Baja Update

On August 17, 2011August 26, 2011 By Harvest of Faith ChurchIn church locator southaven msLeave a comment

My heart is heavy and yet light as I write this ……………………

I write to you with tears falling upon the keyboard. I do not exaggerate as I may be prone to do. But today I ministered in a place that has brought me to my knees……..for many reasons.
Firstly, we visited a heretofore UNKNOWN “ministry.” A place where the most needy persons arrive only by direction from our Anointed One, Our Christ.
I appeared, prepared for a religious meeting in downtown Ensenada at 1 :30 today. We met with a set of Pastors and my beloved Dr. Prado at an opulent salon social.
We began to hear of a ministry started by God Himself thru a prominent local pastor whom we had no prior knowledge of other than that he hosts a TV program in Baja Norte every Saturday night.
I immediately felt humbled. I saw my worn out shoes and my husbands shirt, frayed at the collar and thought “Why , God, did you bring US here? Surely there are others of another level in Your Eyes that could have been called? My Pride buckled and I sat restlessly listening to this one pastoral couple speak. Within moments the Head pastors phone rang, and he was summoned away. Leaving us with this couple and a Dr. Norma who had put us in contact. The couple began to speak plainly of their confusion as to what they should do and how to fulfill God’s Will and the religious leader’s of the areas will…………..
Dr.. Norma had an appointment later and insisted we head directly to the sight of the “ministry”/ I deference, we headed to the Eastern furthermost part of Ensenada.
We traversed beyond the city reservoir, onto the very dirt roads of “Lomitas” where Frank and I adopted our first minors (children orphans of the prison system some 13 years ago.) Finally after some 45 minutes of dusty drug infested byways we reached the ministry.

It seemed a grand place of two stories until we realized that the area inhabited by the “,ministry” was a shack type building adjacent…….
Slowly we entered. To find four men in “beds” (mats actually set upon daybed frames) the first man “Ruben” was naked except for swaddling linens, see they cannot afford diapers for him and he is totally incontinent. To our right on a mat 2 inches thick was a stroke victim named Margurito. His body was drawn up in the tradition form of an untreated embolism. Next to him was another elderly fellow, also drawn up with all signs of a stroke plus a hip replacement gone awry……………..
Surrounding them was a team of six men……..all from DRUG rehabilitation centers who have donated their lives to care for those who arrive at this place. This place is dedicated to care for the homeless person or the person with no family to care for him after he leaves the States most poor resource , the General Hospital. I n a back room we also found Osifio, a 59 yr old man dying of pancreatic cancer, with no pain relief except Parecteomol. (Tylenol, aspirin, motrin, are pretty much our equivalents. He was in the back rrom of a 2 rrom shack at his own request, for when I interviewed him, he said he KNEW his cries scared the other men and preferred to be as far away as possible as he knew he was dying and the pain was more then he as a man could bear without screaming at times.
Mu husband, Pastor Frank, knelt to pray for him first, before any discussion. He asked me to lay hands upon this shriveled being, who I knew at once was MY BROTHER IN CHRIST BY THE LOVE IN HIS EYES>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>still the smell was revolting and I felt myself shaking as I knelt by his mat and fighting the urge not to vomit,,,,,,,,,,,but as Frank prayed I lost conscience of smells and spaces and we were actually able to ask this man if he wanted to be Spirit filled, we out no requirements of conditions, just asked him.He tearfully said yes. We ushered everyone out of the room and watched as he began to speak in tongues………………….Personally, I don’t know if he will survive this night in his body or live another 20 years but I heard him speak in another language;
From there we moved outward and prayed all together for each “patient.” One of which was one of the Oaxcan men who was riding in the back of a truck with 40 others and was hit by a Coca Cola truck about one year ago.. Many were instantly killed, and Frank did that funeral. But this man survived with some 270 stitches all over his body…………he recuperated in this humble home.
We prayed for all of the patients the pastors starting the work, their daughter and finally the men coming out of drug rehabs who care so lovingly for these poor men…………..with no compensation………………
As I had asked my questions and taken some pictures and spoken with each patient……………a young man of about 28 stepped forward,
“Pastor Frank and Sister Dede”, he said at this i was shocked out if my emotions for we had never introduced ourselves. How could he know us by name? I turned and at once recognized him as the young man who once slept by out gate waiting to get into the Rehab home, some ten years ago……………Francisco is his name. It was not culturally appropriate for me to run and embrace him, but dear God, hoe I wanted to…………I saw a change in him from when he had spent 8 or so weeks with us………………he radiated love and mercy…….
“Please give me a second chance,” he said. “Please just pray for me , because I have hepatitis C, I should have listened to you then, but I didn’t. I kept using heroin and now they say I am dying. BUT I BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU TAUGHT ME. AND THAT JESUS IS THE SAME TODAY PLEASE PRAY FOR ME>>>>>”
Obviously, we laid hands upon him and prayed and even then felt the swelling of his liver and saw the yellow of his eyes…………………but at the same time we felt his faith rise up and kept praying, some of us in tongues including the cancerous old man in the other room………………..
He has yet to receive any treatment. Frank is determined to get him started on treatment tomorrow (NOT DISCOUNTING PRAYER) . It could only be our Lord who reunited us with this young man who turns out to the backbone of this interesting ministry……………please pray for Francisco…………………as we attempt to circumvent bureaucratic delays and get him treatment..
I will be sending videos of our visit to this place today, A place which has brought us both to our knees in prayer and much more…………………………….
We were able to leave them with powdered milk, flour and oatmeal (about all they can keep down)……….vut they need so very much more.Please pray we can help them and thank God for these servants who attend the helpless. I have not been able to stop weeping since 5pm. And that is okay. It means my heart has not yet been hardened, nor will God allow it to be evidently.

Much Love, please intercede,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
S. detra

He is Risen.
He is Lord.
https://harvestoffaith.wordpress.com/

Forgiveness

On August 15, 2011 By Harvest of Faith ChurchIn church locator southaven msLeave a comment

Essay on Forgiveness
by C.S. Lewis
Macmillian Publishing Company, Inc., N.Y, 1960
We say a great many things in church (and out of church too) without thinking of what we are saying. For instance, we say in the Creed ” I believe in the forgiveness of sins.” I had been saying it for several years before I asked myself why it was in the Creed. At first sight it seems hardly worth putting in. “If one is a Christian,” I thought ” of course one believes in the forgiveness of sins. It goes without saying.” But the people who compiled the Creed apparently thought that this was a part of our belief which we needed to be reminded of every time we went to church. And I have begun to see that, as far as I am concerned, they were right. To believe in the forgiveness of sins is not so easy as I thought. Real belief in it is the sort of thing that easily slips away if we don’t keep on polishing it up.

We believe that God forgives us our sins; but also that He will not do so unless we forgive other people their sins against us. There is no doubt about the second part of this statement. It is in the Lord’s Prayer, it was emphatically stated by our Lord. If you don’t forgive you will not be forgiven. No exceptions to it. He doesn’t say that we are to forgive other people’s sins, provided they are not too frightful, or provided there are extenuating circumstances, or anything of that sort. We are to forgive them all, however spiteful, however mean, however often they are repeated. If we don’t we shall be forgiven none of our own.

Now it seems to me that we often make a mistake both about God’s forgiveness of our sins and about the forgiveness we are told to offer to other people’s sins. Take it first about God’s forgiveness, I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality (unless I watch myself very carefully) asking Him to do something quite different. I am asking him not to forgive me but to excuse me. But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing. Forgiveness says, “Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before.” If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive. In that sense forgiveness and excusing are almost opposites. Of course, in dozens of cases, either between God and man, or between one man and another, there may be a mixture of the two. Part of what at first seemed to be the sins turns out to be really nobody’s fault and is excused; the bit that is left over is forgiven. If you had a perfect excuse, you would not need forgiveness; if the whole of your actions needs forgiveness, then there was no excuse for it. But the trouble is that what we call “asking God’s forgiveness” very often really consists in asking God to accept our excuses. What leads us into this mistake is the fact that there usually is some amount of excuse, some “extenuating circumstances.” We are so very anxious to point these things out to God (and to ourselves) that we are apt to forget the very important thing; that is, the bit left over, the bit which excuses don’t cover, the bit which is inexcusable but not, thank God, unforgivable. And if we forget this, we shall go away imagining that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves without own excuses. They may be very bad excuses; we are all too easily satisfied about ourselves.

There are two remedies for this danger. One is to remember that God knows all the real excuses very much better than we do. If there are real “extenuating circumstances” there is no fear that He will overlook them. Often He must know many excuses that we have never even thought of, and therefore humble souls will, after death, have the delightful surprise of discovering that on certain occasions they sinned much less than they thought. All the real excusing He will do. What we have got to take to Him is the inexcusable bit, the sin. We are only wasting our time talking about all the parts which can (we think) be excused. When you go to a Dr. you show him the bit of you that is wrong – say, a broken arm. It would be a mere waste of time to keep on explaining that your legs and throat and eyes are all right. You may be mistaken in thinking so, and anyway, if they are really right, the doctor will know that.

The second remedy is really and truly to believe in the forgiveness of sins. A great deal of our anxiety to make excuses comes from not really believing in it, from thinking that God will not take us to Himself again unless He is satisfied that some sort of case can be made out in our favor. But that is not forgiveness at all. Real forgiveness means looking steadily at the sin, the sin that is left over without any excuse, after all allowances have been made, and seeing it in all its horror, dirt, meanness, and malice, and nevertheless being wholly reconciled to the man who has done it.

When it comes to a question of our forgiving other people, it is partly the same and partly different. It is the same because, here also forgiving does not mean excusing. Many people seem to think it does. They think that if you ask them to forgive someone who has cheated or bullied them you are trying to make out that there was really no cheating or bullying. But if that were so, there would be nothing to forgive. (This doesn’t mean that you must necessarily believe his next promise. It does mean that you must make every effort to kill every taste of resentment in your own heart – every wish to humiliate or hurt him or to pay him out.) The difference between this situation and the one in which you are asking God’s forgiveness is this. In our own case we accept excuses too easily, in other people’s we do not accept them easily enough. As regards my own sins it is a safe bet (though not a certainty) that the excuses are not really so good as I think; as regards other men’s sins against me it is a safe bet (though not a certainty) that the excuses are better than I think. One must therefore begin by attending to everything which may show that the other man was not so much to blame as we thought. But even if he is absolutely fully to blame we still have to forgive him; and even if ninety-nine per cent of his apparent guilt can be explained away by really good excuses, the problem of forgiveness begins with the one per cent of guilt that is left over. To excuse, what can really produce good excuses is not Christian charity; it is only fairness. To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.

This is hard. It is perhaps not so hard to forgive a single great injury. But to forgive the incessant provocations of daily life – to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son – How can we do it? Only, I think, by remembering where we stand, by meaning our words when we say in our prayers each night “Forgive our trespasses* as we forgive those that trespass against us.” We are offered forgiveness on no other terms. To refuse it is to refuse God’s mercy for ourselves. There is no hint of exceptions and God means what He says.

*Trespasses=offences, being offended or offending.
(Notes are not authored to Mr. Lewis)

Baja Report Trip Update

On July 30, 2011 By Harvest of Faith ChurchIn church locator southaven msLeave a comment

Hey,
I have been anxious to write you all , but arrived home to find a troop carrier full of Armada behind my home. The army has set up a camp right behind tye mission home and at times it seems my satellite is jammed for i cannot access internet. We have some 30 to 40 soldiers apparently living on our corner of the road indefintitely. It is awkward and frightening. the indians have stopped altogether coming for water for they fear the soldiers……………
Anyway, PRAISE JESUS!!!

We had an awesome trip south with unbelievable favor totally. ! First, the accommodations were first class this time! We were placed in the Bible College dorms, 3 couples with =children all to oursleves! Lovely rooms. Uriel from Visitor Relations helped us and put us up like kings and queens! Bless him, we were the ONLY PEOPLE HOUSED at the Bible college at FFHM……………………..
…

We arrived on Sunday, and were immediately greeted by Dr Lance and Jo Eanes (Mark’s wife and chief nurse) . They remembered us and we were greeted as family. They saw Mario on Sunday night.and Surgeon Eanes WAS EVER so excited to see him!!! So were all the others doctors and nurses. Everyone stopped what they were doing and took time to talk to Mario and hear about his visions and dreams……………they were moved to tears!
He was immediately fitted for glasses. They were made on site. While we waited , everyone came to see Mario. They have followed his case and the emails i have sent. They really love him and apparently do not get much chance to see a patient the second time. Dr Eanes said his cornea looked absolutely PERFECT. We told him about the rejection incident and he advised us to back off of the steroids the local dr has him on because they could cause cataracts. He said just do not tell her, but wean him off of the prednisone and limit visits to her unless we see a problem.
Mario recieved lovely glasses(Pastor Frank says he looks like our “Lawyer” now) and he is so handsome with his gold wire framed spectacles. He can see EVERYTHING with them,,,(he told us about every darn sign on the way home 3 hours of hey look at this hey look at that! If he had not of been totally blind before I might have strangled him!),,,,,,,,,for that reason they decided not to risk another cornea transplant at this time……..they can not explain the improvement in his other eye but agree it must be PRAYER!) They all took pictures with Mario and loved on him so much. Although Triques do not HUG , Mario hugged Jo Eanes, Mark’s wife and it made me cry.
They saw Mayte 2nd out of some 180 patients the first day. They said her sight could not be improved upon, but that Dr Eanes was willing to perform cosmetic surgery to make that deformed eye appear as close to normal as possible. He would reshape the eye.
We were shocked and grateful, not thinking they were there to perform cosmetic surgeries!
The mother quickly gave consent and Mayte was scheduled as the very first surgical patient for the week.
The surgery lasted about an hour,,,,,,,,,they prayed with us for her before they put her under Gen Anesthesia, Dr Randy walker led her to the Lord in pre-op. I led her Mother to the Lord as we waited for Mayte to come out of surgery!!!
MAYTE CAME OUT WONDERFULLY AND EVEN WITH THE POST OP SWELLING WE COULD THAT HER EYE LOOKED GREAT………………..
God is SO GOOD! this child could never have afforded this blessing!!!
So we stayed until Mayte had been seen post op 2 days afterward, until she was released……………………..
We broke down (radiator) coming home and that was a bummer but could not override the joy and family we felt with these awesome yet oh so ,humble doctors who have become like family……………………………..)
The stribismus (cross eyed) patient we had, backed out on the surgery. Sad but the parents do not understand and we can only do so much.
I have attempted and will continue to try to send videos and stills of our great blessing. However, I may need to head to town to do this , am blessed if ya’ll recieve this one due to the military situation………….
Pray for “Heaven in sight” ministries ” as they prepare to head to Bethlehem next a very dangerous area on the West bank………….please do not forget these wonderful servants of God………………
I am proud , in a good way ,to nbe an American and even more proud to be from the South. Although I work with many medical teams throughout each year , translating mostly, I have never felt the rush of love that I feel with these doctors from Georgia. Obviously the accent comforts me, reminds me of “home” although I left when I was just a child……………..but the grace and love is unsurpassed and it stems from Jesus Christ and from their upbringing in the South………………..Maybe it is wrong. maybe it is okay. but I am PROUD to say that the Church that supports us is in MIssissippi……………….because you all are the same. When I was there a few years ago with my spider bite, I recall the ones who came and loved on me and blessed me………..and I won’t forget.
I love you all and am happy to say you all are my HOME on this earth until we really get HOME.

Much love to you all MUCH LOVE, and many blessings, Love you- sorry cannot saythat e
Detra..

In Christ,
Frank and Detra

Baptism

On July 1, 2011 By Harvest of Faith ChurchIn church locator southaven msLeave a comment

Saturday is “Beach Day”. We plan on taking about 25 children plus some moms to the playa as we do once or twice each summer. Although the kids live within sight of the ocean ,most have never been there for fun. This time we expect to baptize at least 3 young boys (12 years old). I spent my afternoon explaining again water baptism to them…I preached it from the balcony of the mission home to about 20 boys………………they are very excited. They have watched the Jesus movie so many times in their own dialect that I think most believe a dove will alight on their shoulder when they come up from the water. I explained that was a special occasion but with their innocent and pure faith anything can happen……….
I am excited as well.
We will buy astronaut chickens and watermelons and sodas I guess for the day.
I will try to get photos (for them mostly), but will also be participating in the baptisms, so we will see. I have a pact with myself not to do anything that would interfere with Holy Spirit’s moving at that time………..and at times photography does just that, although ya’ll at home love to see it and I love to have the record……………..
So, on Saturday between 11 and 12:30 PACIFIC TIME IF YOU THINK OF IT , THROW A LITTLE PRAYER THEIR WAY………………..
Thanks again so much and many blessings in Christ,
Pastor Detra and Pastor Francisco

(So far, Pastor Richard, I know it will be, Ernesto, Aquilino, Flo, and Mario, they are ready for sure and immensely excited. I explained it was between them , Yahweh and Pastor Frank,and the witnesses, unlike MARRIAGE where a parental contract must take place. This stirred many other children’s hearts so we will see what happens)

Baja Miracle

On April 20, 2011April 20, 2011 By Harvest of Faith ChurchIn church locator southaven ms, Faith, harvest of faith church southaven ms, liberty in christ, Richard Chambliss southaven ms, southaven ms, southaven ms churches, word of faith, Yahweh, YashuaLeave a comment

Today, Marcial was bitten by a small rattler! (My understanding is that the smaller they are ,the more venom they have, and more powerful……I was outside when it happened. I watched him shake it twice, JUST LIKE PAUL IN THE BIBLE (acts)DID. It wouldn’t let loose. He and I started praying and he shook it off. It bit him on his second finger right hand. I laid hands on his hand and prayed. In the back of my mind was,” well in twenty minutes he should either feel it or be healed”……………………………..this was at 10:30am. At 12 noon I hollered out the mission house window and asked him how he felt.
His answer was “Stronger than ever Sister.”
He worked in the yard till 3pm and went home fine………………………………..
We had agreed before we prayed at how clear it was in the Word that we have power over these things in particular……………………and i know it to be true because I have been bitten by scorpions three times now with no ill effect. I don’t know why the wolf spider bite did what it did, maybe because I didn’t see that specifically in the Word and didn’t have the faith there…………….but today we saw a big miracle and it happened in front of about 20 children as well…………………….
Awesome testimony………..he saved its rattle as a testimony (I told him to chop it off and save it to REMEMBER what Yahweh did)……………………………it was so cool but shows how the enemy starts moving against whenever Yahweh’s Glory begins to manifest. But as you long ago said, the enemy is de-feeted. Not a foot to stand on……………..
Love-
Detra

Praise the Lord and hope ya’ll are very well………

On April 18, 2011 By Harvest of Faith ChurchIn church locator southaven msLeave a comment

Praise the Lord and hope ya’ll are very well…………….

We had an AWESOME AWESOME day today. We are on our 3rd week of Meeting attendance at about 60 people, mostly children who come all of their own accord. Today the Lord moved in a mighty way, everyone worshiped and He showed up…………..we had several young girls and come up for prayer for healing! We had an 82 yr old man confess Jesus as King and several Indian women come for prayer. The biggest difference today is that EVERYONE participated in worship physically and the Lrd seemed to honor that…..this being hard for such a stoic shy people. (I have sent video,pleases let me know if you get them) ………………….Frank taught on some of the Names and the Nature of Our Father……….our Protector, Our Source, Our Help, Our Liberation, Our Healer and on……………………The kids all answered questions as he taught and it was very effective! I think it was the best Meeting we have had all year. Hope the videos show some of it………………
After Meeting we brought 2 truckloads of people back to the Mission Home as most live below us about 1/4 mile down. As Frank was dealing with the people I was taken by 7 little children I had never seen. A Trique lady ,named Trinidad, told me they had arrived off the bus from the state of Guerrerro yesterday. I started to speak with one of the little girls, the eldest, named of course, Maria. She was taken a back by my white skin and blond hair and as I spoke with her she would shyly reach up and touch my arms or my hair. She had never seen a Caucasian before. Never! She was also amazed by my spider bite(a wolf spider bit me years back, left an ugly scar)…………Anyway, she told me there were seven children in her family, all girls. Her mama was at work. She works abut 14 hours a day every day. Her father left them for another woman. She asked us if we could put her and her other younger sister in school and I told her , “Yes of course, after Spring Break.” Then I asked her who would watch the babies, (3 aged 1 and 2 and 3 like steps on a ladder) she responded ‘ “Well, we’ll just carry them with us to school.” Of course I know that here in Baja that is not allowed as it is in the rural federal schools down on the mainland.(So I am thinking of watching the babies while the eldest girls ages 11 and 12 and the others go to school. Don’t see how I can deny them this. Don’t see how I can cook and watch babies too, but I so admire these girls will to get an education and I know the Lord can help me make this happen…………..somehow.) I enjoyed speaking with this sweet girl for about 20 minutes and got to know all of their names and told them to tell Pastor Frank to give them beans and rice and eggs and flour for the week. I had asked her how much food they have at home, “A little or a Lot?” (I’ve learned how to ask productive questions that evoke an honest answer……………(Never just yes or no questions)
She said, “Nothing. We are all women and we are very poor.”
I asked if if she felt hungry just a few times a day or all the time….” She answered, “My head hurts because the babies cry from hunger……………all the time..”
Tears came then, but I held them back for they will do no one a bit of good.. I looked at the baby and her belly is distended like one of the African babies you see on tv. Not like the typical Mexican 1 hour from the Border. I can tell she is infested with worms ans starving and probably has Ricketts and scurvy as well. It is one of the worst cases of starvation I have ever seen in my 13 years here.
At this point I was emotionally OVERWHELMED, my throat was blocked, my eyes burned with uncried tears………………..I said goodbye and told her to come for Lunch meal at the Church and to bring them all to play here tomorrow on the swings………………however as I turned to go in, she held my arm, just lightly as she hasn’t much strength anyway for her hunger.
“I’ll wash your clothes, and I am good for working, cooking and making tortillas”, she pled. “I’ll do ANYTHING to help my mother bring food into the house………….”
Now imagine, a preteen in your neighborhood desperately saying that to YOU. In a few seconds my life up till now flashed thru my mind and I realized and wondered what would it be like to feel HUNGER??? I grew up BLESSED and don’t know how that feels. I have never ever been truly painfully hungry. In that second gratitude for being born an American welled up in me for I dare say that none in my generation in the USA has felt REAL hunger, with the availability of welfare and food stamps and so many programs………God has blessed America SO MUCH! And may it continue. May no child have to suffer as these and many more I do not know are suffering………………………God has been so good to America, so good to me and thankfully I was able to tell her “No.” She didn’t have to Do anything to have food in her belly.. I was able to promise her that thru the Power of God we would keep them fed and with blankets(she mentioned they were sleeping on the bare concrete floor, because they couldn’t pay the freight to bring their blankets on the bus North…………………..)
So, yeah, today was a great great day. But today I cried.After everyone was gone, Frank and I discussed this new family and wrapped our arms around each other and wept. Out of sadness, out of gratefulness…………………I know memories of Frank’s childhood were sweeping in on him for he HAS felt that hunger and that willingness to DO ANYTHING to stop the younger siblings cries of hunger……………..
Maybe I am rambling , but ,mostly my point is that we are grateful to you all. All of you that help us financially to be able to help the least of these…………….please don’t give up. Please keep praying for us here, to make the right decisions, to have wisdom and above all to be filled with LOVE fr the people as we are now. Let that never leave us, in Jesus’ Name.
Yours in Christ with so much love,
Detra and Francisco
Baja California Norte Mexico

He is Risen.
He is Lord.

The How of Happiness

On March 15, 2011 By Harvest of Faith ChurchIn church locator southaven ms1 Comment

Happiness

What you think about yourself ,your world and other people is more important to your happiness than the circumstances of your life.
”The mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven out of Hell or a Hell out of Heaven “ John Milton – Paradise Lost.
I am gleaning from a book entitled The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky a scientific approach to getting the life that you want. She states that 40 percent of your life in regards to happiness is within your power to change by exercising certain activities. Over the next few weeks I want to take a look at them in light of the Bible. She obtained her findings scientifically. I am convinced that if it is true you can find the principle in the Word. God’s Word is ultimate Reality. So if it is real it is in the Word.

Happiness Activity No 1: Expressing Gratitude:

Gratitude is defined as “A felt sense of wonder, thankfulness and a appreciation for life . The practice of gratitude involves a focus on the present moment, on appreciating your life as it is today and what made it so.

Eight Ways that Gratitude Boosts Happiness:
1. Grateful things promotes the savoring of positive life experiences. By relishing and taking pleasure in some of the gifts of your life, you will be able to extract the maximum possible satisfaction from your current circumstances. Appreciate the good you have right now this moment will never occur again.
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

2. Expressing gratitude builds worth and self esteem. When you begin to realize how much people have done for you or how much you have accomplished you feel more confident. As a pastor I get up every Sunday morning to meet with folks that I want to see come into the blessing of all that the Lord has done for them. Being thankful for what He has done makes us realize just to what great lengths He has gone to to makes us His. We are the object of His Love.
Eph 3:14 ¶ For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man;
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

3. Gratitude helps us cope with stress and trauma . Focusing on what is good which is God in our lives defeats the fear that tries to grip us in adversity. The natural reaction to trauma or adversity is to think of all the bad things that can happen. Negative experiences spring to mind. By delibertly givng thanks our hope that we developed from past victorys floods our minds and give us something to use our faith on.

1Sa 17:36 “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.”
Rom 5:1 ¶ Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

4. The Expression of Gratitude promotes righteous living. Grateful people are more likely to help others. They are aware of how much others have helped them by kindness and feel compelled to reciprocate and are less likely to be fixated on material things.

2Cor 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

5. Gratitude helps build and strengthen relationships. When you are aware of the value of your family and friends you will treat them better and deepen the relationship. I have found in my own marriage if things begin to get rough with strife coming in that if I take a few moments to appreciate the good things that are in my life because of my wife gratitude rises in my heart and strife is out the door.

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;
29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,
6. Gratitude tends to inhibit comparisons with others. When you focus on what you do have you are less likely to envy others and compare your lives.

2 cor 10:12 ¶ For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.
13 But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.

PHP 1:15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will;
16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;
17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.
18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,
19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

7. Gratitude helps us thwart hedonic adaptation ( the tendency of humans to rapidly take for granted any new circumstance or experience. In other words what thrilled us yesterday bores us today. The person who so greatly effected our lives a year ago we now through familiarity despise.

Rom 1:21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.
25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

It is important to express gratitude. Practice gratitude by writing down what you are grateful for. Count your blessings. If you are in a negative mindset this can be difficult but find one thing at a time in which you are fortunate. Create a Gratitude Journal in which you constantly list things for which you are grateful.
Write a letter of gratitude to someone who has effected your life in a positive manner. Express gratitude directly to another. By phone letter just do it. Tell your spouse or parent something you appreciate about them. Everyone loves to be acknowledged as to their contributions to life. Your gratitude blesses them and causes you to realize their importance in your life. Express gratitude you will be happy you did.

Baja January Report

On January 16, 2011 By Harvest of Faith ChurchIn church locator southaven msLeave a comment

Dearest Uncle Richard and Church Family,

I pray this finds you all well and keeping warm! It has been cold here, but nothing compared to ya’ll’s snow……………….(actually today it warmed up to about 78 degrees surprising us into short sleeves!)
I just finished fixing Frank a big bowl of Chicken soup. And just that. Plain old chicken boiled in water with an onion. Man, I’d forgotten how good a base just some simple chicken caldo makes!
Although we had unseasonably warm weather today, we came home at 4pm , from the beach rather cold. Cold, but praising the Lord!!
As you know, last week we attended to a family who suddenly lost their 17 year old son, brother, uncle, cousin to a car accident. Actually the young man was hit by a car here in Maneadero in the early afternoon. No one was drunk or sleepy, really it appears not to be anyone’s fault, however two families wee, in an instant, destroyed. The elderly gentleman who hit Marcos apparently wandered around the accident site, mumbling to himself and asking who’s dog he had hit. The elderly fellow was obviously in the throes of dementia or Alzhiemer’s or something. Sadly, he had no insurance and was arrested on-site, taken to jail to await the judges a valuation of the life he had inadvertently taken………………..so sad. Our last word was that he was still in jail waiting for his family to collect $60,000 DOLLARS, which is what he must pay under Napoleonic law here, to “make up for the life he took.”
But back to our day here. We returned at about 4 pm COLD FROM THE BEACH. From the service or funeral for the young man that was killed last week, 8 persons committed their lives to the Kingship of Jesus Christ and showed up to be BAPTIZED in water today! What a victorious time we had today. It seemed ever the more sweet as it followed upon the heels of the death of such a young person which is so difficult to take and understand. Even more difficult to attempt to explain. However at the service , Pastor Frank spoke of the promise bodily Resurrection and of how anyone could be SURE to partake in that wonderful thing. He even went into the importance of water baptsim at the memorial. At the time my innards screamed- and of course I thought in my tired flesh, “He is going TOO far! Too much at one time!” How wrong I was, a one by one and two by two, persons who had attended the service have showed up at the Church Building this week , all asking for baptism!!
Praise Jesus! These were people totally unknown to us before the accident, people who basically just walked in off the street looking for life in a situation where it seemed that death was reigning.
We have also returned to feeding an average of 51 people this week for our daily lunch. On top of that I do about 15 breakfasts every morning. We are thanking Yahweh for providing the extra funding to keep that feeding program going, a few weeks we really didn’t know if it would continue or not. The feeding ministry alone costs about $650-700 dollars a WEEK……………… it works out to a couple of dollars per meal served. It is a lot of money and a lot of work. BUT in this week as I have repeatedly watched new families walk up to 2 miles to eat their only meal for the day, then after eating I very often watch as they surreptitiously tuck their scraps and leftovers into a coat pocket lined in preparation with a plastic bag. I realize it is worth it, physically and spiritually as when people come to us hungry they NEVER EVER go away with just a pat on the back and and a “God Bless You , Brother.” We see and live the feeding program as we do the preaching of the Gospel and the Drinking Water Ministries, EXTENSIONS OF THE KINGDOM OF THE LIVING RULING KING, Yahweh’s Son JESUS CHRIST.
In a time where dead religion runs rampant thru Mexico and the world it is important to us that we walk the talk and SHOW the lost what Jesus would do for them.
It is not a focus on works for us, (because we know that the Lord will care for His people no matter what they DO…………………….. but it is a work of GRATITUDE. We are so thankful for a;ll that the Lord has done in our lives , that we can’t see living any other life but one that shows the LOVE of Jesus in our very being………………………..Yahweh has been so Good as to call us out of darkness into His marvelous light! And you all at Harvest of Faith, over the years have been so good as to keep us in prayer and to bless us with your finances, enabling us to bless these precious people!
As we enter a New Year, we just wanted to say thank you and to let you all know how dear in our hearts that we hold you…………………
Much love and many many blessings as we enter this New and Prosperous Year,
In Jesus’ Name,
Detra and Francisco