Sembradores de Cristo March 21, 2010,
“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.” (Colossians 4:2-4)
Your prayers were felt this past week my brothers and sisters! There were many churches and individuals interceding for our Spring Break trip. Truly many doors were opened for us to share Christ. Many received Christ as the Holy Spirit was manifested. The Holy Spirit had been preparing the soil of Porvenir to receive the Word of God for quite some time now. Souls were saved, friendships were made, sicknesses were healed in the name of Jesus, disciples were encouraged, and more than anything the name of our Lord Jesus Christ was lifted high. Porvenir is the first village/town we have visited in the Jerez municipality area that had been evangelized before. But not by Christians my brethren-by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The people in Porvenir were more receptive to our presence and to the Holy Spirit then the people in the higher mountain villages we had been dealing with for years now. Because the Jehovah’s witnesses had visited the area the people were used to being visited by folks from “other religions” like ourselves. Of course “other religions” would refer to anything other than Roman Catholicism. The Lord sent us to this place right at the perfect time. Until now the majority of the people in this village who have received the Jehovah’s Witness’s doctrine agreed that Jesus Christ is the Lord, is the Son of God, and is their only Savior. According to them the Jehovah’s witnesses have been teaching them that (we know that’s not true) or they haven’t learned much yet. We know the latter to be true. One day one of our groups found a group of Jehovah’s witnesses in an elderly lady of 95’s house. They actually very respectfully told our group to go ahead and left. I’m telling you my friends that your prayers were felt this week. The Lord gave us so many victories that I’m going to have to share them to you day by day.
Monday March 15, 2010-
The village of Porvenir is a 45 minute daily commute from Palmas Altas. Before we entered we pulled off the side of the road, circled up, and interceded for Porvenir. We declared that the Lord would send His angels to the battlefield before we even arrived and prepare hearts. We started by looking for the sheriff of the village who had already given us permission to be there in December. Professor/Brother Lynn was going to speak with him about a new corn seed that he would experiment with as well. He wasn’t there but his father was. His father not only gave us the authorization to evangelize but also to use the basketball court for services and VBS’s! Each day we split into different evangelism teams using the evangecube/cd. My team went back to the sheriff’s father area. He prayed to receive Christ but considers himself to be a Jehovah’s Witness. He didn’t believe that they don’t believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. His grandson also received Christ with much joy. In our team we ran into many individuals who would either hide from us or declare, “I’m Catholic and not interested.” Another team, however, had folks receive Christ and even invite them into their homes. My wife had a great group of kids for the VBS’s. This group of children was faithful every day (M-T) to the VBS’s and more obedient/serious about the lessons than other groups of children we had dealt with in the area-ha-ha! The first day’s service was great. Sister Joan of Taiwan shared her testimony in Chinese (Mandarin), Nika translated it into English, and then myself into Spanish. Joan has an amazing testimony of how she grew up in Catholicism in Taiwan (how rare is that!) She was always empty and looking for something to fill the void in her life. She turned to the idols and gave more of her heart to each one. She began to become demon possessed (she recognizes now). After much persistence of a Christian friend, she allowed that friend to pray for her. The demons didn’t want to let go and left her mute until the friend’s pastor and others came over to pray over her whole household. She confessed her sins to Jesus and was freed! The jaws were dropping as Joan shared how the demons would grab a hold of her throat and torture her. That first night we had more folks present than the second night on Tuesday. The locals were taken back at our group’s enthusiasm during the worship, Joan’s testimony, and the preaching of the Word of God. It was kind of funny that a man named Mario Dominguez came before the service during the VBS’s with his “burro.” Professor Lynn and I had spent talking in the local “cantina” telling the men about our plan to experiment with a new corn. Professor Lynn is 100% dedicated to helping these men out in their agricultural. The local idea is that the “grass is greener” in the United States . Working in the United States to them is their only hope. We know that that is not true. God can bless their crops/livestock and provide them above and beyond they can imagine without them having to go and work illegally in the U.S. Back to my story (ha) with Mario. He was one of the men in the bar who was sober and had a burro. He brought it to me at the basketball court and I asked, “What’s it’s name?” He said that it didn’t have a name. I asked him if he would like for me to name it. He said he did. The first name that popped in my head was the name of “Josafat” (Jehosophat) since I was going to be preaching on King Jehosophat during the service. He liked the name and adopted it. He then listened to the evangecube/cd and prayed to receive Christ!
Tuesday March 16, 2010
On Tuesday the whole crew went by Guadalupe to look for Artemio Dorado to see if he wanted to participate in the maize experiment. Our group got the opportunity to eat some 100% natural corn tortillas and freshly made cheese-probably ate one of the best meals of our lives there with Manuela and Artemio. We took advantage to invite folks to our service the following evening. Guadalupe Victoria is the village we have worked in now for 4 years this March. Brother Lynn and I stuck around to look for Lorenzo the sheriff of Porvenir in the fields and sent the team ahead to evangelize. It was funny because he asked me when I would need to use the basketball court for services I had to say, “Umm, yesterday, and tomorrow through Thursday.” He is a man with a very kind heart and had no problem. May God reward him for his kindness! Remember how the sheriff of Cargadero refused to give us permission in June. As we drove towards Porvenir we stopped in Parral to show Lynn the agriculture there. It’s interesting that only in Parral are apricots, avocados, and quince fruit grown. As we were leaving we ran into two of our disciples in Parral-Francisca and Delia. They were going to have to walk three miles up the mountain on an errand so we offered them a ride and invited them to go with us to Porvenir. Wow! Meanwhile the team back in Porvenir experienced more rejection than the previous day and more people not home. Once again, my wife’s group of children were faithfully obedient to the Bible lesson. The second evening’s service at Porvenir was incredible! I gave an altar call to receive Christ or prayer and almost all the ladies went forward. One later told us that the Holy Spirit touched her in a powerful way when we prayed for her. Our group had many prayer warriors present including Ester Blanco, Joan, and Ana Urteaga.
Wednesday March 17, 2010
Without a doubt, Wednesday was my personal favorite. Once again, we parked outside of the village, grabbed hands, and prayed for Porvenir with fervor in one accord. The Lord had told me to have a team go to a really small village nearby to Porvenir called Jomulco to evangelize while the other two would finish the rest of Porvenir. I figured, of course, that I would personally need to take the small team to Jomulco. As we drove around and prayed over Porvenir the Lord said otherwise. You know that it’s the Lord when He speaks. It’s that still small voice that speaks clear direction to our hearts. I was fighting over it a little feeling bad about sending a team to Jomulco without the missionary leader. The Lord told me not to worry about it but to send Brother Lynn with the other members. I’m so glad I listened and obeyed His voice. Right away, our team of three won a man to Christ and then ending up spending two hours at the “cantina.” It’s interesting to note that that day there were two groups of men at the bar. One was the drunk group and the other across the street was the sober group. This is because on one side of the street the bar was open and on the other side the bar was closed. Joan, Gamaliel, and I went up to the drunk group first with the plan to share the gospel to all of them with the evangebox. A certain man would not let Gamaliel speak two words without interrupting him going off on tangents. He was about as drunk as either of us had ever seen. There were, however, men that were trying to listen and actually made good comments and questions. The Lord told me to go across the street to the sober men. These men listened to me more intently than any other men had before. They all prayed to receive Christ. The Holy Spirit spoke through me convicting their hearts. I won their confidence and one of them showed me his necklace and asked me what I thought since his nine children in the U.S. disagreed with him having it. It was a traditional picture of Juan Diego in his vision of the Virgin of Guadalupe. He asked so I told-ha! First I explained that Juan Diego never existed historically and that historically the priests knew the story was made up and tried to stop it but let it continue since the masses were convinced. Biblically I explained to him that even if Mary was renamed “Guadalupe” she has no power to pass from heaven to earth and back. Thirdly I explained that the virgin of Guadalupe was not of God because she did not give the glory to God but told Juan Diego, “Tell the people that I came.” In the story she does not say tell them Jesus Christ is Lord. She gives herself glory. Sound familiar? Sounds like Satan in his jealousy to me, glorying himself instead of God-still mad he can’t be bigger than God. One of the men turned out to be three of our VBS’ kid’s father. Praise the Lord! Just like our church here in Del Rio , Esperanza, we want to see whole families came to Christ. Another man joined us later sharing with us how his father-in-law had recently passed away in an automobile accident. We prayed with him and then he also wanted to receive Christ. God still wasn’t done with our evangelism team. At the next house we led a couple to Christ. She had had four miscarriages. We shared hope with her, sharing the stories of Sarah and Ana and then prayed for her. I’m looking forward to hearing from her next visit believing God’s touch on her womb. At the last house a precious older woman received Christ. Jesse’s team had the experience with the 95 year old lady who was with the Jehovah’s witnesses and also saw others came to Christ. Meanwhile in Jomulco, there were both rejections and decisions for Christ. One person thought that the Jehovah’s Witness tract was the Bible which Sister Ana explained was not. After my wife’s precious Bible study with the VBS group we headed up to Guadalupe Victoria for the service. We were excited to see not only our normal faithful folks there like Liliana and her mother, Checo , Israel , Yanet, Gloria, and Victor but also some of our “banned” disciples. Remember that in July the cathecist threatened their families with curses and other things and that we had lost half of our people from one service to another. We saw one girl come back and two of our precious boys. These two boys did not sit down with us but stood behind us and listened. Before, they were not even allowed to listen from far off. It was great to see our precious sheep in Guadalupe and encourage them once again to persevere in the faith.
Thursday March 18, 2010
Thursday morning was spent on agriculture prep work. I drove Lynn around the area to show him how numerous the villages are that don’t have the gospel. By Thursday our contacts with the men began growing into trusted friendships. Many have not made a decision to receive Christ but have began to seen that we love them no matter what. The rest of the team went out to purchase the hot dogs/condiments. Before our hot dog feast/party Diana had her group of kids participate in a contest to see who could tell the best Bible story from (M-T) from start to finish. The first boy, Cesar, told the best Samson story I have ever heard. You should have seen how the locals were listening to him and the others tell these stories so intently-totally impressed at how much they knew. It was great to see a lot of young people came out for the hot dogs and fellowship. Nika, a young college student from China , particularly bonded with many of them exchanging Facebook-ha! We encouraged other shy passerbys to come by and get the hot dogs no matter that they hadn’t come for any of the services/VBS’s. It was truly a great time of fellowship-I think you will enjoy the pictures. From there we went to Parral de las Huertas for our scheduled service. We were a little late getting there and all the elderly ladies that normally come were there waiting for us. I had struggled getting a word from the Lord for this village but the Lord is faithful and gave it to me during the worship and confirmed it when Sister Ana shared her testimony mentioning 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is inspired by God.” A few new folks also visited our service there that evening. The Holy Spirit was manifested and a lady’s back, arm, and leg pain was healed. These precious sheep again told us how much they missed us and would be waiting for us. It pleased me to see the demon possessed man again-the one who believes the saint of death saved him from “death.” He’s the same one man who wouldn’t let us share the gospel with him in December but definitely wanted the chicken we offered him-Hallelujah!
Our group wept together, rejoiced together, served together, and ultimately finished the week strong. Please pray that the maize experiment will go well. There are three farmers who are going to put the new maize seed to test. We will then know which seed will be the best for their area. As Professor Lynn put it, “If none of them work out better than the seed you’re already using then I’ll send more next year.” God’s hand was on our team this week. My heart is still there in Zacatecas my friends. I desperately want to be there with my people teaching them God’s ways. God is mobilizing his church in our area. One of the ladies in Porvenir told us that she had been praying that God would send her somebody to teach her the Word of God. She would sometimes go all the way to Fresnillo (almost two hours away) to go to church. She is excited that we will be going to her village this summer. Please pray/interecede ferverently for the holy protection of the Lord on the seeds that were sown this past week. We know that the devil would love to snatch up, scatter, and destroy this precious seed. These men, women, young people, and children are precious in the eyes of the Lord. Diana and I love them dearly. The people of Guadalupe do not even think twice about our return. They have seen our loving faithfulness for four straight years now. We both feel very strongly that we will be with them on a full-time basis very soon.
Special thanks
Thanks to all our monthly supporters: Without you neither this trip or any other trip would be possible.
Team members: Thank you Gamaliel for giving up a week in your church in Acuna to come and lead worship for us and do so many things for God this week. Thank you Nika and Joan for sharing your testimonies without fear and for loving our family. Thank you Jesse for continuing to be my right hand man in Zacatecas. Thank you Ana and Alejandra for coming on this trip and being such a blessing. Thank you Oscar for your humble service this week to the King. Thank you Garcia family for hosting us again and again. Thank you Ester and Diana for allowing Gamaliel and I go out and evangelize while you watched our precious children. Thank you Diana and kids for always accompanying me to Zacatecas no matter what the cost (weather, bumpy roads, lack of food, uncomfortable lodging, long ride from border, etc.) Thank you Lynn for your dedication to our farmers and your great friendship.
Rich Kirby: Thank you for sending Joan and Nika our way.
Urgent need/monthly support
We praise the Lord that recently a new family made the decision to support us on a monthly basis. We had really wanted to go full-time this next year but at this time we have not seen anywhere near the response we need to receive monthly support. Remember we have to raise our own support. We are not supported by a big organization that takes care of our financial needs. We really need you to pray about supporting us with $50/month. Our full-time budget is $3500/month and we are almost at 1/5 of that. We continue to be very active in seeking opportunities to speak at churches. If you represent a church, are a family or you are simply an individual that reads this newsletter we really need you to consider supporting us with $50/month. God has called us to bring His good news to Zacatecas. I hope our 4 years of perseverance in the area has showed you our dedication. Please respond to this e-mail with your commitment. If we have the support by the end of this next summer we will go. I also ask you to send me names/e-mails or info of any pastors of churches/individuals that might be interested in receiving me at their church on a Sunday.
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Summer teams 2010
Zacatecas is a great place to bring a mission team. Besides all the great mission opportunities in VBS, evangelism, sports camps, testimonies, and preaching there is phenomenal mountain hiking and Zacatecas capital city to explore. Most teams that come eat better with us than they do all year around in the states. At this time we still need teams to commit to doing a mission trip with us this summer. We need you to come and help us with evangelism, VBS’s, sports camps, etc. We have experience working with men/women, youth, college age, and families. We need a team to commit to doing a baseball camp and a basketball camp in Porvenir.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support, Sembradores de Cristo family
Tax exempt giving
% Sembradores de Cristo
Esperanza Del Rio Community Church
603 E. 17th St. Del Rio, TX 78840
www.sembradoresdecristo.com
Monday, March 22, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Re: Sembradores de Cristo March 7, 2010
Sembradores de Cristo March 7, 2010,
“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) When you study the parable of the sower you realize that the variable is neither the sower nor is it the seed. (the style of seed or sowing method). The variable is the soil. I really love what v. 14 says, “The sower sows the word.” We are called to preach the good news to every creature. We are called to sow his word in our Jerusalem, our Judea, our Samaria, and to our ends of the earth. Those on the wayside will allow Satan to immediately come and steal away the word. Those on stony ground will receive the word with gladness but will soon fall because the word did not take root. At the first sign of trouble (tribulation or persecution) they will fall. The ones sown among thorns will allow the things of this world including the love of money to choke it up. But what about those seeds that were sown in good soil. Will they bear fruit? Yes! Some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. Are, therefore, our efforts as sowers of Christ worth the while for those folks in the latter group? Claro que si! Of course! Last weekend my wife and I had the opportunity to participate in a “treasure hunt.” The attached Word doc will give more details about this evangelism experience for those interested. The Lord showed us before we went out that one of the people that we would share the gospel with would reject Him. We were to blow our trumpets but he/she was not going to heed. Nevertheless, it was still the Lord’s will to go and share the gospel with this individual no matter the outcome.
The Lord had told me that January and February would be a dry time for the ministry. I spent hours sending out e-mails to churches near our Del Rio, TX area seeking speaking opportunities. There was a silence for a long period of time. During this time we also went through some very difficult personal family issues and financial difficulties. I now thank the Lord so much for this time because I again realized how much I need God’s blessing on our ministry/lives. Without Him I am nothing. Without Him “Sembradores de Cristo” is nothing. We are desperate for His anointing and blessing on our ministry. Just last week I received an e-mail from a brother of a San Antonio church with whom we will begin discussing ministry with starting in April. Right now I am writing to you from the Oklahoma City airport getting to ready to return to Del Rio. A precious congregation in Stillwater, OK invited me to come out and share a PowerPoint presentation and preach. Jesse Chaffin’s father is the pastor of New Beginnings Missionary Alliance church. The Lord gave me a word on evangelism to share, “Let your voice be heard” which was well received. Another purpose of this visit was to meet with our Spring Break 2010 Zacatecas mission trip team.
Spring Break 2010 Zacatecas mission trip (3/14-3/20)- Again, if there are any last minute individuals who would like to sign up for this trip we have plenty of room for you. The cost is $200/person plus your transportation to Del Rio. Before we ever showed up in Palmas Altas the Lord had spoken to our host Angelina Garcia that her household would serve as an int’l ministry base. Up to this point we have all been “gringos” and “mexicanos.” Sister Joan of Taiwan will be the first Asian Sembradores participant. She is a delightful young lady with a wonderful testimony. You can pray for the following team members: Joan, Ana, Alejandra, Gamaliel, Ester, Estrella, Jesse, Lynn, Oscar, and Elliotts. Last year’s Spring Break trip was our first farming trip with Brother Lynn. We are still in the beginning stages of this crucial men’s ministry. During this trip we will be studying the farming of new villages and will be introducing a new corn to the area. Each morning we will be evangelizing in “Porvenir” door-to-door and doing VBS’s with the children in the afternoons and farming work. We will be holding outdoor services as well with Gamaliel leading us in music. Gamaliel is our talented/anointed friend from Acuna who accompanied us in December 2008. We are believing that souls will be saved this coming week! I am also looking forward to our Zacatecas men seeing Professor Lynn again. Lifetime relationships are being built through this ministry. Thanks again for your prayers for this trip!
Urgent need/monthly support
We praise the Lord that recently a new family made the decision to support us on a monthly basis. We had really wanted to go full-time this next year but at this time we have not seen anywhere near the response we need to receive monthly support. Remember we have to raise our own support. We are not supported by a big organization that takes care of our financial needs. We really need you to pray about supporting us with $50/month. Our full-time budget is $3500/month and we are almost at 1/5 of that. We continue to be very active in seeking opportunities to speak at churches. If you represent a church, are a family or you are simply an individual that reads this newsletter we really need you to consider supporting us with $50/month. God has called us to bring His good news to Zacatecas. I hope our 4 years of perseverance in the area has showed you our dedication. Please respond to this e-mail with your commitment. If we have the support by the end of this next summer we will go. I also ask you to send me names/e-mails or info of any pastors of churches/individuals that might be interested in receiving me at their church on a Sunday.
.
Summer teams 2010
At this time we still need teams to commit to doing a mission trip with us this summer. We need you to come and help us with evangelism, VBS’s, sports camps, etc. We have experience working with men/women, youth, college age, and families. We need a team to commit to doing a baseball camp in Porvenir. We may also have a pretty big construction project opportunity as well.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support, Sembradores de Cristo family
Tax exempt giving
% Sembradores de Cristo
Esperanza Del Rio Community Church
603 E. 17th St. Del Rio, TX 78840
www.sembradoresdecristo.com
First treasure hunt: 2/27/2010
My beloved youth pastor and friend recently introduced me to the book "The Ultimate Treasure Hunt" which gives us an effective evangelism tool using words of knowledge the Holy Spirit gives us leading us to divine appointments with souls. The devil tried to make it really difficult for Diana and I to get on a treasure hunt seeing as last week had to be postponed due to immediate family troubles. Mama Linda surprised us yesterday with a visit and offering to take the kids to Acuna.
We began with prayer, a worship song, and opened the Bible to Jeremiah 6: 16-19. V. 17 "Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, Listen to the sound of the trumpet!" But they said, "We will not listen." I definitely gathered from the Lord that it was definitely his will to go out to blow the trumpet-share the gospel-and I gathered that there would be rejection of His Word.
We then sought the Lord and filled in our treasure maps. Diana had the park on her map seeing people running and ducks swimming. What do you know, we go to the park and there was a special elementary marathon going on! We walked towards the action and saw a man matching three of Diana's appearance clues: fat, dark-skinned, and blue However, he was not bald. We then remembered C.J telling us that one clue might be for somebody else. As we walked back by them we realized that the guy he was talking to was BALD and he was also wearing all blue. We came up to them (quite nervously, strange for me huh). I showed them that I believed they were our treasure and asked them if any of them had a scar-first the big fellow said no and then he pulled up his elbow and showed us a big one. They claimed to be saved (but I do not believe they were) and when asked if we could pray for anyone in their family (Diana's prayer category clue) sure enough a wayward brother needed prayer. As we walked back towards our vehicle Diana noticed a familiar high school student she was a sub for yesterday. The Lord prompted me to share the story of the Lord calling Peter the fisherman-they were fishing. It turns out both of them are Christians and are very involved in evangelism at Livingstone church. When we asked them if there was anything we could pray for them about they both said what-FAMILY! Ha, there was the clue again. One asked for prayer for an alcoholic uncle and the other for a chained smoker brother. The visit was a great encouragement to them to continue "fishing for men."
Now it was time to pursue my clues. My location was way over on the north side of town-I saw King's Way road that runs between a closed down restaurant (old Don Marcelino's) and an air conditioning business. There was nothing there so Diana mentioned we go check out a yard sale sign address. Sure enough amongst used furniture was a giant stuffed animal BEAR-one of my unusual category items. There were no other stuffed animals. The lady working there was wearing a white blouse one of my appearance clues. It turns out Diana had studied English with her. A spirit of distraction, pride, and rejection of salvation was all over that woman. Diana later told me that had heard the name Patty from the Lord for the name category but hadn't written it down since she had seen a Patty in Wal-mart the night before-thinking that it was an obvious flesh thought. Sure enough this was Patty and she didn't react one bit to matching our clues and being our "treasure." While being presented with the gospel her eyes were wandering everywhere and customers were arriving distracting her even more. When asked where she would go if she were to die that day she replied that she was a pretty good person, would doubtfully deserve to go to hell. Of course I explained the Romans road scriptures and others to her exposing her sin. When I mentioned the sin of adultery she gave an automatic defense that 'she's not like that." Diana later explained to me that she was known in Acuna for her sexual immorality and had been married multiple times. When asked if she would like to receive Christ today she gave the common excuse of "I can't pray here." The Holy Spirit spoke to me that she had rejected His Spirit and salvation and that there was nothing else we could do there-He told me that if she wouldn't pray and repent there that she wouldn't repent anywhere. My hope and prayer is that she will repent before it is too late.
At this point I was far from being satisfied with the day's work. I still had the clue of an old woman with stark white hair and prayer need as depression and being alone. The Lord told us to park for a minute near a nearby car wash. I saw a woman there with white hair cleaning her car but both felt it was not her. The Lord said, "Go to Wal-Mart." We decided to fill the gas tank at the Murphy's (Wal-Mart) gas station. Right after pulling out, we saw a white jeep pull in with three women inside-one being an old woman with stark white hair! I pulled around twice questioning whether they were our treasure or not. Diana even said they weren't. The Holy Spirit said otherwise. I parked the car-they were miraculously taking a really long time to fill their tank-ha-ha! I came up to them and sure enough the old lady was new to town and felt alone. She needed prayer that she could sell her belongings back in her hometown. A tall lady with them was suffering severe depression that her father also suffered. Hallelujah! Diana then came over and we joined hands in prayer. I felt power touch the tall woman (Susan). She did not claim healing or anything but all three women thanked us and asked for information about our local church.
God is good my brothers! We learned a lot this first-time around. Next time we will not repeat some of the same mistakes we made this time. All the honor and glory be to Christ who allowed us to have these divine appointments. We never know the long-term impact of such encounters. The clue that was not found was my wife’s name clue of Michael. The Holy Spirit knows when we will run into him/her.
Update 3/7/2010: Today on my flight from Oklahoma City to Houston a week later Mechelle was found. My wife wasn’t for sure if it had been the name Michael or Mechelle. It turns out that Mechelle had a shockingly similar past that I had. Like me she had been adopted and had been separated from her brother (I was separated from a younger sister). She like me had later sought to find her brother and biological parents and was successful in doing so. She also had been blessed with loving, Christian adoptive parents. The whole conversation with Mechelle only happened because I messed up with my seat number-sitting in the seat that I should have sit in from Houston to Del Rio not OKC to Houston! I should have sit in 16A not 3D. Mechelle welcomed prayer for her two sons and was encouraged as I noted to her that the joy of the Lord was her strength. She, in fact, had been going through depressing times and needed to hear that. Her testimony was a great blessing to my life as I had never met somebody with a similar background. By the end of the flight all I wanted to do was to weep for joy and shout with all my might!
God bless, Brother Ben
“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) When you study the parable of the sower you realize that the variable is neither the sower nor is it the seed. (the style of seed or sowing method). The variable is the soil. I really love what v. 14 says, “The sower sows the word.” We are called to preach the good news to every creature. We are called to sow his word in our Jerusalem, our Judea, our Samaria, and to our ends of the earth. Those on the wayside will allow Satan to immediately come and steal away the word. Those on stony ground will receive the word with gladness but will soon fall because the word did not take root. At the first sign of trouble (tribulation or persecution) they will fall. The ones sown among thorns will allow the things of this world including the love of money to choke it up. But what about those seeds that were sown in good soil. Will they bear fruit? Yes! Some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. Are, therefore, our efforts as sowers of Christ worth the while for those folks in the latter group? Claro que si! Of course! Last weekend my wife and I had the opportunity to participate in a “treasure hunt.” The attached Word doc will give more details about this evangelism experience for those interested. The Lord showed us before we went out that one of the people that we would share the gospel with would reject Him. We were to blow our trumpets but he/she was not going to heed. Nevertheless, it was still the Lord’s will to go and share the gospel with this individual no matter the outcome.
The Lord had told me that January and February would be a dry time for the ministry. I spent hours sending out e-mails to churches near our Del Rio, TX area seeking speaking opportunities. There was a silence for a long period of time. During this time we also went through some very difficult personal family issues and financial difficulties. I now thank the Lord so much for this time because I again realized how much I need God’s blessing on our ministry/lives. Without Him I am nothing. Without Him “Sembradores de Cristo” is nothing. We are desperate for His anointing and blessing on our ministry. Just last week I received an e-mail from a brother of a San Antonio church with whom we will begin discussing ministry with starting in April. Right now I am writing to you from the Oklahoma City airport getting to ready to return to Del Rio. A precious congregation in Stillwater, OK invited me to come out and share a PowerPoint presentation and preach. Jesse Chaffin’s father is the pastor of New Beginnings Missionary Alliance church. The Lord gave me a word on evangelism to share, “Let your voice be heard” which was well received. Another purpose of this visit was to meet with our Spring Break 2010 Zacatecas mission trip team.
Spring Break 2010 Zacatecas mission trip (3/14-3/20)- Again, if there are any last minute individuals who would like to sign up for this trip we have plenty of room for you. The cost is $200/person plus your transportation to Del Rio. Before we ever showed up in Palmas Altas the Lord had spoken to our host Angelina Garcia that her household would serve as an int’l ministry base. Up to this point we have all been “gringos” and “mexicanos.” Sister Joan of Taiwan will be the first Asian Sembradores participant. She is a delightful young lady with a wonderful testimony. You can pray for the following team members: Joan, Ana, Alejandra, Gamaliel, Ester, Estrella, Jesse, Lynn, Oscar, and Elliotts. Last year’s Spring Break trip was our first farming trip with Brother Lynn. We are still in the beginning stages of this crucial men’s ministry. During this trip we will be studying the farming of new villages and will be introducing a new corn to the area. Each morning we will be evangelizing in “Porvenir” door-to-door and doing VBS’s with the children in the afternoons and farming work. We will be holding outdoor services as well with Gamaliel leading us in music. Gamaliel is our talented/anointed friend from Acuna who accompanied us in December 2008. We are believing that souls will be saved this coming week! I am also looking forward to our Zacatecas men seeing Professor Lynn again. Lifetime relationships are being built through this ministry. Thanks again for your prayers for this trip!
Urgent need/monthly support
We praise the Lord that recently a new family made the decision to support us on a monthly basis. We had really wanted to go full-time this next year but at this time we have not seen anywhere near the response we need to receive monthly support. Remember we have to raise our own support. We are not supported by a big organization that takes care of our financial needs. We really need you to pray about supporting us with $50/month. Our full-time budget is $3500/month and we are almost at 1/5 of that. We continue to be very active in seeking opportunities to speak at churches. If you represent a church, are a family or you are simply an individual that reads this newsletter we really need you to consider supporting us with $50/month. God has called us to bring His good news to Zacatecas. I hope our 4 years of perseverance in the area has showed you our dedication. Please respond to this e-mail with your commitment. If we have the support by the end of this next summer we will go. I also ask you to send me names/e-mails or info of any pastors of churches/individuals that might be interested in receiving me at their church on a Sunday.
.
Summer teams 2010
At this time we still need teams to commit to doing a mission trip with us this summer. We need you to come and help us with evangelism, VBS’s, sports camps, etc. We have experience working with men/women, youth, college age, and families. We need a team to commit to doing a baseball camp in Porvenir. We may also have a pretty big construction project opportunity as well.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support, Sembradores de Cristo family
Tax exempt giving
% Sembradores de Cristo
Esperanza Del Rio Community Church
603 E. 17th St. Del Rio, TX 78840
www.sembradoresdecristo.com
First treasure hunt: 2/27/2010
My beloved youth pastor and friend recently introduced me to the book "The Ultimate Treasure Hunt" which gives us an effective evangelism tool using words of knowledge the Holy Spirit gives us leading us to divine appointments with souls. The devil tried to make it really difficult for Diana and I to get on a treasure hunt seeing as last week had to be postponed due to immediate family troubles. Mama Linda surprised us yesterday with a visit and offering to take the kids to Acuna.
We began with prayer, a worship song, and opened the Bible to Jeremiah 6: 16-19. V. 17 "Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, Listen to the sound of the trumpet!" But they said, "We will not listen." I definitely gathered from the Lord that it was definitely his will to go out to blow the trumpet-share the gospel-and I gathered that there would be rejection of His Word.
We then sought the Lord and filled in our treasure maps. Diana had the park on her map seeing people running and ducks swimming. What do you know, we go to the park and there was a special elementary marathon going on! We walked towards the action and saw a man matching three of Diana's appearance clues: fat, dark-skinned, and blue However, he was not bald. We then remembered C.J telling us that one clue might be for somebody else. As we walked back by them we realized that the guy he was talking to was BALD and he was also wearing all blue. We came up to them (quite nervously, strange for me huh). I showed them that I believed they were our treasure and asked them if any of them had a scar-first the big fellow said no and then he pulled up his elbow and showed us a big one. They claimed to be saved (but I do not believe they were) and when asked if we could pray for anyone in their family (Diana's prayer category clue) sure enough a wayward brother needed prayer. As we walked back towards our vehicle Diana noticed a familiar high school student she was a sub for yesterday. The Lord prompted me to share the story of the Lord calling Peter the fisherman-they were fishing. It turns out both of them are Christians and are very involved in evangelism at Livingstone church. When we asked them if there was anything we could pray for them about they both said what-FAMILY! Ha, there was the clue again. One asked for prayer for an alcoholic uncle and the other for a chained smoker brother. The visit was a great encouragement to them to continue "fishing for men."
Now it was time to pursue my clues. My location was way over on the north side of town-I saw King's Way road that runs between a closed down restaurant (old Don Marcelino's) and an air conditioning business. There was nothing there so Diana mentioned we go check out a yard sale sign address. Sure enough amongst used furniture was a giant stuffed animal BEAR-one of my unusual category items. There were no other stuffed animals. The lady working there was wearing a white blouse one of my appearance clues. It turns out Diana had studied English with her. A spirit of distraction, pride, and rejection of salvation was all over that woman. Diana later told me that had heard the name Patty from the Lord for the name category but hadn't written it down since she had seen a Patty in Wal-mart the night before-thinking that it was an obvious flesh thought. Sure enough this was Patty and she didn't react one bit to matching our clues and being our "treasure." While being presented with the gospel her eyes were wandering everywhere and customers were arriving distracting her even more. When asked where she would go if she were to die that day she replied that she was a pretty good person, would doubtfully deserve to go to hell. Of course I explained the Romans road scriptures and others to her exposing her sin. When I mentioned the sin of adultery she gave an automatic defense that 'she's not like that." Diana later explained to me that she was known in Acuna for her sexual immorality and had been married multiple times. When asked if she would like to receive Christ today she gave the common excuse of "I can't pray here." The Holy Spirit spoke to me that she had rejected His Spirit and salvation and that there was nothing else we could do there-He told me that if she wouldn't pray and repent there that she wouldn't repent anywhere. My hope and prayer is that she will repent before it is too late.
At this point I was far from being satisfied with the day's work. I still had the clue of an old woman with stark white hair and prayer need as depression and being alone. The Lord told us to park for a minute near a nearby car wash. I saw a woman there with white hair cleaning her car but both felt it was not her. The Lord said, "Go to Wal-Mart." We decided to fill the gas tank at the Murphy's (Wal-Mart) gas station. Right after pulling out, we saw a white jeep pull in with three women inside-one being an old woman with stark white hair! I pulled around twice questioning whether they were our treasure or not. Diana even said they weren't. The Holy Spirit said otherwise. I parked the car-they were miraculously taking a really long time to fill their tank-ha-ha! I came up to them and sure enough the old lady was new to town and felt alone. She needed prayer that she could sell her belongings back in her hometown. A tall lady with them was suffering severe depression that her father also suffered. Hallelujah! Diana then came over and we joined hands in prayer. I felt power touch the tall woman (Susan). She did not claim healing or anything but all three women thanked us and asked for information about our local church.
God is good my brothers! We learned a lot this first-time around. Next time we will not repeat some of the same mistakes we made this time. All the honor and glory be to Christ who allowed us to have these divine appointments. We never know the long-term impact of such encounters. The clue that was not found was my wife’s name clue of Michael. The Holy Spirit knows when we will run into him/her.
Update 3/7/2010: Today on my flight from Oklahoma City to Houston a week later Mechelle was found. My wife wasn’t for sure if it had been the name Michael or Mechelle. It turns out that Mechelle had a shockingly similar past that I had. Like me she had been adopted and had been separated from her brother (I was separated from a younger sister). She like me had later sought to find her brother and biological parents and was successful in doing so. She also had been blessed with loving, Christian adoptive parents. The whole conversation with Mechelle only happened because I messed up with my seat number-sitting in the seat that I should have sit in from Houston to Del Rio not OKC to Houston! I should have sit in 16A not 3D. Mechelle welcomed prayer for her two sons and was encouraged as I noted to her that the joy of the Lord was her strength. She, in fact, had been going through depressing times and needed to hear that. Her testimony was a great blessing to my life as I had never met somebody with a similar background. By the end of the flight all I wanted to do was to weep for joy and shout with all my might!
God bless, Brother Ben
Re: Sembradores de Cristo January 30, 2010
Sembradores de Cristo January 30, 2010
“Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” (Ephesians 3:8) Paul and his contemporary Israelites were amazed that the Gentiles could also be heirs with Christ. The Gentiles and the Israelites could now be members together of one body, sharing in the promise of Christ Jesus. Paul realized that his task was an incredible one, taking the gospel to the Gentiles. God had called him to this task. (Acts 9:15 ) I today am amazed at God’s calling for my life: taking the gospel to paganistic Zacatecas. Just like Paul I know I am nothing-the least of all God’s people. It’s only by God’s grace that Sembradores de Cristo exists. This gospel of unsearchable riches is not only for the inhabitants of the United States but for all Gentile nations. Praise the Lord! The need in Zacatecas is immense. There are numerous villages, towns, and cities that are entirely without the gospel. Like Paul in vs. 7 I am a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. His power has been shown in amazing ways this past year of 2009. This newsletter is dedicated to giving glory to God for what He has done in our ministry/lives this past year of 2009.
Personal/ministry-Praise God this past February I was able to complete a seminary master’s degree in ministry and in November receive my ministerial ordination. I finished this correspondence master’s degree in 10 months studying in the afternoons and weekends. I can remember pouring out 8-10 hours of time on Sundays after church. What a blessing it was being immersed in God’s Word on such a continued basis yet exhausting. May we never cease to hunger and thirst after righteousness! The teachable man of God will never be comfortable in his relationship with God but will always passionately seek Him for more and more. Now that I have received my documentation as an ordained minister (thanks again to Pastor Jim and Marco) my next step will to be taking out an id as a Mexican minister. As a Mexican citizen I have the right to preach the gospel without any other paperwork. Full-time missionaries in Mexico who are not citizens must apply for certain religious visas. Shalom, Nehemias, and I obtained our Mexican citizenship back in April making us dual citizens. My wife passed her American citizenship test in November and is now awaiting her formal oath. God has decided that our family needs to grow so Diana is expecting and the due date is September. After returning from Zacatecas Summer 2008 God really impressed it on me to get in shape. Doing the baseball camps in Zacatecas would always wipe me out completely because I was in no kind of shape to keep up with these guys who walk their cattle 5 miles a day. I started running 2 miles 2-3/wk and then start increasing it to 3 ½ miles 3/wk. Summer 2009 I continued running and this school year God gave me a special blessing. My work schedule worked out for me to be able to run with a coach during a lunch period. Therefore, I have strived to run 4 miles 5 days/wk (M-F). Being in shape has not only been a personal blessing but a ministry blessing. The high mountain villages being steep and 8000 ft above sea level aren’t that bad for walking short distances for out of shape people but definitely a challenge for hiking and sports.
Ministry blessings-“La Ballena” was a great blessing among many that the Lord provided for us. I remember getting on my knees seeking the Lord for a 15 passenger van and the answer coming within 2 weeks. “La Ballena” (the whale) has now been through about every mountain road of Jerez county, plowing through and getting stuck in mud, getting us through narrow mountain passages, and more than anything making it possible to get the gospel to very isolated/remote areas. Since the Lord had blessed us with summer teams who were flying directly into Zacatecas those teams would have had to rent a van locally at very high rates and now “La Ballena” is at the Lord’s service to accommodate mission teams. The Lord also blessed us with much needed musical instruments and gear such as: electric acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mics, generator, drum set, etc. In September we were able to setup a ministry website-much thanks to Sarah Broecker. We are in need of somebody who would donate their time to help us updating that website. At the same token we are in much need of a new computer-our old one being very slow and on its last days. Believers who know nothing about our ministry/who we are can be led to that website by a random search engine. Donors can now donate to our ministry electronically.
Zacatecas village ministry-Summer ministry 2009 in Guadalupe Victoria village was awesome despite the catechist’s nuisances, the loss of many sheep due to the threats, and the burning of Bibles we had donated. Doing the Bible studies at the court instead of in homes turned out to be a real winner. We went through half the book of Genesis in the adult class making comparisons to the New Testament. You would have a group’s entire concentration in the reading of God’s Word and then be randomly interrupted by a drunk guy driving up on his 3 wheeler or trotting up on his burro. What moments! The disappointing moment for me as their pastor was when they decided they weren’t ready for water baptism. They understood well that by being baptized meant they would be completely identifying with the Christian faith. They knew how they could be ridiculed by the other locals for making that step of public confession. We love them and believe that soon they will surrender themselves completely to Lord Jesus Christ. The hearts of the people of Monte de los Garcia grew colder and colder to the gospel as the summer progressed. We are now seeking the Lord as to His will for our continued minister there for Summer 2010. Working in Parral de las Huertas was a definitely a Holy Spirit initiated thing. What a response from the people! To this date the catechist has not come through to pluck the seeds we have sown. In Parral there is a faithful group of believers and potential disciples who are in much need of nurturing. This people are a humble people with no public drainage system, very little land to work unlike Palmas Altas where there is plentiful land, public drainage, running water, etc. I learned this summer that part of being led by the Holy Spirit includes sometimes having to discontinue previous work. The village of Villa Hermosa had been evangelized time and time again with no signs of fruit bearing fruit. We had invested time in a local believer who has great potential but is not teachable. We had even offered help in the area of agriculture to study the men’s soils with Professor Lynn but not even that was received. I had thought to myself, I don’t want anybody to think that I start things that I don’t finish. As I sought the Lord I knew I had to shake the dust of my feet and move on to the fertile lands He was calling me to. I do not cease praying for that village that they will repent like Nineveh before that great day of the Lord. As my beloved pastor/friend C.J. Ellis had taught me where the Holy Spirit is that’s where I need to be. I was really excited when the Lord told me that it was time to start working in the more populated towns nearer to Jerez . This Christmas trip was our first trip to the town of Porvenir and we are looking forward to going this Spring Break to evangelize there, do VBS’s, and do agricultural work with the men. It’s amazing how the Lord has led Professor Lynn Brandenberger to partner with us in our endeavor to reach Zacatecas with the gospel. The Lord had led him to a certain type of corn that he wanted to share with the men this Spring Break. It turns out the principal crop of Porvenir is corn.
Urgent need/monthly support
We had really wanted to go full-time this next year but at this time we have not seen anywhere near the response we need to receive monthly support. Remember we have to raise our own support. We are not supported by a big organization that takes care of our financial needs. We really need you to pray about supporting us with $50/month. We did see some 4 individuals make the decision in 2009 to support us. Our full-time budget is $3500/month and we are almost at 1/5 of that. I have been very active in seeking opportunities to speak at churches but have not seen any response as of yet. If you are a family or you are simply an individual that reads this newsletter we really need you to consider supporting us with $50/month. God has called us to Zacatecas to take the kingdom by force. I hope our 4 years of perseverance in the area has showed you our dedication. Please respond to this e-mail with your commitment. If we have the support by the end of this next summer we will go. I also ask you to send me names/e-mails or info of any pastors of churches/individuals that might be interested in receiving me at their church on a Sunday.
.
Summer teams 2010
At this time we only have one team committed to doing a mission trip for this summer. We need you to come and help us with evangelism, VBS’s, sports camps, etc. We have experience working with men/women, youth, college age, and families. We need a team to commit to doing a baseball camp in Porvenir. We may also have a pretty big construction project opportunity as well.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support, Sembradores de Cristo family
Tax exempt giving
% Sembradores de Cristo
Esperanza Del Rio Community Church
603 E. 17th St. Del Rio, TX 78840
www.sembradoresdecristo.com
“Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” (Ephesians 3:8) Paul and his contemporary Israelites were amazed that the Gentiles could also be heirs with Christ. The Gentiles and the Israelites could now be members together of one body, sharing in the promise of Christ Jesus. Paul realized that his task was an incredible one, taking the gospel to the Gentiles. God had called him to this task. (Acts 9:15 ) I today am amazed at God’s calling for my life: taking the gospel to paganistic Zacatecas. Just like Paul I know I am nothing-the least of all God’s people. It’s only by God’s grace that Sembradores de Cristo exists. This gospel of unsearchable riches is not only for the inhabitants of the United States but for all Gentile nations. Praise the Lord! The need in Zacatecas is immense. There are numerous villages, towns, and cities that are entirely without the gospel. Like Paul in vs. 7 I am a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. His power has been shown in amazing ways this past year of 2009. This newsletter is dedicated to giving glory to God for what He has done in our ministry/lives this past year of 2009.
Personal/ministry-Praise God this past February I was able to complete a seminary master’s degree in ministry and in November receive my ministerial ordination. I finished this correspondence master’s degree in 10 months studying in the afternoons and weekends. I can remember pouring out 8-10 hours of time on Sundays after church. What a blessing it was being immersed in God’s Word on such a continued basis yet exhausting. May we never cease to hunger and thirst after righteousness! The teachable man of God will never be comfortable in his relationship with God but will always passionately seek Him for more and more. Now that I have received my documentation as an ordained minister (thanks again to Pastor Jim and Marco) my next step will to be taking out an id as a Mexican minister. As a Mexican citizen I have the right to preach the gospel without any other paperwork. Full-time missionaries in Mexico who are not citizens must apply for certain religious visas. Shalom, Nehemias, and I obtained our Mexican citizenship back in April making us dual citizens. My wife passed her American citizenship test in November and is now awaiting her formal oath. God has decided that our family needs to grow so Diana is expecting and the due date is September. After returning from Zacatecas Summer 2008 God really impressed it on me to get in shape. Doing the baseball camps in Zacatecas would always wipe me out completely because I was in no kind of shape to keep up with these guys who walk their cattle 5 miles a day. I started running 2 miles 2-3/wk and then start increasing it to 3 ½ miles 3/wk. Summer 2009 I continued running and this school year God gave me a special blessing. My work schedule worked out for me to be able to run with a coach during a lunch period. Therefore, I have strived to run 4 miles 5 days/wk (M-F). Being in shape has not only been a personal blessing but a ministry blessing. The high mountain villages being steep and 8000 ft above sea level aren’t that bad for walking short distances for out of shape people but definitely a challenge for hiking and sports.
Ministry blessings-“La Ballena” was a great blessing among many that the Lord provided for us. I remember getting on my knees seeking the Lord for a 15 passenger van and the answer coming within 2 weeks. “La Ballena” (the whale) has now been through about every mountain road of Jerez county, plowing through and getting stuck in mud, getting us through narrow mountain passages, and more than anything making it possible to get the gospel to very isolated/remote areas. Since the Lord had blessed us with summer teams who were flying directly into Zacatecas those teams would have had to rent a van locally at very high rates and now “La Ballena” is at the Lord’s service to accommodate mission teams. The Lord also blessed us with much needed musical instruments and gear such as: electric acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mics, generator, drum set, etc. In September we were able to setup a ministry website-much thanks to Sarah Broecker. We are in need of somebody who would donate their time to help us updating that website. At the same token we are in much need of a new computer-our old one being very slow and on its last days. Believers who know nothing about our ministry/who we are can be led to that website by a random search engine. Donors can now donate to our ministry electronically.
Zacatecas village ministry-Summer ministry 2009 in Guadalupe Victoria village was awesome despite the catechist’s nuisances, the loss of many sheep due to the threats, and the burning of Bibles we had donated. Doing the Bible studies at the court instead of in homes turned out to be a real winner. We went through half the book of Genesis in the adult class making comparisons to the New Testament. You would have a group’s entire concentration in the reading of God’s Word and then be randomly interrupted by a drunk guy driving up on his 3 wheeler or trotting up on his burro. What moments! The disappointing moment for me as their pastor was when they decided they weren’t ready for water baptism. They understood well that by being baptized meant they would be completely identifying with the Christian faith. They knew how they could be ridiculed by the other locals for making that step of public confession. We love them and believe that soon they will surrender themselves completely to Lord Jesus Christ. The hearts of the people of Monte de los Garcia grew colder and colder to the gospel as the summer progressed. We are now seeking the Lord as to His will for our continued minister there for Summer 2010. Working in Parral de las Huertas was a definitely a Holy Spirit initiated thing. What a response from the people! To this date the catechist has not come through to pluck the seeds we have sown. In Parral there is a faithful group of believers and potential disciples who are in much need of nurturing. This people are a humble people with no public drainage system, very little land to work unlike Palmas Altas where there is plentiful land, public drainage, running water, etc. I learned this summer that part of being led by the Holy Spirit includes sometimes having to discontinue previous work. The village of Villa Hermosa had been evangelized time and time again with no signs of fruit bearing fruit. We had invested time in a local believer who has great potential but is not teachable. We had even offered help in the area of agriculture to study the men’s soils with Professor Lynn but not even that was received. I had thought to myself, I don’t want anybody to think that I start things that I don’t finish. As I sought the Lord I knew I had to shake the dust of my feet and move on to the fertile lands He was calling me to. I do not cease praying for that village that they will repent like Nineveh before that great day of the Lord. As my beloved pastor/friend C.J. Ellis had taught me where the Holy Spirit is that’s where I need to be. I was really excited when the Lord told me that it was time to start working in the more populated towns nearer to Jerez . This Christmas trip was our first trip to the town of Porvenir and we are looking forward to going this Spring Break to evangelize there, do VBS’s, and do agricultural work with the men. It’s amazing how the Lord has led Professor Lynn Brandenberger to partner with us in our endeavor to reach Zacatecas with the gospel. The Lord had led him to a certain type of corn that he wanted to share with the men this Spring Break. It turns out the principal crop of Porvenir is corn.
Urgent need/monthly support
We had really wanted to go full-time this next year but at this time we have not seen anywhere near the response we need to receive monthly support. Remember we have to raise our own support. We are not supported by a big organization that takes care of our financial needs. We really need you to pray about supporting us with $50/month. We did see some 4 individuals make the decision in 2009 to support us. Our full-time budget is $3500/month and we are almost at 1/5 of that. I have been very active in seeking opportunities to speak at churches but have not seen any response as of yet. If you are a family or you are simply an individual that reads this newsletter we really need you to consider supporting us with $50/month. God has called us to Zacatecas to take the kingdom by force. I hope our 4 years of perseverance in the area has showed you our dedication. Please respond to this e-mail with your commitment. If we have the support by the end of this next summer we will go. I also ask you to send me names/e-mails or info of any pastors of churches/individuals that might be interested in receiving me at their church on a Sunday.
.
Summer teams 2010
At this time we only have one team committed to doing a mission trip for this summer. We need you to come and help us with evangelism, VBS’s, sports camps, etc. We have experience working with men/women, youth, college age, and families. We need a team to commit to doing a baseball camp in Porvenir. We may also have a pretty big construction project opportunity as well.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support, Sembradores de Cristo family
Tax exempt giving
% Sembradores de Cristo
Esperanza Del Rio Community Church
603 E. 17th St. Del Rio, TX 78840
www.sembradoresdecristo.com
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