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Turning from Alcohol to the Holy Spirit

Sandra, age 29, became an alcoholic at age ten. Her entire family was addicted to alcohol, and her father died last summer from the disease. She accepted the Lord a year ago after a brother-in-law went through a rehabilitation program started by the Mission. Three of her sisters have also become Christians. Sandra took time off from work to knock on doors every day with the workers. Her bubbly personality and enthusiasm for sharing the Gospel led a young man from the Mexican host church to say, I wish I could witness like Sandra.

Two volunteers from Cadiz Baptist Church, Cadiz, Kentucky, traveled to Mexico to work with Jim an IMB missionary and Mexican Baptists to share the Gospel so others could hear about Jesus and lean on him like Sandra and her sisters.

Jim was excited to report, "Of the 24 Mexican Baptist workers, 14 were from the mission that was started four years ago by a GO project. They will be doing most of the follow-up. The new area is several miles from the mission. The other workers were from IB Emmanuel."

Jim went on to say, "Several of the workers had never been involved in door-to-door evangelism, but they quickly began to witness effectively. Saturation was done in several colonias in the northwest section of Morelia, Michoacán where there are no nearby Baptist churches."

"Both volunteers from Cadiz Baptist have done evangelism projects in the past, but will return to their churches to enlist others for future projects," said Jim.

This mission was a great success! The team delivered over 2,000 packets, 14 people accepted Christ and nationals requested 60-plus Bible studies. We praise Jesus for this strong team and for those who made life-changing decisions.

You can help break the cycle of alcoholism by witnessing to families who need to hear the Truth. Contact us for mission opportunities. Christ will bless you for focusing on Him and not the "stuff" of this world.

God is in the business of changing lives!

A discotec in the Bonit Juarez area of Mexico is the location of a small weekly Bible study by brother Gilberto – a precious man of peace. When First Baptist Church of Wauchula, Florida, sent six workers to Mexico City to assist Verna, an IMB missionary, they had no idea that the Lord would touch their own lives in a wonderful way!

"Two of the team members were of Mexican descent so it was an emotional week for both of these women to revisit their homeland and to reach out and touch Mexicans with the Gospel. Friendships were instant. The women spoke perfect Spanish and were a wonderful asset to the group, said Verna."

"Other team members forged the mountains cheerfully and overcame the fears fostered by United States newscasters. They were excellent volunteers and terrific Spanish learners. This group hopes to become a SC Church, continuing service in Mexico City. They were a great encouragement to Mexican Baptists. They left with a desire to pour their lives, resources, time, prayers, and Great Commission work into the people of Mexico City, all for God's glory. I hope Wauchula, and Pastor Smith, is ready for this group. They developed a Great Commission call during this short-term mission trip, and fell in love with the Mexican people while using their language and talents. They have so very much to offer ministering in our area of the world. This will be a powerful group to watch, declared Verna."

Verna went on to say, "Literally, every team member, both Mexican and those from the United States, had their own personal story of God's grace and mercy to tell and share this week. The group learned to pray specifically with more compassion, more sensitivity, than they thought possible. They experienced the pain of others, those lost and those that knew salvation, but grew ever so much this week through being on mission with God."

"As the Mexican Baptist strongly shared their faith leading some to Christ, some U.S. team members experienced sharing the Gospel that led to salvation for the very first time – I do not think it will be the last, said Verna."

Verna explains, "The volunteers met Mexicans that worship the dead, Mexicans that are drug addicts, and Mexicans that love Jesus as Lord and Savior. They saw firsthand that God is in the business of changing lives, making all things new for His glory. Never have I seen God so at work in the lives of the Mexican people as I did this week, followed by His awesome work in the lives of the U.S. team members."

"It was an exciting week. We showed the Jesus film at the discotec on Thursday afternoon and 30 people came – the fruit of the week in the flesh. I believe this is just the beginning of how God will use a discotec to reach a community for Jesus, thanks to the faithful surrender of the life of Gilberto to be used by God for His glory. Thanks be to God for the determined lives surrendered by six faithful Christians from Wauchula who came to be God's servants this week," exclaimed Verna.

Would you be willing to allow God to use you as He did these workers? Contact us and we will guide you to missionaries who are praying for workers to come to assist them in evangelizing the lost. Time is of the essence. Millions die every day without the saving grace of Jesus. Get involved and allow God to work through you to make a difference in the harvest fields.

There is hope for the next generation

A very special missionary, who is close to retirement, has hosted many teams of volunteers from the United States. Recently, Jim wrote the following summary of his experience with a SC church (East Salem) in Leakesville, Mississippi:

"This was the most consistent response of national church members of any project I have ever seen. Of the 21 volunteers, only three came just one time. One man, aged 82, who has been a Christian only five years, came every time."

A team member remarked, "Seeing a fifteen year old boy go out every day to pass out Gospels, and to sign up so many for Bible studies, was just amazing to me. He proves there is still hope for the next generation."

Jim states, "The host church is committed to beginning work in these villages, based on the response of saturation. In each village, we had at least two Bible studies requested. We spent five hours saturating five small colonias in Ario de Rosales where the host church is located. One of the volunteers had never been on an international mission project. The team leader anticipated involving more first time volunteers next year."

Praise Jesus for faithful servants who recognize the importance of answering God's call to overseas missions. Help to finish the task by contacting us for opportunities.

PLANTING SEEDS AND CULTIVATING LIVES

A missionary describes mission objective:

"Hermana Francisca has desired to have an evangelical church in her neighborhood for years. Many of her relatives live in the same neighborhood, but they remain staunchly Catholic. Francisca desires for her regular Thursday afternoon Children's Club to grow into a new house church where there are no evangelical churches." "Assisting in this evangelistic project were members of a church on the far south side of town. They joined our field personnel for the week along with a team from Carlinville Southern Baptist Church,Carlinville, Illinois."

"This was the first mission trip for part of the team. They will be responsible for planning their home church's missions program when they return. They have expressed a desire to learn Spanish and come on more mission trips."
The week's events…as told by a team member:

"It rained with hail some of the days, but we would drive the streets praying until the inclement weather let up. One day we got the opportunity to pray for a woman whose 42-year-old brother-in-law died in a traffic accident a few days before. Francisca was able to tell her about Jesus, and she will return to visit for follow-up."

"Another day Francisca talked with a woman whose husband had recently become a Christian. Consequently, he has left his drug addiction, but the wife has not become a believer."

"Still another day, a woman came up and asked us what we were doing, and when we explained, she joyfully said, 'I have been praying and looking for a place for my children to study the Bible and learn about Jesus. I will bring them!"
"David Haynes and I met an indigenous man of the Huichol tribe from northern Jalisco. He brought his son to Bible school for two evenings, and the little boy, although shy at first, warmed up. By the end of the second evening, he said 'Thank you,' to his teacher."
"The children were very welcoming. Some wanted to learn English, and we tried all week to learn Spanish. By the end of the week, our communication with them was fantastic. I could tell that God had bridged the communication gap, and it blessed us greatly."
"We had 38 children the first night, 52 the second night, with 48 the rest of the evenings. This time with our brothers and sisters in Christ showed that God is so good. This week of missions really touched hearts. Francisca's family, and our five-team members, stood each night holding hands and praying. It was amazing to hear prayers in both English and Spanish."

"One evening during VBS, a child said, 'Mi casa mi Mama, invitation.' She thanked me and hugged me, which really touched my heart, because she remembered us coming to her house to invite her to VBS."
Do you want to join our field missionaries and help tell the story of Jesus?

Contact us at the information on this blog site and we will connect you with missionaries who are ready to work with you to plant seeds and cultivate lives for Him.

May God bless you for your obedience to our Great Commission task.

Prayer Works!

Are you willing to pour out your life for the Lord and allow Him to use you to bless others? The Union Baptist Association in Charlotte, North Carolina, has done just that for many years. Team leader, Henry Funderburk, from UBA, brought with him representatives from three churches to join national Baptists and field personnel to evangelize an area near Cuatitlan Izcalli, Mexico. They have worked with a church there since the 1990's.

The IMB field missionary shares:

"The project was a blessing for everyone to get together and allow the Lord to use them so successfully. Not only did they distribute over 2600 Gospels, but also the teams intentionally sought out opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and look for men and women of peace.

Henry covered all the bases and did an incredible job using his Spanish as well. He encouraged his team and the national volunteers to use the Evangi-Cube. This was the first time I had seen this used with a group and I witnessed some incredible receptivity to the Gospel with the use of this cube. The group was wonderful and did an outstanding job of using the power of prayer. As one team member witnessed, another prayed and 'held the sword.'

Personally, this would have to be a 'top three' in what we have experienced. It was truly beautiful to see these churches working together sharing the Good news of Jesus Christ. Each team member took his or her job seriously. It was a beautiful week.

Funderburk's team met with a family who had experienced the loss of a son that same week. The team was able to minister to this family by repeatedly taking the time to visit and pray.

In another occasion, Aldo, from the national Baptist church, met with a friend (Mauricio) who he had not seen in a while. We prayed as a team for Mauricio and his family because Aldo had set up an appointment to meet with him. As it turned out, Mauricio and his family received Christ that evening! On one opportunity, a whole family came to know the Lord, which was a blessing for all. The Lord brought these teams together at the right time to minister and share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

I realize that only God knows those who are truly His, but from what I saw this week, I am truly encouraged and blessed from what I witnessed. Prayer works!"

Thank you for praying for those who have never heard the Truth, and for considering giving of your time to come to the American Peoples Affinity to work with our field personnel.

Joh 7:38 "The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have rivers of living water flowing from his heart."

Contact us at the links listed on this site or below.

God is doing great things!

Jim R., missionary on the field in, Mexico, sent the following update on a church planting we have been following in Purepero.

Jim states: "Hermano Jose Pina announced recently that they are now discipling 45-50 people in Purepero. The church is contributing 10,000 pesos per month, and has rented a larger house for the missionary family so they will have an adequate meeting place. He also said that several new believers from Purepero have traveled to Tangancicuaro (45 minutes) to attend worship services at the church that sponsored the project."

Join us in praising God for the wonderful work among the national believers in Purepero!

Prayer needs:

Pray for the missionaries who answered God's call to lead His flock to a closer walk with Him.

• Pray for travel safety and God's protection as the believers travel great distances to attend the services.
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  Pray the believers will continue to respond with obedience.
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  Pray the believers continue to share God's Truth with all who are receptive.
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  Pray the believers remain faithful in their tithing.

Do you have a heart for evangelism and a passion and vision for boldly sharing the Gospel? Contact us at the address listed below, or check out http://going.imb.org/

"That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me" (John 17: 21, NASB).