Christmas in Mascareñas

We had a good turnout for our Christmas celebration in Mascareñas yesterday. We visited most of the homes on our side of town, even some on the far side, and to our surprise some even came. It was sad that the regulars that we serve in their homes just couldn't come because of their health. Poor Cecilia just balled as I left here home. They just can't be very far from a bathroom to feel comfortable going. As you can see from the picture most of those who came were the children from our Sunday school.

I'll be home for Christmas

This is the first Christmas in as long as I can remember that we have been able to stay home. I remember one Christmas being on the road from Puebla to Mazatlan being pulled over in Guadalajara haggling with a police officer over how much we were going to have to pay him in order to not stay there until the court opened to pay the fine. So we're not complaining, in fact, I don't think I'd have it any other way this year. Especially when Rachel makes us a Christmas card that says, "I thank you for taking us into your hearts, I'm home. Merry Christmas." This is where we should be this Christmas. God bless you all, and have a Merry Christmas from, Darwin, Mary Ann, Gracie, Cesar, Rachel, Gabriel and Melina. 

Border Patrol Agent Shot and Killed North of Nogales

A shootout between border patrol agents and bandits in the rugged canyons near Mexico's border left one officer dead and a suspect injured, a union official said Wednesday, the latest outburst of violence along the busiest smuggling corridor into the U.S..
The killing in southeastern Arizona was a stark reminder of the complicated nature of border security: It was Brian A. Terry's job to turn back illegal border crossers, but he was apparently killed by bandits who prey on those same migrants.
"This is a sign that the politicians and bureaucrats are overly optimistic in their assessment that the borders are more secure now than at any point in our history," said T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, which represents 17,000 agents.
Terry, 40, was part of a team of officers whose job was to drop into hotspots, and quell the violence.
The shooting took place about 13 miles north of the border, near Nogales late Tuesday night, at the bottom of a flat canyon with scattered oak trees and knee-high grass. Rugged trails through mountains make the spot difficult to reach.
Terry was waiting with three other agents when a gun battle with bandits began, Bonner said.
Terry and the other agents came across a group of five people. There was no sign that they were hauling drugs, but two were carrying rifles, said Border Patrol Agent Brandon Judd, president of the local agents' union. Judd said he did not know what prompted the firefight.
No other agents were injured, but one of the suspects was wounded. Bonner said the wounded suspect was from Mexico, but the country of origin of the remaining suspects hasn't been publicly released.
Bonner and Judd said their accounts were based on information they got from agents in the field.
The Border Patrol and the FBI have refused to confirm the details of Bonner's account, beyond saying that authorities have four suspects in custody and are searching for a fifth. At a Border Patrol news conference on Wednesday, officials released few details.
Bandits have operated at the border for decades, robbing and sexually assaulting illegal immigrants crossing into the country.
The bandits stake out heavily traveled smuggling paths used by illegal immigrants and sneak up on them, pointing guns, forcing border-crossers to the ground and stealing all their valuables. Bandits, however, avoid run-ins with drug smugglers.
"You won't have much of a life expectancy if you play around with the cartels," Bonner said.
Terry, a former Marine  and Michigan police officer, was part of an elite squad similar to a police SWAT team that was sent to the remote areas north of Nogales known for border banditry, drug smuggling and violence.
"His dream all his life was to be a federal agent," Terry's sister, Michelle Terry-Balogh, 42, told The Associated Press from Flat Rock, Mich., just outside Detroit. "It was always 'I want to be a cop, I want to get the bad guys.'"
After he left the Marine Corps, Terry got a degree in criminal justice and then worked as a police officer in Ecorse and Lincoln Park, both in Michigan, she said. Terry joined the Border Patrol three years ago, and Terry-Balogh said he just loved it.
"It was his life," she said. "He said it was very dangerous but he loved what he did and wanted to make a difference."
She said Terry had focused all his life on his career, but had recently met someone special in Michigan and was hoping to have children someday. He also had planned to fly out Friday for a 10-day visit with his family in Michigan.
The last time an agent was killed in the line of duty was in September. Agent Michael Gallagher died in a wreck during a patrol in Arizona.
"It is a stark reminder of the very real dangers our men and women on the front lines confront every day as they protect our communities and the American people," said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. She said last October that the border was more secure than ever before.
Napolitano plans to be in Arizona on Thursday and Friday to meet with Border Patrol agents in Nogales and Tucson.
The shooting occurred in the Border Patrol's Tucson sector, the busiest gateway for illegal immigrants into the United States. Half of the marijuana seizures along the 1,969-mile southern border are made in the sector, which covers 262 miles of the boundary.
As the busiest illegal entry point for drugs and immigrants into the U.S., Arizona has become the backdrop of the heated immigration debate.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who has criticized the federal government's efforts to secure the border and signed Arizona's illegal-immigration law this year, said the killing reminded people of "the threats facing all who serve in protecting our state and nation."

We're growing

Wow, we're really growing! We got a call the other day about a brother and sister who really needs a home. It appears their father killed their younger brother, and they want to keep these two together. We are now the Jackson seven :-) and loving it. Pray our home be a real blessing and that Gabe and Rachel find their home in Jesus this Christmas.

Carlos came again to one of our house churches, and he didn't even say anything about the chainsaw. I must admit that I suspected he only came the first time to give a pitch for the chainsaw. But he brought his own Bible, and after the meeting, Jose and Chui said that he has really changed after spending six months in the Phoenix prison. Now I remember hearing about him, his wife Alma used to be a member of the church and asked us to pray for her husband in prison, which we did.

We only had six kids this week in Sundays school in Mascareñas. We had stiff competition from a "piñata" (birthday party).

We are planning our Christmas service in Buenos Aires for the 19th. Alfonso and I are trying to organise one in Mascareñas for the 26th.

Gracie's been home for a couple of days with a head cold/ear infection. Cesar is working hard trying to get his grades up. Melina is gaining weight.


Thank you all for your prayers, your fellow worker Darwin.

Quick update

It was very cold and windy this Sunday, therefore we only had six kids in Mascareñas. Continue to pray that all of the sick ones will get better soon. One of the parents of three of our Sunday school students visited one of our home churches on Sunday. He seemed to be very appreciative of what we're doing. He asked for prayer for a chainsaw as well to get firewood for heat. Pray that the Spirit of God will work on Carlos through His word and win the whole family.

Alfonso has had a bad ear ache this week. He has an appointment with the doctor, but it isn't until next week (so much for social medicine). We visited is oldest son, Alfonso Jr. who hasn't been to church in a long time. They are feeling the economic pinch pretty hard I guess. Says his oldest daughter needs shoes for school, and a laptop (she's in high school). We spent some time in prayer over these things, and especially for renewed spiritual life. Pray for this family.

Our little Melina is now eating now eating double what she was eating when we received her last week. As you can see Gracie has become a big help to her Mom and I. The only thing left for her to learn is to change the dirty diaper, she's not in any hurry to learn that part yet. :-)

   

Mascarenas Sunday school

Thanks to your prayers, we had a helper last Sunday for our Sunday school in Mascarenas. Also, one of the mothers came, who studied at our Bible school in Mazatlan while we lived there (Maria Santos). Her daughter has been coming for some time now. Funny how God works, the Bible story was about mary and martha, and how Mary chose the "better part," to sit at Jesus feet and hear His word. Maria's daughter said, "Mommy, you have two Bibles and don't read either of them to me." Pray for conviction, and that she might come back to a relationship with Jesus.

U.S. consular staff told to travel in armored cars in Nogales

Published Tuesday, November 9, 2010 9:26 AM CST

Citing “widespread violence” and “the threat of known drug trafficking activity throughout northern Sonora,” the U.S. Consulate in Hermosillo is requiring staff in Nogales, Sonora to travel exclusively by armored car in the Nogales Consular District.

The Nogales district stretches 600 miles from Agua Prieta in the east to San Luis Rio Colorado in the west, and about 60 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Sunday school Mascarenas

Not sure if we should ask for more prayer for the kids in Mascareñas because for the last two Sundays we've had eighteen kids. Almost too many for a couple of old guys to handle by ourselves. Alfonso, bless his heart, really try's to help, but at 78 he can only handle so much. So, we need prayer for helpers, preferable from Mascareñas.

The economic crunch continues to affect both sides of the boarder hard. I still take cases of beans and dry sups across to help those who ask for food, but it's getting harder to take enough.  

Mary Ann says they still have no turkeys at the mission for Thanksgiving, but they are hoping and praying some come in. I don't how many they need, but I do know that there are a couple of hundred people who come from across the line.

Pray for Nogales

Three brothers from Rio Rico were in fair condition at a Tucson hospital on Monday, a day after they and a Nogales, Ariz. man were shot during an early-morning attack in Nogales, Sonora that left an off-duty police officer dead. “According to preliminary investigations, they were chatting with two people – one of them an agent of the municipal police who ended up dead – when various unknown people apparently arrived and shot them.” Nogales, Sonora has seen unprecedented drug-related violence in 2010, with more than 180 murders tallied so far on the year. Last weekend, three people were killed and another 12 were injured.

See entire article

Sunday 9/26/10

A couple of prayer requests: On our visits we had the opportunity to talk to Vidal and Jasmin as they were washing the mud off their car. Vidal said that his uncle visits our church now and then. He said that he wasn't sure of where he'd go when he dies, Jasmin said she was sure she'd go to heaven. I asked her how she was sure, she said that she was a good person. I assured them that we had good news for them and asked permission to share in about five minutes what the Bible said about how to be sure one was going to heaven. They said OK, and we shared what the commandments said concerning sin. They both agreed that we are not good people, and do not deserve to go to heaven. Then we shared the Good News what Christ did for us and what He wants to give us. Pray that they both receive Christ. 


Also pray for Hector who came to church on Sunday. He hasn't come for more than five years. I used to disciple him when we were here in Nogales briefly before we left for Sinaloa. He said he hadn't been attending any church since then, but that he wanted to begin again. 


Thanks for praying.

Dear E-mail Prayer Partners

"Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer." John Bunyan

Kind of a scary morning with our brother Alfonso. Everything was good while making our morning visits into the neighborhood, it was after the service that I really noticed that he wasn't right. He said that he has eaten breakfast, but it was obvious by the way he was acting that he hadn't. So I quickly got him a coke, made some beans and heated up some tortillas and he was soon his usually jolly self. That diabetes is nasty stuff.

We have kind of adopted another one in Nogales. No not another kid, but a lady in the Buenos Aires neighborhood who just about died from not eating right, or rather at all. She's about 70 I figure and as thin as a rail. This economic crisis is definitely effecting the elderly the most here on the border.

Our Sunday school in Mascareñas is still going well. It varies from three to sixteen on any given Sunday. Alfonso really enjoys working with the kids, and they really like him. Yesterday during the singing he was playing air guitar by my side while singing. I asked if he wanted to use mine, and he said no, that his doesn't go out of tune. And of course all the kids laughed. We really have a good time with them, and they are so eager to learn and participate in the stories and memorization of Scripture etc. We thank God for the Giles work that we are able to use for them (take a look).

There continues to be more and more interest in music, especially in learning the guitar among the youth in Buenos Aires. We have been rounding up old guitars, gluing them back together, stringing them up so that they'll have something to use. We're really hoping that out of the bunch, a few will develop into a group of worship leaders. We are praying that God will move one or more to become interested in serving the children out in Mascareñas.

The cartel wars on the border seem to continue the same. There are killings here in Nogales just about every day. The police presence has been especially high these days because they are celebrating 200 years of independence and 100 years since the Mexican Revolution.

Things on the home front are doing well. Cesar has healed from having staples in his head from a cut he received while playing. Gracie is getting straight A's in school. Mary Ann loves working at the Crossroads rescue mission. I continue to find people just about every week in Mexico who have been touched by the mission and thus opens doors for me to share with them about why we do what we do.

Thank you all for and with us that God will continue to open doors, and that men, women and children here might pray and thus "cease from sin."

Your fellow workers,

Darwin, Mary Ann, Gracie and Cesar.

August 2010

Dear friends in Christ,

Here we are in the middle of summer and monsoon season. Monsoon actually means “season” so we are really saying season season! We pray you are well in all regards. We hope this brief update will edify you in some way. Thank you for praying. God bless you!

Praise for our trip to the mid-west to visit the World Mission Prayer League and the Association of Free Lutheran Churches. We spent a week with WMPL missionaries at Hunky Dory in Wisconsin. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and fun. The kids loved VBS and swimming. Cesar entered the 'Swim Across The Lake”
and made it in good time without a life preserver. Mom didn't know that fact until afterward! Darwin was privileged to be one of the speakers at the AFLC conference at Medicine Lake, Mn. We thank God for times likes these that He blesses us with.

Praise for the Sunday School class Darwin and Alfonso have in Mascarenas. None of the parents attend church so they are going after the next generation. Please pray for this small ranching community. Most have some kind of involvement in drug trafficking. May God rescue them from their addictions and greed.

Praise for a successful VBS in Buenos Aires. There were lots of kids and lots of help! May there be eternal fruit from the labors.

Prayer for Pastor Antonio of Buenos Aires. He is going through some kind of medical condition but won't say what it is.

Prayer for our kids as they have started school. Grace is in 4th grade. She has an awesome teacher who is a candidate for teacher of the year and Cesar is in 6th grade so is now in middle school. They both have tender hearts and love Jesus, but it can be rough for a Christian in the public schools. Thank you for your prayers for them.

Prayer for Mary Ann. She deals with men just out of prison, mentally challenged people, men in the recovery program and so many people with different needs. Prayer for wisdom, spiritual and physical strength as she serves at the rescue mission. She really loves her job and thanks God for the opportunity to serve Him in this capacity.

Praise for each of you. Thank you for partnering with us in prayer and support because by it we are encouraged in heart and united in love. God bless you for your faithfulness to the Lord and may He keep you in all of your ways.

Thank you for your continued prayers for the border situation and our safety. Only two miles separate us from all the drug cartel violence. Things are getting worse, not better as the cartels and police battle it out. The new chief of police just resigned after 9 months of office, his predecessor was gunned down by the cartel. Pray that good will overcome the evil!


Darwin & Mary Ann Jackson, serving in Mexico with the World Mission Prayer League and AFLC
1071 N. Royal Rd.
Nogales, Az. 85621
(520)287-9097

Chief says police won’t back down to cartel threats

Nogales police are taking extra precautions, including wearing firearms while off duty, after a Mexican drug cartel threatened retribution against officers who bust smugglers while out of uniform.
As was first reported Friday on the NI website, Police Chief Jeffrey Kirkham said the threats came after off-duty officers surprised marijuana smugglers about two weeks ago while riding horseback in an unincorporated border area east of town.
The officers seized part of the drug load, but the smugglers were able to flee back into Mexico.

"The Nogales Police Department will not be intimidated.” Jeffrey Kirkham, NPD chief ADVERTISEMENT

“As a result of that,” Kirkham said, “our officers have received threats from the cartel that they are to look the other way if they are off-duty, or they will be targeted by a sniper or by other means.”
In the past, analysts say, a direct threat against U.S. police officers would have been uncharacteristic of the Sinaloa Cartel run by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, which controls the trafficking routes along the Arizona-Sonora border. But in early 2009, at a meeting with cartel associates in Sonoyta, Sonora, Guzman reportedly ordered his traffickers to use deadly force to protect loads passing through U.S. territory.
George Grayson, professor at the College of William and Mary and author of the book “Mexico: Narco-
Violence and a Failed State?” said the 2009 directive marked a shift for Guzman, who had traditionally sought to portray himself as a benevolent godfather-type who didn’t go out of his way to harm people.
Grayson said the threat against the NPD, assuming it wasn’t a hoax or a local hooligan popping off out of turn, was the first time he had heard of a direct threat against a local U.S. police force emanating from Guzman’s territory. Since it might have come as a result of Guzman’s directive, he said, the threat should be taken seriously.
“(Guzman) is not one who just shoots off at the mouth to get recognition,” Grayson said.
Howard Campbell, a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso who studies drug violence in Ciudad Juarez, said that while drug traffickers in his area have often expressed anger at federal law enforcement, they have generally left the local police alone. Mexican officials have suggested that the March killings of three people associated with the U.S. Consulate in Juarez came after one of the victims – a corrections officer at the El Paso County Jail – mistreated drug gang members at the jail. But the El Paso County sheriff has challenged that theory, Campbell said.
Like Grayson, Campbell said the threats against the NPD should be taken seriously, especially if they are coming from the Guzman organization.
“On the other hand,” he added, “tactically it would not be a smart move by the cartel to carry out such a threat since it would incur the wrath of U.S. law enforcement.
“The bottom line, though, is that such threats are themselves acts of aggression which require that U.S. authorities take necessary precautions,” he said.
Kirhkam said that in addition to authorizing his officers to take extra precautions while off duty, he has also notified the Border Patrol and other federal law enforcement agencies of the threats. The agencies responded by stepping up manpower and surveillance in the area where the off-duty bust occurred, he said.
But Kirkham said the NPD would not back off in its enforcement efforts.
“The Nogales Police Department will not be intimidated,” he said.
Kirkham said the threats highlighted the need for more federal law enforcement at the border.
“This has nothing to do with SB 1070 or illegal immigration,” he said, “it has to do with narco-trafficking and the violence of the cartels.”
Santa Cruz County Sheriff Antonio Estrada said he was unaware of similar threats being made against his deputies.
“They seem to respect an officer who’s doing his job,” Estrada said of the cartels, “but when you do it as a civilian, they really take offense.”

Jacksons E-mail Prayer Letter 7/6/10

Dear E-mail Prayer Partners

"Pray, and let God worry." Martin Luther
We had an absolutely wonderful trip up to Wisconsin for Hunky Dory. Even though we only had a day or so of sunshine, the Son shone on all of us. We shared at the AFLC conference and seen many many of our dear friends that we hadn't seen in years. Mary Ann had hoped to make a couple of stops on the way home, but after we got pelted by golf ball sized hail, breaking all the plastic vents on our little camper, and denting in all over, plus the tornado warning in every county around us, she decided she'd rather go strait home .

Sunday out visiting in the neighborhood and we (Alfonso and I) ran into a lady who acted like she knew me. It turns out that she visited the rescue mission last week and heard me preach. We have visited her house before and talked with a young man by the name of Victor. Pray that we might be able to win Dehlia and Victor to Jesus and to the Church.

We have a whole bunch of kids that seem to be interested in Sunday School with Alfonso and I. No one has been working with the kids for a long time now, so they are hungry. We are hoping this my renew the adults interest in their relationship with Jesus and give us an "in" with unbelieving parents.

Continue to pray for peace along the border. I guess the cartel are threatening our police officers here in Nogales with sniper fire if they interfere with their drug running etc.

Pray for our brother Pastor Antonio. I guess he still isn't feeling so good as far as his health is concerned.

Thank you all for praying, leaving the burden with God, so that He can worry about it. Your fellow workers,

Dear E-mail Prayer Partners

“In no other way can the believer become as fully involved with God’s work, especially the work of world evangelism, as in intercessory prayer." Dick Eastman
      
I haven't been too worried about all the fighting going on between the cartel and the police so far. I just watch myself, do what the police and military say and go about my business (or the Kingdom business). But when they posted this banner in town because of our new law allowing police to uphold the federal law, it does cause me to look over my shoulder a bit more. 

Pastor Antonio and his wife Amalia flew to Toluca (north of Mexico City) to visit their daughter Ana last night. Please pray for their travel safety, a good and healing visit with Ana, for her pregnancy and for the Church here in Nogales with their absence. Brother Alfonso will be preaching this Sunday and teaching the Bible study on Wednesday.

Alfonso and I had a great visit with three guys in our neighborhood with Octavio, Tomas and Javier. Octavio has been going to church now for about three months and the other two have just started, yet none of them had assurance of salvation, nor could explain to us how a person can receive eternal life. It was really awesome when afterward the two younger guys Tomas and Javier were able to explain why a person cannot be saved because of his good works, but by trusting Christ and receiving Him as Savior and Lord. They got it! Pray with us that God continue to work His word in their lives.

We are preparing now for a vacation trip up to Wisconsin to spend a week at Hunky Dory. Lord will we will be leaving on Tuesday the 1st of June. Afterward we will share at the AFLC conference on the 16th at Medicine lake, Mn. We have been looking forward to this for a long time. Cesar is counting on winning the canoe race this year, watch out Chris :-).

Please pray for Mascarenas. Really a strange thing, the only believers who want to meet are the shut-ins who can't leave. All the others do not. The shut-ins are talking to their neighbors and inviting them to come to the meetings now. Pray for new people to come.

Thank you all for "becoming involved" in the work here along the border through prayer. You are so appreciated,

Letter to E-mail Prayer Partners 4/28/10

Dear E-mail Prayer Partners

"Pray for prayer- pray till you can pray." Charles Haddon Spurgeon

What did the Mexican fireman name his two sons? Hose-A and Hose-B. Get it? Jose...I know, not so funny. Anyway, I thought of that after leading two men visiting from Sinaloa to Jesus on Sunday with Alfonso, and both of them are Jose.

We received the following letter from the Nogales Consulate: "The U.S. Consulate in Nogales wishes to advise American citizens that a protest is scheduled to occur in front of the Consulate building. We remind American citizens that demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence." Pray for peace. (I pasted the whole letter on our blog)

Pray for Mascarenas as we continue to try to work with our brothers and sisters to re-open the church. We did so on Sunday with a lot of encouragement, but pray they themselves desire to do so from a heart after Christ. We continue to work in the homes of those open to us (Chuy and Jose; Cesilia and Jesus).

Pastor Antonio and I continue to meet for study and prayer about how to implement T&M to our congregation in Buenos Aires. Pray for wisdom as we move forward. Our goal is to multiply workers and congregations.

Pastor Antonio's daughter Elizabeth and her fiancé Edgar are getting married on the 9th of May. Pray it be a great day of celebration for them and the congregation.

We thank God for all of you, you are an answer to prayer, "pray for prayer."

Your fellow workers,

Darwin, Mary Ann and Gracie Jackson

U.S. Consulate issues warning in Nogales

U.S. Consulate Nogales issued the following Warden Message on April 26:

The U.S. Consulate in Nogales wishes to advise American citizens that a protest is scheduled to occur in front of the Consulate building at 2:00 P.M. on Monday, April 26, 2010.  We remind American citizens that demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. American citizens are therefore urged to follow local media reports about planned or spontaneous demonstrations connected with the recently passed Arizona immigration law.

In the event you find yourself in an area where a demonstration is occurring, you should take the following security measures:

1. Be prepared to follow all directions from police officers. This includes not entering closed areas, changing your direction of travel, or clearing streets.

2. Avoid potentially hazardous situations. Do not attempt to walk through a crowd because your destination is in the middle or just on the other side of the group. 

3. If threatened, do not engage. Move to the closest secure location (store, lobby, etc). Call the Police (066) and immediately and report your situation.

Sister City Seeks Federal Aid After Killings

The mayor of Nogales, Sonora was scheduled to be in Hermosillo on Tuesday, where he and the state’s federal legislators planned to call on the Mexican government to dispatch reinforcements to the border city after its deputy police chief was gunned down last week. Mayor Jose Angel Hernandez Barajas said at a news conference Friday that he and legislators from all political parties would form a “common front” to demand that the Federal Preventative Police (PFP) and Attorney General’s Office (PGR) send more manpower and materiel to help fight organized crime in Nogales.Hernandez Barajas called the murder last Thursday of Deputy Police Chief Adalberto Padilla Molina and his bodyguard Ivan Sepulveda Espino a “direct attack against the municipal government.” He said the city’s officials would have to be more vigilant, that the municipal government needed more security equipment such as armored cars, and that local police patrols should be reinforced by the Army. “Operation Padlock,” an effort that saw federal, state and local police patrolling Nogales with military support in early February, showed positive results, Hernandez Barajas said. But the rapid reassignment of federal forces to other violence-ravaged cities “has opened new breaches for organized crime,” he said. At the same time that Hernandez Barajas was calling for federal aid on Friday, he also called on the people of Nogales to avoid panic and continue with their daily lives. On Saturday afternoon, the city’s downtown bustled with activity. Park benches were filled, food vendors did a brisk business, and several busloads of teenagers led a religious procession down a main avenue.
“In Juarez, everyone is so afraid that they don’t leave their homes,” said Jose Angel Villalobos Rico, 39, who runs the El Idolo handicrafts shop with his father Jose Angel Villalobos Coronado. “If the majority of people here were afraid, the streets would be empty. We haven’t got to that point.”
By Jonathan Clark
Published Tuesday, March 30, 2010 9:59 AM MDT

Latest Prayer Letter

Dear E-mail Prayer Partners

"When the devil sees a man or woman who really believes in prayer, who knows how to pray, and who really does pray, and, above all, when he sees a whole church on its face before God in prayer, "he trembles" as much as he ever did, for he knows that is day in that church or community is at an end." R. A. Torrey

An exiting bit of news and pray request for Elizabet and Edgar, they have announced their engagement to be married in May. Elizabet is Pastor Antonio's daughter, and Edgar is the young man who plays the guitar with me in Buenos Aires.

Praise God for answered prayer for Alfonso (who I work with), he has been without work for a long time. But a guy who worked with me to build a retaining wall at our house to protect us from the monsoons, got a job building another wall and he linked up with Alfonso and his two sons who have been without work as well. So that is a really big blessing.

The battle still rages along the border. The latest is another high ranking police officer assassinated, the deputy police chief. We have had two different short term mission teams scheduled to come, one in April, the other in May. But because of all the violence both have decided not to cross the border. Pray for peace and that the government might get a handle on this that we "may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." 

It looks like our brother Milo out in Mascarenas has had a job change, so he may be with us on Sundays to help with the work there. This would help to set Alfonso and I free to make more visits to the homes that we have wanted to do.

I've had some good visits with a hard nut in Buenos Aires. He seems to be cracking and really changing his tune. Even opening up and sharing some of his personal hurts. Like his oldest son who is in prison here in Nogales. Pray for Jesus (or Chuy), that we may continue to meet and that he might receive Christ as Savior and Lord.

Thank you all for causing the enemy to tremble seeing his end, your fellow workers,

 

Darwin, Mary Ann, Gracie, Cesar and Sykari

Pray for peace as short term missionaries plan to work on the border

Pray for peace on the border. We are hoping for a couple of groups soon, one in April, the other in May. So far I have not been a target, but not sure we can ensure the safety of a group wondering around the streets. Here is the latest from the Embassy..."The Department of State has issued this Travel Warning to inform U.S. citizens traveling to and living in Mexico of concerns about the security situation in Mexico, and that it has authorized the departure of the dependents of U.S. government personnel from U.S. consulates in the Northern Mexican border cities of Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros until April 12.  Family members of US Government personnel assigned to other areas of Mexico outside the Mexican border states are not affected by this departure measure. This Travel Warning supercedes that of February 22, 2010, and announces the authorized departure of some dependents and updates security incidents.
Some recent confrontations between Mexican authorities and drug cartel members have resembled small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and grenades.  Large firefights have taken place in towns and cities across Mexico, but occur mostly in northern Mexico, including Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana, Chihuahua City, Nogales, Matamoros, Reynosa and Monterrey.  During some of these incidents, U.S. citizens have been trapped and temporarily prevented from leaving the area.  The U.S. Mission in Mexico currently restricts its U.S. government employees’ travel within the state of Durango, the northwest quadrant of the state of Chihuahua and an area southeast of Ciudad Juarez, and all parts of the state of Coahuila south of Mexican Highways 25 and 22 and the Alamos River.  This restriction was implemented in light of a recent increase in assaults, murders, and kidnappings in those three states."

3/10/2010 Prayer Letter

"I saw something today which affected me more than anything I ever saw or read on religion. While the battle was raging and the bullets were flying, Jackson rode by, calm as if he were at home, but his head was raised toward heaven, and his lips were moving evidently in prayer." (Re: General Stonewall Jackson, recounted to Chaplain William W. Bennett. America's God and Country)

The Anderson's and us may get to practice Gen. Jackson's technique as the "battle rages and the bullets are flying" here in Mexico. The two latest notices are close to home. "Canadian tourist Ivet Wait was shot in his left leg March 4 during an attempted carjacking in a trailer park frequented by international tourists in Mazatlan, Sinaloa state." and "Large firefights have taken place in towns and cities across Mexico, but occur mostly in northern Mexico, including Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana, Chihuahua City, Nogales, Matamoros, Reynosa and Monterrey." Krista wrote me "There has been a noticeable increase in crime in the last month or so. You can tell more by the nervous energy that everyone seems to have than anything else. We had a shooting about 100 yards from our apartment one weekday at 10am, and a few of the youth in the church have been robbed, gun shots and sirens are now more noticeable too." Pray for peace and calm in Mexico.

Pastor Antonio opened up and shared in a sermon his broken heart for his oldest daughter who met a man on the internet, went to visit him (near Mexico City), and is now pregnant living with him. Please pray for Ana, the young man, as well as her parents Antonio and Amalia.

Dan and Leonie Gomez were here for a week or so with a group from Canada to put a roof on the pastoral house in Mascarenas. The plan on coming back next year to start on the interior. The Gomez are now in Mexico City visiting with family before the fly back to Canada. Pray for a joyful visit and safe travel.

The cold weather has made our visitations a little slow these days, but the work in the homes in Mascarenas is going well. It seems Ciria and her husband Juan are not getting along, so we may not be able to continue our Catechism studies with Alonso. Pray for healing and a continued open door with this family.

Mary Ann has been struggling with a stress related headache for several days. Pray for that wonderful "calm" that comes in the midst of the battle. Your fellow workers

Border violence

Pray for peace along the border: This the latest post from the U. S. Department of State."violence in the country has increased...avoiding areas where prostitution and drug dealing might occur...Some recent Mexican army and police confrontations with drug cartels have resembled small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and grenades. Large firefights have taken place in towns and cities across Mexico, but occur mostly in northern Mexico, including Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana, Chihuahua City, Nogales, Matamoros, Reynosa and Monterrey. During some of these incidents, U.S. citizens have been trapped and temporarily prevented from leaving the area. The U.S. Mission in Mexico currently restricts non-essential travel for U.S. government employees assigned to Mexico within the state of Durango, the northwest quadrant of the state of Chihuahua and an area southeast of Ciudad Juarez, and all parts of the state of Coahuila south of Mexican Highways 25 and 22 and the Alamos River. This restriction was implemented in light of the recent increase in assaults, murders, and kidnappings in those three states."

Thank you for praying

Prayer for safety in Mexico

Canadian tourist Ivet Wait was shot in his left leg March 4 during an attempted carjacking in a trailer park frequented by international tourists in Mazatlan, Sinaloa state. Three armed men reportedly attempted to take control of Wait’s vehicle, and Wait was shot in the left leg after putting up mild resistance. Wait was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The following day, several reservations were reported to have been canceled and six foreign tourists that were staying in the trailer park reportedly left abruptly after learning of the incident. Much of the recent violence in Sinaloa has not been between warring cartels but between local gangs of car thieves who are capitalizing on the weak security environment resulting from the cartel wars. While some of these gangs have ties to the larger cartels, this particular incident highlights the risks to foreign nationals and tourists throughout Mexico, but primarily in areas frequented by vacationers on the coasts ahead of Spring Break.

As Spring Break season goes into full swing this week, there has been an increase in travel warnings from a variety of universities, states and the U.S. government warning college students of the degrading security situation in Mexico. While the violence that has grabbed headlines throughout Mexico is largely associated with warring cartels, more common crime such as express kidnappings, robberies and vehicular theft also have been increasing. Tourists visiting Mexico are far more likely to fall victim to these kinds of crimes rather than to be targeted by the cartels. The cartels have traditionally regulated and controlled street crime in the tourist regions of Mexico. However, as of late, the cartels in control of these regions have shifted their focus to battling rival cartels and the Mexican government elsewhere, which has led to an opening for local gangs and an increase in street crime.

It should be mentioned, however, that with the escalation in conflict between cartels, the likelihood of encountering a firefight is increased and the risk of collateral damage is higher than normal for the region. While the risk is still relatively small, visitors to Mexico should be aware of their surroundings at all time.