Pray for Saul and Gris

A year ago Saul went home to Mexico to visit family and got envolved with another woman. He came home in March but things were never the same. Two weeks ago Saul hit Gris and last Sunday he hit her again. Gris called the police and Saul is in jail. Saul is going to be deported and Gris is left with 5 little girls.

Pray that Saul will stay in jail a while so that God has a chance to speak to his heart. Pray for God to win the battle with Saul just as he did with Saul of Tarsus so many years ago. Pray for Gris to have peace in her heart regarding her future. Satan is sowing seeds of discord back home in Mexico malicious rumors are flying against the believers. (This is where Lupe and Leti are pastoring a church). These rumors directly affect Gris' peace and state of mind. Pray for Gris to stand firm in the faith. This is a tremendous test for her.

1 Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

Romans 8:28
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

Pray for us that God would grant us wisdom as we deal with this situation.

Church Family Camp

After the first week of school we had our 5^th annual church family camp. This year we went (for the third time) to the Umpqua River. Ten families enjoyed the perfect weather and being surrounded by the beauty of nature. As usual, there were a couple of families that do not attend any of our churches. It was great seeing some of those people in church the following weekend.

New Name for the Oldest Home Mission in America

American Missionary Fellowship was founded in 1790 by George Washington’s pastor. As of September 1, 2011, American Missionary Fellowship has changed its name. Its new name is “InFaith”.

Our ministry has not changed in any way, but the mission we serve with, American Missionary Fellowship, is now called “InFaith.” The mission continues to serve the Lord by bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people across the United States. In fact, our ongoing effort to communicate unchanging truth in a changing world is the primary reason for our name change. The new name is intentionally shorter and, we believe, more memorable. We pray it will open doors to growth for our mission and for the church in the United States.

I ask you will join us in prayer for the release of this name and for our mission to continue to reach many people with the good news of God’s sacrificial love as we walk in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We still need your support! Please help us spread the word that former American Missionary Fellowship missionaries continue to serve across the United States, now under the banner of InFaith.

Report on Juan and Vicki

In April I put out an urgent prayer request For Juan and Vicki Herrera. (See last entry below.) I now have a report on what happened. Juan did get a flight home the very next day and was with Vicki in the hospital ASAP. Unfortunately, most of the outcome was not very good. The baby came before Juan got there. Vicki was not allowed to even see her child. The hospital staff even refused to tell them if the child was a boy or a girl – they will never know! (How is someone supposed to find closure?) Juan’s family was not at all supportive. When someone from the church tried to visit, the family cussed them out and told them to get lost. Another disappointment was in the lack of support from the church. They really did not know what to do in such a tragedy, and so, for the most part, they just stayed away. (Juan is in Oregon again and I told him that when he goes back to Mexico God, can use him to teach his pastor and his church how to respond and support people in crisis.)

Now the good news! In spite of how poorly everyone did in supporting Juan and Vicki, Juan told me that this time the crisis was so much easier to face. The first time they lost a fully developed unborn child they did not know Jesus as their Savior. They had no peace and questions filled their minds. This time while Juan and Vicki had no earthly comforters to help them through this crisis, they had a strong relationship with their Savior. “The God of all comfort” was with them in a very powerful way. They experienced a great deal of inner peace and confidence.

Isaiah 43:2

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

Thank you for praying for Juan and Vicki. Juan returned to Oregon because he needs to earn money for medical bills. His plan is to go back to Mexico when he also has enough saved up to be able to go to Bible school in Oaxaca.

Urgent Prayer Request

Several years ago we were called to go to be with a young couple in the hospital as they had just lost their baby. Vicki was nine months pregnant and the dead baby was not yet born. Jerilyn was with Vicki in the delivery room as their full term and perfectly formed little son was born.

Juan and Vicki and their family.

That day was the beginning of our relationship with Juan and Vicki. About two years later I (Jon) baptized them as they shared the testimony of their faith in Christ in front of a small group of believers. At about the same time they learned that their oldest son Emanuel has serious kidney disease and will probably eventually go into complete kidney failure.

Now to the urgent prayer request: Vicki is nine months pregnant again and has just learned that this baby is dead also. She has not yet given birth and is facing this horrible task in the next few days. Vicki is in Mexico and her husband Juan is here in Oregon. Pray for comfort. Pray that Juan can get home to her today or tomorrow.

There is another sad twist to this story. Vicki is surrounded by Juan’s family who very fervently worships the “saints”. They believe that the “saints” will punish a person for not worshipping them. A few years ago Juan’s brothers surrounded him and tried to force him to go to the church and ask for the “saints” forgiveness for his belief in Jesus and leaving saint worship behind. They will look at this situation, as they have all of Juan and Vicki’s troubles, as the “saints” punishing them and trying to bring them to repentance. Juan has been very steadfast in his faith but Vicki has waivered a little at times. Pray for Juan and Vicki to remain strong in the face of opposition from family and friends in the middle of this horrible crisis.

Pray for Juan’s family and for Vicki’s family to be drawn to Jesus as Juan and Vicki are the only believers in either of their families. Pray for the church that Juan and Vicki attend to come around them and support them with love and comfort.

Thank you for praying.

Los 300 in McMinnville

Los 300 is a cooperative outreach between 7 or 8 Spanish speaking churches in the Willamette Valley and the Oregon Coast. Once a month we gather at one of the churches for a unified evangelistic effort in their city. The cities include Newport, Corvallis, Albany, Jefferson, Salem, Eugene, and McMinnville. Our first outreach was in Albany in July. We have also gone to Corvallis, Salem, and Newport. This last Saturday we were in McMinnville. We gathered for a great meal together. After a training session we broke up into teams and went door to door witnessing and inviting people to come to an event that evening. Over 80 people come from the participating churches. We made some very good contacts as we went door to door. At the event there were games and prizes. Several people responded to the evangelistic message. God is good!

Fighting Syncretism

Syncretism is the mixing of truth and error. One common way it is found is when people have their own belief system and then hear about Jesus. They decide to ask Jesus to forgive them of their sins but never break away from their previously existing belief system.

We have been fighting syncretism among the people that we minister to both in Oregon and Mexico. People want to trust in Jesus for forgiveness but do not want to turn away from any of their previously held beliefs. “What fellowship does light have with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14).

I am convinced, after many years of studying this problem, that the fundamental reason that people syncretize their beliefs is due to their completely inadequate view of God. The ancient Syrians thought that “the LORD is God of the hills, but not the God of the valleys” (1 Kings 20:28). In the same way, most people think that God is no where close to the infinite, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Creator and Sustainer that he is. “Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised!” (Ps. 48:1).

I am equally convinced that one effective way to combat syncretism is to expose people to the majesty of God through presenting his story as revealed in Scripture starting with before the beginning of everything. “In the beginning God…” “In the beginning was the Word…” “Before Abraham was, I AM.”

This is what I am working on right now. Soon, I hope to have several people in our ministry both here and in Mexico trained to teach who God is, what he has done for us, and what he expects from us. Please pray.