Salt&LightMag1st Issue

You are the salt of the earth; You are the light of the world; Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:13a;14a;16

1st issue, April 2009, 2Q

Joyelle’s StoryF e a t u r e :

Women Ministry Leaders

Featured in Pastors Section Pg.4

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7111 Pan American Highway NE • Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109• 505.345.8900 • www.starlineprinting.com

S TA R L I N E P R I N T I N G

Editor in ChiefDaniel Ruiz

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PhotographyGabriella Sanchez

Special Thanks to:The men, women and youth who took time to meet with us for an interview or who wrote an article. To the Chris-tian owned businesses who stepped out on faith and paid for ads in our first magazine. This magazine would not and will not move forward without the fi-nancial support of our Christian businesses. To the volunteers who helped with articles. Thank you all, for your help, support and prayers!Our hope for the sec-ond issue is to video record all Q&A inter-views and have them available in our online magazine.

of ContentsPastors Section ..........................4 College Section .........................9

Youth Section ..........................14

Family Section .........................16

Outreach Section .....................20

International Section ...............24

Featured Story .......................28

Event Guide ............................30

New Mexico’s Body of Christ (NMBOC) was created to spread the Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ and strengthen the ministries of His children. To join and knit together all Christ centered Businesses, Organizations, Churches, Classes and Events in New Mexico. To have a Christ-centered website for one to shop, find faith based businesses and organizations to work with, to find classes, events and churches to attend in New Mexico that will edify His children and strengthen the Body of Christ.

Our Purpose: To unite New Mexico Christ-centered Events, Ministry & Counseling Classes, Businesses, Organizations and Churches joined and knit together on our website. To live and demonstrate a visual and functioning Body of Christ throughout New Mexico. To bring to life Ephesians 4:15-16, Ephesians 2:19-22, Romans 8:28 & 1 Cor. 1:10.

Salt & Light Magazine is an extension of NMBOC. If you would like to write an article or advertise your business or just have an idea to help our magazine further God’s Kingdom please contact us! Together WE are His Body!

Contact Info:p. (505) 264-5201 f. (505) 884-4507

PO Box 3495 Albuquerque, NM [email protected]

NewMexi co sBodyofChr i s t . c om

My name is Carmen Camino and I’m originally from Lima, Peru. I have the privilege of serving as one of the teachers at the Women at Calvary in Albuquerque as well as being Overseer of its evening Bible Study. As a bilingual teacher I also travel to Mexico and Peru to teach God’s Word at women’s conferences and women’s jails.

When I got saved 10 years ago, I developed an incredible hunger

and thirst for God’s Word. It seemed that I could never get enough of Him. I wanted to know Him more, love Him more, and serve Him better.

F.B. Meyer said, “Read the Bible not as a newspaper, but as a letter from home.” This reminds me of when I was sixteen years old. I had a boyfriend, and we were in love

with each other. That summer, he had to travel to the Andes of Peru to work on a project. We were separated for two long months. I didn’t think I could survive being away from him for so long. Every morning I anxiously waited for the mailman to deliver a letter from him. He wrote to me every day. When I got a letter, I could feel my heart racing with excitement as I opened it. I would read it and re-read it with an eager desire to know his heart, and his love for me through his letter. I would hang on to every word. He was my beloved.

The Bible is a love letter from Jesus, our Savior. He is our ultimate Beloved. As we diligently read His Word everyday with excitement and expectancy, hanging on to His precious words, we are able to hear His heart and see His love for us through the pages of Scripture. Do you love the Word of God? Do you want to know and love Him more? James 4:8 says, “Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.”

I am Dr. Deb Gunderman, D.Min. A small town in Iowa and the Pres-byterian Church were the center of my life growing up. By participat-ing in all of the church activities, I had no doubt that I was a good Christian girl. Then, in my late teens, I vividly remember telling God that small town life was not enough for me. Determined to see the world and make it on my own, I left for college. The feminist

movement, Eastern religions, and New Age philosophies became my way of life. Two degrees in Social Work required studying and practicing the theories of psychol-ogy. I believed all of this equipped me to live a success-ful life. But, when the crises and tough times came, I ran to God and the church for comfort. During this time, I moved and changed jobs frequently. Marriage and divorce occurred before I was forty. Illness removed the possibility of having children. Diagnosis and treatment for cancer impacted my life as well. After 20 years in

Texas, my life was uprooted with a move to New Mex-ico. Failure of a business partnership finally brought me to my knees. I had no more places to go or things to do to try and get my life back in order. In December 2003, I repented of my sins and asked Christ into my life as Lord and Savior. This started the most incredible journey of my life – walking with Him. Through reading Scrip-ture, attending a Bible based church, and taking classes at Trinity Southwest University, God showed me what it truly means to be a Christian. In September of this year, I finished my Doctor of Ministry degree in Biblical Coun-seling and began my ministry to women. Colossians 1:10 best expresses the vision I have for women through Walking in The Way – “That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Quite unexpectedly, God invited me to host a live, call-in Christian radio talk show for women on KKIM-AM1000 and FM94.7. Every Saturday morning from 8:05 to 9:00 AM, I am blessed to share with women information that will hopefully touch their lives and encourage them as they come to know Christ and walk in His ways.

Carmen CaminoCalvary of AlbuquerqueTeacher of the Women @ Calvary & Bible Study Overseer

Dr. Deb Gunderman, D.Min.Christ Community FellowshipBiblical Counselor &Teacherwww.walkingintheway.com

We have a young church and our desire from its inception is that it would be known by its LOVE. Our goal is to form a spiritual family of Believers who exhort and edify one another and who walk out their love and gratitude to Christ through evangelism. I share my husband’s passion for depth in relationships and we take our inspiration from John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”.

My primary function in church life is Children’s Ministry which is a natural outflow of my goals as a mother. Deu-teronomy 6:6-7 expressly instructs parents: “These words which I command you today shall be in your heart; you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up”. In obedience to God’s leading, our family has chosen to homeschool. We feel it best equips us to train up our children in a Christ-centered envi-ronment where our sons can be the men God has purposed

for them to be. A wise man once said, “There is no greater place of ministry, position, or power than that of a mother”. As we fill our hearts with God’s Word, invest our time in our children’s lives, and diligently and deliberately point to The Way-we are certainly fulfilling the Great Commission!

I am also sincere about challenging myself, and those God has brought into my spiritual family, to be intentional and diligent regarding our Christianity. I desire that our love for Christ would be reflected in obedience and excellence in everything we say and do. My Pastor is fond of saying, “It’s all a choice”. So let us choose to forsake our “pet” sins, discipline our lives for the sake of the Kingdom, and cultivate a heart of gratitude. Only then will we experience joy, fulfillment and victory in this walk of sanctification!

My prayer is to honor the Lord in all aspects of my life- thought, speech, action and activities; to exemplify Christ’s character as I respond and relate to people and circumstances; to continually deepen my fellowship with the Lord and other Believers and in the knowledge of His Word. Simply, to be a woman of excellence bringing glory to Christ through…LOVE.

This last year I’ve been rethink-ing some important issues. I was perplexed with the culture and what it had become for my kids, grandbabies and fellow believers. I started to be more cynical about the world, a little resigned that it was only going to get worse so I needed to get used to it. I found myself relying on my own wisdom and lazy about seeking God. This was not the Christian of thirty-two

years I wanted to be and I started to get sick of myself. That is usually what it takes in my life to pursue change. So the mini-journey began.

The spring semester our women’s ministry did the Beth Moore study, Believing God. The main point for me was her question: “Does your theology match your reality?” It started to consume me. I did not feel that my theology matched my reality the way Christ would want it to. If I believed that God can do what He says He can, why do I not pray more? If I believe that I am saved by grace, why do I stress over my performance as a believer? If Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life why do I think in my head

people are not interested and keep my mouth shut? I want to “really believe” what He says and “really respond” to His words as an example to my kids and others.

In the middle of my mini-journey I was visiting with my grown up son. He was sharing about his real estate train-ing and his general thinking of the business world and life. He is an all or nothing kind of guy and believes if something is important or a priority to you, you should do it with all your being. His trainers were encouraging him to look for five star customers. People that act instead of those who just talk. That is when it hit me. I want to be a Five Star Christian, one where my walk (reality) matches my talk (theology). I was able to say it out loud to my son that being a Five Star Christian was what I wanted to be, all the time.

This nine month journey has put a spark in my faith that was needed. I am much more aware of the truth of the Bible, even if the culture says differently. Since then I’ve been challenged daily to match my actions with my beliefs and with God’s grace and I want to challenge and ask you if your actions match your beliefs, as we courageously deal with the culture of this world.

Heather FicklinWife of Pastor Brad FicklinEvangel Ministries - AlbuquerqueChildren’s Ministry Leader

Trish SchlichteWife of Pastor Don SchlichteRio West Community Church - Rio Rancho Women’s Ministry Leader


Three years before retirement from the Albuquerque Police Department, I was sitting in church engrossed in Franklin Graham’s thoughts about missionary ministry. Then, out of nowhere, God decides to interrupt the sermon by whispering, “do you want to work for Me?” Me work for You? The only reason I didn’t laugh is because I didn’t want God to compare me to Sarah when He promised her a child at the age of ninety. Walking into church with only breakfast on my

mind, I walked out a completely different person because I said “yes!” to God. It only took me 37 years to mean it. I always wonder why people refer to the patience of “Job”. I honestly don’t know why he picked me, but it seems like the very next day, I enrolled in Bethany Bible College. I received my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion/Bible Studies and immediately fol-lowing graduation, began formal training through the Master’s Divinity School of Chaplaincy. I completed all my studies in May 2001 and after 5 years of school and Chaplaincy training; I still wandered aimlessly wondering how God was going to use me, until September, 2001. My church at that time, Calvary Chapel, was looking for those who serve in the capacity of pub-lic safety, to respond to New York to provide grief counseling on behalf of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to those working nonstop at Ground Zero, still looking for bodies of fel-low police officers and firefighters who were still missing after

the worst terrorist attack on America. It was the most intense experience of my life. When I returned, I thought perhaps it was my calling to be a Police Chaplain. I went to my first death notification. It was the second most intense experience of my life. After telling a wife that her husband and father of three small children had just been killed in a motorcycle accident, I drove home and told God, “I am never doing this again.” I am sure that anyone reading this that has had a lapse in judgment by telling God you won’t or can’t do something has found that His never ending sense of humor takes over, and well, here I am still doing it 5 years later. I am living proof that He meant it when He said “For I know the plans I have for you” because He turned the biggest crybaby He ever created into a pillar of strength and comfort for people during the worst times imaginable. Once God and I became one person and I learned to just stand there and let Him do all the work through me, that’s when I had it all figured out. 95% of my life is spent listening. The other 5% God releases the perfect words, in His perfect timing, from my mouth. People look at me with admiration, but it’s not me. He also meant it when He promised not to leave us hanging out there on our own. We are nothing without God and the second you believe that every time you walk into a situation, that God didn’t stay behind in the car to finish listening to a praise song, the burdens you constantly put on your shoulders are suddenly on His, and human fear turns into guts for God, and everything falls into place. And never forget, the second you take the credit for it, you will fall flat on your face. Good thing He’s standing right there to pick you up again, and again, and again.

Deborah KuidisSagebrush Community ChurchAlbuquerque Police Chaplain

What an amazing time we live in as believers to declare and believe for this generation and the generations to come. I wanted to share one of my favorite verses. It is Ephesians 3:20. In the amplified version, God says “Now to Him, Who, by the action of His power that is at work within us, is able to carry out His purpose and do Superabundantly, far over and above all that we ask or think (infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams - To him

be Glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all gen-erations forever and ever.”

I have seen the reality of this verse over and over. I believe every part of this verse and want to encourage you to declare it over 2009. I want to share just a few of the ways He has done what only He could do to encourage and strengthen you in your faith. My husband and I moved with our boys to be home mis-sionaries to the Mescalero Apache nation. We served there 5 ½ years and the past 10 as pastor and worship leaders in Ruidoso. In the 16 years we have been in New Mexico, we have seen God

bring people (all kinds of people) together because they love God and want to see heaven on earth. Seeing people find their Savior and discover they live for Eternity is so awesome. You too have probably had events in your life that you knew could only be described as God-events. We have watched people realize that we are created to worship and that our God longs to align us to His heart when we worship in Spirit and truth. We have seen unity demonstrated in its best form as pastors from different churches in our area come together to pray and serve, as the whole community comes together in one location for a weekend of worship and Word, and a group of men known as Band of Brothers meet to pray and study how to live out God’s word in the workplace. I have watched God bring our local newspaper and Christian radio station to work together for unity.

The latest above and beyond thing currently in our world is called “church out of church” God has been misrepresented to some and our heart is to go outside the walls and share the simple truth of His love and the amazing way He came from the staircase of heaven to earth as a man and died and rose again just for US. He did this JUST BECAUSE HE REALLY LOVES US. Bringing the kingdom to earth. That is God’s heart. I share these testimonies with

Julie GillilandWife of Pastor Tim GillilandFBC and Church out of church - Ruidoso Worship Leader

Lenya Heitzig Wife of Pastor Skip HeitzigCalvary of Albuquerque Women’s Ministry Leader

you so you will know how God is moving in our part of New Mexico. Each of us are called and appointed to live for such a time as this. He has special plans and purposes only YOU can fill. Let’s ask together that our Father, by His power is at work within us, will carry out His will and do superabundantly

above and beyond (not just enough) but SUPER-ABUNDANTLY ABOVE all we could ask or imagine, beyond our thoughts, hopes and dreams. For His glory and by His power at work within YOU.” That is the One we call Savior, Lord and King of Kings.


When did you know that the Lord wanted you to be a pastor’s wife?

I was not raised as a Christian. In fact, I worked in a discotheque dur-ing my college days. However, not long after I surrendered my heart to the Lord, my leading began with a thought. Perhaps you can describe this thought as a desire freshly planted in my heart. You see, never in my life had I experienced such delight and contentment in a pursuit as I had in seeking God. I believe that as I wor-

shiped Jesus, and as I learned His ways and obeyed His com-mands, He would cultivate desires in my heart that were His very own. My budding desire was to become a pastor’s wife. One day I told my godly roommate about my little inkling and she looked at me like I was crazy and shouted, “No way!” She absolutely couldn’t relate. It was then that I realized that this was a God given desire.

What advice would you give women who are seeking to be a pastor’s wife?

One important truth is to know that you are called to your ministry as a pastor’s wife and be willing to compliment your husband –together- as a team. To be fruitful as a Pastor’s wife, I encourage others to, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4). This has been my life verse since first coming to Christ.

How do we delight in the Lord and demonstrate our delight?

It is through His word and worshipful obedience that we delight in God. This delight seeks to discover what the Lord loves. He’s not a genie in a bottle that gives us whatever we

desire. Instead as we delight in Him, we begin to desire what He desires. However, to show delight in a person, you must discover what brings that person delight.

Can you give us an example of delighting in someone?

For instance, my list of favorite things to do include curling up with a good book next to the fire, homemade cookies fresh out of the oven, and watching old black and white movies. This means that if my husband wants to plan a day designed to win my affection, he wouldn’t plan a day that included sky-diving, rock climbing and a four-wheel excursion into the wilderness to roast wild game over an open flame - I would not be thrilled. For Skip to express his love in a way that is meaningful to me he must get to know me, discover what I like and dislike; then he can communicate his love in a way that is pleasing to me. Like-wise, to express your delight in the Lord, you must discover what pleases Him. What He likes and dislikes and delights in - those things that are pleasing to Him.

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Nora EspinozaChurch on the Move - RoswellNM House of RepresentativesDistrict 59

The Lord had begun to impress upon my heart the importance of intentional one on one relationship in the Body of Christ. And as so often is His way, He took me to the “lab of real life” and let me experience what it was to be ministered to, walked beside and loved deeply as I moved through my pain. As I look to the tumultuous days ahead, building and investing in relationships with others will be incredibly strategic as we reach our community for Christ and walk well

beside other believers.

What is the Biblical basis for shepherding one another? God is often referred to as our shepherd, so foremost as we look to Him, we will see a perfect model to follow in our interac-tions with others. Throughout the life of Jesus on earth, as we observe His interactions and reactions, we see gentle, honest, authentic shepherding.

A passage that has gripped my heart relative to this issue is Hebrews 10:19-25. This passage reveals two things about shepherding. First, it gives us the basis by which we are even able to shepherd one another. It is through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross we receive His Holy Spirit living in our lives, enabling supernatural power to flow through us as we care for

one another. We are able to boldly approach God to receive His grace, wisdom and love. Second, these verses command us to consider how to stimulate each other to love and good deeds. To ‘stimulate’ in the Greek language is a very strong encour-agement to do something. It is not a passive word of reflection but an active word calling each of us to dynamically find ways to love and do one another good. A second phrase captured me in commanding us to “encourage one another.” What does encouragement mean? Simply, it means to call near, invite, invoke, beseech, to be of good comfort, exhort, entreat and to pray. All of these definitions describe the actions of a shepherd; pursue, call near, invite, offer comfort, speak truth in love and gentleness and pray deeply for one another. Learn more about Shepherding by reading the full article in our online magazine.

Dianne ChristensonHoffmantown ChurchWomen’s Ministry Director

Aaron JonesRenovate – Calvary college aged Ministry


When I was in the first grade I proclaimed to the world, well my first grade class that I wanted to be a teacher. Others in my class gave the typical, firefighter, policeman, and doctor answers. So when my senior year of high school rolled around I was floored and dumb-founded when I felt God calling me to do music for the rest of my life. Like most families, I was brought up to know that a good

education equals a good job and overall success in life. But after I felt God’s calling to pursue a musical career the idea of college didn’t really fit in. I felt like God had a different idea for my life. One of the hardest decisions I had to make in my young life was to drop out of college. That meant, goodbye to my job on campus, my scholar-ship, and many awards I received that year. But that big leap of faith has turned into nothing short of a blessing brought out of obedience to Him. Although confused and not really certain where God was taking me, I hung onto the words of Proverbs 16:9, which says “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

With God’s word in my heart I slowly started to move forward, first seeking Him and His wisdom because really I didn’t have any idea where to start. In early 2007 God started to form the idea of putting together a band in my mind. I had written music alone in my room with a guitar for a long time, but I felt like God wanted a team of people

with the same dream and desires He placed in my life to surround me. My biggest desire was that whoever it was, that we pursued God, then music, because if we put Him first, He would take care of the rest. Ultimately, it’s about Him and sharing Him with the world through music, that His name would be known more than our own. Thank-fully, God placed three godly men in my life who all serve on the worship team with me at Sagebrush Community Church. Steve Walston (lead guitar), Alan Feuer (bass guitar), and Jared Williams (drums) have been the core and together we form our band Gozur. It’s funny how God works sometimes. How He takes dreams of being a teacher and still uses it, but in a different way. I now have the opportunity through music to teach students and adults alike who the Lord has been in my own life and who He’s been throughout all of time.

Since the forming of Gozur we’ve been given numerous opportunities to lead students in worship, do concerts filled with our original material, and so much more. In October 2008 we were asked to go to Nashville, TN to do a showcase out there. We are now currently recording our original material which should be up on our MySpace (myspace.com/amandagozur) by the beginning of 2009 as well. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would be in this place. What I love about God is that He is faith-ful even when I’m not. And no matter how many times I try to plan my life, God always knows what’s best for me. It’s been a rollercoaster couple of years, but there’s no one else I would rather have laying the tracks.

Amanda GozurSagebrush Community Church

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organizations around New Mexico!

“You Move Me”

In a song by Susan Ashton called “You Move Me”, she sings a chorus that says

“But you move me, you give me courage I didn’t know

I had, you move me. I can’t go with you and stay where I am so, you move me.”

We are meant to be moved by our relationship with the Lord. We are given the ability to see, taste, hear and smell, which opens us to a world of wonder He has created for us. When you allow the fullness of God to reside in you, is when you begin to see the beauty He has for you. His desire is to have a close intimate relationship with you, where you are nurtured, fed and grow into the beautiful princess you are intended to be. Have you allowed God into your heart? Are you will-ing to open your heart fully and completely to Him? If yes, then you need to allow Him complete control of your life. (As written in the book “When God writes your Love Story and When God writes your Life Story” by Eric & Leslie Ludy)”Don’t just allow the Lord to be the author of your love story, let Him be the author of your life story”. Allow your heart to explore the love relationship with your truest love, Jesus Christ. Give Him the opportunity to show you the beautiful plan He has for your life. Let your focus be on God and what He has called you to, instead of allowing your focus to be on your Mr. Maybe. Do you take the time to consult the Author of your love story to see if your Mr. Maybe is the leading man in the story He has written for you? Or are you controlling the pen trying to write your own story. The interesting thing is if you would keep your

focus on God you would find so much more waiting for you. You would see that God’s main focus for you is not finding you a man. Instead you would find that God is interested in showing you what your gifts are and what the true desire of your heart is. You would find that the Lord would want to mold you, shape you and grow you into a strong young woman that has a purpose. You would find that Gods plan for your life is to reach out to those that are lost. No matter who you are God has called us all into some type of ministry. All you have to do is allow your heart to be open so that you can begin to hear God’s still small voice telling you how He wants to use you and how He’s going to change you. Just remember if you love Him and put Him first your world will be open to more than the man standing in front of you. Trust the Author of your life story to not only show you your calling/ministry, but to write your leading man into your life no matter where you are. Allow Him to bring you a man who loves the Lord, who will encourage you, support you in your ministry and who will treat you like the princess you are; the daughter of our heavenly King.

All you need to do is let God move you.

Kristina KutemeyerSister Soldiers Ministries

[email protected]


1.Find a sponsor: This is usually a teacher or parent. Whoever it is will have to be in the meetings with you.

2.Elect Officials: Most schools will make all clubs have elected officials, such as President, Vice President,

Secretary and Treasurer.

a. President responsibilities are giving vision and oversee-ing all Bible Club events.

b.Vice President responsibilities are to help fulfill the vision and assist the President.

c.Secretary responsibilities are takeing notes at meeting, keep important records, and handles flyers & advertising.

d.Treasurer responsibilities are overseeing club finances and works on fundraising.

3.Your Bible Club should include activities to, but are not limited to:

a. Bible Study/Book Study

i.Choose a passage each week to teach and study as a group

ii.Choose a book of the Bible to go through

iii.Choose a biblical book to go through

b.Worship

c.Games

d.Skits

e.Giveaways

f.Advertise

g.Make sure to get your info out with Flyers, Posters, Business Cards and Announcements.

4.You will normally meet wherever your sponsor’s class is.

5.Some of the preferred times to meet for your club is

A. Lunch Time is the best time – people are already there and it doesn’t take any extra commitment

b.Before or after school – takes more dedication from students

c.Make sure the time is the same time every week and on the same day

d.Make sure to give students 5-10 minutes to show up

If you need any more info or help starting a Bible Club email [email protected].

What you need to

do so you can start a Bible Club at your

school.

Laughter punctuates the air sporadically as three women sit and talk over their beverages at a local coffee house. Rachel, twenty has just returned from a mission’s trip to China and the other two women are eager to hear what God did in her life during her time away. She, in turn, has many questions about womanhood, marriage and how God meets us in these places. Marie, a young mother of four, shares her internal struggles of late about total surrender to God in her life, the joys and challenges of marriage and mothering. Dianne, with a houseful of teenagers speaks of her absolute need to keep Christ central in her heart as she trusts God with her children growing up quickly. Married longer than Rachel has been alive, she has much to share with her young friend, who laughs with delight, asks hard questions and wrestles with the realities of what respect in a marriage looks like on a daily basis. After several hours, they part amidst hugs, promises to continue in prayer for one another and to text each other faithfully until they meet again.

What do these three women have in common? Nothing. In the ages, stages and details of their lives they share little. However, they do share the bond of personal relationships with Christ, sisterhood in Him and a commitment to flesh-ing out the Titus 2 mandate which instructs older women to teach, nurture and encourage younger women. This charge is not optional, as we have time or desire. No, the Bible is very clear in instructing older women in this mandate and younger women to be teachable by implication. (Titus 2:3-5)

To be used of God in the life of a young woman is a gift beyond compare! To see girls make tough decisions and stands of faith in Christ is a delight. To watch God transform lives in your midst is a joy. Step out of your comfort zone and prepare to be used of the Lord in the lives of the girls all around you!

What is Girls’ Ministry?Find out more by reading this entire article in our online magazine.

Dianne ChristensenWomen’s Ministry Director

Hoffmantown Church

Living the Titus 2 Mandate: Girls Ministry


gnitionyouth ministry

Pricilla MendozaDesert Ridge Middle SchoolCalvary of Albuquerque

How long have you been doing a Bible Club at your school.

For three years, through sixth grade, seventh and now in

eighth grade.

When do you have your Bible Club?

We have it once a week, every Wednesday and we have been doing it every week since sixth grade.

Do the same students show up, and are there different students every week?

It’s usually the same students but almost every week we get some new students who want to try it out.

What are the most students you’ve had at one Bible Club?

Back in sixth grade we had between 30 to 40 students,

Has there been a time, like a month where only 2 or 4 students would show up and you felt like this really wasn’t going to work?

When you first start out you try to spread the word around and there are only just a few amount of people that show up, but in eighth grade we usually have at least 10.

Let’s say I’m going to sixth grade next year and I want to start a Bible Club what would you say is the best way to let everyone know at your school?

I think word of mouth is best. We told our friends who told their friends and it just goes around really quickly. What else we did was put an announcement over the inter-com and we had that going for about a week. We also did posters and put them around the school.

So when do you have your Bible Club?

During our lunch period. We have a 30 minute period, so we have 20 minutes for our Bible Club.

Do you do a study, watch a movie, what do you do

during this time?

This year we started out with Parables and now we are going through the book of Revelation, about the end times.

Does your teacher help you with the study or do you run the study?

A little bit of both, our teacher Brian is also a youth leader at Calvary. He finds stuff on the internet, that he thinks will be good for our group. He helps out a lot.

Do you pray together as a group?

We pray together as a group when we get there and we pray again when we leave and ask if there are any prayer requests.

What has been some of the blessings of doing a Bible Club?

There were some people who I had thought weren’t very nice, who were mean people and one day they came and I thought wow and they came with all their friends. They actually prayed and they participated they did really good. They don’t come regularly but they still come sometimes.

What type of support do you get outside of your school?

My youth pastors from Calvary have come all three years, Jason from M88, Calvary has donated bibles. A pastor from Hoffmantown brought his guitar and sang.

How did Hoffmantown hear about your Bible Club?

One of the kids that come to our Bible Club goes to Hoffmantown. Some of the kids go to Hoffmantwon, Risen Savior, Calvary and others.

Cara Hankins & Jane Cawthon La Cueva High School – Seek MinistryHope EV Free Youth Group & Believers Center of Albuquerque

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Your ministry “Seek” is a little different than a bible study, How so? And what are some of the things your minis-try does at La Cueva?

Jane - We started out very structured and after one meeting we knew it wasn’t going the way we wanted it to. Instead of an outreach, reaching for people who wanted to know more, it just became a place where Chris-tians can huddle together and feel good. We wanted kids who hated God or didn’t know Him to come and ask questions. So we started doing Q&A during lunch, we do different types of events, we watch Nooma videos.

Cara - Our goal was to get kids who have a prejudice against Christians or have had something bad happen to them by a Christian and get them to know the facts about Christianity. Not in a churchy setting but in a setting where they are around kids their age who care about the questions that they have.

Do you remember any of the questions you received?

Jane: The questions are all anonymous and we got so many sad questions like “Why don’t I have any friends?” and”I’m closer to death than God where is He now?” Kids are hurting and I feel like I have hurt to but I found the Answer, so it’s not so much “I know what I’m talking about” but more like, God is the answer for me and if nothing is working for you then how about letting God try and help you.

What did you have to do to start your ministry “Seek” at La Cueva?

Cara -One of our school requirements to start a club is to have a sponsor support us, “a teacher “, after that we had to

come up with a mission statement. We had to have ten charter members as part of school requirements to start a club. We had to reserve space. We meet in the Lecture Hall right now. We meet every Wednesday.

What is one of the things God has taught you since starting Seek?

Cara – He has taught us there are kids in our school that don’t even know who Jesus is, you grow up in America and you think everyone knows about Christianity, but they don’t.

What have been some of the good things that have happened since starting your ministry at La Cueva?

Jane - I think wheels are turning. I know a group of kids and one of them has a boyfriend who graduated last year and he comes to our group all the time. He has never been to church in his life and he loves hearing about God’s love. We also have a Buddhist who has been coming every single week. He came up to me the first week and said I’m a Buddhist and you’re a Christian but that’s ok. I just believe differently. Sometimes he comes up to me after a meeting and says “he really liked hear-ing about that”, or “that’s really interesting to me.” Kids are really thinking about God.

What Is A Christian Marriage?

What is a Christian Marriage? For most of us the first marriage we get to observe is our parent’s marriage. Observing two people trying to live together, raise children and be united is a most confusing experi-ence. Who else provides us with information to be a husband or a wife? Honestly for most of us the training ground is the experience of being married. Sadly for more than fifty percent of us we don’t even get the opportunity to observe our parents. That’s because we come from that group that lived in a single parent household. So where are we suppose to learn the skills to create a loving, lasting relationship with our spouse?

Love is blind but marriage is a real eye opener. As we begin to live together we all learn things about our spouse that aren’t very pleasant. The only way we can survive this complex union between two individuals is to learn what God’s plan is for mar-riage. The fact is that without Christ and knowing His plan, most marriages are doomed to fail. There are so many spheres of influ-ence trying to affect the marriage covenant that without Christ in your marriage, you have little success of making it. We must learn how to live and respond to the cultures that are pressing in on our marriages. We need Christ in All our marriages!

Look at a marriage covenant as a triangle. At the top of the tri-angle is Christ. At the two lower points of the triangle are the husband and wife. If you both look towards Christ before going to your spouse, then discuss issues, needs, dreams or wants. You are likely to receive God’s wisdom to guide you in how to com-municate with your spouse. Go to Christ first, that is one key that will assist you in communication. What we really want from our marriage is to grow closer and closer without rejecting the other or fearing rejection.

God’s plan for your marriage is what we all need to learn. Only through Christ’s love for us, with all our flaws can we continue to learn how to love our spouse despite their flaws, disappoint-ments and weaknesses. Fortunately there are ministries out there that can help us identify this plan.

One of these ministries is FamilyLife, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. This ministry has existed for approximately

thirty years, impacted 1.5 million people and has provided sig-nificant skills, tools and wisdom to help us see God’s Plan for marriage. Understanding God’s plan helps us grow together in trust, faith and to develop spiritual muscle to defend our mar-riages and families from attack.

FamilyLife’s purpose is to expose individuals to God’s perfect design for the family. FamilyLife also provides connecting resources that help provide practical ideas and encouragement for building Godly families. They also encourage group fellow-ships after the conference ends to assist couples in continuing to learn more principles to strengthen their marriage. The groups are called Homebuilders and each study group has twenty titles to choose from. The Homebuilders series is an internationally respected Bible study curriculum for home and church small groups that lead couples towards healthy faithful families. The conference event is called a Weekend to Remember and if you ever hear of one in your area, please try to attend. It will have a positive impact on your marriage no matter where you are in your relationship. Attending the conference will strengthen, sup-port or save your marriage. God’s design is simple, but you need a game plan.

We need to learn the knowledge and application of biblical principles to protect our marriages. We need to be committed to apply these learned principles towards our marriage and families and pass them on to others. Remember, information alone does not lead to change. You MUST pray and work daily to make life style changes that will change your marriage to a GODLY mar-riage. You must apply what you learn. God has a plan for your life and a design for your marriage.

If your Marriage is having serious problems, there is an agency that is available to help you at no cost. New Mexico Marriages First offers you an analysis of your current views of your mar-riage, spouse and yourself to identify strengths in your marriage. They also identify growth areas. Once this analysis has been completed, you meet with a marriage mentor couple. They meet with both of you and take you through a curriculum to help you both learn skills, principles and practical advice to strengthen your marriage. This is done in several sessions that take a few weeks but is well worth your investment of time.

So there is help and hope for your marriages. Find a ministry or group that can teach you the principles and tools to make your marriage divorce proof. It can only happen with Christ in the triangle and as part of your marriage covenant.

Thank God for the opportunity to look back into the valleys to see how far you have both come. Be glad that He has given you each other for the journey. Thank God for the valleys (crisis) you would never enter on your own, as places for both of you to grow closer to Christ and each other. Marriage is the process of two people learning to love one another in the midst of seeing each other’s imperfections. Christ must be part of the Marriage Covenant if you are to leave a Legacy that your children, fam-ily and friends will observe, want to follow and learn from you through Christ.

Gilbert and Mary Gallegos are a couple born and raised in the south and north valleys of Albuquerque and have been married 23 years. They are a blended family with 5 adult children and 8 grandchildren. They have been volunteers with FamilyLife for over twenty years, Marriage Mentors with New Mexico Marriages First and have lead small group fellowships with couples struggling with the complexities of blended families. They are committed to marriage ministries.

It is Sunday morning. Clothes were ironed and laid out. The kids are fed and dressed, despite help from your spouse. You yell for everyone to hurry up. Clipped comments are the conversation in the car. You pull into the parking lot, give one more threat to the children, and open the car door.

Immediately, the smiles are pasted on. You greet everyone as you

pass. You laugh with your spouse and gesture or touch them affectionately. The kids have beautiful smiles on their faces and politely ask to go to class. You take personal interest in the elderly that are back after being so sick. You speak about the service last week over coffee while waiting for class to begin. Overall, perfect performance!

The reality: you and your spouse haven’t had a pleasant con-versation in weeks or months. You spend more nights on the couch than in the bed. The only thing you and the kids have in common is fear. You’re afraid someone will smell the alcohol on your breath and the kids are afraid you will get upset…again. You pray that your spouse doesn’t let your little secret slip to friends or family. You aren’t ready to answer for it to anyone yet. Plus, you don’t have a drinking problem.

So why do you feel so guilty about it? Why do you worry so much and work so hard to hide it?

If any of this rings true in your life, you might have a drinking problem. So how do you get past this? How do you repair the path of destruction you have created in your wake from one drink to the next?

Scott’s experience: There were many times, over the years, when I did my best to hide the fact that I had been drinking. I would watch football on Sunday afternoons at a local bar and then rush home, brush my teeth and keep my distance from people in hopes that no one would notice I had been drinking. Like many, Friday and Saturday nights were the best party nights. Everyone was out having fun. And yet it got harder and harder on Sundays to hide the smell of alcohol on my breath or speak in interest-ing conversations because I was hung-over. I started missing church services or other activities because drinking was more important. Even at work, I struggled to do a good job because half the time I was coming off a long night of too much alcohol and not enough food or sleep. I stumbled through half the day and usually after lunch would start feeling better and get a little bit of work done.

Anything and everything was an excuse to drink. It was a good day, so to calm down, I need a couple drinks. Or, it was a long stressful day, I just want to relax and escape, I need a couple drinks. The excuses were so creative sometimes that they could have been written into a novel or joke book and sold

for millions! Then, eventually, the excuses became all out lies, designed to allow me a certain amount of time and an excuse to drink. Then came the sad day where I had begun to relate more with the folks at the bar than friends or family. I considered it important to spend time with my fellow drinkers. “We have so much in common,” “They understand me,” “I finally have friends”, were all things I told my wife. I hoped she would feel sorry for me and thus relieve me of some of the guilt I felt for ditching the family and going and getting drunk! It worked…for a while. Eventually, the reality always catches up. Someone notices or you finally do enough stupid things and it can’t be ignored any longer.

I drank to escape. I drank to celebrate. I drank just to drink. It was my hobby, my mistress, my security blanket. I didn’t think it would hurt anyone. I thought I was in control. No one but my wife knew about it. I never got a DWI or went to court. I never got in bar fights. I don’t hide alcohol around the house. I didn’t have a drinking problem. Right? RIGHT? I was no longer in control!

So how did me and my family get past it? Eventually, I did real-ize I had a drinking problem. I had tried to quit for my family or for other good reasons but for some reason it wasn’t enough. Nothing I could come up with was enough. One day I figured out why!

During the whole time I was drinking, I never once brought my problems to God. I had prayed plenty about all the trivial things but because I couldn’t admit that I was an alcoholic, I left God out of my solution. Now with that realized, I dropped everything I had into rebuilding my relationship with God. I placed everything at His feet. My marriage, my children, my job, my health, my other relationships, everything was in God’s hands. I didn’t know if I was gonna have a marriage or a job but no matter what God and I were going to get sober.

Amazingly enough, when God is in control, things turned out wonderful. I am still married and, for once in a verylong time, my wife and I are extremely happy. My children and I have a great relationship and have made up for lost time. I still have my job! My church knows my weakness and supports me in my recovery, whole heartedly! Life is great.

It all came down to realizing I AM NOT IN CONTROL. I let God take control, which should have been His anyways, and He did a job far better than I. I now take to heart two key pieces of scripture: 1) Love conquers all, and 2) God is love. With these closed at hand, life is heading in the right direction. Wounds are healing and progress is made. Is it easy? No, but if it were easy it wouldn’t be worth living!

1 Corinthians 10:13- No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Scott & Kaci PadenNetherwood Park Church of Christ

Scott & Kaci have been married almost 7 years. They have three chil-dren, 6, 3 and 2. They live in love and ser-vice to God, no matter what!


Michelle - I think there needs to be a willingness to change on both parts. A lot of times you’re just butting heads and there needs to be a change. Obviously you must agree that you want to stay married and be obedient to God. There must be a willingness to allow the Lord to change both of you, a constant renewal.

Clay & Michelle SchroffCalvary of AlbuquerqueDirectors of Aspen Projectwww.aspenproject.org

Clay & Michelle have been married 14 years and have 5 children, ages 13, 11, 9, 9 and 7, their only son Moses, nine being adopted.

DON’T ALLOW YOUR PAST INTO YOUR FUTURE!!!!!!

So if when you are offering your gift at the altar, you there remember that your brother has any [grievance] against you, leave your gift at the altar and go. First make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your gift.

Matthew 5:23-24 (Amplified

Bible)

I recently had the opportunity to speak with a friend that

I had not heard from in over four years; I was glad to hear from her and to know that God was blessing her and her child in their new home state. As we continued to converse I heard the real reason for her phone call. There was a situation that had happened four years ago with this friend and another acquaintance; we knew of the issue but thought in our minds that this situation had been settled. As I continued to listen to my friend hammer her anger over this situation, I realized right there and then that she was stuck in her past, she had taken the old issues of her life (anger problems, swearing, threatening ways) over into her future. It was sad to hear the same person who had just bragged about God’s blessings turn around and speak evil about someone who probably in her mind thought the situation had cooled down with time as we

Minister Gionne RalphGod’s House ChurchDirector of Christian Education, Drama MinistriesTeacher, Counselor and Friend

Teen, Pregnant; How Will they Find The Way Back?

The peer-counselors at the Care Net Pregnancy Center see teenagers everyday who have to acknowledge that decisions or choices they have made do have life changing consequences. These young people are broken, scared and often repen-tive, but need others to show them the grace and redemption that Christ offers to each of us. As parents, Sunday school teachers, school nurses, or just a friend, it is our responsibility to nurture them back to God’s Way.

As our young people start to face challenges and consequences for choices and missed turns in life, we can all encourage a support system for them. At Care Net we promote prayer partners and mentorship programs. Just knowing you’re not alone on your walk back to God’s Way can mean a world of difference in our young people’s lives. Our youth today can become so isolated by technology and overwhelming schedules, that they lose the insight and value of experience that can be offered by someone who has walked the road before them.

Do you know a young person who needs an expe-rienced voice of compassion and forgiveness? Are you the one they need to offer to pray for them and or mentor them so that life’s choices can be filled with wonder and joy? Pray about it and start 2009 as an impacting partner in a young person’s life today.

Joan DouglasCare Net Pregnancy Center

Development Director Vista Grande Church- East Mountains

did. In this situation we see the ‘trick of the enemy’ battling both parties.

I have heard these scriptures (referenced) down through the years and they have always been misquoted. Many have mis-quoted the scripture as though it was saying “if you have a grievance against your brother”; therefore they search them-selves (although not thoroughly) and say to themselves “I don’t have an issue with anybody” and believe that they have offered a pure gift to God. But we know what the scripture is saying and we know the commandment given here toward others. Why is it so hard to follow through? Really, why is it so hard to recognize that by not saying anything we have created a greater mess? Do we realize the damage that we do to our lives by harboring un-forgiveness? Or even asking for forgiveness? Festering hurt and pains, recalling harmful words in our minds, reliving horrible events can remove us from the place that God wants us to be. God is calling us to a higher place of worship; it is His desire to give us the keys to kingdom. How can He when we pick and choose which scriptures we want to obey? It is so easy to say ‘my God shall supply all my needs’ or ‘my Father is rich in houses and lands’ and live by these principles, but do we realize that if we have not followed the Word as written in verses 23 & 24 of Matthew 5; these principles do not apply to us? God cannot bless us in our mess!

We cannot harbor grievances against others as well as we cannot ignore issues and hope they will just go away! We must make every effort to be free and clear of grievances against our brothers and sisters, we must not allow the devil to make things that are so small and insignificant to become so large that God cannot accept our worship. Some things are so old that we feel that others should have gotten over it by now, but that is not what the scriptures says, it is clear and it is precise. Go back, clear it up and then move forward!

CHALLENGE!

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Prior to my joining Joy Junction, I was struggling in my life and work. Even though I was always active in the church, teaching and serving, I hungered for a deeper way to show the Lord how much I loved Him.

I spent a great deal of time on my knees and in the Word, seeking God’s will for my life. Even though I had a deep love for the needy, God had to call me twice to get my attention and to show me that He wanted me to serve Him in this ministry.

It is truly a blessing for me to serve under the leadership of Joy Junction’s founder and CEO, Dr. Jeremy Reynalds. He has a great love for the homeless and I have learned so much from him.

It is truly an amazing thing to see God move to change someone from a drug-addicted homeless person to a precious child of His who desires to serve God and take care of his own family and be an involved member of the community. Only the power of a relationship with Jesus Christ can accomplish this in someone’s life.

I have learned that it is a great privilege and an awesome responsibility to be a Christian. We are to model the nature and character of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The only way we can do this is to be totally surrendered to His will and purpose in our lives. His purpose is to use us to seek the lost and show them His great love for them.

With Jesus’ Love, Roseann Vona Page Chief Administrative Officer Joy Junction

The Perspective of a ChildWhat do you think of when you see a dandelion? Weed or flower? What does a child see when they see a dandelion? A flower! Adults immediately write dandelions off as weeds. We rip them from our yards and even go so far as to teach our children they are not flowers but weeds. They are to be removed from our lovely grass and thrown away. And yet, how many times have we seen a child run up to their mother and offer her a dandelion and exclaim, “A flower for you mom!” They are excited to give you something and they found the best thing they could to give. To them it was the rarest of flowers. Or, maybe you have seen the little girl who picks herself several dandelions and makes a bouquet and begs and pleads to put them in a vase and put them on the kitchen table! We humor them and do it but dislike the fact that we have weeds on the table.

Why is it that children see flowers when they are weeds? Is it innocence? Naivety? Or is it that they have a different perspec-tive? We think that it is a different perspective. Younger children especially, see life through rose colored glasses. Nothing both-ers them for very long. Any wrongs committed against them are quickly forgotten. At the Home, we see this time and again. We see children who have been abused, neglected, abandoned or ignored and yet they still hold a love and a fierce loyalty to their family. They fear that things they have already experienced will happen again and yet they give chance after chance to their families to do it right this time.

We adults do not do things that way! Do we? When we are slighted we make sure that there are repercussions or just pun-ishments. We do not forgive easily and we usually do not for-get! Children can be playing and one hits another and within minutes it is almost as if the incident never happened.

Jesus said many powerful things during his ministry. But one of the most profound were these words: Matthew 18:1-6

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. ”Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ”And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

As adults, we always assume that it is us who must teach chil-dren when in fact Jesus claims we need to be more like chil-dren. We believe that is because the innocence, short memory of wrongs, sincerity and positive outlook that children possess is something we should be taking notes on.

Working with children, especially the children we work with, makes you realize how many things we take for granted. It makes you realize how many things we over complicate. It makes you realize how many things we lose perspective on!

When you look at dandelions, do you see the thorns, the weeds, the potential for destruction? Or do you see something God cre-ated that, while prickly and not completely pretty, has a lovely color and a pleasant aroma. To us, this is a good illustration for life. Many of the children we have received at the Home were thorny and had a great potential for destruction. We weren’t always sure we could help them. But in each and every one of them there is a potential for a beautiful flower to emerge if only we are willing to change our perspective.

A perfect example of this is a young man who came to stay with us about a year and a half ago. He came in at 15 years old a very angry young man. Always wore black, baggy clothes. He hardly spoke with more than one word sentences or simple nods. He surrounded himself with dark music and is a talented artist who only drew dark things. He scared most of us at the office. He was more likely to hit his siblings than to hug them and would never say “I love you”. We gave him a shot anyway and continued to work with him.

He now is trying to catch up in school. He loves to hug and smile. He does very well with his siblings and makes a point of spending time with them. He wears bright colored clothes that actually fit him now. He listens to Christian music for the most part. He is always willing to pitch in and help around the Home, even when it is above and beyond his chores that he gets allow-ance for. He expressed interest in becoming a mechanic after high school and so he has begun mentoring with a gentleman who is restoring a ’74 GTO. He is learning about mechanics as well as paint and body techniques to make sure that is what he really wants to pursue when he is finished with high school. To top it all off, because of the examples set by houseparents and the events and groups he was able to participate in by being at the Home, he gave his life over to Christ this last August. When he came out of that water, you could tell a load had been taken off his shoulders. His comment was “I just feel clean”. Since that day he tried very hard to live a life worthy of Christ. He has given his mother a chance as well as made an even bigger point of spending time with his siblings. If he gets upset, he prays about it with his houseparents or with fellow Christian friends.

He is truly a dandelion. Could have been a weed but with the right perspective a rare flower! Children can teach us many things if only we would pay attention and be aware.

So the next time you see a dandelion, is it a weed or a flower?


The Fifth annual New Mexico Sportsmen Outreach event will be held on Satur-day July 18th, 2009 at the Manuel Lujan Building on the fairgrounds. The event is being sponsored by numerous faith-based organizations from throughout New Mexico as a means of providing a wholesome environment for the whole family. Since the first event in 2005, the event has grown to over 1,000 in attendance last year!


Easter Sunrise Service

April 12, at 7:30 AM at the Lobo

Stadium. Imagine for a second that the primary celebration on Easter was for the Easter Bunny. Imagine going to a service where they didn’t speak of Jesus but of the joys of chocolate bunnies and peeps. Sound familiar? Although candy and Easter egg hunts are all a part of the fun, we invite you to remember and “Consider the Cross” with us at our Easter Sunrise Service.

Easter Sunrise Service

It all started when I was a child. I dreamed of working in an orphanage. As I grew up, I always gravitated towards kids that needed extra care. My desire was to give children the same head start I had as a child, to know God personally, and to find His purpose for my life. Faith at a young age kept me from drugs, alcohol, bad rela-tionships etc. that keep people from finding their real purpose in life.

After years in missions, in 1999, we started our first orphanage with all the heart and faith required for these children. It took 3 years to construct build-ings and develop grounds to accommodate them. By late 2002, we had moved on to start our second orphanage registered as “Faith, Hope & Love Kids’ Ranch”. We purchased 10 acres of a coconut plantation, with an old house on it on the West Coast of the Philippines, only 1 hour from Lucena.

You might ask, “Why FHL?” Let’s look at the meaning of “FHL”.

It could stand for food, home, and learning, and these we have to offer. But it means more than that-

THE “F” IS FOR FAITH - because without it, it is impossible to please God. Our relationship to God is our greatest priority. Our mission is to equip the children for service and growth toward spiritual maturity.

THE “H” IS FOR HOPE - because that is God’s promise. Hope out of poverty, abuse, neglect and depression; Hope to find their purpose in life; to become a blessing and not a burden to soci-ety; The hope of being a part of a family that will love them for who they are.

THE “L” IS FOR LOVE - because it never fails and is the great-est of all; To share love with those who have never experienced it, and to grow up in a loving environment. Someday, they to, will be able to give to others also.

OUR EXPERIENCE

You might ask “Why Kids’ Ranch?” In order for children to become successful at the three R’s of Reading, Riting and Rith-metic, we must first teach the three R’s of Respect, Responsibil-ity and Resourcefulness.

Our goal is to use a portion of FHL, for the child care of orphans, abandoned, abused and neglected children; A portion for raising farm animals, veggie garden and fruit trees, and a portion for a

Getting to this point has been a challenge. I’m grateful to my parents, pastor(s), Calvary Chapel Albuquerque and my 3 chil-dren who have endured with us through this process. To learn more about our ministry please visit our website.

http://fhlkids.tripod.comEmail: [email protected]

Celestino & Lorraine LamarFHL Kids Ranch - Philippines

118 M.L.Tagarao, Lucena City4301 Philippines

Global Mission Fellowship

Bible School.

Office: 505-999-1957YouTube: FHLKids

We promote Christian evan-gelism in Mexico by “GO-ing”. With our presence, we support orphanages, “Old Folks” homes, construct green-houses and buildings that can serve as a church/medical clinic/food distri-bution centers, build homes for needy families, conduct

prison ministry and dental clinics. We literally bring scrip-ture to life.

Matthew 28:19- Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

James 1:27- Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Let us not stay when our Lord tells us Go!

One of the ways this ministry reaches the needy of Mexico is through an “Aviation Ministry. Their first Flight into Mexico was the delivery of needed food to the orphan-age in Madera, Mexico on 7-7-07. Piloted by founder and director of Better Together Mexico, Ellis McMath.

Soon after, the first flight into Cuauhtemoc, Mexico took place to support Christian work. Please pray for the Rara-muri Ranch and Resort as the owner wants to use this property as a Christian center.

Labor Day Weekend 2007, our first medical/dental minis-try in Madera, Mexico. The aircraft was used to transport medical and dental professionals in to and out of Mexico.

In the dirt, in the mountains, in support of a major Church building project for the Taraumara Indians. It occurred to

the missionaries that this is mission flying as it should be!

One of the most notable improvements made by this min-istry is travel time! At one point, Pilot Mike Scarborough Med-Vacs a sick teenage STM (short term missionary) out of Copper Canyon, Mexico. It took a 30 minute flight instead of a ten hour drive in the van.

So who supports this ministry? Well, it is not uncom-mon to have members from 4-5 different Bible-believing churches, on the same mission trip, working next to each other, accomplishing something significant for His king-dom in Mexico. Here are some of those supporters:

-Sagebrush Community Church-Cottonwood Church-First Baptist Las Cruces-Hoffmantown Church-Ridgecrest Baptist Ozark, Alabama

What are the needs of this ministry? We need fuel, or money for fuel, for the Cessna to transport doctors and dentist into Copper Canyon. We also need funds to help buy needed supplies for the orphanages in La Junta and Madera.

To support us, please send your doantions to:

Better Together Mexico PO BOX 67757

Albuquerque, NM 87114

Consider joining us in a 2009 mission trip and put your hand in the hand of an orphan! To learn more about our ministry please visit BetterTogetherMexico.org!

BetterTogetherMex ico

A few of the foundational scriptures for New Mexico’s Body of Christ are Ephesians 4:15-16 speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ-from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the ef-fective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. And 1 Cor. 1:10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Paul pleaded that there be NO divisions among the Body of Christ and that WE be perfectly joined together! Our hope is that New Mexico’s Body of Christ and Salt &

Light Magazine would be that reflection of unity and genuine harmony throughout the Body of Christ in New Mexico. We are not about denomination or church affili-ation, but uniting God’s people and His churches so we are perfectly joined together, working together and living God’s Word.

There are reasons Paul pleaded we be perfectly joined to-gether and I’ve learned a few reasons why. It’s the only way we can be of one mind. It’s the only way we can stand in unity. It’s the only way we can bring prayer back in our schools. It’s the only way we can stop same sex marriage from becoming law in our state. It’s the only way we can stop abortion, it’s the only way to increase our graduation rate. It’s the only way to change New Mexi-co’s suicide rate from being fourth in the nation. It’s the only way to change the future of New Mexico. There are attacks and evil in our state that only the Body of Christ perfectly joined together can defeat. We are no longer one nation under God but under confusion and only a perfectly joined Body of Christ can change that, and I believe God has called the Body of Christ in New Mexico to be the ex-ample of the whole body being perfectly joined together.

NewMexicosBodyofChrist.comp. (505) 264-5201 f. (505) 884-4507

PO Box 3495 Albuquerque, NM [email protected]

After Jack and I got married we

were told we would probably never be

able to have children be-cause of a medical condition I

had. We found out several months later I was preg-nant; we were so excited knowing God does answer prayers; our greatest wish had come true. I had a nor-mal pregnancy and prayed every day that I would not have a bald baby, what a silly thing to pray for. On April 06, 1975 we were given the most precious gift, a beautiful baby girl with a head full of dark brown hair, my prayers were answered. As I relate Joyelle’s story you will understand why I say be careful what you pray for. If I had it to do over again I would pray for a healthy, happy baby even if she was bald.

When we took Joyelle home from the hospital we were the typical anxious parents. However, we were not ready for what was to come. The first day home I noticed Joyelle was having trouble swallowing her formula so I called the doctor and he said to try a little water, she was still having trouble. We took her to the doctor the next day and they said there was nothing wrong with her it was us. They said that be-ing parents for the first time we were too nervous and the baby was picking up on that. We went home with our heads between our legs being embarrassed for over reacting. The problem continued, not only was she unable to keep her formula down she was con-stantly choking. We placed her crib next to our bed because it was very difficult to hear her soft cry and she would wake up choking. The next six months Joyelle spent most of her time in the hospital we still did not have any answers as to what was wrong with her. We took her around the country to different doc-tors looking for answers. In mid November I was in

the house with Joyelle and Jack was outside raking leaves, she started to choke and this time I could not help her, she was turning blue. I ran outside and gave her to Jack hoping he could do something. Needless to say at this point I was screaming feeling totally helpless our daughter was dying. An elderly gentle-man came running out of the house across the street and immediately took Joyelle from Jack and started pushing on her chest and clearing her airway and said to call 911. The ambulance arrived and they said had it not been for his immediate response she would have died. When we arrived at the hospital there was a physician on duty in the emergency room we had not seen before. He examined Joyelle and took her history. He asked us if Joyelle had ever been tested for Myasthenia Gravis. We told the doctor no that no one had ever mentioned that disease, at that point he explained to us he had treated a pregnant lady twenty years prior with this condition and when she delivered her baby it showed the same symp-toms as Joyelle. They immediately ran a special test on her and this was the first time we had ever heard our daughter scream. We immediately went to the library to find out what we could about Congenital Myasthenia Gravis, what we read was not encourag-ing. It seemed that up to this point in time no child had survived this condition. Jack and I said a special pray, at this point saying “Joyelle will survive even if we have to breathe for her.” Later that week Jack and I went over to thank the gentleman who had saved our daughters life. He told us he was in town visiting his brother whom he was estranged with and had not seen in twenty-five years. He was a retired pediatri-cian from Houston, Texas and just felt in his heart he had to come to Virginia to make amends with his brother who was dying. We know in our heart of hearts he was also sent there to save our daughters life.

Joyelle’s StoryPart 1: Illness Strikes F ri st

Now that we knew what we were dealing with we contacted the National Institute of Health to find a neurologist who could treat our daughter. At that point we moved from Roanoke, Va. to Boston, Ma. to receive the best medical treatment possible for our daughter. We kept asking for a prognosis but needless to say they could not give us one. Joyelle still had a number of visits to the hospital but things were better than before. The older she got the more hopeful we became. Things were going well and when she turned six she started becoming weaker, at this point Joyelle had to go into a wheelchair. Joyelle’s neurologist recommended that we take her to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and meet with a world renowned research doctor who was doing studies on Myasthenia Gravis. We made arrangements to go to Rochester, Minnesota and meet with the doctor. He told us in order to find out exactly what type of Myasthenia Joyelle had they would have to do muscle biopsies. Once the biopsies were done the research doctor meet with us, telling us Joyelle had a form of Myasthenia they had never seen before. Apparently she only has 10% of her re-ceptors and clinically should be a vegetable. He said the child he saw and the research they did could not go together, “there was no way this child could only have 10% of her receptors”. At this point the doctor was in total shock and told us there was no scientific explanation to what he was seeing, saying, there has to be a Power Greater than science to get this child where she is today. We told him that the Power was God, prayer and love. After leaving the Mayo and returning to Boston Jack and I decided that we needed to fly Joyelle alone to see family in Virginia. When we took her to the airport we told her if she was to afraid she did not have to go. We needed her to know that she could do anything she set her mind to. To tell you the truth we were probably as nervous as she was when we saw that plane take off. We had always tried to stress to Joyelle that you can do anything you want if you want it bad enough. Joyelle needed to see she could fly alone and feel good in doing so.

By this time we had moved from Boston to Fall Riv-er, Ma.where Jack took a job as the administrator for a Healthcare Facility. Joyelle’s first years in elemen-tary school went fairly smoothly, we did have to fight

the school system so that she could go to the same school as the children in our neighborhood. There answer was to bus her across town and put her in a special education class. We kept telling them there was nothing wrong with her brain she just could not walk. Joyelle maintained an A average through el-ementary school and loved her new life in Fall River. Joyelle was always very social and we had children at our home all hours of the day and night. Life was back to normal or so we thought.

The story doesn’t end here!!! In the next issue we will share with you how our wonderful daughter, Joyelle became a RAPE victim. Because of the strength of her past she went from being a victim to becoming a survivor.

By Parents: Jack & Sandi Booth

Resources:

Mayo Clinic Health Information – www.mayoclinic.com

Mayo Clinic Medical Services – www.mayoclinic.org

Mayo Clinic Education & Research – www.mayo.edu

Mayo Clinic - Arizona: 1-800-446-2279

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – www.stjude.org –

General information 901-595-3300 - Memphis, TN: 1-866-278-5833

National Institutes of Health – www.nih.gov & www.nih.gov/health/infoline.htm

Bethesda, Maryland: 1-301-496-4000


EVENT GU I D EApr i l

April 5th, 5:00-7:00pm, - The Truth Project by Focus On The Family. The Truth Project has 13 sessions and will meet on selected Sundays. Seating is limited so register early by calling Scott Conner at 292-8347.

April 10th, 12:00 PM - Good Friday Outdoor communion service - Calvary of Albuquerque

April 12th, 7:30 AM - Easter Sunrise Service - Lobo Stadium

April 16-18th, CAPE-NM Homeschool Conven-tion - Calvary of Albuquerque for more informa-tion call 505-296-8663

April 17th, 7:00 PM - M88 Swing Thing Prom - Convention Center

April 18th, 11AM-2PM - First Chili Cook-Off - Albuquerque Christian Children’s Home - Call for info.

April 24th Mountainside Date Night. This is an outreach and there is no fee, but couples must register by the Sunday night before April 24th by calling 292-8347 and registering with Jean Grey or Scott Conner. People do not need to be members at Mountainside to participate as the point is to build marriages and friendships in the community. Other Date Nights are sched-uled for May 15th and June 26th. Please call us for more information

MayMay 12-15, Senior’s Southern Gospel Celebra-tion - For More Information Call: 888.366.5676

May 17th - Sunday’s in the park - with The Next Chapter at Calvary of Albuquerque

J u n eJune 5th - World Jubilee Festival - with Jars of Clay and Sean and Josh McDowell, Balloon Fiesta Park

Centrifuge Combo Camp - For More Informa-tion Call: 888.366.5676 June 8-13, 2009 June 15-20, 2009 June 22-27, 2009 June 28 - July 3, 2009

Glorieta Summer Camps for boys and girls - For More Information Call: 888.366.5676 Starter Camp - 6/14-6/19/09 Two-Week Session - 6/21-7/3/09

To view more Events, Fundraisers, Concerts, Bible study, Ministry & counseling classes,

throughout New Mexico please visit our web calendar at NewMexicosBodyofChrist.com

To advertise your Events, Fundraisers, Concerts, Bible studies, Ministry & counseling classes on the NewMexicosBodyofChrist.com web calendar,

contact Daniel Ruiz at:(505) 264-5201 or [email protected]

KKIM is the leading news source for Christians in New Mexico. KKIM has been directed by our Lord to expand our news coverage.

We are so thankful for our news staff of 40 plus years in radio news Frank Haley and Dewey Moede 30 years, John Paul 30 plus years. That is a lot of experience in bringing you and your famliy news that is so important like, issues that effect our Christian beliefs, health issues, pocket book issues, goverment news and so on.

In Feburary of 2007 New Mexico News and Views was born. It came at an excellent time as the New Mexico Legislature was debating many issues that were of great interest to family values and HB9 was being heard. With the coverage KKIM provided it help rally defeat of HB9 a bill that would lead to same sex marriages and ciuase havoc in the state.

KKIM has developed so many excellent relationships with Christian leaders thoughout the state, which has helped make New Mexico News and Views the place to be weekdays from 4:30pm to 5:30pm, the only full hour of news and information on the radio in the Land of Enchantment.

Join Frank Haley Dewey Moede, John Paul and Bobby Jones for the news you and your fam-ily needs to know. KKIM brings you New Mexico News and weather throughout the day with special newscasts starting at 5am, 7:40am, 8am, 10am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 4:30pm, 5:05pm, and 8pm.

Salt&LightMag1st Issue

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