We have a work here among Mexican children/ youth in Fresno that has been going on for about eight years. About 30 kids from about 12 different homes attend.
The children speak English and Spanish and- Mixtec a dialect spoken in Guerrero, Mexico where their families came from. We are very blessed to work with such a wonderful group of young people. They come from very good, hard-working families.
Agriculture is a major industry here in the Central Valley of California. The parents of the children are mainly employed in field labor on the many farms and orchards we have here. The families are Roman Catholic but have been very open to letting us work with the children and share the Gospel with them.
We work with the children out of our homes through afternoon Sunday school and Friday youth Bible nights. Most of the children attend both activities, but the Friday Bible nights will attract some of the older teens.
Both activities are very Gospel oriented. There is hymn singing, Bible lessons/crafts, and the children are both encouraged and rewarded for attendance and memorizing verses.
This past May, we had the opportunity on the Sunday of Memorial weekend, to have a luncheon for the mothers and fathers of the children and thank them for allowing their children to attend the activities.
We catered food, rented tents, tables, and chairs, and hosted the meal as an afternoon backyard event. Ashley Milne, Omar Lozada, and Vladimir Pinto assisted in each giving a Gospel message to the families.
Seven families attended, and overall the interest was very good. Everyone listened attentively to the Gospel messages given, and the parents seemed encouraged and interested in attending future Spanish Bible studies/meetings with us.
East L A, CA.
We have been attending and helping out with the Vacation Bible School at the East Los Angeles Gospel Hall (Sala Evangelica) for about six years. They are very strong Christians and diligent in serving the Lord.
This year there were about 80 children in attendance. Brother Glen Baker helped out for the two weeks. The theme was S.O.S. - (Stories of Salvation/Save Our Souls) This year it took place during July 23 - Aug 3.
For the last few years, we have had the opportunity to take more and more children from Fresno. The parents are trusting, and allow them to come with us, and be under our supervision, and care. Last year and this year we've taken two groups down each year for a week. From Fresno to the Gospel Hall in East L.A. it's about a 4-hour drive with good traffic. The assembly there is very generous and allow us to borrow one of their 12 passenger vans to transport the children during the time that we have them, as we do not have a van of our own in Fresno.
get down to L. A. for Sunday night, so we are there and ready to go for Monday morning classes. Then at the end of each week, we take everyone home on Saturday.
VBS begins around 10 a.m. with hymn singing, followed by an introduction to the lesson of the day with a brief Gospel message, and a time of questions and answers from the previous day's lesson. After that, the children go to their classes according to their ages. The teachers have about 45 minutes to present the day's lesson to the class, and afterward, all the children come together for arts and crafts. Lunch is then served, and the children are released.
In previous years the children and I have stayed in the home of a Christian family from the assembly there, but this year we had the wonderful opportunity of staying right at the East L. A. Gospel Hall. The facility is fairly large and has four bedrooms and two showers, as well as a full kitchen. This helps us cut down on travel costs.
We had a wonderful time during the VBS this summer. I was blessed to have the assistance of a Korean brother Woo Hyun Jung from our assembly in Turlock. He was with us for the full two weeks of traveling and was a huge help with the children.
We were blessed to have our brother Ashley Milne from British Columbia join us during the second week of VBS. He was not only there to assist with our group of children but was also invited to speak at the children's' program that took place on the final night of VBS. Most of the parents of the children who attend the East L. A. VBS only speak Spanish, so Ashley had the opportunity to deliver a Gospel message in Spanish to the 250 who were present for the evening program.
I'm so glad that the Lord opened the door for so many children from Fresno to attend the classes. We continue to pray that the Gospel messages and lessons they heard will work in their hearts and that the Lord can speak to them about their need to be saved, as well as all the children who continue to attend our Bible activities here in Fresno.
Summer 2018 Written by Brianna Steele - USA