2010 Spring Update

Recently I have been looking at the fruit that has grown as a result of a few seeds planted in years past. Following are a few reflections:

The EOC (Ensenada Outreach Center) exists because one couple responded to a call. They planted a seed with the beginning of the EOC, more than a decade ago, and as a result, thousands of lives have been forever transformed.

Although Spring officially started only a few days ago, we are in the midst of our 5th week of Spring Teams, with another 3 to go (the next two weeks being the biggest). By the end of April we will have welcomed 500+ Team members, provided 27 families with a Home of Hope, partnered with numerous local communities & pastors, fed hundreds of hungry children & families, and represented (as Ambassadors) our Lord & Saviour Jesus the Christ before hundreds if not thousands of people.

Last week at the request of a local Vision Clinic, we hosted a small group of adults from two churches in the Mexican state of Sonora, who had traveled the 500+ miles to receive no-cost eye surgery. We were able to host a couple of low-income families who would not be able to cover the costs of hotel & food expenses for the week stay. This is the first of likely additional such groups traveling to Ensenada to receive free optical surgery (coming through Mexican churches). This contact with the local Vision Clinic is the result of a seed that Emily (Tracy) Castro planted 8+ years ago when while working as a YUGO Missionary in Ensenada, she volunteered a few hours per week (she is trained as a nurse). Through this initial contact, a relationship has grown and numerous children & adults have had their sight restored.

This is similar to the example of ONE boy, who was willing to share his five loaves of bread & two “small” fish, when a crowd of 5000+ people were hungry. We know that through this ONE boy’s offering, Jesus took the loaves & fish, gave thanks, and distributed to the people “as much as they wanted.” We know that all had plenty to eat.

All this is possible because a couple of people were WILLING to respond to a call many years ago.

Ana & I continue to be grateful for the seeds that others have been planted in our lives, and we commit ourselves to continuing to plant seeds in the lives of others.

May your Spring be filled with many opportunities to plant seeds in the lives of others, and may we continue to be willing as One Body, to work in the fields that God has called us to.

As always, we are most grateful for your love, friendship, prayers & support.

Scott (for Ana & Naomi) Wester

The Voyage continues - Starting Season # 4

Last week marked the start of my Fourth Season as the Director of the EOC.

Looking back at the goals laid out in the fall of 2006, as we began a reshaping of the ministry, I have the sense that we are on a big ship (like the Titanic), and we have been turning on the wheel as fast as possible. And even though the rudder changes direction immediately, the ship is slow to respond.

Yet looking back, with perspective, the "ship" has responded & changed its course. I believe we have avoided some of the icebergs, and charted a new course.

The sea may still bring waves. We will still experience stormy weather. We may even get sea-sick. But I believe we have lessened the likelihood of sinking from hitting an iceberg.

I have often thought of our ministry & the roles we play through the illustration of a ship. I have spoke before about the assessment of what type of ship the ministry would represent, as well as our personal roles as members of the ship's crew.

I must admit that I have always had an affinity for the water. I have always dreamed of sailing around the world. I love adventure. I love movies that involve ships. (Master Commander, Pirate movies etc) So bear with me as I continue to illustrate our ministry through the image of being on a ship at sea.

I have been on this voyage (in Mexico) for 7 & 1/2 years, and starting the fourth season in my current role. Here are a few thoughts on our voyage as we head into the 2010 season:

The type of ship is far less important than the capability of her crew & the ship's capability.

In order to sail (leave port), we need to prepare & train, but also realize there is some inherent risk in setting out on the high seas. [sickness, mechanical failure, etc]

The ships crew has an awesome responsibility to its passengers & cargo, to navigate correctly (utilizing the proper charts) as well as operate efficiently as one team, in order to arrive at the destination.

We need to have permission to enter into a Port (village) and partner with local leaders.

The crew needs to prepare sufficient food (nourishment) for all the passengers & crew.

Its important to know the ships limitations so as to not run aground, capsize or sink.

We need to leave room onboard for rescuing people lost at sea.

Its important to prepare the ship's passengers to visit Ports (villages), so their impact is fruitful.

Of critical importance is knowing the way-point (the heading), or we will be lost at sea as well.

As we have set sail for another missional voyage in Mexico we are planning to accommodate more than 1,800 passengers and visit 24 ports of call. Hundreds of families & children will be visited & touched, both in the ports (villages) and on the ship.

Pray for us; for the ship's crew, for the passengers & for the people lost at sea who need rescuing. Also pray for the occasional stow-away that pops up.

2010 promises to provide a passenger list more diverse and multi-national than ever before. Similarly the crew varies in age, experience & nationality. But one thing remains thread throughout the people on the ship; a spirit of hope & love in Jesus and for one another.

Pray also for safe passage, as pirates do exist (seen & unseen), and for a strengthening of the hull (armor) of the ship & its crew.

Finally, please pray for me, that I will correctly discern the "Heading" and navigate the ship correctly. Additionally that I will properly equip the crew (EOC Staff), so we may serve all the passengers & their mission in a way that honors the purpose of the Voyage.

May all who come in contact with us this year know why we have come, who sent us, and why He cares for them!

Thanks for being able to see the message through the journey.

Heavy rain in Ensenada

It is raining (heavily) for the fifth straight day in Ensenada. We normally receive just a few inches of rain a year. We don't have a rain gauge, but our patio fountain (which is 8-10 inches deep) was dry a week ago, but now overflowing.

As the ground has become more saturated, the rain takes a bigger toll.

Today I started the day with Abraham, Juan Martinez & Pastor Rigo Avina. We visited a few communities, while EOC staff prepared relief supplies.

By 3:30pm, we had two teams [Team 1- Abraham, Ricardo & Marvin; Team 2- Juan, Rhonda & Sandra] with myself & Alejandro providing logistic support, departing the EOC base with enough supplies for 100 families. (thanks to the prep help of Brenda, Karrie, Myrna and a handful of other local volunteers)

Once we wrapped up this evening, we had visited 70 families; delivering blankets, tarps & food.

We will continue tomorrow morning.

Check out our new Facebook group page for EOC (photos of the rain & relief effort)

One surprise I encountered today was this; I had thought that tarps & blankets would be the biggest need. Although it was food.

Most of the families in the villages we serve, work in the agriculture fields. With the heavy rains, there has not been any work this whole week.

They get paid daily (in cash), and most would not have any savings or emergency fund. So imagine a family that shops for food each day, with the daily earned income; going a week without earning any money. (while their roof is leaking, clothes & bedding is wet)

No access to hot water, heat, or a dryer to dry clothes. Empty fridge, empty cupboard & hungry bellies.

Wait.... what's that sound, I think someone is here? Its a visitor, bringing a gift of love, in a time of need.

Thank you to all our friends & supporters, you are our partners who equip us to do this work.

Tonight we were not only able to feed people physically, but we were also able to listen to them, pray with them, and cry with them.

God is Good!

more to come..

Annual Update

Friends, our partners in life & ministry,

As you celebrate Christmas and the New Year, we wanted to take a moment to share our heartfelt thanks & appreciation for your friendship. Speaking for my wife Ana & daughter Naomi, I can assure you that we have never been more mindful of the power of a few friends coming together to form one body.

You are our friends, you are our body. Without you, your prayers, your friendship, your encouragement & your support; we could not be in Mexico serving as we are. You make this possible.

Without each of you as our friends, we would not really know what it is to be in the Kingdom of God, nor would we know the blessing that comes in giving our lives to others & sharing in the great community of the believers.

Through your friendship we are able to continue the work of loving the forgotten people of this world. A journey that for us can only continue as we are part of a team. Your team.

Let me confess that I often set out to do the work in front of me, a work that you are a part of, forgetting to fulfill my responsibility of keeping you up to date on the progress. In doing so I rob you of sharing in the knowledge of the blessing we are as a team. I ask your forgiveness in falling short in this area, and I thank you for your grace & love that you continue to bestow upon us with the favor of your friendship.

Now for an update on our ministry:

Ana has continued to grow deeper into the work with families. She has an amazing gift being able to really be with people, truly listening to their story, genuinely caring for them.

She is actively part of a three-person team that visits all families selected to receive a House of Hope (we will build 80+ in 2010), as well as visiting with families impacted through relief ministry.

Additionally Ana has continued to grow deeper in personal friendships with a few core women. For the past six months she has faithfully walked with (physically & spiritually) one of these friends every morning for an hour.

Naomi continues her great adventure of growing up in a diverse community of family & friends. She seems to enjoy becoming aquatinted with so many new people who come to visit her house (the EOC) each week. We are hopeful that she may be blessed with a little sister or brother in the year to come.

I continue to be most grateful for a few local friends in Ensenada, who are willing to walk with me as brothers in Christ. This in addition to the great staff we are a part of at the EOC, is one of the great rewards of serving where God has called us. Three friends in particular have offered to assist me with a covering of accountability & protection, as I continue to spend more time traveling. The idea, is that whenever I need to travel without the company of my wife, one of my friends will travel with me. We are so grateful for a few committed friends willing to make personal sacrifices in order to walk with us.

While we continue to branch out into new geographic areas of the Americas, we sense Ensenada continuing to be our hometown for the foreseeable future. Just four years ago Ana & I weren't sure where we were going to plant our roots. Even as we accepted the offer to serve in a leadership role at the EOC, we weren’t sure if it was for a season of time, or something longer. And while our heart’s continue to grow in the capacity to love a greater diversity of people around the world, we sink our roots deeper into our home base community of Ensenada. We believe God has a strategic plan in basing our ministry from here. This is where our treasured friendships have grown over the past few years, and we hope to continue to take our friends with us, as we branch out from Ensenada in the years to come.

In the coming year we will continue to partner with teams from the US, Canada & Mexico, as we step out of our comfort zones and into a world of opportunity to impact families, communities & nations with the person of Jesus.

I continue to serve as the director of YUGO’s Ensenada Outreach Center; developing the leadership team, communicating the message, casting the vision & setting the tone within the EOC.

Recently we have been hosting a monthly Leadership Breakfast which includes leaders from various areas of society. In January we have been asked to host the breakfast at Ensenada’s City Hall (so the Mayor & other elected officials may attend). The purpose of the breakfast is to bring local leaders together in the spirit of Jesus, to build friendships with Him & with one another.

A seed planted years ago is starting to sprout. With a few friends we have been talking & dreaming about coffee as a ministry in Mexico. This fall we rebranded our EOC Store to become the C3 Cafe. The vision is to Connect Communities through Coffee, hence C3. Early next year I will travel to Oaxaca with a few friends to explore a few of the coffee growing regions of southern Mexico. Our hope is to find an untouched community we can build a relationship with, purchase “green” coffee, locally roast the coffee, and retail the coffee; with all the proceeds being invested in outreach opportunity in the coffee growing community. Hopefully this will not only provide a new area of opportunity for our friends from the US & Canada, but also for our friends in Ensenada.

We are so grateful for you joining yourselves with us in prayer & partnership in this life journey of ours. Please know, even if we do not see one another regularly, you provide us with an immeasurable amount of encouragement & support, which helps us keep the faith & persevere through all seasons.

We remain, your thankful friends & partners in ministry, in Mexico.

With full & grateful hearts,

Ana, Naomi & Scott Wester

Leadership Breakfast - Update

In October Abraham & I started hosting a monthly Leadership Breakfast (in part modeled from my experiences at the SouthEast White House in Washington DC, under the leadership of Scott Dimock & Sammie Morrison).

The vision is to bring together leaders (people of influence) from the different areas of society in Ensenada, together in friendship. As we do this, in the spirit of Jesus of Nazareth, we are able to grow in friendship with one another, learning about the needs of the community and of its leaders.

We are inviting business owners, health-care directors, government officials, educators, civil servants and even pastors. (including two dear friends, David Garcia & Danny Mesa)

After having hosted two breakfast's, we have been asked by the local government if we could host January's in the City Hall, so the Municipal President of Ensenada (similar to a Mayor) as well as other elected officials could attend!

This has certainly been one of the goals, but even sooner than I thought possible.

Once again, the result when we are willing to step out in faith!

Fire near Rancho Casitas!

Wednesday I received an urgent phone call from Rick Carter with Hand's of Mercy (a similar organization working south of Ensenada) informing me of a large fire fire burning close to their property "Rancho Casitas". The families who live at the ranch are very dear friends of ours, so I assured Rick we would connect with them and help in anyway possible.

I called the McCoy's satelite phone, and was able to connect with Sue McCoy. She informed me that since they had all been focused on preparing for the fire, the three missionary families (McCoy's, Van Ness' & Johnson's) living on the ranch were out of some basic food supplies (milk, bread, meat, fruit etc). *the ranch is more than an hour drive south of Ensenada

I quickly packed an overnite pack, kissed Ana & Naomi, and headed off to Costco in a truck. EOC team member Brenda Barnes (a champion shopper) followed me there & helped load up the truck with 5 coolers of ice & enough food to feed an army.

As I made the trip to Rancho Casitas, I remembered the fire of October 2007, which also was in the vicinity of the ranch, but never threatened it. (see my picasa photo album)

As I arrived at the ranch, I noticed that a crew of firefighters were camped there, along with the Mexican Army! There was also a Helicopter from the Mexican Forestry department.

I quickly learned that the fire was within a mile of the Eastern portion of the ranch, but was threatening the entire southern portion of the ranch from east to West. (I later learned that the fire was estimated to have burned 65,000 acres) The McCoy's, Van Ness' & Johnson's were all so appreciative of the abundance of food, and thankful for the provision of a way to thank the team of nearly 80 people who were working to prevent the fire from threatening their homes.

As we watched the sunset, and felt a change in the barometric pressure, it was obvious that cool damp weather was moving in from the coast. And as the firefighters & soldiers returned to the camp well after dark, all were grateful to hear the news that the fire was contained and mostly out!

What a blessing it was to be with my friends and help them feed these brave heros!

As we woke this morning (Danny & Rick started breakfast for the crew at 5am), aside from the smell of smoke, and some smoldering, you couldn't see any real signs of a fire!

Although they are "out of the woods" we will help them this weekend by hosting a team that is scheduled to stay at Rancho Casitas. (the firefighters are still using the ranch as a base camp)

We don't see ourselves as us & them, we are all One Body.

Here are a few photos form yesterday at the ranch: