Update from Hermosillo, Mexico

Hola from Mexico!

Just a quick update with some prayer requests!

Blessed be the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Just want to mention the major blessing it was to have my Mom and Dad, Len and Ann Neufeld here in Mexico over Christmas! God is so good!!!

Highlights of 2014 thus far…

We had a wonderful week with Dr. Gus Konkel (former president of Providence Theological Seminary) as more that 90 people took in the two Bible courses that ran during the week of Jan. 20-25. In the mornings pastors, leader and lay students of the Bible enjoyed and were equipped for interpreting the Bible in a hermanuetics course and in the evenings many others took in the course on the book of Psalms, which proved to be life transforming and inspiring.  This year (the 4th year of these courses) we moved the course out of our church building to an auditorium in the downtown of Hermosillo to facilitate the attendance of pastors and members of other churches in the city.  It was a year of transition and growth and we thank the Lord for making it a success!

The Iglesia Arbol de Vida (Tree of Life Church) and its surroundings look TOTALLY different than they did a year ago!  In the photo below you can see that we are finishing the sidewalks and landscaping at the front of the church now that the street is paved.  The developer that has built the subdivision in front of the church put in trees and an automatic watering for us!  We are excited about reaching out to the 40 families that will be moving in to the houses on the street that empties onto the main street right in front of our church over the coming months! Please pray that Arbol de Vida will continue to be a light for Christ in our surrounding community! (Descriptions below each photo…)

(Above) This is the current view looking out from the front of the church…

(Above) This is Annelise looking at the same area in May 2012.  Now, instead of a dump there are nice houses!

(Above) Here are some the changes happening today (sidewalks, steps, landscaping, trees!)…

Prayer needs…

We are still waiting for the release of Cesar Rodriguez from prison.  It has been more than 6 months that he has been locked up despite being proved innocent of the crime he was wrongly arrested for.   Obviously, this has been a very tough time for Marcela and Alhya, his wife and daughter.  It is quite likely that he will finally be released in the next weeks (we can’t assume anything though and need to be praying!).  Please continue to uphold this family in prayer.

We continue to wait on the Lord for a miraculous intervention in the life and body of our Miguel as he suffers kidney failure and the wait for a transplant.  Please pray for much wisdom for Shelli and I as we try to do what is best for Miguel in this wait.  Please pray for his encouragement in the Lord as he constantly goes through emotional ups and downs.  We are very thankful for some recent generous donations that making it possible to keep pursuing a transplant in a private hospital.

Please pray for wisdom for the men and women God has called to lead the different ministries that Arbol de Vida is doing on a weekly basis.

The Comedor (Children’s breakfast/Bible stories and teaching/Craft) that ministers to 40 children on Saturday mornings… See photo from last Saturday…

(Above) Kids at the Comedor doing their craft for the Ruth story…

The “Vineyard” ministry. Every Monday night a small group from Arbol de Vida heads out to share the Gospel with hundreds of workers in local grape vineyards.  These workers come from remote regions of southern Mexico and even places considered “unreached”.  What an exciting opportunity to plant the seeds of the Gospel in men that will be heading back to remote villages in a few months!

(Above) 150+ migrant workers watching an evangelistic movie (on the wall on the right) which is followed up by a short Gospel message…

The Triqui ministry.  This ministry is constantly being adapted to find the best ways to meet the needs of this people group (4000 people from southern Mexico with their own language, customs and needs) that has settled 45 minutes west of Hermosillo.  For the last months a group from Arbol de Vida has been going out at least one a week to teach literacy to needy families.

(Above) Lucy Vogt teaching a Triqui girl.

The Seed (La Semilla).  This ministry to young people from the rough neighborhood close to our church meets Thursday nights to teach the Bible and encourage these youth that are surrounded by addiction, abuse and poverty.

SMILES.  Right now this ministry to the families of the day-care fire of 2009 is mainly on a personal level to the families that we keep in contact with.  We are hoping to be able to put on future burn camps to continues to minister to the kids that continue to go through surgeries.

Excellence in English! Yolanda Friesen and Terry Hildebrandt are teaching English classes twice a week in Arbol de Vida building relationships and blessing our community.

Casa Hogar de Gracia (Grace Children’s Home).  As a family, mission team and church we are involved in many ways in this Children’s home in San Pedro (on the outskirts of Hermosillo) where 22 children from various difficult situations are being loved and cared for by Pedro and Zoila Polanco.  Ed and Terry Hildebrandt (here for 6 motnhs) and Cornelious and Yolanda Friesen (here for 1 year) have been doing an awesome job of teaching English to the kids.  We (Neufelds) have been involved in a variety of ways with the kids, having fun like at this gingerbread house building and decorating party at Christmas…

(Above) Here is Shelli doing some of the judging for the various categories (don’t worry, everyone won!)…

Well this has turned into a longer update than I intended.  Right now Shelli is in California at a Children’s Ministry Conference with one of the ladies from Arbol de Vida and some ladies from Zion Church (our home church in Didsbury).  We have some exciting things coming up like a trip south to a beautiful city called Morelia to perform the marriage of one of our youth in March.  There are another 2 weddings in June in Arbol de Vida.  What a privilege to share in these precious moments!!!

I want to end by thanking the many people that pray and give so that we can continue to serve in the extension of God’s Kingdom here in Mexico for His glory!  May the Lord richly bless you for your critically important, I repeat, critically important role in this ministry.  May He continue to give all of us, His children, grace for the needs of tomorrow!

Joyfully serving Jesus and the ones He came to save,

Greg for Shelli, Talson, Annelise and Caleb Neufeld