Tell Us The Story Again

One of the young boys attending VBS this week asked Hermana Eva if she would tell the same Bible story about Lazarus and Jesus again the next day. She said that they would be having a new Bible story each day. To this, the little boy replied, "No, you should tell the same one again, it's such a good one." When was the last time you asked your Sunday School teacher or Pastor to teach or preach the same thing the next day? I know that I was challenged as I considered how casually I sometimes hear and respond to the stories from the Bible!

We continue to have a good week with near 80 kids each day. Today was the final day and was a "Game Day" with jumping rope, tug-of-war, water balloons, and tag games. Tomorrow afternoon is the closing session and a church service in which the kids will receive their certificates. Please pray with us that many of these kids and adolescents and their families will join us in worship and will keep coming back.

---Joel for the Mexico City team

Bible School Begins

Last night, the Tizoc church and a team of Mexicans from Baja California, kicked off "escuelita" or Vacation Bible School. Our small worship area was filled to overflowing with new kids and their parents. 8 of those kids made decisions for Jesus as did a young couple visiting family in the area.

Many of those children returned today for the first day of VBS. Pastor Juan and Eva provided the wrap-up session while the Baja team shared puppets, clowning, and more songs. Gary and Jann Allen are coordinating crafts while Janette Miller, Lilian, and Angelica are getting the snacks ready. Several of the youth (Yazmin, Alejandra, Natalia, and Misael) are also pitching in. If you are interested in seeing more pictures of the VBS kids, you can visit the Millers' blog site here. The pictures can be found in the upper right hand column in the "VBS" photo album or embedded in the articles about the VBS.

Stay tuned for more updates as the week goes along.

Vacation Bible School Next Week!

On Sunday, July 15, the Casa de Paz local church will initiate a week of VBS. We are expecting a small group of Mexicans from the Baja California area to help us for the first couple of days. The local church will then take over and finish out the week.

Previous VBS weeks have been led by mostly U.S. VISA teams. This will be the first year for the local Mexicans to take the leadership of this outreach project. They are excited about the possibilities for reaching new children and families with the transforming message of Jesus Christ. We are excited that the church is taking ownership of the project and giving of their time and talents to make it happen.

Would you be in prayer for Pastor Juan and Eva and the other teachers and for those who will come to the church? This week can be a week of harvest for the Kingdom and your prayers can make a difference. Look for more pictures here as the week goes on...

We recently heard from Larry and Carol Foote, former VISA missionaries to Mexico City. Here are a few excerpts from their letter...

Adjustment to living in the United States again has been a challenge at times. For many days we felt like we should be packing up and returning to Mexico City. However, as time goes on, we find ourselves acclimating and appreciating the beauty and clean air of home.

So many times we have reflected back on our time in Mexico and are so thankful that we answered God's call. It was a time of growth in the Lord. We have no regrets and would gladly go again should He call. Many have asked, "Will you go again?" We are open to the call of God, whether short or long term and have no idea what the future holds. However, we desire to continue with short term mission trips.

We are thankful for the time that Larry and Carol invested in the work here and know that God will continue to use them in their new mission field- the Pacific Northwest.

view out Tizoc windows

Dear Mexico City Friends,

Yesterday was an exciting day for us in Mexico City and we wanted to share it with those who know the work here and pray for it.

Most of us involved in the new COAPA church plant have wondered how the attendance would run once the Guarellos moved to Leon.

Last Sunday we were still in Campeche, and we understood they had 9- which is good, considering all of those who were out of town. Today we had 15 in attendance in Coapa. We will list the people and add some prayer requests for those involved:

1.)Santa and Sandy-who recently celebrated her 38^th birthday.

2.) Miguel Angel- His wife Teri did not come because her sister, Angeles, has cancer mets to the lung and now to the brain, and took a turn for the worse last night. Angeles is only 59, and one of the hard things is that they have a 24 y.o. son, who has the mental age of 4. Miguel Angel hopes to talk to her to see if she wants to be baptized. She has made a profession of faith with another pastor recently.

3.)Abraham and his daughter, Cynthia. Abraham spoke from Heb. 11 on faith and used lots of examples from Lucy's life and illness.

4.)Zaira and her husband Pablo. They are passing through some family struggle that has them very concerned.

5.)Miguel Angel (Jr.) and his girlfriend, Aline. He was recently baptized.

6.) Paty Gomez, who brought a friend of hers, who also lives on this street, just 2 doors from where the Millers used to live, and across from Paty. . Her name is Isabel, and she seems interested in activities at Tizoc too.

7.) Jann and I.

8.) Irma-who seems to be doing well after the death of her husband, and gave a strong victorious testimony, and thanks everyone for their prayers. She says her boys have been a big help to her with business matters.

9.) Eliseo-who played the guitar.

If you add all those up, I hope you get 15!

At 5 p.m. we went over to TIZOC for their evening service. Misael, the Murua's (new pastors at Tizoc) son played one keyboard and Eliseo/Lillian's son, Abrancito, played the other key board. Pastor Juan played the elec. guitar, and Eliseo played the bass.

Pastor Juan preached on I Peter 2:9 about us being a chosen priesthood, and did a fine job.

There were 36 people there, and some have only been coming a few months, and one young lady came for the first time tonight! Lillian asked for volunteers to take care of the birthday dinners, and the church cleaning schedule, and 2 young ladies volunteered, Dulce Yaneth and Yasmin.

The only BAD part of the day was that they had a potluck after each service and it was yummy! (Both times!)

You will be interested to know that Pastor Juan has chipped most of the hunk of rock out the back of the sanctuary. He said it took him about 3 hours, so I would think what little he has left will probably take an hour. It was raining hard while we had the potluck at TIZOC, and no rain was coming in on the west end.

Encouraged in Mexico City,

Gary & Jann Allen for the team

Celebrating Commitments

Unity in the Body of Christ. Believers, new and old alike, taking new steps of commitment and faith. Tears of joy shed for the growing and coming Kingdom of God on earth.

On Sunday, three of the Mission District churches met in Tepotzlan, a small mountainous village south of Mexico City. Friends from the Casa de Paz, Coapa, and Cuernavaca churches came together to celebrate what God is doing among us. A member of a cell group in Mexico City allowed us to use her house and pool for this special day. Around eighty people came by van and bus to worship together.

Eight people were baptized in the swimming pool and their post-pool testimonies were inspiring. We'll be remembering this "mountain-top" experience for years to come. Among those who received baptism were Eliseo and Lilian, a couple who have grown so much in the Lord in the last year and are now taking leadership responsibilities in the Casa de Paz church. Angelica has been attending for several months and said that she wanted to be the first one in her family to be baptized and we pray with her that the others will soon follow. Abraham and Miguel Angel, two young adult men, were baptized as their proud fathers looked on. A young man from the Cuernavaca congregation said that he had turned away from the Lord and was now returning and wanted to demonstrate to all present that God is faithful and able to bring good from any bad that we have in our lives. Another Miguel Angel said that he wanted to take the next step with God and with God's help would continue to learn and grow.

After the baptisms, we had a cookout and enjoyed the swimming pool. You can see a few more pictures on the Millers' blog site at www.joelandjanette.typepad.com in the photo album called "New Life".

Thank you for praying for those who were recently baptized. Pray that they will be plugged into discipleship and that we will be able to encourage and embrace them as the Body of Christ in Mexico City.

submitted by Joel for the team

The Times They Are a-Changin'

This Bob Dylan song title about transition sure seems to capture the feeling around the Mission District this week. With changes in the comfort zones to which we've all grown accustomed, we are all feeling a bit unsure about what the future will hold. Is that too honest for a missionary website?

But the good news is that we know who holds the future! Yes, it is a trite saying but one to which we cling during times of uncertainty. We trust our Heavenly Father to faithfully work His will in and through us and bring his plans to fruition. In this update, we'd like to take a moment to let you know about some of the changes taking place in the next few days and weeks. Hopefully, this will also help you know how to pray for those affected by the changes.

Foote Family taking Flight

After having faithfully served in Mexico City for 2 years, Larry and Carol are returning to their home near Seattle. We've appreciated their flexibility and willingness to pitch in wherever needed- even if it wasn't in their original job description. We pray God's richest blessings on them as they re-engage with their family and friends in Washington and seek God's plan for this next chapter in their lives. (Yesterday, during a "goodbye" service, the church presented the Footes with the pictured plaque thanking them for their service.) The Footes fly out on Tuesday morning.

Eunice Off To Cuernavaca

Pastor Eunice Alvarez has been working with the local Tizoc church for the last 8 months. She had been working in the Mexican state of Sonora prior to her time with us. Eunice has shown a real willingness to learn and has connected to many of the families in the local church. (In the picture above, she presented a Bible to Martin, one of the faithful young people in the Sunday Kids' Church that Eunice has led.)

We are going to miss Eunice's ready smile and thoughtful preaching but we praise God that she is going to be working just down the road in the next year. A small group of mostly new believers are forming a Free Methodist church in the large city of Cuernavaca and Eunice is going to be leading them as pastor. Would you pray with us for this transition for Eunice and for the resources to support her as the church grows?

Guarellos Going To Leon

Yes, Pastor Jorge and Teresa (pictured to the far left in this group honored for May birthdays and anniversaries) are moving out of the city to Leon, about 6 hours from our part of Mexico City. As you can imagine, this transition has been met with a mixture of sadness and joy. We are all sad to lose the easy access to the Guarellos and their weekly presence in the worship of the Tizoc and Coapa congregations. However, we are glad that the Guarellos can be released to exercise their true giftings in church planting and oversight in a new location. We also trust that the leaders which God has raised up for the Mexico City work will take on new responsibilities and grow in the Lord. Jorge will continue to serve as Superintendent of the Mission District. We'll introduce you to Juan and Eva Murua, the new pastors at the Tizoc church, in a future post so stay tuned.

There are going to be new challenges during this transition time and we value your prayers and support more than ever. Thank you for being our friends and partners in this adventure.

--submitted by Joel for the team