Water Day 2 On it's Way!

Two months ago, as we planned for Water Day 1, at the Banquete Community Center, I received a call from Miss Patsy Rogers, of the nearby Agua Dulce Community Center. Word had spread of what we were doing, and she asked if and when we could have a Water Day there as well. I knew then that with God's help, we had to make that happen. We now have a tentative date set for the event, Saturday, June 12th.

We begin our planning for Water Day 2 on a better note than we did for 1. We still have 50 gallons of water, and almost 20 emergency blankets left over from 1. Also, most importantly, we have a growing understanding of how to put events like these together. We hope that through this, God will add to the number of those who can experience His grace.


As we prepare, the search is also on to connect Water Day 1 attendees with Christian families, who can fund their groceries through Angel Food Ministries. If this works out, it will allow these colonia residents to save the money they would have normally spent on groceries, so that they can begin to move forward, perhaps funding an education for themselves or their children.

A few weeks ago, we also found out that the name of our organization had to change. It seems Mission of Light is the name of a religious cult in the San Antonio area. So, after a lot of prayer and deliberation, Andrew and I finally decided on the name Alliance Ministries. We feel that this name well describes our most important goal, to bring together many different ministries into one big alliance.

My job with the mission for the next few months has also become somewhat more challenging. Through the Summer, my friend Andrew Barbaro will be serving as a camp counselor at Highland Lakes Baptist Encampment, near Marble Falls. It did not take me long in his absence to realize how valuable to the group his presence really is. Still, I am optimistic, knowing that the Lord is using him in great ways there. Also, since they are allowed to have cell phones, we are able to talk once or twice a week. (This makes me wonder what my own camp counselor experience would have been like if cell phones had been as widely used back in 1998)

Finally, I want to tell you about two members of the group that you haven't heard much about, but I know are going to do great things both inside and out of the mission, Oscar Carmona and Guy Daugherty.

Oscar, and his now wife Angelica, were the first two friends I made when I came down to Corpus Christi, 7 years ago. In that time, we've grown from boys into men. Although Oscar has always been more mature than I am, he's never held it over my head. He understands better than anyone I've ever known what it is to give and to serve-meeting people where they are at, but loving them too much to keep them there. I'm excited about the possibilities we have for serving God's people together.

I've known Guy since I was 5 and he was 2. (Our mothers have been friends since they attended Austin High School together in the early 1970s) Being an only child, he is the closest thing to a younger brother I've ever had. Last year, he gave his heart to the Lord Jesus, and our friendship has grown even stronger since. One of the things I've always loved about Guy is his sense of wonder, asking a million questions about life, always eager to learn more. He has such a humble heart too, and such a desire to help others. If he remains faithful to God's will, I know that he is going to be a great leader someday, and it is my sincere hope that Alliance Ministries will help him grow into that role.