Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Princess Izabell
Princess Izabell has been visiting at Grammy and Granddaddy's house. It has been a wonderful time for all! Izabell had her third birthday which we shared with the Zamarron family while we were in Navojoa. She wanted a Dora the Explorer cake and had a Dora pinata to go with it. The Zamarron family also bought her the beautiful dress in these photos, she was so adorable in it. Most of the time she was oblivious to everything going on around her choosing rather to twirl and spin as everyone know all princesses do. As Pastor Ismael put it, "It is so fulfilling to see someone so grateful, so completely happy and so fully content with their birthday party".
As missionaries we do miss out on a lot of the day to day and normal experiences in our adult children's and grandchild's life but we are so thankful that God has allowed us to have these precious moments with our princess.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Another Quinceanera
This past week we traveled down to Navojoa for two birthday parties and to visit Pastor Ismael and his family. The first birthday party was for our granddaughter Izabell who turned three on the 13th. My how time flies - two years ago we made the same trip for her first birthday!
The second birthday party was the quinceanera for Pastor Ismael's niece and Abigail's good friend, Belem. I had driven the family down on Thursday and then rode a bus back on Saturday to be here in Magdalena on Sunday. After services on Sunday night I returned via bus and we all came home on yesterday.
Anyway, as you can see from the pictures all went well, Belem was very pretty in her orange gown and it was an exciting and happy time for her family. These are very formal fiesta's and taken seriously by Christian young people as a vow of purity till marriage. Our family had a good time and enjoyed being included in all the activities.
The second birthday party was the quinceanera for Pastor Ismael's niece and Abigail's good friend, Belem. I had driven the family down on Thursday and then rode a bus back on Saturday to be here in Magdalena on Sunday. After services on Sunday night I returned via bus and we all came home on yesterday.
Anyway, as you can see from the pictures all went well, Belem was very pretty in her orange gown and it was an exciting and happy time for her family. These are very formal fiesta's and taken seriously by Christian young people as a vow of purity till marriage. Our family had a good time and enjoyed being included in all the activities.
Monday, January 3, 2011
CHRISTmas Fellowship
This was our first opportunity in this new work to have a CHRISTmas Fellowship with the families that God has given us. It was well attended by our people and Peggy had some help in preparing the meal. Peggy had prepared a turkey and all the 'fix-ens' and Anna Orosco prepared the normal Mexican fare of tamales. Everything was very good.
Pastor Ismael Zamarron and his family (nine in all) drove up for Navojoa to spend part of the holiday with us as a family and made it in time for the service as well. After a great meal and some fellowship and playing some games with the smaller children we sat down for some singing and a message from the Word of God.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Iglesia Bautista Cordero de Dios:
Last weekend it was our privilege to preach a Mission's Conference for Iglesia Bautista Cordero de Dios and Pastor Octavio Davalos in Hermosillo, the capital city of our state. The church has a history of about twenty years and Pastor Davalos has been there now for about four years.
They currently support about twenty-eight missionaries here in Mexico and around the world and were excited to be challenged anew this year to broaden their vision. It was a real treat for us to to with them and I am not sure who was challenged more!
Pastor Davalos has a tremendous testimony. He left a contract with the New York Mets as a pitcher to follow God's will in his life to preach the gospel. He now makes about $160.00 a week as a fully supported national pastor! His hopes for his sons: to be missionaries to Africa. "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;" 1 Timothy 1:12
They currently support about twenty-eight missionaries here in Mexico and around the world and were excited to be challenged anew this year to broaden their vision. It was a real treat for us to to with them and I am not sure who was challenged more!
Pastor Davalos has a tremendous testimony. He left a contract with the New York Mets as a pitcher to follow God's will in his life to preach the gospel. He now makes about $160.00 a week as a fully supported national pastor! His hopes for his sons: to be missionaries to Africa. "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;" 1 Timothy 1:12
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
"I Now Pronounce You Man and Wife":
This past Thursday we traveled down to Navojoa to help prepare and to be a part of the wedding for Jorge and Erika. Jorge is a young man that was saved during our time in Navojoa with the work there and Erika is the daughter of our good friends Pastor Ismael Zamarron and his wife Lourdes. The newly weds will be an active part of the ministry there at Iglesia Bautista Providencia and the Instituto Biblica Provedencia. Jorge is also planning to enter the institute to study for the ministry.
While in Navojoa we also had the opportunity to preach on three occasions and meet up with a lot of friends both in the churches and others in the ministry. It is a great encouragement to see what God is doing and to be challenged to continue faithfully. I was also able to make a detour to go by and see a friend who has "quit". He has been through some hard times and gave up and went back to his old life. I believe that he has realized his sin but feels as an outcast with nowhere to go. Pray for Lalo and his family.
While in Navojoa we also had the opportunity to preach on three occasions and meet up with a lot of friends both in the churches and others in the ministry. It is a great encouragement to see what God is doing and to be challenged to continue faithfully. I was also able to make a detour to go by and see a friend who has "quit". He has been through some hard times and gave up and went back to his old life. I believe that he has realized his sin but feels as an outcast with nowhere to go. Pray for Lalo and his family.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Big Step Of Faith
Peggy's Sunday School Class:
It was a big step of faith and it requires a lot of work to prepare but Peggy is now teaching her own children's Sunday School class. She has about fifteen possible students under age nine although they have never all been in attendance at any one given time. All of them are children of adults who attend our services and it is a necessity to separate the children during the service to allow the adults to listen. It comes as no surprise that there is basically no parental control over a child's behavior in this society. This step in ministry was big for Peggy we have even received comments from some of the parents that the teachers at their schools have commented on the change in the child's behavior. God's Word does make a difference!
Sunday nights Abigail takes these children and reviews what Peggy taught them in the morning. Both Abigail and Peggy are always excited to see which one of "their" children will be at any given service.
A Basket Case:
A few Sundays ago our services were interrupted by a lady looking for help. She remained for the duration of the service and after service I began to deal with her and her needs. I have met basket cases before but this poor soul beats all! Her life is a MESS. Probably not more than thirty years of age with three small children. This past Sunday night will live in infamy as one of those stories that missionaries tell. I doubt that you would ever meet such a soul in the states unless you visited certain specialized care facilities. It is all an issue of sin and the answer is the Word of God. We need to see a miracle in her life and look forward to a future date when I can share the change that God has wrought in her life.
It was a big step of faith and it requires a lot of work to prepare but Peggy is now teaching her own children's Sunday School class. She has about fifteen possible students under age nine although they have never all been in attendance at any one given time. All of them are children of adults who attend our services and it is a necessity to separate the children during the service to allow the adults to listen. It comes as no surprise that there is basically no parental control over a child's behavior in this society. This step in ministry was big for Peggy we have even received comments from some of the parents that the teachers at their schools have commented on the change in the child's behavior. God's Word does make a difference!
Sunday nights Abigail takes these children and reviews what Peggy taught them in the morning. Both Abigail and Peggy are always excited to see which one of "their" children will be at any given service.
A Basket Case:
A few Sundays ago our services were interrupted by a lady looking for help. She remained for the duration of the service and after service I began to deal with her and her needs. I have met basket cases before but this poor soul beats all! Her life is a MESS. Probably not more than thirty years of age with three small children. This past Sunday night will live in infamy as one of those stories that missionaries tell. I doubt that you would ever meet such a soul in the states unless you visited certain specialized care facilities. It is all an issue of sin and the answer is the Word of God. We need to see a miracle in her life and look forward to a future date when I can share the change that God has wrought in her life.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Agua Prieta
A couple of weeks ago Pastor Ismael Zamarron stopped by Magdalena on a Wednesday on his way to the city of Agua Prieta for a Mission's Conference at Templo Bautista Belen with Pastor Miguel. We enjoyed the overnight stay with Pastor and Mrs. Zamarron and then traveled with them to help them arrive at Agua Prieta. It was a joy for us to meet Pastor Miguel and his family and his people there at Templo Bautista Belen. The work was started in 2006 and is one of the few churches where I have seen an honest missionary vision. Amazingly most of his people are from the state of Chiapas (way south in Mexico). I was invited to preach on Friday night and enjoyed great liberty in presenting the great commission from the theme text of the conference, Romans 10:14,15. On Saturday we made our return trip to be in our place here in Magdalena for Sunday.
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