Soap for Sale!

The women in Mexico City at Casa de Paz Church are making soap - GREAT SOAP! Made with ingredients such as real oatmeal, milk, lemon, flower petals, and different oils. It will be shipped out this week and available for purchase through SEED from the FMWM office in Indianapolis. This soap smells amazing and is very practical for every home...and you can be supporting the ministries here in Mexico City every time you wash your hands! They also make great gifts.

We have 5 different varieties presently available (click on each picture to see them in detail). Oatmeal and Milk (contains honey, oatmeal, milk, vitamin E, and almond), Honey Lemon (contains honey, lemon, vitamin E and almond), Calendula (contains almond, coconut, pear and calendula petals), Cinnamon (contains orange, cinnamon and almond), and a tropical nut version (contains coconut, lemon, lime and orange) that is used locally to treat skin dimpling and cellulite.

A regular size soap bar sells for $2.50 or mix and match with 3 smaller squares for $5.00. To order your soap today, just email seed@fmcna.org or call 1-800-342-5531 ext. 249. Check out the SEED site and find some other great items that can make a difference around the world!

The Only Shares That Are Going UP!

As friends of the Mexico Mission District which includes Mexico City, you have an awesome opportunity to invest right now in some shares that are guaranteed to bring longterm gains. How is this possible you might ask with all of the economic fears in today's down-turning market? Is this another scam out of Nigeria or China? No!

Today is the day you can invest in Mexico Country Shares! These are hot commodities and likely won't last long. The Mexico Country Shares are used to support a variety of Mexican-led ministries that go hand-in-hand with the other mission activities taking place in Mexico.

For example, the Mission District Director (Jorge Guarello) is responsible for overseeing 10 different churches throughout Central and Southern Mexico. Most of these churches are led by pastors who don't have a lot of experience. Many of the churches including the one of which the Director is the pastor do not have enough resources to pay a living wage to their pastors. Country Shares are used to pay for the Director's travel as well as his family's grocery money. He is known to share these funds with other pastors who don't have enough to meet their monthly needs.

The Mexico Country Share Budget for 2008 is a little over $31,000. Churches in the Great Plains Conference have committed $7500 this year and South Canaan FMC has committed $500. That leaves $23000 available for your church or Sunday School class or family! Would you prayerfully consider how you might partner with us in seeing these vital Mexican ministries not just survive but thrive? Feel free to email your questions or comments to any of the missionaries you see linked in the right hand column of this blog.

Belated Update from February

Friends, here are some news bits from Gary and Jann Allen's February newsletter. You can email them at garjann@gmail.com if you would like to receive their updates in your email.

Several new and exciting things have happened this month.

-- Janette Miller has opened their home to a Women's club for the
church and neighborhood women. It is drawing many women and meeting
various needs. Since we will probably be moving into that house when
the Millers are on home assignment, Jann has also been an active
member of the club.

--Another round of English classes has started. Jann teaches the
basic class, Gary helps with whatever level is needed. Through the
classes we have made a contact to help a university student with
English needed for an economics class. Jann's students showered her
with candy on the "Day of Love and Friendship."

--We opened our guest room to two different couples this month. What
a great chance to renew friendships!

--A VISA team from Peterborough, Canada has been here for the last
week and a half. They have been a huge help finishing up several
construction projects at the Tizoc (our oldest church in Mexico City)
and presenting some exciting and entertaining programs for the
children. The roof of the church parsonage was leaking. They
discovered some termite damage in the process of repairing the roof.
The damaged roof supports have been replaced and the infected areas
have been treated for the termite problem. Just a few of the tiles
needs to be replaced and they have been ordered. We have made new
friends during their stay and they have helped the Tizoc church make
a number of new contacts in the area.

--The COAPA church plant celebrated its first anniversary with a pot-
luck dinner celebration. (The truth is we have a potluck dinner the
first Sunday of every month anyway to celebrate the birthdays of the
members during the last month. The anniversary celebration may have
guaranteed a bigger or better dessert selection!)

In His Glad Service in Mexico City and area,

Gary & Jann Allen

Canadians come to Casa de Paz

While the Seattle team mentioned in the post below worked in Leon, a team from Peterborough, Canada ministered in Mexico City. This group of 14 worked in construction and kids ministry.

The children's ministry was especially impacting as over 50 kids and many of their family members showed up on the final Sunday. During the week, they had enjoyed games, crafts, puppets, memory verses, and clowns. All of the children in attendance for this last service received a small gift bag from the team. Everyone enjoyed a traditional meal of pozole (po-so-lay) after the service as well as birthday cake to celebrate. We saw many new faces during the week and pray that the seeds planted by our friends grow into new life in Christ and new life in the local church. Thanks for joining us in that prayer.

The team also accompanied Pastor Juan and Eva to a new work in a part of the city called Xochimilco. There have been 2 adults and 2 children faithfully attending a short class on Sunday morning. The team had the chance to visit that work twice during their time here and invited many new families and children to the special kids service. They also gave groceries and clothing to some of the neediest families. Pastor Juan reports that the week following the team's departure, 16 people came to the Sunday School! We praise God for this new work and are praying that God raises up the necessary leaders for the harvest he has prepared.

Better Vision in Leon

Here is part of Kevin and Nicole Housel's report from the recent eyeglasses clinic in Leon. A VISA team of 20 people from the Seattle area came down to make this clinic happen. If you'd like to see the rest of the Housels' newsletter, send them an email at knhousel@gmail.com.



Our past week was spent working with a group from
Seattle, Washington. The group came down to serve
the church here in León by offering a vision clinic
and doing construction. During the vision clinic we
were able to hand out fliers about the church and
English classes.
It was a week of hard work for all involved. Each
day the vision clinic had lines of people waiting to
have their eyes checked and to be fitted with glasses.
The group brought thousands of pairs of glasses with
them. Some of these glasses may have been your old
glasses because some of them came from the Lions
Club!
During the week, we saw more than 800 people! On
Tuesday we had a record setting day because we saw
more than 270 people and worked for 11 hours. Most
days were closer to 200 people. We prayed everyday
that we would have the glasses that the people coming
would need. There were very few people that we
were not able to fit with glasses.

Little Hands in Mexico

"I want to help," said six year old Nasya Myers as I prepared the
Communion elements. So together we filled the tiny cups and arranged
them on a tray to be used at our COAPA church plant. Will this
little girl, whose hands are so eager to help, grow up to be a
missionary like her parents?

"STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM," the beckoning signs read as we traveled
home from a mission retreat with another missionary family. We
pulled over at a roadside stand and ordered the treat. A little girl
was busy helping her mother in any way she could as the dessert was
prepared for us. In most family businesses here in Mexico, the
children begin taking on responsibility and learning the trade as
soon as they are able to handle the small tasks with their little
hands.

Little hands reached out for the gifts brought by a mission service
organization. These children (pictured above) live on the edge of the city dumps.
Their life revolves around their small community. Our mission
personnel was invited to go along as translators. Medical, dental,
and vision clinics had been offered, as well as a beauty salon for
these residents. Now it was the last day for the mission
organization to be there, and they gave a Christmas party for the
children.

While we were in Campeche over the Christmas holidays to teach
leadership classes, we were invited to attend a kindergarten school
program. Little hands carried the symbols of Christmas as the
youngsters joyfully sang about the birth of Jesus.

Little hands presented various items to the bride and groom at the
altar. Each item represents a commitment the couple makes to each
other as they repeat their wedding vows. Gary officiated at the
wedding of the young people that we have known since their early
teens. What a joy it was to see them beginning a new family unit,
centered around Christ.

The day after Christmas, a new grandson was born into our family.
Julian Maddox Allen joined big brother Adrian and big sister Jade, in
the wee hours of December 26. Our son and daughter-in-law, Eric and
Summer are the parents of this new addition. We are eager to touch
his little hands when we take our summer vacation in Michigan.

Hands for the Harvest (Matthew 9: 37-38) is the mission theme for
2008. Little hands, big hands, hands around the world, are all
working towards this goal.

We personally thank you for the way you have supported us with
prayers, notes of encouragement, and financial giving over the past
year. We want to remain partners with you as we join hands to enter
a new year.

Your partners in the harvest,

Gary and Jann Allen

News from Leon and the Housels

Friends, here is a report from VISA missionaries Kevin and Nicole Housel. They are serving in Leon alongside Pastor Jorge and Teresa. Please be in prayer for them as they adjust to the culture and as they look for ways to plug in to this young congregation. You can email them at knhousel@gmail.com or visit their blog by clicking on their names over in the right column of this blog.

English Classes Beginning

We are now offering English classes at the church. We have 2 classes for adults and 1 for kids. Please pray for this ministry opportunity. We are praying that through these classes we will be able to build relationships with the people in the classes and that more importantly we will be able to share the love of Jesus with them. Many people in other countries are so excited for the opportunity to learn English. We are thankful that we are able to reach out to the city of Leon through teaching English classes free of charge to the students.

Christmas Outreach to Hospital a Success!


A few days before Christmas, we went to the hospital to bring joy to the children. Usually when we go to the hospital, we take food for the relatives of patients in the hospital. For Christmas, we wanted to do something special. We made sacks and filled them with presents for all
of the babies and children that where in the hospital. It was so wonderful to see their faces brighten up when we handed them gifts. Along with bringing gifts for each of the children, we sang them Christian Christmas carols. We were able to bless 49 children and their families!
If you are interested in helping us give gifts to the children in the hospital for Kid’s Day, please contact us. Kid’s Day is a national holiday here in Mexico, so we hope to use it as an opportunity to reach out to the children in the hospital. It is an opportunity to bring joy to the kids who have to spend the holiday in the hospital.

New Ministry?

A new ministry God has placed it on our hearts to start ministering to a neighborhood very close to where we live. This past week we have been praying and talking to the Pastor about options for ministry. We feel that God is leading us towards a children’s ministry. We will write more in our next newsletter! (If you would like to receive the Housels' newsletters by email, simply drop them a note at their email: knhousel@gmail.com)

New Life at Casa de Paz

By God's grace, we are seeing new spiritual life at the Casa de Paz local FM church. We believe that God is answering prayers (yours and ours) that His presence might be revealed here in Mexico City- in and through us. As God opens the doors, we are learning to walk through them. Pastor Juan and Eva are leading in this area by example. What a privilege to watch them share their testimonies and lives with all who will listen.

We are also learning that we all have a part to play in this effort. The following excerpt from a report I wrote on Friday illustrates how the church and social ministries are working together to give people opportunities to meet the Lord...

We are taking a prayer walk this a.m. in the neighborhood with Pastor Juan and Eva. God is at work here- there is a sense of excitement and anticipation in the air. A 50-ish couple (Andres and Bertha) made a decision for Christ this week. Their story is an example of what we hope/hoped would happen with the work here. They have a son in AA and had attended some of those meetings where they were introduced to the Bible and started reading on their own. Our first contact with them was through the clinic- they both had various physical complaints. Even in the clinic, however, their language betrayed the fact that the greater need was spiritual. "I have this emptiness inside that I don't know how to fill." "Something is lacking." As they came to the clinic almost weekly, we pointed them to Jesus and this Monday they made the step of coming to the Bible study.

Since the other Bible study attenders are in a leadership curriculum, Pastor Juan took them into the parsonage and they decided to start the Timoteos (basic discipleship) series. They had their Bibles and started the first lesson- "How to start living a Christian life". By the second verse of the study, Bertha was weeping and Andres was visibly broken. Juan stopped the study and asked them if they would like to have this kind of life. They gave their lives to Jesus and are now continuing their walk alongside the rest of us. Last night they came to the prayer meeting and are planning to invite one of their friends to the Monday night study next week. You read and know about the Spirit working in this way but when it happens in your life and with your friends, it is still amazing and refreshing. God wants to use us and we want to be available for the Spirit to work through us, transforming lives.

We praise the Lord for this fruit that he is giving. Andres and Bertha were in church yesterday, praising the Lord for their new life in Christ. They are still learning what it means to be a Christian and we are glad for the opportunity to come alongside them. Would you be in prayer for them too? Would you also pray that God would continue to give the spiritual fruit as we obey Him?

-from Joel Miller
(Sorry there are no pictures in this blog. We'll try to get some new ones on here soon.)

Gift-Giving in Mexico

In Mexico this year, many families did not have the extra money to buy gifts for their children. That money rather went toward food and shelter and clothing. We praise God for the ways that he provides for those basic necessities. At the same time, we thank many friends and churches across the United States who sent Christmas bags and allowed these children to have something special. While the gifts are not extravagant, each child who opens one of the Christmas Joy bags is reminded that they are loved and that they are valued.

This year's gift-givers ranged from entire church participation to individual families that wanted to teach their children the joy of giving in a season that tends to become me-focused. Each gift had an impact on a child in the Mexico Mission District- an area of Mexico that stretches from Leon all the way down to the Yucatan peninsula. In addition to using the gifts for the churches' Christmas celebrations, some of the gifts were given to hospitalized children in the government hospital in Leon, Guanajuato.

On behalf of the Mission District children, thank you for your generosity and your willingness to show love to some of your younger brothers and sisters in Christ. May the Lord bless you in this new year and reveal himself to you in new ways as you seek him.

To see a video of the Christmas time in Ticul, go to the post below this one and click on the play button.

Operation Christmas Joy 2007: Ticul

Ladies Retreat to Tepotzlan

Recently, 60 women traveled from across Mexico to Tepotzlan to attend the first annual Retiro de Damas (Ladies' Retreat). Women came from the Yucatan peninsula, Cuernavaca, Mexico City, and the northern state of Sonora to encourage one another and be challenged. Some of the highlights were the times of praise and worship, delicious food (served by a few male volunteers!), an evening campfire, and the beautiful surroundings of Tepotzlan.

Some of these women worked throughout the year to save enough money to attend the retreat. Thanks to a WMI grant from the Free Methodist Church, the cost of the retreat was affordable for everyone who wanted to attend. Olga, a young woman from the Mexico City Casa de Paz church, held a bazaar at the church every week to raise money for the retreat. Despite delivering her second child just a few of weeks before the retreat, she went to the retreat. (We are glad to say that 2 weeks ago, Olga made a decision to trust in Jesus. The altar call had been for other needs but later that week, Olga told missionary Janette Miller that she had accepted Jesus as Savior. What a joy to welcome Olga into the Christian family! We look forward to seeing how God uses Olga in the months ahead.

We'll try to add pictures to this post in the next few days.

Housels Settling In

Kevin and Nicole Housel have arrived in Leon at last! They are serving with VISA ministries and are joining the Mexico Mission District team. The Housels are working directly with Pastor Jorge and Teresa Guarello in a very new work in Leon. There are many possibilities there and much work to be done.

Would you pray for the Housels as they find a place to live, study more Spanish, and begin plugging in to the ministries there? We praise God for this young couple and look forward to the ways that God is going to work in and through them in the months ahead.

Two funerals and a wedding...

Here is a another great report from the Coapa church plant that meets in the house of Ken and Letty Myers.
"There is just a great "family" feeling at our church plant. One young woman got up and told about what her life has been like since her mom died in January. We all rejoiced with her that she has decided to go back to school to give her life a focus. A few weeks ago her sister told us that SHE had enrolled in Bible school, and we could see the difference in her attitude right away. Sunday the other sister commented about how her sister has changed for the better since she started Bible school. Another couple (not married) told how the Lord has been speaking to them about things in their life. Then they announced their engagement. Our church plant will soon have its first wedding! (We have already had two funerals.)" by Jann Allen

What if we were not here?

Here is an excerpt from Jann and Gary Allen's most recent newsletter:

Last night a group from our Tuesday Bible study group went to visit a
member who has been absent lately due to two eye surgeries. She has
been so confined for these months as she must not do anything to jar
the surgical results. We were welcomed into their lovely home to
share a short devotional time and a meal. Two other women were
invited also, and the hostess told us that they have met for their
own fellowship time since they have not been able to drive to the
regular weekly meetings.

That evening made us reflect on the many people the Free Methodist
Church has touched here in Mexico. Just within our small circle of
acquaintances we can think of widows, children, broken marriages,
persons with addictive habits, lonely people, the injured (both
physically and emotionally) who have found a friendly, loving
atmosphere within our walls. Then we think of the talented youth who
have been given an opportunity to share their music, to teach, or go
to Bible School.

People have come into our church who just noticed our sign as they
walked by, came to one of our outreach or service programs, or were
invited by friends.

Some of you know that our church has just opened a new work in Leon,
in the state of Quanajuato. It is a city of about three million
people. The economy there is strongly dependent on the sale of
leather products (shoes, wallets, purses and belts) on an
international level. Our church there came into being due to an e-
mail that was sent over five years ago to our mission district
director as some people there were looking to affiliate with our
church. Several months ago, they made contact again, and now there
are Bible studies, Sunday church services, and some social outreach
ministries that are happening as a result of this new work.

Who would have welcomed or helped those people if the Free Methodist
Church were not present here?

Let Freedom Ring!

On Sunday, the Casa de Paz and Coapa churches had a combined service celebrating Mexico's Independence Day and focusing on the freedom that we can find in Jesus. A praise group from a nearby evangelical church led a lively time of worship before Pastor Juan shared about true freedom. The world offers a self-indulgent freedom and we suffer the consequences of that freedom and are enslaved. The good news is that Christ broke and continues to break the chains that bind us. Pastor Juan's testimony of freedom from addictions continues to minister to the local congregation and encourages us that no one is so sinful that Christ cannot rescue him.















Kevin and Leah Book-Satterlee (pictured below) enjoyed another party. We also had some mid-service excitement as one of the girls pictured on this post lit a sparkler in the front row of the sanctuary. (Can you guess which girl it was?)

Mexicans Reaching Mexicans

After two years of preparation a team of 17 from the Manantial de Vida church in Nogales, Mexico went to the opposite corner of their country, to a distinct culture to serve a church in the Mayan community of Ticul, Yucatán. They faced a steamy, jungle climate, new foods and even the typical illnesses mission teams get. The mission was accomplished! Bonds of friendship forged, bathrooms for the church built, and a strengthened relationship between the Ticul church and the city leaders.

Why is this significant? Because it was totally led and funded by the Mexican church. There have been other smaller outreaches, but this is the first project of this scale.

We praise God with our friends in Nogales that He allowed them to have this cross-cultural experience!

Thanks, Betsy Crawford, for sharing this news with us!

I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Something To Eat

"I was hungry and you gave me something to eat..."


How often have we taken these words of Jesus as figurative and not literal? Despite the fact that very few of us have ever known hunger, there are people in our communities who are regularly hungry. We're not talking about a hunger for something better to eat or a wish that dinner could be at 5:00 instead of 6:00. No, there are people who go days without a bite to eat. They are hungry. Jesus says that He is that hungry person. When we feed them, we are feeding Him. When we intentionally ignore or fail to consider the hungry around us, we ignore Him.

The good news today is that by supporting the Mission District with your prayers and finances you can feed the hungry. Pastor Jorge and Teresa Guarello recently shared how the small church in Leon is involved in this outreach. There are several large government hospitals in Leon as it is one of the main cities for the entire region. When patients are hospitalized, families are forced to not only see to the needs of the patients but also to find food and lodging despite not being able to work due to the distance from their homes. Many of these family members simply go without food and sleep in the entrances to the hospitals for as many days as is necessary. Last week, the Guarellos and 2 other couples prepared small sack lunches (tortas, apples, and juice for the detail-oriented among you) and served around 150 of these people at the hospitals. We wish that you could have seen the surprised smiles on the faces of these people who were on the receiving end of a free lunch- that's grace at work, isn't it?

And the better news is that not only were these Christians able to feed the hungry but they were also able to pray with some of the families. Pastor Jorge reports that this is a wide open mission field and that the authorities, instead of questioning their motives, invited them to come into the hospital to share the food with those inside. We are praising God with our brothers and sisters in Leon for this open door. Won't you pray with us that the physical and spiritual hunger which is so obvious will be satisfied by these sack lunches and by the Holy Spirit? And won't you keep your eyes open as you move in your city for those who are hungry and for the One who says, "Do it for them and you're doing it for me!"

Update from the Allens

WE SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED that almost every time the doors of our
Mexico City churches open there are new people, or folks that have
not come for a while, walking in. The atmosphere is friendly,
especially at the occasional coffee times and pot luck dinners.
Pastor Juan and Eva have a wonderful way of sharing God's Word with
both adults and children. People are inviting friends, family, and
co-workers.

The Myers family has returned to the house we were holding for
them. They have agreed to let the Coapa church continue meeting in
their living room for the time being, but the group may soon outgrow
the facility!

WE SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED that our new apartment is just right for
our needs. The move went smoothly, though not without a few
glitches, which is normal! When we moved in, the street in front of
the apartment building was a relatively quiet side street. When we
returned from vacation, we discovered that our street is now the
detour for the main road a block away that has been closed for
construction of an overhead express lane. We thank the Lord for
helping us find this first floor place with very nice landlords.

Prayer requests and praises:

Leadership classes have started in Mexico City. It is very
encouraging to see the number of church people who want to be
included in leadership training.

We hope to make a trip to the Yucatan in October to teach leadership
classes.

None of our church people were seriously affected by the hurricane
in July.

There will be a women's retreat near Mexico City in November.
Please pray for the planning phase that is in progress right now.

Your partners in missions,
Gary and Jann Allen

Return to Routine

School has been back in session for a couple of weeks now and we are seeing the city and our neighborhood returning to a routine. There is something comforting about this rhythm that seems to pervade much of the world. In the late summer, students return to school, people return from vacation, and the rains come in Mexico.

Attendance at the Casa de Paz church has been steady at about 50 people on Sundays for the last few weeks. We are all encouraged by the faithfulness of Pastor Juan and Eva in inviting new people and the ways that other members of the church are welcoming and embracing the new people.

The Coapa home church group has also seen encouraging signs as they recently had over 20 people in attendance. Their current challenge is to find a new place to worship as they have outgrown the living room where they are meeting.

The clinic at the Casa de Paz church has been slow this summer but we trust that things will pick up again as students share their colds and coughs and minor illnesses. Julianne Gilmore is getting to know the routine and will be helping out with registering patients on Wednesdays. Our assistant, Lilian, is starting nursing school today. This is a dream she has had for many years and thanks to the generous gifts of many of you, she can finally realize that dream. This morning in the clinic, she was tearful as she prayed and thanked God for this special day in her life. Would you be in prayer for Lilian as she enters school and for her family as the adjust to not having her as available as before?

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support of the growing work in the Mexico Mission District. Let us know if there are ways that we can be supporting you and your churches as together, we seek the fulfilment of the Great Commission.

Julianne Gilmore Joins the Team

Julianne Gilmore arrived this week to join the Mexico City team for one year. She is a recent Greenville College graduate and is going to enter medical school in the fall of 2008. While she is here, she'll be helping with English classes at the Tizoc church as well as getting a better idea of medical missions by shadowing Joel Miller and some Mexican physicians.

Julianne brings a willingness to work and ability in Spanish. She grew up in the Dominican Republic as a "Missionary Kid" and so we will no doubt learn from her experiences as well. Her "stateside" home is in Oroville, California. We are looking forward to seeing God work in and through Julianne in the months ahead. Thanks for praying for her as she adjusts to life in Mexico City and to life with four little brothers and sisters! (She is currently living with the Millers.)

You can follow along with Julianne by checking out her blog that is linked in the righthand column of this blog.