WE HAVE MOVED!

We have moved!!

On behalf of CFCI, we thank you so much for reading and keeping up with our blog posts on the site, but in line with our recent website upgrade you can now find all blog posts (all the old, plus the new!) over at: cfci.org/blog/

We can’t wait to see you there!

My CFCI Story: Judy Calhoon

Our newest blog feature is a series of posts about the way God has been moving among those who have been on missions trips. You can read the first two here and here. Today, we introduce our newest post, featuring Guatemala missions team member Judy Calhoon. 

Judy works with the Outreach Committee at her church, and went to Guatemala in March this year with a group from CFCI. Along with handing out Biblical and prayer material written in Spanish, she had the opportunity to share her story with the nationals. She was also able to minister to the people in terms of care and time.

On one visit to a nursing home was particularly powerful:

Transformation Testimony: Drunk Turned Disciple

By Barbara Rowe

Juan Carlos is a young man I met on the street. He was begging me for money to buy another drink. I refused the donation but stopped to talk to him, about his life and how he was wasting it away on alcohol. Over a period of months I became his friend, and he began to turn to me for help. He wanted to leave alcohol behind and live a more fulfilling life.

Now, two years later, Juan Carlos is making progress with that goal.  He has suffered several relapses, but each time is able to extend his sober time, most recently almost to a full year.

Anderson Mateo

Now Juan Carlos has a new swing in his step, and a pride in his baby son, Anderson Mateo, born only a few months days ago.  As Christ For the City International missionaries, Alex Guerrero and I provided transportation to and from the hospital, for which Juan Carlos and Ingrid (the baby's mother) were very grateful.

You never know what a day will bring.  I find that to be particularly true as a missionary.  Our job is to serve, as Jesus served, without judgement or prejudice, and with a lot of love.  I am grateful to all of you who make this ministry possible, through your prayers and donations.

Together, we can continue to make an impact for good on the youth here in El Salvador! Click the picture below to partner with Christ For the City International!

(Video) Costa Rica Office Virtual Tour

Our Costa Rica offices just got an upgrade! What you must remember, though, is that those offices are not merely a workplace; they also serve as a hospitality house (with meals and showers) for teams that come through. Please take a couple of minutes to examine the way that your gifts, partnership, prayers, and support are blessing those who work and serve and bless the community of San José, Costa Rica.


 

And to give to the work of CFCI in Costa Rica, simply click below and follow the instructions!

Missionary Moment: Change, One Tiny Heart at a Time

By Amy Speake, missionary in Costa Rica

Oliver, happy with his pencil case.

The first time I met five-year-old Oliver (his mom calls him Stuart), his dark eyes looked deeply into mine. He did not speak, but his immense, seemingly unlimited bursts of energy captivated me.

Persecution in Mexico

In rural parts of Mexico, beyond the authority of the national government, who wouldn't do not want to make the long, difficult journey up broken dirt roads into the mountains, people still cling to a unique and bizarre mixture of indigenous ideas and Catholicism.

My CFCI Story: Mark Byler

Three weeks ago, we heard the amazing testimony of a young man named Jacob Tuma and the way God blessed the desires of his heart in Guatemala. Today, we wanted to introduce another young man whose experience in Costa Rica powerfully influenced his worldview in a way he did not expect. 

Mark is a married tile setter, with three beautiful children. His passions are his family, his church, and reaching out to families with kids who have special needs. Even so, the mission trip was able to reveal to him what giving God his whole heart looked like. 

The Way to Start Understanding Missionary Work

One of the key challenges every missionary has is that their work is far away. On the one hand, this seems glamorous. The other country has many unique customs, foods, and celebrations. However, the life of a missionary is rarely glamorous. More often, it has to deal with the challenges of culture - the language and communication barriers and the differences in cultural assumptions. 

Enter the Vision Tour. It gives you the opportunity to have the veil lifted, and the eyes cleared. Without relying on the adjectives and descriptions and pictures of other people, you can see what Christ For the City International missionaries are busy doing. You can meet the people they are serving and see the needs firsthand. 

http://cfci.org/#/central-america/el-salvador-vision-tour

News: The Gangster Transformation Continues

In May, we reported about a crusade in Pavas, a sector in San José. More than 1,000 people gave their lives to the Lord in that crusade. Some of those people were some teenagers and young men who had been involved in the gang lifestyle. Many of these were dangerous men: gang leaders and assassins. In fact, the leader of the most powerful gang in the areas, a group called the Devils, gave his life to the Lord through that outreach.

We reported on a particular retreat that allowed these young men to confirm their commitment to the Lord, to trade their weapons for the Word of God, and to be baptized. Thirty-seven of them did so with relish.

We are happy to report that the seeds planted in that crusade have not been stolen by the devil, choked by weeds, or scorched by the sun.

Missionary Moment: When Love Hits Home

By Barbara Rowe, missionary in El Salvador

“Cool haircut,” I say to David as he comes into the kitchen. He quickly gives a dramatic swish of the head and strikes a side pose, and I laugh. Minutes later he has found an old bent watercolor brush which he holds next to his head. “Meet my little brother,” he says, which elicits another hearty laugh. When I come to his room to say goodnight, he quickly shushes me, pointing to his paintbrush “little brother” who is “sleeping” on the bed.

David is clearly gifted with a quirky sense of humor that makes him a natural comedian. He is the fourteen-year-old son of our newest CFCI missionary, Alex, who moved in mid-last year. Alex’s family joined us at the beginning of the school year. The move was not only a practical decision but also a strategic one. The neighborhood where the family was living is a dangerous one. Murders and gun-battles are commonplace, and the family was living in an insecure tin house.

For this reason, late last year I took funds from my retirement account to add two more bedrooms and a bathroom to my house.

My CFCI Story: Jacob Tuma

Today, we introduce a new feature to our blog: My CFCI Story. We just wanted to take some time to highlight a few of the individuals and ministries that make Christ For the City International so special. Our first piece is from a young man who traveled to Guatemala, and got a lot more than he bargained for. Enjoy!

“God is accomplishing amazing things through the faithful service of His people in Guatemala!” said Jacob Tuma, a senior at Concordia University. “I loved seeing the passion and joy of the Christians there amidst the poverty and injustice.” 

Missionary Moment: Meals Made Easy in Mexico

The post is simple today. We just wanted to show you how God has provided for one of our ministries, Camp Kikomar in Mexico. As a summer camp, one of their big needs has been for a fully operational kitchen and dining room. Both were completed and inaugurated not long ago. We just wanted you to have the opportunity to see the joy on people's faces over something as simple as a meal.

Short-Term Missionary Testimony: Paper Hearts and Wooden Shacks

One of our goals as a missions organization and blog is not merely to challenge you to live lives that are pleasing to the Lord but to also encourage you with stories about people that are living out their faith in dynamic ways. Anna has a story like that. Currently, she is a short-term missionary in Argentina. The following is one of her updates about the things that she has been doing - or, more accurately, that God has been doing through her.

The things God has shown me in the month of being here are absolutely incredible. He is opening my eyes and breaking my heart in so many different ways. Among the different ministry sites we go to, my absolute favorite is Los Galpones, a shanty town about five minutes from where I live. The ministry we do there is mostly with the kids. On Thursday afternoons we go for a few hours to help them with their homework, and on Saturday mornings we go to play with them and serve them lunch. 

I wish I could portray the broken things that I see every time I step foot inside those walls. 

Short-Term Missionary Testimony: Overwhelmed by Love

By Isabel Klaassen, short-term missionary to Costa Rica

I went to Costa Rica recently. We did construction on La Lúz y la Vida Church, put on a Vacation Bible School and youth service, and forged some beautiful and amazing relationships. What was unforgettable, though, was the love that radiated from everyone I met.

Here in the United States kindergarteners are taught about “stranger danger.” Some of that is common sense, but we live in constant fear of what could happen. In Costa Rica, I was overwhelmed by the amount of love that everyone extended to us even though we were complete strangers from a foreign country. 

An Open Letter from the President of Christ For the City International

To Whom it May Concern:

Where do you turn to if you want to be a part of transforming cities?

If you’re like many Christians, you will partner with Christ For the City International.

Why?

Because you have seen what happens to communities when purpose-driven men and women come to them. You know that when the church is united in a city-wide effort, powerful things happen.

But mostly because you know the heart of our missionaries, who are giving so much of themselves to bring God’s Kingdom to earth in dynamic, meaningful ways.

Because of your support, Christ For the City International has dramatically grown in the last twenty years, and that has meant that the number of people who have experienced transformation and hope has also grown.

Thanks to you, hundreds of thousands of people have experienced the love of Jesus – whether in a cleaned-up city, a dramatic presentation of the Gospel, or a team to serve the ministries.

Christ For the City International is here to serve you!  We exist to help you become the kind of man or woman of God who will serve the people who need it the most.

Your gift is extremely important to us because it allows us to help people in need come to Christ and for people like you to serve Him on the mission field.

Whether you give $200 or $2,000, or even $20,000, your gift makes a huge impact in the lives of the people we serve, as well as our volunteers and missionaries. And you can choose what you give to: whether you would like to partner with us in India, Colombia, Costa Rica, or with any one of our other bases in the 17 countries we serve around the world. It’s up to you!

Please consider making as generous a gift as you can.

Christ For the City International is committed to helping people transform cities by transforming lives. . Your contributions make this possible.

Your gift will make a world of difference. I promise you.

Thank you so much for your help.

President

Christ For the City International

Starving Children

By Sara Hayduchok

On my first full day here, we spent our morning in Los Galpones which is one of the dirtiest and most poverty-stricken parts of the city. There, I encountered dozens of starving children. Thanks be to God, we brought them exactly what they needed. We brought torta (cake), mate (tea), and pasta (...lunch), as wellas what they really needed and expected from us: amor (love). I know some of you are reading this and thinking: "Really? It doesn't get much cheesier than that." Let me explain.

A Sea-Crossing Pilgrimage

If you have never moved overseas, I highly recommend it.

It is a wonderfully terrifying way to be launched outside your comfort zone, where you can come shaking, overwhelmed, to the Lord. It serves to sift out idols and comforts and figure out who you are in Him and Him alone. It’s an eye-opening, gut-wrenching, astoundingly beautiful process that wears a thousand coats - some old and horrid and some new and comforting. You welcome into your life the unrelenting stream of power adaptors, jet lag, currency conversions, unpalatable foods, enraging traditions, delightful surprises, language differences, and an abundance of misunderstandings. 

Sounds great, right? 

Seriously, it is.

I am in the midst of it yet again. Since leaving high school seven years ago, I have moved twelve times, and either visited or lived in eight different countries. And in a few days I’m moving cross-continentally once more.

Missionary Moment: God Still Knocks

It was a warm, Sunday afternoon when our Mission Caleb team visited La Camila neighborhood. Our group of missionaries-in-training had come to put on a “show” for the children of this impoverished community in the mountainous outskirts of Medellin. Boys and girls gathered while the “missionary clowns” danced and sang songs. Soon, the once-empty dirt field was teeming with joy and laughter.

A local church serving La Camila invited our team to share about the love of Jesus through a children’s event. However, children were not the only audience present that afternoon. As the sounds of celebration grew louder, parents and other family members began to peek through their windows. 

Missionary Moment: God still works miracles in prison

Our latest post was written by Amy Speake, a missionary of ours in Costa Rica. We just thought it was pretty incredible.

Recently at the women’s jail, I experienced our newest women’s jail group and was amazed at their total lack of respect during the prayer. They were joking and laughing the whole time. After my co-worker finished the prayer, I asked for them to be respectful in the future.

That day, my sermon for them was titled: “I want to be a sheep.” I began to share with them the different characteristics that were amazing about sheep and several verses in the Bible that were about sheep. One example is in John chapter 10: “His sheep hear His voice” and “He calls His sheep by name and leads them out.”

As I was talking, the Holy Spirit moved me to give a word to the ringleader of the disrespectful group.

Three Reasons You Need to Go on a Vision Tour

Vision Tour (Noun) - 1) An opportunity for an individual to travel overseas and see possibilities for serving, getting involved, and doing ministry. This is accomplished through the development of relationships with missionaries and ministry partners. 

And here are a few reasons you need to go.

1. You are too busy

Busyness drowns out God’s voice in our lives and can lead us down a path of apathy and apostacy. When you thirst to slow down it is God’s Holy Spirit telling you that you need to enter into His rest more – and what better way to do that than to go somewhere where He is working!

2. You want to see God working in new ways

Mission trips are amazing experiences. You get to see first hand how God is working with people in different cultures and languages. It is amazing the people you meet, their dedication to being God’s hands and feet to those in need and having seen how God is at work in their lives – you can see how He is at work in yours!

3. So you can recommend it to your church and friends

You are not the only one too busy – so is your pastor and your friends. They too long to see God at work; it brings refreshment and hope to their lives too! Invite a friend or your pastor to come on a Vision Tour too!

One fantastic missions trip opportunity is our upcoming Summer Vision Tour, July 28 through August 1, hosted by our president, Chip Anderson. If you’re interested in the possibility of at least seeing what you might be getting yourself into, please email drchip@cfci.org or visit the link below.