Week One- Dolphins, Deportees & Dios, oh my!

If someone says “Tijuana” I would picture 9 News specials. Drug trafficking. Men with bullet-proof vests walking around desert land. A life-less area. I would hear gun-shots and screams of terror. I would smell sweat & blood. The sight of syringes and prostitutes would make me panic in terror.

I believe that God sees this city in a much different way. I think he sees each man’s desires and needs. He hears every cry from the hearts. And understands every situation. I challenge myself, how would God see this city? It might look a little bit like this:

Part of Tijuana you might not hear much about: Beautiful sunsets, Dolphins, Sea Lions & crashing waves.

If someone says “deported” I would think of metal bars holding back raged men. Hated people. To keep distance. The job of only the toughest men. Drugged & Drunk. Gangs.

But I believe God has a different name-tag for each one of these men & woman. One that would read: “loved”,” saved”, and“child of the most high”.

Within the first week I was challenged to see the deported men and woman through God’s eyes. Here are three People I was able to talk with:

His name is Jose. He was born in Mexico and lived in the US until he was deported. He spends the day selling gum on the streets to be able to give something to his mother (70 years old) who is sick. He has a great smile and would talk your ear off if you let him. God HEARS him.

Her name was Rosaurio and she had a precious face like any other 7 year old. A smile was nothing easy to get out of her but once she finally smiled my heart beat faster. She walked around the streets with her 4 other siblings & mother, looking for help after being kicked out of their house. She carried a little stuffed animal that look very well “loved.” She is a PRINCESS to the King! 

His name is Jaime, a man of courage. Born in Mexico City but lived in Los Angeles since he was 8. Somewhere on his timeline he was deported and now lived the same life as the other deportees. He hasn’t seen his family for over 10 years and his hardened heart was even seen on the outside. Home is a fenced off area filled with tents donated by the city. Along with another 200+ people, he is not wanted by the US or Mexico. The area has a direct sight of the Mexican Flag & the border. He is LOVED by the Lord.

My heart breaks for each man & woman in Zona Norte of Tijuana.  I know that the Devil comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. And has done that to these Men & woman. I also know that we are here to give them back what Satan has taken from them. HOPE. LAUGHTER. JOY.SMILES. More than anything else we can help them have an eternal Life & relationship with Jesus Christ. 
So I chose to follow Christ and go to one of the most (mom close your eyes) dangerous places of Tijuana to share my God-given & contagious smile with people who tell me they belong nowhere. To fish for men.

If someone says "God Speaks" I might think of a man sitting on a a cliff, looking out in the distance while hearing some booming and deep voice. 

But with only 4 days of classes I have been learning about recognizing God voice because he speaks to everyone. When learning to hear God the "who" (knowing God) is more important than the "how"(how to hear God). Because he will speak o everyone in a very personal way. He is moving in the lives of every student and I look forward to where else he leads us. Something that really stuck out to me, when talking about having a relationship with God, was trust. Not only trusting in God, but can God trust me. I challenge myself, and challenge you as well, to ask yourself throughout the day if you are being trustworthy to God?

I would love to answer any questions you may have or hear how you are doing. Please do not send email because the internet here is almost non-existent but it would make my day to receive a snail-mail letter! Mail can be sent to the California office:

YWAM SDB

Emily Rosing (San Antonio DTS)

100 W 35th Street Suite R

National City, CA

91950

Gotta go, see ya in 2 weeks!

How It All Began

Colorado’s most famous phrase: “I’d Rather Be Fishing” can be found plastered on cars, windows, briefcases, ect. It is like a public announcement whatever they are doing in life is not as marvelous as fishing.  Notice how I use the word “they” because for the 17 years I have lived in the amazing state of Colorado, not once have I thought to myself, “I really wish I could stand on the side of a pond, be attacked by mosquitoes, watch the water evaporate, and trick a fish into eating a neon, sparkly worm-like piece of rubber!”

I have never enjoyed fishing in this sense but one of my favorite passages in the Bible revolves around fishing. In Matthew 4:19 Jesus tells these everyday fisherman to go follow Him and that He will teach them how to fish for people.  God tells each one of us that no matter how ordinary and un-special we think we are, we can be disciples too and fish for people.

For the longest time I thought this meant traveling to third-world countries and teaching bible stories to the village children or such activities that only “professional Christians” could do.  

That thought changed a little when years later I signed up for my first missions trip to South Padre Island, Texas to serve a bunch of partying college kids.  My only thoughts were, “The beach sounds really nice right now. I can speak Spanish, and I’m good at baking pancakes… so I guess I can use my skills to serve God?” God had so much more in store for me than I imagined. Yes, He used me, an ordinary person, to share the Gospel, relate to college students with my testimony, pray with scary college kids, and do all that while facing backwards in a 15-person van driven by pastor Reza! I saw so many hurting people turn to God’s strength and protection in this week. It started a burning passion in my heart to fish for people – to evangelize.

So how did I get from my experience on South Padre to this Discipleship Training School (DTS)?  It was only the second week at CSU and I was searching for different missions events, internships, summer programs and anything else that would get me across seas to evangelize more.  For every door that was opened there was something to close it – even when I asked God about it, I kept hearing a no. The more I listened I heard “Not yet, wait and learn.” I assumed this meant to stay at CSU. After I returning from the nine70 Guatemala missions trip I found this Compassion and Mercy DTS. It was a school that would first teach you and then send you to different parts of the world.  I started receiving conformation after conformation that this is where God wanted me to be. Every aspect that was keeping me from the programs I earlier researched was not a problem anymore:

I worried how I would financially afford the school and within the next week I got a call from my manager saying they would like to hire me back for the summer with a promotion. I worried about  getting out of the lease I signed on an apartment.  The girl who lived next door to me had just decided to stay at CSU and would love to take over my lease. I worried about letting Intervarsity (an on-campus ministry) down because I already accepted a leadership position for next year. They explained that they have been trying to kick-start the Latino ministry, La Fe, and it would be a blessing for them to use what I learn in Mexico to build the Latino ministry at CSU. And another big fear: how do I tell my Jewish father that I’m taking a year off from CSU to grow in my relationship to God and share his love all because God is telling me to?  After a long conversation my dad told me, “It’s obvious where your heart is. It’s with working with the poor and at-risk population. Like the work you did in Guatemala.” He is happy that I am following my heart. ­­­

This is a perfect example of 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”

So as much as I dislike standing by the side of a mosquito infested ponds, I know these next 6 months will put me in challenging situations where I have to find joy in the fact that the sun is shining bright, there is water to swim in, and there are fish in the pond to eat.

 I’d love for you to follow my adventure as I set out on a quest September 19^th to become closer to God in order to serve where he says “serve” and to fish where he says “fish.” So yes, I’d Rather Be Fishing!

I would love to hear from you with any comments or questions. Feel free to email me at erosing@rams.colostate.edu or call/text me at 970 372 8098.

If you would like to support my trip please visit  http://www.ywamsandiegobaja.org/contact/payments-donations/. In the pull down menu choose “Tuition payment…” and mention Emily Rosing in the note section. Thank You!