Families Receive Christmas Aid
- posted December 2007
On
Saturday, December 22nd, El Paso and Juarez families received a
variety of assistance in time for Christmas. Toys,
blankets, food baskets, coats, health kits, and school kits were all
distributed to families who came to San Pablo Lutheran Church for
help. The morning began with a devotion in the church building
at 9:00am and then volunteers and YLM staff began passing out the
packages from the YLM warehouse. Workers spend months
preparing for this annual aid distribution. Volunteers and
staff met several days each week to sort donations and clean toys to
make them look like new for the children who would receive them from
their parents at Christmas. Gloria Romero took the donated
dolls to her home and spent hundreds of hours cleaning them,
repairing/making new clothes, and fixing their hair. The
result of all this effort has been hundreds of families who received
help. Many new toys and jackets were also donated by churches,
individuals, and companies. UPS workers, inspired by all the
toys being shipped to YLM, joined the effort by donating 100 new
toys! Donations were also distributed to the Mexico churches
and missions for each congregation to distribute in their
communities. Distributions will continue between Christmas and
Epiphany. YLM would like to thank the many churches,
individuals, companies who contributed to this great effort.
Orphan Grain Train contributed with two semi loads of donations this
month. "It is all a way to show those around us that God loves
them. We respond to the real need of our communities and also
tell them the good news of Christ," said Pastor Karl Heimer.
"To God be all the Glory!"
Mission Christmas Posadas -
posted December 2007
A Christmas tradition
called "Posadas Navideñas" kept Mariachi San Pablo busy this December.
Here are some photo highlights as the churches and missions remembered
Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem and announced Christ's birth to
their communities with music and singing.
Disaster Relief in the Colonias
- posted December 2007
“Why are you crying, mother?” her children asked.
“God has been very good to us… don’t forget this and these wonderful
people,” she replied. Their eyes spoke the depth of their
gratitude for the blessings received through the Sparks Colonia
Project. This summer YLM began an effort, in partnership with
Lutheran Social Services and LCMS World Relief & Human Care, to
repair the homes of families in Sparks that were damaged in the 2006
flooding. Jorge Viramontes, the YLM case manager for the project
reports that, “I can still picture the three Gastelo children
eating soup in their living room and looking at their roof and walls
that were practically falling apart. Now, each child is ‘glowing’
and Ms. Gastelo has not been able to hold back her tears of joy.
She does not stop praising and thanking God.”
A total of ten homes will be repaired through this
program, which is now half completed. 2008 will bring much more
work through local volunteers and servant events reaching out in
love to this colonia located in the United States, just outside of
El Paso. You can help: volunteers are needed to help repair
more homes. Please contact Jorge at 915-858-2588.
Recognized Service Organization
- posted December 2007
This
fall, YLM received official acceptance as a “Recognized Service
Organization” by the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The granting
of “recognition” by the LCMS means that as an independent
organization, YLM is known to carry out the mission and ministry of
the church and that our programs are in harmony with the programs
and doctrine of the LCMS. This means that you will soon find us
listed in the LCMS directories and that we will more easily be able
to work in partnership with other LCMS groups.
Mariachi
Christmas and December Performances
- posted December 2007
On December 9th,
Mariachi San Pablo performed its annual "Mariachi Christmas"
concert. This year, the children of the Ascension Lutheran
Church Day School joined as singers. The concert marked the
beginning of a busy Christmas season for Mariachi San Pablo as the
group promotes the theme "God With Us," reminding the world
who Christ is and why His birth is worthy of celebration. We
are thankful to the Rocky Mountain District of the LCMS for the
evangelism grant that has helped make the "Mariachi Christmas"
concert and all the Christmas outreach possible. Below is the
general schedule of Mariachi San Pablo this December.
Contact us for more information about any
of the performances.
El Paso, TX
Mariachi Christmas
Concert, Ascension Lutheran Church - December 9, 4pm
Vista Hills Nursing
Home – Dec. 15, 12pm
San
Pablo Lutheran Church Posada – December 19, 6pm
Christmas Giving Catalog -
Ways to join the effort:
Catalog2007
Fall 2007 Newsletter - The
latest news from YLM:
Newsletter
Children receive Help: 903 School & Health Kits Given
With the help of many
donors and volunteers, 903 school & health kits were assembled and
distributed in El Paso and Northern Mexico. Each child
received a backpack filled with essential school and health supplies
plus a few "extras" based on a variety of donations:
notebooks, folders
with paper, or binders with paper
crayons or color pencils
pencils, pencil
sharpeners, erasers or pens,
glue or glue sticks ,
construction paper, scissors, rulers
extras as available:
modeling clay, water color paints, children books, scholastic
activity books, coloring books, small toys
Thank you to everybody
who responded to our appeal for donations and volunteers. Kits
were distributed in El Paso (440) and the rest were distributed in
nine impoverished communities in Mexico. If you are interested
in getting involved with future projects to help the poor, please
let us know.
Adelante Service Awards
Volunteers at YLM work
hard and sacrifice much yet find great joy as they serve God with
the gifts He has given. Congratulations
to the recipients of the 2007 Adelante Service Awards: Maritza
Munoz, Erik Ledesma, Elexus Ledesma performed over 75 times in the
past year as members of Mariachi San Pablo. Ann Hernandez
performed over 100 times. Also, congratulations to Mariachi
Isai and to Mariachi San Pablo who received the 2007 Light of the
World Awards for faithful proclamation of the gospel during the
year.
Adelante Service Award Recipients: Maritza Munoz, Erik Ledesma, Elexus Ledesma, Ann Hernandez
Adelante "Light of the World" Award Recipient: Mariachi Isai
Adelante "Light of the World" Award Recipient: Mariachi San Pablo
2006-2007 Director and Officers of Mariachi San Pablo: Miguel, Erik, Danny, Chris, Ann, Aida, Rick
Summer Newsletter Available for Download -
Summer Newsletter (6.39MB
Adobe Acrobat File)
Eyeglass Clinic Serves 1,300
MOST Ministries of
Ann Arbor, MI, sent a group down the week of June 23 to host an
eyeglass clinic in Chihuahua City, Chihuahua, Mexico. These 21
people treated over 1,200 people and delivered about 1,800 pairs of
glasses. Pastor Martin Tovar coordinated the effort with the
government of Chihuahua City and was able to secure a building,
accommodations for the team, and a van - all of which were donated
by the Mexican government. Rich Greiner, the team leader, said upon
returning,
"Our hope and prayer is that even before they received the gift of
eyeglasses and were able to see things more clearly, that they were
also able to see the message of Christ more clearly . We were
planting the seeds of salvation while others may see the
harvest...to God be the glory. Another interesting statistic is that
during the clinic process the people were met at 5 different
stations by one or more of our team members so the 1200 people
served had 5 (or more) contacts each with one of our team resulting
in over 6000 impressions of God's love and caring to the people of
Chihuahua."
Praise the Lord for
this phenomenal witness to the gospel in one of the largest cities
in Mexico!
Rev. Hernandez Begins Guitar Classes
Now children at the Santisima Trinidad Mission are
able to learn guitar on Saturday mornings. Currently, six children
are preparing to lead music at church.
Changing Lives Through Education
Opportunities to
learn can quickly become opportunities to achieve and to serve.
Ernie Villalobos joined the trumpet class at YLM in 2003 without
ever having played the trumpet before. He was loaned an instrument,
given a book, and soon was able to perform as a member of Mariachi
San Pablo. God blessed him and his hard work, and he soon became a
member of Mariachi Isai, another Christian mariachi group that had
its beginnings in the music ministry of YLM. With much hard work,
Ernie earned a spot in the Texas All-State Band this year and also
received the coveted honor of “Outstanding Soloist” at the Texas
State Solo & Ensemble competition. This summer, Ernie is rejoining
our music ministry though no longer as a student but as a trumpet
teacher, passing on the wonderful gifts God has given to him.
A Good Problem:
Hymnals Needed
We are in need of more hymnals at all our mission
sites. Church attendance has been increasing at the missions.
Please consider donating a Spanish “Cantad al Señor” hymnal. We
hope to raise 50 or more this year.
“Cantad al Señor” is
sold by CPH (item # 16-2547WEB $14 each)
www.cph.org
Stephen Begins Seminary Studies
This summer, Stephen
Heimer began his theological studies to become an LCMS pastor.
Stephen has served at YLM as the Music & Communications Director
during the last six years. Now he will become a vicar as part of the
“Cross-Cultural Ministry Center” of Concordia University, Irvine,
and Concordia Seminary. As a distance program, it will enable him
to continue working in full-time ministry while taking evening
classes using the Internet.
Summer
Servant Events
The summer is moving
along quickly with servant event groups here almost every week. We
are continually amazed at how God brings so many unique people to
YLM, all using their individual talents and gifts to further the
cause of the gospel in the border community. Since May, we have had
152 servants working on projects, some for as little as 1 day, and
some for as long as 5 weeks! In addition to the big projects of the
eyeglass clinic and the sanctuary in Anapra, in that time we've also
built three houses, repaired two roofs, done building maintenance,
unloaded shipments of donations, and countless other small jobs
around the mission. Even on the fourth of July a group worked to
take the cross off the front of our church building in order to
paint it. Even though some of these servants never see the full
results of their labors, we praise the Lord that the seeds are being
planted and we are confident they will reap a harvest for the
kingdom of God.
Cold Medicine,
Distributed to Poor - posted June 26, 2007
Orphan Grain Train delivered a shipment of cold medicine that YLM is
distributing to impoverished families on the border. It is all new
medicine donated by the Novartis corporation, valued at $75,000, and
includes TheraFlu, Maalox, Triamenic Cold & Cough Strips, and
Mylanta (heart burn). The medicine is being distributed to the
mission churches and also to Mexico orphanages, schools, and food
pantries with the help of the Juarez Sertoma Club. The Mexican
government's Coordinator of the Tarahumara Indians is also helping
distribute medicine to Tarahumara in the state of Chihuahua.
The donation is a result of the
work Trinity Lutheran Church (Lincoln, Nebraska) did in preparing for their medical
servant event at YLM last spring. Between 50 and 75 people in their
congregation helped raise donations for the medical clinics that
were held at missions in Juarez, Mexico. Companies and individuals
contributed to the effort that provided in total $100,000 worth of
items for the poor (including the Novartis donation). During the
medical clinics, the servant event distributed 300 medical kits that
included vitamins, wash rags, tooth brushes & tooth paste. A
sonogram machine was donated by a local doctor and also delivered to
Orphan Grain Train to be sent to YLM. This is the 8th year that
Trinity Lutheran Church has sent a servant event team to YLM.
Thank you Trinity Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Nebraska for seeking
out these wonderful donations!
Outreach to Mexico Children
- posted June 19, 2007
Every week Blanca and
Rev. Jose Hernandez visit the San Francisco community on the edge of
Juarez to teach children about the love of Christ. Below is a
video of the children learning a new song from Joy Stuhr, a visiting
missionary who just returned from serving in Latin America.
Preparing for Return to School
- posted
June 18, 2007
Even as summer vacation begins, YLM
is preparing for a "Back-to-School" distribution of aid that will
help poor students attend school this fall. Rita Ramos and other YLM volunteers are collecting
and sorting donations of school supplies and hygiene supplies that
will be distributed in August. 200 school
kits have already been prepared out of a goal of 700. If you
or your church can help us meet this goal, please contact Elvira Viramontes at the YLM office: 915-858-2588.
Items needed include:
YLM to Assist Families in U.S. Colonia
- posted
June 11, 2007
Ysleta Lutheran Mission is teaming up
with Lutheran Social Services of the South (LSSS) and LCMS World
Relief & Human Care to assist families living in the "Sparks"
colonia just outside of El Paso city limits. Sparks is one of
several unincorporated communities along the U.S. border where
thousands of families live in great poverty. When the
floods of 2006 hit the El Paso/Juarez area,
many families living in Sparks were left needing help. Since
then, YLM has worked closely with LSSS and other local agencies to
assess needs and provide emergency and ongoing relief throughout the
area. This new effort will engage dozens of volunteers and
several servant events in a year-long effort to repair homes that
were damaged in the flooding. "These ten homes will be just
the beginning of a big effort to help families in the colonias.
There are so many ways we can help and show God's love," said Jorge
Viramontes, case manger for the project and member of San Pablo
Lutheran Church. Volunteer groups are being coordinated as
part of YLM's year-round servant event
program. If you would like to get involved in this project,
please contact our servant event coordinator at (915) 858-2588 or
serve@ylm.org.
Donate for Colonia Project
New Sanctuary in Anapra
Check out this video
from St. Paul Lutheran Church, Caro, Michigan. Their group of
11 servants came to YLM in May to add the roof to the Anapra mission
sanctuary. This video speaks louder than words.
Luz Soto Graduates as DCE - posted
May 25, 2007
Congratulations to Luz
Soto! Luz graduated on May 12th from Concordia University,
Austin, as a Director of Christian Education (DCE). In
addition, she earned minors in Theology and Cross Cultural Ministry
and graduated with honors. She is now preparing to complete an
internship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is considering begin work toward
a Masters degree in counseling. Luz was a member of San Pablo
Lutheran Church and active in the youth and music ministry here
before deciding to prepare for a job as a church worker. She
served as a summer intern at YLM while a college student in 2005 and
took a course in Mexico in the summer of 2006. We are very
proud of her and praise the Lord for the ways He will work in and
through her life.
Anniversary Celebration - posted
May 24, 2007
On the weekend of May 5th, YLM
celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary of ministry on the border.
Out of town guests as well as supporters, local volunteers, and
congregation members joined together to thank God for His vision and
provision. The Orphan Grain Train provided a complimentary
fish-fry dinner and contributed a truck load of donations that were
sorted by volunteers that same morning. Tarahumara dancers
from Chihuahua, Mexico performed and sang a song with lyrics
specially composed to commemorate the anniversary. [view
lyrics] Saturday afternoon was filled with performances from a
local ballet folklorico group, dancers from the Y-Dance program, and
a guest vocalist. The evening program brought everyone indoors
to view photos slide shows, present official recognitions for Rev.
Heimer's 35 years and Rev. Ruiz's 10 years in pastoral ministry.
On Sunday, after an informal breakfast, a bilingual worship service
was held at San Pablo with Rev. Dr. Mark Larson, the Mission
Executive for the Rocky Mountain District, preaching in both English
and Spanish. Thank you, everyone who took part in the great
celebration!
Join Hands Day 2007
- posted
May 24, 2007
Adult and youth volunteers gathered
at YLM in the morning on May 5th to sort food into bags for
distribution to the poor of El Paso and Mexico. In total,
nearly 100 people contributed to the volunteer efforts leading up to
and being held on Join Hands Day. Their
work resulted in 130 health kits, 110 school kits, and more than 400
food baskets. Great things happen when people join hands in
service to the Lord!
Volunteers and generous funding came from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans to whom we are
most grateful. Many volunteers from San Pablo and the Mexico
mission communities gave of their time and energy. Sam's Club
and the Orphan Grain Train as well as several other local businesses
including Big 8 Groceries and Wal-Mart donated food and supplies for
the effort. A great benefit of the day came in the joining
together of different generations, different cultures, businesses,
and churches to prepare the items for distribution to the poor.
Anytime we can work together in new ways, it is good for our church
and community.
El Paso Citywide Youth Work Day - posted
April 25, 2007
Ysleta Lutheran Mission recently was
the recipient of work done by local teens during the El Paso
Citywide Youth Work Day. Two local churches sent a total of 21
youth to YLM. They worked all day painting our buildings,
repairing the roof of San Pablo Lutheran Church, picking up trash
around the mission, and fixing some fences. We're blessed to be in
a city with such willing workers!
repairing the roof of San Pablo Lutheran Church
filling cracks and painting building #5
more painting
clearing out weeds by building #2
.
repairing the roof of San Pablo Lutheran Church
Reflections from Concordia Seward Servant
Event Group - posted March
29, 2007
The week of March
10-17th, a group of mission-minded students from Concordia
University in Seward, Nebraska, visited Ysleta Lutheran Mission.
Staying in the dormitory in Anapra, the students influenced the
surrounding neighborhood for an entire week with their house-finishing skills, their evening soccer games in the town park, and
their hard-working spirits. The students had a lot of comments about
the work they did and what they saw, and they thought carefully
about how their experience applied to their life in a community
containing Hispanic people back home. Rachel Arneson, the group
organizer, said, "The language barrier was really hard, but they
didn't care. They were so patient! In America, I see people really
treated badly for not speaking English, but they're not like that in
Mexico." Another student commented, "I don't want to come back and
then live the same after a week here." After discussing how
hospitable and welcoming the people in Mexico were, Ben noted, "This
mission trip is almost like practice for our everyday. We think
they're hospitable. How many times do we walk down the street saying 'hello"
to strangers and asking to play with kids in our
neighborhood?" The insights these students had will surely influence
them in their daily lives and also help us to continue thinking
closely about how we minister in Mexico."
Hot Meal Program
Continues After Funding Scare - posted March
22, 2007
Last
fall, citizens and churches throughout El Paso rallied to help YLM
and its Hot Meal Program when funding was low. Many non-profit
organizations throughout the U.S. experienced lower than normal
contributions during the middle part of last year. "It was a
nervous time, but we trusted that God would provide for His ministry
by inspiring contributions and food donations," said Pastor Karl
Heimer. "When payroll comes and it is time to pay electricity,
water, and gas bills, either the money is in the bank or hard
decisions have to be made." YLM has been working steadfastly
to manage costs and be wise stewards of every in-kind and cash
donation that is given. Last fall, in response to newspaper
articles and TV news stories that highlighted programs such as the
Hot Meal Program, contributions came in that provided the resources
needed to get through the difficult fall months. "We have
succeeded in maintaining our services to the poor and support of
needy missions and churches on the border." Last year YLM
organized volunteer groups that built over two-dozen homes in Mexico
and hosted groups of medical professionals who provided free clinics
to over 2,000 patients. The hot meal program served over
24,000 meals in El Paso, and food, clothing, and health supplies
were distributed to poor on both sides of the border. In
addition to providing physical help for people, YLM cares for
people's spiritual needs through 11 missions and churches in El Paso
and the state of Chihuahua. God gives us faith, hope, and
assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ. He provides for
our every need.
Doors, Doors, and more Doors - posted March
22, 2007
A truck load of doors
has arrived from Orphan Grain Train this week. Just unloading
them has been an adventure. Our forklift has seen better days,
and the weight of the pallets stacked high with the used and new
doors caused two tires to go flat. After the tires were
repaired, we were able to continue unloading the truck. These
doors will be a great blessing for families and organizations along
the border.
Mariachi
at Sam's Club - posted March
22, 2007
Members of Mariachi San
Pablo performed for two hours at Sam's Club. The store manager
invited the group to provide music for the employee appreciation
lunch that was held during store hours from 10:00 to 12:00 noon.
The group played non-stop, sharing both popular and Christian songs
and dancing. About mid-way through the performance an employee
requested the song, "Pescador de
Hombres," a song that is published in the LCMS "Cantad al Señor"
hymnal. It is a favorite traditional hymn from Mexico.
The group was well received by the employees and managers.
This is a busy weekend for Mariachi San Pablo. It will perform
five more times throughout El Paso this weekend.
Download the Spring
Newsletter - posted March
15, 2007
Please download the
spring newsletter for more news. This publication may be
printed and shared with friends.
Spring Break Servant Events Begin - posted March
13, 2007
The week of February 3-9
was a busy one at YLM! Two groups were here, one from Peace Lutheran
Church in Grand Island, NE, and the other from Martin Luther Chapel
at Michigan State University. Both groups built a house, so we had
simultaneous construction taking place in the
San Francisco area of Juarez. The
gospel of Jesus Christ was preached through words and actions as
these volunteers put up walls, sheetrock, chicken wire, and stucco,
while at the same time befriending the families in the neighborhood
through ball games, friendship bracelets, and hugs. [view
photos]
Spring Break Evangelism Concerts - posted March
13, 2007
March 10th and 11th
marked the first times Mariachi San Pablo
has performed full concerts in Juarez for evangelism. Music
Ministry Director, Stephen Heimer said, "One would be surprised that
it has taken so long to hold these concerts. We have performed
at the mission churches for worship services and posadas, but we
wanted the mission churches in Juarez to be the ones to organize the
evangelism concerts. We wanted our mariachi group to be of
service to their ministries, rather than impose anything on them.
That they have done it and that they turned out so well is a sign of
maturity in their churches." On Saturday, the
San Marcos house church organized the
concert in a nearby park where many non-members could be found.
They delivered fliers for the concert door-to-door inviting people
to attend. Pastor Hernandez explained to the mariachi group
that this was a community known for problems with drugs and gangs,
that greatly needs the Gospel. On Sunday, the concert was held
at Santisima Trinidad Lutheran Church
to a "full house." Church members prepared food and games in
order to raise funds for the church, and they invited the
surrounding community. The concert was full of energy as the
mariachi performed and the audience sang, clapped, and danced.
We praise God for this chance to celebrate His goodness and share
the Gospel message. [view
photos]
El
Paso Outreach - Park Dedications - posted March 08, 2007
Mariachi San Pablo, the
music outreach group of YLM, always desires to be part of the life
of the El Paso community. In the last year it has taken part
in a half dozen or so park, library, and firehouse dedications on El
Paso's East Side and Mission Valley. As guests of City
Councilman Eddie Holguin, the group provides gathering music for the
dedication, music at the ribbon cutting, and a few more songs during
the reception that follows. On March 7th, members of Mariachi
San Pablo played for the ground breaking ceremony held for the
refurbishing of the Pavo Real Pool, located a couple blocks away
from YLM and San Pablo Lutheran Church. Stephen Heimer sang a
"love song" to Goldie the pool mascot (she is a fish) and the group
posed for a picture with mascots afterward. Later,
Stephen remarked, "It is good to be of service to both our Lord and
to our community and hopefully everybody there saw our presence and
joy as a good thing that the world needs more of. The best
part was having the opportunity to testify to the faith we have in
Christ through music performed outside the walls of our church building.
We don't force our faith on anyone, but we DO let everybody know
WHAT we believe. I hope that many others will also come to
know the joy and security that we have in Christ."
Tarahumara Runners
- posted March 04, 2007
Over the years, YLM has
developed a close relationship with several groups of Tarahumara
Indians in Mexico. Servant event groups have done work in
various villages and Pastor Tovar does much ministry with Tarahumara
Indians living in Chihuahua City. Each year a cultural
performance group from Chihuahua travels to YLM for our festivals or as part of a
tour that presents their culture in the United States. Many in
the group are Christian and worship at San Pablo when they are here.
This group will be participating in our 25th Anniversary Celebration
on May 5th and 6th.
Last weekend, YLM was
pleased to host a group of Tarahumara runners who traveled to El
Paso to participate in the first El Paso Marathon. We had the
pleasure of fellowship with them at meals and providing a place to
stay in our dorms. You can read an article about the runners
and marathon that is posted on the El Paso Times website. The
main picture shows Silverio Ramirez Lopez with San Pablo Lutheran
Church in the background:
http://origin.elpasotimes.com/ci_5353967
.
New Information Sheet
-
posted February 28, 2007
If you are looking for a
concise overview of YLM's work for the sake of your fundraising or
for a presentation at your church, we now have some downloadable
information posted on the "About YLM" page.
Mariachi San Pablo in Indiana
-
posted February 28, 2007
In April, Mariachi San
Pablo will be traveling to Indiana to take part in a series of
events in Lutheran churches. They will be performing in
Michican City, Crown Point, and Valparaiso during "Holy Week," April
2-8. [View detailed schedule]
Annual Have a Heart Dinner -
posted February 20, 2007
On February 17th,
over a hundred local volunteers were honored at the annual "Have a
Heart Dinner." Volunteers are the biggest resource behind all
we do as an organization. All combined, volunteers serve many
thousands of hours at Ysleta Lutheran Mission each year. We
are truly thankful for the gifts that our volunteers provide in
service to the Lord. [view
photos]
Servant Event from Bella
Vista, Arkansas - posted February 16, 2007
YLM was
blessed to have a servant event group from Bella Vista Lutheran Church in
Bella Vista, Arkansas, come to help out the week of February 3. The six
members of the group worked diligently for many days and accomplished a
lot! The men from the group, after helping to empty our Orphan Grain Train
shipment, put a roof on a house for a needy family and also built a
bathroom for the Martin Luther Mission in the Kilometer 20 area of Juarez.
Regarding Mission Martin Luther, Gary Besel,
one of the group members said, "The biggest surprise was the lifestyle of
the people in Mexico. I just couldn't believe it. They told me we were
going to a house church and when we got there, I said, 'Where's the
church?' and they said, 'That bench there."
The women of the servant event helped Isabel
organize the store rooms of the Thrift Store. They sorted clothes,
and did general cleaning. "We may not have had the excitement of seeing a
building going up like the men did," said Esther
Meier, "but we were able
to see the floor being swept and boxes being packed and we know they're
going over to Mexico."
What is the biggest lesson this group learned?
The men of the servant event replied, "We learned just how good we have
it. When we saw the home we were working on, we said, 'Take a picture of
this so we can show our wives.' Then they can't complain about our homes!
It almost makes us feel guilty that we have so much. It's good for us to
see. When our parents said 'eat your food because people in China are
starving,' they meant it! When we say the Common Table Prayer, we add 'may
there be a goodly share on every table everywhere.' We know what that
means now! The energy and perseverance of this group inspired all of us to
continue serving the Lord!
Group member Ron Gaudian's advice to other
servant event groups is this: "You can't go into this with preconceived
notions. They tell you ahead of time to be flexible, but you don't really
know what 'be flexible' means until you get here!"
Thank you, Bella Vista Lutheran Church, for
inspiring us all to continue serving the Lord faithfully by your example
of energy and perseverance! [view
photos of this servant event group]
Servant Event News - posted January 24,
2007
The updated
servant event handbook and forms are now available! Whether
you're a new group with a lot of questions or a veteran group
looking for current information, check out our newly renovated
servant event handbook. You can download the whole pdf file or
just the registration forms for your printing and copying
convenience. If you have questions or comments on the content,
contact our servant event coordinator at
service@ylm.org.
Christmas Outreach and Assistance- posted January 3, 2007
Throughout December at YLM, Christ was gloried through evangelism
and help for the poor. Thousands of blankets and toys plus
hundreds of food baskets and coats were part of the annual Christmas
distribution in El Paso and Mexico. Our missionary pastors and
their congregations were instrumental in providing help to the
poorest in our area. Mariachi San Pablo also visited houses,
nursing homes, the mall, and walked through the streets proclaiming
the gospel and the reason for Christmas. In the midst of all
the activity, Pastor Heimer continued to visit the jails and
hospitals where so many people fall into despair during the
holidays. Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ is the heart
of all that we do at Ysleta Lutheran Mission. It is a blessing
to also provide assistance for the poor families all around and show
them God's love. [view video and
photos of these activities]
More News: download our
Fall Newsletter
[Adobe Acrobat file: 2.52MB]
New Mariachi San Pablo CD has Arrived-
posted
December 15, 2006
The new CD
is here!!! This second disc, titled "Tu Eres El" (You Are He), contains
songs in both English and Spanish along with new and familiar music.
Order yours today!
Preparing for Christmas
- posted November 21, 2006
This December, thousands of blankets, toys, and
hundreds of coats will be distributed to families in El Paso and
Juarez. We have already begun the process of cleaning and sorting
donated toys. First the toys are cleaned and batteries replaced.
Gloria Romero, a volunteer, takes all the dolls home with her to
clean. She brushes the hair and matches them with doll clothes that
have also been donated. “They look beautiful… like new,” commented
Karla who is also helping prepare toys for distribution. We are so
thankful for all the donors and local volunteers who make it
possible for the parents of poor families to provide nice gifts for
their children at Christmas. The toys, blankets, and jackets will be
distributed to parents on December 9th so they can be given to the
children by their parents on Christmas day.
First Communion at San Pablo -
posted
October 9, 2006
On
Sunday, October 8th four children received their first communion.
The mariachi group led music for the worship service and the church
was full. Rita Mundo, the First Communion teacher, thanked the
children's parents for bringing them each week to church and to
class, and Rev. Heimer spoke about Jesus welcoming children to come
to Him.
Lutherans of Mexico/El Paso Gather -
posted
October 9, 2006
On
Saturday, September 30th children and parents from the mission
churches in Juarez, other Mexico Lutherans, and Lutherans from El
Paso joined together for music, food, and fun during the annual
La Frontera "Pentecost Picnic." Most years the picnic is
held on the U.S. side of the border, but this year it was held in
Juarez. Mariachi San Pablo performed for an hour and were
followed by a group of about 30 children from San Marcos, Santisima
Trinidad, San Francisco, and Martin Lutero who sang several songs of
their own.
El Paso/Juarez Flooding -
posted
Sept. 2, 2006
This summer has been the wettest in decades with more than 15 inches
of rain (twice the area’s annual rainfall) falling here during one
week in August. The soil was already saturated with water when the
hardest rains began, causing major damage especially on the west
side of El Paso and in Anapra. The street in front of the mission in
Anapra was completely washed out while families there were evacuated
by Mexican military during the worst days of flooding. Many homes
and belongings were swept away in rushing water. A ceiling collapsed
and several roofs leaked at the YLM campus in El Paso. Fortunately
the fallen-in ceiling at YLM was repaired immediately by a servant
event. In the days and weeks following the floods, YLM has
been able to respond to the disaster by distributing food, clothing,
health supplies, and school kits in affected communities in Mexico.
Our warehouse is completely empty and ready to receive further
donations. Many homes are in need of repair, and will most
likely be a focus of YLM servant events in the coming year.
posted Sept. 2, 2006 -
“Proclaiming the gospel, mariachi style,”
is how Ann Hernandez a member of Mariachi San Pablo likes to
describe what she does as part of the music ministry at YLM. She and
23 other children, youth, and adults in the mariachi group devoted
their summer vacations to rehearsals, performing, and traveling
throughout the U.S. Between May 1st and August 7th, the mariachi
group rehearsed 19 times and performed 95 times! They were on the
road for 45 days this summer, performing in churches, parks, trailer
parks, a meat packing plant, restaurants, public stages, nursing
homes, retirement homes, at the LCMS Hispanic Convention, Concordia
Seminary, and at the LCMS headquarters in St. Louis. They traveled
in Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado, New
Mexico, and Nebraska. Thousands of people of different cultures
heard the gospel through the efforts of the mariachi group.
.jpg "Mariachi Christmas 2007")
.jpg "Mariachi Christmas 2007")
Congratulations to Luz
Soto! Luz graduated on May 12th from Concordia University,
Austin, as a Director of Christian Education (DCE). In
addition, she earned minors in Theology and Cross Cultural Ministry
and graduated with honors. She is now preparing to complete an
internship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is considering begin work toward
a Masters degree in counseling. Luz was a member of San Pablo
Lutheran Church and active in the youth and music ministry here
before deciding to prepare for a job as a church worker. She
served as a summer intern at YLM while a college student in 2005 and
took a course in Mexico in the summer of 2006. We are very
proud of her and praise the Lord for the ways He will work in and
through her life.
.JPG "repairing the roof of San Pablo Lutheran Church")
.JPG "filling cracks and painting building #5")
.JPG "more painting")
.JPG "repairing the roof of San Pablo Lutheran Church")
Last
fall, citizens and churches throughout El Paso rallied to help YLM
and its Hot Meal Program when funding was low. Many non-profit
organizations throughout the U.S. experienced lower than normal
contributions during the middle part of last year. "It was a
nervous time, but we trusted that God would provide for His ministry
by inspiring contributions and food donations," said Pastor Karl
Heimer. "When payroll comes and it is time to pay electricity,
water, and gas bills, either the money is in the bank or hard
decisions have to be made." YLM has been working steadfastly
to manage costs and be wise stewards of every in-kind and cash
donation that is given. Last fall, in response to newspaper
articles and TV news stories that highlighted programs such as the
Hot Meal Program, contributions came in that provided the resources
needed to get through the difficult fall months. "We have
succeeded in maintaining our services to the poor and support of
needy missions and churches on the border." Last year YLM
organized volunteer groups that built over two-dozen homes in Mexico
and hosted groups of medical professionals who provided free clinics
to over 2,000 patients. The hot meal program served over
24,000 meals in El Paso, and food, clothing, and health supplies
were distributed to poor on both sides of the border. In
addition to providing physical help for people, YLM cares for
people's spiritual needs through 11 missions and churches in El Paso
and the state of Chihuahua. God gives us faith, hope, and
assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ. He provides for
our every need.
YLM was
blessed to have a servant event group from Bella Vista Lutheran Church in
Bella Vista, Arkansas, come to help out the week of February 3. The six
members of the group worked diligently for many days and accomplished a
lot! The men from the group, after helping to empty our Orphan Grain Train
shipment, put a roof on a house for a needy family and also built a
bathroom for the Martin Luther Mission in the Kilometer 20 area of Juarez.
- posted November 21, 2006
On
Saturday, September 30th children and parents from the mission
churches in Juarez, other Mexico Lutherans, and Lutherans from El
Paso joined together for music, food, and fun during the annual
La Frontera "Pentecost Picnic." Most years the picnic is
held on the U.S. side of the border, but this year it was held in
Juarez. Mariachi San Pablo performed for an hour and were
followed by a group of about 30 children from San Marcos, Santisima
Trinidad, San Francisco, and Martin Lutero who sang several songs of
their own..jpg "Eighteen members of Mariachi San Pablo performed an 1.5hr concert in Town Square in Lamesa, Texas.")
.jpg "Young mariachi member greeting a nursing home resident after a performance")
.jpg "Seven members of Mariachi San Pablo led music for chapel at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO")
.jpg "Fans give a gift to this teenage mariachi member while in Illinois")
.jpg "After leading chapel at the LCMS headquarters \"International Center\" in St. Louis, the Mariachi group visited President Kieschnick's office.")
.JPG "Evangelism at Swift & Co meat packing plant in Grand Island, Nebraska")
.JPG "Mariachi San Pablo performed at \"Godstock\" a weekend festival of Christian music in Comstock, Nebraska.")