July 2008

Dear Friends,

After Nathan was baptized, the church took seriously its vows to greet their "little brother." It was two hours before Nathan was back in the arms of his birth family.

“Nathan Elias Adams Maldonado, hijo del pacto, te bautizo en el nombre del Padre, del hijo, y del Espiritu Santo”.  (Nathan Elias Adams Maldonado, child of the covenant, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.)  The waters of Baptism seemed to captivate Nathan, our 9-month-old son, as Pastor Rodolfo Navarrete of the Iglesia Presbiteriana Lirio de  los Valles held him in his arms.

Pastor Rodolfo then held him up to the assembled congregation, representing multiple churches, denominations, and countries and said “this is your little brother, it is your responsibility to help raise him in the faith.” He then handed Nathan to Sister Patricia and said “everyone greet your little brother, get to know him and let him get to know you and love him.”

Nathan went from Sister Patty to Brother Omar and continued around into everyone’s arms as the worship ended and the fellowship began in the Lirio de los Valles multi-purpose building. We had surrendered Nathan to God in the waters of Baptism, and now in a very tangible way the gathered body of Christ embodied the reality of their commitment to nurture him into the life of Christ. Almost two hours later, Sister Maria Elena, with Nathan sound asleep on her shoulder, handed Nathan back to me.

Last fall, Mark participated in Mission Challenge ’07. While he was traveling away from the family Miriam called and said she felt pains and was afraid Nathan was coming too early. With miles separating us, we both felt scared. Mark heard heard Anna Flor (4) ask Miriam:  “What’s the matter, Mommy?”

Holding back tears, Mark asked Anna Flor to sing her mommy a song. She immediately began to sing: “No tengas miedo, Dios esta contigo” (Don’t be afraid, God is with you.)  Anna Flor remembered the song that she had learned in vacation Bible school last summer. Wow, as we write, it brings tear of great joy to our eyes to realize that our four year-old daughter ministered to us in such a powerful way, and to know that the church is taking its vows to nurture her in the ways of Christ.

We are providing support to the Presbytery de Chihuahua in starting two new churches, both of which already have active children’s ministries. In June, Miriam participated in a joint mission delegation from the Lirio de los Valles and Central Presbyterian Church of Longmont, Colorado, to work with Manantial de Vida (Fountain of Life) in Hermosillo, the state capital of Sonora. The two churches joined with the growing mission to provide a neighborhood-wide Bible school as well as two Christian concerts in the park for youth. Pray with us that the seeds of God’s love and grace that were sown might grow and manifest themselves in unexpected life-giving ways.

When Miriam came back, she shared her concern with Mark about the health of the Mondragons’ grandson, Caesar Aaron. We had known that he had been in and out of the hospital, but had not realized the gravity of his sickness. Caesar Aaron is 14 months old and has been diagnosed with a medically incurable disease. He is not expected to live past 4.

Mark was already scheduled to visit the Mondragons the following week with two brothers from South Carolina. During a prayer service, we laid hands on Caesar and asked for God’s healing hands to free him of the sickness and give him abundant life. Join as we continue interceding on behalf of Caesar Aaron and for his family.

The feet of a young woman who found welcome and care in the Migrant Resource Center after being returned to Mexico.

On June 30, 2008, we celebrated the second anniversary of the Migrant Resource Center, a partnership of Frontera de Cristo, the Sagrada Family Parrish of Agua Prieta, and Just Coffee. Earlier in the month, a mother and her three children arrived barefooted at the Center after having lost their shoes in the mud after a rain in the desert and having been detained for over 24 hours in the United States.

We are grateful that the church could provide a spiritual, emotional, and physical welcome for this mother and her children. To date, in 2008, the Center has provided food, water, care and comfort for over 11,000 human beings created in God’s image—including over 300 children. Please join us in prayer for governments on both sides of the border that they (we) may discover and enact more just and humane ways to be in relationship and that their will be an end to the death and suffering in our deserts of persons who are seeking to provide for their families.

As we serve here on the border, we are conscious of the great blessings that we have to be a part of the body of Christ and to serve in partnership churches on both sides of the border to share and receive the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed. Thank you for encouraging us and participating with us in living out our baptismal commitment.

Peace,

La Familia Adams Maldonado
Miriam, Mark, Cindy, Anna Flor and Nathan

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 256