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She’d been without running water for 3 months.

A whole bunch of sidewalk had been jackhammered out along North Highway 14 during monsoon season, and her well house and pump were destroyed when water came rushing down the road with nothing to block it from overwhelming her property.  “Ms.Reed” had been working constantly to get some help, either from her home insurance or the law, but found roadblocks everywhere she turned.

I’d been helping in Ms. Reed’s special needs class for around two years at that point.  There are few people in this world who pour themselves into their work the way she does.  Nights?  She’s preparing craft supplies for tomorrow’s balloon activity.  Weekends?  She’s searching garage sales for educational toys and used books.  Breaks?  She’s re-decorating her classroom to make it more functional.  I’ve watched her work tirelessly to find new strategies for her students, regardless of how many she’s tried already.  She never stops believing that success is within their reach.  She is a force.

She did not complain about her water situation. She did not ask for help.  She continued to file appeals, speak with lawyers, and save her money.  Though she didn’t say it, she had to have been worried about the length of time this process would take. 

Ms. Reed had been showering and doing laundry at school for weeks when the principal noticed.  She got on the phone herself, calling a host of organizations that might come alongside Ms. Reed and get her some real help…to no avail.  That’s when the principal approached Shine.

"What ensued was the most amazing conversation about the truth of God’s grace."

“I don’t know if you can help her,” she said, “but could you see if you know anyone who could get her running water back?”

I asked Ms. Reed if it would be ok if I approached my Shine team about it.  At first, she was quite reluctant to accept any help. She truly believed that if she could just talk to the right lawyer, the right NMDOT rep, the right someone, they’d be out there to make things right. “Ok”, I said, “But…in the meantime, could we help you get your water back?” Ms. Reed had received a few quotes on the work, and they were steep. “Let me just see if we can help,” I said. She reluctantly agreed.

MCC’s Shine team was only too pleased at the prospect of helping Ms. Reed.  One volunteer said, “My husband and I have been praying about how to give this money!  This is such perfect timing!”  We put together a pool, and I let Ms. Reed know that we could likely help her with at least half the bill.  She was absolutely floored.  With tears in her eyes, she said, “I just can’t believe you guys would do this…for ME.”

Ms. Reed called Water Works for one final quote, which happened to be lower than all the others, but they weren’t totally sure what the final bill would be.  I told her to go ahead and have it done, and that we would trust that God would provide what we needed.

She called me the next day, ecstatic and in tears. The final bill was a fraction of what had originally been quoted to her, and a fraction of what we had raised to help her. I told her to let us pay the whole thing, and she just lost it. The reason she had called was to say that someone in her family had made her feel guilty for accepting our help, and she felt she should refuse.

“Well what are YOU gonna do for THEM?”, they’d asked her. “You can’t just do nothing. You’re stealing from them. And they have REAL needy people to help.”

“Ms. Reed,” I said, “I firmly believe that this is God’s grace to you. This right here is a demonstration of God’s love and care for you. All you have to do is accept it. You can’t pay it back, friend. Just receive it.”

She absolutely fell apart.

What ensued was the most amazing conversation about the truth of God’s grace.

As it turns out, Ms. Reed grew up believing she had to be “good enough” for God.  And of course, she believes she never has been. The idea of accepting a gift..from HIM, no less, and without guilt…was overwhelming.  We talked about why Jesus went to the cross, how all of our sin died with Him, that if God expected us to earn His love, He’d never have sent Jesus at all.

Ms. Reed and I still speak regularly on this subject. It may be awhile before she returns to church, but she knows beyond a doubt that God reached into her life with grace and compassion through people who love Him.  She knows a side of God that she had never considered. And she understands that all her debts are paid in Christ, and that she can come to Him guilt-free.

This is what Shine is all about.

Click hereto learn more about MCC's partnership with Shine.

Walking down a dirt road in a poor Village on the outskirts of Sucre, Bolivia, a woman opens the door and invites complete strangers to walk into her home. Yes, they are Food for the Hungry volunteers; yes, she needs help; yes, she needs prayer and the peace that only God can give. But Marta had to open the door when every wordly-thing about her told her not too. God helped her set aside her pride, fears and hesitation. Or maybe she did hesitate? Only she and God know what happened on the other side of that door while we waited for her to answer. Ultimately, God gave her the strength and courage to seek Him, our being there was simply a testimony of her desire to seek the Lord. I had tears in my eyes as we listen to her story. She spoke of her pain, the pain of her children and the pain of her husband. So, we did the only thing we could; we prayed. As we did, peace replaced doubt and hope shown on her face.

I walked away from that experience with humility and wonder and it was not the first, nor I am sure will it be the last, time God humbled me through an experience like this in Bolivia. I wondered about how someone could set aside pride and fear and allow God to take the reins. Could I do that? Why can't I open the door for God? It was humbling to see God work when pride and fear was removed.

When God brought me the opportunity to serve on a short-term mission team in Bolivia, I honestly didn't hesitate to open that door, even to run through it. As a nurse, God has graciously given me the gift and the heart to help people. Little did I know at the time, saying yes to a short-term mission trip wasn't the only door God was asking me to open.

After that experience with Marta, (this was on my second trip to Bolivia) God showed me the door to open. My closed door, the one I was meant to open and experience, was to serve God. Being a part of the Bolivia ministry has shown me what it truly means to serve God, for God's glory. Not my own. We live in a world of instant gratification. We live in a mindset of "quick fix". This ministry taught me to be patient and there is never a quick fix.

Serving God for His glory is to build up His earthly kingdom. In Bolivia and with the teachings of Food for the Hungry, that means to make those in poverty self-sustaining. To teach, to pray with, to bring biblical principles to others and to build relationships. None of those things are easy, quick or instant. They take time, prayer and hard work. My instinct was not to open this door. God called me to follow His lead and serve Him. Therefore, I had to get out of the way. I had to throw away my instincts of "Me" fixing it. I had to forget that I always have to have the answers and I knew God would show me my own poverty. 

I had to admit my pride and repent. I prayed and prayed. I repented. I asked God for the courage and strength to open that door. I am so glad I did! My heart was transformed. My eyes were truly opened. I saw God working and I saw how I was to be used. He showed me where I had poverty in my own life.  I saw that I had a gift to bring to the ministry and the gifts others gave me. With God’s newfound sight for me, it changed my own relationships positively and strengthened my faith. The staff members of Food for the Hungry Bolivia and the people from the community were also teaching me. They all have given me the gift of lifelong friendship and they have prayed for me in my walk with Christ. I would trade my sinful pride and fear for what I have gained and learned anytime! Praise God for putting that closed door in front me and giving me the strength to open it.

Serving in the Bolivia ministry and given me the opportunity to serve God, serve others and strengthen my relationship with Jesus. God has many closed doors for all of us to open. Which door has God asked you to open?

This upcoming Bolivia trip is very exiting for me. This will be my first trip, and I think that God has given me this opportunity for a reason. I will be able to shine the light of God, as well as make new friends. I believe that God has blessed me so that I can be a blessing to others. However, I know that I cannot truly help them unless I know what they are going through. This trip is a way to witness firsthand what our friends in Bolivia are going through. This trip is also exciting because I have a chance to expand my horizons, so to speak, and meet new people who do not speak my language. I am also excited to be a part of these kids’ lives and activities. I think this is a big part of having a real friendship. I hope that we can make a difference in their lives. But really, it is God who makes the difference. 

As we move closer and closer to the trip, it is hard to believe that this all started a few years ago, when I first started being interested in going. My dad went almost every year, and I always wondered what they did on these trips (well, I started wondering once I became old enough to wonder about these things).

As I learned more about the trip, I began wondering, “Could I help people in the way my dad and the church do?”. I started asking to go when I was eight, but I am finally going now that I am eleven. I’d like to say thank you to the Mountain Christian Church for praying for all of us, my family and the missions committee for donating money for the trip. I am glad I am going, and I hope God leads is in our trip.

Sami Gutierrez here. As many of you know, I am a leader with MCC’s Fire and Ice middle school youth group. This spring, we feel God has called us to endeavor to grow our little group of students in leadership, discipleship, and in love of the church. We have a few strategies in place that have been extensively planned and prayed over.

One area I know we’d like to grow in is church engagement.  At MCC we have this incredible body of Christians, each of whom God is at work in, equipping and growing in ways only He understands. He promises to complete the good work He has started in us. I believe this promise holds true for each of us, no matter our age or spiritual maturity level. I believe it holds true for the middle-schoolers of our church. But I also believe it’s our duty as a church to intercede daily and beg God to complete this work in them. I don’t know about you, but there has been few times in my life I needed spiritual protection more than when I was in middle school. Thus the idea of prayer partners was born. Or reincarnated, more accurately, as there have been several attempts to initiate them in the past.

Basically, the idea is for the adults of the church to commit to regular prayer on behalf of a student. Cover them as they go forth into the world. Ask Christ to reveal himself to them, to give them courage and peace as they deal with the craziness that is adolescence. Ask that God would fill them with His spirit, challenge them, commission them for His service. Let the student know that no matter where life takes them in the next year, you will be in their corner praying for them.

Imagine a group of students, equipped with God’s truth and ready to unleash it on the world. Imagine the boldness they could have in confronting all the spiritual warfare that’s out there, knowing that they are backed by a congregation that prays for them. It’s like walking into a gunfight knowing somebody’s got your back. We can’t miss an opportunity like that to equip our church for the future.

I’ve started the process of matching willing prayers with students from youth group. I’m incredibly excited about how God is going to use this in our body. If you’re interested in participating, or would just like some more information, please feel free to contact me, Sami Gutierrez. Thanks for prayerfully considering this opportunity. Thank you for all the support MCC already gives our youth ministry!

Hello, Mountain Christian! My name is Canyon Young, and I am one of the leaders of MCC’s middle school youth group, Fire & Ice. There have been a lot of great things happening recently, and I’d like to inform you such that you can partner with us in raising up this group of tomorrow’s church leaders.

The leaders of Fire & Ice have recently drafted an extensive plan for the middle school youth group, brainstorming long-term milestones to be achieved through successional goals. This process was characterized by the fact that we don’t want this youth group to be a holding tank with pizza, with students who come only to consume, never learning to serve and lead.

Rather, through instilling in them a fiery passion for the Lord and the Word, we seek to build them into effective servant leaders who will be engaged in the church and be able to teach others who will go on to be able to teach others, a critical standard given to us in 2 Timothy 2:2. We want our students to not only become capable of leadership and service, but actively take initiative in doing so.

In seeking to find a reliable guide for discipleship, I turned to the best model of discipleship available: Christ himself. What did Jesus do to build up the men who would become the pillars of the early church?

Here’s a few things I found:

He met them where they were: He found Peter, Andrew, James, and John at their fishing boats, and Matthew at his tax collector’s booth. He saw Nathanael under the fig tree. He found them in their professions – the places they were comfortable – and called them to something greater.

He gave them responsibility: They distributed food and collected leftovers during the feedings of the four and five thousand. Christ also sent them out two by two to preach, heal, and cast out demons (Mark 6:7-13).

He took them with him: He didn’t merely invite them to hear him speak in synagogues. He called them away from their lives to follow him – years of commitment. Through a life of shadowing Jesus, they learned his person, character, and message. Their training was not event-based, but rather a lifestyle.

He defended and stood by them: He stood up for them when confronted for eating grain in the fields (Matthew 12), and for not observing the hand washing tradition (Matthew 15). He had their backs.

 I seek to challenge them with responsibility, making them partners in ministry, not just students; inviting them to join me in my life of serving the Lord.

As a youth leader, I don’t seek to be an uninvolved guy who merely preaches to them every Wednesday night. I seek to be a friend, instructor, and shepherd. I seek to find common ground with them, earn their trust through shared experiences, and be a consistent, positive influence. I seek to challenge them with responsibility, making them partners in ministry, not just students; inviting them to join me in my life of serving the Lord. And through it all, I seek to protect and defend them as a shepherd with his sheep.

Will you, as the body, join us in this process of raising up these future leaders? I know without a doubt that God is going to use these incredible students in mighty ways.

Will you help us build their Biblical literacy?

Will you help us engage them in the life of our church?

Will you join us in prayer as we prepare to launch a new high school group for our graduating 8^th graders?

There’s so much more I’d love to tell you, friends, about the Fire & Ice ministry and where we see it going. Feel free to come to me, Daniel Cox, Sami Gutierrez, Abbie Bryant, and Micaiah Malizzo, and ask us more about what’s going on. In the meantime, pray for us as we work to prepare a field that the Lord will use to produce a crop that’s thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold. We can’t wait to see what the future holds!