LDM Mexico Outreach

    How God First Touched our Hearts

    for the Mexican People

A CHILD'S PRAYER

      “Jesus, please put a house over all the children’s beds."

                                                                   Josiah Green, age two

   
                                                                            Melody and Josiah, Mexico

       One area by some railroad tracks  was especially heartbreaking in its poverty.  It was obvious they didn't have enough food, or clean water to drink or even bathe in.But Josiah didn't notice because when the children living there saw his blond curly hair, fair skin, and blue eyes they started running towards him from all directions... wanting to get a closer look and touch him. 

        Pretty soon there were about 20 kids jumping and playing with Josiah, who was having the time of his life with so many excited playmates.  Josish didn't  notice that most of his new friends  didn't have shoes or sweaters.

     Later that day when we tried to explain to Josiah the living conditions he’d seen, how could he grasp it?  After all, he was only two years old with no way to comprehend that all little boys and girls didn’t have cartoon sheets, good food, and a warm cozy house like he did.

    But he understood much more than I could have imagined.

                                                                                    Keith in front of a home.

LDM Mexico Outreach Begins

       Keith and I were so moved we wanted to help the poor in Mexico in a very tangible way. We found an old church for sale within walking distance from the Border Bridge, which meant the poorest Mexican people who had no car, could actually awalk across the border to get food and clothing to take back to their families.

     We also met a sweet married couple who had a small ministry in Hildago near the church we were going to buy.   They agreed to oversee our brand new Mexico Outreach.

                                                                                            We found a new friend. 

Our Plea to Help Mexico

      The fist thing we did when we got back home was to write an appeal in the LDM Newsletter.  We asked al of the readers to send various items for Mexico. The response was huge... a total outpouring of love and generosity!  Truck loads of blankets, food, toys, and clothing began flooding in. 

      The magnitude of giving was so great it not only overwhelmed us, but also the couple we’d left to manage the ministry in Hidalgo.  Soon we all realized that although we were blessed beyond measure by such a response, it was much more than we could possibly handle as things were. Our friends in Hildago we not cut out for such a large job but we did not want all the gifts to go to waste either.

                                                                                    The soda shop.

 Calling In The Calvary

      Now we had the Mexico Outreach up and running, but without anyone to oversee it. Keith prayed like crazy asking God what to do, and soon he bounced in to tell me, “The Lord finally spoke to me!”  So Keith made a phone call and after dinner we jumped into our car and drove a few miles down the road to see an LDM Board Member, Pastor Joe Fauss. 

      Joe Fauss ran a respected  ministry in prisons called Calvary Commission.  He'd also developed  a program for men who were serious about following God once they were released which combined strong Christian Discipleship with job skills. 

      That night Joe's wife  Charlotte said, "Honey, Keith Green called and he wants to talk to you tonight.  He said it is important." 

      When we arrived Keith got right to the point.  He said, “We started a ministry to the poor in Mexico and have a warehouse full of stuff to feed and clothe them.”

      We knew Joe had a huge heart for the poor and suffering, so Keith continued, "Joe, I want to turn this ministry over to you and Calvary Commission. I have a vision of a three-story building that would be a center for the whole southern hemisphere. I even will help you raise the money for it."

        But Joe said, “I’m sorry Keith, but we’re just too small of a ministry to take on this project.And besides we are called to work with those who are in prison”

                                            Children and families running out to see the new visitors.

      We drove  away from Joe's house very disappointed because Keith really thought he’d heard from the Lord about Joe. But the very next morning it was Joe who was on our doorstep saying,  "I woke up at 5:45 am and while still in bed I heard the Lord say, ‘Do it!’  Keith, I will send a team to Hidalgo immediately.”

       Joe was true to his word and on an airplane so quickly our heads were spinning. He flew to the interior of Mexico to bring up some of his Calvary Commission Staff to start the new base at the church on the border. 

       Meanwhile, Keith and I flew down to Hildago with some LDM Staff so we could help, too. Once there, we found we needed to rent an additional warehouse because there were so many donations.

      I will never forget seeing thousands of people stand in lines five people deep all day.  The lines stretched down and around the streets coming from the border.  We worked for days, giving grateful people all they could carry, but barely a dent was made in all that was left.

      Then Joe said, “I've calculated that at the present method of distribution, it will take 6 years to give everything away!"   So LDM rented 18-wheelers, packed them full, and sent them out  to to ministries around Mexico so all the donations got into the hands of thousands of needy families.

Josiah's Prayer

One night while the Mexico Outreach was unfolding I was putting Josiah to bed and knelt down for our usual good night prayers.  But this night was different. 

As I knelt by Josiah’s bed to tuck him in, he simply blurted out a prayer, “Jesus, please put a house over all the children’s beds.”  It was the sweetest little boy prayer I'd ever heard.

How could I have known at that moment, Josiah's prayer would bear such lasting fruit?

In fact how could any of us know that what we'd just started would end up launching an Orphanage in Mexico, right near the place where Josiah had played with the children.  Or for that matter, that Joe Fauss would want to name the orphanage after Josiah and Bethany, who had both gone to be with the Lord by then. 

by Melody Green

                                        click here to read: An Orphanage Is Born