February 2021
Dear Christian Friends,
As months turn into years, I find myself thinking about how quickly time passes and how much work there is to be done in the kingdom. As you read the updates, reports, and stories of people and projects, please lift each one to the Lord who wants all souls to know Him. Abdiel Garcia wrote an update concerning three weekly Bible studies that resulted from our Angel Bag ministry. When you read about the third group, keep in mind that it was this group who after one of their meetings helped save a family from a burning house. What is so powerful about this story is that up until this point, the group opposed truths of Scripture. They opposed the fact that Jesus is Lord and God. Our gracious Father, in His mysterious ways, changed their thinking.
NURSING HOME…
The little elderlies are doing so well. Ana Gricel, the nurse, is very protective of them.
Dr. Freddy checks in on each one when he comes from the States, which has been frequent this year. Lupita, one of the little people, had a cancerous tumor on her nose that grew pretty big, and became painful and uncomfortable. Here’s Lupita before and after surgery.
Dr. Freddy did a wonderful job on her nose. It is healing very nicely. What a real blessing to have Dr. Freddy close by and to have him working with us!
ABDIEL AND SHANNON SHARE…
Fear and Hope
“But we should understand this: that in the last days difficult times will come…”
We are so thankful to our Heavenly Father, that even through sickness, He has had mercy upon us and has kept us safe through today. There have been members in our congregation who have gotten sick with COVID, but God, in His mercy, has listened to our prayers.
One member in particular, María Elena Gabino, suffers from high blood pressure, diabetes, and is on kidney dialysis every 4 hours. She was hospitalized because she tested positive for COVID-19. She was then taken home and continued treatment there, but developed pneumonia as a consequence of the virus. Her family gives testimony that only by God’s grace and His will, her health is being restored. This past Sunday she was at church with us for the first time in many months, giving her testimony of God’s goodness and mercy.
However, God has had a different purpose in many brothers and sisters lives. We are comforted in our Lord’s words through the Apostle Paul, “Brothers and sisters, we don’t want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13)
God’s word reminds us that there will be difficult times, and we should not fear those who destroy the body, but cannot destroy our soul. Fear Him who, after death, has the power to cast us into Hell. It is He who we should fear!
May our common hope and fear of the Lord give comfort and strength to our hearts to continue preaching His Gospel, even in these hard times. That is the task He has set before us!!! Amén!
San Agustin Christian Church…
The church in San Agustin is about 22 miles east of Estancia de Animas. Abdiel has been helping them by preaching. This church receives financial help through the Bethshean Mission. For now, they have suspended normal services because many of their members have contracted COVID. Please pray for their congregation! We give thanks and praise to God because they are about 90% finished with the construction of their church building!
DR. FREDDY AND CAROL REPORT…
We are finally moving to Mexico the first of March after many delays. We will arrive in Estancia in time for our rescheduled annual medical, dental, and construction trip. The February trip was postponed due to the new requirements for COVID-19 testing before returning to the U.S. Now we must have a negative COVID test within 72 hours of returning to the States. Freddy found that he can order the test kits and administer them in Estancia at the camp. He can then fill out a lab result form that will satisfy requirements; greatly easing the difficulty of re-entry into the U.S.
The March trip will take place from the 4th through the 12th. We have 10 people that are participating in this trip. During our time in Mexico, the medical and dental team will be consulting in five different area churches. Due to COVID-19, we are limiting the number of patients to church members mostly. The construction team will be working on projects for the mission.
Prior to our moving to Mexico, our son, Josh will be getting married on February 27, 2021, so the family will be all together again. We will be able to say our "goodbyes" before we depart the next week for Mexico. We are excited for Josh and Elizabeth as they start their life together. Ben and Kgao, now married almost four weeks, will be living in Asheville, NC. They have found an apartment that they are waiting to move into later in March. Rachel finishes with her fellowship in Geriatrics at the beginning of July. She is enjoying her career in medicine. Currently, she is in the process of evaluating job opportunities after the fellowship ends. She plans to stay in the south.
I spent most of January and the first part of February in Mexico at the clinic organizing supplies as well as taking inventory of the clinic equipment. While there, I was able to purchase some items needed for the house where we will be living while in Mexico. At the beginning of February, Abdiel and I made a trip to the border to meet Paul Hamrick who had driven from Georgia with dental supplies and donated chairs for Villa Gonzalez Church. While at the border, we were able to finish clearing out the Bible College of the items being stored for the clinic. On February 5th, Mark Webb, DDS, who is heading up the dental side of the clinic arrived to work on organizing the dental area.
In closing, please be in prayer for the upcoming trip. The following are some of the prayer needs:
1. Pray for safety during our trip to Mexico.
2. Pray that our team’s time in Mexico will meet the needs of the people
we are serving and be a witness for God’s Kingdom.
3. Pray that hearts and minds will be open to the good news of Christ.
4. Pray for our ability to get the paperwork completed to open the clinic.
In His Service,
Freddy and Carol
BROTHER JOSUE GARCIA AND SON, ABDIEL…GUADALAJARA…
May the Lord bless each one, beloved brethren in Christ. It is our joy to share with you the following news of the Bible study groups. We are thankful to God we have been able to get together in homes to have Bible studies. These groups were started as a result of the Angel Bag ministry when we had street revivals at Christmas. We are so grateful the Lord All-Powerful has permitted us to evangelize in three different communities.
Group #1 (Tuesdays):
Each Tuesday at 8:00 pm, we meet in the home of a church member of our congregation, and normally 12 to 15 people attend. This past Tuesday, a new person attended invited by the brother in Christ who opened the doors of his home to teach the message of God.
From the beginning, most of the ones who have attended the Bible studies explained they have some knowledge of God’s Word, but had become cold in their relationship with God.
Last Sunday, we had a lady by the name of Rosalina, 60 years old, who after the study returned home and commented to her neighbors and family, “I have found a church where the worship and the study of God’s Word are very special.”
We ask for your prayers for each one of these people that are listening to the Gospel, so that the Lord can work in their lives and their relationship with Him will be strengthened.
Group #2 (Thursdays):
Every Thursday at 8:00 pm we meet together with a different group, in a different house of another church member where 20 people attend. Ten of these have been faithful since starting these meetings and never miss a study.
Last Thursday, we taught the plan of salvation. After answering questions and addressing doubts concerning teachings from weeks before, one more person was added by the grace and mercy of our God!
In this group, there are three people very interested in being baptized: Melina, Tere, and Cindy. They have expressed the desire of having a relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord. Just last week, Melina expressed her desire with these words, “I want to give my life to God so I can have a spiritual family.” Isn’t this wonderful?
Also, we would like to share a testimony from Melina concerning her friend Hortensia: Hortensia was very sick in the hospital for 22 days. Her health was critical. In fact, she was between life and death. Every third day, Melina went to take care of her and would read the Bible during her visits with Hortensia and talked with her about God. We are so thankful, God showed His mercy. Hortensia recovered and was released from the hospital this past Thursday. Hortensia has expressed her desire with these words, “I want to go to church and learn to know this God of whom you have talked with me about.”
We are constantly giving away Bibles to those who attend in each group. We are joyful in knowing that when Melina received her Bible, she began to read it, and we can see her dedication to God’s Word.
We give thanks to the Lord that Melina has such a strong desire in her heart to know the message of salvation along with others of the study group who are attending worship services at our church on Sundays.
Group #3 (Fridays):
Every Friday at 8:00 pm we have the third group in the home of another family of our congregation, where 13 adults attend. This does not include children. There is much interest in baptism and those who want to give their lives to God. We are joyful in the Lord.
We have five prospects: Chuy, Angeles, Alonso, Silvia, and Jorge. They have expressed their desire to have a life with our Lord Jesus Christ. They say they want to be forgiven for their sins and desire to be a son and daughter of God.
At first, this third group was the most difficult of all the groups. They were against listening about Jesus being God and Lord and Savior of our lives, but our Powerful God touched their hearts and their thinking! Those who opposed, now have a genuine desire to continue the Bible studies and know more of this loving God that came to save us from our sins.
We have had new visitors in our worship services from this third group on Sundays. We are thankful to God they can see His light that shines in the heart of the Church.
Prayer Requests:
We ask for your prayers for these three groups. We ask prayers for us who are teaching the Word of God. We ask you to pray that the wisdom from above is reflected in each of our words.
God bless you.
With love,
Josue Garcia and Abdiel Garcia, servants of Christ in the Church of Insurgentes
LORETO CHURCH…
The property is paid in full, praise the Lord. We want to express our heartfelt gratefulness for each one’s prayers and help financially to make this possible.
Our congregation is beginning to grow little by little. We presently meet in a small house loaned to us rent-free. Hopefully soon, we can start building the walls around the recently purchased property for the church. We have 2,304 blocks donated to begin this part of the construction. We will need about 5000 blocks for these walls around the property. Each block costs 80 cents. We plan to hire two bricklayers and two helpers once we start this part of the construction. Each bricklayer earns $18.42 daily and each helper $15.80 daily.
Please pray for this congregation. There is much work to be done for the Lord. Ricardo, our minister, is faithful and the Sunday School teachers work hard in teaching the children. Betty, one of our Sunday School teachers, is a wonderful school teacher, as well, and brings great ideas in her teachings.
At times it is discouraging but Jesus had moments of disappointment, too. There are those who are looking for the truth and when we come across them, we teach and evangelize.
PINOS…
Pinos is a small town that is a 45-minute drive from Estancia. Several years back, a gentleman along with his son began driving down to Pinos from Texas to build a church building in hopes that one day, the good news of Jesus would be preached there. They faithfully made many trips, and when they completed the building, the gentleman contacted me. He offered the building and hoped that Bethshean would supply a minister to evangelize the town. It is such a generous gift, and we plan to help start a church there once the pandemic ends and we are permitted to do so. We are looking for a minister, preferably one who is married. Please keep this in your prayers, as well.
PRAYER REQUESTS…
1. Ministers and churches of Bethshean Mission
2. Loreto Church for growth, maturity, and construction project
3. Dr. Freddy and Carol as missionaries with Bethshean Mission
4. Minister to begin a church in Pinos and financial support
5. San Agustin Christian Church
SO GRATEFUL…
I am truly grateful to the Lord first and to all those who support our efforts here in Mexico. Many pray on a daily basis for our safety and for the work. We are very thankful. Thank you each one and may God continue to bless and protect you. To Him be the Glory always!
Serving Him with joy,
~ Cris
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