Trip Praise Report
March, 2020 - Rancho Santa Marta Trip
“Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers and his mother called his name Jabez saying,
‘Behold I bore him in pain.’
And Jabez called on the name of the God of Israel saying
‘Oh that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.’
So God granted him what he requested.”
1 Chronicles 4:9-10
‘Behold I bore him in pain.’
And Jabez called on the name of the God of Israel saying
‘Oh that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.’
So God granted him what he requested.”
1 Chronicles 4:9-10
Dear friends and family,
Greetings and thank you so much for your prayers as we took a team for a week in March to serve at Rancho Santa Marta in Baja California, Mexico.
Quick Summary
RSM is a 450-acre ranch with 50 orphans and an accredited K-12 school for children with learning disabilities. At least three Mexicans gave their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, and many others learned for the first time that they could be confident in their salvation, based on their faith in Christ. A high school student and a grandfather gave fabulous science lessons to many students and shot off some rockets to a watching crowd. We spent significant time talking, playing and praying with the orphan children. We grew tons in our trust of the Lord and saw so many answers to prayer as we sought wisdom and protection. Praise God!
Pictures and Long Version
In all of our years taking teams to Mexico this was the most challenging and among the most rewarding trips! No one (except God) could have known months ago when our planning began that the world would turn upside down while we were in Mexico.
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The night before our departure each of the team’s 50 participants prayed to understand if they should proceed with the trip, or not. The team included dads who were business owners, a grandpa in his seventies, moms, and students young and old. Much in the world was unclear. However, each made a decision and the team ended up with 34 members, including a dad who joined the team the night before we left, after suddenly receiving a surprise check in the mail enabling him to go and to be the final driver that we needed for our third van!
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Some dear friends had been praying Psalm 133:1 for our team, “How good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.” All 34 participants were absolutely amazing in their unity and determination through many trials. Perhaps some of their faithfulness came from the soul searching that each of us had to do before going. That night we Rieggs also asked God if we should cancel the trip. Marcy asked for confirmation and then opened her Bible right to John 14: “Let not your hearts be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me…I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” This was the only place in her Bible where she had years ago hand written “Rancho Santa Marta” in the margin! She saw the verse as saying that God will not leave us as orphans but will come and help us. Then the Holy Spirit said to her ‘look again.’ And she saw another meaning in that verse: “I will not leave [the] orphans [of RSM]; I will come to [them—through] you!”
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Do not cancel the trip, but go to the orphans, and be My representative to them, for me, and as promised!! Wow! Another mom woke up in the middle of the night with a hymn about serving orphans and knew that she was supposed to go on the trip, too. Each member of the team had a story.
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The morning after we arrived at RSM a 16-year-old team member became sick with a fever and a cough. You guessed it. We wondered if our team had brought the Coronavirus to RSM, the very thing we were concerned not to do. She was quarantined in a room and our whole team was quarantined from the RSM community. After much research, constant checking of vital signs, lots of prayer and caring for our wonderful patient, it was confirmed that she ended up only having the common flu.
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So, the director of RSM gave our team clearance to interact with everyone. What the enemy meant for harm God used for our good in that we grew closer as a team. This young lady also had her own, personal renewal with God through all the hours of solitude.
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The peace and presence of God was so thick at RSM that it enveloped us like a warm blanket. The perspective we gained there was a wonderful gift, far removed from the fearfulness that has pervaded the world these past weeks. While our team was quarantined from the RSM staff and students, we enjoyed a beautiful hike up a hill behind the campus and a day at the beach.
At just 16-years-old Madelyn is nationally recognized as a future chemical engineer and is doing much in her community in science education. She and Jerry, the grandfather on our trip, spent three months preparing science curriculum on Newtons three laws of physics, God’s creation, and rocketry to supplement the K-12 classes at RSM. The kids even had the opportunity to make and launch their own mini rockets, and watch a rocket launch to 800 feet on our last day!
At just 16-years-old Madelyn is nationally recognized as a future chemical engineer and is doing much in her community in science education. She and Jerry, the grandfather on our trip, spent three months preparing science curriculum on Newtons three laws of physics, God’s creation, and rocketry to supplement the K-12 classes at RSM. The kids even had the opportunity to make and launch their own mini rockets, and watch a rocket launch to 800 feet on our last day!
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We also had the opportunity to bring craft projects and games to the RSM kids. and host dinners for all of the RSM kids and host parents.
Our construction projects included arc welding to expand the roof of the auto mechanics area, plumbing and drainage work, tile, grout and drywall installation for new classrooms and pouring a concrete walkway between the elementary school and the cafeteria. We experienced some days of heavy rain which in Mexico is treated like snow in Portland!
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Everything stops. School starts late. The mud makes walking slippery and driving through the pot holes challenging. The concrete path will be helpful for all, especially the disabled students with walkers who have a really hard time in the mud.
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We have been coming to RSM for about 13 years and love seeing the children grow up and launch into the bigger world. Elsa, a high school orphan, invited Marcy and Mary to meet some two-week-old lambs she was taking care of, because their mother rejected them. She told us they were just like her in that her own mother had rejected her after birth, too. Marcy felt a stab in her gut when Elsa said this, but then God showed Marcy how to respond:
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“Elsa, you have great compassion for these lambs because of what you have been through and God never wastes pain. You will not only help these lambs to grow, but will help many others.”
Each year we invite the orphan and house-parents over for dinner. We had a wonderful time this year. Sometimes when our Spanish was challenged, we used paper and crayons to draw what we wanted to say!
Each year we invite the orphan and house-parents over for dinner. We had a wonderful time this year. Sometimes when our Spanish was challenged, we used paper and crayons to draw what we wanted to say!
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Each afternoon members of our team went into the nearby town of San Vicente to share about Jesus with folks. Jannel and Jerry shared with boys at a fruit stand, and they received Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Pat, one of the dads, started speaking to a bi-lingual family in town, who invited him to sit in their car as they discussed what the Bible said about things that concerned them. A couple of us got to pray for a precious mom who works in the fields each day and has a son in a drug rehab center. Pat, Jannel, Brad and Nathan also shared with a couple of teen aged boys, who both trusted in Jesus for the first time. Jannel had a word for one of the boys that he would one day be famous for Jesus!
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One of the best parts of these trips is the morning and evening devotions, led by different team members each day. It is thrilling to see how God uses these times to refine us and speak directly to each of us.
Later in the week President Trump advised Americans to return to the US or face possible blocked borders. Timelines were not provided and once again we had to seek God’s direction. The parents met and reviewed all of the information that was available to us. Also, Brad had for a couple of days felt light headed, tired and weak. We were concerned for him and his ability to drive back. We all then agreed to pray again, and seek how to proceed as a unified team, based on what we heard. Two team members prayed for Brad and he was instantly healed and has felt great ever since! When we got back together the parents agreed that we should stay until the Saturday that we were scheduled to return to the USA. This was also confirmed by Brad’s healing since his health had been a significant factor in the decision. We ended up having a smooth and quick border crossing and even were able to move our flights earlier at no extra cost. Praise God everyone got back safely. We seemed to continually face challenges requiring prayer and wisdom. Fear was a temptation often, but God made a way each time and gave us victory!
Later in the week President Trump advised Americans to return to the US or face possible blocked borders. Timelines were not provided and once again we had to seek God’s direction. The parents met and reviewed all of the information that was available to us. Also, Brad had for a couple of days felt light headed, tired and weak. We were concerned for him and his ability to drive back. We all then agreed to pray again, and seek how to proceed as a unified team, based on what we heard. Two team members prayed for Brad and he was instantly healed and has felt great ever since! When we got back together the parents agreed that we should stay until the Saturday that we were scheduled to return to the USA. This was also confirmed by Brad’s healing since his health had been a significant factor in the decision. We ended up having a smooth and quick border crossing and even were able to move our flights earlier at no extra cost. Praise God everyone got back safely. We seemed to continually face challenges requiring prayer and wisdom. Fear was a temptation often, but God made a way each time and gave us victory!
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On our last night we had a great time around a camp fire. Chad, Josiah Price and Julia led a marvelous time of worship, and we Rieggs were scheduled to share about the passage about Jabez quoted above. Earlier that night we had been invited as a team to have dinner in small groups at the orphan homes. Brad hired some orphan boys to wash our very dirty vans, so they could earn some money. When Brad and Josiah did not return to the campfire that night Marcy found out that one of the vans was completely stuck in mud and they had spent over an hour trying to get it out. She just wanted to cry. We had faced so many challenges that week and she was undone. The Holy Spirit said that this was going to be an object lesson. Starting with our youngest team members and ending with the oldest we raced down to the van and began to pray. Within minutes after this, two young men arrived with a big truck and ropes and were able to tow the van out! Everyone was pretty alert at the campfire after that as we talked about praying to a God who hears us!
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The Bible verses about Jabez in the beginning of this letter are an example of this. He begged God for a new name, a new identity. He also unashamedly prayed to be blessed. God wants to bless us. The problem in America is that we have often misdirected this towards self instead of blessing that can also help others. Jabez prayed for enlarged borders and territory, not for his own purposes, but for God’s. He prayed for spiritual authority, power and influence to be used for God’s renown and glory, not his own. He also prayed that God would be with him, knowing that apart from God he could do nothing in his own strength. Finally, he prayed to be kept far from evil and temptation so that he would not have to engage in unnecessary battles in life. Jabez was bold. We were challenged to study this passage long before the trip, and it was faith-affirming to see these principles play out repeatedly during the trip.
We live in an important time in history – a time to pray big! God wants to use all of us. He “has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound and well-balanced mind.” And note the verse right after this: “So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.” We can joyfully, and even exuberantly, face sufferings for the gospel, knowing that God’s power is with us.
We live in an important time in history – a time to pray big! God wants to use all of us. He “has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound and well-balanced mind.” And note the verse right after this: “So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.” We can joyfully, and even exuberantly, face sufferings for the gospel, knowing that God’s power is with us.
We hope and pray you find encouragement in our adventures, and that you will trust God with your impossible situations.
Thanks again for standing with us in prayer. We could not have done this without you. If you would like to learn more about our Bible-focused Spanish classes and mission trips, you can do so here: https://www.livingwatersspanish.com/
May God bless you and your family!
Thanks again for standing with us in prayer. We could not have done this without you. If you would like to learn more about our Bible-focused Spanish classes and mission trips, you can do so here: https://www.livingwatersspanish.com/
May God bless you and your family!