YOUTH CAMP 2017

Anna has just completed her second youth camp this summer. Her first week was with our home church in Ohio and this last week with our work here in Mexico. The two camps are about as different as two youth camps could possibly be and still be called by the same name!

Our home church puts on the youth camp back in Ohio and God has put it on our pastor's heart to invite and pay for Anna's travel back to Ohio to maintain a connection with her home church. I fully concur with his desire and thank God for his generosity.

The youth camp here is a combined effort of Independent Baptist Churches in the state of Sonora. Although we do not have any big responsibilities in it we are blessed to participate and enjoy the fact that the camp facilities that are rented are literally right down the road from our house. We get to sleep in our own bed and come home every night! Anna is a keen youth camp camper though and stays at camp and participates in every part. She wouldn't dare miss a minute.

CAMP as a Controlled Atmosphere for the Ministry of Preaching is a real help to our young people.

Youth Camp 2017

 Our three campers 

 Playing in the rain 

  Careful ball "handling" 

 Youth camp service 

DRIVING, DISCIPLESHIP & DINING:

Anna is taking driving lessons!  Sarah, Simon, Ezra and Abigail all had the liberty of open spaces and a four wheeler or a riding lawn mower to learn the basics long before actually taking the wheel of a proper vehicle.  They learned well and they have all done well.

For Anna it has been a bit different.  Our town life has not given her that opportunity.  So we have taken to the arroyo (dry river bed or wash).  She has been learning to drive in my 1984 Toyota Land Cruiser.  Her experience will no doubt be the envy of all her siblings and she will learn to drive a proper vehicle with a stick shift!

Recently a church in Arizona donated to the work some round banquet type tables.  What a blessing!  What a difference it makes compared to the rectangle tables as far as fellowship is concerned.  Our people love the round tables and we keep a couple set up so that they can be used before and after services.  With a cup of coffee and a bowl of peanuts we share in many impromptu discipleship classes after our normal service.

For this past Mother's Day Peggy took our ladies out to eat rather than plan a meal or activity at church.  Not all of our mother's were able to participate but those that did had a great time.  Dining out was a treat that few of our ladies very rarely get to experience and a first time experience for some.  With the husband and children out of sight and out of shouting range I hope that they were able to relax and just enjoy some personal time.

Thanks for making our ministry here in Mexico possible through your thoughtful care and prayer.

 Driving lessons for Anna 

 Anna at the wheel 

 Youth Song Special 

 Round table discipleship 

 Mother's Day Outing

Good Activities & Great Attitudes

The pictures included with this post tell of more good activities and great attitudes!  We thank God for both.




Maria Magdalena and her three boys have been attending for about a year now.  They are not consistent as she is limited by circumstances in the home but we continue to pray and trust God to open her heart as well and the heart of her husband and their boys.  




We were also recently blessed to have Missionary Samuel and Maribell Mendoza with us for a Sunday which "automatically" necessitated a fellowship.  Samuel started a new work in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) which his brother has taken as pastor and Samuel is now in a helps ministry.  Our people enjoyed getting to meet and know them.  My hope is to introduce our people to as many other Mexican pastors and missionaries as God will put in our path.




Of course we also had the opportunity to celebrate the Mexican holiday, "Children's Day".  Having been here now for a good number of years we have we have had the opportunity to see our first set of children become teenagers but thankfully we have a new group of children to raise in the work for the Lord!




Thank you for praying.

 Maria Magdalena and her boys

 Missionary Samuel & Maribel Mendoza

 A group of our younger ones 

 A turn at the pinata 

 Fellowshiping with the missionaries 

Celebrating an Anniversary

The weekend of March 19th we had the opportunity to travel down to Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico - about eight hours south of where we live.  Those of you who have followed us through the years will know that Navojoa is where we began ministry in Mexico.

It was our privilege and benefit to get to know Pastor Ismael Zamarron on our very first trip into Mexico and he has been a great help and good friend through the years.  He pastors two works and has several outreaches as well.  In the pictures below the small village work of Iglesia Bautista "El Salvador" is actually the original mother work and the Iglesia Bautista Bet-El is the daughter.  The anniversary service was for the daughter work which was celebrating eighteen years.  Pastor Ismael kindly invited us down to preach for the Saturday anniversary service.  We also stayed over on Sunday to preach in both works on Sunday.

On our way down we also made a stop in Hermosillo to visit with one of our former families that now lives there.  Their daughter is one of Anna's friend and she traveled with us for the weekend.  One of our prayers is for good and Godly friendship for Anna and we thank the Lord for allowing Leslie to travel with Anna for the weekend.

Thank you for your prayers for us even when you might not be exactly sure what we are up to.  Safety in "pilgrimage" is always an answer to prayer. "Success" in preaching is another.

Anniversary Song Service 

  An overflow crowd 

 Anniversary Preaching Service 

 Pastor Ismael & Lourdes Zamarron 

  Preaching in village - Iglesia Bautista , El Salvador 

Reaching the Untouchables:

God put it on the heart of one of our men to fill this ministry and it was our blessing to enable him to do so.  Marcos is our man that God saved out of a life (more than forty years) of drugs.  He has never wavered in his decision to turn his back on his past and seek the Lord.  

Several weeks ago Marcos came to me and asked if I would help him reach the untouchables.  I was not sure exactly who he was speaking of but told him I would be more than happy to do so.  Turns out the untouchables are some very poor families that live at the town's dump sifting through the trash recycling anything of meager value.  Namely cardboard and tin cans.  As you can see the group includes men, women and children.

Marcos and I ran around town and he purchased the ingredients for his meal and then Peggy, Anna and I met Marcos the next day at the appointed time at the church and prepared the meal.  We then loaded some tables into the van and drove out to the town dump.  We set up our tables, dished out the meal and invited all to come.  While they were eating Marcos shared his testimony and then I was able to share a clear presentation of salvation.  The untouchables were very thankful and we were well received.

Unbelievably we still had some food leftover and on our way back to town passed two groups of road workers so we stopped and shared a meal with them as well.  Both groups gladly received the meal as well as Marcos' testimony and our literature.  

It was a unique way to reach out to needy people and we look forward to another opportunity to do the same!

 Marcos and Anna preparing the meal  

 The gathering at the city dump 

 Marcos sharing his testimony 

 The little ones at the city dump 

 Finding a few more hungry souls 

Faith Promise Mission's Conference:

 Obviously, EVERY Christian should be involved in the Great Commission.  I do not believe that a mission work needs to grow to a certain size and then be taught the principles of giving to the work of missions, going as missionaries and praying for the missionary but that these are principle that aught be taught and put into practice from the very start of any work.  Since day one we began to support a missionary family and have taught on giving, going and praying.

We just completed our Faith Promise Mission's Conference for the year here at the mission work in Magdalena.  The concept of Faith Promise giving is new each year for our new members and those who are familiar with this Biblical manner of giving always need to be encouraged to allow God to increase their faith.

We support one family - The Alfredo Ortiz Family - missionaries here in Sonora to indigenous tribes and their work is in a town outside of the capital city of Hermosillo.  We are currently supporting them for MX.$ 1,000.00 a month which I imagine is about 5% of their received support.

We look forward to the day when out faith is increased as a mission work and we will be able to increase that support as well as take on more missionary families.

Yes, most of our people have so little but they also have a promise:  "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.  For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."  Luke 6:38  Yes, I believe that and I sure would not want to be guilty of withholding God's blessing upon them!

 Our Sunday Night Crowd 

 Food Table #1

 Food Table #2

 Our Missionaries The Ortiz Family 

 

 The "After Fellowship" - Fellowship Group 

A CAMPING WE HAVE GONE:

The last time we went camping as a family was when Peggy was expecting Anna.  Anna just had her fifteenth birthday.  My how time flies - it was past time to go camping.  To go camping was also something that Anna wanted to do for her birthday.

By the time we could make the time to go camping another month had passed and it was mid October but we decided to give it a go anyway.  I had visions of camping in snow or at least cold wet weather as we were decided to camp near Flagstaff, Arizona.  Ah, the blessings of God in all aspects of our life!

We enjoyed a beautiful week for camping and had a wonderful time.  The weather was crisp at night and wonderful each day.  We enjoyed the serenity of the woods and relaxed through the day with walks and Anna and I even tried our hands at fishing.  No success there but we will try again some day.

Throughout the week we also had the blessing of friends.  We had invited several friends and family to come along but only a few were able to take us up on our invitation.  Maybe next year our group around the campfire will grow.

What a great experience - you should try it.

 A Camping We Will Go! 

  

 All Set Up

Even An Outhouse 

 Happy Campers 

 Teach a Girl to Fish ..

  Our Camping Site Grows 

 Picture Perfect

 Camping is for Friends