Still in the Bluff City

Some of you may not have known that one of the nicknames for Memphis, TN is "The Bluff City" because of the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River.

The Lord has not released us from Memphis as yet so those of you in and around Memphis have a few extra days to get together with us or have us in to your gathering to share if you would like!

BTW, don't forget about GoodSearch. Each time you do a search at www.goodsearch.com you can choose Hope House International, Yuma, AZ as your charity and 1 penny goes toward Hope House support!

Further Up! Further In!

Greetings from a chilly Memphis!

We are still in Memphis for a few more days.

Our hope is to be on the road by no later than Nov. 1 or 2. We are planning on breaking up the trip of 1600 miles by a stop in Oklahoma City, then the Grand Canyon. We are looking forward to hugging some necks of some transplanted Memphians in Phoenix!! That will probably put back in Mexico near the end of the second week of November.

Those of you in and around the Memphis area, we still have a few days left if you would like to get together!

I wanted to make mention of and give a big "Thank You" to a few other folks in Pennsylvania who were a great blessing:

-Bruce Delsignore who has such a servant's heart for helping with the church property

-Pastor Jim and Donna at Covenant Church East in Greensburg, Debbie Wills, too!!!

-Pastor Gerald Demarest and the folks at the First Christian Church in Monongahela

-George Lyons and Kathy Petrosky "A merry heart is better than strong medicine!"

-Pastor John and Sandy Derrico and the beloved at Christian Center for their friendship through the years, their generosity and for their willingness to embrace the move of God

-Pastor Donald Hornsby and the Saturday Night Gathering at the 1st UMC in McKeesport for allowing me to share

Until next time...

Update from Memphis, TN

I have been working my way through a book recommended earlier in the year by Sam Walker, a friend from Michigan entitled "Velvet Elvis". I recently came across this phrase,

"We need to recognize that we are loved simply because we exist."

Not how much we do or have done, not because of our accomplishments or inspite of our failures but just because we exist! How liberating!

I hope that sets you free and gives you hope like it does me!

Anyway, we are now in Memphis, TN having had a great trip from Pittsburgh, PA to Bedford, PA then on to Galena, MD, a stop over in Williamsburg and Chesapeake, VA, on down to Myrtle Beach, SC, further down to Orlando, FL and finally back up to Memphis and the MidSouth!

God has blessed and provided all long the way. Thanks goes out to my Dad and Mom for all their help all summer for the use of a vehicle for their generosity and servant hearts and all the assistance as we packed up and headed out from Elizabeth, PA. My sister Joy and her husband Steve for allowing the Lord to perform His will in our midst. Doug and Dee Miller in Bedford, PA let us pull up and plug in at their house for a few days. Thanks to them, their pastors, John and Kim Bennett, some of whom are in Mexico even as I write this, and all the folks at Acts Community Church.

Thanks to Ric and Karen Niehaus in Maryland, Erica's brother, for their generosity and kindness. Congrats on the new little one! Thanks for taking the kids up for those acrobatic flights!

We were able to have dinner with Jeff and Janet DeCastillia in Virginia where we were blessed to see how well Rosa is doing. Jeff and Janet adopted Rosa from the orphanage in Mexico. All are doing exceptional! Thanks for dinner, Jeff!

While in Myrtle Beach, SC, two families were especially helpful and gracious to us. A tip of the hat to Pierre and Melinda Tavernier for your help and demonstrated love. Thanks to them and the Mata family for lending us a vehicle while we were "docked" there. We so enjoyed our fellowship with them all. Martin and Veronica Mata were our next door neighbors and Martin took over the the Spanish church we had started while we lived there. All are doing great! Thanks for all!

Erica's Aunt and Uncle - Marty and John Shandrick - met us at Disney World in Orlando and surprised us with four tickets to Disney World! We were able to visit all four theme parks in two days! Needless to say we didn't see everything. We just hit the best roller coasters and 3D shows. We were able to spend some time with Marty and John as well! Thanks for your kindness to us!

We are currently camped out with the Richards in Oakland, TN, east of Memphis. Their one daughter, Niki, is an intern at Disney and was able to get us the campsites at the Disney Campground at a great discount. She, also, helped us navigate while we were there! Thanks Niki!

Bill and Tonya Richard are one of those families who have been homeschooling for twenty years or so and have done a tremendous job. Being with them is always an inspiration and their graciousness and kindness to us are always a real encouragement!

To those of you in the Memphis area, we are here! If you would like to get together, we would love to hear from you. You can call our cell listed below and we will set up a time to fellowship!

We do not know how long we will be in the Memphis area but our hope is to be back in Mexico by mid-November.

The Father has been gracious to us all during this trip. We have had the funds we needed for gas for the RV when we needed it. But more importantly, we have renewed relationships that had gone dormant, meet new friends, had the opportunity to share the vision for Hope House and the Word of the Lord. People have responded and the Lord has received the glory due His Name! We have talked with several folks who expressed an interest in joining us in Mexico. Be praying that those who are called will recognize that call very clearly and respond to the call with enthusiasm and passion, allowing nothing to deter or sidetrack them from the Father's desire!

Our first order of business once we are back home will be to look for a larger house to rent. We feel strongly that the team needs to be under one roof to be discipled, to learn the language and culture and to learn my heart!

We ask you to be praying for the team, for God's provision in people, facilities and funds!

Thanks to you all for standing with us in prayer and provision.

By the way, I was recently asked by a friend how they might send support to Hope House. Checks can be made out to Hope House International and mailed to our address below.

That wraps it up for today!

As they say in the Chronicles of Narnia,

"Further Up and Further In!"

On The Road Again!

Greetings!

God is good and His mercy endures for ever!

I am happy to report that we had a great time during our Jubilee celebration here in Pittsburgh, PA. We had the opportunity to renew friendships and eat some great wings! (If I do say so myself!)

God gave us great weather for the Homecoming! Dad and Mom were blessed out of their socks by the special service and offering received for them on Sunday afternoon.

Our thanks to those of you who are from the area and took the time to stop by either Saturday or Sunday!

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to share the word with a group at the 1st United Methodist Church in McKeesport and at the Christian Center. My thanks to all, especially Pastor John Derrico for opening the doors for us.

Just to give you a heads up - We leave out today for Bedford, PA where we are spending the weekend with Acts Community Church, Pastors John and Kim Bennett and the beloved in Bedford!

Our tentative itinerary includes:

Oct 2 - leaving Bedford for eastern shores of Maryland and visiting with Erica's brother, wife, son and new baby boy.

Oct 4 - Williamsburg, VA and a day homeschooling at the Old Town

Oct 5 - 9 Myrtle Beach, SC visiting with friends and churches

Oct 10-12 Orlando, FL visiting with family and at Disney World!

Oct 13 Snorkeling with the manatees at Crystal River, FL

Oct 14 Lunch with friends in Atlanta

Oct 15 Sharing Hope House vision with church in Chattanooga, TN

Oct 16 Arrive in Memphis, TN and celebrate our 24th Wedding Anniversary! (It just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter! Thank you, Jesus!)

We will be in Memphis for as long as the Lord wants us there.

If you are in , near or around any of the areas we will be in or passing through and would like to meet with us or if your church or group would like to hear about Hope House, please feel free to contact us either by email or by phone.

As Paul has commanded us, "Be reconciled to God!"

9/11 - My Original Response

What follows was originally written just days after the origianl attacks on NYC - Sept 11, 2001

The disasters of recent days sound a trumpet of warning on the wall for those who name the name of Christ.

As a result of the tragedy that fell upon the United States on September 11, 2001, three words have been circulating through my mind and heart– justice, forgiveness and freedom. Within this teaching, I would like to take a look at these words, these concepts in the context of the Bride of Christ in America.

We must first come to grips with the fact that no matter how infuriating it may seem or how inept our political leaders appear at times, justice is the responsibility of government. Yahweh set it in place and it must remain that way for all righteousness to be fulfilled. We must recognize that, without reserve, our God is sovereign. This does not negate the free will of man. The purpose here is not to debate doctrine, but to call a Bride to readiness.

Burgan Update from Pittsburgh

Schools are back in session here in Pennsylvania, folks are returning to their normal routines and we are preparing for a Jubilee Celebration.

The last two months have been spent working with my Dad, Mom and the church here to help get all things in order - corporately, legally, financially and spiritually - for whatever the Lord has next. We are planning a week of special meetings September 13-17 which will include an old fashioned, southern "Homecoming" on that Saturday where we are inviting as many former church members and visitors for a time of fellowship, renewing relationships and catching up on what the Lord has been doing since we last saw them.

Sunday afternoon, we are planning a service to honor my folks for their 20 years of service here, inviting dignitaries from all over to participate.

We would appreciate your prayers regarding these meetings and all the preparations necessary!

Regarding Hope House, the Lord has provided a number of opportunities for us to share the vision with individuals and with churches. We have one couple and several adult singles currently considering coming to Mexico to join our team. Be praying for them and that those others whom the Lord is calling will respond!

By the way, I neglected to mention that, with the establishment of the corporation in Arizona, we can now receive gifts, offerings and donations directly. Simply mail them to our Yuma address with any check made out to Hope House International. All gifts are tax deductible. Thanks, again, to all of you who have chosen to invest in the work that God is doing in and through us!

So far, it looks like we will be heading to Myrtle Beach the last week of September, then onto Fort Lauderdale, FL, Chattanooga and Memphis, TN and finally home to Mexico by the end of October. We will keep you posted as to actual dates as the time nears. If we are heading to your neck of the woods, let us know because we'd love to have the chance to chat!

Pittsburgh, PA

We arrived safely in Pittsburgh, PA two weeks ago and have had rain nearly every day since. After three years in the desert, this much mositure is a real change for us. We are believing that it is prophetic, representing the outpouring of God's Spirit on the region.

The Father continues to arrange for "divine appointments" when we just happen to be somewhere and someone we knew years ago just happens to show up at the same place at the same time. It continues to be an incredible blessing to encounter friends and re-ignite relationships from 15 years ago or longer.

The Lord also is providing opportunities for us to share the vision of Hope House. Keep praying for those team members to respond to The Father's call!

Celebrate this 4th of July...

thanking God for the courage and vision of our forefathers,


and thanking our fellow Americans for their sacrifice then and now to defend that freedom.


God bless America!

Update From Memphis

Greetings friends and family!

Where and how can I begin to tell of the marvelous grace of God that we have experienced in the Memphis, TN area!!!

We arrived 10 minutes before the home school conference was scheduled to begin on Friday the 2^nd of June and have had an incredibly encouraging time sharing with churches and families of the vision of Hope House ever since. We have experienced that true fellowship where you “break off a little piece of yourself and share it with others”.

I plan on filling in the details after we arrive in Pittsburgh this week. Our plans are to set sail, as it were, from Memphis tomorrow, June 19, stopping off at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, arriving in Pittsburgh Wednesday afternoon.

Thanks to all of our friends, new and old, in Memphis who have made us feel so much at home, especially the Richard family at whose house we have camped out these last two weeks. They have been so gracious to us and our children. Thanks to Tonya for always having that cup of coffee ready early in the morning, to Bill for providing all the “technical support” for our rig and for both being such a source of encouragement. Thanks to Jo, Nikki, Sam and Josh for hanging out with Cody and Alissa and allowing us to interrupt your status quo.

There are some many more that I what to mention but I am out of time at the moment so expect an update from us in a few days in which I can properly thank all the folks here in Tennessee!

Be blessed!

If you are in the Pittsburgh area, we hope to see you soon. As soon as I can I will send out local contact information!

Joe “CJ” Burgan

On the Road!

Can you say, "Roadtrip!!" ?

We are heading out this evening in our newly acquired RV! Praise God!!!

From Yuma, AZ, our first stop is Memphis,,TN to visit with friends and share the vision of Hope House International.
Fom there, we set our sights on Pittsburgh, PA for the summer. We will be assisting the church that Joe's Dad has pastored for the last 20 years.

Be praying for us! Drop a line if we are going to be in your area!

Burgan's Update

Greetings one and all!

I wanted to update you on some things.

First, the sale of the land did not go through last week as hoped but should some time this week. Please be praying. This will delay our departure from Yuma but should not affect either our arrival in Memphis or Pittsburgh. But I will keep you posted!

The incorporation papers for Hope House International came through last Friday. Praise God! I will be going up to Yuma this week to set up the banking for the corporation. I also have our first official meeting of the board of directors this Wednesday.

We had been praying for someone to house-sit for us while we were gone but didn't have a clue as to who. I met a gentleman from Washington state who just recently moved to Mexico as a missionary and is needing a place to stay. The Lord worked it out and brought us together to fill both our needs. His name is Joe Avila. Be praying for him for direction, for favor and for clarity of vision!

Of particular interest to the folks in the Pittsburgh area (who had no Christian music radio last I knew) and others as well, is my recent discovery that iTunes, a music program from Apple that works on Macs or PCs has Christian radios stations built right in. You can choose from Air1, our favorite, or K-LOVE or southern Gospel, etc. and have it play through your computer. If you are interested in Air1 or K-LOVE in particular, you can also listen via their websites. I would also like to introduce you all to KNLB out of Lake Havasu City, AZ. Faron and Debbie Eckelbarger are the owners of the station and Miss Debbie does an afternoon program called "Kids' Korner" from 3-5pm Pacific Time. They feature kid's programs and even allow the younguns to call in to request a song or answer the question of the day. You can listen to them on line as well.

Here are the sites:

iTunes from Apple

Air1.com

K-LOVE

KNLB

Also, if you use Windows and have not done so already, there are some major security updates that you need to download from Microsoft.

If you have never seen or heard of "The Wittenburg Door", I have posted a link to their newest newsletter at the "Musings" site. It is published by Christians and allows for a slightly different point of view on current events in Christendom with satire and parody!

Be blessed!

A Tribute to my wife on Mother's Day!

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies. Prov. 31:10 NIV

My wife, Erica, the mother of our two children, Cody age 11 and Alissa age 9, is a rare and wonderful creation. She chose to marry me and begin our adventure together rather than pursue a career or attend college even though she graduated 2nd in her class from a private school and had a grade point average over 4.0. She has, faithfully, followed after the heart of the Father in times of plenty and times of want. Her love for me has never wavered; her devotion never waned as we walked through the deserts or rejoiced on the mountains.

Erica has persevered in loving our children and remained steadfast in her commit to teach them by home schooling. She has laid down her life for them and for me. Even when all others seemed to abandon us, she remained faithful to the call of God placed on our lives. In times of despair and loneliness, we clung to each other and prayed, seeking the face and heart of God.

I am eternally grateful to the Father for choosing her for me and me for her. I have the blessing and privilege of being married to my best friend.

There are those who do not believe that God has chosen a specific “help meet” for each of us. To those I present this challenge. Do you not believe that the Father has established all your days before any one of them existed? Can you not recognize that each of us was created with specific talents, giftings and abilities from in our mother’s womb for a specific calling? Are you unaware that even your physical makeup, your skeletal structure was determined by God? Read Psalm 139.

You might say that it was just chance DNA. Then you would be a fool to believe in chance. I choose to believe in divine intervention. It is called procreation or perhaps it should more appropriately be named “co-creation” in that we are participating with God in the creation of a unique, living, eternal being.

From before the foundations of the earth, God, our Father, chose for Erica and me to walk this journey together.

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Gen 2:18 NIV

Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called 'woman,'
for she was taken out of man."
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Gen 2:22-25 NIV

Do not think it chance or “dumb luck” to choose a person with whom you shall be one flesh, a union symbolizing, typifying the union between Christ and His church.

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church. Eph 5:31-32 NIV

Erica was and is the will of God for me and for my children now, even after almost 24 years, and until we finish our course. For that, I thank God daily!

For Mother’s Day – a tribute to my mother!

Charlotte Jane Axton Burgan has been married to that same man, Joseph H. Burgan, Sr., for over 50 years. She has raised three children, me, my brother, Tim and my sister, Joy. Mom and Dad live in the same house that we were raised in which they built in 1959. Mom raised us in the days of innocence. We could walk down the road and out to Null’s Market, almost a mile away without fear of anything happening to us – no abductions, no molesting, nothing.

Every morning that I can remember, my mom got up before the sunrise and would wake us up to get ready for school. Every morning for 21 years, she prepared breakfast for each of us kids and my dad. I can remember going out to the kitchen and listening to Jack Boget on KDKA radio while mom packed my lunch. She says that I was the only one with whom she could talk in the morning because all the others were still asleep even though they were eating their breakfast. So we would chat over breakfast. Then I would pack my stuff and head off to school.

As I got older, I would work in the evenings after school. No matter how late I got home, Mom would have dinner waiting for me. I loved it when she would make chili and leave the pot on the stove to cool before putting it in the fridge. That was when it tasted the best!

Mom made bread and buns at home while I was growing up. There was nothing better that coming into the house after working outside on a cool fall in Pennsylvania and sitting down to a dinner of navy bean soup and home-made bread. The bread would be fresh and hot and sliced about one inch thick. The butter would melt as you spread it on. I hope they are going to serve that kind of bread at the marriage supper of the Lamb. They can ask my mom for the recipe.

The holidays always had a cornucopia of home-made goodies. Chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, pumpkin pie, sugar cookies in the shape of Santa’s face, Christmas trees or stockings which we would decorate with icing and sprinkles of all kinds. The dinners always had turkey and ham, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes and potato salad, corn and green beans, stuffing and gravy, fresh vegetables and cranberry sauce. Of course, no dinner was complete if you didn’t have the horseradish!

It would be impossible to calculate the number of hours that mom spent preparing these meals, nor can I fathom the energy she spent to provide us a safe and comfortable place to call home. In the winter, after playing outside in the snow, mom would get us into dry clothes, give us some hot chocolate then we would lay down in front of a heater vent to get warm and fall asleep, content, without a fear or care in the world.

Those days of innocence are long gone along with too much of my hair but I will always be grateful to the Father of a mom who provided for my brother, my sister and me a safe place to call home.

Happy Birthday Joe! The Big 5-0!

Celebrating Joe's 50th birthday with family and friends!

In another 10 years, he'll be middle age !

The Barcelona boys with Alissa and Vanessa!

Adalberto and Rich cooking Carne Asada with our neighbor Ed looks on.

Lori and Doris. Doris made the mango salsa and salsa fresca! Good Stuff!

Erica's great aunts, Rachel and Joann, made the trip down from Palm Desert,CA
along with Dean and Joy.

A thousand thanks to Erica and all who made this a genuine fiesta.
And those to all who came to celebrate with us!

We Celebrate His Resurrection!

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?

He is not here; he has risen!”

Luke 24:5-6 NIV

We've added Nevada to our list of visited states.

We are only missing Hawaii. Maybe we can stop over there on our way to Australia!



create your own personalized map of the USA

Back home for a while!

The Burgan's have returned to Mexico after several weeks in Palm Desert, CA with Erica's great aunt, Rachel.

She is doing well, by the way, continuing to grow stronger everyday. God has greatly moved in that she has had virtually no pain through this whole process. Her sister, Joann, is in from Pennsylvania to help with the driving until Rachel can remove the next brace. We enjoyed the opportunity help out around the house.

We are all well. We had a delightful time with Roy and Michelle Pike from Australia. Roy had been raised as a baby by Erica's Grandma Niehaus. Erica hadn't since him since she was 2!

Burgans with the Pikes in Algodones.

Just to give you all a heads up, we are planning on a road trip this summer. Tentatively, we will be leaving Mexico around May 22 with Memphis, TN as our first stop. I am hoping to publish a newsletter with a more definitive itinerary with the next two weeks - the paper and the stamps have already been purchased!

We are hoping to have a yard sell at the end of the month. Basically to eliminate one of the two storage units we have but also to help with the costs of traveling. The Father has already been more than gracious in supplying more than we could hope! The van needed a new water pump and new tires and God supplied! We are so grateful for you who choose to invest in us and the work of the Kingdom through us!

BTW! I did want to let you know that if you use Windows, Microsoft released a series of patches yesterday to fixed security problems in Windows and Internet Explorer. Run Windows Update today!

Here's a picture of Cody and Alissa building a lake in the backyard.

Be blessed!

Pray for Mexico and its national elections this year!

Faith healer protects Mexican presidential hopeful from enemies
Associated Press

VERACRUZ, Mexico – A faith healer known as the Black Wolf brushed basil plants over the face of Mexico's front running presidential candidate on Sunday to protect him against his enemies.

The leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador went through the so-called “cleansing” ritual while campaigning in the southern Mexican town of Catemaco, which is a famous center of faith healers and alternative spirituality.

“I'm defending a just cause that gives me great spiritual and moral strength. This is no more than a cleansing to protect me against any circumstances,” Lopez Obrador said in front of a rally of about 5,000 supporters, who were mostly peasant farmers.

Many Mexican artists and intellectuals go to Catemaco in March to receive cleansings from faith healers such as the Black Wolf, whose real name is Lucio Escobar.

Lopez Obrador, who is the favorite to win the July election according to most opinion polls, has accused his political enemies of plotting to destroy him.

On Sunday, he said his adversaries will not defeat him.

“Nothing will happen to me because good always triumphs over evil,” he said.

-Click on the header to read the entire article.-

Obrador has been the front runner for president of Mexico. The "faith healer", Black Wolf, is in the city of Catemaco, known for its "Annual Gathering of Witches", is where this presidential candidate went for a so-called "cleansing" ritual. It is known as the witchcraft capitol of the world! As the leadership goes, so goes the country! Pray for Mexico, its people as they vote and its leaders! - Joe

Protestant churches gain ground in Mexico

Chris Hawley
The Arizona Republic Mexico City Bureau

In the United States, an influx of Mexicans is transforming Roman Catholic churches. But in Mexico, it's Protestants who are on the rise, led by evangelical churches like the Universal Kingdom of God Church, which runs the Sanctuary of Faith.

Protestants accounted for 8 percent of Mexico's believers in the 2000 census, up from 2.3 percent in 1970. Their numbers are growing 3.7 percent each year, twice as fast as the Catholic population, according to the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Information Processing.

The churches are winning converts through a mix of social programs, charismatic preachers and stirring music.

Christmas Care Packages for Nigeria

Cody and Alissa participated in a program from "Voice of the Martyrs" to send Christmas Care packages to the children of men and women who had been killed for their beliefs in Nigeria. Since 1999, more than 10,000 Christians have been martyred in that country.

VOM readers funded more than 11,000 Christams Care Packs for the Nigerian families. Nearly $600,000 was donated for this outreach that touched many widows and fatherlss children.

To the right is a sample of a 180-page Gospel book distributed to Pakistani people. Click on the picture to see it larger.