Jocotillo
We loaded up a van full of kids to a local village, Jocotillo, to give away food and clothing and to pray over the families that live there. On the way there we spoke of our desire to find a local church to work with in order to be more effective, and that is exactly what we found. After giving out most of the food and clothing we were called over by an elderly man who was actually a pastor who recently planted a church in the community. We were able to pray over them and the church and we are excited to partner with “Dios Admirable” in the future in reaching out to this impoverished community. I just received a call today asking if we could come help with a medical clinic this Saturday. God is opening up doors for Brigada to minister to this community in very practical ways! Thanks for your prayers
dm.
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Sweat Till You Drop
Seeing the need for our youth to sweat out some extra energy in the middle of this rainy season, we decided to have “Noche de Ejercicios”, or Exercise Night. Our very own David Speed led the pack with a power-packed mix of Tae-Bo, classic cardio and a touch of modern moves. We sweat the pounds away for over an hour moving to an eclectic mix of “Hymns in the House”, a little bit of Jackson 5 and ended with a Jewish war song. Enjoy the pics! More to come soon!
DM
The Oscars
In 2010 we had our first Oscar night at Brigada which was a huge success. Our kids dressed up in their Sunday best, not really knowing what awaited them. We had all of our kids split up into groups to prepare and perform different bible stories according to different movie genres that we gave them. There was Samson and Delilah action version, David and Goliath as a comedy, Ruth as a romance among others. It was one of the funnest events we have ever had, and so when we began to think about doing the Oscars 2011 we decided to mix it up a little. So, the week leading up to the Oscars we did a video scavenger hunt where the kids had to sing like mariachis, do Hebrew dancing, sweep and mop houses, make pyramids and other crazy activities. Unbeknownst to the kids, we were compiling a video of all of their clips and choosing best actors and actresses for the award ceremony of the year: The Oscars.
Our kids loved dressing up and coming to a formal dinner where they were entertained by their own performances in the video we created. Then, the moment of truth arrived when the 6 Oscar winners were announced. We gave the winners a little trophy and a goody bag that w
e had made and the winners couldn’t wipe the grins off their faces. Afterward, I shared a message based out of Judges 9 talking about the kinds of trees that we all are. 4 minutes into the talk, a giant bat fell down from the ceiling and started to fly overhead. Needless to say, our kids started to completely freak out. The girls launched themselves into a screaming frenzy while the boys threw around heavy objects in attempts to kill our flying visitor. One of the boys finally knocked it down where it was accidentally stepped on and killed by a four-year old boy that was visiting youth group that night (woops!). I honestly asked God in that moment if that was a sign that I should just wrap things up early and call it a day, but I decided to keep going with my talk even though the environment was a little electrified. I continued to talk about how they don’t necessarily need to know what kind of tree they are right now in life, but they need to focus on setting down their roots and going deeper. Once they do this, they will start to produce fruit and by that fruit they will know what kind of tree they are. I spoke with a couple of the kids afterward and they were really responsive to that message.
Our prayer and purpose in Brigada is that our kids can come to do exactly that: plant such deep roots and be so identified in Christ that nothing will be able to knock them down.
I hope you can pray with us to that end.
dm.
listen for His voice
When I felt something in my heart telling me to ask Andres to share his testimony for the first time in front of a crowd of people that spend the majority of their time in a garbage dump, I didn’t understand all of the implications of obeying that whisper. Andres shared a powerful portion of his life where he witnessed his parents murder and finished speaking of a grace that was big enough to redeem his life and that simply living with people that loved Jesus was enough to transform his life. And God continues to transform his life. The moment we shared with Andres, praying for this boy Axel, whose father also had been killed in front of him, just two months prior, from the dump was powerful in itself however God’s power continues to multiply and grow in both of our lives.When I felt another whisper a week later, this time for the entire youth group, to share the story of Axel and how God had prompted me to give him the hug of a father which is what he needed in that moment, I was again blown away by God’s transforming and powerful presence.
At the end of the meeting I encouraged all of the youth to quiet their hearts and to truly listen to God’s still small voice. Andres did. After the meeting was over I found Andres crying in his house. I asked him what was wrong and he responded saying that he had experienced the presence of God for the first time that night, allowing his heart to feel what Axel felt when his father was killed. He said that he felt an emptiness thinking about the desperate situation that Axel was probably in that very night. But then, he told me that when we all took the time to quiet our hearts he exposed his heat to God and heard God’s voice in a very real way. God told him that He has amazing plans that are beyond what Andres can imagine. That he will be a mighty man, one who fears and serves God alone. He then told me about how he felt a warmth come over him and he knew that he had experienced the very presence of God that night. We prayed for Axel in that moment and I prayed for Andres. I prayed that God would continue to call him down this path and that he could be obedient to that calling.
I am continually amazed at the way God works in the lives of our youth, redeeming their pasts of brokenness and abuse and offering them a future of hope and peace. All because we learned a little bit more of how to listen when God whispers to us. Those are the words that change our lives.
-dm-
chimaltenango retreat
we spent the past few days on two different retreats in Chimaltenango. We left early Saturday morning with the older group, returned Sunday late afternoon. Took Monday to prepare for the next group. We left early Tuesday morning and arrived back home this afternoon. It is been a long, but amazing time. The first group went through their closets to give away their clothes, and packed up frijoles and maize to give out to the families. We went walking, 
suitcases and all, down the dirt streets of the nearby pueblo, knocking on doors, giving out food and clothes and praying for the people. Pretty much my favorite thing to do, but even more awesome to see the youth walking out their faith and eagerly engaging in pouring out their blessings on others. This group also performed at a local church the next morning. This church was so cool, and such a refreshment to see. A full congregation in the midst of a little town, and so excited about God …..isnt that what church is supposed to be about??!! we came back from the first retreat, half rested and started preparing for round 2. same program, except this time we were going to serve the families that work at Chimaltanengo’s dump.
I knew it was going to be an impactful time, but I had no idea just how much so. When we pull up, truck again loaded down with beans and maize and clothes and shoes and soap and toys and all kinds of things our kids and our orphanage donated to these families….we are prepared to serve a lunch we packed for the families. The lady who organizes this ministry and allowed us to come turns to david and says, so you guys have like a 40 min program? And…well, No, no we don’t. but thanks to God, we have a host of kids from abused and horrific backgrounds that have been set free by God’s love….and they want to share about that.
3 girls and 1 boy stand up to give their testimonies. One at a time. We are sitting on the ground outside the dump. There is about 60 people, women, men, children…taking a break from their sorting and hauling and cleaning. The black smoke is suffocating me, and im thinking, this is the air they breathe, 24/7. Plastic bags are flying around in the air, right underneath the large group of huge birds that I assume are vultures. Everyone has a layer of soot and filth caked on them. The children’s fingernails are thick with dirt underneath. Most of their shoes are torn. They have the biggest smiles, the sweetest temperaments…they are grateful for our presence, yet distinctly aware of their circumstances. And one by one, the kids from our group stand up to share their heart.
I prayed before this that God would not only use our hands to answer the prayers of his people, but also that he would reveal the fruit of this service to the kids in the moment. I think it is amazing that our youth are aware of their blessings considering their own sad beginnings….that they are so eager to share and help others see Jesus. So I asked that God would bless this desire by showing them how their serving matters.
4 of our kids shared their testimonies. One took her own tragedy to highlight that God has a plan for their life. That they might wonder why they are so poor? Or why they are living there, at the dump? Or why certain things happen to them? She tells them God has a plan for their lives. And with a smile on her face, she explains the horrible things that happened to her, and how God is using those things to bring joy to her and to others. A 15 year old girl is telling these families who live at a dump that God has a plan for their life. wow. wow.
A young man whose parents were murdered in front of him stood up and talked about his life, how he and his brothers wound up at Casa Bernabe. How being surrounded by people that love Jesus changed his life. How that allowed him to open up his heart to Jesus. How things are better. What I sat there and witnessed was 4 young teenagers stand up and share about how God changed their lives. I saw the joy on their faces. I saw the freedom. And I sat there just amazed that these young people were sharing their faith in a manner most of us are too embarrassed or busy to do. How often do we encourage others to share about Jesus? They not only shared about Jesus and how he transformed them, they were honest enough to be vulnerable about their own past…they could not understand the plight of the people that lived there, but they understand suffering and they understand the healing that comes from God’s love.
So the best part. Axel. Just about the cutest little boy I have seen in a long while. And yes, I live with some cuties. When he first walked up, he had ½ of a plastic ball on his head like a cap. And he thought it was super cool. He sat right in front with his mom and his sister and was just all smiles. well as we are handing things out, our youth asks if there is something specific that the family would like us to pray for…turns out axel’s father was beaten to death right in front of him. Two months ago. And here was the young man who shared about his own parents being murdered in front of him, asking to pray for this little boy and his family. Things like that don’t happen by accident. That was not a coincidence. That was God’s beautiful love and grace being revealed to this little boy who just needed the smallest bit of hope in light of his own devastating grief. And as our your man prayed for Axel, the little boy starts weeping. And yet, even after the hugs and the prayers…there was that precious little smile of his. The true joy that resides in all of us, no matter how our circumstances can try to stifle it sometimes.
I think, no I know, these retreats were very powerful times for our youth. it is easy for all of us, adults and youth alike, to get swept away in the daily circumstances of our own lives. yet jesus taught us to love our neighbor, to give all we have to the poor….to be active in sharing our faith, so that we will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Philemon 1:6
we pray that the moments we shared at the retreat would continue to work in the hearts of our youth. We pray that God would bring truth out through them, and that their hearts can also grow in the fullness of the knowledge of God.
pray with us. -mg-
Superheros
is there any superhero with power greater than our God….
NO!!! and just for effect, we had our youth dress up in their favorite superhero outfits and then play superhero games with their supposed superhero powers…lots of laughs, and just the stage we wanted to talk about the power of Jesus!
Water Party
first group activity for the new year. Might as well go down with a splash… 😀 WE played some super fun games that let our kids have some fun for the night. it had been a long while, so they were happy to be back together again!
brigada40 
