Vincent Family January 2016 Missions Update

Greetings from Mexico,

Our family hopes that you had a wonderful Christmas, and our hope is that you have a VERY BLESSED NEW YEAR!

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One of my favorite Bible verses for the new year is found in Philippians 3:13, where the Apostle Paul writes   one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.  The great hope for us as believers  is that God has future plans for us! God has a good and perfect plan for you that is designed to offer you a future and a hope. And I am excited to see what God is going to do in your lives and ours as we enter into this New Year full of opportunities and possibilities.

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In this update I wanted to tell you about the amazing trip that Sarah and I were able to take recently to Israel. We had the honor of hosting 33 folks from our church on a trip to the Holy Land where we took the footsteps of Jesus tour. On this trip we focused on visiting the sites that our Savior Jesus visited when He walked on the earth 2000 years ago.

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Over our 12 days in Israel, we visited over 30 Biblical sites. At each one of these locations, we were able to worship and open up our Bibles and study the story from the life of Jesus that took place there. It has been said that a week in Israel is equivalent to a year in Bible College and we find that to be very true. There were way too many highlights to mention them all, so in this update, I want to share three special memories with you!

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Early on in our trip we visited the city of Cana located in Galilee! While there, we toured the church that has been built on the spot where Jesus did his first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding. (John 2:1-10) While visiting the chapel, our married couples had the opportunity to renew their vows in that historic chapel. It was an honor and a privilege for me to officiate each one of these beautiful ceremonies.

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Later on in our journey, we visited the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. (Matthew 3:13-17)   Many of our tour members wanted to get re-baptized in the Jordan River and I was happy to do that. We did have one man traveling with us that was the non- Christian husband of a believing wife that attends our church. When we arrived, a few of our team members shared the Gospel with him. This man became born again on the shores of the Jordan River and then was immediately baptized.

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While I was baptizing our team members, a group of Nigerian Christians on a tour got in line and wanted me to baptize them too. It was an amazing site as this American Pastor of a Mexican church was baptizing Nigerian believers in Israel. Only God could do that!

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We ended our tour in Jerusalem where we visited the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, and then Calvary. We also spent a day on the temple mount where we were able to visit the western wall. (The only original structure left from the temple that Jesus visited) It was a powerful emotional moment as each person in our group was able to spend some time praying next to our Jewish friends at the Western wall.

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This Israel trip was such a blessing that we are already in the planning stages for two future trips. First off, in November of 2016, we are planning on taking the “FOOTSTEPS of the Apostle Paul tour” through Europe! Then later in 2017,  we are planning a return trip to Israel! I would love to have you join me on one (or both ) of these life changing tours if you are able. If you are interested in the specifics, please contact me and I would love to talk with you.

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Finally, I want to personally thank you for supporting and praying for our family this past year! It is through your prayers that God provides for our spiritual needs and it is through your giving that God provides our financial needs. We are honored to partner with you and serve the Lord as your missionaries!

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Con mucho amor de Mexico,  (with much love from Mexico)

Mike, Sarah, Grace, and Daniel

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Prayer Requests:

#1- Pray for the peace of Israel and Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6)

#2- Pray that God will do even greater things through our ministry and our church plants in 2016!

#3- Pray that God will provide for the needs of our family!

 

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