We are up to a fourth wall on the sanctuary of the prayer house.  The next proposed step is placing the entire roof overhead before the winter snows blow in.  keep up with the progress of the LORD's work at the HANDS THAT HELP home.

 

 

 

This building was taken down and the materials were salvaged for use in future building on the premises.  

 

 

The cleared area is for a proposed basketball court which will serve as recreation time or 'time out'!  

Sidings to one room of PROJECT HIH (HOPE IS HERE) 

Gravel and rock laid over a fill-in of dirt_ 11/22/2014 

VIEW FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF PROJECT HIH (HOPE IS HERE)  11/23/2014

TRACTOR AND 4-WHEELER USED FOR CONSTRUCTION ON PROJECT HIH (HOPE IS HERE)  11/23/2014

LOAD OF GRAVEL FOR PROJECT HIH (HOPE IS HERE)

 

 

 

 

 

LOAD OF ROCK FOR PROJECT HIH (HOPE IS HERE)  11/23/2014

Filling in and getting ready to pour the cement.  03/01/2015

Level, level and level some more...

 

 

Pouring done and dry! 12/26/2014

 

 

Filling in another area to the north... 12/26 2014

Filling in another area to the north, (2)

Filling another area to the north (3)

 

 

Just finished pouring...03/13/2015

 

 

Walls and roof on the area to the north... 03/19/2015

Walls and roof on the area to the north...(2)

Walls and roof on the area to the north...(3)

Reinforcements

Area to the north...(4)...03/20/2015

Clean-up...area to the south...

.--Joel is now advancing in his Bible studies and is taking two more courses toward the completion of his studies...Praise the Lord!

 

 We have our first Bible student who happens to be one of our own adopted sons, Joel. He is in his first year of Bible college and is going strong.  He is going hard after God and the devil is going hard after Joel, so your prayers for him during this trying time are much appreciated.  Thank you so very much!

 

He is posing here with two of the instuctors, Pastor Jamie Wright and Linda Withrow, at The Revival Worship Center, located in Coloden, West Virginia.

     JOEL'S TESTIMONY- HOW GOD LED ME TO BE IN MINISTRY

When I was two years old, my mother died and left nine brothers and sisters and God sent five of us to Mano de Ayuda with a Christian couple.  Three of my brothers were mentally retarded.

     God is good to His children.  I was found malnourished and in a very bad condition, together with my other four brothers and sisters.  God put us in a good place.  My adoptive father was a doctor and my adoptive mother was a nurse.  But what surprised me was how God was moving in their hearts.  I learned a lot from my adoptive parents.  They helped a lot of sick people with surgeries and adopted a lot of children, 70 or 80 adoptive brothers and sisters. I have many

adoptive brothers and sisters.

     When I was a teenager, like all teenagers, I had my faults because no one is perfect, only God is perfect.  But God was already dealing with me.  I still could not feel Him because I was not close to God.  But He started to deal with me little by little. 

     I was in three accidents but now I understand that Jesus had a plan for me.  When my adoptive father was still alive, I tried to be as honest as I could with him but first with God because nothing can be hidden from God. 

     When I entered the University, I started to help him in the Lord’s work as a chofer, bringing

and returning the people to and from their homes that came to the services.  That was a whole

day of doing this.  Afterward, I would go to the service at 7:00 p.m. at Maranatha and it would

finish at 9:00 p.m.  From there, I would take other people home from church and then from there,

I would go to Morelia to be there for the next day to go to classes.

     There were many ladies that I liked but the place I met my wife was in one of the churches in

the hot country.  Ever since I saw her for the first time, we were attracted to each other, but we

never said anything. 

     After that, she came to the United States for a year and then when she went back I saw her

again and she started to go to church again and I remember that I didn’t want to leave the hot

country but I had to go because I had to go to another service and then to Morelia.  Almost every

Sunday she would invite me and the Pastor to eat at her house.  I felt very comfortable being

close to her but I would leave that same day to go to the other service.  Sometimes during the

week, I would call her during the week and I would call her two or three times a week. 

     About two years before my adoptive father, John Charles Cook Lawson, passed away, I don’t

know how, but I was I was the one that was the closest to him and I used to help him more than

the rest of the brothers and sisters I had.  They were not close to him and I was the one that

would drive him or accompany him to different churches to preach.  He had a lot of confidence

in me and when he would receive the checks, he would send me to cash them in.  Two or three

times, I told him to be sure and count the money.  But because many times his money was stolen,

with me he was bothered because he said why would he do that since he trusted me. Maybe this

is not for me to feel better than the rest but God tells us how we must be in this world.  God was

already dealing with me little by little.  But I would tell him to count his money because I knew of

persons who were close to him and they were stealing the money.  I tried to be honest with my

Dad and I never thought of doing something bad.

     I remember when I graduated from the University, I asked him if he was coming that day

because everyone was taking their families that day.   He came to see me and I felt so good that

I was able to give him a hug before he went to be with the Lord.

     I graduated and went to help my family at home as a Vet.  I missed my Dad very much and

went back home, I wanted to be a part of my Dad’s work so I gave my time at home as a Vet. I

married my wife two years later.  She graduated from my Dad’s Bible Institute and always told

me to seek Jesus.  When I had no more job for me at home, for two months, my wife and child

went to Morelia with me looking for a job in Morelia but no jobs.   I was tempted to join the cartel

because they promised good pay but my Mom came to me in Mexico and told me that she was

taking me to the United States.  As soon as I got here, my step father started to talk to me about

Jesus and I don’t know how, but God gave me new strength spiritually.  Time and time again, I

was reading the Bible out loud and that is when I knew I had to start going to Bible classes. 

     When I started Bible Classes, the devil did not like it because that same day, I went home and

there was this big, long poisonous snake and he tried to bite me.  And it was in the dark but I saw

it and killed it. 

     Then many other things started to distract me from the Bible classes.  Situations in Mexico like

my other adoptive brother and sisters that had no more chance to study, no more place to live

and they were having problems finding a job.  So I am helping them a little with God’s help and

the jobs I work.  I tell my Mom and my step Dad how blessed I am to be in the Bible classes

because I can be right with God to be able to talk to my brothers and sister about Jesus and teach

them to be right with God too.  Many times, I get on Facebook and tell my old friends about Jesus

and they just block me.   

     Then I wanted very bad to be with my little boy so that I could teach him about Jesus too, and

there are a lot of other things.  But I know that all these things and everything that has happened

has helped me grow in the love of Jesus.  God has been using me but I am still waiting for many

days when I will be used in the future for the ministry.    

                                                                                                                                                   Joel Cook

Nela is being taken into consideration for this year to help with her family.  If you would like to anticipate being a  sponsor her for next year, she will be able to finish school.