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.