In like a Lion? It’s Not just for March Anymore!
(February – March 2025)
After our times of refreshing at the end of January, it was back to work for us here in Culiacán. With 2 seasonal parties, 2 outreach activities, 2 big trips, and 2 special women’s events, we’ve spent the last 2 months on the run. I literally did not have a single free weekend from mid-February through the end of March! And since it’s hard to write while running, you get a 2-in-1 newsletter.
PARTY HEARTY!
In Transformadas (women’s rehab center ministry), we love to create opportunities to celebrate with our ladies, and Valentine’s Day gave us the perfect excuse. We went all out with a Lovefest, celebrating God’s love for us (1 Corinthians 13) and learning how to receive and be transformed by it. Many women were saved that day, and many more understood the meaning of unconditional love for the first time. It is perfect, purifying, patient, tender, complete, sacrificial, motivational, unchanging, and eternal!!! After that message, they got to share love notes and hand-made Valentines with each other while enjoying lots of homemade treats. Pray that they never settle for anything less than God’s perfect love ever again.
At our Valentine’s Day party at Casa Manantial, the women learned “6 Reasons why God’s true love doesn’t hurt but heals.”
We celebrated Sammy’s 12th birthday that same weekend. I can’t believe I’ll have a teenager in less than a year! Sammy invited several friends from church and had a “Super ‘P’ Slumber Party” that included pizza, playing in the park, piñata, pastel (cake), películas (movies), and pajamas. It ended the following afternoon with more cake and a celebration at church with his Sunday school class. I love that even his parties and friendships are centered around God and church.
VALLE DE AGUA 2.0, STARTING OVER BIGGER AND BETTER!
The last Sunday of February, we were finally able to go back to Valle de Agua for our monthly outreach activities. Due to the ongoing violence and conflict in our city (the civil war among drug cartel factions), any outing has to be planned and carried out with the utmost care, but also due to the conflict, the people of our city are desperate for peace and seeking answers. As a result, attendance nearly doubled what we had previously experienced, and while we were accustomed to having 1 or 2 professions of faith each month, there were 7 this time, mostly adults!
While our return was a huge success, I have to admit that I felt a bit like Nehemiah – Bible in one hand and a sword in the other. No, we weren’t physically armed, but we were definitely ministering with one eye and keeping the other open for intruders. While we are accustomed to seeing armed people throughout the city, watching a group of armed teenagers “protect” us as lookouts was a bit disconcerting.
We nearly doubled our usual attendance at our Valle de Agua outreach in February with more than 20 women, 40 children, and even a group of men for the first time ever!
Our March visit was equally impressive! I was privileged to share with the women this time. We had more record attendance, more professions of faith, and more opportunities to share with the community. I invite you to pray for this ongoing ministry, but not just for our monthly visits. Please pray for all of our new brothers and sisters in Christ in this community, and that the children and youth might NOT get caught up in this precarious situation permeating every area of their lives.
PLAYING, PRAYING… AND BACKPACKING!
On March 1, we made the 40-minute trek to Aguaruto to help with yet another outreach project – El Mochilón de Amor, or Backpacks Loaded with Love. Through some generous donations from an American church, we were able to collect more than 300 brand-new backpacks and fill them with school supplies and toys. The event was set up carnival-style and open to the public. More than 100 volunteers came from all of our Calvary Culiacán churches and several American churches to serve the 1,000+ attendees. After a time of very-animated worship, a pair of Christian clowns shared the Gospel in such a dynamic way that more than 143 adults and many children made first-time professions of faith!
El Mochilón de Amor in Aguaruto on March 1: two Christian clowns (left) and 100+servants (top), including me and my children (Ruby, bottom right) served 1,000+ attendees (below) and gave away 300 backpacks (right) and 150+ Bibles to new believers (bottom left)
After that, the “fun” began. While the children played carnival-style games to win tickets and prizes, we handed out Bibles, ministered to, and prayed with all of the new believers. There were free snacks and treats, arts and crafts, face-painting, and plenty of music and games for all.
After a couple hours of playing and praying, we lined up the elementary-aged kids to receive their backpacks. If you’ve never tried to herd 300 excited children into lines at a carnival (who all want to be first, of course!), let me tell you, it was quite the experience! But it was well worth it to see the joy on their faces as they received NEW items they never could have afforded on their own.
Please join me in praying for all of the new believers as well as the staff of Calvary Aguaruto as they do follow-up work with all of them.
NOMADS FOR JESUS
Immediately after the dust settled, it was time to make the 3-hour trek to Mazatlán for their annual Missions and Church-Planting Conference. Speakers came from all over Mexico and the U.S. to participate. As always, I had the privilege to translate for many of them, including Pastor Ramón, who started with a very lively introduction about how to build a good church. During the conference, we learned about the importance of building your own relationship with Christ in order to build healthy churches and the necessity of healthy churches in missions. (Read the book of Acts! It’s all in there.) We also had the great privilege of sending off of a new pastor/missionary to Venezuela. Please remember to pray for Raul and his family as they set off on this new adventure of faith.
Translating for Pastor Ramón in Mazatlán and Pastor Tony officially sending off Pastor Raúl and his family as missionaries to Venezuela.
After just 4 days at home, we packed up again and make the 4-hour trek to Ensenada (2 hours by plane and 2 more by car) to attend the wedding of two very dear friends of mine. That weekend, I reconnected with pastors, missionaries, and friends from all over Mexico and America. The cherry on top was attending Pastor Hugo’s new church on Sunday and enjoying his intense preaching one more time. What a blessing!
At Marcelo and Acacia’s wedding (left, faces covered for security reasons) and catching up with my dear friends Debbie, Nancy, and Jenn from Saving Grace (right)
Four days later, it was time to host one of our annual women’s conferences back home in Culiacán. I was privileged to receive and host friends from Ensenada, Mazatlán, and Rosarito who came as our invited speakers for the event. Nearly 200 women attended, and several made first-time professions of faith after learning how to be “Women at the Feet of Jesus,” receiving His Word and being nourished and cherished by Him. I helped with the organization of the event and as the official photographer. You can see all the pics on Facebook, but I added one of my favorites below. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16rJJapYdW/
After 4 weeks of sleeping in dorms, hotels, and AirBnB’s, then hosting others doing the same, it feels great to be at home and in my own bed again without having to worry about anything “out of the ordinary” for a few days. (Family Camp is just around the corner, so I’ll enjoy it while I can!)
PREACHING THE WORD, IN SEASON AND OUT
2 Timothy 4:2 reminds us to, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” In spite of (or more accurately, in the midst of) all of the unusual and extra activities of the last two months, God continues to send me opportunities to preach the Word. Over the past 2 months, I have preached twice in our online services, twice in Transformadas, twice at women’s events (at my church and a sister church) and in Valle de Agua. Preparing sermons is a lot of work, but it’s also helps me grow. The deeper I dig into God’s Word, the more He speaks to me. So, no matter how tired I am, or how much I feel the “longsuffering” part of that verse (LOL), I will always welcome those opportunities, in season and out.
Preaching at a women’s breakfast at Calvary Patria, one of our church plants here in Culiacán, on March 29. The study from Galatians 4:21-31 was entitled “New Covenant? New Life!”
HOW CAN YOU PARTNER WITH ME IN THIS GRAND MINISTRY?
Pray for us! The best way to support us is with daily prayer. We can’t do what we do without the support of those at home that are committed to covering us in prayer every day. Here are a few things you can pray for…
- Pray for our continued safety and health during these difficult times in our city and that God would intervene and bring peace back to our beloved Culiacán.
- Pray for my children – that Ruby would have continued favor with her job, that Sammy would do well in his schooling, and that both would continue in their walk with the Lord and find a ministry in which to serve.
- Pray for our ministries, especially for the women of the rehab center and the staff of Transformadas and all of the ministries of Calvary Culiacán.
- Pray for our upcoming events:
- the continuance of our outreach project in Valle de Agua
- family camp (April 9-12)
- Children’s Day activities and outreaches
- our next trips to Nayarit (church-planting conference and giving away 300 pairs of shoes) - Pray for all of the new believers and missionaries mentioned throughout my newsletter as well as the rest of the people that need to receive the Word here in Mexico. May God continue to grow His church and give us divine appointments that result in salvation!
If the Lord lays it on your heart to support us financially, we are only about 30% support-funded at this time, and I would love to be able to dedicate less time to secular work and more time to the ministry. Click here to send a one-time gift or become a monthly donor.
God bless you as you continue to support this ministry in your prayers and with your finances.
Login To Leave Comment