A Wedding, A Revival, and a Soul Saved!

A Wedding 

Whew! Things have been busy around here. Bro. Terry Jones, my director from BIMI, came down to Mexico to preach a revival in my church and an organization service for my son-in-law. During the revival, we had a wedding ceremony for Jorge and Griselda. They have lived together for close to 9 years and have four children. In the last year, they have been saved and baptized and have been growing spiritually in our church. This wedding ceremony was a beautiful thing to see and I feel privileged to be a part of their lives! 

A Revival

Bro. Terry preached the beginning of the revival with heart stirring messages. We had services Friday through Tuesday night.  Due to some health issues, the end of the revival was preached by a young man from another local Baptist church. He didn't know he was going to preach that night, but when I asked him to preach for us, he was ready. The message he preached was one that went right along with what Bro. Terry had started with and the Lord had His hand in it all.  We had special music every night. Some of our people have never been in special meetings like this and it was a joy to have the fellowship and God working through each one of us. We had some visitors come through, even a dog! You just never know who is going to show up!

...And a Soul Saved!

An elderly man had visited a few nights and one night, he brought his grandson. He said he wanted to bring his grandson to get saved. After speaking with him, I felt in my heart that the grandson did not fully understand the message of salvation and was not ready. The man came another night and came forward after the service so he himself could be saved. Now, he was ready and said he couldn't wait to talk to someone and get his eternity settled in Heaven. What a way to end a Revival!!! I was so excited!  

After the Revival service at my church, we had an organization service at La Iglesia Bautista Ortega where my son-in-law is pastoring. My grandson leads the singing over there. I keep offering to pay him to come work in my church, but his parents aren't too accommodating!

  I helped start that church over 20 years ago and it has had it's bumps in the road. In the last year and a half, I've had to make some changes in the church and this was a

 re-dedication of sorts for this work. John has a good group of people working with him and will soon be looking for a national to take over the work. 

*My 'Photos of the Week' page has been updated. 

Investing in a Cause

One of my favorite phrases is this: Invest in a cause that will outlive you. I live by this. I strive for this in the ministry in which God has given me. It's hard sometimes. Many times. Sometimes the reward for the investment is not seen. Here lately, God has been blessing over and over. Back in June, Jorge and his wife were baptized. He is now helping in the services and going out on visitation each week. With my associate, Luis, and another man named Juan, last week 420 Gospel tracts were given out. Each week, the men pass out

hundreds of tracts and are out inviting others to our church services. Jorge has been witnessing to his uncle and his uncle has been coming to the services and has been listening to the Gospel message being preached by the different men in our church. Last week, he came to me after the service and said he couldn't wait to be saved. He said he waited all day for the church doors to open so he could talk to me. I was grinning from ear to ear! I told him he didn't have to wait, but I sure was glad for the privilege of winning him to the Lord! That's cause for shoutin'! I was rejoicing with the angels over the one soul saved. 

My associate is above and beyond what I could have asked for in a helper. If he sees the church needs painting, he finds the paint in storage and does it himself. If trash is on the property, he and his wife clean it up. He e-mails me every morning and tells me what a blessing I am to him and his family and he is glad to be of service this day. What can he do to help? He's always watching out for me and won't even let me work! I am so thankful for this family and am trying not to get a big head! This family was on the verge of destruction two years ago, and here they are in the ministry. He has said from the pulpit that he is only here because of the investment my family has put in their lives. Only by the grace of God... 

Coming up soon, Jorge and his wife will have a wedding celebration. They've been together for 9 years and have 4 children. They would like to be married under God and with the church there to witness it. They are also going to be married and recognized by the government as a married couple. Lives transformed! I'm so glad I get to watch this family grow in the Lord. 

My mission director is coming down in September. We are having revival services in our church and my son-in-law, John Gilbreath,  has enlisted Bro. Terry's help in officially organizing the church he took over last year. He has been teaching the church constitution over the summer months. 

We are investing in a cause over here in Juárez. The cause for Christ. Are you investing? 

Praying for Saul

I have an urgent prayer request. My associate Luis's youngest son has a serious health condition. For several days now, he has had chest pains and headaches. This precious 5 year old boy needs your prayers. Luis and

his wife, Mary, took Saul to the doctor and he does not know what is wrong. If they take him

again to see the doctor, Saul will have to be admitted into the hospital for tests. 

Thank you to all who pray for me and the work here. Luis is my right hand man in the ministry and I beg of you to pray for his sweet son and for the family. 


Update 7/8/2013 - Monday

Saul is doing much better. He is eating, and is playing. He says he has no chest pain and the headache is gone. We believe it was the heat that caused his illness. The heat is upward to 106 sometimes and his family does not have air condition in the house. With cement housing in Mexico and no insulation, the temperature inside buildings is a bit hard to take. Thank you to those who prayed. 

Father's Day Celebration

     Any holiday or occasion is a reason to have a fellowship meal at our church! We enjoyed a Father's Day service with 63 people in attendance. The church is still growing and more people are getting involved in the work.

 Satan is fighting, though, and we've been going through some rough times with some of our people, but God is faithful and continues to bless. 

     It is getting HOT here already and the scorching heat is making it difficult to do a lot of door-to-door visiting. The men go visiting on Saturday mornings, but by 10:00, we are already in the 90's in temps. In the summer, we do more visiting within the families of our church due to the oppressive heat. We may just have to start doing this sooner this year. 

     My son-in-law, John, and I are considering starting 2 classes specifically for the men. One class will be for Arturo and Luis, our helpers, and the other for all the men in the church. Our men are eager to learn and I believe the studying together will help unify the believers we have. Please pray with us in this matter that the Lord will show us what He wants done and that we will glorify Him in all we do.

 

Baptismal Service

Praise the Lord for continual growth in the church! My associate, Luis, has been bringing the folks in week by week. The other day he told me he was out visiting and came across a man in the road who was shoveling dirt. Now, if you've ever been in Juárez, you know the roads are a bit rough. Many times there are men shoveling dirt into the pot holes during the day, hoping someone will give them a tip for trying to smooth the road out. Luis came across one such man, and felt a pull to stop and talk to him. The man said he was saved and was looking for a good church, but just didn't know where to look. He said he'd be visiting us on Sunday. Amen! 

Since we've had new families pouring in, there have been several salvation testimonies and last Sunday we had a baptismal service! After the baptismal service, Jorge and his wife said they felt so wonderful. The smile of their faces says it all. 

Health Update:

My family and I have been working on getting out back yard fixed up with flowers, bushes, and a vegetable garden. I was outside trimming the bushes one morning, planning on getting some yard work done. The rest of the day, I felt light headed, weak, and overall, not well. Rebecca took my blood pressure and it was very high. My doctor wanted me to go to the ER, but I felt that a little rest might be what I needed. When I saw my doctor the next morning, he told me I needed to stay out of the heat. Already, here in El Paso, the temperature is reaching 100 degrees! Overall I am doing well, I just need to remember to stay cool! 

Church Growth

What a blessing it has been to see my new associate and his family grow in the Lord and in the ministry. Luis and his wife, Mary, have been doing a lot of visiting on their own and have really been bringing in the families! If you knew Luis 5 years ago, you wouldn't believe he was the same man.
He was shy, didn't like crowds, and now he's bringing in people by the crowd! God has worked a miracle in this family's life and my heart is overflowing with gratefulness for this precious family. 



               Growing in the Lord!

         

My son, Tim, and his family came to visit me this last week. My grandchildren are growing fast and I enjoyed the week with them! Having little ones in the house was an adjustment for me and they wore me out, but what a joy it was to be able to play with them, hug them, and love on them. 

Tim preached on Sunday during the Sunday School hour and my new translator, Jose, translated. Tim was a blessing to our church people. The children in our church were very fascinated with my grandkids' blonde hair and blue eyes. Some of the church kids even tried to pet them and smell their hair! It is quite a contrast with the Mexican dark hair and eyes. 

 We were able to visit the market in Juárez. How empty it looks! Tourism sure has changed since the drug war, but we still had a good time looking around at all the 

handmade crafts and talking to the vendors who are still there.

               

Health Update: My health has been much better since moving over to the U.S. side. There has been a LOT of wind here lately and that has given me some trouble in my lungs. With living in an insulated house now, it has made a difference in how much the dust affects me and for how long.

Continue to be in prayer for La Iglesia Bautista Tabernaculo. The outreach in our church is strong, and we are seeing the benefits of our labor. All glory and honor for the increase belongs to God. 

The fields are white unto harvest!!

In the Ministry

It's hard to believe that I have been in the ministry for 47 years! I started out as a young preacher boy serving in my local church in GA, and here I am, a down home country boy who learned another language to be a missionary in a Spanish speaking country. Life in the ministry has not been easy, by any means, but it has been the most rewarding years of my life. The church I pastor (La Iglesia Bautista Tabernaculo) and another church I started years ago where my son-in-law pastors (La Iglesia Bautista Ortega) put together a surprise anniversary service for me. Three nationals who I have had the privilege of working with preached. There was special music by both churches, a puppet show, and a meal of barbacoa (bull's head tacos!). And of course, salsa. Some like it hot...me? Not too much. Here are a few pictures of the grand event; To God Be The Glory. Amen!  

The preachers

The puppets and the singers

The Food - Barbacoa and Valentine cookies
my daughter Rebecca made for the occasion.


Update: Bro. Arturo is now working with my son-in-law, John, at the Ortega church. I now have Bro. Luis working with me. He is a bit timid when it comes to preaching, but there is no doubt God's call is on his life. When Arturo started out, he could only preach for 5 minutes. Now he can preach an hour! It takes time, but I know God is doing a great work. Luis and his wife, Mary, were never legally married. They lived together for years, even after they were saved. About three years ago, we had a simple wedding ceremony in our church for the two of them. Since Luis' call to preach, he has been convicted about not being married legally in the eyes of Mexico. On Valentine's Day, he and Mary stood with hundreds of others in a gymnasium waiting for paper work to make the union 'legal'. It's amazing what God does when we sit back and let Him work! Luis and Mary are a huge help to me and are eager to learn, to work, and to grow. How about that?? God is working even now.