The Kemps in Mexico

This Week we are away from home once more. We have our bi annual staff gathering at our Tijuana Del Mar campus (pictured Left) All our 100+ staff and students are here having a great time hanging out and hearing from our guest speaker; Edwin Fillies from South Africa. A great way to end the year.

November has been a very busy month for us here in Ensenada. Hosting hundreds of short term missionaries and changing the lives of 15 families with the gift of a new home. 
Last weekend we were building 5 homes with 100 staff from Defender Direct. It was a great time, and the house build went very well, but there was a surprise. At the dedication ceremony of one of the homes, we had a visit from the Mayor of Ensenada and a number of his staff. This was a real treat for the family and the team, but there was more. After the house dedication he presented me and 2 of our other leaders a plaque, on behalf of the city, thanking us for our commitment to the people of Ensenada.
This was a huge accolade to us and to all of our staff who have committed their lives to helping the people of Mexico.

This weekend has been cold and Wet in Ensenada. Pretty much like a good summers day in Newcastle!!
But with the wind and rain, many people are realizing their houses are not adequate for their families. It showed especially today as we had over 100 people knocking on our door to apply for a new home, through our Homes of Hope Program. Some as early as 6am, waiting for the appointments at 10. As each family came through the door, you knew that each person had their own dream, their own hope of making life better for themselves and their families. What a privaledge it is for us, being part of making their dream come true.

Sometimes you have one of those days that you are going to remember for a long time. Well this Saturday was one of those days.

We'd already had a great week on the base. Our good Friend Kenny Peavy was speaking on the Discipleship Training School. We'd seen some miracles happen, and 13 people had re committed their lives to following God. It was a great week.
To finish the week off, some of the students and staff decided they wanted to get baptized as an outward sign of what God was doing on the inside.

I had the absolute privilege of baptising 2 of our staff. 
Firstly new staff member Keilley and then our long term staff member and friend Jaime.
The water was FREEZING. The waves were HUGE, but it was such an honor to be in there with our friends

After we had finished baptising all 5 people, we were hanging out on the beach for a while, enjoying the warmish November sun and playing with the Kids.
The beach was busy, with many local and American surfers come down to Ensenada to enjoy the Big waves.
I was just getting back to our house when one of our staff run up from the beach shouting "Come Back" 

3 guys were down from southern California on a Surfing trip. They had been watching us and were drawn to what we were doing and wanted to be baptized also.
So along with a local Missionary Friend of ours, we baptized these 3 surfers as they re committed thier lives to God.
It was a crazy Saturday, but one i wont forget i a hurry.

This week me and Sam had the privilege of attending the YWAM National Leaders Conference at the YWAM Guadalajara Base in Chapala.
With us were staff & Leaders from many of the YWAM bases; Juarez, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Mazatlan, Pachuca, Villahermosa, Cancun, Guadalajara and Creel.
It was a great few days catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. We are blown away by all the work that is going in Mexico at the different locations. The amount of lives that are being transformed by the different ministries is amazing.

As part of our conference, we threw a celebration party in honour of the YWAM Mexico National Leader, Jose Curiel. This year, Jose and his wife Adriana celebrate 30 years in YWAM. Through their time in the Mission, they have seen many miracles, overcome many obstacles, and seen many lives changed. They are an example to the rest of us.

If there is one thing that Mexican's and Brits have in common is Football. (Soccer to the uneducated) 
Although we have always had a team, This year we have decided to embrace the Sport at YWAM even more and build a Football field on our property. It is in small beginnings, but our guys have spent a lot of time getting it ready, and of course practicing playing. 

We have already had our first tournament for the local community. We had about 6 local teams, along with a few of our own took part, and we gave away Footballs, tops and trophies. But more importantly gave us a great opportunity to hang out with some of the local Young people in Ensenada.

This week we start the new season of our lives here at YWAM San Diego Baja. Last tuesday we were given the role of Campus leaders for Ensenada. This is a huge change for us with all the extra responsibilities it brings, but we're excited about the new challenges and opportunities it is going to give us.

Next week marks a new turn in our life here in Ensenada as we take on new roles of Base Leaders. Our Current leaders Kody & Lindsay have done an amazing job over the past 4 years, but have been looking for an opportunity to start some new ventures. So about 4 weeks ago our leaders approached  us and proposed that we take over as base leaders. Its taken a few weeks of prayer and seeking counsel from friends, but we've decided to take the position.

It was announced to our community last week, and we've had some really supportive feedback from many of our staff. We have the official handover at our staff conference next week. We're excited  for this new season and what it will bring to us and to the ministry here. Although we are nervous about any negative impact on the family, so you can pray for us and our ability to prioritise our lives.
We're also excited about our good friends Kody & Lindsay, and what it means in their lives. 

This week, we have the privilege to host one of the largest convergence of YWAMers around the world. 24 bases in 16 nations will be joining together on our Video Conference network to hear from our founder, with numerous others joining in as we stream it on the web. It's going to be Huge. Production will come from us in Tijuana Mexico, with technical assistance from Sweden and Lausanne.

You can watch it Live HERE or at www.genesisnews.com

Its been a crazy couple of months so far, with Evacuations from Tsunami alerts, Visits from family, running conferences and building homes for the poor. Lots of Work and Lots of Variety...

It was great to have my Brother Luke out here for a few weeks, and even better to be able to take him on a house build and experience giving a home to a family. Its a feeling you have to experience to believe... We also go a few days in LA for Luke to enjoy his last Bachelor Jaunt before he gets married in August.

Then from the poorest of the poor, we moved to the High Tech, as i produced an International Event over our GENESIS video Network. Loren Cunningham our founder was in Hawaii interviewing the leader of YWAM Egypt in Cairo. Video footage was being played from Kona, and i was producing it from Mexico. A truly global event with hundreds of people joining in as we celebrated the new beginnings for the nation of Egypt.