Buenas Tardes y Dios le bendiga!
Good afternoon and God Bless You!
Adam, Chewy, Alex and I are hard at it this week serving on the mission field of Mexicali, Mexico. We're serving on a YUGO evangelistic outreach based at our bible institute in Tamaulipas. We have made this annual trek to Mexicali for a few years now. We are joined every year by an amazing team from Cornerstone UMC in Caledonia, Michigan. We also have several other volunteer and YUGO missionary staff serving here with us. The weather here is considerably better than what we left at home. It's been around 60 degrees F during the day and dropping down to around 40 at night. That's just about as cold as we can handle without using a heater.
Everyone is so encouraging and very excited about being here. We've been faced with and dealing with all the usual obstacles we've grown accustomed to over the years. We all have a sense of the spiritual battles taking place around us. The Mexican people are hungry for something and very receptive to the gospel message. Though satan may not want us here, God has not changed. He was hard at work here before our arrival. He is with us and His spirit resides within us.
We're so thankful for and counting on your prayers getting us through...keep 'em coming our way please. We're not even bothering to ask God to give us perfect health and no obstacles this week. That's kinda silly. Please just pray for us that we will be in full surrender this week, trusting God and His plan. Also, please be in prayer for the Mexican people who our team will be ministering to this week. Some will hear and receive the Gospel for the first time. Others will be encouraged in their personal walk and ministry in their lives.
Adam and the boys are doing a great job with worship. They lead us this morning in a song I've never heard and never heard them even practice and they rocked it! God is good. Adam is concerned about his voice and allergies as it is VERY dry here and he is already getting a rasp to his voice. This morning, just before chapel he could hardly breathe. Just as he started to lead us, he immediately cleared up and stayed that way for the entire service. God is good!
I wrestled a bit with God about delivering the message He put in my heart for this morning's chapel service. I didn't want to offend or to be too direct but, God had His way. The challenge was about God's call for surrender in our lives. I reminded the team and staff that God is not "impressed with us" for taking time to serve in Mexico. He wants our surrender in all things, here and at home. He loves us and wants us but doesn't "need" us. Afterwards, several from the team and their leaders came to personally thank me for the message and how it would impact their team and their ministry today at their site.
What a blessing and a great honor! As I type this message, I realize the irony in the blessing for me from surrendering to deliver His message and challenge about the blessings of surrender...
God is still good, faithful, and has THE plan.
Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter
YUGO Ministries
http://www.yugo.org
http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries
573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell
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