Cross The Frontier is all Grown Up!

Hi There! If you love Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, Africa, India the way we think you do, then you will want to visit our grown up site :)  Same Frank "Chip" Lamca and Julie Beck Lamca, but with all new content and way of doing things. We are no longer with the International Mission Board but very much loving life as a professor of Christian Studies in the USA and Missionary in Peru by summer. Go to www.CrossTheFrontier.com to learn how you can be involved.

Transferring to University

Matthew has completed what he needed at Glendale Community College and will soon be an EMT. Even though it took him on a little detour from his academic track, the course confirmed that he enjoys and has an aptitude for medical work.

He will transfer to Grand Canyon University in the Fall and be Pre Med or Pre Physicians Assistant. The EMT certificate will allow him to work in a hospital as an Emergency Room Technician while he finishes his bachelor's degree.

It will be nice to be able to take an EMT on mission trips in the future :)

Spring Update

      What is fulltime ministry? Most of my adult life, I have served full-time, even if that meant poverty wages. I was a pastor in Pittsburgh, a church planter in Florida and central Pennsylvania and a missionary in Peru and Ecuador. All during that time, I would hear from people who had a non-church career, and who counted themselves as less committed just because their salary came from a business and not a church.
     I recall preaching that “just because you are not a pastor does not mean that you do not have a place for ministry.” For the first time in a long time, I get to live that out!

     Teaching at Grand Canyon University is an exciting change for me. My primary course is called Christian Worldview and while many of my students are from Christian homes, many are not and some are outspoken that they are not believers. They come from the United States, Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America. I have the blessing of sharing a Christian point of view with students who may have never given it a thought, previously. Every new student at Grand Canyon has to take my class! This semester, I have three sections of these classes and we wrestle with some tough questions: “If there is a God, why is there suffering?” and “Why should I believe that Jesus is the only way to God?”

      There is great discussion but not a great deal of heated argument. My prayer is that my students will be changed as they hear the word of God and that His worldview will become theirs. During this week before Resurrection Day, we have watched the Jesus Film in class and had discussion about how the power of the resurrection changed the Disciples from followers to leaders and is mankind’s only hope of salvation.

Missions
      Now that our work life is stabilizing, we are really able to begin thinking about God’s missionary calling on our lives. Since July of last year, I have been to Mexico three times.

• In July, I went with the Church at Arrowhead to Coyuca, Guerrero, Mexico. Arrowhead has had a relationship for church planting in this area just north of Acapulco, for several years.
• In the Fall, I was in Guaymas, Mexico delivering some relief supplies to a church that had been flooded out after a hurricane.
• In January, I accompanied several pastors from the West Phoenix area and we were back to Acapulco and Chilpancingo.
• From that vision trip, we have several churches returning this July.

     I plan to be in Acapulco and surrounding areas for about two weeks. In addition to the basketball clinics/tournament in Coyuca, our churches will be working in a youth prison, an adult prison, an orphanage for children with HIV and a church plant. My work will be in reporting on the groups and their activities.
     Later that same month, Julie and I will travel to Peru! We will be celebrating our 25th anniversary and visiting with friends along the coast. Our hope is that we will be able to assess the current needs and begin recruiting people to work with us in the Summer of 2011. If you, your church, or groups are interested in going with us, please let us know and we can start working on it, now.
    Yes, start praying and planning now, for summer of 2011!

The House

It is tough to explain…it really is.

      Two years ago (June 2008), we landed in Phoenix, Arizona. We moved into a house that is owned by Arizona Baptist Children’s Services and funded by some great churches. Some months later, a car was donated to the Missionary House and we were able to drive it. All of that was supposed to end in July 2009, but nobody was ready to move in, so we stayed. As of this writing, we will be here until the start of September. If nobody is ready to move in…we are prepared to stick around a little longer. We pay a modest rent to live here and are happy to keep the house occupied!
      God has really provided. The house, the car, the hunt for work…we have really seen Him at work. It is good to know that He is still in the business of doing amazing things.

We will work harder at being in the business of posting more regularly,

Be Blessed.

News on the Kids

Bryan is weeks from graduation at Arizona State, where he will earn a BA in Communication (Cum Laude, I might add). Matthew is considering a transfer to Grand Canyon University’s Health Sciences Program. The younger children have been involved in lots and lots of activities through our church (The Church at Arrowhead in Glendale, AZ).  Katie is very involved with her friends and music. Thomas is learning to run the sound and video system at church. Great kids!

Earthquake in Southern Mexico

I am in Acapulco this week. There was an earthquake in Chiapas to the south of us. We did not feel it, and have not heard anything on the impact at this point.

San Luis Mexico

Mexico Update: Empalme, Sonora

This is my first time to the State of Sonora, Mexico, so I really did not know what to expect. We left Phoenix at 3 AM, had an easy border crossing and arrived in the coastal town of Empalme (em PALM eh), right at noon. As we aproached the area, Jon Gross and Ted Reisig from Fountain Hills Church, both were shocked at how green everything looked. The desert was blooming. As we got close, we could see where roads and bridges had washed away.

The church building in Empalme is being repaired, with tile going in where carpet used to be. "We cannot stop the rain or the sea, but we can be sure that we do not suffer like this, again" says Pastor Alfredo. Jon is our electrician and helped to install the electrical system, originally. He was able to take out the guts of the old system and did not have to deal with any new hardware. He was able to check, repair and recheck the system in just a few hours!

There is much to do, but the pastor is glad for what has happened as a result of the hurricane and flood. I will share that video, tomorrow, if I can.

Frank

Top Picture: Pastor Alfredo shows the high water mark of the flood. His church lost a computer and sound equipment, pews, books, Bible Study materials and the list goes on. Donations have replaced the computer, already.

Center Picture: Alfredo Jr. has just seen the sofa bed and I am pretty sure he has claimed it as his own. The pastor's house is connected to the church building and suffered the same damages. Alfredo and his brothers have slept together for 3 weeks.

Bottom Picture: Alfredo Marín, Frank Lamca, Jon Gross and Ted Reisig.