Les and Val Klassen

Andreas' Story continues ...

Andreas' house has had an open door since the day it was completed.  In his owns words, it has become a Rehabilitation Centre within his community.  Day after day, night after night, young men, whose identities have been wrapped up in their drug and gang culture, come ... and hang out at Andreas' place.  They are a brotherhood, some of whom fear no one, and some who put fear into the hearts of even the police.  These young men have, among others, two things in common.  One is the lives they've lived with hopelessness and drug dependency ... the other is a certain respect they have for Andreas himself.  The former drug and gang leader who once had them trapped in a desperate lifestyle is now showing them a different way.  A way where respect is not based on how fearsome or tough you are, but on the fact that you are an individual who is loved by God, just as you are.

Bold in his faith toward Jesus Christ, Andreas tells these young men about the transforming love of God.  He doesn't "couch" what he says to make it easy to accept.  He doesn't make it politically correct in order to get them to listen or water it down so that they don't reject him, should they not like what they hear.  No!  He tells it like it is.  He calls them to repent of their sins and seek the forgiveness of God.  He calls them to account for what they are doing.  Bold and un-hypocritical, he gives an honest message that delivers honest hope.  A message of God's gift of love and life ... free ... but it will cost them everything.  And ... some are listening ... some are responding.  In the last month, at least 4 of these young men have given their hearts to Jesus Christ ... and several have been baptized.  Why?  Because Andreas lives the life he preaches.  And he demonstrates his love by accepting each one of them into his own home giving them a place of shelter and a place of refuge.

Confined to a wheelchair, a bullet still lodged in his spine, not knowing if he will ever walk again, Andreas' continuing motivation is that God represents change, and that God wants to and can evoke change in the lives of his friends.

In the last month, there have also been some physical changes to Andreas' place.  An addition of about  16' x 22' has been added to his home, specifically to offer more room for shelter to the young men in his community.  With Andreas' and Santiago's vision, a little outside financial assistance, and a houseful of young men, they took ownership of this project for themselves and made it happen.  When we visited them yesterday,  we learned  that they don't have beds for the new dormitory.  They are all sleeping on the hard concrete, some with some thin foamies, some with nothing more than a blanket.  We have a heart to see them get beds, so we will see what can be done in the next little while to provide beds for them.

We also met Andreas' son, Victor, and his former wife,  Rosalinda.  The bond he has with his son is something very special to observe.  We can't help but wonder if he isn't trying to make up for lost time with his son, time his former way of life robbed both him and his family of.  Unable to run and play with his son, it's not hard to see that he would love to be able to walk again in order to do physical things with his son.  But even more than that, Andreas' prayer is that his family will one day be restored.

Andreas has received an invitation by parents in the neighboring community of Triqui to come and speak to the youth there.  A community with it's own rival gangs and drug culture, where kids as young as 9, 10 and 11 years old are already sniffing glue and being lured into a lifestyle of hopelessness and depression.  Andreas' invitation will take him into the neighboring "turf" to help effect change.  It's a big step for him to go into rival territory, some might even say it's a big risk.  But then, he doesn't go alone.  God has already gone before him to pave the way.  And God is the one who will equip him with the words to speak and experiences to share.

Pray for Andreas as he reaches out to help those caught up in a culture within which he lives, but which he is no longer a part of.  Pray that the youth of these communities will see there is hope beyond what they know to be a reality.  Pray that they will see that Andreas is an example that God is about the miraculous.  God IS about the miraculous ... and God IS about changing lives.

Andreas' Story

It's a modern day David and Jonathon story ... the Biblical account of Jonathon, son of King Saul, who went to great lengths to protect his best friend, David, from the wrath of the king, his own father, who sought to kill David because  of David's rising popularity among the people within Saul's kingdom.  Jonathon was willing to lay down his own life, if needed, to protect his friend.

Andreas and Santiago are two such men ... with Santiago willing to do whatever it takes to help his friend achieve an easier life.  You see, Andreas is in a wheelchair ... a victim of a gunshot wound which he received as a consequence of his former life of being a drug lord in his own community.  An acquaintance of his sought to take over Andreas' turf and place in the hierarchy ... and so shot him, hoping to get rid of him.

Andreas first stop was the hospital, his second ... jail.  With no hope ... no future, Andreas resigned himself to life in a wheelchair.  Living in a tin shack with a dirt floor, his parents living in a  5' x 7' four foot high shelter, a mattress on pallets, and his sisters sheltered under cardboard and tarps within an unfinished block house, life became something close to survival for all of them.

Somewhere along the way, nurses from Foundation For His Ministry Mission in Vicente Guerrero learned of Andreas' situation and began attending to his medical needs.  Through their ministry, Andreas life  was impacted for Jesus Christ and he made a decision to give his heart to Jesus Christ.  It was during this time that the nurses contacted us about this family's desperate situation and we arrived one afternoon to assess the urgency of this family's need.

From the first time we met Andreas, we could see the new found life he had found in Jesus Christ was genuine and contagious.  Regardless of his physical condition, there was joy in his heart, his face ... his eyes.  He greeted us like old friends, and a bond of friendship was quickly established.  We met the rest of his family, quickly discerning the plight of this family, and determined to find a group from  Canada or the US to help them.

Trinity Baptist Church from Edmonton, Alberta, took up their cause, and so, in February '08, a radical transformation took place on this property.

The 4 room block house was completed, including concrete floors throughout, exterior doors, 6  windows, and a complete roof structure.  In addition, a new 11' x 22' house was built for Andreas and his brother.  The houses were connected with a wide sidewalk and a new handicapped bathhouse was custom built to accommodate his wheelchair.

At the dedication of the houses, Andreas repeatedly said how much of a blessing this was to him and his family.  As a result of Andreas' testimony of faith, his own father has also become a believer in Jesus Christ.  That is the really cool part ... with out a spiritual component, all we are doing is building houses, but when the house becomes a tool to share the love and reality of Jesus Christ, it all takes on a different perspective.

For all the years Andreas was involved in the drug lifestyle, it could not complete or fulfill the dreams he had.  What began as a dream to better life for himself and his family, came to a halt more than 10 years ago when he ceased construction of the block house.  Everything went into supporting his drug related lifestyle ... and in the meantime, his own wife and 2 children left him and his parents and sisters lived in plastic and cardboard.

To hear in Andreas own words that he has been "set free, through Jesus Christ, from a life of slavery to drugs" brings joy to our own hearts.  His cry is for the rest of the guys he knows who are still involved in the drug lifestyle ... he cries for their freedom.  "Liberty" ... he shouts ... "that's what I have ... Liberty!  Freedom ... and I'm not going back!"

His gang buddies still come over to hang out at his place.  He still gives them their matching gang haircuts.  He doesn't turn them away.  He loves them with the love of Jesus ... and he cares about them.  His wife brings his children to see him occasionally, and he longs for more time with them, but he is content to leave them in the hands of his Heavenly Father, knowing that He can look after them far better than he ever could.  He is praying for reconciliation, but again, is content to wait for the Lord's timing.

For the first little while during the week of the project, his buddy Santiago was very protective of Andreas.  Who were all these people and what were they up to?  But it didn't take him long to realize that we were serious about helping Andreas family.  And he was completely overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers ... helping those whom they had never known before that week.

Santiago is always over at Andreas' place, helping him do what he can't do for himself.  Why?  Because ... in Santiago's words ... "Andreas took me in when I had nothing ... it's the least I can do for him."  They have only known each other for about 4-5 months, but they are tighter than brothers.  Santiago is in the process of doing whatever he can in order to allow Andreas to get X-rays taken to determine the location of the bullet which is still in his body.  After that, it may become clear as to whether or not an operation is possible to allow Andreas to walk again.  This will be a costly process, but Santiago is committed to helping his friend walk again.  The little bit of work he does get, he helps Andreas with his expenses, and he's asking for help from those who might wish to see Andreas walk again.

Last week, we brought Andreas and Santiago to the IDT Base to share Andreas' story.  We wish you could have been there.

Andreas' story is a powerful one ... it's a story of radical transformation.  It's a story of good winning over evil ... of love overshadowing the pain inflicted by someone who knows you.  It's a story of forgiveness ... because Andreas knows that Jesus Christ's love is big enough to include the one who shot him and put him in a wheelchair.  It's a story of a man who prays for the one who hurt him.  It's a story of one who understands the hurt and pain of living life without hope ... but it's also a story of one who understands Jesus Christ's message of living "counterculture".

It's the story of a man you want to meet.

Santiago's Response

Santiago is a strong, stocky Mexican man, but he's a man with a heart that is softened towards the plight of his friend Andreas.  He picks up his friend with seeming ease as he puts him into the truck.  With never a complaint, he cares for his friend.  Santiago came along and translated Andreas story for all of us listening.  And then he added some of his own thoughts ... this is what he said.

"I'm not a church person ... I'm a street person ... and I'm still a gang member.  I like it there, it's where I'm comfortable ... it's where my friends are.  I'm not like you guys ... you church guys ... but I know something that's true.  I know that He ... he points upward ... that Jesus loves us guys on the streets.  I know He came for us guys, guys like us who don't have anything, for guys who have a lot of bad stuff in our hearts, but I know He loves us, I know He cares.  Maybe some day I'll understand more like the rest of you ... I'm not saying I want to be a church person ... no, I'll always be a street person ... but maybe some day I'll be more like my brother Andreas.  Maybe I'll have more of Jesus in me."

With tears rolling down his cheeks, completely open and vulnerable before a room of mostly strangers, he looked around at us and continued.

"What you guys are doing is so good, it's so important to us people.  Many of us can never build these houses for ourselves ... we're poor and much of life is hopeless.  It's that hopelessness that drives us into drugs, to hide from the reality that we can't live out the dream ... the dream of getting out of here, the dream of something better.  So we get lost for a few hours each day in another world where we don't have to think about lost dreams, about impossible ambitions, about disappointment.  And soon it becomes a lifestyle.  And we become trapped in it.

But you come and put roofs over people, so they can stay dry, so their children can stay dry.  You share of what you have to those of us who don't have ... and you share the love of Him up there ... he again points upward .. You come down here for just one week, but what you do changes our lives forever.  You'll never know how much you have helped the people in this community, you'll never really understand the differences you make ... but let me tell you ... what you are doing changes people.  Please don't stop giving ... don't stop helping.  Thank you for helping my friend Andreas, for making his dream a reality.  God bless you guys."

We had a time of prayer around Andreas and Santiago, lifting them up to the Lord in prayer.  When asked what he wanted us to pray for, Santiago said, "More than anything, I want to see my family again.  I haven't seen them in a lot of years, but they are in the States and I can't go back there.  I just wish I could see them again."

Stuff doesn't matter, things don't matter ... but relationships do.  Relationships are the only thing that counts ... with each other ... but more importantly ... with God, our Heavenly Father.

Sometimes we wonder why we're here, but it's in these moments ... these times when we connect with people like Andreas and Santiago ... we know why we are here.  We know why He called us to this place.  If for no other reason, it's to show us the important things of life.  Please continue to pray for Santiago ... he's a man searching for truth ... for that which is real.   Andreas wants to go to Bible School this coming fall.  Please pray that this dream of his will become a reality.

This group from Greendale, BC that heard Andreas' testimony that night, came up with more than $400 from their own spending money to help towards Andreas' medical expenses.  Another group from Northview MB church in Abbotsford, BC contributed another $500 that same night.  Both Andreas & Santiago were in tears as they were told of these groups generosity!  Thank you, Jesus!

Update on Olga

Our last group e-mail highlighted our friend, Olga - a young widow lady with 2 children and her elderly mother.  She was in a desperate position of losing her small home and property if her property could not be paid for by the end of February.

Well, exciting things have happened for Olga.  Some of you have had a heart to help her, and as a result, Olga now owns her property free and clear!

Val was privileged to go with her to make her final payment in one large sum.  Olga thought we were just helping her by loaning her the money - for which she was extremely thankful.  When she expressed her thanks and promised to pay it all back, Val was able to clarify the money was not a loan.  It was a gift, from family and friends who wanted to help her keep her place.  When the reality of that gift sank in, she broke down and cried.  Never in all her days did she expect such generosity from others.

We wish you could have all been there to witness that moment.  Those moments are the times when God reaches in and hugs your heart.  Those moments are the times when we understand once again why God has called us to this place - it's not just to help the poor - it's to help us understand how He uses people like you to do the things He so desperately wants to do for those who are close to His heart - the poor, the elderly, the infirm, the widows & orphans, the disabled.  While these may all be terms we put on people, we are learning He has only one term for these that are close to His heart - the "special". 

Thank you for your gifts of love to the "special".  Don't forget, you've got them where you live too.

R & R with Jennifer

Our daughter Jennifer came down to visit us for 2 weeks at the end of May.  She has completed her third year of Nursing at UVic and had a couple of weeks off before she began her summer job as a nurse at the Easter Seals Camp on Lake Shawnigan near Victoria.  She was excited about her new summer adventure and just had to come tell us in person.  Very special for us!  We had an awesome time with her.

We took the opportunity to spend a week traveling with her and show her part of the Baja south of here.  We had no commitments that week, so a little R & R was desperately needed.  We did a little swimming and snorkeling in the Sea of Cortez and even kayaked out to a small island in the Bay of Conception near Mulege.  The water was warm and the sun was warmer - temperatures in the high 30'sC.  We spent a few nights in Loreto and did a day excursion up into the mountains to the San Javier mission, about 32 km inland.  The mission is in excellent repair and is a mecca for thousands of pilgrims each year.  Temperatures hit 44C at one point - that's about 118F.  It was great to come back to our hotel and spend some time in the pool.

Loreto is a clean town with lots of shops and taco stands.  Once again, we met some very friendly people there.  We visited our friends, Benito & Blanca, whom we met last November in Loreto and who are pastoring a little church called Ancla De Fe (Anchor of Faith).  They were encouraged that we joined them for their Sunday service and asked, when were we going to come down to Loreto to stay and help them in their work there.  Few missionaries are in Baja Sur and they welcome all the help they can get.  They were beginning construction on their new church building the following week, so that will be interesting to see on our next visit down.

We visited San Ignacio and spent the night at a very cool Bed and Breakfast owned and operated by a BC couple.  Very friendly and it was great to eat together with a bunch of other guests whom we had never met before.  In fact, two of the places we stayed at offered communal meals for their guests.  We met some interesting people and feel richer for it.

We had a couple of interesting encounters on the road while traveling.  While fueling up in Santa Rosalia, a man came over to wash our windows and after doing so, asked us for bus fare to Loreto to visit family.  During conversation with him, he asked us for a Bible.  We had brought a boxful of Spanish Bibles with us to leave in Loreto, so we were able to leave one with him.  Although we didn't get his name, we pray that God will speak to him through His Word.

Then on the way home, we stopped to help a couple of guys parked beside the highway.  We thought they needed water for their car, but it turned out they needed gas.  We found out you can't siphon gas from a Jeep Grand Cherokee - believe me, we tried everything short of disconnecting the fuel lines.  They were very thankful for the effort even though we were going in the opposite direction, and in the end we were able to leave them with some food and money for fuel.  One of the men, Charlie Garcia, seemed to have a real spiritual awareness, as he asked us outright if we were Christians.  When we told him we were, he said he knew that, because he saw a light around our vehicle.  We were able to share with him that Jesus loves him and although he himself had not yet established a relationship with Jesus Christ, we pray that our encounter with him will cause him to think about the gift of love and life God offers him.

It reminded us once again, the importance of listening to the Spirit of God and being willing to adjust our schedule at a moments notice.  We felt we were the ones blessed because we had been willing to stop and help someone out in the middle of nowhere.  We knew, after the fact, this was another one of those "God appointments".  You never know the impact you might have on someone else's life, or the importance of obeying God's voice unless you respond to Him.

We don't know why we were told to stop and help, because in the end, we weren't able to give them any gas.  But then, maybe it wasn't about gas, or food, or anything else tangible.  Maybe it was about Charlie Garcia encountering the presence of God.  Maybe it was about Charlie Garcia having one more opportunity to hear that God loves him and being able to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Maybe that's what it was about.

Or maybe God was just trying to teach us something once again.  Maybe it was just about knowing and hearing the voice of God, and just being obedient to do whatever God tells you to do in the moment.