The Quinteros: Summer 2023
Fall is upon us. The weather probably looks different for those of you reading than it does for us here in the Rio Grande Valley. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, temperatures are projected to remain in the high 90’s and 100’s through the end of October. This year was one of the hottest on record for the state of Texas, and that is saying something.
One week this month, several of us gathered underneath the awning in front of the IMCV renovation project. We sat around a white folding table, eating mole and sharing testimonies of prayers God has answered recently. Pastor Eunice shared the biblical significance of the number nine, that God allows us to be in the womb for nine months, and at the end of the ninth month, we are born and “are given light.” It is possible that this saying makes more sense in Spanish than it does in English, but there is a profound truth within her words. We are coming out of a season that for Border Perspective, the local church, and many of us personally has been very demanding. There has been a lot of change, and we are in many ways beginning to see a new light.
“We are celebrating an incredible summer hosting 178 service-learning trip participants from 9 different states. This was a season full of partnership, growth, initiative, and joy as well as intermittent moments of unknowns and grief. God continues to be the source of all joy and a very present refuge in the life of Border Perspective, the local community, the nations passing through the borderlands, and in the life of every person we shared life with this summer. We are grateful for and brought to worship by all that God and God alone has done this summer, and we look forward expectantly to what is to come this fall and into 2024. To everyone who was a part of this summer, thank you. May we add chairs to our tables, neighbors into our homes, and soul-deep love unto Jesus, who brings all things together in His perfect timing.”
This quote from Border Perspective’s most recent Instagram post just scratches the surface of all that we experienced this summer. The remainder of this update will be an attempt to unpack this quote.
Border Update: Impact on Local Partners
In the last several months we have seen a significant increase in the number of families arriving and being processed at the US-Mexico Border to seek asylum and refuge for their families. I was on the phone last week with one of our partners in Brownsville and she described the increase as being positive for those who want to seek asylum, positive for those who serve newly arrived families, and also overwhelming as churches and non-profits seek adequate resources and volunteers to serve these families and individuals well. We see God working in all of it.
Click Here to read a story I wrote recently: God's Faithfulness: Venezuela, Colorado, Dunwoody + Beyond
Navigating Pain and Loss
June 30th, 2023. Pastor Eunice suffered a heart attack in the middle of the night as Thursday turned into Friday. I remember waking up shocked and unable to process the news. Eduardo, the interns, and I spent the day with Yon and Megan’s kids, waiting and hoping for progress, for good news. As the day went by, Eunice’s blood pressure vacillated from too high to too low, leading them to make the difficult decision to move her to the ICU for closer monitoring. A few days later she was discharged. The doctors asked her to rest for six to eight weeks, and while she did take life slower during that time, she remained and remains committed to the ministry. With Jenn tending to Eunice, I continued in my role in the ministry and took on many elements of hers. This was a time of growth for me personally, a time of grief for the community, and a time when the local church stepped up to meet every need amid Eunice’s physical limitations.
Just two weeks later, the church suffered another unimaginable loss. We were preparing for Wednesday night’s service when we received the news. La hermana Lala, a dear member of the church, lost her daughter and her granddaughter to a car accident in Odessa, Texas. If you have ever visited South Texas, you were likely greeted by Alexa’s infectious smile. Alexa (8) lived at her grandmother’s house in South Texas together with her two sisters, Alicia and Ashley. She was and remains a strong presence in the life of the church.
Eduardo and I were reflecting on the night that she left South Texas to spend the summer with her parents in Odessa. Alexa always loved hugs, but somewhat unusually insisted on giving all of us “just one more hug” about ten times that night. I asked Eduardo if he thought she knew. He responded, “No, but God did.”
The night we heard the news, we continued on with the worship service. There was not a dry eye in the room. Eunice came to the front, just two weeks after her heart attack, to sing in remembrance of Alexa who led worship with Jenn. Jenn and Danny, who typically lead worship and play instruments, were already on their way to Odessa. There was no one there to play. Nervously, but almost as though to give honor to Alexa’s life, Nicky (9) and Jadon (10) came up to the front of the worship service. Nicky began to sing with Eunice. Jadon began to play the drums. It was beautiful and painful all at once.
Iglesia Misionera Cristo Vive is possibly the most resilient community of believers I have ever known. We continue to grieve, and simultaneously we continue to believe that God is good. That He still brings beauty from ashes. That light still overcomes darkness.
Interns: Leadership Development Program
This summer could not and would not have been what it was without our three incredible interns. We are so grateful for the eight weeks we got to spend with Melody, Bella, and Daniela who came from as far away as Vancouver, WA to lead, serve, and learn through the Leadership Development Program. On a personal level, I am forever grateful to these three incredible girls and the friendships we developed throughout June and July. It was an honor to see such meaningful growth in each of their lives, as well as to witness God’s perfect timing evidenced through their “yes” to come to South Texas.
Personal Update: Waiting on the Lord
Eduardo and I have seen the Lord move in truly miraculous ways recently. I am personally challenged, even as I write this because there are still several things in our life that we are waiting for in prayer. I am challenged because sometimes the “how” seems unclear and distant. Sometimes the lack of answers feels painful and uncertain, but yet we can live in remembrance of all that God has done and be compelled to walk by faith and continue to believe that God is who He says He is.
Roughly two months ago Eduardo left his job in maintenance at the apartments to spend the majority of his time studying for his Journeyman Electrician’s exam. His car broke down the same week he left his job. A 2006 Honda Accord with 285,000 miles. We were not sure what to do.
We knew we could not afford to purchase a new car, cash or financed. We ran the numbers several times and would end many days in prayer asking the Lord to guide us in wisdom. God knows what we have. God also knows what we don’t have. After two weeks of waiting in prayer, we were talking to my mom on the phone one day about the possibility of purchasing my grandmother’s car. Pop purchased the car in 2012 and passed away in 2014. The car was practically new but held deep sentimental value for Nana. The ask didn’t seem possible. To our surprise, my uncle thought it was a great idea, and so did Nana.
This was when miracle after miracle began.
The car was worth $8,500 on Kelly Blue Book. This was my uncle’s asking price. Nana asked us for $5,000. Eduardo found a one-way flight to Atlanta from McAllen for less than $300 (this is also a miracle, if you know you know). My uncle had recently replaced the tires and AC in the car, and my parents had the car inspected and took care of a few repairs before Eduardo arrived in Atlanta (9/16) to drive the car back to McAllen. The pastor of Eduardo’s family’s church gave him money for gas on the drive back. Eduardo arrived back in McAllen on Tuesday night (9/19), and I received a text on Tuesday afternoon (9/19) from Jeff Reams and Ellen Powell that DBC had decided to send us a check for the church’s end-of-year giving. How much was the check written for, you ask? $5,000. The exact cost of the car.
The song “I’ll Give Thanks” by Housefires comes to mind. “Why do I worry, God knows what I need.”
In a season of our lives personally, organizationally, and as a Church when there are so many unknowns in terms of provision, direction, and outcomes; we can live in remembrance of God’s faithfulness.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? - Matthew 6:26
Looking Towards 2024: Discernment
Discernment. The word God has spoken to us over 2024. This year, many of our best-laid plans have not come to pass, all because the Lord had and has better plans than we could ask or imagine. Eduardo has started his 5th and final year of school for his electrical apprenticeship. However, there are still no union work opportunities available in the Valley. We are praying and seeking God this coming year to see if He will provide electrical work for Eduardo, whether it be union work or other opportunities. If these doors remain closed, we are praying for discernment for what that means for us. Is God asking Eduardo to provide for a portion of our family’s needs in another way, through another line of work? Is He calling us both into full-time ministry; or to continue in the hybrid format we have lived in this past year where Eduardo has worked a part-time job and served in the ministry part-time?
Our plan, which we are holding with open hands, for 2024 is to continue as we have with Eduardo working part-time and serving in the ministry part-time, and myself serving full-time with Border Perspective and supporting the local church, to see how work in the electrical field plays out as Eduardo finishes school, receives his license, and applies for jobs. Then, we will move forward accordingly in 2025.
We are hoping to increase our fundraised “take home” salary by $1,000/ month to cover increases in rent, car insurance, gasoline expenditures, and my loss of coverage under my parent’s medical insurance plan. We are looking at purchasing insurance through the state and it seems like we will have roughly $200/ month in co-pays for medication and quarterly doctor visits on top of the monthly premium.
We are meeting with our fundraising coach through Reliant as well as with Ellen Powell in the coming weeks to discuss what this means in terms of overall fundraising increases (admin fees, taxes, employer taxes, employee insurance, etc.), and will be communicating that information in the coming month with the DBC, our current donors, and those who may want to partner with us in 2024 whether by joining our monthly support team or through one-time giving.
Prayer Requests
Pray first and foremost for consistently increasing strength in Eduardo and I’s spiritual life. Everything else that follows flows from this.
Please pray for discernment as mentioned above. Please pray for peace, wisdom and stewardship. Please pray for provision as we enter into a season of fundraising for the 2024 calendar year. And that Eduardo and I will continue to live by faith and in remembrance of all God has done in our lives, especially in the last 12 months.
Pray for Eduardo as he takes and passes his Journeyman exam in the coming month. (Side note: He had to turn in some paperwork from his previous job at Buffington & Burns Electric and we discovered he already has over 10,000 hours of experience under a master electrician. This is a huge accomplishment!)
Pray for our residency process. Eduardo may have to renew his DACA paperwork in the next month if we do not hear back from USCIS about his residency before mid-October. This means more legal paperwork and legal fees. Please continue to pray with us and believe with us in faith that Eduardo will be a permanent US resident by the end of 2023. We hope to begin going into Mexico together when he receives his residency, so we are eagerly looking forward to the day we receive these documents.
Pray for Border Perspective and the local church as we navigate a season of simultaneous growth and transition. As the church and the teams we host have transitioned off of the Haven of Hope camp since September 3rd, God has provided a place to feed and house teams. We are truly experiencing grace provided day-by-day. The church is meeting under the trees outside the renovation project, that Lord willing will be complete in the coming months. The church is growing, and Border Perspective is growing. The Lord is moving. Pray that we hear and keep in step with the Spirit.
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