In August 1990,
Roger and I left for the mission field of Tijuana, Mexico. We were saved in a house group in September
1981. At the time
Roger was a successful
chartered accountant with his own firm in Ottawa. I was his office manager.
Success,
permitted us to have a condo on the beach, expensive clothes, very nice cars,
jewelry, many beautiful trips, basically anything we wanted……and it was fun for
a while.
We attended an
English-speaking church where the teaching was excellent. We also took several
bible courses. The more we got to know the Lord, the more the things this world
had to offer lost their attraction. After a while, it was just another pair of
shoes, another trip, another car. It all became meaningless. By 1987, we had
both become uncomfortable with the status quo.
One day as we talked about our lives, Roger told me he was getting fed
up of pushing a pencil just to make another dollar.
So, we started
to pray. We asked the Lord to use us in
His kingdom. In July 1989, we went on a trip to Tijuana to check up on our
daughter. She had been there on a month-long mission trip. While we were there
checking up on our daughter, the Lord checked up on us. On the plane coming
home at 38,000 in the air, Roger told me that he felt the Lord was calling us
to Tijuana. Actually, I was not surprised by his comment, no, on the contrary I
was quite at peace with it.
A few days
after returning home, the Lord gave Roger the scripture in Deuteronomy 11:8: “Observe
therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the
strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to
possess…”
Then, on
September 13th. 1989 during our time of prayer, the Lord gave me the
scripture in Genesis 12:1: "Leave your country, your people and
your father's household and go to the land I will show you.”
Within one
year, we sold our business, house and condo and on August 2nd. 1990,
we left for the mission field. That day
is permanently engraved in my mind. I remember driving out of the driveway of
our beautiful home in Carp, in our van and pulling a small travel trailer. Standing
together in the driveway waving us goodbye, were our three adult children. Although we both knew in our hearts this was
the calling of God on our lives, this it was a most difficult goodbye.
We had the
privilege to be on the mission field on a full-time basis for 15 years. We experienced
many challenges and some major adjustments, but we were happy. To
every calling there is a cost. Ours was not the drastic change of
lifestyle, the long hours or often the feeling of isolation. No, for both of
us, the cost of our calling was the physical separation from our children.
Nevertheless, those 15 years were the best years of our lives.
In 1992, we
founded Tender Loving Care Children ministry and concentrated our efforts in
feeding the poor children in the shantytowns of Tijuana. After we fed their
bellies, we fed them Jesus. Over the
years we fed thousands and thousands of beautiful children. We taught them the
Word of God. We gave clothes and shoes. Every year, we paid the school
registrations for hundreds of kids so they could go to school. We also sent three to University and one to Teacher’s College, paying all of their expenses.
One is now a psychologist, one a teacher, one obtained a degree in
administration and one in only one year away from becoming an engineer.
I will always remember
these wonderful years and my heart is overwhelmed in gratitude.
I am certainly
most grateful for my wonderful husband. He was a quiet man, but a man of
integrity and a man of great faith. He was the best of the best. He went to be
with Jesus in March 2008.
I am grateful
for my precious children, Chantal, Alain & Eric. During the 15 years we were away all of them at one
time or the other, had to walk some rough roads without mom and dad being able
to be physically here to help and encourage them.
I am always so
very grateful for seven wonderful grandchildren. I can remember how very difficult
it was to be so far away when most of them were born. Eve ry
time we came for a visit it was always so very difficult to leave them all
behind. They are my pride and joy.
I am grateful
for other wonderful family members, great friends, my pastors and home church
family and faithful ministry partners that stood by us then and are still
standing with me now.
I am grateful
for an amazing team of faithful leaders and workers in Tijuana who daily take tender loving care of our precious TLCCM
children. I am grateful for their love, patience, dedication and understanding.
All of them are all very special to me and I love and greatly appreciate each
one of them.
From 1994 to
2004, Roger & I wrote a Spanish children’s curriculum of bible studies and
Sunday school lessons. Not only are these lessons, still being used in our
TLCCM program in Tijuana. Through
our TLCCM website, they are being used by children’s leaders in many Hispanic
countries, including Cuba. The spiritual
material on our website can be downloaded free
of charge. I also have some adult Spanish teaching on our website. In October 2017, I also
started a BLOG called: “From my heart to yours.”
I am very
grateful for the calling of God on my life. It is a great privilege for me to
continue the work in Mexico, and also to help leaders, adults and teachers in
various Hispanic countries. I am grateful
to the Lord for giving me the privilege to continue be His hand extended, that
at this stage of my life, He continues to give me a purpose driven life-experience.
I thank the
Lord for His salvation power, for His grace and mercy. I thank Him for opening for us both, doors of ministry that permitted
us to go where we had never gone before, do things we never thought we could do
and serve Him in a country that adopted us as their
own.
The Lord is my strength, the calling on
my life keeps me busy and
the hope of my reward keeps me going.
My advice: Life
is short, so make your best to make memories that will last forever!
May the Lord bless
and keep you all in the palm of His precious Hand.
Denise xxx
Our TLCCM website:
www.tlccm.net My BLOG: www.ddeschampsblog.blogspot.ca
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