I am a sinner who has been redeemed. I struggle and fail. I am a child of God.
All of the work that you hear about is of God. I am simply incapable of serving without His complete guidance and blessing. I will go wherever God calls.
As you know, last semester, I took some time off of the mission field, and attended Mid-America Christian University. There I began working on a youth and family ministry degree. It is now a goal of mine to complete seminary. The original plan was to attend school every fall, and spend the rest of the year working with Mexico Missions. With the way that things are going right now, it seems that I cannot afford to be away from Cancun for four months. Right now, it feels like I should stay here until thanksgiving. I am in the process of looking for an online seminary. This way, I can work through school without leaving the ministry.
Since January, the ministry here has been changing. It is amazing how things have changed. As you read in last months newsletter, I am now a leader in the youth group of Comunidad de Fe. My job is to lead the youth worship band. Last Wednesday was our first meeting. And, man was it hard! I never imagined how difficult it would be to sing in another language. With time, I think that we will get the hang of things. The church has an english side and a spanish side. The english has about 20 members, and the spanish about 800. As well as working with the youth, I have begun playing and singing in big church! Thankfully in the english service, it is much easier this way.
Julio is the youth pastor, and he has an amazing passion for living out the Gospel. One of his plans is to find ministry that the youth can take part in. Two weeks ago about five of us went to the Island to check out a place called “Little Yellow Schoolhouse”. (you can check it out at http://www.littleyellowschoolhouse.org/) It is a school for mentally challenged children. Their primary goal is “to provide challenged children with the skills that will enable them to achieve their greatest potential.” We have been twice now and have helped out by doing basic maintenance on the school. Painting, moving rocks, hanging shelves and mirrors, fixing screen doors, and pulling overgrown grass are the things that we have done. The next time we go, our plan is to build some gardens. Then four students will be assigned to each garden, and be taught to plant and cultivate different types of plants. It is exciting to be a part of this work.
At the same time, as work with the church, I am still involved with Mexico Missions. Several times a week we go out on various ministry outreaches.
This is the fourth time that I have tried to write this letter to you. Every time I begin, for some reason it just doesn’t sound right. So, this past week I have spent time praying and talking with Godly men that I respect. Now I know what needs to be done.
At this point in the letter, I am sure you are wondering what in the world is going on.
So, here it goes.
In order for me to continue on, I am in need of financial support. God has supplied every penny for the past two years. For some reason, my support has dwindled to less than half of what I need. In my mind, this means one of two things. 1. My time here is up, and I need to go back to Oklahoma. 2. I haven’t properly communicated needs to friends and family, I haven’t received anything because I haven’t asked.
So, here is a list of my financial needs for the next six months.
Bills are just under $200 monthly.
Ministry and living expenses are around $350 monthly.
In June my good friend Kevin Warren is getting married. I am supposed to be a groomsman, but cannot afford the plane ticket or the tuxedo. I will need help paying for this as well.
So, there it is. I do not believe that it is time for me to go home. If support does not come in, I will know that it is time to pack up and head back to Oklahoma. From there God will direct me to the next ministry.
I know that this letter may seem strange, but I am confident that now is time to honestly share my status. Please join me in prayer about this situation. If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please tell me. You have no idea how much it means for me to receive feedback.
If you are interested in becoming a supporter, one time or long term, here is how you can do it.
Mail a check.
Address the check to Mexico Missions.
Important, put Eric Robinson in the memo.
Mexico Missions, Inc.
P.O. Box 5652
Norman, Ok 73070
Donate online.
Go to http://mexicomissions.org and click on the donate now button.
Here you can donate one time, or even set up recurring donations.
Important, put Eric Robinson in the memo.
Thank you. I am only able to remain here by the grace of God.
God bless,
Eric-Robinson
Howdy!
You guys won’t believe it. I am writing a news letter! To be honest, this is the second newsletter that I have written in the past couple of days. I spend a few hours writing a detailed letter explaining how God has taken care of me over the past few months. When I sat down to finish writing the letter, it wouldn’t open. Something happened, and I couldn’t read the file. I was hesitant to send that letter anyway. In it, I had gone into great detail of how God has provided financially, through you, over the past year. I now feel it’s best that I only tell you that our God is amazing. He has provided, even when it seemed that I would not have the ability to buy food for the next day. The exact moment of need is when He has provided. Our perspective on need is completely different than that of our Heavenly Father. Thank you for answering the call by praying and keeping food in my belly.
Well if you didn’t know, on January 1st, I arrived back in Cancun. I would like to tell you a little of what has happened since.
Naturally when a building is empty for a long period of time there are lots of things that need repair and cleaning. So, after a few days of cleaning, organization, and cold showers, everything was back up and running! (actually it was a solid week of nothing but ice cold showers. I never thought that I would be afraid to let the water touch me.) If you know me well, it is hard for me to be without social interaction for long periods of time. The week spent alone was difficult, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
I went out on two ministry outings that week. Both were for Samaritans Purse. We distributed around 300 shoe boxes filled with toys, school supplies, and various other items. There is nothing like giving something to the child that doesn’t have anything. The second ministry night, we went to the Isla de Mujeres (That means Island of Women). There were about ten locals that went with me. I only knew Venancio, Mexico Missions Evangelist. The trip was wonderful, the program went really well. It felt like the entire Island showed up for the program. The gospel was shared, gifts were given, and then the evening ended. (This is where the story gets good) Venancio has family that lives on the Island, so he stayed the night. That left me to get back home on my own. Two boys that I had just met that day hopped on the boat with me. Our boat docked in Cancun, and the boys decided to take me home. They didn’t have much confidence in my navigation skills. We got in a taxi, then they invited me over for dinner, and since food was involved I said “Si!” I have never experienced hospitality like this outside of the hispanic community. They brought me in, sat me down at the head of the table. Fed me before anyone. It was wonderful food. They only had Coke to drink, I told them no thanks, because I only drink water. The dad, without saying anything, got up, went to a store and bought me a bottle of water, just so that I could have something to drink. Keep in mind that I hadn’t ever met these people before. It was amazing. After dinner, we said goodbyes and I was on my way.
A week later, the School of Missions students arrived, James, Anna, and Mary. So far things are off to a great start. With the recent slump in the American economy lots of things are changing. One of the biggest things is, less groups are coming down this year. This means that our focus is changing. We now have spent time discovering our own personal passions and spiritual gifts, and how we can best use them to help the community. Mary has a desire to teach english. In Cancun, the best jobs are found in the tourism industry. If you can speak english, you can get a good job. Incidentally language schools here are very expensive. So, Mary is in the process of starting an english school! She will be teaching english, and sharing the gospel. It is an amazing opportunity. I will keep you updated on the progress of the school.
I have a youth group! If you haven’t guessed, my biggest passion in life (other than food) is youth. There are about 40 kids in the group at Communidad de Fe. Sunday mornings we meet in the lounge area of a bowling alley. The youth pastor is named Julio. He has a hair stylist, and has an amazing passion for impacting the lives of teens. Last thursday, James, Mary, and myself went with Julio to Isla de Mujeres. There we went to a special needs school. We had the opportunity to spend the day picking weeds, cutting holes in tires, putting up shelves, and moving some plants. The next step is to bring the youth group every other week to help out at the school. The church is serious about making an impact on the community. I have been asked to head up leading the youth worship band. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do.
My dear friends and family I don’t think that you will ever know how much you all mean to me. Thank you for keeping an interest in my life, and what God is doing with it. I thank you for your prayers and support. It is only by the amazing grace of our God that I am able to be here.
God bless,
Eric-Robinson
eric@mexicomissions.org
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericlrobinson/
http://www.ericlrobinson.com
Dios Te Bendiga!
Greetings my family and friends. I hope and pray that you and your family are well.
If you are like me, you probably won’t believe it when I say that a whole year has passed since I left Norman! We have an amazing, caring and wonderful eternal God and father. I do not deserve this wonderful experience.
I want to take a moment to look back over the past year. Since I have a faithful missions team (If you are reading this, you are a part of that team), we have been through so much together. Last summer, hundreds came to Christ. Last fall we made it through a hurricane, and were able to share the love of God with hundreds of people who lost their homes and jobs. We successfully made it to Guatemala twice in the past eight months. Both times ministering to people all across Mexico and Guatemala. Thousands of children were shown the love of our saviour through the shoebox and backpack programs. In the past few weeks we have already seen over 200 people come to Christ.
What is amazing is that I am helpless. I know that this is hard to believe, but I am far from perfect. “Wait a minute Eric, you are a missionary, you better be perfect”. That is a lie that people often believe. If all of God’s children waited around until they were perfected, no one would know about the love of Christ. God chose the broken, He chose you and me. No matter where you are, no matter what you have done, He loves you for who you are. He uses the broken and imperfect to do the impossible.
All of that to say thank you. We are all a part of the same mission. Without your prayers and financial support I would not be here, and hundreds of people would have missed out on hearing the Gospel.
I want to share a recent example of the power of prayer. On the second night that Wildwood’s youth was here we went on a trip. We did a program that night out in the town center. It was supposed to rain every night that week. Everything proceeded as planned, we did drama’s, puppets and clowns. As the movie was playing, thick clouds began to form. At the first sign of rain most people will quickly run home. So Zac Malthaner and I began to pray. (Later I found out that the whole group was praying with us) As we prayed it briefly sprinkled, then it completely stopped. God answered our prayers! We looked up at the sky and saw on of the most amazing things that I have seen. Straight above us was a hole in the clouds. For as far as you could see all around us were thick clouds and rain. When you looked straight up, all that could be seen was clear sky and stars. Please don’t ever forget the power of prayer. God is listening, and He cares for you.
If you remember when I began this adventure, I asked for your support for one year. Well that year is up, and I thank you for everything. I cannot say thank you enough. You might be wondering what will happen now that my year is up. If God allows, I will continue working full time with Mexico Missions inc. The needs here are endless. I will continue on as the School of Missions director and as the Group Coordinator. Since I am now a part of the staff, I no longer have to pay rent. That is a huge blessing. But I still have bills and have to buy several plane tickets every year. God has supplied every penny that I have needed over the past year, and I know that he will continue to do so. I feel that everything up to this point in my life has been preparation for this job. My life’s calling is to ministry and for at least the next year Mexico Missions is that ministry.
I hope and pray that you will continue to join me in prayer and financial support. I simply won’t make it without you all. I look forward to see what God has in store for our ministry in the future.
My dear friends and family I don’t think that you will ever know how much you all mean to me. I thank you for keeping an interest in my life. I thank you for your prayers. It is only by the amazing grace of our God that I am able to be here. Please know that with every prayer, you are investing heavily into the eternal kingdom of God.
God bless,
Eric-Robinson
eric@mexicomissions.org
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericlrobinson/
http://www.ericlrobinson.com
Greetings,
I hope and pray that you are truly blessed in this new year. I thank God daily for the important part you have played in my life up to now. My experience here has been an amazing adventure, and I look forward to what the future holds.
I flew down to Cancun on January 1st. Because of technical difficulties I missed the flight out of Denver. (Yep, it makes sense to fly to North to Denver, then South to Cancun.. Right?) The nameless airline told me that I could just hop on to the next flight. Well, a short 12 hours and 46 minutes later I was on my way to Cancun!
We hit the ground running with a group already here and Wildwood’s family group coming shortly after. It was an amazingly wonderful and a very crazy couple of weeks. The time was spent handing out shoe boxes from Samaritans Purse. It was amazing, we handed out thousands of boxes, and that wasn’t all the kids walked away with. Brother Venancio displayed a powerful message of the gospel, not only to the kids, but to entire families. It is amazing to be able to walk up to someone who has nothing, give them a present, the word of God and hopefully a new life in the Lord.
I have a story for you. One night when we were prepairing to give our boxes presentation a man walked up to me. He introduced himself, and we briefly chatted. Then he looked at me with a big smile and our conversation went something like this. (translated for your reading pleasure)
Alex: Are you a Christian?
Me: Yep, are you?
Alex: Yes. Where you an alcoholic before you became a Believer?
Me: No, I was 4 when I became a Christian.
Alex: Oh, Good. I was an alcoholic before I was saved. I haven’t drank for five months!
Me: Awesome, praise God.
Alex then began to tell me about his three beautiful daughters. I doubt that I will ever meet up with him again. I will always remember how proud he was of Christ’s victory in his life.
It is amazing how God can use a shoebox filled with toys, pencils and paper to bring so many people into our family.
Spanish class started up this morning. I am not sure how many of you know, but I am officially the spanish Maestro (teacher). So far things have gone really well, please keep this in your prayers. I really would like this to be a very productive time for me and my classmates. My hopes are to be 70% fluent by the end of this
semester.
Coming up is our Guatemala trip. It looks like the few people that we had lined up to come along on the journey have had to back out. This means that we are going to have to raise support for the trip. Lord willing we will still be able to go. On our last trip we met pastors all the way across Mexico and into Guatemala that were in desperate need of bibles. We added up nearly two thousand that were needed. Please join me in some serious prayer that God would allow all of this to work out. I might be wrong, but I think the Lord has some great plans for Southern Mexico/ Guatemala.
I pray for you all daily. Don’t forget to look to the Lord first, then to whatever life throws at you.
God bless,
Eric-Robinson
eric@mexicomissions.org
http://www.ericlrobinson.com
 As you all know I have had a period of rest over the past few weeks. It has been a wonderful time of relaxation and fellowship. I have been very blessed this month. Much of my time has been spent with family. The week before Thanksgiving my Grandmother took a nosedive off of the front porch. The result was a broken arm. Recently Oklahoma has suffered from some devastating ice storms. Most of the Norman and OKC area lost power, my family even lost water. All of these unfortunate happenings were very frustrating to me in the beginning. The Lord brought an interesting thought to my mind. “This isn’t so bad”. With the direction my life is heading I am away from home more and more. It is times like these when family and friends are drawn close together. Every minute without electricity, every hour without heat, we should draw near to those that we love. I would encourage you to look for the blessing in difficult times.
The past six months have been a revolutionary time for me. I have been blessed beyond measure, and have been able to bless many people. I never thought that in just a short time I would see so many people receive the Lord as their savior.
Your support of one time gifts and monthly donations have met all of my needs. Being in this financial situation has caused me to live day to day by faith. This has been an amazing time of spiritual growth. Sadly, the money is running out. So I have a challenge for you all. I ask you to pray about supporting me financially on a monthly basis. I would like to raise $800 monthly. Rent is $500 monthly. I already have $205 monthly that has been pledged. By the amazing grace of God I have been able to live off of what you all have given.
I feel that if I knew that each month that the bills would be paid, I would have some needed financial freedom. There are many times in a month when I have the opportunity to give to local pastors and needy families. I haven’t had the opportunity to be as generous as I would like to be.
Please consider supporting me on a monthly basis whether, $5 or $50 per month you will be a great help. Remember without your prayers and support I would not be able to make it. I thank you for the role you have all played so far. If you are able to help me financially or not, I ask that you would always pray for me and the ministry in Christ that we share.
This up coming year is very exciting. Starting in January we will be working with Samaritans purse, where thousands of goodie filled boxes will be passed out to local children. February we are scheduled to venture out on our second Guatemala trip. Here we plan to supply many churches with needed Bibles and children's study materials.
We have some great work to do for God’s kingdom. Please join me in fulfilling the call to spread the name of Christ to the nations.
Howdy,
Wow. We got back friday evening from an action packed seven day trip. It turned out that there were five of us that went. Lloyd, Regina, Mike (From the group that was here), Ricardo and myself. It was an amazing and blessed adventure.
After three days of driving to get to our destination in Chiapas, we spent some time with Ricardo’s extended family. We met a pastor there and he took us into Guatemala! We were able to see some of the country and visit his church. We even ate fast food fried chicken. After a few days in Chiapas, we headed back.
The whole way there and back we prayed for people, told people about Jesus and met new pastors. We could see the Lord working in mighty ways. It seemed that He kept putting people in our path that were sick or injured. It was a wonderful exercise of faith. We visited a church in Guatamala, and talked with the pastor about what God has been doing in his life and ministry. Our time was wonderful, refreshing and motivating.
The people of Chiapas need help! There is a great need for bibles and children’s material. Every pastor that we visited said that he needed at least 40 Bibles, several said that almost everyone in their congregation needed Bibles.
Lloyd and I are planning a trip to bring bibles and materials to the people of Chiapas and Guatemala. Lord willing this will take place in late January or early February. We will have to raise money to pay for food, gas and lodging during this trip. Please keep this in your prayers.
Here are a few other prayer requests.
- That God would continuing guiding me
- The money is running a little low, please pray that if it is the Lords will for me to continue here that the support I need would come in.
- Join me in praising God for all of his many blessings in our lives.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support. I wouldn’t be here without you!
God bless,
Eric-Robinson
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