It has been awhile since I have last written about Tia Ana in El Salvador. She is the lady who opened a home to children of prostitutes in San Salvador and who all of our short-term teams who visit El Salvador work with. With my last update I was telling you that things were in dire need. There was not enough food and housing was an issue. As of today things are much better! Thanks to some of our C&MA churches in North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsyvania, Wisconsin and Illinois we have raised enough money to build her an orphanage. In this new place which we hope will be completed by June there will be enough room and beds for everyone. So many of you have been affected by this special lady in El Salvador and have followed God's lead to help. Thank you so much for all you have done. I am so amazed by your response. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! A special heartfelt thanks to Jen Hampshire who has loved Tia Ana and kept this on the front burner in the hearts and minds of everyone visiting El Salvador over the past few years. 

Posted by: Matt Peace

Seemingly I have been working with so many people recently that have had a tough go of it. Our STMO team in Taiwan is struggling with finding time and energy to do everything that needs to get done. Our site in Ensenada is growing causing heavy workload and a need for help. A friend in India is struggling to get a visa to the US. Another friend is having trouble hanging onto his house because of the tough market. My own son is struggling through issues of adoption. Close friends of my family are facing a life and death situation with their 9 year old son. 
 
I do put it in perspective of the issues of the world and it doesn't seem as bad but it still does seem overwhelming. I have often wondered where God is in all of this...He could change it.  
 
In a couple of weeks I am preaching in my church on the book of Habakkuk. The people were wondering where God was. After reading through that book I just heard God say to me very simply. "I am here, I am here." 
 
I really am thankful for the times that are hard. I really am thankful that God cares enough about us that he will never leave or forsake us. God will use all of the things in Taiwan, Mexico and in our own lives to to make us better people. He gave up a lot to have this relationship with us. He is not going to just give us up. 

Posted by: Matt Peace

Greetings- 
 
On my latest trip to El Salvador these words rang true to me from Proverbs 31:8-9.  
 
8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,  
for the rights of all who are destitute.  
 
9 Speak up and judge fairly;  
defend the rights of the poor and needy."  
 
 
Tia Ana has been a part of every mission trip to El Salvador for the past four years. Teams have been able to care for/feed/love the children of prostitutes under the care of Tia Ana. Upon a visit to her house this past month I found her in need again. She is three months behind on rent and two of the thirteen kids under her care have been diagnosed with malnutrition. The $300 worth of food that I dropped off seemed so inadequate for the great needs she has in caring for the children. 
 
What is our responsibility to those in need? What is our role? I would love to hear your heart on this? 

Posted by: Matt Peace

I just finished our intern training at our Short-Term Mission Center in Ensenada, MX. We have 26 interns heading out to help our missionaries this summer all around the world. I had the privilege of being a part of their training time this past week. I am so encouraged by the young hearts that are so passionate about ministry in our denomination. Many of them are working with our Candidate Development Office to go into full-time ministry. I think it is a tribute to our CDO that we have such a great group to work with. Whenever I am surrounded by this many people with such a passion to share Jesus it is inspiring. Pray with me that these 26 young people will grow in their love for Jesus as they help minister around the world this summer. Pray also for our nearly 1800 people who will be travelling this summer to minister with what The Alliance is doing around the world! 

Posted by: Matt Peace

We can use your help. I am searching for people who have some construction knowledge to come to Taiwan with me in March. From March 4 - April 3 we are working on refurbishing the Ximen Loft. Opening in June of this year we have to refinish floors, fix some electric, paint the building and fit it for living. Any expertise or just willingness is invited on this trip. Email me at peacem@cmalliance.org if you are willing to go or know of anyone that would fit this ministry. We are in urgent need! 
Thanks so much!!! 

Posted by: matt peace

My heart broke as we walked through a Shanti town in Manila, Philippines. We were touring the ministry of several churches in Manila and we stumbled into this small slum area. We met some women who were making bracelets to earn money to feed their families. Directly across the street was another young woman who was 17 years old. Her mother had abandoned her and her two young brothers. With her father not known to her she became the one who had to care for these children both under age 5. With her prospects for a job very low she came to the conclusion she had to sell herself to feed herself and her brothers. I met her just a couple of weeks ago and she is 3 months pregnant. Life isn't fair. She was faced with an impossible situation and did all she could to care for her brothers.  
 
My heart screamed to God that night in The Alliance Guest House. We have to be able to care for her and the many young women just like her. What can I do? I have to do something. This isn't a cause. It is an emergency. This issue now has a face and a name and a story... 
 
Are we ready to fight for the people who can't fight for themselves? Are we ready to bring care and love and most importantly the hope of Jesus to those in need around the world? I know I am. 
 
Short-Term Ministry in the Philippines begins in 2009. Our prayers need to start now.  
 
The Alliance has several ministries in Manila to the people living in the slum areas. For further information on this project contact Matt Peace. 

Posted by: Matt Peace

I need your help. With projects all over the world it seems as though we never get finished with the work. I have had one project that I have been wrestling with for a couple of years. We are trying to build a Guest House/Community Center in El Salvador. The land overlooks the heart of the city from a beautiful mountain top. The foundation is laid, it is just going to take some teams to finish it up. Opportunities for ministry in this community are ripe. We see hundreds of people everytime we visit. God wants to see his children come home. Will you join me? Do you know of a team or of individuals who would be willing to come help? Check out information on www.aymission.org. Look under the location tab for El Salvador. Thanks so much. 

Posted by: Matt Peace

It's a long flight. No two ways about it. You board a plane in Los Angeles and you fly 14 hours straight. I slept the first six and awoke to another eight to go. Then you get off the plane and it is 6am. Ready for the day to begin. I don't know why anyone would do this. Here is the reason. Jesus told us to. That is good enough for me. It was also good enough for two of our short-term teams that are ministering in Taiwan right now. Ximen is an area in Taipei that has no church. No real chance to hear the Gospel. But a team from Ellensburg Alliance Church in Washington and Crown College are changing that right now. Sharing the love of Jesus by simply loving people. Finding the need and meeting it. Taiwan is a country that has money. Sometimes it is hard to find where that need is. But the reality is they need Jesus just as much. Take a risk with us. Get on an airplane for 14 hours or more and see what God has in store for you. You might be surprised what God might do. 

Posted by: Matt Peace

I need your help! God is doing some pretty amazing things right now in Northwest Mexico. Partnering together with the National C&MA Church in Mexico and the South Pacific District we are going to build a Short-Term Mission Center in Ensenada, Mexico. We are well on the way to planting four C&MA churches in this city. Interest and outreach are growing quickly. 
 
Here is where I need you and your church. We are looking for 10 churches that would be willing to help put this Center together. Men's groups/District Teams/Church leaders/anything. Would you be willing to go? Can you put a team together to help us build? 
 
The time has come where you can be involved in the Harvest around the world. Contact me if you can help. Let's see what God is up to in Northwest Mexico. 

Posted by: matt peace

So much has been made about accessibility recently. We have 400,000 people in The C&MA in United States churches. So many of those people desire to connect to what The C&MA is doing around the world. We hear so much about what God is doing through our Missionaries that we want to go experience just a taste of God's blessing. The problem is that we only have about 800 missionaries around the world. This creates a bit of a capacity problem. So I got thinking... 
 
What if? What if we had a couple of locations around the world where any of our people could visit at times that are convenient to them? What if they could be involved in ministry along side our C&MA brothers and sisters from that country? What if these places were set up for short-term teams from our churches? What if our people could get involved in God's mission in a hands on way? 
 
Those questions may soon become a reality. We are working on a few options right now that could land us these oppotunities in both Latin America and Africa to start. We have heard your heart in this. You want to connect with what The C&MA is doing around the world. We are working to make that a reality. Look for more information on some of these locations by July 1st. 
 
What if? 

Posted by: Matt Peace

It is not very often anymore that your reputation proceeds you. However, this was the case on a recent trip to Gabon. Our team was in Mouila about 3 hours away from Bongolo Hospital where Dr. Dave and Becki Thompson serve with a large C&MA team at the Hospital there. We had taken a break from our travels and were enjoying a tasty beverage along the side of the road. Some of the locals stopped to ask us where we were from and where we were going. We told them we were on our way to Bongolo Hospital. Their reaction was immediate; "Thompson!" They knew this man by reputation. They knew him so far away from his home because he and his team live a life that represents Jesus to so many. They told us stories about how Dr. Thompson cares for the people of the area. Influence is a powerful thing. Our C&MA missionaries in Gabon are using it for the Glory of God! 

Posted by: Matt Peace

When I landed in Asuncion, Paraguay I had no idea of the story I was about to hear of the sucess of The C&MA in Paraguay. Just 6 years ago C&MA missionaries landed in Asuncion with little more than a plan. "Seven churches in Asuncion of at least 200 people is what we need to build the base to reach the rest of Paraguay"; said Bob Boston, the Field Director. They are well on their way to that goal. Supplemented in the last few months with two young missionary couples, the Schells and the Spurlings, Paraguay is moving. The field has a need and desire to bring teams in to help them with this vision. Building teams, youth teams, prayer teams are all welcomed commodities. If you want to be a part of something that God is doing from the ground floor, this is it. It is going to be fun to watch what God does. 

Posted by: Matt Peace

Having just returned from Madrid with my Spanish Coffee and chocolate in hand I once again am amazed at how creative our missionaries are. Two days of living in Tim and Marilyn Westergren's home got me so excited to see how incarnational we are as a denomination. The team in Tres Cantos runs an English Camp every year that is designed to serve the community. It accomplishes its goals every year with the help of college age kids from all around the world. The best thing about it is that there are no strings attached. It is just a plain and simple gift to the community. Because of it they have had wide open doors to the community. There is a need for more people to join the team. If you have graduated college within the last 6 years there is a need for you to teach English in Madrid. You would be paid by the public school system to teach there and become a part of the community. The team there is looking for more people to be a part of this ministry. "Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary, use words." -St. Francis of Assisi 

Posted by: Matt Peace

I recently got back from a brief trip to the Dominican Repbulic. I never stopped being amazed at the quality of people that The C&MA has as missionaries. I spent the better part of two days touring the island with the Field Director John Shleh. His heart for the people and the ministry there is infectious. I was confronted with opportunities for short-term teams to come in and make a difference. One of the churches I visited is producing many of the National Church leaders in the DR for The C&MA. They are meeting in a building that was built by short-term teams. However, it is antiquated and too small. They need a church to partner with them to build a new building. Do you want to be a part of something bigger? Do you want to help expand God's Kingdom around the world? Consider being a part of what God is doing in The C&MA around the world. Contact the Short-term Mission Office for details on how to get involved. 

Posted by: Matt Peace

One of the frustrations I have with short-term missions is that many of the benefits that take place are after the trip itself. We return home and never get to realize the fullness of the impact we have had. I received this email from Rich and Elisa Brown, C&MA missionaries in Ecuador. This is something to celebrate! 
 
"We had one of the best ministry days of our lives last month. From money raised through the Short-Term teams that came to Ecuador this past summer we were able to pay for a retreat for youth pastors. There were 50 youth pastors and wives with us from several different countries in Latin America. The youth pastor presidents were there from Colombia, Peru, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Brazil. There were also youth pastors from all over Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Chile and more. It was awesome to see in their faces that they were valued and that we appreciate their ministries. We had a time of pairing up and praying for each others ministries and struggles. We played soccer together, ate together and then we blessed them with 3 ministry books each. We wanted to thank all of the Short-Term teams that came down and will come in the future for blessing our ministry and that of dozens of youth pastors around Latin America."  
 
Blessings, 
Rich & Elisa Brown 

Posted by: Matt Peace