Naomi Skeltis - Adventures In Missions - Serving in Matamoros, Mexico

Thanks!

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Dear Family and Friends:

Thank you for your support over the past few years. So many lives have been touched all over the world. I could tell you countless stories about families that have been changed due to the ministry; however, that could get lengthy so here is a short story. I hope you enjoy it.

The community where we lived was next to the city dump and a very poor community called Las Granjas. Las Granjas began as a squatter's village with no electricity or running water. It has progressed from that point to where they can now own the land. Although there are a few public water faucets; the residents still use candles for light and outhouses instead of indoor plumbing.

I am sure you can imagine some of the things that go on in a Mexican community like that -- rape, child abuse, drunken brawls, domestic violence, stealing... You name it, it happens there on a daily basis. It is an area that most Mexicans and Americans avoid and look down upon because it seems so broken.

However, the AIM team and I found Las Granjas to be a place where we were received like old friends. Many of the people there are warm, friendly, and simply want someone to love them. That was something we could do for them, so we spent a lot of time in that community -- just loving the people. This community is where the following story took place.

This story is about a very sweet boy named Juan. He is around the age of eleven. Juan lives with his mom, adult sister, niece and whatever boyfriends his mom and sister might have at the time in a tiny, 10 x 20, pink house with one door and two windows.

Every time I saw Juan he would run over, greet me with a smile, and a high five. I would always ask Juan about school and his friends. Then, he would smile again and be on his way.

One particular day I went down Juan's street but did not see him. I then stopped by house and found him lying in bed. His mother told me that he had been sick for several days. He looked very tired like he had the flu or something. I think before we left we said a prayer for him.

Sunday came, and Juan's mom showed up at church with him. He looked even more sick than he had just a few days before -- his tongue was swollen, his eyes were blood shot, and it took all the energy he had to walk from the church van to the chair where he sat through the whole service, not moving. Afterwards, Juan's mom asked for us to pray for her son. Several Mexicans and a few Americans gathered around and began to pray for him. We prayed for ten minutes or so but did not see an immediate change. If anything, Juan looked even worse than when he had arrived.

A few days later I went out to Las Granjas and went down his street. As I turned the corner, I saw a kid waving to me from the end of the road. I looked closer and realized it was Juan. He ran over with his usual smile and high five. He looked great and was full of energy.

I asked his mom what had happened. She said after we prayed for him he went home and went to bed. When he woke up in the morning he was hungry, so she fed him. (He had not been eating anything.) By the afternoon he was up and running around again. He was just fine and not at all sick. She was so happy that she cried and kept telling us how good God is to save her son.

This story was made possible because of your support to the work God is doing in Mexico. It is so neat that we are able to have a part in something as great as a little boy being healed. My heart is touched that God allowed me to see and experience events like this one while I was in Mexico. I have so many great memories of the time I spent there.

However, due to safety concerns my mission organization (AIM) has chosen not to have a FYM base in Mexico any longer. They did tell me that I was welcome to go anywhere else in the world where they have bases. Therefore, early this summer I began to pray about the direction God had for my life now that Mexico was out of the picture. I thought I would be going to Peru or Nicaragua, but the more I prayed about it, the more I felt it was not quite right.

I continued praying and having conversations with AIM throughout the summer, but nothing seemed to click with me. I started to realize that maybe God was calling me to something else, somewhere else. After many months of struggling with the direction God wants me to go, I have decided that continuing as a missionary with AIM is not the direction God has for me at this time. That does not mean that I am done with missions forever. It is just for this time I feel like I need a season of rest.

During the next season of my life I will be focusing my time and energy on some goals that have been in my heart for a long time. I plan to return to college as well as learn more about ministry (hands-on) in the United States of America. I have been a missionary to Mexico for almost three years and am now excited to see what kinds of opportunities God has prepared for me here.

Thank you for all your support over the last few years. If you have any questions or want to get in touch with me, my email is applegirl8@hotmail.com.

Be Blessed,

Naomi Skeltis

Oh Belize!!

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

My experience with the country of Belize is one I will never forget. Belize is a country with a little bit of everything. The inland country is a swampy, jungle that is full of critters. The costal area is rocky, with course sand and the sea is many colors of blue and green. The country has a healthy and active mosquito population that was delighted we were visiting. The people of Belize are warm and friendly but from many different nationalities including Mexican, Mayan, Chinese, American, and many more. It was fun getting to know them and experience the differences during my stay.

We had three American groups with us, a high school group from Pennsylvania, an adults group from California, and a young adult group from Florida. It was an interesting mix we had some bumps but surprisingly the groups worked well together. Our ministry included visiting children's and youth homes, a youth detention center, inner city outreach, VBS programs, prayer walking, and downtown plaza programs. I feel as though the ministries were effective and we had some great opportunities to lead people to Christ and encourage fellow Christians. It was an exciting time of ministry to the Belizeans, mixed with visiting a few tourist destinations, and encouraging the participants as well as my co leaders.

My favorite part of the trip was visiting a youth detention center. We were the first group they had ever let visit this state run detention center. The kids in there are hardcore and the guards are members of the Belizean military. It was a rough group of people. We walked in and they had all the boys seated waiting for us. In unison they all said hello then their director welcomed us. We presented a program including worship songs, testimonies, and a brief message. The room was dead silent as they listened. We then were allowed to take the boys out to play sports. An armed guard accompanied them.
I stayed back in the meeting area because I wanted to talk with the only female guard there. She looked tough. From the time we walked in and the whole time during the program her expression never changed from a cold stare. Something about her stuck out to me and I knew I needed to talk with her. After the program I walked over to her and asked her how she was doing. She seemed surprised that I had noticed her but was friendly with me. I asked her questions about her job. It began to break the ice and the expression on her face softened.

As she talked she softened more and more until finally tears were welling in the corners of her eyes. She shared with me how hard it is to work with these boys when she feels so much like a mother to them. She has two boys around the same age and it is a struggle for her to not view them like her sons. She had so much love and compassion for them it surprised me. As she talked my heart just broke for her. The reason she is working here is because she is in the military and that is where she is stationed. Her family lives 5 hours away and she misses them greatly. She does get to visit them on the weekends and that is what drives her. I talked with her for over an hour. During our conversation I was able to encourage her and pray with her. It was definitely a Divine meeting and I am thankful God allowed me that opportunity.

My experience in Belize was not at all what I expected. My expectation was the trip would be in this wonderful, tropical paradise and every thing would work out as planed. Of course it did not work out that way. My biggest surprise was the country itself. It was not a light and wonderful paradise. It is a heavy country with lots of demonic oppression. The entire time I was there it felt like I had a ton of bricks on my back. We had to pray a lot just to make it through the days because it felt like with everything we tried we encountered resistance. I am glad for the experience and that God used me there but I am glad to be back home. Thank you for the prayers those of you who were praying they were much needed. It is because of prayer that our trip was successful.

Belize

Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In the world of missions things can change so fast. This past week I found out about the opportunity for me to take a trip to Belize with AIM. My role as support staff will be assisting the project leader and participants as they minister. For some of the participants this will be the first time out of the country and others this will be there first mission experience. The age range is from ten years old to adult. It is a very diverse group. However I know God has some great things in store for them.

I am excited about this opportunity to serve the thirty-two participants on this two weeklong mission trip. I will be leaving June 16 and returning June 27. Please pray for safe travels, open hearts, safety, health, and that we will make an impact for the Kingdom of God.

Below is a brief description of the ministry we are going to be doing:

We will work on a church in Orange Walk and we'll help repair and remodel churches, homes, and mission facilities. Our inner city ministries will include work with several orphanages and Bible studies in youth detention centers. We'll stage huge block parties for kids in very poor neighborhoods in Belize City and Belmopan. Our outreach will include door-to-door evangelism in neighborhoods as directed by our pastor partners. And we will work with pastors in rural areas like Burrell Boom to share the Good News with families scattered along the Belize River and in remote villages.

If you are interested in financially supporting and partnering with me on this trip or future trips please follow the link on the left hand side of the blog page.

Building a House

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As an FYM team we built a house for a family a few weeks ago. The money for the house was raised by FYM's and all the construction was done by our team. It was a great experience for the team. The family we built the house for have three children. They were renting a house but the rent payment was so high that they did not have enough money to live off after paying rent. This house was a huge blessing to them. They are so thankful.

Hope Continued

Sun, 4 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I am sitting in the Brownsville airport because I just dropped someone off. They have free wireless and when you live in Mexico anywhere you can get wireless for free becomes a great place to hang out. I started reading the blogs the team wrote yesterday about their time here in Mexico. After I read about the first two a theme because apparent to me. The theme was that God is doingamazing things in the lives of the team members as well as in the lives of the Mexican's they are ministering to.

This revelation hit me kind of hard because for the last few weeks I have been wondering why I have fought so hard to keep this team here. One of the reasons the Mexico FYM team is still here is because God told me I needed to stay and fight to keep this team in Mexico. I have been obedient and I have dug my heels in the ground and stood. Some days it took every once of strength I had to stand but I did it. Because of that determination the plan the devil had to make Mexico FYM end did not happen.

I encourage all of you to look over the blogs of the team God entrusted into my hands and see what He has done over the past few months. Reading these blogs spoke straight to my heart. Hope is here and God is still in control. Enjoy!

http://www.abigailshoemaker.myadventures.org/

http://www.jenniferkettel.myadventures.org/

http://www.timeaszakacs.myadventures.org/

http://www.laurenhenderson.myadventures.org/

http://www.tamaraherbst.myadventures.org/

http://www.jillianandre.myadventures.org/

http://www.chadheap.myadventures.org/

http://www.jeannetaylor.myadventures.org/

Hope

Thu, 1 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I don't understand this fallen world we live in. It truly is a broken place. It seems so often that things are hopeless. However I have to remember we have hope. I asked God the question where is the hope in this world? Where is the hope in this life? Where is the hope in this situation? My prayer was, "please Father, help me I feel so hopeless." The situation felt like I was supposed to be holding a fistful of water and it was all leaking out the sides of my hand. My human strength, mind, and emotions said I could no longer do it. But God said, "wait, don't give up, there is hope."

Hope, I asked God where it was and He began to lead me through the Psalms. Psalms 23, He is with me in the valley. Psalms 91, He is my protector, shield, and defender. Psalms 42, I put my hope in God my Savior and my God. Psalms 43, I will praise my God my hope. Psalms 19, God is my rock and my redeemer. The thought then occurred to me that even though my heart is heavy today God should still be my hope. He will redeem this situation for His glory. Thank you God!

Giant, Killer Spider

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In Mexico it is relatively easy to find creatures of all shapes, sizes, and colors living in community with you in your house. The other day I found one of these little friends in the bathroom. He, the spider was black and large. With his legs stretched out he was around the size of the palm of my hand. He is not the biggest spider I have seen here but his size was noteworthy.

Normally when I find "friends" like this I find someone else to kill them because I struggle to kill something the size of a Michigan rodent with only a shoe. This time I enlisted the help of Chad one of the FYM's. After a brief photo session with the "friend" we were ready to eliminate his existence. Chad shoe in hand was ready. I stepped out about 10 feet away because spiders have been known to jump when they sense their life is in danger. Chad swung at the "friend" and made contact but not enough to kill him. The "friend" jumped to the left towards me and landed about five feet from me. I was stunned for a moment until I looked into his beady eyes. His eyes glared at me and communicated it was going to be his life or mine. One of us was going to die today and he did not want it to be him.

He took off in a swift run towards me ready to fight. I turned heal to toe and sprinted down the hall, screaming to Chad for help. All I could see flashing through my mind was a sci-fi movie I had watched where killer spiders were attacking people. The spider grew from being the size of the palm of my hand into being a 3 feet tall, killer determined to eat me. Within a flash it was over. I heard the comforting words of Chad saying the spider had been defeated. I was once again safe. Crisis was over and life went back to normal for everyone except the "friend."

Moral of the story: Fear puts things out of perspective.

Adjustments

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I want to share some about my experiences from the past four weeks. Because so much has happened I will try to be brief. The way all this affected me was I went from going along doing my RA thing to leading the entire FYM Mexico team through a time a crisis. Week one: Hearing the news and tying to make sense of it; removing the team from Mexico for a few days to try and find out what was going on; being very thankful Scott (my boss at AIM) came down to help; debriefing the team when we still had little information; helping the team process the many thoughts running through their heads; and realizing I was the one leading the team.

Week two: Returning to Mexico and staying at a different AIM base then where we were; helping with a week long mission project; trying to find out more details; accepting help from the AIM family as they reached out to our disconcerted team; introducing the team to Tony and Kelly-American missionaries that live in Mexico and are helping us; looking for a house to rent; finding the house and working out the details; talking the team through everything; and watching as five team members leave; realizing once again the team is looking to me for direction.

Week three: Figuring out how to get rent money from a bank account is in someone else's name; working out house contract issues; cleaning and packing at the church where we were living; helping move the owner of the new house out and to another house; us moving into the new house; more talking through things and processing with the team; buying food so we didn't have to continue eating sandwiches all the time; opening a bank account so I can get money to pay for things; more meeting and conversations discussing what had happened.

Week four-last week: Picking up guests who were scheduled to come and teach the FYM's during our morning class time this week; teaching Erin and Jason how to shop for food; realizing I had no money for my new, FYM bank account; talking to people so money could be transferred; getting a budget that I did not know how to read; learning how to read the budget; running out of minutes on my phone from calling AIM people so much; getting an AIM cell phone so I can continue talking to AIM people; figuring out our schedule for the next two and half months; and last but not least writing this blog along with what seems like a hundred emails.

This list is a brief overview of my life lately. It has been somewhat exhausting but I am seeing a turnaround. The team is doing very well. Ministries to the Mexicans are going better then expected. The house we moved into is so nice and perfect for what we needed. I am adjusting to being the leader. Things are getting better but please continue to pray for the situation with Bob and for his family, the team as they adjust, myself that I will be able to fill this role God has placed me in.

Bittersweet Home Going

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I wrote this on Saturday.

Bittersweet is the only word I can think of to describe the feeling in the pit of my stomach this morning. As I shut the door to the van after saying goodbye to almost half of my FYM team. It has been around 2 weeks since this whole mess started. Today, I saw a very tangible reaction to Bob's failure. My heart is hurting as I lay here in my bed wondering if somehow I have failed these FYM's. I know I had nothing to do with the situation but still a small part of me wants to understand something anything Why is it so hard to see people leave??

I have invested 5 months of my life into helping these FYM's grow and today when they left it was hard. It was hard because I wonder if I lead them properly through the situation. I question if when they were looking to me for help and advise if they saw me or they saw Christ. I question if I somehow missed something I should have seen. I question the motives of their choices to leave and I pray that it really is God's will for their lives. Lastly, I question if someday I will stumble and my fall will cause others to stumble. I have so many questions, but so few answers. Nothing seems to make sense right now.

The one thing I have to stand on during this entire trauma is the fact that I know God has called me here for such a time as this. I need to refocus myself so I can minister by pouring God's love on to the students that are left. My prayer is that I am able to finish these next 3 months with a supernatural grace and love that causes the remaining students to look back on this time and see Christ. Pray that God will bless the ones that have left and He will give them the closure they need. Please continue praying for us as we make the transition into the new house and for our restructuring from losing half the team.

Change of Pace

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Today is the first day I have had to think or write since last Sunday. Everything down here has changed very drastically this past week. The man I have served under for two years has experienced a moral failure and the effects are rippling through many lives including my FYM team. In the matter of a few hours I went from ladies RA to leader of the entire FYM Mexico team. I am now responsible for fifteen people including two staff. I am in a position that I never desired but God must know that I can do it or He would not have placed me here. The team is looking to me for leadership and guidance. I am struggling to fill the new role I have been placed in.

Please pray for the team, my former leader and his family, and me. I currently am with the team at a different AIM base in Matamoros. This base is set up for short-term trips. This week we are going to help with a trip from Canada. We have some AIM staff from Georgia coming down that are going to help this broken team and myself process everything that has just happened. My main goal for this week is trying to find a place for us to live. The place we were living is no longer an option because of a safety reasons. We have found a different area of the city to live in that is near an American missionary couple. They are going to be helping the leadership of FYM as we try to rebuild and work though everything that has happened to the team. Please pray that we can find a house to rent that is big enough, and has adequate meeting, kitchen, and bathroom farcicalities.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!

Why God?

Sat, 2 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As I walked past our neighbors house the other day I heard screaming coming from within. It is not unusual for me to hear screaming or even loud talking coming from houses as I walk past because the walls of the houses are thin and windows or doors are usually open. You can hear almost everything going on inside the houses. Normally, I do not pay attention to the noises as I walk the mile trek from the church to Bob's, our base leaders, house. Today was different for some reason and I slowed my pace to listen for a second. The words were in Spanish so I did not understand much but I knew someone was in trouble.

I figured it was probably one or both of the two girls that live at that house because it sounded like their mom yelling. These girls are only six and four but they are both very intelligent and have the sweetest hearts. Often when they see us walking by they run out to give us hugs. This afternoon as I slowed my pace I thought of what must be going on inside of them as their mom was screaming at them. Just hearing the anger in her voice made me cringe.

I heard a smack and then a soft whimper. I knew that they were not only getting yelled at but also they were also getting hit. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach and felt nauseous. I was standing here listening as my two, sweet, little friends were getting beaten because their mom was having a bad day or she was drunk. There was nothing I could do. I felt so helpless. I wanted to run in that house and defend the little girls but I couldn't. In my human strength there was nothing I could do. It is not a crime in Mexico to hit your children so I could do or say nothing.

It was making me sick standing there and listening so I continued walking. My heart was overwhelmed with so much compassion for these girls. I asked God what I was supposed to do. I am here to help people but in this situation when it seemed like the girls needed me I could do nothing. God stopped me mid sentence and said. "Why can't you pray for them and love them?" I started to explain that is a good idea but I wanted to do more. He stopped me again to remind me that prayer is one of the most powerful tools I have as a Christian. Just because I could not run in there to defend them with my human strength does not mean that I can't be defending them with my prayers.

Construction Week

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This past week we had four visitors. Three guys came down from Indiana and my brother Gabe. Because they were here we decided to change our schedule to help them with contruction. Our normal week is meet together in the morning for worship and class then in the afternoons we go out and do different ministries. This week we helped with construction of the church. It was a good change of pace for the group. They all worked very hard and we did more then Bob ever imagined we could. It was a great week of physical labor. Included is a pictoral guide of our week.

Note: Sorry the pictures all ended up weird when I posted it before. Hopefully you can actually see them now.

Cleaning up around church

Preparing to put cement down. In photo: Jeanne, Gabe

Adding sand and rock

Gabe and Jenny waiting to add water.

Jeanne moving cement

Timi and Erin pouring cement.

Finished project-job well done.

A Visitor

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Since coming down here as staff last year I have been trying to get Miss Stephanie Pack to come down here and teach one of our weekly classes. Last week all my hard work paid off and Miss Pack, one of my teachers from Bible College, came down to teach the FYMs. Miss Pack is someone that I respect greatly. My first year in college she taught my English class. From that class we developed a mentoring relationship. She has taught me a lot about people, ministry, and life. She is part of the reason I am involved in missions. This experience for me was a time where I was able to hopefully give back to her as she saw one of her former students in active ministry.

Our week started off with a Monday airport run to pick her up. Her flight was to arrive at 7:00pm. I left Mexico around 3:00pm because I needed to have enough time to get across the border and then do a few errands before I went to the airport. Around 5:00pm Miss Pack calls me and says, "I am in New Orleans." My mind quickly calculated that New Orleans was nowhere on the way to Mexico so something must be wrong. There was a problem in Houston. A storm was over the airport so they could not land. She ended up in New Orleans for a few hours then she arrived in Houston at 9:00pm.

Her next flight had been delayed from the storm and was leaving in 20 minutes. She ran through the airport and arrived at her gate only to find out they had delayed the flight another hour. She called me and let me know because I was still patiently waiting in Harlingen at the airport. With all the changes she would make it to Harlingen around 11:00pm. I was getting a little tired when 11:00 rolled around but I was excited to see her and that seemed to give me some energy.

Around the time her flight should have been arriving the she called me and said she was still in Houston but she was leaving in just a little bit. Now the flight would arrive at 12:30am. When 12:30am arrived the screen changed and arrival time became 1:00am. I was watching the clock by this time and five minutes before 1:00am the loudspeaker came on in the airport and the arrival time got pushed back to 1:30am. I was really tired by this time but I stayed awake and at 1:30am, after traveling for 13 hours, Miss Pack finally arrived in Harlingen, TX.

Little did we know that our next adventure was just around the corner. We went to collect her bags and after watching the same 5 bags go around the carousal a few times we decided her bags were not there. We filed a claim with the one agent left in the airport. Around 2:00am we were finally ready for the hour and fifteen minute drive to where I live in Matamoros.

As soon as we crossed into Mexico the Mexican border guards stopped us. I pulled off as two men approached my truck. I unrolled my window and began to answer questions. He then asked for my information and the information for the truck. He compared everything and it all checked out so he let us go. All this was strange because entering Mexico has a red light, green light system to determine which cars to search. I got the red light but normally they look in your car and say okay then you go. I have never had anything like this happen. It was now 3:00am but a least we were on our way again and had only twenty minutes left.

I drove through the quiet downtown answering the few questions she had about the buildings. She noticed some police cars and asked what they were doing. I explained they give tickets for traffic violations and that I had never been pulled over. Within one minute of those words leaving my mouth a police car was behind us with his lights on. At this point I was really wondering how something as simple as picking up someone from the airport could turn into all this.

I unrolled my window as the first officer approached. He asked me if I spoke Spanish and I said not really. He looked annoyed and then went back to his car. I was hoping he was just going to let us go. Then another officer approached the car and began to question me. I told him I was a missionary and I was coming back from the airport that is why I was on the road. He kept telling me I was speeding and he was going to give me a ticket. When I asked how fast I was going he said I was going 50mph and the speed limit was 30mph. I knew I was not going that fast because I had just looked at the speedometer and it said 35mph. I tried to argue with him but it was to no avail and I finally left with a speeding ticket. The time was now 3:20am. We traveled the remaining ten minutes and FINALLY arrived where I live at 3:30am. I was exhausted. I gave her the quick tour, found her some clothes to wear (she had no luggage) and we both went to bed.

Tuesday morning came along sooner then I wanted. I was still tired when I woke up. We, Miss Pack, and I opted to not attend our FYM group morning worship and sharing time so we had a little longer to sleep. However, 10:30 rolled around and soon I was introducing Miss Pack to the FYMers. The hour-long class flew by and before I knew it lunch was over. The FYMers went off to their ministry locations and we headed back to collect Miss Pack's luggage from the airport in Harlingen, TX. On the way to get the luggage I stopped and paid my speeding ticket so Miss Pack got to experience the Mexican Police Station. I think she enjoyed the experience so maybe it was worth the $12 I had to pay.

The rest of the day was uneventful. We arrived back in Mexico around dinnertime. We talked with the FYMs about the afternoon ministry and Miss Pack got to know the group better. It was a nice time of fellowship. Later that evening we had our Spanish class which we have every Tuesday and Thursday night. Miss Pack enjoyed it and she said it was amazing how similar French and Spanish are. She speaks French and she actually understood a lot of Spanish. I was impressed.

On Wednesday we had class, lunch, then went to the jail for ministry in the afternoon. Three of the female FYMers go to the jail twice a week to do ministry. It is a neat opportunity for them because they get a chance to disciple and talk about God to many women in the jail. Miss Pack was unsure what to think when we pulled up to the parking lot of the jail and three people with machine guns greeted us, but once she got into the jail she was fine. In the jail Miss Pack had the opportunity of sharing and loving on one of the woman in the jail who speaks English. I enjoyed the experience of getting to sit back and watch as my mentor was sharing Jesus with this woman.

On Thursday we had class and then I got to spend the afternoon with Miss Pack. It was a great experience for me. I was able to talk with her and she ministered to my heart. The time of her being here has helped me to put a lot of things back in perspective. I began to see things from a total different angle and I got wise counsel on how I could improve my leadership abilities and myself.

Friday brought the end of our amazing week of classes. I was sad the classes were over because when she teaches she brings the Bible to life and I have not heard her teach since I was a freshman in college. Friday afternoon she went with some of the FYMers to minister at a private, upper class, English speaking, school in Matamoros. Twice a week we have a team of five FYMers that go to this school and help. They teach a first grade and PE class, tutor students, love on the kids, and help with anything else the staff needs. This is a time for the FYM's to practice operating in the gifts and talents God has given them; apply the new things they are learning from our classes; reach out to the community; and establish relationships with people.

Miss Pack jumped in along side them and helped them teach the first graders. I think she enjoyed the experience even though it is a very active class. The first thing she said to me after exiting the school was she had never seen such a wild group of children and the FYMers helping with that class is something a paid teacher would not even want to do. That shows me that God must be working in all this because the FYMers are still going back. God is using them in a unique way to reach the upper class of Matamoros.

Our Friday evening consisted of dinner and then what we call "girls and guys night." We divide the girls and guys then we have separate Bible study, fun activities with them. I lead the night for the girls and I had asked Miss Pack to share whatever was on her heart with them. Our fun thing was she made cookies with them and then in the Bible study she talked about being a woman of influence. The girls of course loved it and it was a nice time for me to be able to relax not worrying about preparing the Bible study.

On Saturday morning I took Miss Pack back to the airport. It was hard for me to say goodbye because I might not get to see her again until the summer. I did enjoy her visit very much. She defiantly impacted the team in a way I never could. They were challenged to grow and most of the embraced that challenge. I am thankful she took the time to come down here and give of herself to the entire team even if it was only a short visit.

Cockroach Ministry

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I feel like ministry is sometimes viewed as the perfect job. It is perceived as a job where it never seems like work because people's lives are always being changed. The minister floats around on a cloud and lives in some sort of Jesus bubble where everyone loves. God is always speaking and you never wonder if what you are doing is worth it. This idea often has nothing to do with ministry. The reality is ministry is all about the little things. Little things like cockroaches.

Cockroaches have been abundant this year in Mexico. It seems everywhere I turn I am finding the nasty little creatures. They especially like to hang out in our bathroom. I don't really like them but one of the girls on our team is terrified of them. A few nights ago I heard a scream and then a fast knock on my door. When I opened my door I found this girl, standing in the hallway, sopping wet, with only a towel covering her. Not knowing what had happened I was concerned because anything can happen in Mexico.

I walked her back to the bathroom and asked what was up. She started choking out between sobs something about a cockroach. Apparently, she was showering and when she went to use her shower puff a cockroach was on it. She whipped the puff across the room, ran out of her shower stall, put a towel on and ended up standing the hallway outside my door in a puddle of tears and shower water. If she had not been so upset it would have been humorous.

In the bathroom I assured her there were no cockroaches on her and I checked the rest of her shower stuff to make sure none had crawled in. She calmed down and we prayed that she would not find any more cockroaches and that God would help her deal with this fear. It was a simple prayer but it worked. To date she has had no more encounters with cockroaches. This is a miracle because the week previous to this encounter she found more cockroaches then I had seen my entire stay in Mexico. Through something as small as praying with her about cockroaches I am being used by God to minister into her life.

Say What?!

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The other day I stopped at the Mexican version of a mall to grab a quick lunch. Forty-five minutes later I came back out to my truck and realized something was different. I looked at the back of the truck and realized the tailgate was down. I thought to myself that is strange and I walked around to close it. When I got to the back of the truck I realized my tailgate was not down it was just no longer there. Apparently someone needed or wanted a little, blue truck tailgate so they took mine. I am not very happy my tailgate was stolen but on the upside it is a little humorous. Please pray that nothing else comes up missing. Thanks!

Mexico FYMer's Have Arrived

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Week one of Mexico FYM 07-08 is almost over. I can hardly believe it. The last few weeks are basically a blur. The first part of September I was in Georgia for staff training. Then on Sept 12 the FYM's arrived for their training in Georgia. The quiet, peaceful, office in a matter of moments turned into one loud roar of excitement as 150 new missionaries arrived. We were glad everyone arrived safely. The Georgia FYM training lasted for one week. It was intense and challenging for the participants but we all survived.

My team arrived in Mexico on Wednesday, September 19. The team is doing great with the heat, lack of comforts, and bugs. They are all adjusting well. I know God has great things in store for the team over the next few months. Today we sent them out for the first time to ride the public transportation. The first time they ride the bus in Mexico is a memory they will not soon forget. Riding the bus I have seen everything from a man singing for money to the bus crashing into a car. It is always an adventure on the Mexican bus.

Things for me have been challenging these last few weeks. I am physically drained from all the things I have done in the last month. In a matter of a few weeks, I have driven from Michigan to Mexico, set up for a nine month trip, went to GA for training, and now I am responsible for a team of 13. My body is screaming for rest and a break. I feel like I could sleep for a few days. Thankfully in the next week or so things are going to calm down and I should have some time to rest. I am ready for us to get into some sort of a normal routine. That is if anything is ever normal in Mexico.

Peru Earthquake

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The earthquake in Peru has effected several of the missionaries I know living in Lima, Peru. They are working in Lima, Peru to establish a First Year Missionary Program like the one we have in Mexico. Lima was effected with mostly minor structural damage except some of the poorer areas where some people have lost their homes. The places hit the worst by the earthquake are between 3-4 hours from Lima. This link is a report written after these missionaries visited some of the harder hit areas.

http://www.adventures.org/newsletters/docs/earthquakeupdate2.asp

Thank you!

Mon, 28 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I just want to say a special thanks to everyone who has been supporting me in prayer, financially, and many other ways. This past year has been a time of great learning for me. I have seen God work in ways I never dreamed but I have also had some hard times along the way. Even with all the things that have happened I know God wants me to come back down here for at least one more year. In August I will head to Georgia for training and to welcome our new FYM group. Then in September I will be back in Mexico until May 2008.

I am now going back to Michigan for a few months to work and raise more support. Currently I have $600 in monthly support and I need to raise another $300 in monthly support to reach my goal of $900 in monthly support. If you are currently supporting me monthly and you wish to continue supporting me it will be put in my account. From the money I have in my account I will receive paychecks when I return in the fall.

During the time I will be home if you would like to hear more about what I am doing in Mexico feel free to contact me. My email address is naomiskeltis@adventures.org; or my cell phone #616.745.3898. I would love to hear from you.

Thank you and God bless,

Naomi

Searched by the Military

Tue, 8 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Last night I had a very interesting experience at the plaza in downtown Matamoros. I was at the plaza with the FYM's, Mexican Bible College students, and a group of American's who are visiting for a one-week mission trip. Our group in total was quit large so we rode to the plaza in an old school bus that the American group was using for the week. Ministry time went well. We were able to talk, show love, and explain the Gospel to many people.

It was a good night and we were all getting back on the bus to leave when two military vehicles pulled up across the street. This was no big deal because here you see Mexican military all over the place. They have checkpoints you stop at and you also see them just driving around the city. There are always at least two trucks, one of the trucks has several men with machine guns and the other has a manned machine gun thing on top with four or five other men surrounding him with machine guns. They are slightly intimidating the first few times you see them or are stopped by them.

When they pulled up across from us it was business as usual for us however to the American group visiting it was a big deal. One guy shouted to one of the teens on the bus to take a picture. The fifteen year old got out his camera and took two photos. Next thing I know an armed, military man is on the bus walking past me to the kid. He stopped in front of the terrified kid and ordered him to take out his camera. One of the guys with us started to stand up to help the kid and the armed man shouted, "Sit down!" He ordered the kid to show him the photos and delete them. The kid obliged and the military man turned around said thanks then walked off the bus leaving a group of speechless American's.

The visiting group of American's got really scared. They nervously talked about it for the half hour ride home and until that left last night. Every single one of them was red as beets and pouring sweet even after the military man got off the bus. The strange thing about this whole situation is to me it all seemed normal. In my mind when I saw him standing next to me I thought, "oh, guess they want to look on the bus." I was not afraid, I was not worried, and my heart did not race. I simply knew we were okay because God protects us and people are praying for us. So thank you for the prayers and please continue praying.

JFBC Project

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Our group just finished helping with the biggest mission trip in the history of AIM. The Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (JFBC) project was a large group but with everyone working together it was a huge success. We had 350 participants, 42 translators, and 11 staff. It was crazy. In the course of five days we built 21 houses, had 12 children's programs, evangelized several communities, encouraged countless Christians, and saw over 300 people come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. It was a load of work but the results of so many lives being changed made it all worth it.

My group, the FYM's were in charge of making sure chores got done. That meant I had to over see and help with chores for almost four hundred people. Mostly our chores included setting up and tearing down tables and making lunches. The table tear down and set was done once a day and with JFBC students helping it was a fairly, quick and smooth process. Making and packing lunches for four hundred people proved to be more of a challenge.

Each night we made over six hundred and fifty sandwiches and packed enough chips, cookies, and fruit for four hundred people's lunches. We had the participants helping us but even with five teams of eight or nine people helping it took at least a forty-five minutes every night to make the lunches. It was funny some of our helpers did not understand they had to count the sandwiches or that they should not be eating sandwiches as they were being made. Even with the bumps it went well and everyone had food for lunch.

The project was a definite growth experience for the FYM's and myself. In addition to overseeing chores we also each were helping with different ministries during the days. We were drivers, prayer partners, translators, evangelism coordinators, errand runners, question answerers, VBS helpers, feeding ministry experts and anything else you could possibly think of. It was a great time for the FYMers to practice many of the things they have been learning over the last several months. I saw every FYMer step into a role/ministry they had never tried before. It was fun seeing God's work in their lives and knowing I had a small part in helping with that process.

The trip was a huge success. JFBC had nothing but good things to say about how well the project went. The people from the three communities we worked in had great things to say about our group. The Mexican adults and children were very open and accepted the American's as friends. Many of the JFBC student's lives were changed. Some for the first time saw the world is a much different place then the American suburbs they are used too. At times it was hard for them to see the poverty of Mexico but I hope this experience has somehow changed the way they view the world. When they think about the trip I pray they see that when Jesus said, "Go into all the world and make disciples," He actually was speaking literally.

UPDATE: The family I wrote about in the article Stuck in the Mud have continued growing in their relationships with God. Every Sunday the whole family comes to church and they participate in a weekly cell group. When Johnson Ferry Church was here one of the twenty-one houses they built was a house for this family. It is amazing to the way God works.

Beached

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The last few weeks here have been good but they have also been very challenging for me. I am seeing God working in people's lives but I am also seeing the struggle people have when they resist God working on them . The last few weeks God has been bringing the students to a point of decision. They need to decide if they are going to continue the next two months strong or if they are going to give up by saying the program is almost over and the next two months don't matter. As leaders we have been praying that they will decide to continue letting God use them and work in their lives but ultimately it is up to them. Please continue to pray for all of us down here that God's purpose will be accomplished.

In the beginning of March I had a visit from a family friend. I had been feeling a bit homesick so the visit came at a perfect time. Jenny is 19 years old and a freshman in college. We have known her family for years and when I was home in November I invited her down for her spring break. I wanted her to see the FYM program and how a different part of the world lives. I think it was an eye opening experience for her and it really blessed me to have her visit.

We were able to talk about things going on back home and we laughed a lot. It was a welcomed break for me because Bob the base leader had been gone and I had not taken a break in a while. I had been teaching the morning classes for two and half weeks before her arrival and that with all the other FYM responsibilities I was drained. We took an afternoon and we went out to the beach. It was beautiful. I had not been out there since coming back in October. It was a long over due day at the beach. Jenny also participated in the some of the ministries we do here. She helped with a children's outreach, visited families in Los Granjas and Libertad, and even went to the jail. It was a busy few days for her but I think she got a good taste of the FYM program.

Land of Beauty

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

When I first arrived in Mexico in January 06 I wondered if I had really heard God's voice telling me to come here. The place was so dirty and ugly. I peered through the bars out the window of my room and I saw what looked like a small mountain, actually it was the city dump. There was little grass and lots of dirt. It seemed everything was broken and trash was everywhere. The air was heavy with the smell of burning trash, sewage and animal waste. I sat on my bed and asked God if I really had to stay here.

My heart has changed since that first day in Mexico. The place is still ugly, dull, and smelly but I have realized God had a bigger plan. The reason God brought me here was not to admire the land but the people both Mexican and American. The people I have come in contact with are not perfect but they are willing to let God use them. When you come across people open to God you find that they have a special beauty within them. The beauty I found shining through people in Mexico was unexpected and stirring. I have been challenged to begin to try and seek out the beauty in everyone. God has taught me that even in the place I thought I could never see beauty there was beauty all around me.

Stuck In The Mud

Fri, 2 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Kelsey and I decided to visit a family in our neighborhood. We drive over to visit for a half hour and then continue to pick up a group I had dropped off in Las Granjas. From where we were to quickest and easiest way there was the "back way through the fields". I did not think much of this because it had not rained in days and the roads were dry. Everything was fine until we were about a mile from Las Granjas. It was dusk so I could not see the road well and we got into a couple hundred feet stretch of mud. I drove faster and we made it almost through. In the last twenty feet the tires started to spin.

I knew as soon as we slowed down we were in trouble. The van was stuck in the field of mud. All I wanted to do was cry. We called Bob but he was not home. We did get Marisa and they got Julian to come for us it took almost an hour b efore he arrived. He looked at the van and said "WOW you are not going anywhere." The van was buried up to the bumper in the front and back. I felt like a fool. I was powerless and annoyed. I had people waiting all over the city for a ride home and there I sat in the mud. My shoes were covered and I wondered why I was here. My legs were itchy, muddy, and sticky but there was nothing I could do but wonder why.

The previous two paragraphs are from my journal on October 27, 2006. It was shortly after I arrived in Mexico and it was a bad day as you can tell. I was very frustrated with myself and the mud. I ended up picking everyone up about two hours late. The group waiting in Las Granjas was scared because there is no electricity there and it gets really dark at night. They stopped at a store and talked with the owners for almost two hours until we arrived.

Since then they have continued to visit that family and last Sunday they came to church. We were all quite amazed. On Tuesday they went and visited the family to talk and see how they liked church. The conversation turned to God and both the mother and son accepted Jesus Christ into their lives. After they prayed the son started moving around a lot. He keep saying my back does not hurt anymore. He is diabetic and the past few weeks his sugars were going crazy and his back has been hurting none stop. God did a miracle for that family last week and I wonder if any of it would have happened if I had not gotten stuck in the mud.