Mercy Rains Update!
Topic: Mercy Rains Ministry

MercyRains Ministries

Psalm 51:10-13

Dave & Jane Lane

118 Commercial St, Leavenworth, WA 98826

mercyrains@hotmail.com

(509) 548-0625

May 8, 2008

 

Dear Friends,

            Thank all of you who have prayed and responded to our correspondence concerning our call to establish a ministry base in Bahia de Kino, Mexico. We have been blessed by the encouragement and the financial support. This short note is to bring you up-to-date on the ministry’s current needs.

            It is difficult to express the burden we feel to establish this ministry base in Kino Bay in printed words. Our heart vision is formed by our personal testimony of God’s tenacious grip on those who claim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior... of His extravagant grace poured out in redemptive power on repentant hearts... of our call to share this God of second chances with those who need to know His love, acceptance, and forgiveness. We need your prayers… This is a monumental move for us. Even though we have ministered in Mexico for years and are very familiar with the needs and the work, we have always been taking short-term ministry teams in and “returning home”. Now, we are planning on making the ministry location our home! As time approaches for the property purchase to close and we see how far we are from the amount needed, doubt and fear try to gain a foothold. Please pray that we continue to hear His heart and remain faithful to His call.

We have not shared the specifics of the purchase… only to say that the amount needed is way beyond our means… but we know God does the impossible! We feel that we should make the specific needs known. The current owners have agreed to sell the property for $250,000.00. This is substantially less than their asking price, as they also believe we are to be continuing the mission there. With closing costs, moving costs, and funds to operate while the ministry is established we believe we will need $300,000.00. We are selling our home and pooling our assets and hope to have $50,000.00 to $60,000.00. To date the financial support we have received is $3900.00… so, as you can see, the need is about $240,000.00. We are aware that this is a huge amount, but not to our God!

We would ask you to pray about financially partnering with us in two ways… as the Lord leads, give. No amount is too small. And, as the Lord leads, let MercyRains Ministries call and vision be known to others you know who might be blessed by serving Jesus through this ministry… it doesn’t take long for information to be transmitted via the internet and if a lot of people each give a little, a lot is accomplished! Maybe you have another idea and would like to talk to us about alternatives… If so, please contact us. The sale closing date is June 15 so we need funding within the next two weeks. If you are led to contribute, you can either send a check to our address payable to MercyRains Ministries, or to our church, Leavenworth Church of the Nazarene, 111 Ski Hill Dr, Leavenworth, WA 98826, and designate “MercyRains”... either gift is tax deductable. We are, of course, maintaining contribution records and should we not purchase the property, we will contact you to determine if you want your funds returned or used for an alternative ministry area.

            Please know that we are seeking God’s will and direction each step of the way… and we only desire to have Him glorified! The need for a place for rest and restoration for tired or hurting Christians weighs on our hearts, and providing a base for outreach ministry for families or groups is an equally intense burden. Thank you for partnering with us with your prayers and your financial support.

We Are His Servants,

Dave & Jane    

 

Mercy Rains Travel Log
Topic: Mercy Rains Ministry

MercyRains Mexico Travel Log

For years we have felt led to establish a ministry base in Mexico to provide a place for rest, reflection, and restoration for weary Christians and allow a launch point for outreach ministry to needy people. We had been looking for a "ready-to-use facility" and continually came to closed doors. We finally decided that maybe we were to simply go and seek His heart and guidance as we were continually led to Genesis 12

1 Now the LORD had said to Abram:
"Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.

4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him

9 So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.

Our Pastor, his wife, and our Small Group from our Church began praying with us that God would give us specific direction as to His plan for us in Mexico. We arranged time off work, flew to Phoenix, AZ, and after a few days visiting with my parents, borrowed their truck and travel trailer and headed south.

For many years we had been focusing on Baja California, Mexico as a ministry site but in our planning prior to leaving, Jane suggested we look at the Guaymas/San Carlos area on the mainland of Mexico. As she was further surfing the net, she noticed a small fishing village 60 miles north of the San Carlos tourist zone called Bahia de Kino, literally, "at the end of the road"! Thinking we could stop there for a few days on the way to San Carlos, I began to check out road conditions and found sites claiming the "60 miles between Hermosillo and Kino Bay to be the worst in Mexico"! So, we decided to go straight to San Carlos.

About 4 hours after crossing the border at Nogales down Mexico Hwy 15, we came to Hermosillo. Hermosillo is a large Mexican city… the capitol of the state of Sonora. We had navigated very busy city streets following signs to San Carlos for about an hour. As we sat in a left turn lane waiting for the arrow, Jane noticed a "Kino Bay Straight" sign and said, "Maybe we SHOULD go there… after all, that’s where we felt He was leading". I agreed but was in a left turn lane surrounded by many vehicles and could see no way to change direction. When the signal changed, the car in front of us went STRAIGHT… so, I followed! The next 60 miles to Kino Bay were traveled on the best road we had encountered in Mexico! GOD IS GOOD!

It was dark when we arrived in Kino Bay so, after some searching, we pulled into a closed RV park at the very end of the road and waited for morning to find a place to park the travel trailer. Morning revealed a beautiful beach across the street to the west and just as beautiful Sonora desert mountains to the east. We set up home and took a drive back up the road through Kino Nuevo (New Kino) into Kino Viejo (Old Kino). Kino Bay has an interesting history… check it out via Google.

 

 

We saw several for sale signs on homes near the beach and decided to call the agent to check out prices. She contacted us two days later and showed us a few small homes… then asked why we came to Kino Bay. We told her we came to pray for God’s leading because we were led to have a place where Christians could come to rest and serve those in need. She simply stared at us for several seconds… we thought we had really said something wrong! Then she said, "You need to see Norman and Bonnie’s place."

We followed her to a "retreat center" three blocks off of the main road. Norman and Bonnie are the current "owners/caretakers" and had told her that they were ready to "retire". "The Mission House" was built by a U.S. missionary couple in the mid 70’s who felt led by the Lord to provide "a place for rest and relaxation for weary Christian workers, and an oasis of fellowship to all". (A quote from a plaque on the wall). We read the history/mission of the place and stood in awe of God’s leading! He had directed us to Kino Bay, a small fishing village on the Sea of Cortez, and there was a place built for the vision He had placed on our hearts!

It is a large, very clean, well-cared for, and "modernized" complex. There is the Mission House, a fully equipped 2500 sq ft, 3 bedroom home set up to accommodate 17, a "motel-type" wing with an office, a storage room, and two guest rooms, a screened kitchen currently being used by a young Mexican couple and their children serving as caretakers, 3 – RV sites with complete hook-ups, and a second home where Norman and Bonnie live which was fully remodeled one year ago.

We had come to Mexico to seek God’s will for us and He brought us to a place we believe he has prepared for MercyRains ministry! We had asked for His direction and He spelled it out for us as clear "as the writing on the wall"! It will take a miracle for it to happen… the price, though very reasonable in U.S. standards is still way beyond our means… but He is the God of miracles! We believe He has told us that June is the month to head south so we are preparing to go!

We covet your prayers. If you have any questions, please e-mail us…

We are in His service… Dave & Jane (mercyrains@hotmail.com)

 

The place we would like to buy to hold retreats!
Topic: Mercy Rains Ministry

We met with the owners and realtor yesterday afternoon... we go to the realtors office today. Don't know the process as we don't have any money to even offer an ernest money offer... but the realtor has all sorts of info about the process. We hiked up a large mountain at the end of town yesterday to the foot of a HUGE cross there... and prayed. We can't tell you how our hearts feel knit to this place. And, as we talk to Norman & Bonnie (current owners) about the needs of the local people, Jane comes up with ideas to help them establish cottage industries... using the stuff we find thrown out on the beaches! Their livelihood has been disappearing with the Sea of Cortez being fished out and iron wood (used for carving) being all used up!
These are pics of the inside of the second house and a couple of shots from the foot of the cross. 
We leave, reluctantly, tomorrow! Please be praying!