The Laguna TorchThe Laguna Torch| August 2004 - May 2005 | Recording the spread of God's fire in the "Laguna" | Volume 3, Issue 3 |
Well, as usual it has been way too long since we've last written you and so as usual we want to say we're sorry for not having written sooner, but even still it's a joy to reflect once again on what God has been doing, and even more of a joy to share it with you. We hope that this letter will give you the opportunity to rejoice with us as you catch yet another small glimpse of what God is doing here.
We'd like to briefly share some of the wonderful things happening in the lives of people here.
Lourdes, the wife of Jose-Luis, with whom we've been having a regular home group, is our miracle story in this issue. She was having trouble with menstrual bleeding beginning in the fall of 2004. The doctors said it was caused by some cysts in her uterus, and that it was urgent to have a hysterectomy done as soon as possible. But Jose-Luis and Lourdes put off the surgery because they wanted to have it done by a private doctor (the social security doctors are sometimes not very skilled), and they needed to save money in order to be able to pay for it. But then, in January, just after we had returned to Torreón, her condition became very serious, and they were faced with the worst possible situation: an emergency surgery in the social security hospital. Lourdes, showing how much she has grown, asked us and her other Christian friends to pray, and was relatively at peace. They went to the hospital and did a standard sonogram before the surgery. Much to their delight the doctor said "You have nothing wrong." They made him double check multiple times, but he confirmed that there was absolutely no evidence of the cysts that were there before - God had healed her! Another neat thing was that Lourdes praised God afterwards, not only because of the blessing she had received, but also because she now has the opportunity to give glory to Him through her testimony, which she has shared in various places!
Reyna and her family are our "Life Transformation Story" for this newsletter. We've shared Reyna's story over the years. We got to know her on missions trips before even moving to the Laguna. However, she held back from really following God until last summer during the "Extreme Missions" trip. At that time God really touched her heart and it was exciting to see her living afterwards with a genuine love for God and an earnest desire to obey.
You can imagine the disappointment, then, when we returned to Torreón after Christmas and found she had fallen back into drugs and alcohol. The next couple months were really sad for us, because although we were able to talk with her, and she was interested in getting right with God again, she didn't seem able to break free from the trap she had fallen into.
However, hopeless though the situation seemed, God actually had even better things in store than what He had done up to that point. We were able to convince Reyna to go with us and some other people from church to the Vineyard Easter Conference, a gathering of the Vineyard Churches throughout Mexico. Though that conference was very difficult, with little sleep and the usual hardships of traveling with a group at a conference, it was amazingly fruitful! Reyna, who was again deeply touched by the Holy Spirit during one of the ministry times, came back with a renewed love for God and the strength to face her temptations and stand strong. Even more, she was able to share with her family, and due to the real changes they saw in her, they have started to take interest in following God. Reyna's mom and sister-in-law especially have accepted Christ and gotten involved in the women's group and are attending Sunday services. Martha, Reyna's mom, is also learning to play keyboard and practicing with the worship band. Since God has given Reyna a remarkable gift for music (She was able to play drums in worship the first time she picked up the sticks, and has only gotten better and better. She's also learning guitar.), we're looking forward to the day when Reyna and her mom will be leading worship together! What a joy to see God drawing people to Himself and drawing families back together!
Another special story is what's happening in the life of Hanibal, the son of our neighbor Bernardo. Maybe we should call this the "prison transformation story," because Hanibal was arrested last summer for selling drugs. The amazing thing is that God has been working on his heart and he has become a Christian. We wish we could take some credit, but it was all God. We've had a lot of desire to do more, but the only things God opened the door for us to do was to pray, to encourage Bernardo, and to provide some Christian books for Hanibal to read. However, Hanibal is now facing some extremely difficult challenges. Though he was actually selling drugs, they haven't been able to prove those charges. Unfortunately, though, the justice system here is not totally honest, and since they haven't been able to convict him, they have now raised seemingly false charges and are accusing him of homicide. Please pray that Hanibal would hold on to his faith and actually come out of this situation stronger. Please also pray that God would make things right, because only He knows what is best in a confusing situation like this. And pray for Bernardo to trust God, because that's obviously very difficult for him right now in the face of these difficult circumstances.
We have several special prayer requests. One is for Jose-Luis and Lourdes. As we've led a home group with them over the past few years, they've grown a lot, and we're now handing leadership of the group over to them. This is really neat for us, because our purpose has always been to raise up leaders and develop a ministry that would allow others to minister likewise, and by God's grace we feel that's beginning to happen. It's also sad because we have to force ourselves to give up the blessing of being in the group, but Jose-Luis and Lourdes have heartily accepted the challenge of taking it over, and it's doing well. We just want to ask for your prayers for them, because they also feel a healthy amount of fear. We also pray that God would continue to prepare them through this process, because we feel He is calling them to much more than just being home group leaders.
Another special prayer request is for Lourdes's brother, Pepe. Pepe (along with some other members of Lourdes's family) has come to the home group on and off with varying levels of interest. However, at the start of this year he fell back into alcoholism. When he drank he became aggressive, so his mother had to commit him against his will to a psychiatric clinic. Now the clinic isn't willing to keep him anymore, so he's back home, but still not really doing very well. The good news is that he seems to be much more serious about seeking God. Please pray that he would really surrender his life to Jesus and find the strength to truly overcome his addiction. Please pray also for Lourdes's brothers and sisters who have at different times displayed a cautious interest in the group. Many of them have long given up on Pepe, but seeing God make real changes in him could have a big influence in drawing them to Christ.
The other major prayer request is for Toña, our former neighbor who is still a good friend. Toña has gone through some incredible trials, and through it all has shown a continuing desire to know more and more of God. She has grown a lot, and there are moments when she displays an incredible heart for God. She too went with us to the Easter Conference and like Reyna she was deeply touched during one of the ministry times. Another amazing change we've seen lately in Toña is her willingness to accept and forgive Bernardo and his family for the conflicts they have had in the past. Since Bernardo's son, Hanibal, is actually the father of Toña's two grandchildren, Toña has struggled for a while with bitterness towards Bernardo's family. We have talked and prayed with her about this, but it has only been recently that we've seen an attitude of compassion towards Bernardo and a willingness for the two families to work together. She has even talked about inviting Bernardo to a homegroup at her house, which is truly a miracle. Our prayer for Toña is that she would grow in consistency and discipline in her walk with God so that she can begin to see real victory in her life.
Emmanuel has arrived! Daniel and Adriana were expecting a baby in early- to mid-March, and on March 28 (Easter Monday) he finally arrived! He's a beautiful little thing, (delightfully "chocolate colored") and so far he seems to be adjusting to the outside world very well. Daniel and Adriana are also very grateful that the delivery went O.K. - they were worried about some possible complications. But God more than answered their prayers - there were no problems in the delivery, and in fact we were able to see the baby less than two hours after they arrived at the hospital! Now that's a fast-moving little baby!
We're sending this newsletter in a different format. Let us know how you like it. Especially let us know if you have any problems reading it. With the internet all sorts of weird things can happen, so we would really appreciate it if you would tell us if something strange happened when you tried to read our letter.
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