"And Of Some Have Compassion, Making A Difference"

Thinking of compassion, there is another verse that comes to mind, "For God so loved the world .." I am so glad that God had compassion on me. How could I not or why would I not extend that compassion on to others.

This past Wednesday one of our ladies came to church with a very heavy heart. She has been really growing in the Lord and Satan had been doing his best to destroy her growth. "And of some have compassion, making a difference." What a blessing to have the fellowship of believer's to help encourage and help each other grow in the Lord. I thank God for the people He has given me to love and that they in turn love their "pastor" and his family.

We appreciate your continued prayer for us as God opens new doors each day to reach others with the love of Christ.

Growing Pains

God continues to bless the ministry through blessing the individuals in it. It is exciting to see these new Christians grow and there is evidence of their growth every service. With growth though come persecution - "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" 2 Timothy 3:12


Two of our families are really going through persecution from family for having professed Christ as Saviour and making their commitment to follow Him. I don't like to see it and my heart goes out for the adults and more so for their children but I also know that God will use this to grow strong Christians here in the work. We have been studying such topics as "How do we know that God really does exist?" and "How do we know that we are right?".


As you can see from the pictures in this update we also do all that we can to encourage each other in fellowships and in partaking in the work of the ministry. Our temperatures have yet to break here so it is our plan next week to take advantage of the heat and have a Banana Split Sunday! Come on down and join us.



Go Out & Bring Them In-Part One

Monday a week ago I was out with Brother Juan and the lower ball joint on the old GMC gave way. With 227,000 miles and the last six spent in Mexico I cannot fault the GMC. We were able to chain the A-arm up and cripple her home. I wish I had had my camera with me - the poor girl just looked so forlorn with that front wheel hanging like a broken wing and of course it broke down in no man's land.

Anyway the Toyota got called up for service for the next Wednesday and Sunday as the van waited for parts and time to put it back together.

On that Thursday we took a trip over to Nueva Casa Grandes, Chihuahua to preach for a mission's conference. Being over there is very risky and travel through the mountains between here and there even a greater risk, but God blessed with safety while we were there and for the travel there and back. The Mexican pastor began that work twenty years ago and that was his last week. He is now a missionary to the U.S.A. and had his first service in Demning, New Mexico on Wednesday. He and his family have gone with very little support - maybe $400 a month! The church he left in Nueva Casa Grandes has a new pastor and this year their faith promise was $130,000 pesos (about U.S. $ 11,000) for the year! He has left his heart and dedication to reach the world with his people.



Our work here has also committed to take on our first missionary family. Alfredo Ortiz and his family work in a town west of Hermosillo. Our people have committed to support them for Mx. $1,000 each month. An impossible challenge if faith is not factored into the equation. With God we will.

The Broken GMC

The Tacoma Bus Route

Arriving at church

The Ortiz Family + One







Go Out & Bring Them In-Part Two



Preaching in Nueva Casa Grandes, Chihuahua



Church service at Inglesia Bautista "El Redentor"





The Chihuahua excursion

 


The Chihuahua excursion #2





Rare, Gringo Chihuahua Monkeys!

  

 

Anna on foot bridge with friends





YOUTH CAMP- Part One

Each year it is our joy to be able to participate in a youth camp for independent Baptist churches in our area of Mexico. In years past we have seen the attendance at one time or another of most of the churches we have dealings with in the state of Sonora as well as some others from neighboring states such as Sinaloa and Baja California. Our numbers were down again this year due to the increasing difficulty of travel safety and problems in our area. Some parents are a bit leery of sending their youth to our town.

We thank God that all went well again this year with no major issues. We saw souls saved, we saw lives dedicated to the Lord and decisions made every day. No one was hurt although Abigail almost got to make an emergency trip to the U.S. All travel was safely made to and from camp and even an unplanned all day trip to Tucson was made without incident for Pastor Perez and I. As Peggy said on Sunday, "We need youth camp each month."


My youth is spent but I will gladly spend what I have left on youth.

God at work!



Yours truly being caught on tape!

 

Pastor Perez about to be tossed.



Abigail- #3 Camper of the Week





 

YOUTH CAMP- Part Two

Water Volleyball -Oh Yeah!

Camp Service



Award Night



How high can we throw?



All too quickly the week is over!



Entertaining Angle(s):

"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" Hebrews 13:2

As a missionary if you did not entertain strangers you would not be very effective in your calling! Afterall, everyone is a stranger at first.


Those who know me also know that I am not of the youth pastor cut. All the way back to my high school days I have been know as being too old for my own years. I love kids and I love young people - its playing their games that has never been my forte. Not much of one to "horse" around. Work and serious stuff is more down my alley.

But if you cannot become all things to all ages then as a missionary, again you cannot be very effective in your calling. So, in that spirit I try. I admit it takes a lot and it takes it out of me but I do enjoy seeing the fruit in lives.

Enter Angel(s). Angel is the young man in the light blue shirt, big green glasses, in the first photo. The other angels have different names: Juesus, German, Jael, Irvingh, Evone, Sophia and of course Abigail and Anna. We call them messengers. They are the generation that are now being trained to know God, to know Christ and to carry the precious gospel of salvation on to the next generation here in Magdalena.