Seedtime and Harvest Ministries: Stephen and Marcela Tolman

Donations and Offerings Update

2012-01-22T06:43:00.000-08:00

This is just a quick post to remind you (or, if you're new to the blog, to inform you) about the different ways you can help support Seedtime and Harvest Ministries. All gifts are tax-deductible.

I'm happy to report that our PayPal account is functioning again for those of you who would prefer to donate that way. The button is at the top left of this page.

If you look on the left sidebar, there are addresses where you can send letters and support, but I will post them here as well:

U.S.A. - Make all checks and donations payable to:

Seedtime and Harvest Ministries
8635 Callaghan Road
San Antonio, TX 78230

Canada - Make all checks and donations payable to:

Shiloh Christian Centre
P.O. Box 158
Fenelon Falls, ONT KOM 1NO

Thank you to everyone who supports this ministry both materially and through prayer.

A Word

2012-01-13T15:48:00.000-08:00

From Stephen.

As I was praying for direction for 2012 the Lord spoke this word to me. I sent it out to my pastoral counsel and they replied that I should send this out as a public word. Please consider it prayerfully.

The times of man are arbitrary and are not measured by My times. Even so, as you start this new year, remember I am the God over the times and the seasons and I hold the past and the future in my hands.

I spoke to you in 1999 and told you not to be afraid of the change of the millennium nor of the coming destruction. You were shown that I would pour out a final time of great prosperity for a short season to provide the opportunity for My church to finance the great harvesting of souls that are ripe unto harvest. My church by large spent their increase and blessing on themselves and not on what I had purposed for their blessing. They had the opportunity in their hands and did not take it.

As you were shown, after the short time of great abundance, there would come a time of even greater economic and social distress for an extended period of time. I have allowed this so that My church will learn to depend on Me and My direction, and not on their own wisdom and strength. I have allowed this to come to bring judgment upon men for their greed, their lack of compassion for the needy, and for their constant feeding of their evil desires. I have allowed this to come to cause men to seek My face and to turn from their wickedness, to repent, and to be healed.

Many have said that the solution to this time of distress is near but I say to you that it has only just begun. In the coming year and season the financial crisis shall become even worse and governments, institutions and great people who were thought to be unshakeable shall be brought down. Many shall look for the solution in politics, compromise and in strong men, but they shall not find it because the solution is in Me and not in anything or any system created by man. This is a time when the chaff shall be separated from the wheat.

Do not fear this time of distress for My hand shall be over My people as it was over Noah and his family in the ark and the children of Israel in the land of Goshen while they were in Egypt. They shall see what is happening and even feel some of the effects of the situation but the evil shall not come upon them. As they seek My face, walk in My path and obey my Word; they shall be blessed in the midst of crisis, they shall prosper in the time of distress, they shall arise and extend their tent stakes and do great things in times when men are afraid to even take one step forward. Above all they shall go forth in new power and might and take My Word to the nations and reap a great harvest for the time is short, the labourers few and the need is great.

This is a time when I shall teach My people to hear My voice with a clarity that they never had before. They shall learn to depend upon Me and not their own wisdom and strength. As they learn to depend upon Me, they shall do new and mighty things and walk in the power and authority which I had predestined for them from the foundation of the earth. They shall walk without fear for their love for Me and My Word shall cast out all of their fear.

Do not fear what is happening or what is to come, for I have already said in My Word that these things must come to pass before the Son of Perdition is revealed. You shall walk in confidence as you cleave to Me and follow My direction. You shall preach My Word with a new power and anointing and shall prosper in whatever you put your hand to do, for I have called My church to be a light unto the nations and have destined an outpouring of My Spirit upon you in a new and mightier way in these last days.

Happy New Year 2012

2011-12-31T17:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from San Pedro!

We thank God for his provision and blessings in 2011 in so many areas:

the new church structure is 80% completed
over 60 baptisms
several national and international short terms missions trips involving our youth group
growth in our two sister churches in Torreon
50 people helped through our rehab centers
a partnership with a group called Project AK-47, dedicated to rescuing children caught in the grip of drug cartels
continued success in the El Calor soccer ministry

A nearly full church at this year's Christmas posada.

We look forward to the coming year with the new challenges and goals that God will put before us. Thank you for your prayers and support and for being a great part of the work which God is doing here in Mexico.

Entropy

2011-12-27T17:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a special post written by my mom, Ruth Kinzie, who is visiting through the New Year.

It has been 18 months since my last visit to Mexico. Today I am in San Pedro with Stephanie and Hugo. We spent time today at Templo Cristiano Libertad watching Don Pablo as he put cement along the edge of the new roof.

When I was here in June 2010, services were held outdoors as the old church building had recently been demolished. The new structure, large and well built, is almost finished. I noticed how shabby some of the older buildings on the property look compared to the church. Time takes its toll and the natural end of everything is decay and death. It takes time, knowledge, resources and effort to maintain things like our churches, homes, cars, and health. Yet we cannot stop the ravishes of time in the physical realm. Without the continual renewing of the Holy Spirit, the same thing can happen to us spiritually.

In 2 Corinthians 4:16 Paul says,
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

In Ephesians 4:22-24 Paul writes again,
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

We are at the portal of a new year, a time when many people resolve to change for the better. Who could ask for more than to be created like God in true righteousness and holiness?

The physical things entrusted to our care do need attention and I know that Stephen, Marcela and other people working in this ministry appreciate your ongoing support as they reach out with the gospel in this community. Perhaps this is the year God will ask you to visit them and help in a tangible way.

God bless you at this special time of year and may you be renewed day by day according to your faith and obedience to him.

Soccer Practice

2011-12-07T18:24:00.000-08:00

Today the team trained here in San Pedro in preparation for their final game of the year this Saturday. Marcela often prepares a snack for the players when they train here and here are some pictures from this afternoon

Intersquad training.

Enjoying some corn on the cob!


Some of the boys living with Stephen and Marcela, along with Elisa and Timothy.

Special 2-Day Crusade

2011-11-11T21:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday and today a special crusade sponsored by Templo Cristiano Libertad was held in downtown San Pedro. A minister named Luis Alegria came from Brazil to share his testimony and speak about the dangers of drug and alcohol use. As a young man, Brother Alegria was involved in drug trafficking and other activities but God delivered him and now he travels around Latin America sharing his story and God's redemption. Here are some pictures of the event.

El Calor Soccer

2011-10-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

The new soccer season for 3rd Division Professional Soccer started the weekend of October 1. El Calor's record after 4 weeks is 3 wins, 1 tie, and 0 losses. Our goal record is 10 goals for, and 1 against, and today we had our best victory so far, 5-0 over a team from Chihuahua. Currently the team is number one in its group. Next week the team will be playing in Ciudad Juarez and we ask for your prayers as they travel and play.

This is our new home shirt this season. Here's a closeup of the redesigned logo

September 16 Celebration

2011-09-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

In Mexico, Independence Day is celebrated on Sept. 16. This year we held a special event/fundraiser for Templo Cristiano Libertad. We formed groups within the congregation and each group was responsible for a booth with an activity or food for sale. Everyone dressed up in traditional Mexican clothing and participated in the evening, which went for almost 4 hours. There were prizes for the best costume, best booth, best activity, etc. We were able to raise a good amount of money to go towards construction expenses as well as reach out to the neighbourhood.

Note: We still don't have electricity in the church so most of the pictures are a bit dark.

We had a time of worship before the fellowship.

One of the food booths.

A games booth.

Another games booth.

The drinks booth (lime water, horchata (rice and cinnamon) water, and jamaica (hibiscus) water).

Thirsty party-goers!

Another food booth, selling enchiladas and chilaquiles (fried corn tortillas with salsa and cheese).

More food!

Basketball contest.

Selling tamales.

The drinks booth again, which won the prize for best booth as well as most money earned.

Update #6 on Stephen

2011-09-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

Stephen was able to leave the hospital yesterday and is now recuperating at home. He is still tired and has some pain, but he is getting better day by day. Thank you for your prayers and please keep praying for a smooth recovery.

Update #5 on Stephen

2011-09-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

I'm just back from the hospital and Stephen is doing well. He was up and walking today so he's tired, but the doctor is happy with his progress so far and everything is working as it should. He still isn't eating, just on IV fluids, but hopefully he will be able to progress to some "real food" in the next couple of days. As always, I will continue to post updates about his progress and keep you informed. Thank you for your ongoing prayers!

Update #4 on Stephen

2011-09-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

Stephen came out of surgery last night about 10pm local time. The doctors were able to patch the perforated area of the intestine and deal with the blockage. He was in some pain overnight but is conscious and able to talk for short periods of time. He is still in need of rest and quiet, but the doctor is hopeful that he will not need further surgery. Thanks for your comments and prayers and as before, please keep praying for his full recovery. Also be in prayer for the various ministries and projects taking place in San Pedro and for the people who will be taking over while Stephen is recuperating.

Update #3 on Stephen

2011-09-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

Stephen will be going in for surgery this afternoon because it seems that he has an intestinal blockage in addition to a perforation. The doctor said that the perforation isn't large, but that it need to be fixed to keep toxic material from leaking into the rest of his body. Please keep praying for him, that the surgery will be successful and that there will be no further complications. Thanks for your comments here on the blog and for your prayers so far.

Update #2 on Stephen

2011-09-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I went to see Stephen in the hospital. He is resting a lot and still has quite a bit of pain and swelling after his operation. The doctor came in to see him around 6:30pm and after checking the dressings, found some signs that Stephen might have a perforated intestine or colon. There is a strong likelihood that they will have to operate again, but for tonight they are keeping a close eye on the situation and will see what develops in the next few hours. Please keep praying for Stephen because it will be a long road back to health, and he is definitely not out of the woods yet. Pray specifically:

-for peace for Stephen and his family
-that the doctors will be able to discover if there is a perforation and that they will be able to close it
-that the remaining infection will be cleared up completely

I will continue to post news as it becomes available.

Update on Stephen

2011-08-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

Stephen came out of surgery successfully last evening but is still in the hospital and will likely be there for the next couple of days. His doctor wants to make sure the infection has been taken care of and that Stephen gets some much-needed rest while his body recuperates. Thanks to those of you who left comments on the blog and thanks for your continuing prayers.

Prayer Request

2011-08-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

Please be in prayer for Stephen and his family. Yesterday he was taken ill with a stomach infection and was hospitalized, and is still there. Please pray for his healing and for peace for his family.

Update: Doctors have done a series of tests and it turns out that it´s appendicitis. Stephen will be going into surgery in about half an hour. I just talked to him and he says he is in a lot of pain, but he´s confident that the surgery will go well.

Update: It's 9pm here and Stephen is out of surgery. His appendix had ruptured some days ago and there was a lot of infection in the site. The doctors were able to clean everything out and remove what was left of the appendix. He will be on antibiotics for a while and is supposed to rest for several days. Thanks for your prayers so far and please keep praying for Stephen's complete recovery.

Testimonies

2011-06-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a testimony written by Marcela for this week's blog:

For the last several years, God has been enlarging the ministry here in San Pedro by giving us different ways to reach people for his kingdom. We starting receiving young people who are in need of help in many areas. Most of these young people come from very poor families – some of them don’t even have families – and the worst thing is that they have never heard of the love of God. Most of them are from different states of Mexico.

The material needs of these boys are so great that when they come here, most of them just come with 2 changes of clothes, a pair of sandals and no money at all.

At first this was really a challenge for us because once they come here, we have to provide everything for them – school, clothing, shoes, food etc. God has always being so faithful to us that now we don’t even question when a new child arrives because we know that we will see the glory of God in every need.

When they come here, we start to tell them about the love of God, and we let them know how important they are for God. Some of them do not know that they have a great value just for being a creation of God.

We have seen in a satisfactory way when the time for them to leave comes, they just don’t want to go. But then again we feel so proud to see that even being away they keep serving God and sharing the love of Jesus with their relatives.

Here is a little story of one of them.

CESAR FROM THE STATE OF JALISCO.

Cesar came to live here for one year. When he arrived, the first thing he did was hang the image of the virgin of Guadalupe on the edge of his bed. When we saw that, we just let him be. We were waiting to act in the right moment in God’s timing.

We met together every day to eat, and also we had special meetings for Bible teaching. Little by little, we started to teach them about the truth of the Bible in every aspect. They asked questions and were so surprised when they realized they were not living in the truth of the word of God.

Cesar started reading the Bible, and getting to know more and more, and he would come to ask questions and so on. Soon after he knew more about the Bible and had been attending the church for a while, he decided to give his life to Jesus and to be baptized. Soon after that, he would come almost every day asking us if he could borrow the phone, and he literally spent hours on the phone sharing with his family the good news of the love of Jesus. He now is back in his house and he calls us every week. He found a church to attend and now he is going to this church and he has been counseling his family and now, they are going to church with him. We regularly hold cell groups in our house for the ones living here with us and also for the ones that were living with us but they are online. They know the cell group timing and get online and someone here is narrating every detail that is going on in the cell group and they are able to be with us, even though they are far away. Praise God for the “Online cell groups”.

Well, this is just a little something of the wonderful things that God has being doing here in the San Pedro ministry.

We really appreciate your prayers and financial support so God’s ministry can keep going.

Thank you from our hearts: Stephen and Marcela Tolman.

Saturday Sale

2011-06-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we held another fundraising sale at the church. This week we made mole (mol-ay), a brown sauce made of anything and everything, including: chocolate, bananas, tomatoes, onion, jalapeño peppers, garlic, corn masa (all this in addition to the sauce base). Maybe it sounds strange, but it's delicious! It is served with chicken, rice and spaghetti.

The mole being made and boiled.

The pots and pots of chicken, rice and spaghetti, made by the women of the church.

Filling the trays.

The final product! We sold 96 plates in total.

Soccer Tryouts

2011-06-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

This weekend we are holding soccer tryouts for the new El Calor season. On Friday and Saturday over 800 players came to try out and today we have 50 out of town players staying with us. Hopefully later this afternoon I will get some pictures to post, but for now please be in prayer for the players, coaches, and everyone involved in this ministry.

Saturday Sale

2011-06-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

Every other Saturday we make and sell food to help with the church construction costs. This week we made and sold 125 plates of chiles rellenos (stuffed peppers) with rice, beans and salad.

Filling the plates...we filled these tables 3 times with plates!

The finished plates, waiting to be picked up.

The finished product!

Construction Pictures

2011-05-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are the latest church construction pictures.

Above is the last little section of missing roof.

Here you can see the scaffolding where the brick is being built up to meet the roof.

Here, you can see where the walls have been built up almost to the roof. The middle support columns need to be poured so that the last few rows of brick can be placed. Then the windows can be put in.

Baptisms and General Update

2011-05-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

To start, thanks to those of you who commented on the youth camp photos. I'm glad you liked them!

Last Sunday we had 3 baptisms after the evening service. We have to use an inflatable pool as we haven't yet built a permanent baptistry. I do have pictures BUT the camera cable has gone AWOL...I will post them as soon as I can.

The church construction continues with some more wall building. The roof is a great blessing as the sun is pretty strong, even at 10am. 3 weeks ago we received 50 more chairs, and they are filled up!

El Calor had a surprising early exit from the playoffs (1st and 2nd rounds) and it was a huge disappointment. However, the ministry continues and we are in preseason training. Throughout the month tryouts are being held all over the country, and in June those chosen in the sessions will come here for the final selection process. Please be in prayer for our coaching staff, the returning players, and the new players who will come and be ministered to.

Youth Camp 2011 - Day 2 and 3

2011-04-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

The morning obstacle course....

Team challenge: run across a wet, soapy tarp and score a goal...

Then, run across the tarp, pick up a toy (without stopping!) and drop it in the basket...without falling!!

Crafts - making papier mache masks.....

Morning devotional session...

Youth Camp 2011 - Day 1

2011-04-21T13:52:00.001-07:00

Youth Camp 2011!!

Day 1...

Just a small part of the food needed for 150 people over 3 days....

Monday and Tuesday were spent cleaning the property and setting up the obstacle course....

String maze...

Preparing the mud pit portion of the obstacle course....

Racing down the street, Tuesday, 7:30 a.m...

Pulling teammates across the yard in a tire...

Wednesday evening church service...

More pictures to come!

Construction Update - Roof

2011-04-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, this picture above was the new church roof...

Construction slowly advanced and all of the support structures were put into place about 2 weeks ago...

Once all the structural pieces were in place, we could start installing the insulation and sheet metal....

Here, some of the materials waiting to be used in the roof and remaining wall construction....

Now, the roof is 3/4 finished, and we have shade!

Soccer Update

2011-03-28T18:26:00.001-07:00

El Calor Torreon (ECT) and El Calor San Pedro (ECSP) both won their games this weekend. ECT played in Torreon while ECSP traveled to ChihuahuaAbove, the waiting bus, very early on Saturday morning.Last minute checks, making sure everything is packed and ready to go.

Despite a problem with the clutch, the trip was fairly uneventful and ECSP won 2-0. They are in second place in their group and within 3 points of the top spot. ECT won 5-0 and are in 4th place in their group. Both teams are getting ready for the playoffs, which start at the end of April.

Construction Update

2011-03-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Things have been kind of low-key here in San Pedro - busy, but nothing out of the ordinary. The church construction is advancing this week, and tomorrow we will be putting the remaining 6 roof supports in place.

Today was spent assembling the pieces so that the placement will go quickly tomorrow.

Once the pieces are lifted into place, they are welded onto the support posts. After the supports are in place, we can put the laminate sheets on and have a roof!

Construction Update

2011-02-16T18:56:00.001-08:00

After a short delay, construction has begun again on the new church building. Last week the first roof supports were welded together and put in place.

Stephen helping to supervise the placement of the first roof support beam.

Putting the first beam in place.

Welding the beam to its support pillars.

Stabilizing the roof beam while it's being welded.Repositioning the second beam in order to lift and join it to the first one.It took a while to accomplish.......and some help from the men of the church.

Church Growth & Soccer Update

2011-02-01T08:26:00.000-08:00

The El Calor soccer season continued this past weekend with a local game for the Torreon team and a trip to Casas Grandes, near Cd. Juarez, for the San Pedro team. The Torreon team is still adjusting to some changes in the lineup and unfortunately lost 1-0. The San Pedro team finished the first half losing 1-0 but rallied and won the game 4-1. This week the Torreon team will be traveling to Juarez, and the San Pedro team will be playing here.

We are excited to see continued church growth in Templo Cristiano Libertad! The new church building is still in progress and we're waiting on the roof. This week we bought 40 new chairs because we have been standing-room only, and we have ordered 50 more because the 40 are already filled! Several of our cell groups have received new members and may have to be divided up soon.

Also, a note of thanks to everyone at Destiny Church for another great conference. We were blessed by the services, the fellowship, and the ministry during our time there and we appreciate all the effort and hard work that went into making the week a success.

Testimony

2011-01-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

About three months ago a woman came to the church. She had just gone through a traumatic experience. This woman and her husband had had a terrible fight and her husband stabbed her in the throat, cutting her vocal chords and leaving her mute. When she was in the hospital, she says that she saw a man come into her room and tell her, "Something good is about to happen to you." She went through an operation to try and restore her voice but it was unsuccessful. A friend of hers took her to the church and Stephen and Marcela began to talk to her and counsel her. Marcela especially talked to her about forgiveness and gradually the woman accepted Christ was able to forgive her husband for what he had done to her. At this time her husband tried to commit suicide but was unsuccessful. He was admitted to hospital and his wife came and looked after him, despite of what he had done to her and despite the fact that she couldn't speak. After this the woman prayed and asked God to give her back her voice so she could worship him. The next day she woke up and was able to talk; God had given her a brand new voice. Last Sunday she brought her husband to church and he accepted Jesus into his life.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16

Building Update

2010-12-14T12:09:00.000-08:00

Here are the latest pictures from the new church building. The walls are done and we are now working on the roof structure.

View from outside front doors

Working on the roof structure

Outside walls

Important Note

2010-10-19T18:58:00.001-07:00

We are having some issues with the Donate button at the top left of the blog. It is currently unavailable and we are working to resolve the issue. The good news is that you can still send offerings through Destiny Church:

Seedtime and Harvest Ministries, Inc.

c/o Destiny Church

8635 Callaghan Rd.

San Antonio, TX 78230-4429

We will let you know as soon as the PayPal option becomes available again. Thanks to everyone who works with Seedtime and Harvest and helps keep the ministry in Mexico growing!

Construction Update

2010-10-17T18:42:00.000-07:00

This week the floor of the new church was put in. With this, the foundation and base are complete, and this week the workers are going to start putting up the walls.

Evening service, still held outdoors.

Views of the floor from the street in front of the construction site.

Sunday School classes being held during the evening service.

Stephen's Visit to USA

2010-09-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

Stephen will be making his annual visit to the States from October 15th through the second week of November. Please be in prayer as he prepares for his trip. If you would like to have him visit your congregation, you can contact him through sanpedroshm@gmail.com.

More Construction Pictures

2010-09-26T18:47:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pictures of the construction that has been happening this week.
Mixing cement... Putting supports in place....

The supports are held in place by boards, wire, and blocks until the cement sets.

This week our goal is to start building the walls. We want to finish before winter starts and more rain comes. Last Sunday we had a wet afternoon service but our outside "church" was still full.

Construction Progress!

2010-09-18T16:11:00.001-07:00

This week we have started to see measurable progress in the construction process. The main team of workers have made the basic supports for the building and are setting them in place. There is a ditch dug around the foundation and each pillar is held in place while cement is mixed and poured around it.

Please continue to be in prayer for this project. On Monday we found out that someone had been stealing material from the property and since then volunteers from the church have been camping out at night to guard the construction site. This coming week we plan to finish placing the supports and continue with the basic underpinnings of the building.

Soccer Weekend

2010-09-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

It was a great weekend for El Calor soccer! On Saturday the 3rd division team won 3-0 here in San Pedro, and the San Pedro 4th division team won 3-2, both playing against a team from Cuidad Juarez. Today our 4th division team based in Torreon won 3-0 and our Torreon-based 3rd division team won 1-0.

It's still early in the season and there is room for improvement in all the teams, but we are looking forward to another great season. With our newest 3rd division team, under the direction of a former El Calor player, there is even more opportunity to reach out to players and their families with the Gospel.

Please be in prayer for the El Calor organization, for the players and their coaches, and for Stephen and Marcela and the group of people who help run the teams. There are drivers, cooks, pastors, security people, team and technical assistants, in addition to the coaching staff and administration, and they are all necessary for the teams to function well. Please also pray for new sponsors for the teams - sponsorship is essential for the teams' survival, and this year has been a difficult year for fundraising. With your prayer partnership, you will help ensure the continuing impact of El Calor.

Construction News

2010-08-31T20:47:00.000-07:00

Slowly but surely the construction of the new church building is going forward. Last week truckloads of earth were dumped on the building site, and this week the earth was leveled and work has begun on some of the pieces of the new building.

Sunday Worship at Templo Cristiano Libertad

2010-07-23T20:07:00.000-07:00

Hello,
My name is Ruth and I am David and Elizabeth Tolman's daughter, Stephen's sister and Stephanie's mother. I visited San Pedro in June 2010 and took this short video of the Sunday morning worship service. The church building had been torn down the week before I arrived and this was the second Sunday that the congregation worshiped outdoors. The worship team is led by Jacob Contreras, a fine musician who is sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Lili Castellanos does the choreography for the panderistas who play tambourines as they worship with the congregation.

Construction

2010-06-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

Or rather, destruction....this weekend we finally started to tear down the old church building in preparation for the construction of the new building. Early Saturday morning a group of men (and some women) from the congregation gathered to salvage bits and pieces from the old building (doors, windows, fans, air conditioning units, etc.) and then break down the roof.

The roof came down easily - some might say too easily - and as we watched it come down, we all thought about how much time we had spent underneath it, how much (probably undeserved) trust we had put in its stability...

Since the building is now unusable, we pitched a tent and will be holding outdoor services likely for the duration of the construction, some 2-3 months.

Sunday evening service.

Soccer and Construction

2010-05-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

Well, it's past time for an update....here's what's been happening in San Pedro.

As you know, our soccer teams both made it to the playoffs and were advancing well. The professional team was eliminated two weeks ago, and it was a shock to all of us, having gone undefeated in the entire regular season. We are waiting to see how God will use this situation for his glory, and we trust him to be in control of the team as it rebuilds in anticipation for the upcoming season. Yesterday the promotional team played in their group's playoff final and it was a loooooooooong game - regular time ended tied 2-2, then 30 minutes of extra time ended scoreless, and so it came down to penalty shots, the same situation in which the professional team found itself two weeks previously. Unfortunately, the result was the same, and El Calor Promotional finished in second place, still a great achievement for a team that is barely a year old. Through the El Calor ministry this year, over 60 people, both players and family members, came to know the Lord, and we are glad that the teams continue to have such a widespread impact and reach in this country.

The other piece of news is that we finally have all the architectural and engineering plans in place for the new church building, and hopefully within the next two weeks we will begin demolition of the existing building in preparation for the construction. Please pray for this work as it progresses. I will be posting pictures as they become available so that you can see the work itself.

Clarification re. El Calor

2010-04-27T16:48:00.000-07:00

I have had some questions about yesterday's post, specifically about how the El Calor organization works and why there is a debt. All professional soccer in Mexico, from 3rd division (similar to Junior B or Junior A in the US and Canada) up to 1st division (like MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL), is regulated and run by the Mexican Soccer Federation. The Federation oversees each division and organizes the groups of teams, their schedules, and sets participation fees. Every player and team staff member (coaches, assistants, doctors, etc.) has to be registered with the Federation.

Some people who aren't familiar with the organization might hear the word "professional" and think of the equivalent in the US and Canada, where even children's sports have high-quality fields, equipment, transportation, and even municipal support. However, here the teams are paid for by the owners, which sometimes are corporations, and sometimes, as in the case of El Calor, are individuals. Teams do benefit from some corporate sponsorship, but the majority of the expenses - from registration to uniforms to travel to game fees - is the responsibility of the owners. Given that El Calor is only a part of the ministry that takes place here in San Pedro, and given that it is a growing ministry, these expenses have increased steadily.

God is faithful and has provided funds where none seemed to be available - we have never had to cancel a trip or postpone a game for lack of money, but sometimes we have not been able to pay all the expenses associated with the soccer ministry. Thankfully, the Federation has been understanding and has extended payment deadlines, but we don't want to have an outstanding debt.

I hope this clarifies the situation and gives you all a better understanding of the scope of the ministry and the process the teams go through each season. El Calor provides opportunities for many young people who come from very poor economic circumstances. Many live away from home while they play here and are supported by Stephen, Marcela, and the church.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, please pray for the El Calor ministry - the teams as they play and travel, and everything that must fall into place in order for the ministry to function. If you feel led to give towards this need, you can give through PayPal or through the San Antonio address given below in yesterday's post.

Playoffs: Round 1

2010-04-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

Last week was the start of playoffs for all of our El Calor teams. On Wednesday the professional team traveled to Chihuahua and won 8-1. On the return leg here in San Pedro on Saturday, they won 4-0 and are on to the next round. Tomorrow they will travel to the state of Sonora, about a 14h journey, for the first game of the second round.

The promotional team played on Saturday in San Luis Potosi and tied 2-2. Their return game will be here in San Pedro on Saturday.

The 4th division team played two games last week, losing the first 2-0 and winning the second 2-1. With a global score of 3-2 against them, unfortunately they are out of the playoffs.

Please be in prayer for the teams as they travel and play throughout April and May. Each week the trips get longer and more difficult. The promotional team experienced problems with the bus going both to and from San Luis, though they did arrive safely. We also have a financial need of 70,000 pesos (about $6000 USD) for expenses incurred during the season. This debt was going to prevent us from participating in the playoffs, but with God's help we were able to negotiate a temporary agreement with the soccer federation. Please pray that God will provide the funds to cover this debt. If you would like to send an offering to help, you can send it through PayPal (account on this page) or through the following address:

Seedtime and Harvest Ministries
8635 Callaghan Rd
San Antonio, TX 78230

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

Youth Camp 2010 Services

2010-04-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

A full church, some actions songs, and a conga line (well, a Christian conga line!). We enjoyed excellent speakers for the 3 nighttime camp services, and we ended each session with an extended praise and worship session.

Youth Camp 2010 Teams and Sports

2010-04-07T16:44:00.001-07:00

One of the final competitions, the team pyramid.

Water balloons + 90F = a winning combination.

After-lunch volleyball.

Small-court soccer, boys and girls competitions.

Youth Camp 2010 Activities

2010-04-07T16:40:00.001-07:00

Setting up a large tent on the grounds - harder than you'd think!

Day 1 speedwalking race - extra points for style!

Waiting for food!

The camp convenience store, which, as you can tell by the scarcity of actual food, was a big hit.

Youth Camp 2010 Morning Rally

2010-04-07T16:30:00.001-07:00

Last week was Youth Camp here in San Pedro, and I think some of us are still recovering! More than 100 young people participated over the 3 1/2 days of activities and services. Above are some pictures from the daily 7:30am obstacle course. As always, I was glad that I only had to watch it!

Baptisms

2010-02-24T18:20:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday we held a baptism service and 3 young people were baptized.

We have torn down our baptism tank, so we have been making do with a kiddie pool, but the congregation keeps growing and we thank God for that!

El Calor 3rd and 4th division teams traveled to Chihuahua, Chihuahua last weekend. The 4th division lost, unfortunately, but despite not having their top scorer, a strong wind making it difficult to play, and some questionable refereeing, the 3rd division team managed a 2-1 victory. The 3rd division promotional team played locally and won 8-0. Our 3rd division coach thanks all of you for your prayers and asks that you keep praying for the team. Last week we saw the result of prayer, as the team won in the face of heavy opposition. We thank God for his faithfulness, and you for your prayers!

This week we play locally, on Saturday afternoon at 2pm local time.

Cornerstone of New Church Building

2010-02-17T21:18:00.001-08:00

Tonight the cornerstone of our new church building was placed. The hole was dug last week and tonight instead of our weekly cell groups, we gathered to pray over the site and place the first concrete. We had a short song service and then our assistant pastor and youth pastor mixed the cement.

The first load of cement was poured in by Pastor Walt Hollis, who came down especially for this night. After the cement was poured, everyone who came to the service threw a stone into the hole, symbolizing that we are part of this church family and form the foundation of the church to come.

Finally we closed in prayer for the new building, the church leadership, and the continuing ministry of the church. The new building will have room for about 750 people and will serve as a sanctuary, gymnasium, and fellowship hall. I'll be posting more pictures as the construction moves forward.

Another Victory for El Calor

2010-02-14T13:56:00.000-08:00

El Calor traveled to Casas Grandes, Chihuahua this weekend, a 9 hour bus trip from San Pedro. Both the 4th division team and the 3rd division pro team were victorious. The game started out badly for the 3rd division team: the opposing team scored at the 9 minute mark, 2 players were penalized and one thrown out at the 35th minute of the first half, and the refereeing was biased toward the home team. However, the team pulled together and in spite of playing the majority of the game one man short, won 7-2. For those soccer fans who read the blog, you will know that players have their individual celebratory rituals after scoring. However, they have to be careful because they can be penalized or thrown out if the referee deems their actions excessive or taunting toward the other team. Several of the boys on the team wear tshirts underneath their jerseys with messages such as, "I belong to Jesus", or "Property of Jesus". After scoring the 6th El Calor goal, one of the boys who lives here on the property and who was wearing one of these shirts, asked the referee if he could lift up his jersey and show the message on his shirt underneath, as a testimony. The same referee, who had previously penalized El Calor and thrown out their lead scorer, replied, "I believe in Jesus - go ahead and show the message. I won't penalize you." After the game the team returned rapidly to the dressing room because they were afraid the crowd of several hundred people would turn violent. As they were changing they heard fists pounding on the dressing room door and ran to block the door against intruders. Instead, they were greeted by supporters of the other team who wanted to take pictures with our players because they admired how well the team had played!

El Calor will be traveling again to Chihuahua this coming Saturday. Please continue to pray for their safety, success, and for more opportunities to share the Gospel.

News from Haiti Team

2010-02-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

Here is a letter we received a couple of days ago from the Mexican Christian medical team in Haiti, where two of our young people from Templo Cristiano Libertad are serving.

Greetings from the CIRENE team.Today has been one of the hardest days that we have had here, but it has also been one of the days when we have been most touched by what it is that we have been able to do here. To begin the day today, we separated men from women, the women stayed at the house with the two doctors that are still here with us (Oscar and Luis). The rest of us went to a different part of town where there is a concentration of more than 7000 people, a surprising number. It is difficult sometimes to understand the people here, not so much because of the language barrier, but because of the few actions that they take in the face of the catastrophic event that has just occurred to them.
Today we went to the zone which is said to have been most damaged by the effects of the earthquake. We arrived at a huge building; There was rubble everywhere and the second floor was collapsed, which left the first floor was holding the weight of the entire building. At the beginning, they told us that we were going to be helping remove the rubble from the building, but upon our arrival they wanted us to remove the benches and a few other things that were usable. Out of the Haitians in the area, we only counted two people that had come to help. One of the men that had come with us, along with some of the guys, went inside the building to see if there was anything that we could do, but we were told that there was no reason to try, it was too complicated and could also be dangerous. Apart from this, there sadly were three bodies still trapped in the rubble, one of which was notably visible.
Since we arrived in Haiti, there has been no word of the Haitian people mobilizing to help their own. It is not my intention to criticize because I understand what these people are going through. The majority of them lost everything; many lost family members, parents, children, friends, and the much or little they did own collapsed around them. Apathy is a very strong force in this nation, above all now, in their time of need. It is one of the biggest challenges that we are facing; helping the people help themselves out of the situation. We have much work ahead of us.
In the end, we were able to do nothing, so we returned home. It was a tedious trip and there was a lot of traffic. Upon our arrival at the house we were surprised to find that the doctors who we left behind were inundated with work. People wanting medical consultation filled the patio. The problem was that the majority of the people were not sick, they merely wanted something. There were people that wanted us to look at their children because the sweat a lot, or because their eyes were slightly yellow. Others came because they had the flu, but they didn’t display any symptoms. Despite all of this, we pressed on trying to attend to as many people as possible. In reality, the people who weren’t really sick made our job much more difficult, but we were still enjoying being able to help. The whole event was somewhat striking to me; the whole world was joking around about it, and we were amiably taking care of every person in the place.
Oscar keeps painting his face like a clown, even though he can’t perform for anyone because if he did, the kids wouldn’t understand. Morales and Emmanuel continue to blow up balloons and make little animals out of them so that each child can have at least one. Meanwhile Mike, who is from the North, Edwin, from Guatemala, Isodoro and Will, from Oaxaca, Biso, a guy from San Luis, and myself on occasion, help by putting together the food rations that will be given out during the day. It is a bit tiring because the food rations are in a metal container outside of the house, and you can imagine the heat after being inside for five minutes is almost unbearable. I wish I could say it is helping us lose weight, but that is not the case, because our food here is too delicious. Also, on top of this, we are incredibly careful about hygiene, as we try to avoid everything that could possibly cause some kind of infection.
All of the women here are fundamental for the team to function. Yesica and Anayansin are in charge of efficiently distributing the medicine that we have to each patient that is indeed sick. Cristina and Nydia are in charge of taking the patients’ blood pressure and checking to see if they are truly sick. Paloma and Pati are nurses and they help the doctors immeasurably. Today alone, they had around 60 consultations before noon. Julio, who is also from San Luis, along with Aaron, help in any way they can; when they aren’t working with the food rations, they are working crowd control or working on whatever else is needed. Iveth along with Luckson are the ones who help us translate and there are times when they never stop because of the constant flow of people. Pancho and Pedro, along with Jorge, were in charge of going to the embassy to ask for more help. When we began the day, we were hoping that we would receive more help, but we could have never imagined how much.
Later in the day, after we finished attending to all of the people that had come, we were informed of the enormous amount of help we were going to receive. Luckson took charge of locating three semi trucks to bring all of the goods possible and the three left immediately to the embassy. Around four in the afternoon the first truck arrived. The truck was filled to capacity with food; it took us around three hours to unload it. We had to move some girls sleeping in one room, over to another, where the rest of the women from our team sleep in order to use the room for the food. After we unloaded everything we were able to realize that there was a variety of goods in the truck. There was also the medicine we needed so badly, diapers, powdered milk, and clothes. We were all laughing when we realized that some people had packed thick winter coats to send to a country of such high temperatures, but any and all help is appreciated. We have unloaded a mass amount of Red Cross boxes, along with boxes from many other institutions. Many Haitians are incredibly grateful to the country and people of Mexico, for their generosity.
We had around two hours to arrange everything that we had unloaded and rest a little. Finally the second truck arrived, just as full, if not more so, than the first. The inside of the house is filled with medicine, bottled water, cans of tuna, and so much more. The room where we had started to unload things was filled to capacity, so we even had to begin unloading some things onto the roof. This truck even had huge quantities of blankets; there is no doubt that as Mexicans, we know how to act in solidarity, even in moments of hardship.
Right now we are taking a little break, as we wait on the third truck that Pancho is bringing, which should arrive soon, and we’ve been told that it is filled just as much as the first two. We have all helped; the girls have also put forth a lot of effort. We have received so much today that we don’t even know where we are going to store everything from this next truck. We have done inventory and now know that we have received approximately 35 tons of food. This means that we are ready to hand out more than 1000 food rations per day. This is going to require a great deal of personal strength for each of us on the team, and we ask you to keep us in your thoughts.
Well, I will say goodbye for the moment. I need to rest a little before Pancho arrives with the last truck. I don’t know that time we will be done, but tomorrow we have to get up early enough to be able to make up the food rations and have enough time to be able to hand them all out.
We continue to send greetings and many hugs from everyone on the team. We hope you are all well and we thank you again for all of your support. The CIRENE team.

Update

2010-02-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

A couple of news items:

This weekend El Calor played here in San Pedro on Saturday afternoon and won 8-0. The team is undefeated this season and travels this coming weekend to Chihuahua.

Last Tuesday we opened up a Bible-training institute, run by the pastors of Templo Cristiano Libertad, and headed by our youth pastor. The school is on Tuesdays from 6-10 pm and there are almost 30 people enrolled.

Update

2010-02-03T07:51:00.001-08:00

Good morning!

Here's what's been happening the last little while in San Pedro:

The second half of the soccer season began on Saturday January 23, with El Calor at home facing a team from Chihuahua. The game ended in a 9-0 victory for us.....last Saturday the team traveled to Ciudad Juarez and despite a poor playing field, came out victorious with a 5-1 score.

We have started construction on a new church building, or rather at this point, destruction, as we have had to knock down a wall to make room for the new building. This past Monday was a holiday here so a team of young people and men from the church gathered to finish tearing down the wall and crush the cement blocks for later use.

Finally, this weekend we had an update from the girls the church sent to Haiti. They are part of a group of Christian medical workers and they are hard at work caring for the wounded, distributing food and supplies, and sharing the Gospel. Here are two pictures of the team taken at the airport before flying out last Wednesday. They stopped in Cuba and the Dominican Republic on their way to Haiti, and were able to minister in both places, even though they were there only a short time. Please continue to pray for the entire group as they work to help rebuild Haiti.

Destiny Missions Conference and Haiti Relief

2010-01-22T20:07:00.000-08:00

On Thursday we returned from this year's missions conference at Destiny Church in San Antonio. The conference was a blessing to all of us who went and we would like to thank everyone at Destiny for the time and effort that went into the week, and for their hospitality and kindness to us.

The situation in Haiti was definitely a topic of conversation and prayer during the conference, and we were challenged to take action and do something to help. To that end we are sending two nurses from our church to Haiti to serve there. One is a nursing student and the other just graduated and is a registered nurse. They are leaving tomorrow night for Mexico City where they will be until Wednesday, organizing supplies and applying for paperwork. God provided the money for their plane tickets, and at tonight's service there was an outpouring of generosity from the church and they are leaving with all their needs met. Please be in prayer for them as they travel and minister in Haiti: pray for safety, for strength, for a supernatural ability to communicate (they both speak Spanish and some English, but no French), and pray that God will use them to bring his Word to Haiti.

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T14:11:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

We are at the start of another year, and the activity and excitement of the holidays has slowly given way to normality. Every January many people resolve to change something about themselves and say, “This year I will be successful!” While it is good to plan and prepare for what may come in the future, it is also important to remember to live day-by-day. Lately I have been reading stories of people’s successes and failures with their New Year’s resolutions, and many of those who have failed to fulfill their plans say that they get bogged down when they think in terms of an entire year. “How can I (exercise, eat more vegetables, read the Bible, etc. etc.) every day for a whole year???” When we are overwhelmed by thoughts of the future and how we will cope, we can remember what the Bible says:

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Whatever our goals for 2010, knowing that God’s mercy is with us day after day can give us the strength to meet our goals, to grow in our walk with Him, and do what He asks of us.

Here is a summary of our activities in 2009 and some of our plans for 2010.

1- Church in San Pedro: We are now full in both services on Sunday and are running over 300 people. With the exception of 4 people, all are new converts who have never served the Lord before. There are now 2 young men full time on the pastoral staff. We are planning on building for 700 in 2010. We are studying the most economical way of doing it because we refuse to go in debt.
2- The Soccer ministry has grown and now has 3 travelling teams covering two cities. We are reaching a group of about 200 young people from the ages of 13-19. Since August, 22 have become Christians along with several parents. Our goal is to win at least 80 to the Lord by next June. All of the teams are winning a lot and 2 of them are in the top 10 nationally. That's just added blessing!
3- The Drug rehab is still treating about 300 men each year. We are now receiving many who are also hiding out from the drug cartels because they are trying to escape that kind of life. Please pray for protection from violence for this center. We will be partnering with PROJECT AK-47 (Marcus Young) this year to start ministering to the kids caught up in the violence of the gang warfare.
4- The missions training School graduated another 5 students this year. Four of the students were also able to make their faith trip to a small town on the west coast and were able to help start another home missions work. We are still planning on sending out Latin American Missionaries to foriegn fields in the near future. Our evangelism teams still do campaigns with dramas at least twice a year.
5- In the social area we continue to teach English to underprivileged students. We have also opened a small secondary school for young people who dropped out and were not able to finish secondary school. the economic crisis has really rocked our city and over 5,000 jobs were lost this last year. We have built houses, fed the poor, scholarshiped 30 students, and helped create some job sources for the needy.

Please be in prayer for these programs and ministries and remember that those who send and those who go receive the same reward before God. We are your extension here in Mexico.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-22T16:03:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season for parties and presents and food...and food, and we have had our share (sometimes more than our share...) here in San Pedro. Last Thursday was the posada (Christmas party) for the Mexico-Canadiense English school. All the classes did a presentation in English, and there were songs, dramas, and games. On Friday the youth of Templo Cristiano Libertad held their own Christmas all-nighter, and on Saturday was the El Calor Christmas dinner. Finally on Sunday it was the church Christmas celebration with music, special choir presentations, and of course, more food....I was talking to a friend yesterday and we were both reflecting regretfully on the amount of food we seem to have eaten over the past few days, but then my friend shrugged and said, "Oh well, we have the rest of the year to work it off!" Which is true....and so, as I go in search of another sugar cookie, I would like to say thank you to everyone who has read the blog throughout 2009, to everyone who has supported us in prayer, in giving, in supplies, in visits. All of us in San Pedro wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, as we give thanks to God for the greatest gift ever given, salvation and eternal life through His Son, Jesus.

English school posada:

El Calor posada:

Holiday!

2009-11-16T19:09:00.001-08:00

Today was a holiday here in Mexico and we held a one-day mini youth camp. About 50 young people came and participated in a full day of games, team competitions, sports, and worship. There was a relay race, dodgeball, girls and boys soccer tournaments, and volleyball. Several new youth came for the event as well as some of our El Calor players. Thanks to everyone for their hard work!

A warm-up with some action songs!

A game involving a lot of pushing, pulling, and falling...

Dodgeball!

And finally, a disgusting game where you try to blow a tubeful of the most awful goop (Coke, raw eggs, water, hot chiles, and who knows what else) out of your opponent's end of the tube before they do it to you...may the strongest lungs win!

Important Need

2009-11-07T20:05:00.000-08:00

It's winter now, and yes, it does get cold here! Our soccer team is in need of winter uniforms, which will cost about $400. If you would like to help us with this expense, and bless the boys of El Calor, you can make an offering through the PayPal button on the top of this page, or send an offering through this address:

Seedtime and Harvest Ministries
8635 Callaghan Rd.
San Antonio, TX
78230

Thank you in advance for your support and prayers!

El Calor Photos 2009

2009-10-14T17:20:00.001-07:00

Players from Professional and Select teams during a recent cell group

Here are the official photos of the main teams of the El Calor soccer organization.

3rd Division Professional Team

3rd Division Select Team

4th Division

Please be in prayer for all the teens, children, families, and coaches involved in this ministry!

Update

2009-10-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

Several items to share today....

Last weekend we were blessed with a visit from sister Lydia Chorpening. Sister Chorpening was a missionary in the Philippines for many years and in September she made a tour of Mexico, visiting several missionaries and holding services. We were blessed by her visit and glad that she had the chance to visit San Pedro.

El Calor won their last two games, 3-1 and 7-1. This weekend they play here in San Pedro. We are working on setting up a web page with live streaming video of the games, and I will post on the blog when this becomes available.

Today is Stephen's birthday, and we wish him all the best in the coming year!

Happy Anniversary

2009-09-07T18:53:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Stephen and Marcela, who, on September 5, celebrated 22 years of marriage and ministry!

Back to School

2009-08-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school for most children and teens here in Mexico, and yesterday in the afternoon service we had a special time of prayer with about 70 students. Afterwards we gave out notebooks, pencils, calculators, markers, and backpacks so that everyone would be prepared for today.

70 students...two things come to mind when I see that number. First, wow. That's a lot of kids, and last night the church was absolutely packed. Which is good, but also bad if you come in late, unless you like standing...which brings me to a new but related topic: construction! We are planning to expand the current church building as we have not yet found a suitable piece of land to use for a new building. Also, we are planning to open a new church in Torreon, on the property that belongs to the rehab center there. So, as always when there are new projects on the go, we need two things: prayer and resources - prayer first, because that's how you get the resources, right? Please be in prayer as we plan these projects, that God will provide the money and people and supplies to see them through to completion, and that the church will continue to grow!

The second thing that comes to mind when I think about students are the ones we have living here on the property and being supported by the church and its ministers. We have one girl, a graduate of the Id Pues Bible school, who has entered nursing school, and 5 boys from El Calor who are from all over the country, who have come here to play on the team and are all in school, from secondary school to university. Some of them were Christians when they arrived, some have just come to accept Jesus in the short time they have been here, and some we are still waiting for, but please be in prayer for these students as well, that those who haven't accepted Jesus will do so, and that those who have will be strengthened in their walk with the Lord and be witnesses wherever they are - in school, on the playing field, or wherever God sends them.

A Divine Vocation

2009-07-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

A group of people at Templo Cristiano Libertad are reading through the Bible in one year, using the "Every Day With Jesus" Bible, which includes short devotionals and prayers after each reading. Today the New Testament reading was from Acts 11, where Peter talks to the Christians in Jerusalem after having gone to preach at Cornelius's house and seeing them receive the Holy Spirit. At first they couldn't believe that Gentiles had received the same gift as they had, but Peter replies, "...if God gave them the same gift that he also gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?" (Acts 11:17). In the devotional that follows, the author notes that on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell on all 120 who were in the upper room, not just on the 12 apostles. What does this mean for us? Well, you could argue that the 12 were more special than the others, as they had walked with Jesus and received special teaching and ministry, but the fact that the Holy Spirit fell on everyone in the room meant that there are no special requirements, no special positions, no role that is more important than another in the Kingdom of God. The author continues by stating that this realization "might enable us to regain a sense of mission in life." Often we think that pastors, missionaries, church leaders, etc. must be more holy or must have a higher calling than "ordinary Christians" but as the coming of the Holy Spirit shows us, this isn't true at all. As Christians and recipients of the Spirit of God when we accept him into our lives, we all are called to be holy, no matter where we are or what we do. The devotional ends with a prayer thanking God for his gift of the Holy Spirit and for the opportunity that each one of us has to "live out my life where [God] has placed me, with a sense of divine vocation."

Youth service

2009-06-24T18:14:00.001-07:00

On Saturday evening we held a joint youth service in the church with 3 other churches in the Torreon area. This is a new monthly initiative put together by all the participating churches in the area and each month the location is rotated between the churches. Over 130 young people filled the church and for 2 1/2 hours sang, prayed, and learned about the flow of the Holy Spirit. The previous night we held an acoustic church service because the church roof leaks (it has actually rained here!) and some of the sound equipment got wet. There were concerns for Saturday's service, but everything went smoothly and sounded great!

What To Do When You Don't Have A Baptistry...

2009-06-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

Use the irrigation canal!

Yesterday we had 12 baptisms in the church, 10 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. There were several children who made the decision to be baptized, and one young man who had come to the church for the first time yesterday.

³⁸Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—
for all whom the Lord our God will call."
⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them,
"Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
⁴¹Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about
three thousand were added to their number that day.
Acts 2:38-41

El Calor

2009-05-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

Good morning!

A prayer request for this week - El Calor won their game on Saturday and are now in the quarter finals for the second year in a row! They left late last night for a 20h trip to Caborca, Sonora, where they will be playing on Wednesday night*. The return game is here in San Pedro on Saturday afternoon. Please pray for their safety as they travel to and from the game and also that they will win, but over all that they will give glory to God.

*The game is supposed to be broadcast on the internet - if anyone would like the link, email me at sanpedroshm@gmail.com.

Swine Flu and Soccer

2009-05-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on some important stuff happening here in the last few days....first of all, thank you to all of you who have asked about us here in Mexico. Everyone is fine and we are confident that God is with us in and through all situations. We are praying for the affected people and families and that the cause and cure of this flu will be discovered quickly. Psalm 91 reminds us that

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

³ Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

Also, El Calor made it through to the second round of playoffs and played their first leg on Wednesday. Unfortunately they lost 2-1 and need to win their game tomorrow by 2 goals (assuming the other team doesn't score any more). Please pray for the team as they prepare to play tomorrow afternoon, that they will be calm, confident, and that in all they will give glory to God.

Youth Camp 2009

2009-05-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

Our 2009 youth camp took place from April 7-10 over Easter vacation. I wasn't able to attend, so today we have a special guest blogger...Paul Ellsworth! Here is a short account of the camp from his perspective.

*****

I have lived in Mexico for four years now, and something that has always confused me is the lack of organized events with other churches. Many churches are private and do not seem interested in socializing with each other. Every year our church really breaks the mold by inviting youth from all churches and denominations to our spring break camp, and this year, many churches responded.

Camp this year was incredible!! It was the most amazing, most fun, and most tiring camp that I have been to (although it was well worth it). Everyday, there were several activities, Bible lessons, sports, games, workshops, and a service every night. It was great to see churches respond to the invitation and send their youth to camp. There were also quite a few unbelievers at the camp. God moved strongly in the services. Everyone received a personal touch from our amazing Lord.

My personal favorite aspect of the camp actually happened afterward. Most camps that I have been a part of in the past were excellent, but the week afterward, everyone starts falling back into the routine of life. God answered our prayers, and many of the youth who were at the camp have kept coming to church and have filled the front seats. It just goes to show that Jesus can do more than we ask or imagine and when he does a miracle in someone's life, he doesn't do a temporary job. That is exactly what we were praying for at camp: lives that would be changed forever.

*****

You can link to pictures from the camp here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/enochabdias

Change

2009-04-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

It is said that change is the only constant in this world. Things that we take for granted as normal, as givens, can suddenly disappear and we are left wondering, "What will happen to me?" "How will I survive?" "What do I do now?"

It's kind of like a snowstorm in April:All we see is the unexpected, uncontrollable situation...
But we have to remember what Jesus says...

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Even in the midst of the storm, there is provision.

Update

2009-04-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Just a quick general update for you:

Our annual youth camp begins this week, and we are expecting young people from all over Mexico to attend. There will be group competitions, activities, Bible classes, and special music and services for the 3 days of the camp. Please be in prayer for the leaders, the campers, and that God will move in their hearts and lives.
El Calor is traveling to Ciudad Juarez today - actually, they set out last night, as it is a 12 hour trip. Last week they won 2-0 in Torreon and have secured a place in the playoffs, beginning at the end of the month.
Please be in prayer for Elizabeth, as she underwent knee surgery this week. She has lived with severe pain and swelling for several years in both her knees, and on Thursday had surgery. She is doing well and resting in San Pedro. We are thankful for the doctor's expertise, and we are also praying that God will speed her recovery.
Finally, congratulations to David and Elizabeth! Today is their 56th wedding anniversary, and through all the years of their marriage, they have been open to hearing the voice of God, and he has used them greatly.

David and Elizabeth on their wedding day, April 4, 1953

Praise the LORD.
Blessed [are those] who fear the LORD,
who find great delight in his commands.

[Their] children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Psalm 112:1-2

Visit

2009-03-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our friends at Grace Church of Humble for a great visit! A small group of 5 people came in late Thursday night and left early Sunday morning, but in that short time managed to travel to various towns, participate in an evangelistic outreach, participate in church services and services at the San Pedro rehab center, assist with the children's breakfasts, help tear down the old baptistry tank (and I think they even had time to do some shopping!). We're looking forward to your next trip here!

Fear Not

2009-03-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

In the news recently we have been hearing a lot about violence, drugs, terrorism, murder, kidnappings....any number of horrible things taking place here in Mexico and around the world. The US and Canadian governments have issued travel advisories warning citizens to avoid Mexico for the time being due to the unrest, and I have talked to people who have changed travel plans because of the reports they have heard. The fighting is between various drug trafficking groups, but unfortunately their agendas have an effect on normal citizens as well. Many people live in fear, although they have nothing to do with these groups, thinking constantly, "What if...", "What's going to happen if....". However as Christians, we don't have to be afraid of the things that are happening around us in the world. The Bible tells us time and time again not to be afraid - and why? Because God is bigger than everything that is happening here on earth, and he's on our side! He has promised us his protection and all it takes on our part is trust and faith in his promises. Does this mean we can live recklessly? No, not at all - we need to be aware of our world and be cautious, but there is a difference between caution and wisdom, and fear. To remind myself of God's promises, a couple of weeks ago I wrote some Scriptures out and taped them to my door so that I see them whenever I leave the house. Sometimes I worry when I go out alone, but seeing these words reminds me that I am never alone.

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
Ps 34:7

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Ps 4:8

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Ps 32:7

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.
Ps 3:5-6

The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
Ps 27:1

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."
Is 12:1

Need Met!

2009-02-23T11:56:00.001-08:00

Our need for a new fridge has been met thanks to a supporter and friend who heard and listened to the voice and prompting of God. I am going out later today to look at prices, and will post a picture of the fridge when it arrives!

Miracle Baby

2009-02-23T11:20:00.000-08:00

We have been having a baby boom in Templo Libertad lately, but there are two special stories that I am going to share on the blog. Juan and Imelda have been faithful members of the church for many years, and have a 10 year old son. He was conceived through fertility treatments and it was a difficult process for his parents. They desperately wanted more children, and so several years ago they began treatments again. One treatment....and nothing. Two treatments...still nothing....and so it went for 8 years. Finally, Juan and Imelda decided, "One more treatment, and if this doesn't work, then we give up." The church had been praying for them through the years, but on this occasion several ministers gathered to pray for the couple. And then, a couple of months later, we heard that Imelda was pregnant! 3 months ago a little girl was born, and her parents couldn't be more thrilled. We don't know why God chose to wait so many years before sending this child, but he is faithful and works in his own time to bless us as we wait on him.

Stay tuned for the next Miracle Baby!

Urgent Need: Refrigerator

2009-02-13T14:39:00.000-08:00

Some good news and some less-good news: first, our children's breakfast program is expanding, which is great! What's not so good is that we are out of storage space for the food we buy every Friday. Since we prepare everything the night before, it all has to be refrigerated until Saturday morning, and with our numbers pushing 200, our current fridge isn't near big enough: it's math time!

On the left you see our fridge, which is the size of an average lawn chair (at right of fridge), and on the right is a picture of all the supplies we will be taking to the breakfasts tomorrow. The pew which the food is on seats about 8 people, so being good mathematicians we will convert pews to lawn chairs and say that we are trying to fit 8 lawn chairs of food into 1 lawn chair of space.

Result: 8 lawn chairs of food / 1 lawn chair of space = time for a big new fridge!

With about $1000 we could buy a large fridge and possibly a small, separate freezer. This is an urgent and important need because we see an increasing number of children every week. We don't want to run the risk of a child becoming sick from an improperly stored item of food; not only would it physically endanger the people we are trying to help, it would also damage our testimony in the area. Please pray that God will meet this need in the coming week, and please contact me at sanpedroshm@gmail.com if you are interested in donating toward this important ministry.

Evangelism Service

2009-02-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

On Friday night we held a special evangelism service at Templo Cristiano Libertad. Having stabilized from our initial growth two years ago through our cell group ministry, we are turning our focus as a church once again to outreach and growth. In the service we had special music and drama presentations, and over 50 first-time visitors came out at the invitation of church members. About 20 people accepted Jesus as their Saviour by the end of the service, and on Sunday we were happy to see many of these people return to services.

With this growth, we are now in need of a new church building, or an expansion of the existing building. The church currently holds about 150; on Friday there were about 250 people in the service, and on Sundays we are close to starting a third service. We have been offered a piece of land on the outskirts of town, but are worried that the distance will deter people from coming. Please pray that God will provide a good location and the resources for a church that will serve the needs of a growing congregation.

Below are some pictures from the service:

Update

2009-01-27T15:14:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, just a quick note about the latest goings-on in San Pedro...

Last week we enjoyed the annual Destiny Church missions conference, "Light Your World". Many of the speakers addressed the ongoing economic crisis facing the world, and we were reminded that God's economy is not dependent on the world's economy, and that he is not limited by banks, currency, employment, etc. In Genesis 26 we read of Isaac, who was facing a severe famine, yet in obedience to God he sowed crops and reaped 100 times what he planted because God blessed him. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul thanks them for sending him aid and reminds them that God will supply all their needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus - not some of your needs, not the needs you think will be most easily met, but every need. In Psalm 23 David says that God prepares a banquet in the presence of his enemies - even in the midst of difficulties and trials, be they personal, relational, economic, God spreads before us all the riches of heaven. At times it is hard to do this; our minds limit us and we think, "But this need is so great, it's impossible", but nothing is impossible for God!

Thanks to everyone at Destiny for another great conference.

El Calor opened the second part of the 2008-09 season with a 9-0 victory on Saturday afternoon. This week they travel to Chihuahua, so please pray for their safety and that God will bless their efforts.

Happy New Year

2009-01-06T16:49:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from everyone here in San Pedro to all of you who read this blog and keep us in your thoughts and prayers. It is our prayer that God will bless you in this new year! We are excited to keep sharing with you what he is doing here in Mexico. We are back to our normal routines now, with the start of classes at the English school and Id Pues Missions School today. We are also getting ready for our trip to San Antonio and the annual missions conference at Destiny Church, which is always a blessing to us.

In early December we were happy to receive a visit from another group from Grace Church of Humble. They stayed over the weekend and participated in the Children's Breakfast and held a service at our San Pedro rehab center. Almost 300 people showed up for the breakfast and we ran out of food, even after a quick trip to a nearby Wal-Mart. We have submitted an application to the food bank asking them to allot us more food, so please pray that they will grant the request.

So, It's Been a While...

2008-11-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

But there was a good reason:

I got married last Monday and have used this as an excuse to take a blogging break (but no more!). I was fortunate to have most of my mom's side of the family attend and participate in the ceremony - they are scattered all over the world, and so any kind of reunion happens about every 10 years or so...

Congratulations also to Matt and Heather on their marriage last week!

And Happy Thanksgiving. Even though we are going through difficult times, every day we can find something to thank God for. As part of El Calor practices, often the players each have to state something they are thankful for. The most common response is, "I thank God for one more day of life." Sometimes we don't think very much of this gift - we look around and say, "But my job, my mortgage, the economy, my health..." but it is through God's grace that we are here, living today, and each day he gives us is another opportunity to grow closer to him and glorify him through our lives.

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.
H.U. Westermayer

And though I ebb in worth, I'll flow in thanks.
John Taylor

He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me,
and he prepares the way
so that I may show him the salvation of God.
Psalm 50:23

Student Sponsorship 2008-2009

2008-10-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

To finish off this series of posts about the 2008-2009 Student Sponsorship Program, here are our university students, along with two special students. Many of our university students have been in the sponsorship program for some time, and it is thanks to your help that they have made it this far. For $30/month you can help one of these 6 students pay for tuition, books, and other costs.

Azucena Muruaga: Azucena is studying Business Adminstration in San Pedro and working part time. She is one of the most faithful young adults in the church, participating in youth outreaches and tambourine ministry.

Timothy Tolman: Timothy is in his first year of Civil Engineering in the city of Torreon, having entered university this year at the young age of 16.

Pedro Mejia: Pedro has made it to university through the help of sponsors. He is in his second year studying architecture and is a worship leader in the church.

Elisa Tolman: Elisa is currently in her second year studying International Business in Torreon. She also keeps a full complement of church activities, including tambourine ministry, small group leader, and teacher.

Juan: Juan is currently working as a farm labourer and wants to be a mechanic, but can't afford the tuition. His family hosts one of our weekly home churches.

Cesar: Like his brother, Juan, Cesar works as a labourer but want to study to be a mechanic. His family is not wealthy, but are some of the most generous people we know in the church.

Special Students

We have a new family in our church who is faithful, hardworking, and extremely poor. The mother and father are working towards their primary school equivalency certificates so that they will be able to find better jobs. For $25/month, you can help provide a brighter future for this family!

Pablo Vazquez Amparan and Maria Rivera Jimenez: Married with 3 young children, this couple have few material possessions but are rich in the kingdom of heaven because of their generosity and willingness to serve. They are eager to earn their primary school equivalency certificates and provide a better life for their daughters.

Student Sponsorship 2008-2009

2008-10-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

Continuing with our students for 2008-2009, here are our secondary students and high school students who need your help! There are 5 secondary students (at $25/month) and one high school student (at $30/month) who you can support, with donations going toward inscription and registration fees, clothing, books, and supplies.

Secondary School

Jesus Mejia: Jesus is one of three brothers whose father committed suicide several years ago. His mother is raising all three boys in the church, and Jesus is a testimony to his classmates.

Xochitl: Xochitl (pronounced "Zochil") is a new member of our church but is active in the youth group and is growing in her faith.

Peter Tolman: Peter is in his second year of secondary school and is making a great effort to continue earning top grades.

Karen Lopez: Karen is the oldest of four children in her family, three of which are in the Student Sponsorship Program. She is active in youth activities in the church and serves Jesus joyfully.

Marely Lopez: Marely just entered secondary school and is one of the hardest-working students we know. She is also an excellent soccer player.

High School

Maria Rosario Ramirez Campos: Maria is in her last year of high school and hopes to attend university to study gynecology. She is one of 8 children in a single-parent family.

Student Sponsorship 2008-2009

2008-10-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

For several years we have organized a Student Sponsorship Program here in San Pedro to aid children, youth, and young adults achieve their educational goals. There are many families who can't afford some or all of the costs associated with schooling, and we ask that you help these brothers and sisters by giving their children a brighter future. Here are our primary-level students this year:

Laura Vazquez Rivera: Laura is one of 3 sisters from a very poor family who recently started attending our church. She is very sweet and inquisitive and always ready to help, even at her young age.
Dulce Vazquez Rivera: Dulce is Laura's sister and she just entered school this fall. She always accompanies her parents when they come to church activities and when they work around the property.
Poncho: Poncho is a new member of our church and attends faithfully every week along with his older sister. He is a hard worker and does his best in his school.
Willy Lopez: Willy enjoys attending children's events in the church. He has learning difficulties but will work through them with help from God and the church family.
Pedro Castellanos: Pedro has been in the church all of his life, as his mother is a church leader and part of the worship team. He just turned 8 and is learning to work hard in his school.
David Mejia: David lives with his grandmother, after both his parents left several years ago without explanation. He attends church faithfully and is an excellent soccer player.

For $20/month you can help one of these children work through primary school. Your offering will be used to pay enrolment fees, school uniforms, and supplies. Write to sanpedroshm@gmail.com if you would like more information or would like to help. Offerings can be sent as normal giving, but please designate "Student Sponsorship: Name of Child".
Slide 5

Flooding

2008-09-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures taken today from the highway between Torreon and San Pedro.

The land as it usually looks.......
A house unfortunately built in the river's path...

A retaining wall of dirt along the highway...

A factory surrounded by trenches and sandbags. I saw them start this work on Tuesday morning, and it was finished by Tuesday night...

A field of cotton.....

A juvenile detention center.....

Update

2008-09-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Sorry about the lull between blogs...here's what's been happening in San Pedro:

-Stephen is traveling in the States, all the way from Virginia to Texas. He will be traveling until the beginning of November, so please keep him in your prayers.

-El Calor played their first game of the season on Saturday, winning 5-0. This week they will be playing in Torreon on Saturday afternoon.

-We are experiencing flooding here in the middle of the desert...sounds strange, doesn't it? Many years ago a large river flowed through this area (hence, it is known as the Laguna (lagoon)) but the river was dammed and now the only thing we have in abundance is dust...we have experienced substantial amounts of rain this year and the dam filled up past its safety point, so the government decided to allow a controlled release of water to bring levels back under control. Traveling along the highway between San Pedro and Torreon, you see cars pulled over at the side of the road and people just standing and looking at the water - actually, the crowds started when the news just came out about the flood, and for several days you could see people just standing in the riverbed, waiting for the water to arrive. Last week the water level seemed to be going down, but this week it is up again, and yesterday we heard that the water might reach San Pedro. This happened about 15 years ago, and I am told that San Pedro became an island, with the surrounding fields and roads covered in water. This morning as I drove to Torreon I saw backhoes and trucks with sandbags and people out digging trenches and building walls to protect their homes and towns from the water. Returning at night I saw how much the water had advanced - in some places it was nearly at the highway, and several houses were flooded. I arrived at the house and Peter presented me with an escape plan:Please pray for our safety as we travel through the path of the river, and pray that the waters would not bring destruction to the region, but instead bring blessing and abundance.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. (Isaiah 43:2a)

End of Summer

2008-08-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

On Monday we said goodbye to our last summer group, who came from Texas to spend the weekend with us. They participated in our Friday night church service, the Saturday morning children's breakfast, an outreach in the village of San Rafael on Saturday night, and both services on Sunday.

Making balloon shapes for the children at the breakfast...

Sharing a testimony in San Rafael, and the crowd of onlookers...

School starts next week for most children here, and many universities have already begun classes. Timothy's first day of university was yesterday, Elisa begins her second year of university in two more weeks, and Peter will be homeschooled this fall as he enters Grade 8. Also, the Id Pues missions school will be opening September 1. Please keep all of these in prayer, joining with us in asking God to use his children and young people to spread his love in their schools, and wherever they go.

Christ Church Nashville Visit

2008-07-31T15:11:00.000-07:00

We have just said goodbye to a wonderful group from Christ Church Nashville who were here for 9 days and who participated in various outreaches and projects in San Pedro and the surrounding area. Their visit started off with the bus breaking down on their way here from the airport, but thankfully the week went smoothly after that!

Here, practicing dramas to perform at the rehab center, and pictures from the service.

At the children's breakfast ministering, handing out food, and painting faces.

Then, we went to the first preseason match of El Calor.

The last couple of days were spent painting the outside of the church.

More Project and Ministry Pictures

2008-07-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from this week: the children's breakfast, which got rained out, believe it or not!

Also, a service at the Torreon rehab center...

... and pictures of the new sidewalk outside the bathrooms on the property...

...and the new garbage containers built by the group here this week from Arkansas.

Grace Center

2008-06-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

This week we enjoyed a visit from a group of more than 30 youth and leaders from Grace Center in Nashville. They arrived very early Wednesday morning after a delay at the border, but the rest of the week went smoothly. They worked on several projects around the property, fixing roofs and painting buildings, and also saw some of San Pedro. They ministered at both rehab centers and at the children's breakfast, as well as in our regular church services. On Sunday morning 12 of the youth were baptized, along with two people from Templo Cristiano Libertad.

End of Vacation

2008-06-24T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since the last post, but we're up and running again and will continue to update the site once or twice a week. It's summer, and that means lots of groups are coming down to visit. Right now we're waiting for a group from Nashville, who will be helping us finish the breakfast building in Torreon and participating in services and outreaches in and around San Pedro. A quick note: this group got held up at the border because they were unable to obtain the necessary permit to allow them to bring their bus into the country. If you're coming here and planning to drive, make sure you check all the requirements before coming...I will try to find some links for you with the rules and regulations for border crossing.

Día del Niño and April Baptisms

2008-04-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we held a special service to celebrate Children's Day. We have a large number of children in the church and many are already involved in ministry, despite their young age. We have a group of young panderistas (tambourine players), a youth drama team composed of participants between 12-17, and young musicians. This year the drama team performed a skit for the younger kids, and afterwards all enjoyed a special dinner.
Also, last week we had several baptisms, one planned and four decided-on-the-spot...
As well, our soccer team, El Calor, has made it to the second round of playoffs, despite a difficult first round. They play tomorrow in Torreon and then will travel to Tijuana for a Sunday game. Please pray for the team as they travel and play for the glory of God.

55 Years Later

2008-04-08T17:22:00.000-07:00

On Friday April 4, David and Elizabeth Tolman celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. Elizabeth was in Durango teaching at a women's retreat, while David was at home in Tepic, but I'm told they are planning to go out for dinner when she returns...

Shortly after their marriage in 1953, they left to serve as missionaries in South Africa. They returned several years later with "three and a half children" as Elizabeth describes it, and settled in Ontario, Canada. In 1976 they moved permanently to Mexico with their three youngest children. They founded Seedtime and Harvest Ministries, and now, over 30 years later, they are still together and active in service, along with 2 of their sons and their families.

Who knows what the next 55 years will hold?

Update

2008-03-31T12:11:00.000-07:00

Some more news from San Pedro:

Stephen left early yesterday morning for a conference in New Orleans. Please pray for his safety when traveling.
El Calor tied 0-0 on Saturday and although it wasn't a full win, after 9 games they are still the only team in Mexico who have not received a single goal. This weekend they will make a 7 hour bus trip to play in the state of Chihuahua.

Camp 2008

2008-03-31T12:01:00.001-07:00

Here are more pictures from our youth camp. All are from the morning rally, and looking back at them, I'm glad I was the photographer!

Camp 2008

2008-03-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Last week we held our annual youth camp and over the next couple of days I will be posting pictures taken over the 3 days. Here are some pictures from the obstacle course/race that we started with each day at 7:30am.

Update

2008-03-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest from San Pedro:

At our Sunday afternoon service 5 people accepted Jesus as their Saviour, including another player from El Calor. We're planning a baptism service in the next couple of weeks.
El Calor won their 5th straight game on Friday and are now the only team in all of Mexico with a perfect record, and no goals against.
Youth camp starts one week from today (!) and we ask that you pray for the leaders, staff, and youth that will be here, and that God will be glorified in all we do.

Outreach in San Rafael

2008-02-27T18:42:00.000-08:00

This Saturday we took a busload of people from Templo Cristiano Libertad visited the town of San Rafael, about 30 minutes away from San Pedro, and held an outreach service in the town plaza. There was praise and worship, the band Reflejo played several songs, the tambourinists did a special performance, and the Brilla Jesus drama team performed 5 skits. The drama team has changed hands this year; it is now led by Lili, Marcela's sister and special events coordinator at the church, and is made up of "younger" youth, including Peter. They did an excellent job!

Update

2008-02-25T15:24:00.000-08:00

I would like to thank all of you who were praying for Stephen and who sent notes of encouragement. He is doing well, now, although he is still on medication and has to take it easy at times. We are believing God to bring complete healing to Stephen and we ask that this be your prayer as well.

This weekend we were blessed with a visit from John and Oliver from Advancing Native Missions and from Pastor Mike Acosta of Grace Church. We're glad you could come and see for yourselves the work that is going on in San Pedro and thank you for your support and prayers.

Report: Stephen's Recovery

2008-02-14T14:31:00.001-08:00

The following is a short newsletter that David sent out today.

Praise the Lord!

First of all we want to thank you all for your prayers on behalf of Stephen and his severe headaches and falling into unconsciousness.

His time in hospital was short due to the high cost but the IV treatment is finished and the termination of the first phase of recovery will be over. The next phase if necessary will cost $40
dollars for each pill of which the doctor gave him 6 pills to use if necessary.

Pray this will not be necessary.

The MRI scan that he took 2 days ago came out excellently and there were no tumors, blood clots or aneurysms in his head and body. He has a sickness that is called Horton's disease. According to the literature it causes the most intense pain know to humans. It appears that stress, overwork and lack of sleep are the some of the triggers that can reactivate the illness at any time. Please continue to pray for the complete healing and recovery for Stephen.

Tomorrow my wife and I leave for Tepic, Nayarit but contact Stephanie and she will keep you updated on his progress.

God bless you all in Jesus' name.

David Tolman

Prayer Request

2008-02-08T14:01:00.000-08:00

For about 10 days now, Stephen has been suffering with severe migraines and has been off his feet all week. Yesterday he was admitted to hospital in Torreon where he is in for rest and a round of diagnostic tests. He is being treated and we are expecting him to be released tomorrow, but please pray for his complete recovery and that this pain will no longer be a problem for him. Also pray for the family; Marcela has been with Stephen in the hospital since he was admitted, and the kids are taking turns visiting him as well.

Ministry Need: New Truck

2008-02-05T17:24:00.000-08:00

An important member of the work here is not a person, but a vehicle. We have a 20 year old Ford pickup that we use for soccer practices and the children's breakfasts, and for general errands around town. However, it's on its last legs and should be retired after a long and helpful life...we are praying for a donation of a new, reliable truck, or the money to buy one, that we can use for these and other ministries.

Update

2008-01-31T14:07:00.000-08:00

Hi from San Pedro! Just a quick update on what's been going on in the last couple of weeks:

Stephen and family attended the Light Your World 2008 missions conference at Destiny Church from Jan. 20-25. We were blessed with great speakers and hosts and were encouraged that this year would be a year of breakthroughs.
El Calor played their opening game of the season last Saturday and won 5-0 despite being down 2 players.
We have started to work out of the new building with our children's breakfast, although the structure is not yet complete. Please continue to pray for this ministry, that God will provide people, food, materials, and money to complete and expand the work that has begun.
We held a follow-up leaders meeting on Wednesday to check how we are progressing toward our goals as a church. We are happy to report that we have seen an increased number of young people attending as a result of consistent invitations and visits from church youth. We have also begun a home church in San Rafael, a town about 25 minutes outside of San Pedro, and another in San Antonio de Gurza, about 10 minutes outside of San Pedro.