March Update

We trust that you are well today. The last few weeks have seemed full of important events and ministry. We see much evidence of God’s work—as always, we also see opposition. We want to mention briefly a few things for your thanksgiving and prayers.

Family News

The girls are doing well—ready for the Holy Week break starting next weekend. Here in Mexico, the schools shut down for the entire week before Easter Sunday. This week is called Semana Santa (Holy Week). School is also out for the week after Easter which is known as Semana Pascua (Easter Week). Things really slow down for these two weeks—of course there are many religious celebrations. No school sounds great!

Also, Ceci is scheduled to have her tonsils out next Friday, March 14. It is planned as out-patient procedure—she should be home later that afternoon and will get to take advantage of the 2-week break for recovery. Please pray for her and the doctors who will be treating her—pray for God’s healing for her in the days afterwards.

Partners’ Meeting Last Month

We were blessed with a great weekend this past February 8-11. 26 visitors from 8 partnering congregations in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Washington spent a long weekend here. It was a great time to fellowship with one another, discuss our mission partnership in Central Mexico and spend time with members of the Mexican churches. We though one of the highlights was our time together on Sunday—especially the time after lunch when a dozen or more (Mexicans and visitors from the U.S.) took turns telling stories of God’s transforming work in their lives. We thank God for this blessing and pray for deeper partnerships.

On a sad note—one of the participants in the partners’ meeting, Tim Hartman was killed this past Tuesday in a plane crash in Oklahoma. He was a husband, father, deacon. We pray for his family and loved ones.

A Proyecto de Vida – Ministering to Families with Diabetes

Gerardo and Carola Garcia are Mexican co-workers who live in Guadalajara. You may remember that their 13-year old daughter Melonie was diagnosed with diabetes just over 3 years ago. As they’ve learned to live with this disease, they have become increasingly convinced that God wants them to minister incarnationally to other families with children who have diabetes—that this service is connected to their proclamation of the Good News of Jesus and the formation of new churches. They talk about this as their Proyecto de Vida (Life Project)—a mission assignment from God that is closely connected to their own life and that gives them a clear door into the lives of hurting people. They believe that God wants us all to discover our unique Life Project—they talk about this every time they get a chance. Since the last time we wrote, Gerardo and Carola have put in the paperwork to begin Fundación Esperanza para Niños con Diabetes Mexico (Hope Foundation for Children with Diabetes in Mexico). This is a huge thing for them—an important step in realizing one of their dreams. Gerardo and Carola have been working with another diabetes association for the past couple of years. They are gifted educators and are offering counseling and teaching to other families. Two weeks ago, they began this new association that is unashamedly Christ-centered. We thank God for his grace in their lives—and for God’s grace through them into the lives of others. We pray that the understanding of proyectos de vida would spread like a virus through God’s people—that more of us would discover our unique, God-ordained mission into the lives of others. We pray that God will continue to bless and guide them in their ministry to families with diabetes.

Note: Gerardo and Carola are presently in need of funds for their mission. One of their needs is related to getting this new diabetes association up and running. They are especially in need of a lap-top computer and projector which would be used to educate groups of families with diabetes. If you are interested in partnering with this family with one-time or monthly funds, please contact me.

Upcoming Youth Weekend with House Church in La Piedad, Michoacan

We plan to travel in the morning to spend the weekend with the church in La Piedad. This group is planning their second (1st was back in November) kids/youth weekend—basically it’s a campout with 30+ kids in and around their house! Leaders from two other house churches are going with us to accompany them in this event. Nearly everyone connected with this group has a past (and usually present) in drugs and alcohol. This church sees ministering to the kids and youth around them as their way to be on mission with Jesus and incarnate Jesus in their world. It is their Proyecto de Vida. Please pray that the kids and youth would experience the healing presence of Jesus in their midst. Pray for Martin, Gerardo, Jose Luis, Juliana, Carola, Rosa and my family as we spend the next couple of days playing with kids, telling stories from the Bible and ministering to kids who have often suffered horribly at the hands of those enslaved in addictions.

I guess I’ll stop there. We thank God for your partnership with us in prayer. We pray God’s guidance and blessings for you in these days.

Please continue to pray for the fellowship of house churches—for their continued growth, maturity and mission—for the leadership of these churches. Please pray the Luke 10:2 prayer with us—that the Lord of the Harvest would raise up workers from and for the harvest in Central Mexico and beyond.