The Fork in the Road

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

St. Matthew 7:13-14

by Patrick & Hazel Simmons 

First allow us to thank Bro. Jeff for posting his article about Y-MOT Ministries and for allowing me to write this follow-up article about a few of the families involved in our outreach efforts.

Special thanks also to our church Trinity for the prayers, volunteer hours and financial support that is given throughout the year.

God has blessed us to serve in under-resourced communities since 1996 and we have seen God move in some awesome ways.

Thousands of unchurched youth have received and responded to the Gospel, families have been saved, youth have improved in their academics and in their behavior, and others have changed their lifestyle habits.

The neighborhoods we serve have many pockets of poverty, broken families, struggling school systems, along with high crime and gang activity.

Y-MOT has served as a safe haven and a place where youth and families can receive empowerment and much needed resources.

For instance, one of our families who due to extended relatives living in their small house along with having many children of their own; needed extra sleeping arrangements. The Hall Family from our church showed the love of Christ by donating mattresses, sheets, comforters, and pillows so that the children would have somewhere comfortable to sleep.

Bianca, grew up in a troubled home in a gang infested neighborhood and attended failing schools. She began attending Y-MOT Outreach afterschool when she was in the 7^th grade. Her involvement in evangelism, discipleship, tutoring and camp retreats enhanced the God given leadership skills that she had hidden deep inside of her. She received Christ and began attending church. Her involvement brought her younger brothers and sisters into the ministry and they all received Christ also. Bianca later graduated as the Valedictorian of her high school and is now attending college.

In a similar way, six years after meeting Bianca, we have Denicia who’s now in the 7^th grade. Both of these girl’s lives mirror each other in amazing ways. Denicia has been attending various Y-MOT programs and has also brought many of her siblings and cousins into the ministry. Denicia is overcoming many of her obstacles and is now on the Distinguished Honor Roll at her school. We can only pray as we continue to be the light of Christ in her life that her story continues on the positive path that she is taking.

Brandon is a kid who was dealing with serious self-esteem issues due to him being extremely overweight. Brandon became a part of our discipleship ministry, but avoided our physical fitness programs because most of the other kids teased him when he tried the activities. This made it harder for him to participate and get the help he needed. Brandon was a victim of childhood obesity and it became so bad that his doctor actually feared for his life. One day, there was a prayer walk to take place in our community, so I invited Brandon to participate with me. As we walked I had the opportunity to share Christ and encouraging scripture with him. This was the catalyst that gave him the courage to face his fears and challenges head on. He slowly began to get involved in our Physical Fitness programs such as Afterschool Exercise, Tennis and our Basketball Team. As his fitness improved, his self-esteem improved, his grades improved and more importantly his outlook on life improved.

I met Anthony in the lunch room of the local school in our community when he was in the 8^th grade. I invited him to attend one of our weekly evangelism events. Anthony grew up on a very tough street in the neighborhood. All of his friends were involved in gangs and were trying to get him involved as well. Anthony struggled with trying to choose between his street friends and the new friends that he made while attending Y-MOT. Anthony learned a lot about God and forgiveness and realized that he wanted this for his friends he left behind in the streets. So, he began to invite them to evangelism club as well. Not all, but many of them gave their lives to God and left the street life behind as well. Today, Anthony is a loving husband and a great father who helps us mentor other youth in the community who are growing up in situations like he did.

All of us must come to the Fork in the Road spoken about in Matthew 7. Most of us have someone in our lives to help influence us to take the right path, whether it’s our church, our parents, or our teachers. Unfortunately, the majority of the youth we serve have neither.

We’re thankful that God has strategically placed us at the Fork in the Road to encourage the lost to take the narrow gate that leads to life.

We’ve been called to point the unchurched to John 14:6 to let them know that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that no one can come to the Father except through Him.

God has blessed us to serve faithfully in missions over the past 15 years and we’re looking forward to serving over the next 15 years and beyond.

We need your partnership of prayers, volunteer hours and financial resources to continue spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the loss and hurting families that we have been called to serve.

 

 

Please visit us online at www.y-motoutreachministries.org to learn more about our ministry.

Also, “LIKE” us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ymot.inc to receive weekly updates and prayer requests.

Patrick & Hazel Simmons

Y-MOT Outreach Ministries, Inc.

A DEBT YOU SHOULD WANT

John Piper: “If you’ve never had a burden for your neighbor here, how are you going to do missions in another culture?”

Romans 1:14-15 – I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

Within a ten minute drive from the doors of our church, we can extend a transformational hand to young men and women that will change their lives for years to come. Not only will our help transform their lives, but it will reverberate for generations to come. You do not even have to travel thousands of miles on a plane to do this either. Within ten minutes, our church body can be a catalyst for transformation. You can be a catalyst for transformation.

Paul says in Romans 1:14-15, we are in debt to our neighbors, whoever they may be. In debt? How are we in debt to someone in Memphis or across town? How are we in debt to them?

Think for a moment to when you received grace that pardoned and paid your debt. What debt was that? It was a debt of sin. You and I were thieves because we had stolen God’s glory and Lordship, and exchanged it for other things we desired (Romans 1:23). As a result of breaking his rules and falling short of His glory, we are in eternal debt to Him. In His grace and mercy, he sent His only Son to pay for that debt and set us free from that bondage. Therefore, we are no longer in debt to God.

We are in debt to others because they need the Grace of God just like we did. This means that we are in debt to those in India, Paraguay, Russia, Honduras, the Navajos in Arizona, and the young men and young women in Memphis. This debt is not an obligation as if we “had to”, but we are compelled to give simply because of the love of Christ.

It is our desire at Trinity to reach people across our world with the Gospel. We want to adopt an unreached people group where there is no gospel presence so that we may evangelize and establish churches. At the same time, there are people within the shadow of our steeple, who need that same grace. As John Piper said, “If you’ve never had a burden for your neighbor here, how are you going to do missions in another culture?” That is a great question to ask ourselves. How can we travel so far to reach a people group, and not minister to those around us, and especially when there is a venue already setup for us to get plugged in.

Y-MOT is just such a venue that is already established and reaching out to youth in Memphis. It is a ministry that we support financially and prayerfully. Our fellow church members and local missionaries, Patrick and Hazel Simmons, direct this ministry for youth in the Memphis area. Y-MOT provides mentoring programs for the whole child – educationally, physically, spiritually. Patrick and Hazel have been leading this ministry since the late 1990’s and are impacting lives for God’s kingdom.

But they cannot do it alone. They need our church, Trinity, to come alongside and multiply their efforts. There are too many young men and young women succumbing to poor academics, and a whole host of temptations such as drugs, school drop outs, and premarital sex. Many of them come from broken homes, and lack a Godly view of themselves. They need the grace of God. We are indebted to them to give them the grace of God through our lives. They need the Gospel.

How can I help? How can I make an impact on these precious children and teenagers?

First, let me share a few ways some in our church have helped. Sarah Edmiston is using her love of running and healthy living to minister to these children by teaching them how to take care of their bodies, but also sharing the grace of God as she does so. Jeff Smallwood participates in a variety of ways such as teaching tennis. Hannah Kelso has shared her testimony at their Bible studies. Evan House played on Y-MOT basketball team. John Colton has helped these young men and women through tutoring.  David Leverett has taught Bible studies. These and others like them are employing their passions, their abilities, and gifts to share not only the grace of God, but they give of themselves as well. Its really about building relationships. 

How can I help?

1. These kids need adults who will love them and pray for them, first and foremost.

2. Tutor these youth in academics, leadership, money management, career skills, etc

3. Share your testimony, disciple some of these youth, share a bible study.

4. Be involved in sports or assist in taking them to an event.

5. Involve the youth in the ministries that Trinity conducts whether it is something like the Father-Son Hike, serving together on a mission endeavor, etc.

6. Involve your BFG class or students to commit to serving weekly.

7. Men think of things that will teach on manhood, and women can involve the young women on events that will teach on femininity.

8. If you own a business or even as an individual, become a regular sponsor at the events that Y-MOT conducts such as the Tennis Tournament in July and the annual Family & Community Day events.

9. Obviously, financially supporting this ministry is necessary and we can all do this, but we must go beyond just giving our money. We need to give ourselves.

10. Partner with the youth as mission partners to work on a local school or in their neighborhood.

11. You fill in this blank….

Paul states in Romans 1:15 – “I am ready…” The question is are you and I ready to preach the gospel through our lives to these young men and women. 

We OWE them this!

Please go to this website to learn more about Y-MOT, and how you can contact Patrick and Hazel at http://www.y-motoutreachministries.org/

The 4th Annual Y-MOT Tennis Classic at Chickasaw Country Club is coming up on July 14, 2012 and they need YOU and ME. If you don’t play tennis that is ok. There are other ways you can assist them in this by volunteering at the event, being an individual sponsor, or a business sponsor. Again, check out the Y-MOT website for more info. All sponsorships need to be in June 9.

Honduras in the Rearview Mirror pt 2: Hunger is no Game

During our time in the villages that surrounded La Esperanza, Honduras, this song, So Many Books, by Michael Card came to mind:

There is a hunger, a longing for bread
And so comes the call for the poor to be fed
More hungry by far are a billion and more
Who wait for the Bread of the Word of the Lord

(Chorus:)
So many books, so little time, so many hunger, so many blind
Starving for words, they must wait in the night
To open a Bible and move towards the Light

There’ll come a time, the prophets would say
When the joy of mankind will be withered away
A want not for water, but a hunger for more
A famine for hearing the Word of the Lord

(Chorus)
…To open a Bible and move towards the Light,
Open a Bible and move towards the Light

The Word won’t go out, except it return
Full, over flowing and so we must learn

(Chorus)
To open a Bible and move towards the Light
Open a Bible and move towards the Light
Open a Bible and move towards the Light

 Two stories told to me by Pastor Samuel illustrate the real famine that is taking place all around us. We went to a village not far from Yamaranguila to minister to the children and the adults who lived there. As we traveled up rain eroded roads to this village, Samuel told me that when he came to this village, the patriarch told Samuel that he had been praying for four years for someone to come and teach them the Word of God. Four years! Samuel returned each week to teach them to the point where there were so many children and adults that he could not teach effectively. His wife came with him so that she could teach the children, and he warned her to be ready. Read for what? Just be ready, he said. She went to tell the story of Noah and the Ark, and not one child had heard the story!

We found this to be the case in most of the schools and villages we ministered in during the week. As we were setting up to show the Jesus film in one of the villages, there was a group of eager children who were there early to watch the movie. So, with Keith as my translator, we decided not to waste this moment and tell a bible story. Going through stories in my head, I happened to ask the children if they had heard the story of David and Goliath. Now, if you are an American, and definitely a Southern American, you have heard this story, I would guess, a thousand times. Not one child raised their hand. Not ONE!! As we visited schools in each of the villages, the kids had never heard the stories of Jonah and the whale, Jesus calming the storm…you name it.

The people that we visited, the vast majority of them, are literally dirt poor. No electricity, outdoor bathroom facilities (one we saw without walls), and lived on beans and maybe some rice. Their children many times are pulled out of school to harvest coffee beans to help the family. As we were leaving one village, a young boy of 8 or 9 years of age asked me for my nearly empty water bottle. It was just a regular water bottle that we buy and throw away. They are desperately poor.

Our team of 13 people was able to take a weeks worth of food to families in the village. We were able to quiet, at least for a little while, the sounds of hunger that originated from their stomachs. Food that would give life, bring nourishment, strength, and encouragement.

Yet, my heart was broken over the fact that there was a much greater famine taking place. A lacking that was eternal, but could easily be supplied. The food that these children and these families lacked was the Word of God. They had no knowledge of God’s Word. The greatest famine is not of food, but the Word of God. On top of this, many of them cannot read, and therefore cannot read the Word of God for themselves.

As a result of that first day of ministry, our students did an even more focused and intense work after of making sure we left truth from the Word of God. Giving them food- real food meant for their salvation. Food that would give life, bring nourishment, strength, and encouragement. The Word of God. As we visited with these precious people in their homes, they extended hospitality with graciousness, and were so grateful for the food. But our hearts were broken that they were depending on their own efforts, good, and even religous to save them(they would consider themselves Catholic, but even Catholic doctrine teaches a works-based salvation). And I kept thinking without someone to teach them the Word of God; without the Word of God injested, how will they come to know that salvation is a gift; its free!

How many Bibles do we own? How well do we know the stories and the truths that are contained within those pages? It is convicting that we take knowing and explaining his Word for granted. We feast while famine is all around us. Lord have mercy. Help us.

Pastors Samuel and Jorge, and Keith are doing all they can to take the Word of God, teach it and disciple people how to become Christians. They cannot do it alone.

What can you do?

1) Financially support these men:        Aguilar Support c/o Calvary Baptist Church – 105 Dent Street – Macon, MS 39341

2) Send funds to purchase Bibles in Spanish. Send funds so that they can have resources to teach those who cannot read – Storying resources; visuals; etc

3) Pray

4) Go to Honduras. What is amazing is that Honduras is only a 2.5 hour plane flight from Houston, TX. We don’t have to go far to supply food for a desperate famine. Or wherever, simply Go – it does not have to be Honduras. The hunger is great around the world…..BUT ALSO….

5) Realize that there are people starving in our own neighborhoods and in our own city. There are people starving in Memphis…not from a lack of food, but from a lack of God’s Word. Let us be faithful about telling God’s story of redemption as we minister with our lives.

Romans 10:15, 17 says: As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” … So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Honduras in the Rearview Mirror: How Important is Vision?

As you read through these reflections of what our team of 13 people experienced in Honduras, it is really a testimony to God’s work! He deserves all the honor and credit. My prayer for our team was, and my prayer for you as you read about our trip is that God would expand our vision for His work of grace among all people groups, enlarge our hearts to see people as God’s sees them, and to employ the gifts and the gospel that He has entrusted to us to the fullest for the sake of the people in Honduras and everywhere so that they may know and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ.

This vision and heart for people and the Gospel does not come naturally, it is given by our Lord to us. Jesus told his disciples and tells us, “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” (John 4:35). Notice how many times “vision” words are used in this one verse. Vision is vital. How do we, who are selfish, preoccupied, and prejudiced ever gain God’s vision? Herb Hodges states it like this: “proper information plus spiritual illumination will produce vision, which in turn will produce motivation, and this motivation will lead to spiritually productive action.” Proper information must come from God’s Word. His Scripture is the external stimulus, the absolute truth of God, which is about Him, reveals Him, and His plan to redeem sinful man. This coupled with God’s Spirit will illuminate and convict our hearts which will then result in a greater love for Him and people. Prejudices will fall, preoccupations will only be rubble, and we will want to love, sacrifice, and serve with a fervor that no army could stop, or a zeal that will not retreat in fear when faced with the threat of bodily harm or death. I pray desperately for this expansion of vision and enlargement of my love, and the employment of all that I am to take the Gospel wherever I go.

While we have far to go, I believe that our team experienced this growth while in Honduras. We were so thankful to be able to see the Lord work.

I want to introduce the men and their families who live and serve in La Esperanza and the surrounding villages. They have a vision! A vision that is motivated by the Gospel to reach people. And they live this vision day to day!

 Jorge, Nolvia (wife), Nohemy

Samuel, Sonia (wife), Sarai, and Sofia

Keith, Joanna(wife), Renia, & Gabriel

They and their families love the Lord, are highly dedicated, and willing to sacrifice to make sure people hear the Gospel and are discipled! We were able to hear how the Lord chose and appointed Samuel, Sonia and their family, Jorge, Nolvia and their family, and Keith, Joanna and their family to serve the people in and around La Esperanza. These families strive and struggle to get the Gospel through very tough terrain, and even tougher hearts due to the hardening effect of works-based salvation and Biblical illiteracy. I think our team would agree that our hearts were humbled and challenged by these families’ willingness to sacrifice and serve the people huddled in the villages surrounding La Esperanza. These are people who are locked into extreme generational poverty, illiteracy, and most desperately a works-based salvation not only birthed in the human heart, but reinforced even more heavily through the teaching of the Catholic Church.

In this context, Jorge, Samuel, and Keith not only face laborious efforts to get the gospel to these villages, but many times they experience hostility, and even physical threats. In one village that Samuel visited, the patriarch of the village told him that he had been praying for 4 years for someone to come and teach them the Word of God. A church was born. In his efforts to disciple the people in this village, Samuel shared how a Catholic man, a leader in the Catholic church, would cut down trees across the road in attempt to deter and discourage Samuel from getting to this particular village. Samuel did not give up, but simply had the tree cut up, and he moved on to serve the Gospel to those precious people.

Jorge spoke of the hostility that he also faces in his attempts to plant churches in some of these villages. Jorge travels to these villages many times on motorcycle to explore and to meet people in these villages with a purpose of building relationships and to find someone who is interested in God’s Word. He went into one village and while he made his visits, someone in that village filled his gas tank with sand and dirt. In another village where he had made plans to buy property for a church, about 40-50 people came out to the site to protest his wanting to plant an evangelical church. The mob was hostile, and finally two men from the village, who were atheists, confronted the protesters. They confronted them on how they never resisted or protested those who were bringing alcohol and other vices into their community, yet this man (Jorge) who had come to help their community, they protest with great hostility. The crowd dispersed and went to their homes, and these two men helped Jorge.

There were other stories of how Keith and Samuel were threatened with machetes. As Keith drove me through villages on our way to our destination, he would tell me about how various villages will not allow them to come and teach the Word of God. I hear of these type stories in other countries, but never expected to hear this in Honduras! We were humbled by their dedication and willingness to serve in these villages of Honduras. We traveled the roads that they traveled, and I can tell you how rough these mountain roads are and how much time it takes to simply travel to one village, and this was in the dry season! But I can’t imagine the threats to one’s life that they face!

I want to close this part of the blog with how God worked in one of these resistant villages while we were there. We had two teams, one that would do construction work on a church in Guascotoro, while another part of the team would visit schools. The school in the village of Las Mesas had called Jorge to see if he would bring the American team to visit their school, and we would be allowed to talk about Jesus. This was great, but the backstory puts this request in a miraculous context.

This was the first time this school had welcomed a Christian mission team (the country is Catholic and in this area, they do not like evangelical Christians). Three years ago, they would not even accept food from mission teams. Two years ago, they accepted food, and listened politely, but that was all. Last year was the same. This year, they asked Pastor Jorge if he could send our team to their school.  Thanks to God for the teams that went there previously, and for Samuel, Jorge, and Keith that did not give up on the school.  Our team went to the school, and the children sang to our team and welcomed them with open arms. Samuel must have cried tears of joy for 30 minutes in response to what he was seeing happening and what a tremendous breakthrough it was for the Gospel.  Our team was able to love on the children, and shared the Gospel through stories, puppets, and activities. But most of all, God used our team to help add a vital piece of the bridge so that Jorge and Samuel can go back and build relationships, share the Word of God, and hopefully plant a church.

 

Jorge, Samuel, and Keith and their families have a vision to reach people in La Esperanza and the villages in the mountains. This vision, given to them by God through the Gospel, motivates them to serve even through discouragement, financial difficulty, religious deception, hostility, and threats! I am proud to call them brothers in Christ and friends.

Consider supporting these men and their families as they serve:
Donations for Samuel and Sonia:  Aguilar Support c/o Calvary Baptist Church 105 Dent Street, Macon, MS 39341
Donations for Keith & Joanna Daniels:  Bethany Baptist Church  5064 Bethany Road, Hahira, GA 31632

Next week: Part 3 of Honduras in the Rearview Mirror: Who has heard of David and Goliath?