Mountain Gateway

Clarity October 2011

Mountain Gateway — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:29:33 +0000

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!

August, 2011 Update

Mountain Gateway — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 07:12:53 +0000

We are excited to report to you that, in spite of the turbulent violence in Mexico, our gospel work there continues to move forward and to grow! Every week I get reports of new souls won to the Kingdom in our churches there. We are so thankful to God, and to you, for praying and supporting our continued work in Mexico, and as we advance with the plan of God for our lives. Pray for us as we seek God for His strategy for continued work there. Many thousands of villages remain without a witness of Jesus in them. We have much to do.

Pray for Mexico, wicked men strive to take control of the country and strap the people down in terror and fear.

The Lord is expanding the work we are doing and I’d like to give you some history of the call God has on our lives. To some of you it will be repeated information, but we want to make sure everyone knows what is going on.

From the time I was 11 years old, I have known with certainty that God called me to serve Him with my whole life. In 1984, when I was 19 years old, for the first time in my life, God spoke specific details to me concerning the life destiny that He had for me. He put my feet on the pathway that I am still on today.

In 1988, in Breckenridge, Colorado, while on our honeymoon with my bride, Audrey, I had a vision of pioneer missions work, which involved the recruiting, training, and equipping of missionaries in many countries of the world. I saw missionaries being trained and sent out to many countries.

In 1989, on the top of a mountain in the Yellowstone National Park backcountry, God spoke to me. He told me that He wanted me to train missionaries and take care of them and that we would place workers in many countries. He gave me the name Mountain Gateway.In 1997, God told me to follow David Hogan and I would arrive at what He had called me to do.On March 10, 1999, while at a church service in a remote village in Mexico, I had an open-eyed vision. I saw Jesus, and He brought me around the world and told me to find workers, and to help them stay on the mission field.In 2001, I had another encounter with Jesus having to do with His heart for workers and the lost. He told me to use my mouth to call workers to the harvest, and to use my hands to equip them.There have been many more encounters, pulling me forward….On Sunday, April 3 of this year, we commissioned the first five Mountain Gateway missionary workers. Three of them are currently learning Spanish in language school in Guatemala.

Please pray for them as they are now beginning a very difficult road.

I was overcome with tears on that day as I watched new missionaries make the decision to give up their lives as they know it. I was moved to tears as I reflected upon our own family’s journey to reach this point.

We have, at times it seems, been barely able to stumble our way forward. At every dark hour, the Lord of Light has ALWAYS shown Himself to be extraordinary in His intervention into our limited human reality. He is marvelous in how He continues to prove Himself eternally unchanging! All Glory be unto God Almighty, His Incomparable Spirit, and Matchless Son!

All the awesome things that God has done to this point in my life, and in the life of my family, has worked to move us across the threshold to begin what He so clearly spoke to me on the mountain in Yellowstone. When He spoke to me, I could not see the pathway forward. It unfolded one step at a time. I look behind, and I see clearly the path and God’s mark upon it.

After 27 years of following God, we have now begun!

We are blessed to have a relational partnership with Ross Parsley and his new church, ONEchapel. He moved from Colorado Springs, CO, in 2010 and started ONEchapel in Austin, TX. Our friendship with him began at our home church, New Life Church, in Colorado Springs, where he was the worship leader for 18 years.

Our office and administration headquarters are now in conjunction with OneChapel’s.

Please pray for us as we embrace this expansion from Mexico to the countries where the Lord will lead us to place missionaries.

We are not withdrawing from Mexico. We will continue the work there. We are expanding and and we seek God for His strategy in that. This is a long term, complex process and involves much prayer and fasting. We invite you to continue to stand with us as we move forward once again – out of the boat, onto the water!

December 2010

Mountain Gateway — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:38:06 +0000

December 2010

We hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! There is much to be thankful for! We had a traditional dinner and enjoyed a day off. We missed our Hannah, but were glad she was well taken care of by dear friends.

November was a full month. December will be as well.

SOULS SAVED

17 people gave their lives to Jesus in November.

PEOPLE HEALED

A lady with diabetes began to have complications in her foot. The doctors cut off two toes. The problem continued to get worse. She was put in the hospital. Believers prayed. The doctor was going to cut off more of her leg, then he changed his mind because – he couldn’t explain how – but her leg began to get better. Thank you, Jesus!

JACOB HAS STARTED DRIVING TO VILLAGES

Jacob began driving with Britt. This is exciting. He was nervous, because he has seen some crazy drivers here in his life, but he did great. He realized it isn’t that much different than driving in America – just lots more rocks and pot holes. He’s working furiously in school so he can be available to help Britt more.

A NEW TRUCK

Cristo Vive got a used truck for the work. It is a small Nissan and can haul about 20 people. It is a great blessing. Thank you to those of you who support us. Your support is going to work for the Gospel.

OLD LADIES

This month two very old ladies have received Jesus as their Savior. One is 111 years old. The other one isn’t exactly sure, but is between 110 and 115 years old. They both are alert and healthy. What a joy to be able to introduce them to Jesus. May they live their final years for His glory.

BASE RADIOS

We were able to put base radios in the houses of 4 of our main pastors this month. This is greatly improving our communication ability with them. Now they can call our home radio – and they can also talk with each other. They are excited. It is great to hear them speaking their indigenous language of Nahuatl on the radio. It makes us smile. Thank you for your financial support that buys this equipment.

We are seeing these pastors work more as a team and feel the responsibility of bringing the lost to Christ and training the believers in the Word of God.

OAXACA

Britt, took these 4 pastors to the state of Oaxaca. They visited a missionary friend of ours, Greg, who lives on the Pacific coast in southwest Mexico. For one of our pastors it was the first time he had ever seen the ocean. They all were amazed as they walked on the beach and saw the 10 foot waves.

Britt and the others went with Greg to different villages in the mountains where he has churches started. They drove hours to get to church and went to three different states. There are multiple thousands of indigenous who live in that area and few have received the Gospel. There are people that may have heard the Gospel preached in a crusade, but they have had no one to lead them and guide them and pastor them. Greg is going to partner with Cristo Vive, our movement here in Mexico, as he raises up local pastors in forgotten regions.

The men went to hard to reach places and showed evangelistic films and preached and encouraged the believers. They went right in the midst of danger, but Jesus took care of everyone. People blocked the road with boulders and had bad intentions. The guns they held were real. Jesus took care of the situation through the local pastor and our men were able to pass through safely. The churches there are in the middle of men of lawlessness – the very people who need Jesus. May the Gospel change their hearts.

On the return trip home, Britt took the pastors to Burger King in one of the cities they drove through. They had never been before. They didn’t know how to order so Britt ordered for them. They laughed and laughed at the ice coming out of a machine. They kept getting more. They were astonished that they could choose different flavors of soda from the same machine. It was a new experience.

They made lots of memories on that trip and returned encouraged to preach with more determination than ever.

PRAY FOR MEXICO

When we received our Asociacion Religiosa in Mexico City last July, the Sub Secretary of State addressed those who were gathered. He said that the country of Mexico has many troubles and that the greatest hope for change is not political or financial, but spiritual. He asked the men of faith to make a change in the hearts of the people.

What a true plea for help. In Jesus there is hope!!! We must go and tell the truth to those who do not know. Those who do evil shouldn’t be left alone, but brought to Jesus – He alone can change them.

After visiting Greg, our men went up the coast to Acapulco to pray for a sick lady and meet with a local pastor there. Acapulco is no longer the great tourist destination it once was. It is still beautiful, but fewer and fewer people go there. The pastor there was encouraged to see our pastors. He said that few Mexicans are willing to go to the remote areas of Mexico and he highly respects those who preach there. He would like to come and visit the work here and see what we do.

Please pray that the urban churches of Mexico will see the great need in the remote regions of their country and support the work here in prayer and finances. Those churches could easily help Indian pastors have their financial needs met so they can dedicate more time to preaching.

MEXICO IS STILL A MISSION FIELD

Some statistics say that Mexico is reached with the Gospel. This is not true. This country is full of idolatry, confusion, violence and death. There are some marvelous moves of God happening, but about 98% of all Gospel effort in Mexico is concentrated in the urban areas. There are about 30 million indigenous and marginalized Mexicans who live in this country and few missionaries go to the remote areas.

In the 13 years we have lived here, we have never met a missionary from another group who is focusing their work in the remote regions. We know there are others, but we are few. We know of about 20 missionaries, including ourselves, who focus their efforts in rural areas. In contrast, we know of hundreds who focus their work exclusively to urban areas.

It has been said by missiologists and missions strategists that it is a waste and inefficient to bring the Gospel to the rural areas because of the “urban shift”. The statisticians who study these trends have little real, on the ground, long-term experience, and they are not monitoring the return rate of these urban migrations. Our observations are that, while many leave village areas to work in urban centers, they almost invariably return to the land of their birth after being in the city for a few years.

The most dangerous people to the truth are people who are armed with information, but who have no real experience, or who’s experience in foreign countries consists only of trips in and out. They are almost all people who merely study statistics, and who do not live permanently in any foreign country.

There are millions forgotten, or mistakenly counted as “reached” in Mexico. Boards of men who have never entered the areas they label, have decided that if 2% of a language group reports getting saved, this constitutes that that language group is reached. They are counted as such by people who have never attempted to actually make disciples in geographically difficult locations in Mexico and other countries.

They sit in offices, staring at ambiguous numbers consuming limited finances, distracting resources and manpower from the task of our Great Commission. I wonder how many people they themselves have led to Jesus in comparison to the time and money they have spent trying to redefine the simple commission that we have: to preach, teach, and make disciples.

There is a trend to categorize Mexico as no longer a valid mission field, and that the work here is done. Mexico is, in many people’s minds, “reached”.

I have personally worked in 9 States in Mexico. What I see with my eyes, and hear with my ears, from living and working here long term, is not consistent with the idea that Mexico is reached. How can a country that is considered reached for Jesus, be the most violent place on planet earth?

Some efforts have listed that Mexico is over 94% Christian. This is simply not true. It is not even close. We will be called to account for ignoring our neighbors because of the efforts of ignorant educated men.

PRAYER NEEDS

~ The completion of our ministry center.

~ The purchase of housing for missionary students who will begin training with us in June of 2012.

~ That our support will double to match the increased growth need that is overtaking us.

~ Wisdom of God as we help new missionary recruits navigate surrendering their lives for Jesus.

~ Safety as we travel to the States in January to do a 3 month itineration. We have a very full schedule.

~ We are going to have a campaign in late December where the believers are going to give testimonies of how God has healed them and changed them. We cry out for new souls to be saved during this time.

We love serving Jesus!

Blessings,

Britt Hancock

October 2010

Mountain Gateway — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:11:49 +0000

Greetings from Mexico,

We have some great things that are happening here in Mexico right now. God is moving and the devil is mad.

It’s been awhile since we have written, so here’s a review of the past few months.

May:

Mostly in Mexico going to villages

Preached at New Life Church in Colorado Springs on the 30th

June:

Met with different pastors in CO

Preached at Denver United Church

Went to Austin to help two of the Parsley families get settled in their homes and we got a feel for the Austin area. This is where our home base for Mountain Gateway will be once we can get some land there. Please pray for that to happen. We will be functioning alongside ONEchapel, the church that Ross Parsley has started.

Was warned of lots of danger on the border with Mexico.

Was told of a vision someone had of us. Huge angels were going ahead of us to prepare the way.

Went into Mexico and was turned around because we needed more paperwork for a young lady that was going to stay with us for awhile in Mexico. We had to wait several days for the paperwork with her parents signatures to be expressed to us. Then when we went into Mexico they didn’t even ask for the special paperwork. We believe the Lord turned us around and kept us from danger. His angels were preparing the way.

A group from Castle Rock, CO came to visit. It was a great time with them.

July:

Because of some potential danger to our family, we had to leave Mexico earlier than planned. We were disappointed, but had to follow the path the Lord was placing in front of us. It was an emotionally draining time.

On July 8th, two of our brothers went to Mexico City and got the official paperwork for being a registered movement in Mexico. It is a MIRACLE! This process from the very beginning until getting the paperwork in our hands only took 7 months. It usually takes years. Our legal counsel told us it was the first time he had ever seen an indigenous man be the one to receive the paperwork. It was televised and was very formal. Our pastor was wearing his sandals made from tire rubber.

A video of Britt was shown at both Desperation youth conferences in CO. About 7,000 youth saw it. It was a call to missions and many responded. You can look at the video here on our blog site. The summer of 2012 we are going to start training up to 12 people to be missionaries.

God is adding new missionaries to our team. Please pray for this process!

We went to the woods for about a week to have some time alone to do school and for Britt to spend some time writing. The boys had a chance to ride their motorcycles. It was good.

August:

Hannah graduated from the Desperation Leadership Academy. It was a challenging and very rewarding experience for her.

We went to have a family prayer time in the wilderness. It was a great time as we hiked and prayed. The only bad thing was that David fell off a log and broke his arm.

We hiked up the mountain where the Lord first spoke to Britt in August 1989, about training missionaries and starting Mountain Gateway. And there we were, 21 years later, with our four children, praying together about the Lord’s plan for us. Once we got to the top, we split up and each went to pray alone for awhile. During that time, the Lord spoke to Jacob about preaching and working with us as a missionary. What a joy to have God speak to your son to serve God along side of you! It was an important time for all of us.

For the last part of the month, Britt went and did his final step of personal training. He did a BOSS course (Boulder Outdoor Survival School). He added to his abilities to survive in the wilderness and is better prepared to bring groups into remote places.

September:

Britt and Jacob took a group of men backpacking in the Wemminuche Wilderness for 5 nights. This group help men who are considering joining our team to become pioneer missionaries with Mountain Gateway. It was a time to get to know these men better and answer questions about missions.

Went to Austin for the official launch service for ONEchapel. It was a great day.

Invited to the revival in Mobile, AL to meet with the pastor and the evangelist. Doors opened to us to go to preach in England and Sierra Leone, Africa. We await God’s timing on making a trip. Jesus knows.

Home to Mexico!

So glad to be home and in our own beds.

Had to wash all the clothes. Mold and mildew. A big job. Glad for a washer and dryer. Had to clean the inside of the truck… bad mildew. Vinegar killed the mildew, but whew! the trunk stunk for awhile.

Go to many villages, preach, and hear of the miracles that have happened, and the problems that they are dealing with.

October:

This month two families and one more young man have told us they want to be on our initial team.

Since we have been home, 36 people have been born again. May the LORD give us all the ability to lead these people to be disciples. It’s about more than just praying a prayer.

A man was harvesting black pepper from a pepper tree. He fell 8 meters and dislocated his hip and knee. The doctors told him to just tie a plastic jug of about 10 liters of water to his foot and stay in bed for 6 weeks. He had been in bed for about 3 weeks. He was in terrible pain. The rope around his ankle was digging a sore into his skin. He couldn’t roll over. He was really bad off. One of our brothers went to pray for him. The man got saved. They cut the rope off of his ankle. That night the Lord touched him. He rolled over in bed. He began WALKING the next week. God is good!!!! He hiked down the trail the other day.

Another report — gangrene was healed in a diabetic’s foot and her sight is being restored. The doctors were going to cut off at the knee. They said her sore was spreading and incurable… BUT GOD!!!!! He did a MIRACLE!!! The other day we went to her house and she was in the kitchen making tortillas over the fire. After we ate a big meal, given to us to expresss their gratitude, we were talking about her healing. She took off her plastic shoe and showed me the bottom of her foot. The last time I was there, her foot was wrapped in bandages and smelled bad. This time she showed me a foot without blemish. Wow! God is GOOD!!!

Britt and some of our brothers went down into a canyon and were threatened. The men there said they are Catholic and don’t want the Gospel. Our guys were told never to go back. The machetes the men had were real. The big growling dogs were real. GOD was BIGGER than all of those things and protected them. We pray those people will change their minds and be open to receive the truth.

That same day a lady was being attacked by demons and was set free. When our guys got to the house, her mother was pouring water on her skin because she felt like she was on fire. The were tormenting her in many ways. She cried out for help and after about 30-45 minutes of prayer, the demons fled and she gave her heart to the Lord. We have gone to visit her again since then. She is still struggling. Please pray for her to be completely set free. They have to seriously decide to follow God and not have idols in their hearts or home.

Thank you for praying for us. We truly appreciate it.

We had some unexpected twists and turns this summer, but we see the Lord’s hand in all of it.

Our desire is to remain faithful regardless of the circumstances that surround us.

May God’s blessings overwhelm you as you seek Him.

The Hancocks

June 2010

Mountain Gateway — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:06:49 +0000

I have been amazed by the faithfulness of God in these last several months. I felt strongly impressed to walk to all of my services in the month of March.

There is something extraordinarily powerful about placing your feet on the ground that cannot be duplicated by any other medium of transportation for the Gospel Message. There are many tools for the transference of the Message, but no substitute for living the Truth among those you minister to. We are all called to be Messengers of the truth, and that far exceeds the mere passage of information. The Gospel has unstoppable power if we become the information written in the Book to those we are sent to.

Over a fourteen day period in March, we hiked 110 miles, accumulating over 48,000 vertical feet, as we walked every step from my house, to the villages where we had services and visits scheduled. In essence, we claimed by contact this territory where the Gospel has never taken root since the fall of man.

March saw 20 new souls make decisions to become disciples of Jesus. April, 81 people gave their hearts to Him. In May, we had 119 new souls. How amazing! Jesus has all power. Since March, we have opened 32 new villages with the Gospel. I have not seen this kind of advance since coming to Mexico in 1997. We are now teaching the Word of God in 52 villages, and the targets are growing.

Almost two years ago we purchased our first piece of property with plans to build a ministry center that could serve our needs simply. In February, we began the dirt work to prepare a building site for the installation of the foundation for a 42′x72′ multiple use structure. No walls, just columns, structural members, and the roof system. This building will serve to hold up to 2,000 indians as we utilize the blessing of having shelter from the sun and rain. In this area it can rain as much as two hundred inches annually. In May we completed the foundation and began the fabrication process with the steel. We are working toward a building dedication sometime this Fall.

In 1989 the Lord spoke to me that He was going to teach me how to train Missionaries to work in difficult areas of the world. In 1996, I moved out of the United States to begin the long and difficult process of becoming a pioneer church planting missionary. In 1997, I moved my family to Mexico, where we have been working villages ever since. All of that time, I have been becoming something I was not, in order to be able to one day disciple people into what it takes to minister outside their home culture.

We have carefully laid plans to launch a training school in the summer of 2012, for the preparation of a few people who will be willing to give up their lives in order to advance the Gospel in the target darkness.

The harvest is ready.

Many workers sit in a drunken stupor, intoxicated by abundance on every side. We must call them out of their inebriation, and into the glorious reality of Obedience.

Please pray with us as we move forward on several fronts. Ultimately, we will have a fully functioning Missions sending organization called Mountain Gateway. I have been called to recruit, train, place and pastor missionaries in multiple countries. Our move from Freedom Ministries was in pursuit of this calling. I have been on this determined path for 23 years.

Now I have substance to offer the process like never before in my life.