100% pure Mexican vanilla in a 1-liter glass bottle has just been added to the Products section in my Mercado! Get yours for $20. It makes a great gift, especially for those friends and family who just love to bake! Contact me to place an order.
Thoughts: Labor in Vain
I just wanted to share a little tidbit of what I’ve been learning recently. The verses above (Psalms 127:1-2) were brought to my attention during one of our morning meetings while we hosted a team here in Piedras. This passage is fitting for our ministry, as a lot of what we do includes construction projects and literally building houses.
Sometimes we get caught up in mundane, every-day tasks that we forget the purpose behind what we do in that very moment. I don’t know about you, but I like to know that whatever task I am working on at the moment has long-term results and is a part of a bigger vision. Sometimes I am thinking so much into the future and the vision that I don’t always focus on the here and now.
But God says that if what we are doing in this moment is not something that God is doing through us, it is all done in vain. There is no purpose to it. Even if there is a bigger vision with purpose. Everything we do – even the small, tiny, little things – MUST be done for God and for his glory alone.
Every. Single. Thing.
It’s not always about the end result or WHAT we do, but it’s about HOW we do what we do and allowing God to work through us.
It’s all about God and His glory.
Ministry Minds: Missio Nexus
“The difference between humanitarian teams and mission teams is mission teams’ center focus on GOD.”
I had the privilege of attending the Missio Nexus mission leaders conference in Orlando, Florida, a couple weeks ago. This is a huge missions conference that is put on every year with different pre-conference courses and tracks you can follow. I focused on “short-term missions.” Some of you might be reading this and struggling with the idea of “short-term missions” and perhaps not seeing its purpose. It’s a valid struggle, and I think it’s good to wrestle with it and challenge those involved with “short-term missions,” like me. That is exactly what this conference was for me. It challenged me, settled a LOT of questions and thoughts that I had, and put a lot of ideas into words that I just could not figure out on my own.
The most beneficial workshop that I did was the Standards of Excellence (SOE) Workshop. SOE is an organization founded to unite all short-term missions entities and challenge each other to follow the 7 Standards of Excellence, which are the following (paraphrased):
- God-Centeredness
First and foremost, short-term missions should seek to do everything for the glory of God. Fields should be centered on prayer and constantly ask, “How did you see God today?” Make disciples by forming relationships and pointing each other towards Jesus Christ and his glory. - Empowering Partnerships
Everything we do must be based on healthy partnerships and must benefit all those involved in the trip (guests visiting the field, supporters sending the guests, those working permanently on the field, the local people, etc.). Ultimately, the focus needs to be on the local people. - Mutual Design
Everyone involved must be on the same page about long-term strategies and logistics. - Comprehensive Administration
Truthfulness is expected in promotion and finances of the field. A proper risk management plan must also be set in place. - Qualified Leadership
Capable and qualified leadership is based on character, skills, and values. - Appropriate Training
Biblical and appropriate training should be available pre-field (before a trip), on-field (on the trip), and post-trip (after the trip) and carried out by qualified trainers. - Thorough Follow-Through
Debriefing and evaluation must take place pre-field, on-field, and post-field. Think, evaluate, and reflect on the journey. It’s not about the end product, rather about the process. And every person gets the right to discover God uniquely.
I learned even more in other sessions, but this was most impacting to me. If you’d like to hear more about my time there, please do not hesitate to ask!
Frontera Fuerte: ¡Viva Mexico!
One of my favorite things in this city is the celebration of Mexico’s Independence Day. Today, September 16th, is like the 4th of July in the U.S., except they celebrate for days! The entire week before the big day, the Macro Plaza in Piedras Negras turns into something that I would compare to the “Taste of Chicago.” Mexico’s 31 states are all represented by 31 different tents selling delicious traditional food from each of the states. Last night, September 15th, was “El Grito,” or “The Shout.” Basically, everyone meets up in the plaza and shouts “¡Viva Mexico!” and watches the fireworks. And then the actual day of the 16th is the holiday – most stores are closed, kids don’t go to school, and everyone just kind of relaxes (and recovers from being out past bedtime last night). So…Happy Independence Day!
You can hardly move because of all the people EVERYWHERE in the plaza.
These are some of the foods that Victor’s family serves at their tent (from left to right):
Tamales, Empanadas (my favorite), and Pozole
They put on a great fireworks show this year!
Mercado Monday: Tees
I am excited to officially announce that these fabulous Tees have been added to the Products section in the Mercado! A special thanks to my bro and sis, Luke and Allie, for modeling their new favorite article of clothing! Purchase your own Tee for $8, and have it shipped for an extra $6. Contact me to make an order. Thanks!
Ministry Minds: VBC Campus Español
[Traducción en español disponible abajo]
This “Ministry Minds” entry is a shout-out to our lovely church, Village Bible Church – Campus Español. We love you, and we just want to thank you for a few things:
- Thank you for accepting us into the family.
- Thank you for greeting us with open arms and shining smiles that first day we walked through your doors.
- Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve as worship leaders.
- Thank you for interesting and challenging messages each Sunday.
- Thank you for praying.
- Thank you for your desire to genuinely serve the community and reach out to our neighbors.
- Thank you for wanting unity and community within the church body.
- Thank you for Bible studies.
- Thank you for planning parties and events with the intent of inviting the community and sharing God’s love with them.
- Thank you for all the hugs and kisses every time we see each other.
- Thank you for bearing with me as I give the “welcome” and the announcements sometimes on Sunday morning.
- Thank you for after-church brunches, including the best horchata at El Tio.
- Thank you for living out our church’s mission: discover, develop, and deploy disciples.
And lastly, THANK YOU for your encouragement and support. We couldn’t make this move without you all. We will miss you OH SO MUCH. God bless each and every one of you. ❤
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Este artículo de “Mentes de Ministerio” va dedicado a nuestra hermosa familia de la iglesia, Campus Español. Los queremos, y solo les queremos dar las gracias por algunas cositas:
- Gracias por aceptarnos en la familia.
- Gracias por saludarnos con brazos abiertos y sonrisas brillosas ese primer dia que entramos en sus puertas.
- Gracias por darnos la oportunidad de servir como líderes de alabanza.
- Gracias por los mensajes interesantes y retadores cada domingo.
- Gracias por orar.
- Gracias por su deseo genuino de servir a la comunidad y alcanzar a nuestros vecinos.
- Gracias por querer unidad y comunidad entre la familia de la iglesia.
- Gracias por los estudios bíblicos.
- Gracias por planear fiestas y eventos con la intención de invitar a la comunidad y compartir el amor de Cristo con ellos.
- Gracias por los abrazos y besos cada vez que nos vemos.
- Gracias por aguantarme cuando doy la bienvenida y los anuncios a veces los domingos.
- Gracias por los almuerzos despues de los servicios, incluyendo la mejor horchata que hay en El Tio.
- Gracias por vivir nuestra misión como iglesia: descubrir, desarrollar, y desplegar discípulos.
Y para cerrar, MUCHAS GRACIAS por su ánimo y apoyo. No podriamos tomar esta decision de mudarnos sin ustedes. Los extrañaremos MUCHÍSIMO. Dios les bendiga a cada uno de ustedes. ❤
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August 2015
At the end of July, Victor and I officially gave notice at our jobs that we will be leaving at the beginning of September. The great news is that I will be able to “work from home” as I continue to fundraise!
Once September arrives, we will head south. I plan to help out with the 3 CrossRoads teams in Mexico that we have scheduled for this fall, however my involvement will remain limited and part-time until my salary is fully raised.
During the fall, I also plan on attending the Missio Nexus Mission Leaders Conference in Florida. I will continue to fundraise and travel around as needed. Please let me know if you would like me to come for a visit!
We look forward to visiting with you if we haven’t already. Thank you for your interest and support!
This is an excerpt from my August 2015 newsletter. To view the full-length newsletter, click here.
If you’d like a copy of our prayer card or would like to start receiving my newsletters, message me your email address or mailing address. I would LOVE to send it your way!
Mercado Monday
Mercado Mondays will be posts dedicated to highlighting new photographs taken by me or products from Mexico that I have for sell in my market, or “mercado.”
This lovely Monday I would like to share with you one of my favorite prints taken in Mexico. It’s a photo of bougainvilleas growing on a vine ladder attached to one of the houses in Piedra Angular. You can purchase this 5×7 print presented on matte board as you see below for $10. To view more photographs and prices check out my Photography page.
© Amanda Lee Photography. “Flores.” 5×7 matted print. $10.
Frontera Fuerte
Piedras Negras is known as ¨the strong border of Mexico,¨ or ¨la frontera fuerte de Mexico.¨ Posts on ¨frontera fuerte¨ will be dedicated to sharing more about the city and the area of the world that I have grown to love. So, welcome to the tour!
For this first tour update, I would like to give you an idea of our location. Piedras Negras is situated directly across from the Rio Grande on the other side of Texas. The only thing that separates Piedras Negras from Eagle Pass, Texas, is a bridge to get across the river.
San Antonio, Texas, is about 2.5 hours from us, and if you would ever like to come for a visit, that´s the airport you would fly into! No international flights necessary here. Easy peasy!
We are also in the middle of the dessert. Think dry heat and cacti. The closest big body of water, the Gulf of Mexico, is about 3.5 hours away in Corpus Christi, Texas.
For more info about our city, check out my page here.
Ministry Minds: CrossRoads Missions
“Ministry Minds” is a blog category dedicated to highlighting ministries, organizations, and people that I have witnessed to be a powerful presence and example of servant-leadership and sharing Christ’s love.
The first ministry I would like to highlight is CrossRoads Missions! CrossRoads has permanent fields in Appalachia, New Orleans, and Piedras Negras. We also serve all over the U.S. and other parts of the world through Help Build Hope and Storytellers. I was first introduced to CrossRoads in Piedras Negras as a college summer intern in 2008 (see photo). Those sure were the good ‘ole days!
What I like most about CrossRoads Missions is that their focus is on partnering with already-existing ministries to empower and equip them to continue serving full-strength within their own city. In Piedras Negras, we’ve partnered with schools, orphanages, soup kitchens, churches, etc. It’s really awe-inspiring to see how God is at work all over the city through all the different ministries.
Another unique part of the ministry of CrossRoads in Piedras Negras is Piedra Angular, which is a neighborhood of homes that CrossRoads has built over the course of almost 18 years. The vision behind this project is to be a “hub” for Christian families to live and have community and then go out into the city to serve in their various ministries.
I am so excited to become the Field Coordinator for all the different aspects of our ministry in Piedras Negras and to be able to connect everyone! To learn more about CrossRoads and what my role will look like, check out this page. To visit CrossRoads’ main website, check it out here.
Peace.
Crossing Love 