The Lord has given us a vision for a citywide youth center for the young people of Guaymas and a regular youth event focused on ministry to this overlooked and undervalued segment of the population. We are convinced that the move of the Holy Spirit that the Lord brought us here to foster will largely happen through the young people and others who are not locked into traditional mindsets or bound by religious thinking.  We feel the Lord is calling us to REACH these young people and help to RELEASE them into the plan and destiny that He has for their lives.

We envision a youth center which will:

• Meet a practical need here, as there is very little for the young people in this city of 250,000
• Be a safe place for young people to hang with their friends, have fun and talk - with a pool table, foosball table, ping pong, board games, music, chat areas with comfortable seating, a snack bar with tables & chairs; several computers to do homework on, and even perhaps a “graffiti wall” (monitored, of course) to inspire creativity and keep the graffiti off the streets
• Bring vision for something more than the cycle of desolation and devastation which is so often a part of Mexican life - offering things through the center like educational workshops, English classes, tutoring, days out (field trips), counseling, Bible studies, possibly even art/music workshops
• Be a “fishing pond” to get to know the kids and give them an opportunity to get to know us, so that Jesus can be shared through relationship
• Provide leadership training opportunities and experience for older Christian teens from different churches, as they help in the operation of the center and reaching out to their peers. 

We already have a number of local people who have expressed an interest in helping with the youth center in various ways – as youth leaders, in leading workshops, providing baked goods for the snack bar, etc.  We are currently negotiating with the owner of an abandoned house in the center of the city - and it will need a lot of renovating before it would be usable. The owner has agreed to let us trade rent for restoring it, but we have yet to reach a final agreement. Please pray! It has been vacant for 13 years and all the light fixtures, wiring, plumbing, windows, and doors have been "permanently borrowed" by people looking to make a few pesos selling them for what they could get. Please pray for Señor Lopez, the owner of this building. He's a young man who inherited the house when his father died, and it has been a painful reminder of his loss. We believe that the Lord could not only use this building as a place to reach young people, but also as a way to bring blessing, restoration, healing, and hope into his life.

The other part of the vision the Lord has given us involves regular ministry events for young people.  They will focus on worship and challenging the kids to know/press into God in a deeper way, with emphasis on and room made for a lot of personal ministry. We envision training ministry teams that can minister under the anointing and guidance of the Holy Spirit, to release the love and presence of our mighty God in a powerful way!

How you can help: Unlike a church, we will have no income from tithes and offerings to support the center.  Also, the young people here have little money to speak of to contribute to the expenses.  Many buildling materials, commercial rents, and utilities are more expensive here than in the United States, compounding the situation.  But we know that God knew all of this before He asked us to do this, so He must have a plan for bringing the provision.  We humbly ask if you would pray about whether the Lord’s plan may include you in some way.  Thank you for weighing this with open hearts. Also, if you know of any churches that might consider supporting this project, either financially, or by sending building teams, would you please share with them about us?

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