We have witnessed yet another healing miracle in our congregation and give Jesus all the glory!

Carlos, who's 17, has been a part of our community for over three years. Francisco first met Carlos outside our studio one day and quickly observed signs of family abandonment in his life. It is common for boys to experience abandonment and a premature call into adult responsibility in their families. Oftentimes, single mothers are forced to work 6 days a week to feed their families, leaving the oldest child to fend for themselves or grow up without direction or guidance. Carlos is one of these children. When he was just 15 years old, his mother left him in Tecate with her ex-boyfriend and she moved in with a new boyfriend across state borders. This type of story often results in boys finding "family" and acceptance in gangs where they can quickly get entangled in addictions and problems with government authorities.

To help keep him far from the temptation of drugs, Carlos has been playing on Francisco's soccer team for the past few years. About two months ago, he woke up one morning with severe back pain and found a strange growth on his spine, the size of a fist. It kept him from being able to have full mobility so doctors scheduled an operation a few weeks out. 

That's when he asked for prayer. Our youth gather the first Friday of each month and join in prayer for one another, the ministry and our community, into the wee hours of the night. Everyone laid hands on him and declared Jesus' healing for the strange growth.

A few days later he woke up in wet sheets to discover that the growth had burst and completely healed! Doctors couldn't believe it! Tests came back that he was indeed healed and in no need of an operation! 

We praise Jesus! We rejoice for the love He showers upon His children. Carlos is experiencing what it is to be a child of the best Father and it's transforming his life!

Natalie has been walking with five women in our church, discipling them deeper in the word of God--beyond the weekly women's Bible Study. They just finished going through a 12 week class of discovering their spiritual gifts and have now been commissioned to new responsibilities in the ministry.

We just began our summer Women's Ministry, a six week long series where each of these women will share a portion of their testimony focusing on the hidden gold that they found in a desert season of their life. We pray that this will reach some of the many women that attend our art and music classes during the week. This is an opportunity for many women who not only will hear the gospel for the first time but will also have the opportunity to be heard and receive prayer. Pray with us that new women will experience the love of Jesus on Thursday nights thru the summer!

The last weekend of June we celebrated and ordained another wedding in our church, Eagle's Nest. Francisco's sister Norma and her husband have been congregating with us for the past two years. This wedding wasn't only a celebration of the love and unity of this couple, but also a celebration of the spiritual growth in our church. You may ask yourself how that's possible, but this wedding was put together, hosted and even funded by the cooperation of our congregation. As it's naturally expected, the wedding planning demanded unity and teamwork among all who participated, which is something that most of our congregation is growing in. From a pastoral perspective, I (Natalie) stand back and am simply proud of our church family's cooperation in the unfolding of this special event--even despite differences and conflict. We praise the Lord that yet another couple steps into obedience and commitment to one another before the Lord this 2018!

Jonathan, a 35 year old, has been attending Francisco's painting classes for nearly three years. He was in a terrible car accident years ago, that left him disabled and in a wheelchair. His mother came to us, desperate to find a place where her son could participate in a hobby with an accepting community. She says that other art schools in Tecate wouldn't take him in as a student because of his disability. Thus they are super grateful that we have our doors open to him.

Painting has become one of Jonathan's favorite pastimes. He even used his birthday money to buy himself a special tabletop easel that inspired other students to do the same. We have dedicated time to investing in relationship with him, but for a long time Jonathan cleaved to his catholic beliefs and was very closed off to us sharing with him about Jesus. That is, until this past Friday!

Jonathan finally accepted our invitation to church and received Jesus in his heart! When we finished praying with him, he asked for the whole church to lay hands on him and bless him, sharing that he had never felt so much acceptance and peace as he felt here in the studio. Let's keep Jonathan in our prayers! We believe that God can heal his body and give him the ability to walk again someday!