Newsletter July 2020

Dear Christian Friends,

Little by little things are beginning to open, but with a lot of restrictions. I went to the city a few days ago and bought some needed things. Walmart only allows one person of the family to enter. No problem there. You must wear a mask, and they take your temperature and give you hand sanitizer as you enter. I also needed supplies from Office Depot. Because of my age, I was not allowed to enter…Oops! Oh well. Like they say, “There’s more than one way to skin the cat.” I asked Juan Cordova to purchase some items while I returned to the car to wait. Such is life right now, and we need to comply. I hope it won’t be too much longer before things begin to change. Of course, we all understand what we once knew as normal will not be again, but hopefully, we can have something similar.

OUR MINISTER, RICARDO…

Bety and Ricardo

Our minister, Ricardo, continues to have bad headaches. He takes pills that calm the pain. The doctor suspects a tumor, and we are hoping Ricardo will soon be allowed to have much needed tests run to see what is going on. We appreciate your prayers on his behalf.

ABDIEL, CO-ADMINISTRATOR OF BETHSHEAN MISSION REPORTS…

Thanks to all of your prayers and God’s mercy, I am feeling much better! I am not 100%, but I am taking medicine and have seen significant improvement since May to the present. Surgery is not currently necessary, which is great news! Thank you for

Shannon and Abdiel

your continued prayers and your willingness to financially help during this season. I am so very grateful and richly blessed!

We have started meeting on Sunday mornings for church service in Villa González, taking the necessary precautions to keep everyone as safe as possible.

Our oldest daughter, Shan Mical, has applied to the medical program at the University of Aguascalientes. She will find out July 25th if she made it in or not. Prayers are appreciated! With all of the changes happening, we don’t yet know if she will start with normal or online classes. So, Lord willing, she will be moving to

Aguascalientes soon.

Eva, Annabel, Alexa, & Shan Mical

Our second daughter, Annabel, left July 16th to move up to Michigan and finish her last year of high school up there. Her intentions are to go to college there to study Aviation Technology. Having two daughters leave at once will be a big challenge for our family and completely change the dynamics. Alexa will be starting 8th grade and Eva will start 4th grade in the fall. Please pray for safety for them all and that no matter where they are, they will continue to grow in their walk with God.

TOM PLANK GIVES UPDATE ON BIBLE COLLEGE PLANS…

For many years there was a desire to start a Bible College in Guadalajara to train young men who would preach the gospel and minister throughout Mexico. Five ministers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina met with three men from Mexico to begin the process. We had a wonderful meeting, and everyone was encouraged to return to their areas to raise money. The men from Mexico shared the vision for starting the Bible College with their three churches back home, and the excitement spread. These three churches owned a small piece of land on what was then the outskirts of Guadalajara. They had previously used it as a camp, and there were a couple of dilapidated dormitories on the property. The churches generously transferred it to us with the understanding that it would be used for a Bible College. A committee of five was formed in Mexico to oversee progress. Pedro, the son of one of the ministers, is the architect who drew up wonderful plans for the college. However, the committee decided to go ahead and remodel one of the dormitories so classes could begin sooner rather than later. Classes began meeting every Saturday and produced several ministers for Mexico.

As time progressed, four of the ministers from the original meeting in the US couldn’t raise money toward the project. In Mexico, the men who had started with great momentum became discouraged, and fund raising toward the school ended. Two men passed away, one became blind, one lost interest in the ways of the Lord, and only one man, Josue Garcia Ruiz, remained involved. Because of these circumstances, it was too difficult for one man to advance toward building. At present and if it is the Lord's will, we are planning a special meeting this fall in Guadalajara to discuss what we need to do to move forward. It will be decided what to do with the property and the money we have raised. This is a huge process that requires much prayer. If you would like to express your thoughts on the future of this project, please write to Cris Garcia at bethshean@gmail.com. Your thoughts are deeply appreciated.

THANK YOU…

I am so thankful no one at the Nursing Home has gotten sick and all are well and happy. Ana, who is the nurse in charge of the Home, has taken care of the residents and has been very careful about who enters. And the workers of the Home have been wonderful to take extra precaution with them, as well.

We are financially able to continue the work of the Lord in the central part of Mexico because of the faithfulness of so many in supporting us. Thank you so much for your help in prayer, words of encouragement, and finances. May God protect each one as we face this horrible virus. And, may our faith grow even stronger!

Newsletter July 2020

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