Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Urgent Prayer Request
Our former pastor and best friend is in need of your urgent prayers. Pastor Wayne Burke who served the Lord so faithfully as our pastor and is now pastor of the Hillcrest Bible Baptist Church in Arkansas City, Kansas is in intensive care after undergoing a quadruple by-pass. The latest report is that he is not doing well and the doctor has advised the family to all come to his side.We would appreciate your prayers for Pastor Wayne Burke and for his family. This is a photo I have taken from Mrs. Burke's face book (taken in December of 2008). You are welcome Pastor Burke and can have a talk to me about posting such a picture when you get well!
Monday, July 27, 2009
TIJUANA TRIP:
One of the churches at camp this year came from Tijuana, Baja South California (just across the U.S. / Mexico border at San Diego, California. That is about 480 miles from us and takes a good long 12 hours to make. On their way to camp one of their two vehicles broke down (they over-heated the motor to the point that it will have to be replaced).On Monday I sent my car trailer out the four hours they were still away to pick up the truck and rescue the poor young men stranded with it in the desert. No shade - no water - nowhere near a town and 107 degrees! They got in at 2 A.M. After camp there was still the question of getting them home since the motor was not repairable. They were 23 in all in one S-10 pickup and a 12 passenger van. We put eight in my truck and the rest in their van. Abigail and I have now been to Tijuana and points in between
Tijuana here we come
Lunch along the road
Brother Ortiz along for the ride
Up before dawn-not quite there yet
Child safety seat Mexican style
Tijuana Trip- Part Two
Perils of the Mexican highways
Leaving the gospel for the next traveller
Coming down from 1,000 meters
The U.S. is just over there
Youth Camp -Magdalena Part One
YOUTH CAMP - MAGDALENA:
Each year that we have been here in Mexico we have been privileged to be part of the youth camp ministry of the Iglesia Bautista Sahuaro of Hermosillo. They rent a camp facilities either just up the road in the town of Imuris or here in Magdalena. This year the facilities here in Magdalena were available and are conveniently within a half mile of our house. Our house was full all week with quest coming in and out for the camp. We had two teen boys stay with us from Arizona for the week and for the first half of the week another missionary and for the second half Pastor Perez of Hermosillo and his family stayed with us. Several extras came over to shower at the house and to do some laundry.There were just under 100 campers this week and although we have had good camps each year this one seemed to be better than the previous years. We had campers from as far south as Los Mochis, Sinaloa as far north as Arizona and from as far west as Tijuana, Baja California.One of the afternoon activities was to go soul winning for our mission work. The group met at our building and from there distributed just under 1,000 gospel tracts in the immediate area around the church building. We had 2 professions of salvation as a result.
Each year that we have been here in Mexico we have been privileged to be part of the youth camp ministry of the Iglesia Bautista Sahuaro of Hermosillo. They rent a camp facilities either just up the road in the town of Imuris or here in Magdalena. This year the facilities here in Magdalena were available and are conveniently within a half mile of our house. Our house was full all week with quest coming in and out for the camp. We had two teen boys stay with us from Arizona for the week and for the first half of the week another missionary and for the second half Pastor Perez of Hermosillo and his family stayed with us. Several extras came over to shower at the house and to do some laundry.There were just under 100 campers this week and although we have had good camps each year this one seemed to be better than the previous years. We had campers from as far south as Los Mochis, Sinaloa as far north as Arizona and from as far west as Tijuana, Baja California.One of the afternoon activities was to go soul winning for our mission work. The group met at our building and from there distributed just under 1,000 gospel tracts in the immediate area around the church building. We had 2 professions of salvation as a result.
Teaching at youth camp
Youth Camp- Magdelena, Part Two
More teaching at youth camp
Snack bar is now open!
Pastor John Perez, Steven Harris, Pastor Miguel Flores
Ballon volleyball
Anna joins in the fun
Youth Camp- Magdelena, Part Three
Abigail and the short bus
Pastors vs teams
Ezra has his eye on the basket
Fill a tub the wet way
A truck load of soul winners
Youth Camp- Magdelena, Part Four
Team Yellow soul winning
Team Green soul winning
Team Blue soul winning
Coca-cola time after soul winning
Gathering after soul winning
July 2009 Newsletter
PLANNING THE WORK:
Since arriving here in Magdalena we have been praying about where God would have us locate the work and looking for a potential building to rent or property to purchase and begin from there. Of course we have also asked you to pray specifically for us in this area. This month we have signed a lease on a building that we believe is the answer to your prayers for us and the end to our search for the location that God has for us. We had posted a picture of this building with the others that we were asking you to pray with us back in April and then again in June on our blog site. The price was $4,000 pesos when I first ask but then went to $6,500 when the owner showed it to me in June. We ended up renting it for $5,575 pesos.
WORKING THE PLAN:
ON OUR BUILDING:
The family has been busy working on cleaning the unit up. It has been used as a cabinet shop and I do not believe that there had been any attempt to clean it since it was built (thirty plus years). I purchased an extending high pressure washer wand and rented some scaffolding and Ezra and I went to work. We literally pressure washed the building inside and out from the roof to the floor. The building is now clean but still requires some build-out work inside, a repaint outside and new front entrance doors.
OF OUR BUSINESS:
Our number one job is getting the gospel out in Magdalena with or without an official meeting place or even a dedicated name other than Baptist. With a building though we are going to be able to officially give out our address and we have decided on a name. How about Iglesia Bautista de Magdelena for simplicity? There are several reasons for that choice but simplicity and identity are primary.
This month there is a group of independent Baptist Churches here in the state of Sonora that have a youth camp together at a rented camp located right on the outskirts of Magdalena. Their planned activity for Wednesday afternoon will be soul winning on behalf of this work. It will be a tremendous blessing to have so many young people out at once to help us cover more of the city with the gospel of Christ!
PLANNING MORE WORK;
Surely the reality is that if you ever come to the place that you fail in your plan it is because you have failed to continue in your planning. And so we ask God for His providential guidance and you for your continued prayers as we plan more work for the salvation of souls wherever God's will finds our steps. Thank you for caring enough to send us.
For the salvation of souls,
The Harris Family
Since arriving here in Magdalena we have been praying about where God would have us locate the work and looking for a potential building to rent or property to purchase and begin from there. Of course we have also asked you to pray specifically for us in this area. This month we have signed a lease on a building that we believe is the answer to your prayers for us and the end to our search for the location that God has for us. We had posted a picture of this building with the others that we were asking you to pray with us back in April and then again in June on our blog site. The price was $4,000 pesos when I first ask but then went to $6,500 when the owner showed it to me in June. We ended up renting it for $5,575 pesos.
WORKING THE PLAN:
ON OUR BUILDING:
The family has been busy working on cleaning the unit up. It has been used as a cabinet shop and I do not believe that there had been any attempt to clean it since it was built (thirty plus years). I purchased an extending high pressure washer wand and rented some scaffolding and Ezra and I went to work. We literally pressure washed the building inside and out from the roof to the floor. The building is now clean but still requires some build-out work inside, a repaint outside and new front entrance doors.
OF OUR BUSINESS:
Our number one job is getting the gospel out in Magdalena with or without an official meeting place or even a dedicated name other than Baptist. With a building though we are going to be able to officially give out our address and we have decided on a name. How about Iglesia Bautista de Magdelena for simplicity? There are several reasons for that choice but simplicity and identity are primary.
This month there is a group of independent Baptist Churches here in the state of Sonora that have a youth camp together at a rented camp located right on the outskirts of Magdalena. Their planned activity for Wednesday afternoon will be soul winning on behalf of this work. It will be a tremendous blessing to have so many young people out at once to help us cover more of the city with the gospel of Christ!
PLANNING MORE WORK;
Surely the reality is that if you ever come to the place that you fail in your plan it is because you have failed to continue in your planning. And so we ask God for His providential guidance and you for your continued prayers as we plan more work for the salvation of souls wherever God's will finds our steps. Thank you for caring enough to send us.
For the salvation of souls,
The Harris Family
Youth Camp -Bahia De Kino
YOUTH CAMP - BAHIA DE KINO:We have just finished participating in two weeks of youth camp back to back. This first one was held in Bahia de Kino (Kino Bay). The church, Iglesia Bautista Monte Sion, and Pastor Hermenehildo Martinez Davila rent a house on the shore to hold their camp. It was hot but the ocean breeze was enjoyable and helped some at keeping the mosquitoes at bay. They had a good group of young people with a good spirit and enjoyed some great preaching from those preachers who had been invited to preach for the youth camp. We were blessed to also meet up with Pastor Ismael Zamarron of Navajoa, and Pastor Alvaror Carazco of Huatabumpo.
English Classes
We have been invited to give English classes to a small group including a Mexican missionary and his daughter. The group has twelve students in total although only three have been to every class - three classes so far! Evidently there is a tremendous cultural hinderance that affects all of life more than just starting a church. Of course the English class is also a great help to my Spanish.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Family Visit
A Family Visit:
Our daughter Sarah and our granddaughter Izabell were able to come for a recent visit. It was a great joy for us to have them with us for a couple of weeks. They spent some time with us and then Peggy and the girls traveled down to Navojoa to spend some time with the other grandparents. I rode the bus down a few days later on the 22nd to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary together. Peggy and I thank God for His goodness to us in life and we thank God for our family.
Our daughter Sarah and our granddaughter Izabell were able to come for a recent visit. It was a great joy for us to have them with us for a couple of weeks. They spent some time with us and then Peggy and the girls traveled down to Navojoa to spend some time with the other grandparents. I rode the bus down a few days later on the 22nd to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary together. Peggy and I thank God for His goodness to us in life and we thank God for our family.
Izabell
Grandma Zamarron, Sarah and Izabell
Izabell and Grandma Harris
Aunt Anna and Izabell
Family Visit Part 2
Aunt Abigail and Izabell
Izabell, Sarah, Uncle Ezra and Aunt Abigail and Aunt Anna
The Zamarron Family and Izabell
Family Visit Part 3
Izabell and Grandpa Zamarron
Izabell and Grandma Zamarron
Izabell , Grandpa Zamarron and Grandpa Harris
Izabell , Grandma and Grandpa Harris
Izabell , Grandpa Zamarron and Grandpa Harris
Izabell , Grandma and Grandpa Harris
Cleaning the Building:
We have rented the bodega (warehouse) for use as our official church building. As we mentioned earlier, it needed a lot of cleaning. The whole family joined in and Ezra and I put in a lot of hours. I purchased an extending pressure washer wand to use with the pressure washer and rented some scaffolding and washed the unit in and out from the roof to the floor.
Our thanks to God for His safety as neither of us fell or walked off the scaffolding. My back was severely out of place for a few days but all of that is now just a memory.
Our next task is to repaint the front of the building, keeping the dark blue as it is but adding a light blue in place of the white. The current color combination although it looks good is the theme colors of the number two beer in Mexico. Task two will be to add glass doors behind the sliding metal door on the front of the building. Task three will be to begin to divide the unit up on the inside for use in Sunday School classes and a sanctuary.
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