Missions and Giving

Thank you for your support. School has started back and through your giving to the ministry in Mexico, I was able to put 4 kids in school!  What a blessing!!

Also, some of our people have gone through some real trials of medical needs. I was able to help one sister in the Lord whose mom had to have half of her leg amputated.  Through your support, some of this need was met.

 Sister Alberta’s grandson was shot. He is 14 years old. Due to the gang activity in her area, the house she is living in received bullet holes from an attack. She fell sick due to this act of violence and had to have some very expensive medicine to calm her down.  I was able to pay for the visit to the medical clinic and provide her with the medication! Thank you for helping in this matter!

One profession of faith this past month!

Sister Martina, a lady in John’s church, had a need for her son who is in bad physical condition due to a brain concussion. He was in need of a wheelchair.  That need was also met! Thank you for your faithful giving!

 Help us pray for revival again during October 15 –18. We are looking for a great time!  Once again, Brother Terry Jones will be preaching.

We are planning to enclose a heater this fall. Also, we are planning to paint our building inside! Thank you for your mission giving to help on these projects!

Thank you for your prayers! I am doing much better this month with my shoulder.  I have started driving, for which I am thankful.  A great big THANKS to my daughter Rebecca who has unselfishly driven me everywhere these past few months.

August 2017 Update

I am still recovering from my shoulder operation done on May 19 (my birthday!). Our church waited til I felt a bit better to have a birthday dinner for me. We had Chili Colorado (pork with a red sauce), rice, beans, and salad. There were 65 people in attendance that day! 

It has been a rough go since the shoulder operation. The pain has been difficult to manage. I will come through this, however. Continue to pray! The physical therapy has slowed me down a lot! I have one more month (once a week) of therapy left. I am still cautioned not to drive just yet so as to let my shoulder heal completely. 

I was struggling with teaching the youth after my operation and one of the young men came to me and asked if he could help me with the youth group. We started with 6 and now have 14. He asked if I could teach him and what a blessing he has been!  Pray for Brother Inociencio as I train him for the future as well as for the present. Here is a photo of the youth group quoting Scripture verses. 

Although the drug war here in Juárez has picked up, our people are busy each week passing out tracts and inviting friends and neighbors to the services.  For this, we have new visitors each week due to this outreach ministry. Please continue to pray for our people who are becoming burdened for the lost! Thanks

Please continue to pray for the

Ortega Baptist Church where my son-in-law John, my daughter 

Rebecca, and grandson Jonathan are laboring. They are seeking a national pastor.

 

Moving Forward in 2017

Every end of April, Mexico celebrates Kid's Day and it was 

such a joy to see children in the church. 

There were games, songs, food, and preaching! 

In May, my field director from BIMI came to Juárez to preach in our spring meeting. Brother Terry Jones brought some good messages and several hearts were touched! 

Also, in May our church celebrated Mother's Day with lots of BBQ and a gift for each mother. The best gift was sharing the Gospel with them! 

Apart from 7 being baptized, there were 4 additional professions of faith! 

We just celebrated Father's Day last week in our church. The day was filled with preaching, singing, food, and lots of fellowship. Here are just a few of the men that made it in the picture! 

The preaching of the cross has really made the devil mad. From without and within, the Word of God has stirred several young Christians up about doctrines. However, they are seeing a new way to live and walk. What a blessing!

I was doing so well this past winter with my health and started having pain in my left shoulder @ March. It took several doctor's appointments, several x-rays, an MRI, shots for pain, and finally a CT scan showed a 3 inch tear in my rotator cuff. On May 19, I had an operation to repair it. I am recovering, but it's painful. A physical therapist comes to the house 3x a week to help me work my arm back into normal activity. I put ice on it frequently and I need to rest it often. I wear a sling when I go out so as to protect the arm from more damage. By the end of July, I should be using my left arm again! Please continue to pray for healing! 

1) The healing of my shoulder
2) The growth of new converts
3) Protection of our people and church building
4) Safety as we move about the city of Juárez

May we never forget our country and our freedom. May be never forget Calvary where we are really set free!

Spring 2017 Update

The last blog update was posted in July 2016. A lot has happened since then and I will try to update you on all that has happened. 

Health:
You may remember that I've had a lot of trouble with degenerative discs in my back. My orthopedic doctor wanted me to try physical therapy instead of more injections last fall. I had a month of aqua therapy in a pool with a physical therapist and thought they were trying to kill me. It was painful, but after a few weeks, I noticed a difference in my pain level for the better. I've not had any major issues with my back since then.

I do, however, have a lot of pain in my left shoulder. The doctor who did surgery on it 13 years ago is looking at it and I have a CT scan with contrast scheduled for next week. An MRI was done, but didn't tell the doctor what he needed to know as far as why I was having so much pain. Please pray we find answers and that it can be repaired. My range of motion is limited due to the pain level.

I've recently had my yearly update with my VA doctor and he was impressed with how well I was doing. He wants me to have my chest x-rayed to make sure that everything is fine there. He also wants me to contact another department in the VA to go over Agent Orange and how the exposure during my time in Vietnam is still affecting me today. I still have swelling and pain, but with the help of medicine and rest, it is mostly under control.

Ministry: 
Our church is growing. We've had several professions of faith for salvation and we have a baptism for 5 people coming up soon. We have painted our building, installed air conditionings. Much of the funds have come from the faithful support of churches and individuals who support and pray for the work here in Juárez. We are training men to take part in the services. This past February, our church threw a celebration service for me in honor of my 51 years in the ministry. 46 of them have been as a missionary!

Family: 
My grandson is now in college and is enjoying it very much! I don't get to see him as often because even when he's home, he's doing homework. And his mama won't let me disturb him!

This has been a very sad time for me and my family these past few weeks.  My sister-in-law passed away with cancer.  Rebecca and I drove 27 hours to Georgia to be there for my brother. I was able to preach the service along with my nephew (who is also a preacher) and see all my family.  Pray for my brother Carl as this is a trying time for him, his 2 daughters, and son. 

Also as we were getting ready to leave GA, I received word that Martina’s husband passed away. Martina is a member of the Ortega Baptist Church.  Rebecca and I tried to get back to Mexico in time, but by the time we got home, they had already buried Manuel.  It is a sad time for this family as well!  Please pray for sister Martina!

1. Continual growth of our church.

2. Continual growth of new converts.

3. Continual protection as we work in Juárez.

4. Continual conviction of our visitors for salvation.

5. Continual training of our men for the work of the Lord.