We in the U.S. have already become so jaded to the massive violence and death in Mexico that news from there hardly makes our TV and newspapers anymore, unless scores of bodies might be found in some remote and desolate area. But when we do see a photo of a nameless Mexican lying on a city street, it should convict us that we as Christians have failed……..failed to bring the Gospel to all of Mexico. In all probability that photo depicts another soul sent to an eternity without Christ, someone who never heard the Good News

We of the Mission are not stepping back from our commitment to reaching as many souls in Mexico for Christ as strength and resources allow.

Annual January mission building trip For fifteen years, always in the winter, we sponsored an annual building trip to Mexico. Those were fruitful trips, resulting in church buildings being erected, others enlarged or modernized, and volunteer workers returning with a new vision for serving the Lord. Then, in 2010, and again this year, the Mission board felt that it was too unsafe for tall, light-skinned gringos to be taken into an environment where they might stand out as easy targets for robbery or shooting.

Though the environment has not improved, our determination has been re-ignited. We’ve made the decision to resume the annual building trips, this time in this coming winter of 2012. A very select group of 5 or 6 skilled volunteers will fly into Mexico, as inconspicuously as possible. The focus will be on completing construction of the Ministry Center. The roof is on this building, and what remains is to make it a useable sanctuary for the Gomez Palacio church, which Tony pastors. This winter’s project would put up the steel and translucent walls, thus making it weatherproof and finishing it so it can be locked up. Then it will be ready for pews which are loaded on a semi-trailer in the States, ready to be taken into the country.

Making the Ministry Center usable is a must. The Gomez Palacio church has outgrown its present facility and desperately needs more room. It is in a very bad neighborhood, making it dangerous for people to attend evening services. Tony has been repeatedly threatened. Several cars belonging to church members have been stolen from nearby parking spots.

The school for the developmentally disabled, across the narrow street from the Gomez Palacio church, would remain where it is and would expand to use the present sanctuary. It is felt that school personnel would be relatively safe because most of them arrive and depart in the daytime, by either taxi or bus. Classes are over at 1:00 PM.

President Doug Bywerk and building superintendent/board member Cecil Patterson, will be traveling to Mexico in a few weeks to make arrangements and to set things up.

The estimated cost of completing the Ministry Center is $20,000. We do not have the funds in hand and so we are trusting the Lord for His supply. This building, started in January 2008, needs to be completed.

Bible Institute It seems that, for years, we have been confronting the need for a series of Bible courses for our Mexican pastors. Talk is soon to become action. The Lord has blessed us through a missionary by the name of Dick Greenman. Dick, born of missionary parents, grew up and served in Argentina, most recently with World Venture. Because Mrs. Greenman has an illness that forced their return to the U.S., World Venture has graciously allowed Dick to do some pro bono work for the Spanish American Mission, which has been in the nature of a couple of survey trips, visiting our Mexican pastors, but more importantly, creating a 3-year course in Bible exposition. This has been a bit challenging, for the courses must be adaptable to pastors who are quite poorly educated, while at the same time rising to an education level beyond high school. Also, the courses have had to be designed so the student does not necessarily have to start at “First year, course No. 1”, but can start anywhere in the series of courses. Dick has done an excellent job of creating such a group of courses, and will leave for Mexico in September for two weeks of teaching and administration. While not all of our pastors will be able to attend initially, it is expected that most of them will. Additional two-week training sessions will be scheduled periodically. The Lord has been good to us in sending Dick Greenman, who has done this in Argentina with great success. We are grateful that this organized Bible teaching, so long in the works, is finally coming to fruition in Mexico. It should yield tremendous dividend in Christian growth of whole congregations.

Continued violence in Mexico Regrettably, this must continue to be mentioned in newsletters. Tony himself had a narrow escape, which we will not detail. One of the young men in the Gomez Palacio church got involved with the wrong crowd and was subsequently shot and killed. One of the students in the school, a boy of 17, was shot three times in the neighborhood. His wounds were not fatal. One of our pastors, Ceasar Flores, was robbed in broad daylight in downtown Torreon by a man holding a machine gun. In this uncertain environment, there is a lot of tension…….tension is an unwelcome, always present, component of Mexican daily life.

Even the Ministry Center, itself enclosed within a walled compound, is not immune to entry. People have knocked toe-holes in the concrete block walls, enabling them to climb over and gain entry into the compound. Fortunately, such items as tools are safely locked in a special shed built for that purpose. (People climbing over masonry walls has long been a staple of Mexico, as evidenced by the broken glass bottles embedded in the topmost masonry of walls virtually everywhere.)

Daily vacation Bible schools While regular school is in session now in Mexico, the churches had a number of successful DVBS’. These were not curtailed in any way because of the climate of violence.

Pastor “Benjamin” Benjamin Arrondondo pastors a very small church in San Miguel, at the base of the mountains along the coastline, about two hours south of Acapulco. His hand was recently crushed in a construction accident. The Mission was able to get him to Torreon for surgery, which was paid for out of our Medical Relief Fund. For this, Benjamin was very grateful, and we as a Mission are grateful as well for those who contribute regularly to the medical fund.