“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2)
Dear Ministry Partners,
We greatly appreciate each & every prayer & financial partner God has given our family during these trying days in Mexico. Considering the times in which we live here South of the border, we earnestly desire your prayers in the same two areas Paul requested of the believers in Thessalonica:
- for the progress of the message, and,
- for the preservation of the messengers.
Progress
Despite rampant street crime & incessant warfare between rival criminal organizations, the Lord’s work continues. The ministry team David is on, which oversees mission safety & security was recently able to allow 2 families to return to their tribal work after a 2-year absence due to violence that forced them to leave.
Sherri’s ministry of helping teach Spanish to newly arrived missionaries has been progressing, too. We now have 2 more families who are finishing their 2 years of Spanish-language studies & are ready to start a new tribal work. They are in the process of discussing and praying with Field Leadership about where is best.
Praise the Lord His work continues despite the difficulties facing mission work in Mexico today!
Preservation
Mission work in Mexico reads like a chapter out of the book of Acts. Missionaries’ lives may be at risk from almost any aspect: accident, illness, bad weather, natural disasters or evil men. So far, 2011 has proven to be a year of challenges.
This year we have faced issues ranging from our missionaries being involved in minor traffic accidents to one having a van stolen.
Moving up the scale of seriousness, we have had to advise one tribal team to stay out of their work for a while due to the growing risk of violence in their area.
In addition, due to fighting between criminal organizations, we have had to warn all our missionaries living in one major city to stay close to home & not go out after dark due to unpredictable battles occurring throughout that city.
Prayer
The security situation is critical here in Mexico, & it takes a very focused concentration on events at hand to ensure that we are doing all we can to mitigate the risks so that we may continue to proclaim the Gospel as long as possible. But, physical danger is not the only risk we face. One of the ways Satan attacks missionaries is to distract them through finances, or more specifically, the lack thereof.
This is the case with our family. When we arrived in Mexico almost 3 years ago, we had 60% of the recommended monthly support. Then, many of our supporters were affected by the downturn in the oil industry & our support fell to 45%. Then in March, our sending church reduced our monthly support by $200 due to a lack of church finances.
To address this need, our plans are to return to the States over the summer & try to raise the additional support we need. Therefore, we earnestly desire your prayers on our behalf in this regard. In the meantime, God is in control and He is meeting our needs. Most importantly, His work continues with the unreached tribal peoples of Mexico!
David & Sherri
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Praise Reports:
- For the tribal teams who have been able to return to their works.
- For the new missionaries who are ready to start a new work.
- For the survival of our missionary who had a serious reaction to penicillin.
- For the Lord’s protection of our family & all of our missionaries in Mexico.
- For Autumn & Justin Bartron (daughter & son-in-law), arriving safely in SE Asia to begin their missionary career.
- For Bible studies with our neighbors who are showing growing interest & greater desire to know the Truth.
Prayer Requests:
- For our daughter, Bethany. She graduates from high school in June and plans to start New Tribes Bible Institute this fall. Pray for provision for her needs and perseverance in her preparation for this major life step.
- For opportunities to inform others about our ministry here in Mexico. If anyone knows of a church, Sunday School class, Youth or other group that would be interested in learning more about tribal mission work in Mexico, we would love to be put in contact with them.
- For increased financial support. If we had just 20 additional people or churches commit to give $100/month, we would be fully supported & able to focus 100% on the ministry here.
- For wisdom in arranging for David’s ministry to be covered while we are in the States this summer. The safety & security needs of the field require someone to be on call 24/7, monitoring the situation in 7 states & ready to respond quickly if a problem arises.
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