SURPRISE BABY GIRL!

Surprise baby girl!

Surprise, it's a girl!  Apolinar and Carla were told that their baby expected last July would be another boy to join the five boys they already have.  But they received a very welcome surprise when Carla gave birth to a beautiful little girl. They named her Cynthia.

We stopped at Apolinar's house carrying baby clothes, expecting to see another little baby boy, but we were shocked to see that the clothes we'd brought wouldn't be appropriate.  We'd brought little blue outfits with baseballs, cars and trucks and other distinctly male decorations on them.

Apolinar came home for lunch to spend time with Cynthia.

I had sorted out the pink ruffled things and added in the superman outfit and the workman styled undershirts.  They laughed at our confusion but said they'd make good use of the good warm sleepers and other items even if they weren't pink with ruffles.

Cynthia looks serious, but she's a happy well adjusted baby who loves to be held and cuddled by her big brothers.  Carla and Apolinar say they have been blessed by the Lord to have this little girl.

Carla and Baby Cynthia.

Little Cynthia is not accustomed to strangers and only allowed Lloyd to hold her for a few minutes before she decided she didn't like his glasses.  The instant her face began to show distress, Apolinar had her in his arms again trying to reassure her not to be afraid.

Carla's oldest son Carlos is now 19 and working in Mexico City, Rogelio is 18 and working alongside Apolinar in construction, Julio is 14, Esteban is 6 and Javier is 4 years old.  After years of raising boys, Carla is really happy they have this new female addition to the family. We join Apolinar and Carla in giving thanks to the Lord for Cynthia.

NUEVO PROGRESO UPDATE

The international bridge was full of traffic going through customs on our return into the United States.

November 29, 2014 marked our return to Nuevo Progreso for another season of working with our church and Pastor Gerardo and his family.  Unseasonably cold wet weather has provided challenges and many people have colds or the flu.  There is standing flood water in outlying areas from heavy tropical rain in the month of September.  But the church, the body of Christ, continues to grow stronger and continues to impact the city and surrounding area.

Nuevo Progreso has a new Delegado (mayor) who is very sympathetic to evangelistic churches.  The new Delegado met recently with the city's ministerial alliance where he shared his thoughts about his country's problems and how churches play a major part in solutions.  Nineteen pastors including Pastor Gerardo in attendance at that meeting gathered around the new Delegado to pray for him and his co-workers.

In August there was a huge march of evangelical Christians down the main street of Nuevo Progreso. Everyone was dressed in a red shirt and there were many colorful banners and lots of music.  Crowds of people lined the streets showing their approval.  The city has remained relatively peaceful all summer.  The general opinion is that this peaceful atmosphere is because of prayer and unity among believers.

Pastor Gerardo and his wife Miriam recently attended the Church of God assembly meeting in Monterrey, Mexico.  While there along with many other Church of God leaders, they heard statistics about how evangelical churches are growing rapidly and making a difference in Mexico.  November 28th, Church of God pastors from the state of Tamaulipis met at the church in Nuevo Progreso.  After the meeting, a meal was served by ladies of the church.

On our drive to the church we met our friend Pancho who lives near the church in Colonia Jardin.  He told us that he and Reyna lost another family member to the Rio Grande River.  Their daughter-in-law drowned while crossing the murky brown flooded river three months ago.  Their son Benjamin drowned in June.

Pastor Gerardo and Miriam travel to the nearby city of Rio Bravo each Wednesday where they have a church service in the home of Jose Luis, a member of the congregation.  The elderly mother of the family has been ill and since she isn't able to come to church, they take the church to her!  Several neighbors have joined the group and there were recently two who accepted the Lord as Savior.

There are many needs and there are constantly new challenges to the faith. Please pray with us for the city of Nuevo Progreso.

"And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."  2 Corinthians 12:9&10 NKJV

PRAY FOR VERA CRUZ

The ladies we met at the church in Vera Cruz.

Monte de los Olivos (Mount of Olives) is a small church along the coast in the Mexican state of Vera Cruz.  Even though it's been several years since we visited that church, we again sense the urgent need to pray for Pastor Benito Zamora and his congregation.  Pastor Benny told us that there are many who need healing in their congregation and in that town. He said that the state of Vera Cruz has more cancer victims than any other state in Mexico; and there are many other health problems.

An amazing series of events led us to Monte de los Olivos while we were distributing Spanish Bibles to churches throughout Mexico.  Late one night outside our motel room Lloyd heard music that sounded like praises to the Lord. Since we had been looking for small churches in that area, he was excited about visiting them the next morning. Because the music was so clear, he was sure it would be very near the motel. The next morning we left the motel and searched for blocks but didn't see a church of any kind. Not knowing what else to do and a little disappointed, we kept driving through that side of town until we found a pleasant little church called the Mount of Olives. A woman came walking down the street and we asked her for information. She offered to send for the pastor; and meanwhile she and some others who happened by got the key and opened the church.

Soon the pastor and wife showed up, out of breath with excitement and curiousity. When we told them about the music in the night, they confirmed that they had held a meeting the night before and had been singing together. But our motel was not near enough to have heard the music. Several others joined the group inside the church along with Pastor Benito Zamora and his wife Anita and we had a great time of fellowship and prayer together.

We promised to pray for their church and their needs, and before leaving we encouraged them to keep on singing those worship songs in the night!

Join us in prayer for Monte de los Olivos in Vera Cruz.

"He shall call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him."  Psalm 91:15

JOSÉ NEEDS A MIRACLE!

Jose and Lupita last May at the church in Nuevo Progreso.

José needs a miracle!  He needs a new lung!  For several years José has struggled to breathe because of the poor condition of his lungs.  He is on oxygen, but the oxygen tank he uses is an enormous four foot tank that is very heavy and is not portable.  And José loves to go to church!

To refill his large oxygen tank, José must get on a bus with the tank and travel to the nearby city of Rio Bravo.  Needless to say, this is quite a challenge.  José is taking medicine supplied to him faithfully by Life on the Border, the medical branch of our mission project.  But now he is bedfast and struggling for each breath.

José is in a critical condition, but no condition is impossible for the Lord to heal!

Jose receiving medicines for the problem in his lungs.

"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."  Jeremiah 33:3

RESCUE SOULS!

A gentleman in Mexico who needed prayer.

"Lord, direct us to the right place at the right time." That's the way we pray before crossing the border into Mexico; and one day we met a man from Guatamala at exactly the right time.

Because of extremely heavy traffic, we drove home by way of a different international border crossing. It was late and both of us were hungry, so Lloyd suggested we stop at the La Fe Cafe in Los Indios. And that's where we met the man from Guatamala.

La Fe was closing for the day and we were the last two people to be served when a man knocked and asked if he could come in. He then asked if anyone knew where he could find a church. There was a look of despair on his face, his shoulders drooped and deep lines were on his forehead. "I need to get right with God," he said emotionally.

Before long we were seated at the table talking with him. He had been to a doctor in Mexico because he felt so bad, but the doctor told him his problem was only depression. His name was Edwin.

Lloyd urged Edwin to repent and commit himself to the Lord right there in the La Fe Cafe. Holding hands and with heads bowed, we prayed with Edwin while he cried and begged the Lord to forgive him. There was a new look on his face after he had confessed his sins and prayed. "Now I know that if I die, I'll go to heaven," he said with relief. "Now I need to begin to work for Him, I can't go back to my old life."

Edwin said that he and his wife had separated and he had become involved in sinful things. Recently he had felt a hunger inside for something more satisfying and he had an urge to attend church. He felt sure that God caused our paths to cross at the La Fe Cafe that day, and that gave him a new assurance that God was in control. Edwin expressed the desire to take God's word with him into Guatamala, so Lloyd gave him some gospel tracts and urged him to begin sharing his experience with others.

Even after all the delays and all the heavy traffic, the Lord led us to Edwin at exactly the right time!

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL IN MEXICO!

Large crowds of children showed up for VBS, Vacation Bible School, each day.

Music, stories, fun and games!  This always attracts the children around the church in Nuevo Progreso and they came daily to Vacation Bible School.  The church was decorated with colorful balloons and artwork that went along with each day's theme.

Pastor Gerardo teaches a group of students a lesson from the Bible.

Every day there was a lesson from the Bible.  There were prizes and games to help them in the learning process.  The word Fe, which is faith in Spanish, is highlighted on the pulpit as the basis of these important lessons.

FAITH!  That was the theme for VBS!

The children acted out stories of faith from the Bible.

Even the smallest children got involved in acting out the stories, such as The Walls of Jericho.  Using his artistic abilities, Pastor Gerardo created many cartoon characters to illustrate the stories.

It's great to see children learning about what a great God we serve!

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."  
Proverbs 22:6

PRAY FOR THIS MISSION TRIP TO MEXICO!

A small child in Mexico.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS MISSION PROJECT:

Join a mission trip!  Everyone has a skill to offer.  There will be medical and construction projects.  Hep A and Enhanced Drivers License or Passport needed.  Must be 21 or over.

TIME IS LIMITED:  The trip is planned for October 11-18, 2014. $350 deposit due at registration and $350 due October 1st.  Lodging will be in Mission, Texas.  For more information about volunteering or donating to this project, contact LIFE ON THE BORDER, P. O. Box 33, Champlin, MN 55316.  Telephone 612-269-6895.  Or you may contact us for more information through this blog.

Be a part of something bigger than yourself!