NATIONAL ASSOCIATION CELEBRATED IN HUEJUTLA

Last week we had the privilege of hosting our National Association of Churches in Huejutla. The BMA of Mexico has 46 churches and more than 80 missions that attended to look after associational business for the next year. In order to prepare for this meeting FBC Huejutla worked for months. Here in Mexico the hosting Church provides meals for all of the messengers and provides housing for all who can’t afford hotel accommodations. This year we provided for about 800 visitors not including providing meals for our several hundred church workers as well.

On Monday we slaughtered three pigs from our Faith Family Farms project. They dressed out at close to 1000 lbs of pork. It was enough to feed everyone for all three days. I like the cracklins the most! There was a lot of business that was cared for. We accepted two churches to the Association fellowship and withdrew fellowship from one. We also elected an interstate missionary to plant a new church in the city of Aguascalientes.

The nightly services were great! Great preaching, great music and great fellowship creates an environment where God was glorified and our spirits were lifted. It is a blessing to see how through the years God has used BMAA missionaries to organize a sister Association of Churches in a different country. This is an association that grows through organizing new churches and fights for doctrinal correctness even if it means losing fellowship with others. This association also carries out the Great Commission sending missionaries of their own. It is a privilege to work in the ABMM (BMAA of Mexico).

ANNIVERSARY FBC HUEJUTLA

We just finished an Evangelistic Campaign to celebrate the anniversary of the organization of First Baptist Church in Huejutla. Our congregation prepared by printing formal invitations to give to friends and family. Bro. Eric Johnson was the evangelist. We held the first couple of services in our church and the last in the Cattleman Association Conference Hall. We did this because our church has been too small for all of our members for some time now. When we have a lot of special guest we have to ask about half of our members to sit outside. The Conference Hall has enough room to seat us all…barely.God blessed all of our efforts with more than 30 saved and as many more re-commitments to a life of Christian service. First Baptist Huejutla is 28 years old and averages 800 in attendance every time we rent a place big enough for everyone to sit. Normal services have less attendance because of the inadequate size of our building. We are actively looking for a place to relocate and build facilities to seat 1500 – 2000 people.Please pray for our church and our ability to continue to impact our community, region and nation.

REVIVAL IN LEON, GUANAJUATO

March 2009. Right after the medical caravan Denise and I traveled to Leon Guanajuato to visit the “Casa del Alfarero” Church. We went to celebrate the fourth anniversary of this young congregation. During the three days of services our hearts were blessed and uplifted by the work God has done there. The music during the services was permeated with specials and God blessed the services with 5 people receiving Christ as their personal savior. The “Casa del Alfarero” is a church plant of the Mexican BMA (ABMM). They average 85 people in Sunday school and are actively working in other parts of their city to win souls and establish a new mission in this city of 1.5 million people.

HUNDREDS SAVED DURING MEDICAL CARAVAN

MARCH 2009. We have been privileged to host Dr. Ralph Izzard and his BMMI Team here in Huejutla. They were a tremendous blessing and help to our regional work. We have been seeking the opportunity to begin missions in some of the outlaying county seats for some time. This is part of an overall strategy to reach every village with the gospel starting with county seats. To prepare for BMMI we contacted and convened with the Health Department as well as mayors of two of these counties. They provided the location for the medical caravan, BMMI the medical service, we evangelized and Sis. Denise fed us all. We began the Evangelistic Campaign by holding a Evangelistic service in the Town Center of Huejutla at the base of the historic clock and in front of the ancient Catholic Cathedral. There were hundreds of people in attendance, (close to, or more than one thousand). The following day we traveled into the mountains to provide medical care and The Gospel to the Aztec people who live there.God blessed each of our efforts as we were able to care for more than 850 people, witness to them all and lead more than 350 of them to Christ. We are now working with these new Christians to begin missions in these two towns. We pray that we will be able to reach many and see churches planted In these new places. We believe these new churches will be launching platforms to reach many surrounding villages with the gospel.

50 plus saved in Evangelism Explosion

FEBRUARY 2009

We held an EE clinic with where we trained 11 soul winners and Evangelism Explosion trainers from different churches in Mexico. Eric and I were there to help and support Bro. Ricky Williams at “El Rinconcito”. Bro. Philip Attaberry from Jacksonville Theological Seminary was the primary teacher and trainer. As part of the training we divided into teams of three.

Each Evangelism team has one trainer and

two students. We would go out twice a day for about two hours each time to share the gospel with total strangers. This is the most difficult way to share the gospel as we approach people at bus stops, hospitals or wherever they are. The blessings were great! More than 50 people came to trust Jesus as their personal savior during this week.

BIBLE INSTITUTE

FEB 2009 We have begun our Bible Institute for the semester with 24 people enrolled. There is excitement in the air as we once again begin to prepare the next wave of church workers and missionaries for the field. Most of our students are young men with a sprinkling of four young ladies. Of the men 8 are already involved in some level of ministry and the rest are preparing and seeking God’s direction for their life. We pray that God will lead them to ministry for His Honor and Glory.