Monse Turns 7

My little friend,  Monse, turns 7 on Saturday!!! Monse has come to our soup kitchen children’s classes for the past few years. This past year specifically I have begun to build a relationship with her. Monse comes from a troubled and very impoverished  home in the Rio and it has been made obvious that she needs positive attention! She often acts up in our Sunday school class and has a hard time obeying. Today I took Monse out, just her and I, to celebrate her 7^th birthday! First, we went to a local store for her to pick out a birthday gift. She had been telling me since last Saturday that what she really wanted was a backpack with wheels because her books for school are just “too heavy.” Her neighbor told me that she often sees Monse dragging her bag down the dirt road. We looked in 4 stores for a backpack with wheels but had to settle for a normal backpack and a “backpack cart” to pull it on because we couldn’t find anything else.  She was VERY excited! After shopping we went to McDonalds to play and eat. She had the time of her life! Monse prayed for the meal (the first time I have heard her pray) and while she has munching on her hamburger I was able to speak some truth into her life about who she is and the big plans God has for her. Monse told me that she knows God is powerful and that she remembers the lessons we are teaching about the Armor of God, specifically about the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit. She also told me that one day she would like to be a doctor. I encouraged her that she could do that because she is very smart and talented.  I dropped Monse off at her home. She put her school books into her new backpack, and wheeled off to school as happy as could be. It is so fun to be able to bless Monse and pour into her. I am hoping to be able to take her out more often than just her birthday. Please continue to keep this precious girl in your prayers.

Monse with her newly purchased backpack

Monse, Ronald, and Me celebrating!!!

Enjoying a hamburger

Playing in the play land

Self portrait!

Monse in front of her house, ready for school! 

Welcome to the World, Kalet!!!

Kalet de Jesus was born one week and a half ago to a young girl in the Rio, Lucero. Lucero came to the soup kitchen the day after her baby was born to have him prayed for by the pastor.  I have been talking to and praying for Lucero throughout her pregnancy. As a young mom at 14, she had many questions, fears, etc., about the birth, her health, and her relationship with her husband, Brian. Man, was I glad for those child development classes in college! I have been able to pass on what I know about babies and offer up lots of prayers. We have had several good talks about the Lord in all of this which have been good.  Last Saturday I went to visit the baby and his mom and dad and brought them some infant clothes and blankets. Amazing to see such a tiny, perfect baby in a house with dirt floors! His mom seems absolutely in love with him. Please keep praying for Lucero and Brian. They have a lot on their hands and are very young. Please pray for Kalet, for his health and safety. 

Kalet being prayed for at the Soup Kitchen (1 day old). 

Me and Kalet (1 week old)

                                                                  Lucero and Kalet 

Summer VBS

 This summer our mission teams were given the opportunity to minister in a new way to the children we serve in Monterrey. Along with the work projects, fieldtrips, and play times we felt led to incorporate Vacation Bible School into our weekly summer schedule. Back in September myself and others began organizing children’s ministry classes in one of the impoverished areas we work with during weekly soup kitchen services. The children loved the lessons and activities and were truly learning the scriptures we were teaching them! After seeing the success of this kind of ministry in the Rio areas, we asked ourselves, “Why not in the children’s homes as well?” For many years the mission teams partnering with B2B have helped the children see and receive the love of Christ through participating in work projects at the homes as well as through personal connections and playtimes with the kids. Now the children also have the opportunity to receive Christ’s love through the direct teaching of the Word of God in a child friendly way.

     Our VBS theme for the summer was “The Fruit of the Spirit.” Each week teams would go out to nearly every children’s home equipped with songs, skits, crafts, and memory verses in order to teach the children about the Holy Spirit.  In order to help cross the language barrier, we had nearly 40 Mexican students from 4 local churches sign up to partner with us in the VBS. Each VBS day our United States teams, mixed with local church youth, would together minister to the children. One of B2B’s goals is to partner with the local body of believers in ministry. It was beautiful to see this happen this summer! Through VBS many of the local volunteers formed relationships with the homes and Rio areas we work with and are now going to minister in these places independently from B2B. We are excited about what has happened this summer with the volunteers and where it might lead! As B2B we are committed to help raise up national leaders and ministers!

   We are praising God for His word that went forth this summer and the many seeds that were planted in children’s hearts all over Monterrey. We are also thankful for the many connections we now have with churches and youth in the city! Hopefully this will be the first of many summer VBS programs to come. 

Check out the videos below for a taste of summer VBS!

Games!!!















A skit about love put on by our local volunteers.

                                                               Kids at the craft table

                                           A US team putting on a skit about the life of Christ. 

Continued Work in Rio 3

I wrote and posted pictures several weeks ago about the devastation Hurricane Alex caused in the impoverished community of Rio 3. After the flood swept through, B2B went in (along with many other aid groups in the city) to bring relief. Here are some pictures of relief at work.

B2B staff teach the women leaders of the Rio3 community how to purify drinking water with PUR packets.


Clothes give away to the Rio 3 women.


The local government employing people from the Rio community to help with the clean up efforts in their own neighborhood.

Rio 3 children in a newly rebuilt home!


One of hundreds of Rio children.


Shacks being rebuilt by Rio families.


Women and children in line for food donations and work possibilities.


This is a short video I took of Rio 3 right after the hurricane.

True Servant-hood: Rio 1 Goes to Rio 3

After Hurricane Alex hit Monterrey the devastation was incredible! In a local community where B2B serves nearly 300 homes were washed away and close to 1,000 people were displaced. This community (Rio 3) was very impoverished before the hurricane, now it is even worse.
         Cathy Huffer (a fellow B2B worker) and I went out to another impoverished community (Rio1) where we minster on a regular basis. Out there two homes had been washed away, but the majority of the people were doing just fine. For over two years B2B has been standing alongside a soup kitchen in Rio 1, helping to provide warm meals, teaching, and children's minsitry each week. Over the past year we have seen several women from the community step up and be more involved. After hearing of the crisis at Rio 3 we talked to the leaders in Rio 1 and asked for thier help to cook and serve a warm meal to the families that had been displaced. The response was an overwhelming desire to help out! The next week Cathy and I went out the the soup kitchen and helped the ladies finish preparing a meal that would feed nearly 300 people. We then took five of the helpers with us to Rio 3 to serve the meal. This was a summer highlight for me! The ladies from Rio 1 felt very impowered in what they were doing. For some this may have been the first time in thier lives that they had been able to help someone more down and out then they were. Giving and serving empower! These ladies were hard workers and the result in them alone was amazing.


Our band of fearless cooks and servers from Rio 1!


China cooking meat.... more accostomed to a cooking fire, she thought the stove took too long!


Meme and Maru (B2B staff) cooking over the stove in the soup kitchen.

Meme teaching me how to make salsa! 

The Rio 1 ladies at work serving the people at Rio 3. 

Meme stirring a HUGE pot of pica dillo before serving.