2011 Newsletter

Hart Trip Update: Juarez

Ben and Kim Jones, their cute babies, and Joe and I recently traveled to the
border for a week. We spent two full, great days in Juarez with Mark, Candi, Jose PRAY
Luis and Cristina. Our goals in Mexico were to check out firsthand what life in
Juarez is like these days, encourage ministries and friends there, and as many
of you know, bring gifts of love from believers in the US to them (such a privilege
JUAREZ
☺). Here’s a short run down:
Juarez in general
Increased suffering, increased hunger, increased fear, increased lawlessness, The JUST ASK Campaign is finally here!
more unoccupied and burned buildings, still lots of open vehicles of armed
military and federales... It was tough to see. And “normal-ish” everyday life just
We are asking people to partner with
continues on in the midst of it all. IFM for several specific and ongoing
needs which can be adopted by you
Spiritually there is a delicate move of the Holy Spirit rising up from their depths. and those whom you ask to help. We
The Pryors said repeatedly that they are in awe of His work among the Mexican are not just asking you to give towards
believers there now. Unity is increasing among them! They are more and more
stirred up to take leadership and responsibility for their people. The number of
IFM’s needs, we are asking you to own
churches and individuals joining collective meetings for prayer and evangelism IFM’s needs with us. Go to our website,
is swelling. They are reaching out!! Local www.ifmus.org, for more information
ministries bereft of support from Americans are and to request your “Just Ask” button.
digging in with the Lord, looking to HIM for all they
need physically and spiritually. We heard it
ourselves at every ministry we visited – the
believers are “girding their loins” and though the
gunfights are around them and their lives are
vulnerable, they are putting their own fear aside
and expending themselves for the Lord’s sake
where He has placed them. Christians are organizing another prayer march
through the city of Juarez this Saturday, March 19th and the Pryors are planning
on joining them. The last march included 12,000 people. Staff Spotlight:
Name:
Jose Luis and Cristina Torres Shirin Dietz
They move around that city with no fear. They see the need for deeper How Long at IFM?
discipleship for Mexican Christians and as such proposed the idea of IFM 6 Years
establishing an outreach training center in Juarez for local adults and families. What Position?
They also hope it would include a feeding center IFM Office Manager
as a means to fill empty little stomachs and a way
for kids to be consistently discipled. It was and
have put their idea before the Lord. By the way, Family Status:
their daughter Dora graduates from university this Single
spring! When we first met them their family lived in
How did you come to IFM?
a cardboard house and Dora and Dina were
I had family connections to the Harts, the
kindergartners☺.
directors of IFM, and my sister and brother-
in-law were working with IFM and suggested
Brother Ray’s Feeding Center that some help in the office would be
Now that was heaven! We met with their staff and presented them with new guitars, appreciated!
keyboard, percussion instruments and a sound system for their worship – gifts given
to replace all that was stolen. They were tearfully grateful. Once they checked it all Favorite Scripture?
Article Continued on Page 2 Psalm 84

Spring Issue 2011

 Continued from Page 1: Hart Trip Update: Juarez
out and got it set up…”heaven” happened as we worshipped the Lord with
instruments given in love to His faithful and needy children. Pure joy.
They impressed upon us to give thanks to all who have been praying for
them and who have helped them in other ways too, and they asked that
you would remember them and keep praying. Theirs is a tough battlefield.
. . and so fruitful. Hey, their buildings looked lovely and freshly painted
inside and out. No more brandings by the graffiti-ers!

Other Visits
We have always said that a visit in Jesus’ Name is a powerful thing.
It really is and especially there NOW. We were thanked everywhere
we went and were told, “Please don’t stop
coming. You don’t have to bring anything. Just come!” We saw some leftover plumbing and
wall damage from THE STORM. We saw Christians who were weary in some ways from the
daily battles and heaviness and stronger than we remember them ever at
the same time. And I noticed this…no one looked older or more hag-
gard. They all looked fresh and especially BEAUTIFUL to me. Maybe it
was just my great joy in seeing them, but maybe it was the Lord shining
through them. Regardless, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the
Lord. He will go from strength to strength until the day of Zion.”

We told all of them about you…that the Lord had not forgotten them and that you hadn’t either. It profoundly encouraged
them. I wish you could have seen the relief on their faces.

~Kathy Hart

Hart Trip Update: El Paso

On our recent trip, the Pryors took us on a look-see of the borderland of greater El Paso, and arranged for us to talk to
various ministries there. It helped us gain a better understanding of the unique plight of the Mexicans who have resettled
in El Paso because of the cartel war. It is estimated that approximately 30% of all the people who fled Juarez ended up in
El Paso. In some ways El Paso is now truly a refugee city.

We saw “colonias” that have sprung up and others that have been around for years in the greater El Paso area. It is defi-
nitely an under-the-radar subculture of the city. A big one.

The Mexicans who have come are a mixed bag: some legal and some illegal, and all classes of people. But like so many
refugees, they have heart wrenching stories to tell and head-shaking challenges to surmount.
We learned that while normal asylum from Mexico to the US is only granted because of political or religious persecution,
the US has made a temporary exception because of the dire situation in Juarez. People there can for now receive asylum
into the US if a family member has been killed and they can give proof that their lives too have been threatened. Once
they qualify they live for a period of time at a detention center in Juarez while the red tape slowly gets cranked out, and
then they are free to move across the border. While that’s a blessing, their predicament is that they usually come across
without sufficient funds to resettle AND they are not given permits to work in the US. The government has promised these
permits, but it is taking LOTS of time, and they don’t have them yet.

Many fled across without any visas. They either were panicked, didn’t know what else to do, or were too afraid of being
found by cartel members in the detention centers. We heard about small business owners – lots of them - who could not or
would not pay extortions to the cartels and set their own businesses on fire. Their work, their livelihood, some which had
been in their families for generations…now burned down by their own hands.

One story really has tugged at my heart. A well educated woman in Juarez had a legal position there akin to somewhere
between a judge and a lawyer in the states. She was pressured to do something in her job for the cartels that she would
not do. Fearing for her life, she took her young son and they fled across the border – without papers. Now she is living in
someone’s basement in El Paso and asking a ministry there if they know of any work she can get – ironing clothes, selling
burritos, anything.

There is so much upheaval and so much need. Please pray for these people and the ministries that serve them. And please
pray for IFM as we are considering how the Lord would have us help as well.
~Kathy Hart
 International Family Missions:
International Family Missions is a training and outreach
organization. We provide opportunities for singles, couples
and whole-family units to serve the Lord together. This is
accomplished through both short and long-term missions,
and in our missions and ministry training programs.
Over the past twenty-five years, IFM’s primary efforts have
been focused in Juarez, Mexico where we have established
true and lasting relationships with many of the local
ministries there. Thus, we are able to offer a variety of intern
and discipleship opportunities that have their foundation in
loving God and then loving and serving those around us.
Additionally, through our short term missions program, we
have had the privilege of training and leading nearly 10,000
participants on mission outreaches.
Supporting Industry
International Family Missions has several supporting
industries that help to further the work of our ministry
efforts. In 1993, IFM/Grace Coach Lines, Inc. was founded
as a supporting industry for IFM. Shortly after the ministry
acquired its first motorcoach in 1989 (a 1964 GMC 4106),
other ministries, churches, and youth groups began
requesting transportation services from us. It soon became
apparent that in order to hire out these services, we would
need to do so under the cover of a for-hire commercial
charter entity, rather than under the ministry’s auspices.
So, after much groundwork, Grace Coach Lines was
established to provide financial and logistical support for
the ministry, while serving the transportation needs of
others both inside and outside the religious community.
Grace Coach Lines has since added a tour division which
specializes in packaged tours for groups and individuals.
IFM/Rocky Mountain Maintenance, a branch of Grace
Coach Lines, is another supporting industry that offers
complete maintenance and repair for all motorcoach makes
as well as for trucks and other commercial vehicles.

Grace Tours — Check out these exciting tour opportunities!

Did you know that Grace Coach Lines has a tour department that supports the ministries of IFM?
Grace Tours provides deluxe motorcoach tours around the country and can even customize a tour for your group.
If you are looking for a fun vacation or a short getaway, consider Grace Tours! You will be supporting IFM in the
process! Check out the scheduled tours for 2011 at the end of this newsletter.

Email or call us for more information! gracetours@ifmus.org, 720-890-7287.

Become a fan of Grace Tours on facebook and get the most recent updates about our tours!

Get Involved:
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED:
-MEXICO OUTREACH TRIPS: A visit in Jesus’ name. IFM offers short term mission trips to Ciudad Juarez,
Mexico. You have the opportunity to join or lead a team of people to visit the poor, orphans and widows as
God commands us. These trips bring hope to the hopeless.
-PRAYER OUTREACH TRIPS: We believe that prayer changes things. IFM is now offering short term prayer trips
to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. These trips focus on praying over the city and helping to train Christian leaders to
be powerful prayers.
-US BORDERLAND OUTREACH TRIPS or HOUSE OF CORNELIUS WORK TRIPS: IFM offers short term trips to
work with our mission base in the U.S. Either doing work around the mission campus or doing ministry with
people in the Borderland Area near El Paso, Texas across from Juarez, Mexico.
-WORK DAYS AT MINISTRY HQ: We have several needs at our Headquarters in Lafayette, Colorado. We would
love for you to come down for a day or weekend to help us in our offices.
-THE FIELD INTERNSHIPS: IFM introduces The Field, hands on training for young adults in various aspects of
missions and ministry.The available opportunities are:Missions Base Internships, Facilities Operations &
Maintenance Internships, and Ministry Headquarters & Business Internships. This is a great opportunity for
individuals to experience what the mission field is all about.

Contact
Contact Us: Us: Social
Social Networking:
Networking:
International Family Missions Office: 303.665.7635
PO Box 309 Fax: 303.287.7617
1901 S 120th Street info@ifmus.org
Lafayette, CO 80026-0309 www.ifmus.org
 Rocky Mountain Trails
Discover magnificent vistas
of Colorado and Utah
Glenwood Canyon
Colorado National Monument
Arches National Park
Mesa Verde
Durango - Silverton Train
May 20-24, 2011
5 Day Tour $975
Colorado Colors
See Colorado’s fall colors
in all of their glory
Pagosa Hot Springs
Wolf Creek Pass
Durango - Silverton Train
Scenic Ouray
Grand Junction Winery
Gold Mine Tour
September 28 - October 1, 2011
4 Day Tour: $599
National Parks
Experience the splendor of
America’s National Parks
Mt. Rushmore National Memorial
Cody, WY
Yellowstone National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Salt Lake City
Bryce Canyon National Park
Arches National Park
June 3-12, 2011
10 Day Tour: Call for pricing
All Tours include:
Transportation by deluxe motorcoach, Professional Tour Manager, all nights in a tourist class hotel,
most meals, entrance fees as per itinerary, baggage handling for one bag
Grace Tours • PO Box 309 • Lafayette CO 80026 • 720-890-7287 • gracetours@ifmus.org • www.gracecoachlines.com
Branson
Branson Belle Showboat
Dixie Stampede
Yakov Smirnoff
And More...
October 9-15, 2011
November 6-12, 2011 *
7 Day Tour $1095
Price includes: 15 meals
9 entertainment events
3½ days in Branson
(* Includes Branson Christmas Shows )
The Land of Enchantment
Explore the highlights of
New Mexico
Taos Pueblo
Santa Fe
Las Cruces
Carlsbad Caverns
Roswell
May 10-16, 2011
* October 2-8, 2011
7 Day Tour: Call for pricing
(* Includes Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in place of Carlsbad Caverns & Roswell)
Colorado Springs Getaway
Get away for a weekend of luxury
Garden of the Gods
Pike’s Peak Cog Railway
Royal Gorge
Murder Mystery Dinner Train
Old Colorado City
South Park City
Breckenridge
Antlers Hilton 4 Diamond Hotel
August 12-14, 2011
3 Day Tour: $640