Venezuela - Carlos & Susan Arce

The roof shook while nearly 300 men sang with all their hearts to the Lord. At the end of the service half of the men were at the altar on their knees getting their lives right with God. Twenty-five men gave their hearts to Christ that evening. This was a scene from our men’s camp. Two hundred and eighty-four men participated for four days. At the bonfire on the last night, many gave testimony to what God had done in their lives.

That night, Richard, a 26-year-old, caught up in gangs, drugs and crime, shared his story. A rival gang attacked him one evening, shooting him several times. He was seriously wounded but did not die. As he was recuperating, his wife issued an ultimatum: if he did not change his life, she would leave. In desperation, he climbed on his motorcycle with the purpose of ending his life. Only two blocks from my house, he ran head-on into a car.

God, however, had other plans for Richard’s life. During this time, we met Richard’s wife and led her to Christ. Upon his recovery, she begged him to go to men’s camp. She packed his suitcase, and prayerfully sent him off. After struggling against the power of the Lord for the first two days, he couldn’t resist the Holy Spirit any longer. On the 3rd night, he knelt weeping at the altar. Along with many other men, he received Christ as his Savior. His life was changed and his marriage was restored by the grace of God that very evening. What a joy to see lives transformed by the mighty power of God!

Honduras - Alan & Rebecca Jackson

What a joy to see many people saved and baptized over the last few weeks. Fabio realized during a conference that he had never trusted Christ as his personal Savior. He went forward to settle his salvation once and for all. I had the pleasure of helping him follow the Lord in believers’ baptism.

Onilda is the director of one of the school districts in our area. She started coming to church around Christmas. She came because the children who attend our church had made an impression upon her. She accepted Christ as her personal Savior years before but had never followed the Lord in baptism. It was my privilege to baptize her, along with her four daughters. She has become a faithful addition to our church.

Sifrido accepted the Lord as his Savior several years ago but has been backslidden for some time. He came to church with his step daughter and grandchildren about a month ago and asked me to pray with him. He said that he had been living in a riotous way and wanted to reconcile to the Lord. After talking with Sifrido about his salvation, he assured me that he put his trust in Jesus Christ alone. On Sunday January 29, Sifrido was baptized and has not missed a service.

On this past Sunday, Rubia, who has been coming for at least a year to the church, accepted the Lord as her personal Savior! What is truly amazing is that Rubia works and lives in a Catholic retreat center. She had many questions that needed to be answered before she understood the truth about salvation. Every Wednesday evening for the last two months we were going over the constitution of the church, and in several of those services we talked in depth about salvation. This past Sunday the message was “The moments before the death of Christ.” When you look at what Christ did for us, how can you not turn to Him for salvation? That is what was going through the mind of Rubia and she decided she was not going to turn away again.

Mexico - Mark & Donna Whiffen

The Changing Face of Mexico City
Mexico City, the world’s largest city, is always changing. In just the past six years we have seen core changes that can be attributed to the rapid increasing population. Unlike their parents, these young people are no longer willing to accept the norms that have governed this city for countless generations. From rejecting the absolute authority of the Catholic Church…to cleaning up corruption in local government…to embracing new technology such as high-speed internet and high-definition TV, this younger generation is changing the face of Mexico.

Nowhere have the changes been more evident than in the realm of religion. Mexico has a long and complicated religious history. The country has not just merely been influenced by religion, but has been literally ruled by it. The Church has been the deciding influence in almost every major decision made in Mexico’s past. However, today in Mexico City religious tradition is under attack. The younger generation is seeking to cast off the influence of religion in their daily lives.

This fundamental change brings great opportunity to missionaries ministering in Mexico. It is amazing to see how much of an impact we can have with these kids simply by opening up our hearts and homes to them with love. There has never been a more exciting time to be a missionary in Mexico. Pray with us for more workers to help reach the changing faces of Mexico.