Clarity October 2011

 UNITED STATES TRAVEL:

We have driven 25,742 miles (plus some flight miles) in 25 of the United States since January 1st — preaching, having meetings, commissioning new missionaries, praying, and sorting through the political upheaval in Mexico.  It has been a privilege for us to preach in many states and to challenge people to live the commands of Jesus.  We have also been able to see family and friends and are blessed by that.

PLEASE pray for Mexico.  The struggle and danger there is increasing.

BE QUIET AND LISTEN:

In January, I began struggling with my voice.  I could barely talk after preaching.  By March I had almost completely lost the ability to talk with any strength.  I had my voice checked and learned that I had two moderate nodules on my vocal cords and that if I continued to preach this condition would worsen.

I took the opportunity to respond to Jesus — He told me to rest my voice and listen to Him.  I spent 7 weeks not preaching.  My Momma told me all my growing up years, “Son, tone your voice down.”   I finally did that.  The Lord needed me to be quiet and listen.  It was hard to stop talking.  I got lots of glances from Audrey reminding me to be quiet…

The Lord began to speak to me during this time about the future of our calling and the transition that we are in.  This year we have gone from being church planting missionaries woking only in Mexico, to becoming responsible for the training of 8 new Mountain Gateway missionaries who are eventually headed to multiple countries.

I began to process where we are headed as a ministry according to the things that God has spoken to my heart over the past 27 years.

I wanted to make decisions.  I wanted to make plans.  Jesus spoke to me not to make either until October.

In late May we began traveling and preaching again and resumed our itineration schedule.

OCTOBER:

Normally, I walk with sharp clarity for the road ahead.  Not so this year.  Up until now, that is.

The growth of my spirit has been the subject of discussion between the Lord and me for 10 months… and it still continues.  I would not trade this!

In the last week, Jesus has really spoken clear direction for the months ahead and I have a growing expectancy in my spirit and soul concerning this!

22 years ago Jesus began to deal with me concerning training and placing missionaries in multiple countries.  I now see the next steps in that process as we move forward with the training of these 8 new missionaries.  Jesus is so faithful.

MEXICO REPORT:

Our mission in Mexico is expanding to include 6 more missionaries — 3 couples that currently live and work in Mexico.  They work in three states and have about 30 churches.  We are excited that Jesus is growing our efforts with faithful men and women!

We have reports of 170 souls saved so far this year in the area where we have lived and worked for the last 8 years.  What a wonderful thing it is for the work to continue while we have been away!  That is what we work for, for the Gospel to take root with native Gospel workers!

The floor has been poured for our ministry center.  The foundation is complete.  The steel for the structure is sitting in the workshop of my house in Mexico, awaiting on-site assembly.  I am through with the fabricating, minus a few details.  Jesus is faithful!

We have been going to a certain village for about 5 years.  We drive one hour, park, then cross a stream and hike up the mountain through the coffee plants.  It is a beautiful place.  Sometimes we can see waterfalls across the valley on the opposite mountainside.  For years the only people who attended church there was the one family and occasionally a neighbor.

We have prayed and prayed for the village to respond to the Gospel.  God has done dramatic miracles in the family there.  Their daughter was raised from the dead.  The wife was healed of breast cancer.  The husband was healed of a hernia.  The husband prayed for a boy in another town who was raised from the dead.  Yet, the neighbors clung to their idols.

This year change has come!  There are about 25 people from that village who go to church now.  That is a huge percentage of the village!!!  What a blessing it is to hear that.  We look forward to going back and meeting the new believers.

MORE MIRACLES:

The wife of one of our leaders had been bleeding for 20 days. The very next day, after our brothers prayed for her, her bleeding ceased.

There was a young couple in Mexico City who had just gotten married, but the husband shot the wife 2 times. She went into a coma for a month. A sister with us in our work asked for prayer for the wife, who was part of her family. The very next day she came out of the coma!  Jesus is alive!!

One of our new leader’s step-father-in-law, was demon possessed, and suffered with severe stomach pains. Our brothers prayed for him and God healed him.

Another leader prayed for a little girl who had sore and runny eyes.  He prayed and she got healed.

A pastor’s mom had pain.  She went to the doctors and they told her that they needed to operate on her to remove her womb. The brothers took her up to the town we live in after service one night, and got our believers there to pray for her. She is now healed, and faithfully attending services.

A lady healed of gastritis.

A sister from town had an electrician working on her apartments in Morelos who got electrocuted and died.  It was an accident, his fault, but she asked for prayer that the family would not sue her for the loss. To this date God has delivered her, and there are no problems.  Normally, there are big problems when these types of things happen, but Jesus has the power to interfere with cultural and legal norms!

One of our believers slipped and fell, and struck her head. She went months with terrible headaches. She went to the doctors to find out that she had swelling in her head. They wanted to operate because of swelling. The brothers prayed in the Mighty Name of Jesus, and now she is healed! 

There is no one like Jesus!

God bless you all!