Cornerstone Did You Know

Laying hands on Camalu and praying for him.

Camalu on his knees crying out to God in repentance before the group prayed for him. 

We were so overbooked that day and so out of gas we were thinking to just go to our dump here in Camalu, while our amazing chiropractors served our local people. 

However God had other plans! 

I just hear the song Mary did you know and I wonder how many people came on this mission trip not having any idea how they would be used by God! 

Although they we call him Camalu we are not really sure of any details of his life. He did not talk much and always came for a plate of food when called then went back to his work at the dump. 

As he was on his knees repenting and receiving the mercy of God. Paulino said this man is leaving the dump his life is changed. The group prayed for him to receive Jesus and layed hands on him. God was ministering to him through the love of Cornerstone Lodi! 

The next morning Camalu went to Heaven. Paulino says oh now it all makes sense! God sent us there that day so He could do a miracle in this young mans life! 

We praise God for allowing us to be His hands and feet and for those who support us in prayer and finances so we can continue to see others come to the feet of Jesus!

When Peace Like a River

Good Tuesday morning! All that is left of Hurricane Rosa are Gianna and Paulinos footprints!

Monday morning we woke to what we thought would be a tropical depression Rosa. The clouds were crazy amazing and kept us on our toes all day! Even the moon waited around to see what was going to happen! 

I am not sure why I am writing this blog or if I will even post it but it is more of a praise than a post! 

God had placed a peace in my heart but I was afraid to say it because of something someone once told me! You are always saying God told you this or that! Well I only say that when I know in my heart it was God! And yes I know it was God, and then Gianna said Mommy no water is going to come in our house! My mother in law said it is not going to rain here. Well then I started hearing the details of the flood of 2010! Yep the kids almost drowned the water up to my mom in laws neck! 

The Facebook was full of details. On our wedding day Paulino had to borrow a 4x4 to even get into his moms road to pick her and our wedding food up! It flooded two years in a row when we moved here and God kept the water out of our house. So I started listening to the louder voices more than the still small voice. 

This verse kept playing in my head and heart. You see we had no emergency ready kit, no canned goods, put we did have an upstairs room to run to. 

John 14:27 Amplified Bible (AMP)

27 Peace I leave with you; My[perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]

I used to be a person who did not fear anything actually I would do some crazy things knowing God was with me!
Then I got married and had kids and fear swept in!!! Like a flood! I have not been to the states with Gianna in a few years because someone on the bus threatened me. And so many other things that happen while we were there.
I have heard the song Fear doesnt live no more! Well why did it ever live in my heart and more in my mind!
My God has been amazing in filling my heart with joy through the hard times. So many people in the faith I look up to asked if we were ready!! We have been living in a season I call our daily bread and like the manna there is nothing to bring into tomorrow.  Which God has used to say DO NOT FEAR!
All three of us had peace! Paulino was like we just need to continue with daily life. Although he did cut hair under our roof instead of outside in the open lol

I think about those that did receive the water and flood that Hurricane Rosa brought and I am sorry for them. However this lesson for me is not about a hurricane it is about Peace Like A River

The words are so true and as I see Pastor Wade singing it and me running into Gods arms! I am reminded of the day I met him and he told me your good deeds are no better than anyones, and those that have sinned against you are no worse than your sins! TRUTH!!!

I can not thank God for keeping us safe but most of all for speaking to our hearts!!!! Gianna has an amazing spiritual connections and is truly her name meaning the Grace of GOD!

1 When peace like a river attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
"It is well, it is well with my soul."

Refrain (may be sung after final stanza only):
It is well with my soul;
it is well, it is well with my soul.

2 Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control:
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and has shed his own blood for my soul. Refrain

3 My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
my sin, not in part, but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more;
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! Refrain

4 O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend;
even so, it is well with my soul. Refrain 

My prayer in all this was Jesus if you are coming back right now take us all please to see Jose and YOU!

Someone tell me!!

I write this to my nieces and I write this to my neighbor who now finds herself filing a police report  most of all I write this to Gianna!

Women need more sleep because their brains work more says a recent study I read! Well I can tell you why our brains work more! It is because we manage the family and life all at the same time! If you are like me you give in to emotions way too much!! Emotions are not facts or truth, emotions are hormones and desires all bottled up in me! False expectations that I have put on myself and others and the disappointment of not meeting them. I am more like a beautiful valcano, a mountain with lots of green growth on it. On the island of Hawaii they recently had one that gave in to the heat that is in side of it. Something it has had for hundreds of years came out and burned up the town and left black ash everywhere, this hot lava flowing everywhere destroying things that can never be replaced on this beautiful island. Years to come it will be beautiful green mountain again and life will go on! BUT the damage is already done!
For those of us who have not had a healthy relationship with their father sometimes we do not understand that our PAPA God loves us because HE made us!

Here are the things I wish I would have known when I was young.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Amplified Bible (AMP)

4 Love endures with patience andserenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud orarrogant. 5 It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. 6 It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. 7 Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].

Galatians 5:22-24 The Message (MSG)

22-23 But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

23-24 Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

Love Lift

Just some photos to say thank you to God for all He does in our lives! marilyn at LoveLyft ministries has been blessing Camalu and the families here for many years! We are blessed to be the hands and feet of Jesus!
Recently we took our youth to play soccer in another town and you could imagine my surprise when an evangelistic group from San Diego and TJ showed up with bags for everyone. Bags I helped make for teen boys when I was there visiting a few months ago!!!
I could not imagine how God blesses others if we are willing to serve!
If you are in So Cal and are able to pick up some blessings to bring down or take on a missions trip to others they love to bless the indigenous of the states and around the world!
Or if you live near Orange County California give her a call and go and serve with her making these blessings!!
http://lovelift.org/History.aspx

Yep my precious bundle was blessed by Love Lyft. I had no idea you truly had to bring everything for you and the baby to the hospital. Marilyn puts everything the women need for the hospital, even a towel and mommy stuff!!! Love the blankets!

Making teen boy bags I did not know when I started they were coming to bless our kids! When she gave me Joe and Annebells number I did not call but I prayed. At the end of the blessing time, I said is there a man named Joe here and his wife Annebell! How awesome God is in this very small world. 

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to us! Monday will be 7 years that God spoke to us about becoming more than just friends. 

This morning we prayed about all the clothes we have recently been blessed with and even some large boots and large size clothes. So we went to some new places and then God brought us back to where it all started. 

Me taking photos of Paulino taking photos of the women looking for clothes. Don Felipe with his daughter in law, you have seen him in many pictures before. He has known Paulino for his whole life and gives testimony to those who do not know him, of what God has done in his life. The trailer was full of clothes when we started and when we got back we had less than one hefty black bag!

Six years ago when Paulino and I married we had already decided to take our first fruits and start taking food to the trash dump. In that time there were 14 men living at the dump her in Camalu. So we were able to go to the local renta shacks and serve food to the addicts there also. 

One of the first people we met there was Jose Antonio Sotelo, he asked us to find his family in Santa Barbara and even with Noras help we could not find them. He went to many rehabs and then went to live back in Guerrero where he is from and serve the Lord there. He sent me this photo one day of his cousin and asked if we could find him! I was not hopeful but within a few days we found him just 15 minutes north of us!

 

This is him today. God is in the reconciliation business and He first wants to reconcile our hearts to Him! 

Jesus Loves You This I Know

THANK YOU JESUS FOR ALLOWING US TO SERVE YOU! 

On the outside looking in! My sis in law and niece are growing closer to Jesus as they serve Him and others! 

Ryans 15th birthday! Pozole is normally cooked for special occasions! We were blessed to serve alongside Ryan who spent his 15th birthday serving others! 

I guess we do not see the trash! Gianna and I are now accompaning Paulino to the dumps. Sadly there is no glass recycling here but everything else can be recycled and that is how these men make money. 

So thankful others came to love on Efraim! Please keep praying he will choose to walk with Jesus right out of the dump! 

Sadly there are now women living at both dumps. To the left is her house please pray that God will change their hearts and protect them. 

All photos copied from our trip with Ryan and friends last week. 

Sunday Paulino took Carmelo to visit Jesus aka Chuy at the rehab center. We are still praying we can get Armando into a no cost voluntary center. However it may come to having him picked up and taken to a locked down center. We know just as Jesus spoke to Lydia and Victor when they were living in the dump south of here, he can speak to them!
Tuesday we took another man from the dump and told him we would give him a ride to Camalu and then from there he would walk to rehab. God changed Paulinos heart and we took him into the waiting arms of a rehab center that serves Jesus!
Paulino has known this man for years and Monday night late we were asked to take the Helping Hands group to the dump on Tuesday evening. When we were getting ready to leave a man showed up Paulino recognized him and gave him the opportunity to leave today!! He got in the back of the trailer and off we went.
Please pray for these men and women that they will hear and see God and all the love Jesus has for them! Resurrection day is coming soon and this is why we do what we do!!!! Because Jesus loves you! This we know!!!

Jose Angel Has Gone To Be With Jesus

For those of you who are praying, thank you I can not write or read much right now!

Some have asked how to give financially. Right now you can give through this link on our blog which goes to our paypal. Or send via Western Union to Paulino Martinez Roque, he can go pick it up. Deposits into our Mexican bank account via xoom.com seems not to work. 

We praise God for His love for us through this time and pray salvation will come to many as the word was preached last night and again today! Please pray with us and for us!!!!