Wed. August 13, 2025
Today we had
the privilege to meet the director overseeing a church Jesus Cristo Vive converted
into a Haitian refugee shelter and met some of the refugees. They have served
over 1,500 refugees and helped them integrate into the Mexican society with
language, jobs and housing. Many of the refugees come from Haiti but many are
those who were given legal entry by the U.S. and were deported into Mexico.
They have plans to expand to help more refugees. We also visited and met 2 of
the Haitian pastors running Espacio Migrante homeless shelter for all refugees
from many nations and will establish the Community Baptist church, which any
refugee from any nation and locals can come and worship. Enjoyed Haitian
cuisine. Enjoyed going to
“border church” where many
worship on Sundays with their families divided by the wall, large Haitian
population and other refugees. This made the most impact to me because we saw
the border wall and they wrote a pinch of names of Mexican American veterans that
were deported.
Here I am, send me
Debora Gutierrez
Faith Temple C.O.G
Bishop T.D Lockett founding Pastor
Kalamazoo,
Mi
When Jesus told His disciples not to hinder the children from coming to Him, I often find myself wondering—what was it really like when those little ones finally reached Him? Did they sit politely at His feet, waiting in perfect single-file silence for their turn to speak? It’s possible, but let’s be honest—it’s not probable. Children will be children. That’s one of the unchanging laws of life.
Still, there is one exception to that law—children who have experienced trauma. The little ones at Deborah’s House have faced tsunamis of trauma in their short lives. Yet today, through the healing power of Jesus Christ, they played and laughed with the same joyful abandon as any other child—giggling, squealing, and running around in delightful chaos while we waited to leave for a visit to a nearby refuge site.
As I sat in a chair, four or five children surrounded me, playing their own uncoordinated version of “attack the jungle gym.” They launched themselves into my arms one after another—no strategy, no order—just pure, unfiltered joy. Their little voices rang out, telling the whole world without words that, in that moment, they felt safe, they felt loved, and they felt wanted.
In those minutes, I caught a glimpse of what it must have been like for Jesus when the children came to Him—coming just as they were: silly, energetic, and wonderfully unorganized. And He welcomed them. I loved every second of being the “human jungle gym” they climbed onto.
Looking into their big brown eyes, I saw both the beauty of their innocence and the deep sorrow of knowing how that innocence had been stolen through unspeakable acts committed around them and against them. Were Jesus not a Redeemer, our time here might feel hollow. But because He is the Redeemer, our visit is filled with meaning. We come to partner with Him in the restoration of these women and children, trusting His promise to make all things new.
What we offer here is just a small deposit into that new life Jesus has for them. Yet, when I see the children’s laughter and hear the mothers speak of hope, I see evidence of redemption in motion. This trip is more than a weeklong mission—it is a partnership with Almighty God, who always gets the final word on the destiny of these beloved ones.
Pastor Brian :)
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