Christ Church Nashville Visit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Prayer Request

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.