Sembradores de Cristo October 13, 2009
“But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” (Mark 4:8) This is the same verse that the Lord showed me when He gave us the name of “Sembradores de Cristo” back in July 2005. The same burning passion that the Lord gave me for the lost of Zacatecas that first trip in June 2003 is still burning in me. I hope you have had a chance to check out our website: www.sembradoresdecristo.com. Thanks again to Sister Sarah for such an awesome job and sacrifice for coming all the way out here to Del Rio. Sister Sarah shares our passion for Zacatecas and has seen with firsthand the great need there is there for the gospel. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out please do so as I know you will be blessed.
The Lord has supernaturally opened the doors for me to accompany a precious group of brothers from Kentucky and Zacatecas to a lost city of south Zacatecas called Nochistlan July 17-24th. As the brothers shared of the work in southern Zacatecas at the pastors conference in July the Lord quickened my heart. I had been praying about opportunities to go farther into the southernmost reaches of Zacatecas before that conference. When they mentioned their October trip I told Brother Jesse and Diana that if it was the Lord’s will that I would be on that trip. I told Pastor Rick Reeder that they could use our ministry vehicles-La Ballena and La Paloma-whether or not I was granted the days off from the school. Praise the Lord! I asked for the week off before school started and it was granted immediately! We will be traveling to Saltillo-half the distance this Friday. We’ll say hey to Brother Cheque and Tilo for all of you who have met them. Then we will head all the way to the city of Aguascalientes the next morning to pick up the rest of the Kentucky team at the airport. Pastor Luis Aleman will also be accompanying us for the week.
Please pray for us brothers and sisters. We are talking about a city of 24,000 that has no Christian church that we know of. We will be evangelizing door-to-door with the goal of touching every household. I’m believing the promise of Mark 4:8 over Nochistlan. Our job this next week will be to sow the seeds of the gospel. We will see seed fall on good soil; seeds that will give fruit and multiply. Isn’t this exciting? Taking the gospel to a whole city that is lost in idolatry/religious traditions/sinful passions. There will be much need for discipleship after this week’s work my brothers and sisters. This is another reason why we plead with you to help us achieve our monthly goal of full-time support.
Weekly village ministry
The day after I wrote September’s newsletter Brother Luis shared an amazing testimony with me. Sister Angelina Garcia (our host in Palmas Altas) had asked Luis and Delfa to give a weekly devotional-they stay with them every Tuesday night. The Lord put it on Angelina’s heart to witness to a visiting woman from California. This woman was born and raised in Palmas Altas and was actually returning to Palmas to die from her particular illness. It turns out that she got better to the point that she began to prepare to return to California. Then, her accompanying cousin had a seizure and was in a coma. Angelina began praying for her and asked her if she would allow Pastor Luis and Delfa to speak to her. She did not want that but gave in after much persuasion. She also did not wish to listen to Luis and Delfa giving the excuse of, “Maybe another day.” She gave in and Luis and Delfa reminded her that she was already supposed to be dead and that she if she had died she would have died spiritually as well-an eternal death. This shook her up and the Holy Spirit brought conviction to her heart. She got on her knees and received Christ as she realized that “Now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor 6:2) Since then another woman has also received Christ and they have visited various homes.
My wife and I have had a heart for Palmas Altas ever since we first arrived there in 2005. In fact, we have wanted to plant a church there all these years despite the fact that there is a Christian church. We realized that we could not be there in a full-time capacity to take care of a church so we decided to support the local church with our efforts. We have evangelized, discipled, preached, ministered to children, and served in every ministry capacity in this church. Many of you can remember reading about our men’s and women’s Bible studies Summer 2008. This local church is governed from an outside body which has shown little interest in spiritual growth for the church/Palmas Altas or outside villages and rarely visits its sheep. Our patience on the Lord’s timing has paid off. The Lord is doing it. People are really responding to Brother Luis. Sister Angelina herself is setting the meetings up for them before they arrive in Palmas. Diana and I can’t wait to go in December to see/support the work in Palmas. I know I have asked you to pray for pieces of property in the other villages and now I’m asking you to pray for one here in Palmas. Those who have visited Palmas can testify to its centralized location to the rest of the villages. It is also the most populated of all the villages we work in.
In other news, our man of peace in Monte de los Garcia, Luis Ramirez has ceased to come. There we are down to one couple, a woman, and two kids. Luis and Delfa continue to arrive there early to spend discipling these folks and encouraging folks like Luis to come back. In Guadalupe Victoria, Luis and Delfa had their first encounter with Miguel the catechist. He shouted the same insults at them as he did us so many times this summer. In fact, he has now taking his religious campaign to Jerez itself. He even found where Luis and Delfa live having spotted the Paloma. Please pray protection over Luis and Delfa and the Paloma-that neither Miguel nor his henchmen will be able to do them harm nor harm the Paloma by spiking its tires nor do it any other harm now that he knows where Luis and Delfa live. In Parral de las Huertas the Holy Spirit continues to move in mighty ways. More and more men visit every week. Two weeks ago the Catholic leader visited and had a lot of questions. On their way home that Sunday, Luis and Delfa had a little accident. The vehicle in front of them swerved off the road and there in front of them was a black cow-it was already nighttime you can imagine. It hit their passenger side only knocking off the passenger’s rear view mirror. Praise the Lord neither were harmed nor was the cow!
Family news
God has allowed me to preach in two Hispanic churches recently-one in Acuna and one in Bracketville, TX. God is stirring up many hearts to the great need for evangelism at this time before His second coming. In personal news, Shalom has adjusted greatly to school, even winning “Superestrella” the first week. My wife is as busy as ever working on our American citizenship. Her test is November 30th. Please pray for this. I will be ordained at Esperanza on November 29th. In case you would like to visit us that Sunday to be here for the ordination we would love to have you-just contact us.
Urgent need/monthly support
I have not given up on my belief/faith in God’s calling of my family into full-time ministry in Zacatecas. I really felt that God was telling me He would open doors for me to go speak at churches this school year to raise full-time support. I still have not been invited to any churches to do this. Please invite us to your church if you believe in what our ministry is doing. We are 100% committed to planting churches in these far-off, idolatrous, lost and forgotten areas of Zacatecas. We are still in much need of support right now for Luis and for our upcoming trips in December and March. We praise the Lord again for Luis and Delfa, what an answer to prayer! The Lord may call them somewhere else in the future. For now, they are committed to discipling these folks in the villages.
Christmas & Summer mission teams
I still do not have any committed Christmas, Spring Break, or Summer mission teams. We will once again desperately need mission teams for our Christmas and summer missionary efforts. The mission teams not only help us spread the gospel in our Zacatecas area but also help finance our summer ministry/personal needs. Due to our past low monthly support we have never been at the point where we can financially do summer ministry without the teams. I again praise the Lord for the summer 2009 teams. What marvelous things they were able to accomplish for the kingdom! I invite you to see with your own eyes what God is doing in these villages this Christmas and summer. If you are considering this, the time is now to begin working on this. I am flexible with dates as subject to my full-time teaching job.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support, Sembradores de Cristo family
Tax exempt giving
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Esperanza Del Rio Community Church
603 E. 17th St. Del Rio, TX 78840
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