BSM UTPA Missions Blog 2010

¨As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.¨ Ephesians 4: 1-3

Ok so by now it´s been 10 days in Nicaragua and we really are starting to feel the physical strength greatly decrease and have faced differences that come from living with other people.  No matter what we go through, God always reminds us that His blessings always outweigh any difficulties we may face.  These past days we have been reminded that we should continue to produce the fruit of the spirit as a deciple (just like we taught the children at VSP) to work as a team united through Christ´s love and fulfill God´s plan for us here. 

There is no doubt that we have been blessed every moment we spend here; wether it´s out on the missionary field, spending time with host family, or just talking amongst our team.  It is just so amazing how God brings people together and how He shows his all mighty power in the simplest things.  We continue to be reminded of His love every where we look…his creation is so great! This past Friday, we had a great time of fellowship with many people from the community at a waterfall place called ¨El Salto.¨ We grateful on how God blesses the conversations and everything we do with them.  On Sunday we attended the first church service and were refreshed with His Word as well as uplifted by the praise and worship.  These people really show us how the Bible says to praise Him with everything you have.  They may not have the best speakers or instruments, but God sees all the effort they put into it and how they use their spiritual gifts to worship Him. We continue to visit many different towns spreading His word through the decipleship booklets, prayer, and sometimes even just a simple conversation.

We thank you so much for your continued prayers! We also miss all of you so much and can´t wait to see you!! God bless.

Brenda and Eunice

<hello everyone we just wanted to let everyone know we arrived safely on saturday night where we stayed at a beautiful guesthouse in Managua. The next morning we began our traveling to our destination a group stayed in Ocotal and our texas group went to Santa  Clara.  As soon as we arrived we could already tell that things were going to be done ¨sort of ¨ different.  Our beds for the next couple of about 10 days are cots inside a small church building.  Our kitchen is a portable gas stove, our dressing room is just a plastic tarp on one of the church corners, the restroom is an outhouse that is shared with the pastors family and our team, the shower is and outdoor shower with ¨sort of¨ what you could say murky water.  We travel in a small van were 13 of us fit in.  So this was our arrival not very comfortable or what we are use to but  we can already see how God will be working. The next day we woke up early with nature´s alarm and got ready for our first day of work. Our work included dropping us off in some trail location and begin passing  out the discipleship booklets. Our greeting was ¨buenas traemos un regalo es un estudio biblico para usted y su familia¨ This is what we would do in everyhouse we would find. Now the trail is interesting , we are surrounded by mountains and hills with an amazing scenery and a hot sun. The hiking is not easy and seems to never end but some of the experiences that we have encountered in some of the houses are unforgetable. Like getting to know and talk to them, praying for their sickness, and just  being invited to their humble homes.  The people here are in poverty but then again poverty here is identified very differently than the states.  This first day was exhausting much sweating and although we were afraid of the shower we united and bravely took a shower. Trust me the water is cold and at night its very scary. The next day which is today ( sorry for not knowing my days or time here time seems to not exist and days are longer and with no watch or phone its impossible to keep up) we again did about the same thing ALL DAY LONG! so yes tiredness is what we feel right now but so very  blessed. Every second we are able to see Gods love and the beautiful creations he has made.  This so far has been a TRUE learning experience and we cant even imagine how much more we have to learn! The people here view life so differently and use the land to live. Houses are made out of mud, so is everything else like restrooms and showers, and food well basically corn and beans and rice.  Throughout this whole trip we have been advice to not drink the water of nicaragua not even wash our teeth with it, so we have to be very careful.

We thank you so much for all of your prayers and please continue praying for its not easy and requires strength that only can come from God.  We will try to keep you guys updated. God Bless and cant wait to go back and tell you all the stories and show you guys the pictures. 

<love you guys and really miss you all!!!! please if you can let our families know we are doing well.

Eunice & Brenda

As our three weeks are drawing to a close it is hard to believe that Valley Summer Project is nearly over. It seems like not long ago we were beginning this journey, and in reality it’s true. But within these three weeks the Lord has done amazing things, which have surpassed any and all expectations we’ve had. The Lord has been faithful in providing us with all that we need, filling our hearts with joy, and teaching us from His word. While we have come to teach and bless others it would be very safe to say that we have been the ones who were blessed and have learned an incredible amount.

David very well expressed the feelings of our hearts when he wrote Psalm 40: 5 saying, “ Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I speak and tell of them they would be too many to declare.”

This week was filled with various new activities. Team one began a new VBS at a church in Brownsville after having participated in their service on Sunday. Irving led the teaching and the band led worship. We also had time with the youth where we led them in a Bible Study about God reaching all nations. We came on Monday and walked around the neighborhood and the surrounding apartments, inviting kids to come begin the week of VBS. While the kids were a little wild to begin with it was awesome to see that by the end of the day they were reciting the memory verse and answer our questions about the Bible classes. It is always so wonderful to see the Lord working in the hearts of kids that haven’t heard the gospel before and to see how quickly they ascribe to His love. Afterwards we were able to join with another church, Iglesia Bautista Casa de Oracion, along with group two at a park in Brownsville where we played soccer, football, ate hamburgers, and ended the night with joyful worship and ardent prayer. It was so nice to be able to have fellowship with believers in the area who strive to daily be a light to their community.

The following day we were unable to return to the previous church due to various complications. We had planned to go to another church to start a VBS in place, and while excited to start a new adventure, we were disappointed we would be unable to return to be with the kids who had the day before shown so much excitement at the promise of a second day. We prayed at the end of the day asking that the Lord would reveal His plan amongst these changes, and He certainly did.  Just as He tells us in Isaiah 55: 11, He reminded us, “so is my word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”  His purpose and desire was obviously that we tell these specific children about Christ and through His masterful planning the second church had planned that we would have the VBS in the exact same apartment complex we had originally gone to find the kids. Rather than bringing them to us, the Lord has us go to where they were, to continue lavishing His love and sharing His word. It’s always humbling when the Lord reminds you that above all human planning and above all ideas we may have, He reigns. And what a great God we serve!

After VBS we were able to meet with Iglesia Bautista Casa de Oracion again in order to go door to door in a nearby neighborhood inviting people to a house church nearby, as well as ask for any prayer requests they may have had. The neighborhood we walked along was one that lined the American/ Mexico border fence and we met many cordial people who invited us into their homes and allowed us to pray for them and their families. Later that evening two families we had prayed with in the morning came to the house church where they were able to worship with us, hear the message, and respond to the call the Lord was putting upon their hearts. A family of 9 had come and each had prayed to accept Christ and it was such a privilege and blessing to be able to pray with them and celebrate as they entered a new life in Christ. Yet another reminder of the Lord’s awesome power.

As the days draw to an end they seem to speed by at a rapid pace. Soon we will finish the Valley Project and set off on our own separate ways. Four of us will leave for Nicaragua, three for Cuba, and one to Senegal. Others will go to summer school or enter back into their jobs. Still others are waiting patiently on the direction of the Lord, but regardless of where we are headed we all leave with the knowledge of an amazing God and a testimony to the love He has for all the nations. As we leave our praise sounds much like Paul’s in Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Kailin A. Bennett

On Sunday God gave us the perfect afternoon to be at the beach. After we attended church in the morning we were all ready to participate in worship and fellowship while enjoying the sounds of the waves and the cool ocean breeze. We spent time resting and getting to know each other better but the best part was that during worship we were able to spend time praising God under a tapestry of stars we know he created on by one….just like he created us to be a group of individuals serving him during Valley Summer Project.

After our fellowship we realized that this week of work caused us to look to ourselves and our own missionary responsibilities more closely. Sometimes accountability dosen’t come from living according to what others on earth judge to be true but what you know God holds to be true in your life. God is wise in his ways and he has truly blessed us with such a diverse group of people particpiating in VSP. This week we realized just how God uses the “weak to build the strong” and presents us with challenges when working with a group of missionaries that are on different spiritual levels. In the end, it was our passion to do God’s work that made us realize that it is not for us to decide when God’s plans are carried out…as long as we keep our eyes set on him and what he calls us to do in our personal relationship with him…he will be faithful in providing the character to get our work done.

The past couple of days we’ve been spending a lot of time helping the youth at Iglesia Bautista Casa de Oracion. It was evident when we arrived that this group of young individuals were more than just students doing what they were told by their youth director….they were truly passionate about evangelism to their peers. Keeping Timothy 4:12 in mind, we observed that this youth group made it impossible for anyone to “look down” on them because of their ability to put aside their fears and reservations in order to do God’s will in their community. Through our interaction with them we rediscovered the need for missionary work to be directed towards the teenagers and young adults because they are our future of God’s kingdom.

In the afternoon we have been helping with VBS at Iglesia Bautista Trinity in Brownsville. The hospitality of the church and their desire to provide vacation bible school for their children made us feel welcomed. The first day we started with 4 children by the end of VBS we had nearly 20 children! God truly kept us motivated as children who came in jumped right into the activity and kids of different age groups worked well together in completing each activity. Although we didn’t have as many children as we are used to, God showed us that we are making an impact no matter how small it may seem…it’s all for his kingdom.

Sarah L. Quintanilla

Load tents, crafts, sports equipment, lesson material, puppets, water and snacks; walk to invite children; and finally present everything with enthusiasm and love for them.  Starting this past Wednesday, Team 2 began to serve at a colonia in Alton.  We experienced physical tiredness but thanks to God for re-energizing us each day.  Every  day each member of the team was blessed to work with the children and some had the opportunity to also minister to the parents.  The people at this colonia live without much everyday, but we were glad to see how simple actions of love through the activities brought smiles and laughter to the children.  Yesterday, the VBS ended with snacks for everyone and small gifts for all the children.  Our hearts rejoiced in seeing their happiness, but our desire is that they will experience the true joy that only God gives.

“But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for  I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.”  Isaiah 65:18

We know that some material things are needed to live here on Earth but we cannot truly live without Jesus.  He brings full purpose into our lives.  I cannot imagine how difficult it is to go through trials without Jesus by our side, and that is why we hope that these parents and children keep the learned material from this week in their hearts and most importantly accept Jesus.  Even though these families have gone through difficulties, we know and pray that God will keep working in their daily living. Jesus came to bring  joy into the world.  He delights in his children and our joy pleases him. 

Yesterday also culminated the VBS at Principe de Paz.  We were greatly blessed to see the children recite the memory verse and answer questions about what they had learned throughout the week.  It’s always a little sad to say bye to the kids, but we were happy to see that God used the team in every role so that they would enjoy VBS in learning about Him.

Let’s continue to pray that all the seeds that are being planted in the hearts of the people will grow, be fruitful, and multiply.

Thank you for all your prayers,

Brenda R. Gonzalez

“But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.” Philippians 2:17

Through buildng stronger relationships with each other and being able to go through some sacrifices, we realize that sometimes we need to pour ourselves out and have faith that God will fill us through serving Him.

The second week of service on the Valley Summer Project made it nearly impossible to depend just on ourselves. We all constantly had to keep looking to God and to each other for help. Whether it was a simple thing such as providing a wake up call or something more personal like encouragement, we realized that we cannot rely on our own strength. God gaves us faith and our team members so that we would be reminded of the main reason we are serving this summer.

We (Team 2) visited Buckner Children’s Home and had to rearrange our roles and pray to God that He would help us improvise. Even though this caused us to feel a little worried about the outcome of our skits, God showed his faithfulness through the children’s reaction. Both skits were requested to be performed twice! But God in his infinite wisdom, also allowed us to experience humility immediately after such a successful performances. While the puppet show went on, the main top pole holding the curtain collapsed exposing the surprised puppeteers! Then in an attempt to salvage the puppet show, one of our team members quickly picked up a pole hoping it would restore the stage back to proper position, making the entire stage lean backwards!!!! After a good laugh about the incident, we left Buckner and finished planning for the evening vbs at Iglesia Bautista Principe de Paz.

The second night at I.B. Principe de Paz, started off with a lot more children than the previous night. This showed us that sometimes we need to obey God by being persistent even when it seems that our work does not produce any fruit.

For team 2, Tuesday was a day that taught us to trust God and each other when our plans are changed unexpectedly. We realize just how blessed we are that God brought together such a diverse group that with God’s help has been able to work hard and grow spiritually for God’s glory.

We will continue to trust God in everything we do.

Sarah L. Quintanilla

Yesterday, God really surprised us with a raging rain storm in the afternoon. On our way to our second church for our second VBS, the rain picked up and it even began to hail.  It was a bit scary driving in a van through such a rain storm, especially after passing vehicles stuck in flooded roads.  Our team (team #1) prayed for the Lord’s protection to make it back safely, and for those stuck in their flooded vehicles.

The storm changed our plans for that afternoon, but it also made that day interesting and different.  Sometimes God changes our plans or the direction of our lives, and we’ve been learning to accept and be joyful with the Lord’s guidance.

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. – Proverbs 19:21

A current new change we have been dealing with is adjusting to being separated into two teams for practically the whole day.  The first week our whole group really bonded and enjoyed serving together. God is good, and our team (team #1) feels blessed for each member and what they bring to the whole. This second week is starting to weigh on some of us, especially the tiredness. The strength God gives us each day has been such a blessing, and has allowed us all to work so well.

Just to see how God is using each one of us to share Christ and what it means to be a disciple of Christ with children is amazing.  You know the Lord is at work when you hear the children recite the memory verse, and everything you teach them.  Their excitement and smiles is such a beautiful thing to experience, and we can’t even imagine what the Lord is doing in each one of their lives.

Praise God for those children’s smiles and sweet hearts!

Praise God as well for His strength manifested in our lives each day!

Carla R. Reyes

On Saturday June 5th, Vacation Bible School in Mercedes came to an end.

The conclusion of our first week in action really gave us some perspective as to what God’s purpose is for our team. When I reflected on what occurred during this week to write the blog this verse came to mind….

“And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” — Revelation 22:2

It takes ALL the leaves of the tree to provide healing towards the NATIONS. Not just the places we feel comfortable serving or simply our Jerusalem or Judea or even Samaria….but the NATIONS. Many times young adults think they know their strong characteristics and we tend to label ourselves as being good at a certain task we’re comfortable and familiar with. This can prevent us from seeing opportunities to serve God because we have spiritual gifts that we are unaware of until God reveals it to us during HIS perfect timing. It’s amazing to see my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ discovering what God has in store for their lives. Maybe not all of us will get a crystal clear picture of where God wants our lives to go during our experiences through Valley Summer Project but God has definitely provided glimpses to help guide us in discovering better ways we are able to glorify his name.

Our last VBS day in Mercedes was definitely a blessing from God. Even though we were still learning about how to plan our events this week and sometimes overlooked some important aspects were always able to find a way through trusting the Lord. The children were so proud and excited to retell what they had learned and even though some of it was motivated by prizes or remembered through singing….this is a seed God has helped us plant for his Kingdom. Maybe we won’t see the results of our involvement in God’s plan for these children but the seed is there for God to provide for in the years to come when he believes it’s time.

It’s amazing to think that these children have the potential to be disciples of Christ one day through God’s plan that we were blessed to be apart of.

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” –John 15:8

We know God’s hand is over all we do because of everyone’s continued prayers and support. We greatly appreciate all that’s been done.

May everything we do be for God’s glory.

Sarah L. Quintanilla



What a wonderful time we’ve had in the Lord this past two days.  Yesterday we had the privilege to enjoy worship led by the BSM’s worship band “In Return,”.  It was a beautiful blessing for the whole Valley Summer Project team to be able to rejoice in the Lord through worship and to be able to let ourselves go in praise and worship.  It was something not only that we needed but something that we desired.  So, we thank “In Return,” for being able to share their talent with us to come together during praise and worship time.

Psalm 150

6.  Let everything that has breath

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Today we were able to share with the youth groups at Calvary Baptist Church about missions, we had a great time with them at their service and we were able to talk to them about Love Throughout the Nations during their Bible study time.  It was great to work with junior high and high school kids it kind of reminded some of us when we used to be in their shoes making college decisions and asking God for guidance to do His will.  We were also able to join Calvary En Espanol in noon service and it was great to hear from God through his servant.

Later this afternoon the group had to split in two to go to two different churches “Primera Iglesia Bautista Las Milpas” y “Primera Iglesia Bautizta Mc Allen.” It was good to be in God’s house again, we led worship and shared testimonies with the congregations, and worked with the children’s classes where we were able to teach lessons on being disciples.  I was a great time of fellowship with other churches and we were able to receive message again from God.  Again the hospitality at PIB Mc Allen was beautiful and they were sweet to treat us with coffee and sweet bread.  Mmmmmmmm!  It was a day full of delicacies, God’s food for us through worship and His word, and sweet treats (Hahaha).

We all thank God for his blessings throughout this week, for being with us through our first week of work and giving us the strength to continue. Again thank you all for your prayers and continue to support us through it as we continue to work more and more in God’s plan.  We ask support in prayer for strengthening and health for the whole team and preparing of the hearts of all the places we go to.

Thank You

Zaira J. Heredia

Our first day on missions taught us just how much preparation and planning is needed to create an organized environment for the children to learn about God’s word. That evening as we discussed the events of the day and how we could improve the second day, God gave us the motivation to work into the late hours in order to improve our ability to help the children find the truth about God. When we arrived we set up and began to make sandwiches for the children. Although everyone had a designated job we all took responsibility for every aspect of the event when help was needed. With a stronger unity amongst all of us, the day’s activities went smoother and the children were able to follow along with our lesson with more ease. After all the activities were completed God enabled us to provide lunch for the children and they were very appreciative of the gesture.

In the afternoon, we attended a training at Valley Baptist Medical Center. The Chaplin of the hospital spoke to us about the importance of listening and how to approach people who have experienced having a family member who is sick or dying. Even though sometimes we encounter situations where we feel that we can not relate, it is through our life experiences and emotions that we can connect and are able to share God’s word.

The rest of the evening was used for team fellowship and preparation for the days to come.

Thank you for the continuous prayers and support.

Sarah L. Quintanilla