you the pair of socks you left if you'll send me the attendance sheets! Deal?!?" LOL)

The lady (Maria?) I mentioned previously still seemed interested in studying the Bible as of Friday's "graduation." Our "perfect attendance" student, Mario (an older gentleman), said he has an interest in joining us for church services. To be honest, in my fallible judgment, Mario is mostly interested at this point in receiving more English classes rather than coming to a church service which is fine really. Since we've been telling the students that it is likely that there will be more classes in September, Mario and others were mostly concerned that they find out about the dates, times, cost, etc. of the future classes. Nonetheless, we're encouraged by the expressed interest of the students who came, and we hope that the seeds of the Gospel and of the cordial invitation to return for church services and/or future ESL classes will be cultivated by the Holy Spirit.

Mario told us the first day that he has no religion and that he really doesn't believe in anything. It was interesting to see his teachers, Brooke and Crystal, interjecting a lot of biblical terminology and content into the learning equation. On Friday Mario was listening to a song in English and wrapping his mind around the English words and the meaning of them. This is quite an advanced skill and after a few times through the song and after writing down the words, he was doing very well with it. The song? A modern version of Amazing Grace or Amazing Love (I don't recall which). I was surprised to see him singing along and asking about the meaning of some of the key words.

What can I say? This was our first outreach event for the No Other Name Ministries Center. I believe that The Name was certainly glorified and that we've just begun to taste how God will used this facility and many of his servants to reach this city for Christ. Praise God! Stay tuned...a few more pics and video or two to come soon.

ESL update - Day 2 (morning classes)

2008-06-24T13:43:00.002-05:00

While I have a few minutes of computer time, I couldn't wait to tell you a little about this morning's ESL classes. A few students changed from afternoon to morning so our attendance went up to 9 students this morning. A couple of them were new today as well.

Two sibling teenagers who came with their mother yesterday were there today for the morning classes. The mother came before the classes ended and I and a mother of two of our youth from church who began taking classes today had a great conversation with this woman. She mentioned something about a Bible study that she thought was going to be given here at the community center and she wanted to come. We didn't know anything about it but we assured her that if she wants to study the Bible, someone will study the Bible with her, whether at the NONMC or her house or the house of whoever would lead her in studying the Bible. She also had heard about the kids' clubs and wanted to know when those would be and she wants her kids to attend. I told her about the team coming from Frisco Bible Church (I just said a "team from the U.S.") would be doing games and bringing crafts and making the kids' clubs really fun and she got even more excited about it. I told her that we have a teacher coming this summer who will be starting up English permanent classes that would cost a little and asked her if she was interested in taking one of those and she responded that she definitely wanted to take them and wanted to know exactly when they would start. Her interest seemed quite genuine and serious.

I am pumped! This is EXACTLY what the No Other Name Ministries Center is all about. Making connections with unsaved people here in San Juan del Rio and gaining an opportunity to share the true message of Christ's love for them, his sacrifice for their sin and the free gift of eternal life. How awesome is it that within 24 hours of the first class we have a woman and her kids who are interested in knowing more?!? We have her name written down on the registration papers...I need to double-check (I think it might be Maria). Praise God...KEEP PRAYING!

Interns, ESL and "what it's all about"

2008-06-23T22:33:00.003-05:00

We're enjoying hosting a sharp group of missions interns this week. They began their 5 days of teaching ESL this morning with a handful of students and followed that up with fourteen students in the afternoon. Most of the students were people familiar with the church but there were at least a half-dozen that I didn't recognize, including a few who stated that someone invited them to come. This is very encouraging even though the first-day turnout was a little lower than we'd hoped.

Admittedly, we didn't get fliers out as early or in the quantity we should have but this is part of our learning curve in this is our very first experience with this type of activity. Please be in prayer for the rest of our classes this week that God would use these new connections with a number of unsaved people to plant some significant, Spirit-cultivated seeds of the Gospel in their lives through this week of ministry. We're excited to see how the Lord uses these first-ever classes of ESL at the NONMC and also the first outreach of ANY kind here through these facilities. This is what it's all about!

Also pray for our team (their health, stamina and spiritual walk), Kendra (our ESL specialist), Jonathan and Crystal (our intern veterans), Emily, Brooke and Abby. Nearly all of them got a bit of food sickness from a quinceñera party they attended with us Saturday evening just a short time after they stepped off the bus here in San Juan. A large number of missionaries and church members who attended the fiesta and accompanying meal were sick on Sunday and/or Monday (today). We can attest to the fact that this is a genuine missionary experience for our interns!

Aside from the Saturday evening party, the interns visited an indigenous outreach on Sunday afternoon (choosing to forgo sightseeing and tacos in Querétaro in order to attend this event), visited our local Christian camp (Koinonia), and also the literature ministry (La Jornada Espiritual). Four of them are staying all week with members of the church, Abundant Life Bible Church, and thus are receiving a true taste of Mexican living. There's more to experience before they leave on Saturday, so we trust that God will use this week greatly in their lives and ours as we serve Him together.

Thanks for praying!

PBC Work Team #1 - final post

2008-06-16T15:16:00.004-05:00

While it was sad to see my "evil twin" Pastor Jeff Williams leave with the PBC team early this morning, it sure was a great week and experience with them.

See my personal family/ministry blog for more photos of the last couple days...a few are...shall we say..."incriminating!" lol - Knowing Your ABCDs

Despite some tummy troubles, altitude sickness (going from an elevation of about 650 feet above sea level in Pontiac, IL...I checked it Jeff...you were way off dude!) to about 6,500 feet here and then Sunday up to nearly 9,000 feet at the camp, and maybe some struggles with a few of the interesting foods, the trip accomplished much for God's glory. The young people who came down (three of them aged 16) will have lasting memories and exposure to what God is doing outside of their normal experience and environment to expand their thinking about the world and how God will use them in the future.

The construction work throughout the week is another important piece of the development process. It's so exciting to see God using believers from the U.S. come and help us build this outreach center. They were joined by a few of the believers here at times and that was neat to watch. Thank-you Pontiac Bible Church!

The pics here are from the Saturday evening youth event. We had about 20 youth from our church here join the 5 from Pontiac Bible Church plus PBC's youth pastor, Jeff Williams. They played a few fun games in the yard (including paired soccer), enjoyed a junk food supper and listened to Jeff's testimony, translated by Bethie. The night concluded with about 30 minutes of singing...in English and Spanish...sometimes at the same time! It was AWESOME! All the youth were so encouraged by the connection between God's children of two different nationalities, two different languages but just one Father, just one Holy Spirit and just one Savior-Son that we have in common.

There truly is No Other Name under heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved. Thank-you Jesus!

PBC Work Team Day 3 - Nacho and Tamales

2008-06-13T12:08:00.003-05:00

We wrapped up the day last evening by visiting a family in the church for an early "cena" which is sort of like our supper time. However, usually in Mexico this is eaten about 8 or 9 p.m. and even later. We ate around 6:30 in order to help the team with their U.S. eating patterns and body clocks.

Now, we didn't actually eat nachos..."Nacho" is a nickname short for Ignacio, and we were the guests of Nacho and Mari for dinner in their home...err...carport. We did eat tamales for dinner and they were scrumptious...some with chicken and red salsa, some with chicken and green salsa, some with strips of peppers ("rajas"), cheese and red salsa and dessert ones with strawberry kool-aid for coloring and a bit of flavor and raisins. We chased all this corn masa down with a red drink called Jamaica which is a sort of tea made from Hibiscus flower (we drank it as a cold drink) and also atole (which is a corn-based drink...sort of like a thin pudding). This version was cajeta-flavored which is similar to caramel. It was tasty and that's coming from one who doesn't normally care for atole. We were treated to neopolitan ice cream for dessert.

After the meal Nacho and Mari shared their testimonies of how they came to faith in Christ as their Savior just over ten years ago. Their four children (all young adults) have also trusted Christ. Nacho is now in charge of the daily operations of the budding ministry center. Their whole family is an encouragement to the ministry of the church, the ministry center, Obrero Fiel and the literature ministries of La Promesa de Esperanza. After the testimonies, Paul Becker shared a brief and unique summary of the history of Mexico. Indeed, the history of Mexico is so diverse and long, spanning more than 500 years...it's impossible to really cover it in a matter of minutes but we did it!

My camera batteries died during the evening so I didn't get photos of the mealtime fare. Here are some photos taken from the roof of Nacho and Mari's lovely, narrow house...about 4 floors up. The large protruding rock in the distance is called La Peña de Bernal and is a famous geological formation here in Mexico. It is about 40 miles away and rises 2,000 feet from the level of the plateau.

PBC Work Team #1 Day 3..."Revenge is mine" saith Montezuma

2008-06-12T08:39:00.007-05:00

I suppose to say "Day 3" is a misnomer. The team has been here since Saturday night but after a light day on Sunday and then an outing on Monday, it didn't feel like we got started as a "work team" until Tuesday. That makes today "Day 3." But they've been learning and experiencing new things since Saturday to be sure.

I don't have any new photos or videos to put up here this morning (for those of you following the running commentary) but I'll put more up when I have something of interest to share with you.

I'm sure the team would appreciate your prayers for their health. The "real" welcome to Mexico apparently came last night. Cheyenne or is it Shy-Ann (or Shy-Anne...with an "e" since it's more elegant or so said Anne Shirley from the Green Gable fable...either way...she doesn't seem shy to me!) had to deal with the revenge of a certain Aztec Indian (I think you know what I'm talking about). I haven't heard how she is doing this morning but she apparently showed up with Sarah (or is it "Sara"???...I don't know which is more elegant) at the literature ministry (La Jornada Espiritual..."The Spiritual Journey") this morning where the group was to meet. Her presence there could be to the credit of immodium or that she's just feeling better. Also, Pastor Jeff mentioned that he was up with a similar problem 4 or 5 times in the night as well. Pray for these two and for the whole team as stomach ailments are quite easy to pick up here.

If you're wondering what made them ill, I'll tell you. No one knows.

We had a church "pot luck" on Sunday. I tongue-in-cheek call these a "pot providence" because I don't believe in luck. But, regardless...I've often called the day after our church's Pot Luck Sunday...Pepto Monday.

We went to a swimming outing on Monday and ingesting water at such a place, which is inevitable on some of the rides, can also cause problems. Our two boys always got diarrhea the day after we'd take them to water parks when we were in language school a few years ago, so that's a possibility. Although last night seems a bit late for the immediate reaction our boys would often get.

Of course, Cheyenne and Sarah (still guessing on how to spell their names) are staying with a Mexican family and this was my first fear. Some fruit or vegetable not washed well or not soaked in iodine water for 20 minutes like we do for all of our produce can easily cause such a problem. Then again, Pastor Jeff never ate with the gals over at the Mexican home so he wasn't exposed to anything over there.

Or perhaps there was some meat eaten that wasn't handled properly. Although, the latter could have been the case even among us missionaries as we don't have any control over what happens to the meat we buy before we buy it. I doubt it was meat though...usually that would result in food poisoning with vomiting and that doesn't appear to be the case here.

Monday evening after the water park the team had a meal at a small restaurant in town. Since everyone ordered to their own preference or curiosity, perhaps we could consider their meals there as a possible source, although 48 hours afterwards seems like a longer delay than would be expected.

The team has been working hard and at high altitude. Unintentional and unknowing dehydration in combination with the strenuous work and other variables could also cause this problem.

Finally, the bacteria in the environment here in Mexico is different from what we have in the U.S. and different folks react differently to it. Some get sick and some don't. I get sick all the time in comparison to the rest of my family, so I find that it can take years to get used to it.

Do you think we've ever thought about this subject before?!? Yes, it is such a common thing among missionaries that it no longer carries any hint of embarrassment to talk very openly about bathroom issues. We make it a habit to carry a spare roll or two of Charmin somewhere in our vehicles or in a fanny pack if walking extensively. We've all been there, done that and sometimes to extreme cases. So, we're sympathetic and concerned, but not surprised. We hope everyone feels well today and is able to carry on with the day's plan as it unfolds for them.

(stay tuned...)

Pontiac Bible Church Work Team #1 - Day 2

2008-06-11T21:08:00.000-05:00

A sore but spirited (well...maybe not first thing this morning) team returned to the NONMC for round 2 today (Wednesday). Today's work focused on the brick work that came with the property when purchased last January and dates back a few years or more. The archways have a lot of missing mortar and so the team made some dirty-looking mortar out of our brown sand and some cement mix to fill in the many gaps between the bricks. All of this will be covered by a stucco-like material later so the dark color doesn't matter. There was also more work on sanding large sections of brick work that has old mortar or stucco or something like that "uglifying" the brick. It's a dusty job (the brick is very soft) and Donna worked on this yesterday all day and some others helped as well. Good job everyone!

PBC Work Team - Mixing Cement by Hand (VIDEO)

2008-06-11T20:27:00.005-05:00

Pontiac Bible Church Work Team #1

2008-06-11T11:09:00.001-05:00

Our first work team of the summer has arrived and yesterday they logged an impressive day of concrete work. Pontiac Bible Church from Pontiac, IL is sending two teams this summer. They started and completed an entire project yesterday in pouring the concrete floor for a room that is approximately 25 feet by 15 feet.

I just posted on my ministry/family blog at http://abcdmcmanus.blogspot.com if you'd like to read a post detailing all the steps involved in the whole process, including our secret recipe for making concrete...shhh...don't tell anyone!

Moving about 6 tons of materials around and mixing it all by hand took its toll on the team. Sore muscles all the way around plus a strained or pulled rib-cage muscle, a pulled forearm muscle and a broken tooth (lunch-related actually) contributed to the casualty count. We thank God that he kept us from any serious mishaps and I all these hurts will be healed over time and with the help of a good dentist (none to be found here though).

I hope to post more photos throughout the week so check back in if you'd like to see more of what this team is accomplishing and experiencing. Pray for their health and that God will continue to use them and teach them new things about what He's doing here and the people, culture and the spiritual context here in Mexico.

PBC Team - Tuesday Concrete Day

2008-06-11T10:25:00.003-05:00

2008-06-11T10:24:00.001-05:00

Work Team Season

2008-05-19T08:59:00.003-05:00

"Work Team Season" is rapidly approaching and we're excited about the progress we expect to see this summer through these teams. We're anticipating four ministry work teams from three different churches as well as a group of college-age interns exploring what God is doing through missions ministries here in Mexico.

Looking ahead to June, our first team arrives June 7 and will be here for 10 days. They are from Pontiac Bible Church, Pontiac, IL. While they'll be involved in a variety of activities, as far as the NONMC construction is concerned, this team will continue and possibly finish pouring the rest of the concrete for the first floor.

A few days after this team departs, we'll be hosting a group of college-age missions interns who will be with us for one week (June 21-28). Each summer CAM Mexico usually hosts dozens of college students who come for a short-term time with a developing long-term vision of how God may use them to touch the world one life at a time. This group will mainly teach English classes with the hope of winning a hearing for the Gospel among their students.

Finally, we're pleased to announce that John Buynitzky has accepted an invitation to join the long-term outreach ministry of the NONMC. John has been serving for years in Hispanic USA and Guatemala teaching English as a Second Language. Perhaps, we'll have a photo of John to post here in the future. It will take some time for him complete his move here from Guatemala and then to get acquainted with the city and settle into a ministry plan. John will be teaching English on a year-round basis, rather than just a crash course of a week. Thus, we'll be working out a number of long-term objectives and goals and a list of needs to accomplish them.

Please join us in praying for the team from Pontiac Bible Church and the interns coming from all over the U.S. that they will be used as God desires to use them and that their travels, work and ministry will be Spirit-filled and that God will be glorified in their efforts to serve Him and to touch the lives of others. Also, pray for John Buynitzky's move and transition to San Juan del Rio from Guatemala City. Pray that God gives John wisdom for this new ministry and also that God will provide the funds needed to set up a TESOL classroom with all the appropriate curriculum and supplies.

Remember that the No Other Name Ministries Center is a faith ministry. There is no budget nor any regular income for it. This outreach center depends on contributions from individuals, churches and work teams to build and develop this unique tool for reaching lost souls. We as missionaries are in-step with you in giving of our time and resources to turn this vision into reality. We serve a great God and only Savior to whom we're eternally indebted for His rich grace, mercy and love. There truly is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved and that name is Jesus Christ.

Please consider taking a few minutes of your time to invest in prayer and to consider giving of your time through a ministry work team and/or through financial contributions toward specific needs of the NONMC. Send an email to Alan at nonmc.sjr@gmail.com if you'd like to know more specifically about praying, working or giving.

Thanks!

The Potential for Ministry through NONMC

2008-04-22T15:00:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday evening John Buynitzky and I walked through the central plaza here in San Juan del Río. We viewed the large Catholic church and talked about the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Juan Diego. The weather was lovely and we sat near the fountain and chatted in English joined by hundreds of pigeons and people.

Within 1 minute of sitting down, a man nearby leaned over and introduced himself and wanted to practice his rather broken and heavily accented English. We spoke for a good 20 minutes in English and Spanish. He asked enough questions to find out that I am a teacher and a missionary, that we are developing a community center, its location, and that while we don't have any ESL classes yet, we will have them sometime later this year or next. Esteban (Steven) was anxious to take an English class TODAY! He wanted to know how much it would cost. When he learned that we will likely only charge for the costs of materials, his eyes grew wide and with an even wider smile he wanted to know when the class would start!

Let me make this very clear. Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) is an opportunity like no other for making contacts with unbelievers here in San Juan del Río and in every part of Mexico. We could start classes today and within 2 months, charging only for the costs involved, we could have as many classes as we could fit in the ministry center for as many days and nights that we wanted and were able to hold them.

Please pray with us for what resources we're lacking to see this ESL project happen:

1. A director for the No Other Name Ministries Center. We need a godly, energetic, bilingual speaker who is passionate about evangelism and discipleship who can oversee all of the ministries that will be developed here, and bridge this ministry with the Mexican believers so that the many contacts have a national believer who can assist the missionaries in the seed planting, watering and harvesting among the many unsaved the ministries will touch.

2. An ESL director and solid curriculum. I anticipate carrying out this role overseeing the ESL efforts unless or until God sends us someone who has experience and abilities/qualifications in this area. I have no training in ESL and know relatively little about ESL curriculum and am learning little by little with only a few samples available. I can only carry this out on a part-time basis as I have other ministry roles and responsibilities.

3. English Teachers. We'll use everyone here that we can but at some point, we'll not be able to cover all the needs with part-time teachers. None of us here have training in ESL. That isn't a requirement. If you speak English clearly and know English grammar well, you're probably qualified. Spanish is helpful but not required.

4. Construction. The facility has had two significant work teams come so far and work alongside our Mexican brothers to run the wiring and lights and pour tons of cement. We need much, much more done to complete this facility. We have a whole 2nd and a partial 3rd floor to go in addition to finishing the ground floor and the entire front half of the property.

5. Funds for construction. We can't do any of the construction without an infusion of some very large gifts. We have a balance of somewhere around $0. Each construction work team has been required to bring the funds for their portion of the project at minimally $200 per person. That's the only way we can finance this kind of construction without independent contributions. Even so, our last group had more work and time to complete their task than they had money. An individual on the team went to a local ATM and withdrew a substantial amount of money from his own bank account to pay for the rest of the concrete mix so they could complete their goal. I don't know exactly how much money we're going to need to complete all of the construction phases, but it is going to cost 6 figures in U.S. dollars. That's a lot of money and we're trusting God to provide.

6. Funds for materials. Did I mention funds yet? In order to begin teaching ESL sometime later this year or early next year, we'll need funds for curriculum, materials, white boards, markers, classroom supplies, etc. We'll also invest in evangelistic materials to have ready to share with students. I don't yet know exactly what we'll end up needing, but I do know we will need at least a few hundred dollars to get started with the basics. That's not to exclude any other type of ministry outreach we hope to see developed here at NONMC. Again, we're trusting God to provide.

7. Faithful prayer warriors. Above all we need a loyal prayer team behind this project. This project has seen trials and opposition since its inception. This ministry will fail if we don't have a focused group of believers daily in the prayer trenches...this is spiritual warfare. It's as simple as that.

8. It might just be you we lack.

Is the Lord leading you to contribute funds toward the construction or the development of the ministry outreach of this project (whether that be ESL or another outreach that develops here)?

Perhaps the Lord is leading you to form or join a work team to come and assist in the construction needs and/or teach English or join in some other ministry idea.

Maybe God has a big plan for you here as a full-time missionary assisting in the ministry outreach first-hand.

Pray with us, won't you?

Let us know if you'd like for us to join you in prayer concerning what the Lord may be laying on your heart. Just leave a comment and your first name (full name if you wish). We have a new email address for more privacy: nonmc.sjr@gmail.com.

Not Just Filler - Your Prayers Are Needed

2008-04-19T16:10:00.004-05:00

With no teams scheduled to come help out with the NONM Center construction and development until June, there just isn't much to report here and I don't have any photos to share. However, there are some important developments that need your prayers. Please take a moment and bring these requests before the Lord:

1. NONM Center is in need of a half or full-time director. This person needs to have a well-rounded set of skills that can oversee the development of the outreach ministries and be a "team player." There is still time before this need becomes critical but please pray that God would equip and make His ministry call clear to that person.

2. We've had a missionary couple here to consider a half-time contribution of their time and energy toward this ministry. They are thinking and praying about this opportunity. Pray for this couple to understand God's will for them regarding this project.

3. Currently, John Buynitzky is visiting from Guatemala and is a candidate to help us with ESL as a long-term program. Pray that John and the San Juan missionary team will also understand God's will for his potential ministry here.

4. I (Alan McManus) am working on a project to develop a 5-Day ESL evangelistic curriculum for use with our summer teams. This may become a project that takes on an even wider use and become usable in a larger context than just here in San Juan and perhaps even beyond the borders of Mexico. Pray for wisdom and effectiveness in developing this collaborative project.

5. There is a potential issue regarding use of the property for church services by the Abundant Life Bible Church. I don't have any details to give because the facts and true nature surrounding this potential problem is not yet clear. It may only be a rumor or misunderstanding (it appears to be). While the situation doesn't directly affect the ministry center and its outreach, please pray that God will intervene in this situation and dissolve whatever problem a neighboring church has with our church meeting there.

Thank-You Austin Team! GREAT JOB!

2008-03-15T10:32:00.005-06:00

A BIG Texas "Thank-Ya'll" to the team and their families
(photo includes 3 of our MKs here who helped too)

Things got ugly when Pastor made one of the guys get into the mixer
(just kidding)

I could make a lot of comments about this one but I'll be nice. The cement dust was tortuous. Team member Handi used this homemade head wrap (dubbed "Handi-Wrap") for protection from the dust.

These pics may look like "just cement" to you, but after coming home from church services each week covered in dust from head to toe, this is a blessing that will not be quickly overlooked by the brethren here. May God use this ministry center to reach many with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our only real foundation.

First Evangelical Free Church, Austin, TX...A Foundational Work Team

2008-03-12T18:07:00.001-06:00

There are 7 very motivated and strong men here working long days to pour the floors for our main meeting area, the walkways around it and at least one of the classrooms. It is amazing to see the progress they've made even with some delays caused by a faulty mixer and by running out of cement mix having used up the initial delivery of about 90 bags. (even a few MK's got into the project shoveling material into buckets to help keep up the pace)

Thursday (tomorrow as I write this) is their final day here. It's been a huge blessing to have them here as they've not only poured a LOT of concrete but they've poured their time, energy, resources and their hearts into this project.

THANKS MEN...YOUR WORK HAS BEEN FOUNDATIONAL TO THE MINISTRY (literally)!

Day 1

2008-03-12T18:06:00.003-06:00

Day 1 (continued)

2008-03-12T17:49:00.005-06:00

Day 2

2008-03-12T17:45:00.004-06:00

Day 2 (continued)

2008-03-12T16:06:00.008-06:00

A video look at San Juan del Río, QRO (taken 3/1/08)

2008-03-07T13:02:00.003-06:00

San Juan del Río, QRO Mexico

2008-03-07T10:03:00.003-06:00

This is our city. About 400,000 to 500,000 residents and growing.

(These photos were taken about 1 mile from the NONM Center.)

Looking toward the city center located about 2 miles beyond the hill.

Looking toward the east and new expansion.

It doesn't matter which "side of the tracks" one lives on here. Both sides look the same.

First Week of Bible Classes (only 103 weeks to go)

2008-03-05T22:50:00.003-06:00

This class is a huge commitment. On the Wednesday before Saturday's first weekly session, there were 13 students on the list. By Friday night, the list had decreased by 1. On Saturday, 10 actually showed up and Linda said she was only coming to the first class to see what it was like. Her unsaved husband won't let her take the course, even though she really wants to take it. He was out of town so she came to at least hear the course introduction. So, we're at 9 for now. We expected some attrition in the class but we hope most will finish.

Two teenage siblings (aged 16 and almost 15) are taking this course along with their parents! We're so glad to see even our youth wanting to learn at such an in-depth level as this class. Their father (Juan) confided in me that it's become a bit of a competition...the kids not wanting to ever quit while their parents continued on to their shame...and vice-versa!

Pray for Juan, Carmen, Christian, Nayeli, Nacho, Mary, Chucho, Zaira and Judith that they will persevere through the commitment of this course and its requirements and in so doing gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of God's Word and that their walk with and their spiritual maturity in Christ will flourish.

Training Faithful Men and Women

2008-02-26T12:27:00.000-06:00

Part of the success of the NONM Center will be dependent upon properly trained Christian workers. Beginning Saturday, March 1st the NONM Center will host a 2-year intensive Bible training course, developed by Denton Bible Church (Denton, TX) and based on a masters program from Dallas Theological Seminary.

The course is being offered freely except for the cost of materials and a suggested periodic offering of about $2.50 to help pay the travel costs of the teachers. Students will be required to complete 21 pages of homework weekly, read 3 chapters of Scripture daily, attend 4 hours of classes each Saturday and read all 10 books for the course. Each book costs about $8.

The teachers for this course will come each week from Querétaro and most are leaders in La Iglesia Bíblica Vida Abundante (Abundant Life Bible Church). It will run nearly every Saturday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The partially finished classrooms are rather dark so having functioning lights and electrical outlets is necessary for this foundational course.

Pray for perseverance among the students desiring to participate, for the safety of the teachers commuting each Saturday and for God to use this training to glorify Himself through the lives of all involved and for what He will accomplish through their lives and learning.

NONM 1st Work Team Ever!

2008-02-21T10:47:00.004-06:00

Our first work team is comprised of a couple, Jim and Darla, and actually, only Jim is working on-site along with the help of several men in the church.

Jim, Paul Becker (local CAM missionary) and a few others have been working hard for over a week installing wires, conduit and laying out an electrical plan for the property based on what was already there. The sun is intense these days and both of them are becoming good old "red-neck boys!"

Darla is helping with a related ministry, ObreroFiel (www.obrerofiel.com), typing-in translated materials to be uploaded to that website. BTW, funds have run out for that ministry and all the paid staff has been laid off for now...contributions are greatly needed and appreciated!

Funds for this project have been pledged by Carlisle Evangelical Free Church (Carlisle, PA) and without their financial backing, this important development would not have been possible. We're anxious to begin evening activities when people are most likely able to attend a class or other event. Lighting is an essential prerequisite.

A big thank-you to Jim and Darla for giving of your time to work for the Lord here these two weeks, and another thank-you to CEFC for your generous financial support for this project and for catching this vision for reaching this growing city and its hundreds of thousands of lost souls through the expected outreach of this ministry center.

Pray that God will bless these last couple of days of work and that the electrical work will be completed this week.

Pray for an important set of meetings this Saturday involving several missionaries (Tim, Alan and Scott) and a Mexican national (Ignacio aka "Nacho") as we discuss a number of key ideas for developing this new ministry.

Paul & Chucho pulling wires

Jim and Nacho installing a light fixture

Jim bending to bend conduit

Spaghetti Junction

Gringo shopping-list for a Mexican shopper
What are the Spanish names for all these things anyway?!?

The church nursery: simplistic but functional!

2008-01-31T13:22:00.000-06:00

Another partially finished and unlit room being used as the youth SS classroom.

2008-01-31T12:43:00.001-06:00

A partially finished room used for a kids' SS class. There is no wiring for lights yet.

2008-01-31T12:41:00.001-06:00

The NONM Community Center is also the new home for the Abundant Life Bible Church

2008-01-31T12:40:00.000-06:00

Originally was an open-air courtyard. Now an open-air sanctuary for the Bible church with a tarp ceiling.

2008-01-31T12:39:00.001-06:00

The one bathroom that now has a sheet over both the doorway and window. Be sure to have a buddy posted at the door when nature calls!

2008-01-31T12:37:00.001-06:00

Facing rear section of property

2008-01-31T12:35:00.001-06:00

Clean-Up Day! (facing front of property)

2008-01-31T12:33:00.000-06:00

Small Beginnings

2008-01-31T11:55:00.000-06:00

As the old saying goes, "Every journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," so begins this blog as a small step toward a large goal. No Other Name Ministries is not an official name for a ministry, at least not yet. As you probably guessed, the blog name comes from Acts 4:12 that states, "There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (NLT) And that name is Jesus Christ.

Thus, this blog will be used to provide information and updates regarding an evangelistic project in San Juan del Río, Querétaro, Mexico. After several years of dreaming, planning and praying, God has provided a modestly-sized property on the east side of SJR. This property will serve as an evangelistic community center with hopes of reaching as many of the nearly 400,000 souls here in this city as possible and of planting at least five new Bible churches here. There are probably fewer than 1,000 believers in San Juan del Río.

At this time the property is in need of significant development which means we are in need of construction work teams, thousands of dollars in contributions for construction materials and most of all, we need persistent prayers for God to ultimately be the One who builds and blesses this work.

There are many ideas for how we'll be able to use this property for the glory of God and for the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Teaching English as a second language (TESOL), exercise and sports outreach and kids clubs are just a few of the many options being considered.

Please stop in as often as you can and remember to pray for this strategic project for reaching this city and the rest of Mexico for Christ!