February – March – April 2013
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” – 1 Thes 5:18
Have you ever struggled with that verse? I have – even more so in days since our last letter. Well, here goes…
PRAISE – Fractured Pelvis! – As many of you know, on the 31st of January I was riding my bicycle for exercise when suddenly a red nosed pit-bull charged from behind a stone wall and rammed the front wheel of my bicycle like a bull. In the ensuing crash I flew forward over the handlebars and landed mostly on my right hip. Praise the Lord that the dog did not attack me, as he whelped with pain and ran back into his property. To make a long story shorter, I ended up in the hospital and the x-rays revealed that I had fractured my pelvis in 3 distinct places. The largest fracture even tore the cartilage in my hip socket. Since we did not do an MRI we can’t be sure about muscle damage although my doctor is sure there was some. It has been nearly 90 days since the accident and I am finally to the point where I can put some weight on the joint and I can now walk with the aid of a cane. I am still not recovered completely and it will probably be a 6 month process altogether. Most days I do fine and most nights I am awakened with pain, although recently I have had a couple nights where I was able to rest without getting up. The doctor is hopeful for a full recovery and so am I!
So… Thank You Lord for allowing this in my life. Even though my personality is not suited to be sitting on the sidelines like I have had to do, it has given me a chance to rest and reflect on all the blessings the Lord has given my family and me. Many times in the past I have talked about furlough but circumstances seemed to draw me back to the field after just a few weeks. This time the Lord has forced me to rest and take this much needed time to recover emotionally, physically and spiritually. Please pray that the Lord would grant me a full recovery and that we would be able to continue to serve Him in the way He wants us to.
PRAISE – Iglesia Bautista “Castillo Mio” – Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua – Pastor Hugo has reported to me that although attendance initially dropped after we turned the work over to them they have been able to win new souls to the Lord and now the church is full again most Sundays. On Easter Sunday they were able to baptize several new converts and seem to be on the right track.
One of the exciting ministries this church has is a breakfast for the poor children that live close to the church. The drug violence has left many children orphaned and many mothers widowed without any regular income. Many children have little to eat. The church has been averaging between 30 and 50 children and mothers coming on Saturday mornings. They are fed a nutritious breakfast and then have a Sunday school type class with crafts and other fun activities. Many of the children and mothers have accepted the Lord and several are now attending the other services of the church. Please pray this ministry will continue to have fruitful results.
PRAISE – Juarez Campaign 2013 – Our two churches once again took part in this annual campaign to distribute tracts and gospel portions on the streets of Juarez as well as preach the Gospel in open air events twice each day. We were able to see many souls accept the Gospel message and many more heard or read the Gospel for the first time. We feel privileged to participate in the great campaign. Please pray that many more people would be saved as a result of this campaign.
PRAYER REQUESTS – Physical recovery for Tim and Pastor Angel Luna, Fruit that remains, More Laborers, Guidance and Direction, Protection
Looking for that Blessed Hope and Glorious Appearing!