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Ministry Update January 2011 emember the old Johnny Cash song, “I’ve been everywhere, man. I’ve been everywhere”? I found myself singing that song more than once as I traveled from country to country visiting & ministering in Latin America ChildCare (LACC) schools and events this past year. Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela and Haiti just to mention a few. But the travels always bring a testimony and example of why we do what we do. It reminds me of why we carry the Gospel to the barrios & communities that need to hear about and experience the Kingdom of God. Many times we have shared with you testimonies of children who’s lives have been transformed by the ministry of LACC, but let me briey tell you about a lady I met on a recent trip to Caracas, Venezuela. On the outskirts of Caracas is a barrio called “El Paují”, a barrio known for violence, gangs, drugs, abuse and extreme poverty. But in the midst of all of this is one of our LACC schools that is educating and ministering the love of Jesus every day. The day we visited the school, we had opportunity to see the children and hear testimonies of how God had changed so many lives and the hope that they had received. Around the noon hour we were informed that lunch was ready. As we sat down at the table the school cook brought out a wonderful meal of fried chicken. As we were eating, the pastor of the church & school, Alexis Mora, began to tell us the testimony of the cook who had prepared our lunch. Her name is Yelitza Díaz and for 18 years she was an alcoholic, crack cocaine addict as well as a drug tracker. She used her children as mules to carry drugs from one barrio to another. Her life was lled with pain & misery and she had little hope of being free from the bondage she was living in. Yelitza enrolled one of her younger children in our LACC School and one day in a drunken stupor she arrived at the school to pick up her daughter. Two teachers began to minister to her and that day she asked Jesus Christ to come into her life. A process of liberation took place in her life and today she is totally free from alcohol, drug addiction and instead of selling drugs, works for the school preparing hot meals for the children who attend the school. She told us, “It hasn’t been an easy road – but I can truly say with the Apostle Paul, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”. What a wonderful story of hope Yelitza gives us and an example of what takes place over & over again in the many schools & projects LACC ministers in everyday in 21 dierent countries. It’s not just children who are transformed, but parents & families just like Yelitza Díaz! You have had a part in changing so many lives and for that we are so very grateful! R Yelitza after serving us lunch The Barrio El Pauji. The LACC School is the bigger building in the background email: [email protected]
Transcript of Phil&LoriSchmidtstorage.cloversites.com/firstassemblyofgod6... · Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica,...
Ministry Update January 2011
emember the old Johnny Cash song, “I’ve been everywhere, man. I’ve been everywhere”? I found myself singing that song more than once as I traveled from country to country visiting & ministering in Latin America ChildCare (LACC) schools and events this past year. Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela and Haiti just to mention a few.
But the travels always bring a testimony and example of why we do what we do. It reminds me of why we carry the Gospel to the barrios & communities that need to hear about and experience the Kingdom of God.
Many times we have shared with you testimonies of children who’s lives have been transformed by the ministry of LACC, but let me brie!y tell you about a lady I met on a recent trip to Caracas, Venezuela.
On the outskirts of Caracas is a barrio called “El Paují”, a barrio known for violence, gangs, drugs, abuse and extreme poverty. But in the midst of all of this is one of our LACC schools that is educating and ministering the love of Jesus every day.
The day we visited the school, we had opportunity to see the children and hear testimonies of how God had changed so many lives and the hope that they had received. Around the noon hour we were informed that lunch was ready. As we sat down at the table the school cook brought out a wonderful meal of fried chicken. As we were eating, the pastor of the church & school, Alexis Mora, began to tell us the testimony of the cook who had prepared our lunch.
Her name is Yelitza Díaz and for 18 years she was an alcoholic, crack cocaine addict as well as a drug tra"cker. She used her children as mules to carry drugs from one barrio to another. Her life was #lled with pain & misery and she had little hope of being free from the bondage she was living in.
Yelitza enrolled one of her younger children in our LACC School and one day in a drunken stupor she arrived at the school to pick up her daughter. Two teachers began to minister to her and that day she asked Jesus Christ to come into her life. A process of liberation took place in her life and today she is totally free from alcohol, drug addiction and instead of selling drugs, works for the school preparing hot meals for the children who attend the school. She told us, “It hasn’t been an easy road – but I can truly say with the Apostle Paul, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”.
What a wonderful story of hope Yelitza gives us and an example of what takes place over & over again in the many schools & projects LACC ministers in everyday in 21 di$erent countries. It’s not just children who are transformed, but parents & families just like Yelitza Díaz!
You have had a part in changing so many lives and for that we are so very grateful!
R
Yelitza after serving us lunch
The Barrio El Pauji. The LACC School is the bigger building in the background
email: [email protected]
Phil & Lori SchmidtMissionaries Serving LACC
610-A E. Battlefield #180
Springfield MO 65807
In other news...For the past 20 years our family has lived in Latin America. In 1991 we began our missionary career living in the Central
American country of Costa Rica and lived there until 2000 when we felt the Lord directing us to move to Mexico. Throughout
our entire missionary career we have always worked with the ministry of Latin America ChildCare (LACC) on a national or
international level.
As I have communicated with you in the past, I was honored to have been asked to serve as the Executive Director for this
great ministry, a role that I have served in now for the past year. This role gives me the responsibility to travel to the 21
countries that LACC is presently working in, as well as expanding our profile here in the States. To effectively manage these
responsibilities and expand our stateside influence it has become expedient to operate out of our LACC offices in Spring-
field, MO. Therefore we will be relocating to Missouri sometime during the month of February of this year.
Some might think that we would be excited about moving back to the states but I would disagree;; in fact, it has been the
most difficult decision that my family has been forced to make in our 20 years as field missionaries. We believe that LACC's
great story of transforming, educating, and ministering compassion in the lives of children must be told so that we can do
more. The harvest is plentiful, we must labor effectively while we still can. Thank you for your continued financial support
and commitment in resourcing us to fulfill Christ’s mandate.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me or Alabama District Superintendent Ken Draughon, (our home district) or
AGWM Regional Director for Latin America, Dick Nicholson, who has walked us through this difficult decision.
Please make note of our new mailing address that is indicated on this communication. Our email address will remain the
same and you can reach us [email protected] as well as read occasional entries on our website philorischmidt.com
