Prayer Update

What a privilege it is to partner together with each of you in the proclamation of the Gospel in Mexico.


This month we’d like to share with you just 2 examples of how your investment of prayer, financial support, and encouragement have paid dividends. One example has to do with a large group of people and the second focuses on just one lady.


We use special days on the calendar to plan ‘events’ to reach a larger group of our community with the Gospel. This past Sunday night (Resurrection Sunday) we showed a gospel film in La Poza. Magdalena depicts the life of Christ through the eyes of Mary Magdalene. We hang a sheet on the side of our friend, Carlos’ store, and invite one and all to come and enjoy the film. La Poza itself boasts a population of between 500 to 600 people. What a joy it was to have over 100 people show up for the film on Sunday. In addition to hearing and seeing the Gospel on the screen/sheet, I took about 10 minutes after the film to summarize the claims of the Gospel. Then we sent everyone home with a copy of John Piper’s excellent little evangelistic booklet, Para Tu Gozo (For Your Joy). As we highlighted in our last Prayer Update, much of Mexico and in particular the border region is being torn apart by the violence of the drug cartels. Just this past week more violence flared up in San Fernando (which is about a 35 minute drive south of La Poza) when grenades were thrown into a couple of government buildings, cars were shot up, and several people were killed. What a blessing it was to remind our friends and neighbors on Sunday night that though our country is filled with violence and murder, we can know peace because the Prince of Peace has come. The answer to the violence is not found in more soldiers patrolling the streets but it is found in Jesus Christ reigning and ruling in the hearts of men and women. We pray that the seeds of the Gospel that were sown this past Sunday will take root and produce a harvest of souls for His glory alone! Would you pray with us toward that end?


The second story has to do with one of the believing ladies who attends our Sunday afternoon Bible study. This past week this lady was sharing some of her testimony with Robin of how God has been working in her life in recent months. She told her how much she has learned about living the Christian life through our Bible studies.


“Robin,” she said, “I don’t know if you know it or not, but in the past I used to fight and argue with a lot of women here in La Poza. I used to say and do things that hurt a lot of people. But as we’ve studied the Bible and you guys have shown us from the Scripture how a Christian should live his or her life, the Holy Spirit has convicted me that I haven’t been living my Christian life like I should. So I don’t fight with people like I used to.” Then she admitted, “well, sometimes I still get into it with Martina, but I’m even trying to work on that!”


Do you ever go through periods in your Christian life when you wonder just how effective your witness really is? Sure you do. And so do missionaries. And then God gives us weeks like He did this past week when He lets us freely and publicly proclaim His Word to so many of our friends at one time. And then He reminds us too that in those little Bible studies of 5 or 6 people, He honors His Word.


Isn’t God so good to us?


Partners Together in the Greatest Cause,


Steve & Robin

Prayer Update

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?—Psalm 56:3-4

The heading for this Psalm says that it was written at the time when the Philistines seized David in Gath. It was an extremely difficult time in the life of the man whom God had assured would be the king of Israel. But that day had not yet been realized. You remember Gath don’t you? David surely remembered it. It just happened to be where that guy, Goliath, had been from and David certainly recalled that as he was seized by the people of Gath. The thought had to at least pass through his mind—“is this the end of the line?” Yet in spite of what must have seemed very frightening circumstances, David penned those words. Did he know how it would all turn out? No, but that didn’t stop him from trusting in God and finding his peace in God’s all-encompassing care.

We are living during a time in Mexico’s history when these truths have become an excellent ‘door opener’ to share the Gospel of Peace. Unless you live in close proximity to the U.S./Mexico border, the coverage of the violence along the border that you hear is spotty at best. The national media tends to focus on violence in Ciudad Juarez because of the amount of violence in that city. Recently it was named the most violent city in the world. But violence all along the border is escalating. People in La Poza and the surrounding communities were reminded of that this past week. Until last Wednesday the violence in our state had been isolated to cities right on the border. Late last Wednesday afternoon that changed as rival drug cartels battled in the streets of Valle Hermoso. This city of about 60,000 people is about a 35 minute drive from La Poza. Many people in La Poza have family who live there. Some people from La Poza work at factories in Valle Hermoso. It’s the closest city for major shopping, hospitals, etc. Until last week it had escaped the violence of the cartels. The word often used to describe these acts of violence is battle. Cartels often battle among themselves or against the Mexican army in very public areas. The cartels don’t discriminate. If the average guy is in the wrong place at the wrong time, that is not the problem of the cartel. That seems to be what is so frightening to so many people. If you want to understand something of the nature of these wars, type in ‘Valle Hermoso violence’ into your favorite search engine and you’ll get a better understanding of what we’re trying to communicate.

So how does all this impact our ministry in La Poza? Since this incident last week, we’ve noticed people talking a lot more about the violence. We’ve sensed a fear among people that we hadn’t sensed in the past in La Poza and the communities where we travel here in Mexico. As a result it’s given us some good opportunities to challenge people to think about the source of true peace. As believers we know that peace is found only in the Prince of Peace but to the unbeliever, David’s calm assurance in Psalm 56:3-4 makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Robin has been able to share some of these truths with folks who have come to the clinic this past week concerned about the violence. I had the opportunity to share some of these same truths in a couple of our regular Bible studies this past weekend. In the end, it is not the Mexican government’s attempts to rid Mexico of the drug cartels that will bring an end to the violence. It is not the United States somehow ridding itself of its appetite for illegal drugs that will stop the flow of drugs through the southern border. It is the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ. We have the answer to violence in Mexico and the drug problem in the United States. Ultimately it’s not found in stricter laws, bigger fences, or more military in the streets of Mexican cities. It is found in the person of Jesus Christ and the salvation that He accomplished on the behalf of His people 2000 years ago. The old gospel song was right: “We’ve a story to tell to the nations that shall turn their hearts to the right, a story of truth and mercy, a story of peace and light, a story of peace and light.”

Prayer Points

• Pray that these troubled times in Mexico will produce a harvest of souls. Pray boldly. Pray that God might save some key Cartel leaders. What a testimony of God’s saving grace that would be to many. Pray that we will be faithful and seize opportunities to witness of God’s grace through these times in the part of the harvest He’s placed us in here in La Poza.
• Praise God with us for some new folks who have recently attended our current Bible studies. Continue to pray that God will work in the hearts of those that we minister to on a regular basis.
• We’re planning on showing a film to the community with the theme of the crucifixion and resurrection at Easter. Pray that God would be honored, the Gospel clearly proclaimed, and that people would be converted.

We appreciate your faithfulness to pray for us and always enjoy hearing from you anytime.

Sheltered and Protected in His All-Sufficient Hands,

Steve & Robin

Christmas 2009

No Christmas party is complete in Mexico without at least one piñata. There were at least 4 or 5 piñatas at this party. Santa was the first to fall.

Notice the difference in form between the boys and girls. The boys normally go at the piñata with a bit more intensity and vigor than the girls do.

The scrum for the piñata after it fell. Notice once again that it's all boys!

In addition to the gift bags all the kids received a stuffed animal. They were donated by the Lifeway Christian Bookstore in Houston and the generous customers of that store.

Pastor Larry gives bags to some of the girls.

The goodies were all lined up with care.

Oh wow, look at what we're getting!

Yea!!! We all got something!

Guarding the loot.

Chowing down after all the festivities. Notice the T-shirt the boy is wearing. The team brought 1300 of these shirts--not only for the kids but enough for every person in La Posa. The shirts were also donated by Lifeway Christian Bookstore in Houston. On the back of each shirt it says, "It all comes back to Jesus" with a reference to 1 John 4:9

Prayer Update

Dear Prayer Team,

A little over two weeks ago we asked you to pray specifically for a couple of Christmas activities that we had planned in La Posa. We wanted to send you a quick update on how those activities went and to thank each of you who prayed for those ministries. Here is the brief report on what happened.

• Pastor and Mrs. Larry Newcomer from Mills Road Baptist Church in Houston arrived on the 17th with 7 members from their congregation. What a great time of fellowship we had with these dear friends! They brought over 100 brightly decorated gift bags for the children in the kindergarten and primary schools in La Posa. For many of these children, these gifts are the only ones they will receive this Christmas. The team participated in the Christmas party at the school and was able to show the love of Christ through not only the gifts they brought but through the time they invested with all the children, teachers, and parents at the fiesta. After the school activities we were able to introduce them to several of our friends in La Posa and Media Luna. We genuinely appreciated not only the 9 people who came this year, but also all those from the church who made this outreach possible.

• On Sunday night, December 20th,we showed the film, “The Nativity,” in La Posa. We were so encouraged when an estimated 150 people came out on a cool evening to watch this portrayal of the birth of Christ. We show the film outside and this was the first time we’ve ever shown a film at this time of the year. By the time the film was finished temperatures had dropped into the 50’s but nearly everyone stayed for the whole evening. After the film Steve took the opportunity to outline the Gospel for all in attendance. What a great opportunity to publicly proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to 25% of all the people who live in La Posa. May God use the seeds of the Gospel that were planted last week to draw some dear souls unto Himself. Thanks again to each of you who prayed specifically for these two outreach ministries.

As we look forward to 2010, we’re anxious to see what God has in store for the ministry here. Here are a few things we’d really appreciate you keeping on your 2010 prayer list:

• We continue to ask God to work in the hearts of Mexican men or a man who could be trained to serve alongside of us in the work of church planting here in La Posa. We don’t know who he might be but we remain confident that God has His timetable and His man. Our task is to remain faithful to the work He has called us to here in this community.

• Pray that our own hearts remain passionate for the glory of God and focused on the ministry He has given us. Distractions from keeping the ‘main thing the main thing’ do not vanish when a person crosses the border from one country to another. Our desire remains to see God honored through our witness here and that if He so chooses, He’ll allow us to see his church established in La Posa.

• Thank you for your prayers for our Bible studies. We intend to continue the three studies that we currently are involved in on a weekly basis. Pray that the believers in these studies will be encouraged in their faith and grow in Christian maturity. Pray that God will convict the unbelievers of their sin and save them soon.

Know that we give thanks to God for each one of you and pray that God blesses and uses each of you mightily for His greatest glory in 2010.

Your Co-laborers in the Gospel,

Steve & Robin


Financial support: Central Missionary Clearinghouse/P.O. Box 219228/Houston, TX 77218-9228 http://cmc.missions.net/

Sending Church: Christ’s Covenant Church/2090 East Pierceton Road/Winona Lake, IN 46590 http://christscovenant.org/

If you no longer wish to receive these Updates please reply to this message.

Various Scenes Here and There

One of our adopted granddaughters--Marifer


When we returned from furlough we found that we had 2 new additions to our cat pack.


Ethel (the mama) and her look a like kitten



While in Michigan some friends from our supporting church in Kalamazoo donated a lot of needed medicine for the clinic. It filled the back of our pickup truck as well as the back seat!

Prayer Update

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and his brothers.—Acts 1:14

In preparing for our Sunday afternoon Bible study a few days ago I was reading and studying the events that took place immediately following the ascension of Christ. Though I have read this verse many times in the past those words, were devoting themselves to prayer, seemed to jump off the page. For almost a year and a half we have been studying chronologically through the Scripture with a group of people here in La Poza. We have spent many months tracing the steps of Jesus’ public ministry. We’ve spent weeks looking at the events of the crucifixion and resurrection. The majority of the folks who were devoting themselves to prayer had been with Jesus throughout his public ministry. It’s almost impossible to comprehend the emotions that they were feeling at that moment. There was the initial excitement that came with walking and talking with Jesus in that public ministry only to have that joy and excitement turn to sorrow and dismay in seeing their Messiah crucified before their eyes. Then came that spark of hope that Sunday morning when reports that He had risen from the dead began to be heard. Hope exploded into full blown delight when He began appearing to many of his followers. But the time seemed so short and once again He is gone. But this time He promises them they will not be alone. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. Surely they had questions. Why? How? When?

What do we do when we have questions? Go to the bookstore for the latest ‘how to’ book? Call the pastor? Turn on our favorite Christian music? Fall into depression? These folks devoted themselves to prayer. This wasn’t a one time, ‘let’s take it to God’ sort of prayer. They agonized. They persevered. They dedicated their time and their energy to this one matter. What do we devote our time to? Our job? Our family? Our favorite sports team? Scriptural examples can often challenge us. Might the example of the early followers of Jesus serve as that kind of challenge for us.

With these thoughts in mind, we’d like to challenge each one reading this update to devote yourself to prayer concerning only one matter for us this month.

Our desire remains to see a fully functioning local church established in La Poza. We’ve had numerous opportunities to share the gospel and those opportunities continue to present themselves on a regular basis. We currently have 3 different Bible studies that are meeting—Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons. We have seen people converted by the power of the Holy Spirit. We’ve developed solid relationships with many folks in the community. So when will a church be established? The answer to that question contains the key request that we’re asking you to devote yourselves to prayer on our behalf.

Our strategy since the beginning is that a church will have its foundation when there is a man or men who can be trained for leadership of that local church. Should God choose to bring in a man from outside of La Poza who already has some training or is willing to be trained, we are certainly open to that as well. At this point in the ministry here we continue to pray that God will raise up a man/men for leadership. This is the prayer that we’re asking you to devote yourselves to on behalf of the ministry here. So the prayer request is a simple one but one that we genuinely sense as crucial for the advancement of the ministry here. Lord, raise up a man/or men to come along side the Henrys who could be trained for leadership in a future church plant. That’s it. Pretty simple request, isn’t it. But ‘devoting ourselves to prayer’ is where the rubber meets the road.

These men we’re asking God for will be Mexicans with a heart for pastoral ministry. Last month we asked you to pray about a young Mexican believer named Tony who had moved to La Poza back in the summer. We were hopeful he might be someone who could be trained to work with us. Since our return from furlough in August, Tony has been living away from La Poza. There was no work for him here and so he’s moved to a city about 45 minutes from here. We saw him just last week when he came to visit relatives in La Poza. At this point it looks like he’ll be staying in the city. We’re confident that God has someone in mind. Until he comes along, we continue to sow the seed.

All we’re asking you this month is that you’ll devote yourself as you pray for the ministry here that God might bring those men soon.

Serving Together with You for His Glory,

Steve & Robin

Support: Central Missionary Clearinghouse/P.O. Box 219228/Houston, TX 77218-9228 http://cmc.missions.net/

Prayer Update

Comings and Goings

Since our last Update at the end of July we’ve traveled more than 6,500 miles and seen many of you in churches that we’ve visited along the way. We’ve visited churches and friends in Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Oklahoma. It’s been a great blessing for us to share with many of you firsthand what is happening in La Poza. We want to thank all of you for your hospitality and kindness that you showed us.

We’re anxious to return to La Poza and resume a somewhat more normal life with a routine that we’ve grown to love. Life really is different in La Poza. Oh, there are the obvious differences: different language, no flush toilets, salsa that actually has some kick to it and doesn’t taste like ketchup, etc. But there are other differences that may not be as obvious. One of the big differences is simply ‘pace’ of life. As we travel in the U.S. and ask folks, “How are you doing?” we’ll get a variety of responses but usually somewhere in the response will be a direct statement or at least an allusion to the business of life. “Oh, I’m just so busy.” “Tell you the truth, I’m burning the candle at both ends.” “I’m just so tired.” “I’ve got so much to do I don’t know how I’m going to ever get it all done.” By contrast, we don’t recall ever hearing a Mexican talk about how busy they are. That’s not to say that they are lazy or don’t have things that need to be done. They are hard workers and extremely industrious. Community is important. We’ve grown to appreciate that aspect of the culture. Another of life’s little differences is the abundance of choices that we have in the U.S. Don’t believe us? Go to the cereal aisle of your favorite grocery store. Cereal aisles in Mexican stores have Corn Flakes, Frosted Flakes, and a few other choices, but that’s it. Some restaurants we ate in while we were in the States had menus that can take you a half hour to read. The choices are endless!

Most of you know that while we live in La Poza, we still own a home on the border in Brownsville, TX. When we returned to Brownsville after 6 weeks of traveling up north we had a bit of a surprise before we ever went into the house. We had a utility trailer that we use in Mexico and when we have teams come from the States to La Poza. We normally leave the trailer in La Poza but because our visas had expired just before we went north, we had to leave the trailer in Brownsville. We had thought that leaving a trailer in our driveway might be a temptation to thieves but reasoned because a Brownsville city policeman lives right across the street (and his police van often sits in front of the house) and a Cameron county deputy sheriff lives about 4 doors down (and his police cruiser often sits in front of his house), everything would be fine. We were wrong. Sometime during our time away someone stole it. One of our neighbors told us he went to bed one night and the trailer was there and he got up the next morning and it wasn’t there. We’re thankful that there was nothing else taken and no damage to the house itself. Incidents like this are vivid reminders of 2 things: 1) we live in a fallen world; 2) the ‘stuff’ that we have is all temporal. It may rust out. It may wear out. Or someone else may take it. It’s only stuff but there are things of eternal value. That is where our focus should be. Jesus put it this way, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there our heart will be also.”

Praises and Prayer

We’ll be resuming Bible studies when we return to La Poza this week. We will soon be finishing a year long chronological study of the Bible in our Sunday afternoon Bible study. We’ll be starting another topic soon—possibly a study on “what is the church?” Pray for wisdom in teaching these important matters and that the people would be open and responsive to the truths of God’s Word.

A believing Brother in Christ recently moved to La Poza. Before we left in August we spoke with him about our desire to train nationals for leadership in any church that God might raise up in La Poza. He seemed very interested in what we were saying. Pray that we’ll be able to begin discipleship/leadership training with Tony.

In just a few weeks we will celebrate 3 years of actually living in La Poza. We have seen God answer many prayers during that time. We’ve had many opportunities to share the Gospel and have seen several folks come to faith in Christ. Our Sovereign Lord deserves all the glory for what has been done, what is being done, and what He will do in the future. We’re thankful for the opportunity to represent the King in this part of Mexico. And we’re thankful for the team of faithful prayer and financial supporters who have stood with us during these years. May God bless and use each one of you for His glory.

Anchored to the Rock,

Steve & Robin