Happy Birthdays in la Anza

Yesterday we celebrated three birthdays together for those who have their birthdays in November.

Alma made the cake, some beans and a delicious salad for all to enjoy

Brother Francisco is a big help with the preaching and music with guitar for the meetings in la Anza. 

Jesus, Laura and their sweet granddaughter are the newest family to receive the Gospel and join the church in la Anza. 

Back and Busy

It feels good to be back, and busy bringing the Gospel to lost souls in and around Nogales

Those won and gathering in our little apartment in La Anza are continuing to grow, even to the point of needing more room. We are working with them to open their homes, and seek other homes to use to hold meetings as well. But on Sundays when we hold services to celebrate our Lord, and for the Sunday school for the children there just isn't enough room. Pray with us as we seek a larger place to meet.

It is exiting that the weakest and newest believers are the most active at sharing what they learn and inviting others. These new believers, Juana and Luz here showing off their new glasses we got from some friends in the Pacific Northwest have both been sharing their new faith with others. Luz has brought a neighbor named Jesus. This young man will be leading our Discovery Bible Study this coming Wednesday. 

First visits in the pacific northwest

Only weeks after heart bypass pastor Gunderson is heading to Spencer Creek Lutheran church to do a wedding! We spent an evening with them before heading up to Washington.

Our first couple week or so was spent in the parking lot of Atonement Free Lutheran church in Arlington. It was like being in a beautiful park. We are now (8/9/19) in a local RV park so that we can have running water etc. 

Last Sunday, the 8th, we shared and preached at my home church Elim Free Lutheran. It was great getting to know our new pastor Luke Emerson too. 

2019 Training Trip

After the annual conference of the Mexican Lutheran Apostolic Alliance (AALM), Alma and I spent a couple of weeks with each of our pastors and congregations in the Mexican states of Puebla and Sinaloa from February through May. Here are a few of the highlights.

While in the northern mountains of Puebla, we stayed with our dear brother pastor Floriberto and his family in Huahuaxtla.

Alma had a chance to learn the fine art of cooking Poblana style.

I was able to learn the fine art of fixing a wheelbarrow... with a big rock!

At the same time, we spent time with them teaching how to lead small groups to lead people to faith, make disciples, and start new churches. 

It was a lot of fun being able to teach a little more guitar to pastor Floriberto's daughter Andrea who I taught guitar to when she was just a little girl, now she has her own daughter. (I taught her with the little guitar Alma has)

Part of our practice time with the pastors was going out sharing the Gospel and then setting them up to continue discipling them afterward. This is a little village with no church at all called Chalahuico. 

                                                                                                                   

Pastor Flori and his wife Concita continue discipling Jose and Lupe, the first believers in Chalahuico

We also helped the congregation in Zacapoaxtla to begin new groups in homes as well. 

The Lord blessed us with a little 125 motorcycle to use while we were in the mountains so that we could get around a little easier. 

To be continued...

Conference Pictures Zacapoaxtla Puebla 2019

Link to Latest Prayer Letter January February 2019

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xoXkK_o0oyU2hA1j11YG6srNRB-BySc3X9O9CNUUAqs/edit?usp=sharing

Shooting in Nogales

See Breitbart News Article on Nogales shooting at the border.

Journey Missions at Triumph Lutheran Nogales

We had a great group of believers from St John Evangelical Lutheran Congregation at Schwer in Milford Illinois. Jon Nelson, the director of Journey missions worked to organize the project to replace to old roof with a metal roof. They enjoyed our warm weather of around freezing at night to the 70's in the daytime (note the T-shirts :-). God is good! 

Thank You Jon, Hiedi, Jeramiah, Quentin, Matthew, Ken, Robert, Austin, Andrew, Paul and Ruth. God bless you and reward you for your giving, serving hearts.  

There shall be showers of blessing. Ezekiel 34:26

"There shall be showers of blessing". Ezekiel 34:26

We had a wonderful time in Masiaca Sonora Mexico celebrating Jesus coming, and seeking Him as we welcomed the New Year. The church in Masiaca invited me to preach at the service that began at 9:00 pm and went until after midnight.

Our prayer is that the church be revived and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, and that the many unbelieving and uncommitted that were present would be convicted and come to the love of God that Jesus brought to us on that first Christmas. 

The trip back up to the border was exceptionally easy. I thing we were ahead of the rush because we came back on the first. Most of the tolls were closed, I think we only had to pay once (about $9), which was a blessing in itself. 

When we got home we noticed dust and dirt all over Alma's desk chair. Upon further investigation we noticed a hole in the ceiling and a hole in one of her notebooks. It was reminiscent of last year finding a bullet hole in the roof of our camper and a 45 slug on the floor. This time it was a 308 round! 

And that wasn't all, we had two more rounds through our roof. One through the front porch, the other into the kitchen. After patching the holes to keep water from pouring in, I went to the police station to report it. They said I was the tenth person to come in to file a report. One person had a round go through there car window. But no injuries. They said they even had a round go through their roof, all of which come from Mexico, just the hazards of living on the border.