By Luke
For all of you who have been following our email prayer updates, you know that we have been praying over the past couple of months about becoming team members with Impacto Latino, a church planting organization here in the Mexico City Valley. All of you also know that Lindsay and I have been praying for a long time about teammates, as we know the work of a new church plant is too great for just one couple. And now, we are pleased, blessed, and excited to announce that God has provided us with a wonderful team!

When we first met Eric and Dee Duggins a few years ago at a missionary reunion in Mexico, we were immediately impressed with the church planting that they and their team were doing. As a matter of fact, Lindsay and I so liked what we saw, that we began researching church planting models like theirs in preparation for the new work we felt God calling us to.

Now Eric and Dee and their team are beginning a new church plant in an area just north of Mexico City called Pachuca. We began talking with them about coaching us through our church plant on Mexico City’s south side, and as our conversations progressed, it became apparent that God was opening the door for something more. Rather than us beginning on on our own in the south, and Eric and Dee beginning in the north, with both groups looking for additional team members, why not join forces?

After prayer, fasting, and seeking counsel, Lindsay and I felt that joining up with the Duggins and Impacto Latino was indeed a door being opened, not by us, but by God. It is his unexpected team gift to us.
We are so happy to officially introduce you to our new teammates: Eric and Dee Duggins, Holly and Sergio Alvarado, and the local ministry workers, Jorge and Juanita Del Angel.

Join us in praising God for a new team! Pray that our relationship with Eric and Dee, Holly and Sergio, Jorge and Juanita, and the new church plant would be positive and fruitful.

About Impacto Latino

THE MINISTRY
About 10 years ago, the Impacto Latino team planted a church in Pachuca (a community to the north of Mexico City) called “New Hope.” Today, that church is completely nationalized. It is guided by Mexican elders and a Mexican pastor, and it is financed 100% by the tithes and offerings of the church. Moreover, more than 80% of the church are new Christians, and the congregation is growing more each year, with more than 400 gathering together each week.

The New Hope Church is testimony to the wonderful things that God is doing in Pachuca. The new church plant, which we are part of, is called “Jubilee.” Although the Jubilee Church plant is still young, it is already experiencing good growth and health.

Please pray for the new Jubilee Church. Pray that God would raise up local leaders and that the church would continue to reach out into the Pachuca community.

THE TEAM
Eric and Dee Duggins began missionary service nearly 30 years ago in Indonesia, and have been in Mexico’s central cities for the past 25. We first met them a few years ago at a missionary get-together here in Mexico, and we hit it off right away. They both bring a ton of experience to the team, are outstanding leaders, and well, we just like them. 

Sergio and Holly Alvarado are both graduates of Kentucky Christian College and have been with the team in Pachuca for about a year. We’re excited to work with a young couple who also has small children. Holly and Sergio have two girls, ages 6 months and 20 months. 

Finally, our team works closely with Jorge and Juanita Del Angel, locals who serve as leaders in the church plant. After working for Nissan Mexico for many years, Jorge decided that he would retire from the auto business and work in the church.  He and Juanita have been working alongside the Duggins for a couple of years now. 

Please pray that God would bless us as we transition into life on this great team. Ask him to give us good friendships, good communication, and a continued shared vision for Pachuca and the rest of the Mexico City Valley. 

By Luke

Many Americans mistakenly believe (as I did) that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s equivalent to the 4th of July. But Mexico’s Independence Day is actually September 16th. In the past, we have celebrated Mexico’s independence with some of our dear friends who live in the southern Mexico City barrio of Xochimilco. This year, we got to be with this family again.

Like all Mexican celebrations, there was plenty of food, including Lindsay’s favorite, homemade fried chicken tacos. After eating, we did something that we have yet to do since we moved to Mexico nearly seven years ago: we watched the Grito on television.

The Grito, or “yell,” is a tradition dating back to the priest-turned-revolutionary Miguel Hidalgo who, on September 16th 1810, rang a bell and cried out before crowds of farmers who were unhappy with Spain’s imperial rule. Hidalgo’s Grito marked the beginning of Mexico’s independence from Spain, much like the signing of the Declaration of Independence marked the U.S.’s independence from England.

Over the years, the Grito has become the central part of Mexico’s independence pageantry. Every year, Mexico City’s main square swells with hundreds of thousands of people waiting to see the Mexican president stand on the balcony of the National Palace and shout “Viva Mexico!” As he shouts, the peal of an enormous bell over the entrance of the palace resonates over the square, and the throngs of people offer up their own voices to the Grito.The event is simulcast to giant screens in city squares all over the country, and as one nation, Mexico celebrates her independence. It is an extraordinary occasion.

As missionaries, we love being a part of cultural centerpieces like the Dia de Independencia. It reminds us again of the beautiful burden that God has put on our hearts for this people. We hope for a time when Mexico, as one nation, will worship the one true king, Jesus.

Please pray that God continues to advance the growing movement of people coming to know Him here in Mexico. Pray that we would be completely given to what He asks of us.

Neighborhood Prayer Walks

Those of you who receive our prayer emails know that we have spent the last few weeks walking street-by-street through our neighborhood, asking God to prepare the way for us in starting a church here. We have now covered virtually every street in the neighborhood, and it has been a great opportunity to pray for the people, businesses, and homes that we’ve passed. Also, seeing the neighborhood and its people has been a great learning experience!

Please pray for our neighborhood. Ask God to lead us to people here that are ready to hear His word, and ask Him to send more workers! (Lk 10:1-3)

Upcoming 2009 Budget

Since we began living and working as missionaries, God has been incredibly faithful in providing us with the resources that we require.

Due to the dollar’s weakening value, Bella beginning school, higher rent prices, and most of all, the expenses of beginning a church, our budget planning for 2009 has shown that we will need to gather substantially more support by the beginning to middle of next year. (As always, all of our budgeting is done in conjunction with other mission leaders, and with the approval of GMF.)

Please pray for us as we open dialogues with new church mission committees and other supporters. Also, join us in thanking God for always providing!

Family Update

Bella just started kindergarten! Every morning Lindsay does reading, writing, math, and art lessons with her, and she’s really enjoying her time with “Mrs. Greer!”

Please pray for Bella (and for Lindsay) as she home-schools to prepare for 1st grade!

By Luke

Our return to Mexico City has arrived! We are now back in the Big City, in our apartment, hugging our friends, enjoying homemade Mexican food, brushing up on our Spanish, and praising God for our return.

The sensation of being here is strange. In some ways, our year-and-a-half away feels like it was an eternity, such as when we think of all that has happened over these past 18 months. On the other hand, when talking and joking with our neighbors, it seems as though we have only been away for a few weeks.

I was very blessed with a safe and eventless border crossing and cross-country travel. And Lindsay and the girls had an equally blessed time traveling by air. We want to thank you all again for your prayers over us as we travelled; they made all the difference.

One of the most frequent questions that we received in the days and weeks leading up to our departure was, “So what are the very first things that you’ll be doing after you arrive?”

Apart from the basic unpacking and other tedium that come with any move, the first thing we will be involved with is a two-week language refresher course. We think that this will be an ideal program for people like us, who have learned the language, but have been away from it for awhile. When language school is finished, we will finish setting up home and office, and begin on several other details, the first of which will be completing the first stage of obtaining a missionary visa.

Please pray for us as we work on visas, moving, and language classes. The church planting mission depends on all of these preliminary details!

Nuts and Bolts

What we do
Now that we are back in Mexico City, we want to share (or re-share) the nuts and bolts of our mission so that you can be actively praying for us. Here’s a snapshot of what we’re doing in Mexico City.

Our ultimate hope for Mexico City is to see it no longer be a mission field at all. All of our church planting efforts are aimed squarely at local empowerment so that Mexico’s churches might become more and more vibrant, mature, and strong, and be able to carry out their ministries with local leadership and resources.

We are engaged in indigenous church planting in three ways:

Relationship evangelism
In our south central Mexico City neighborhood, we are actively engaged in relationship evangelism with our neighbors and friends. These friendships form the basis for home groups and Bible studies. Our long-term goal in this area is that these small groups would mature into a new church.

Leadership development
We regularly meet with local indigenous church planters and pastors in other neighborhoods to pray, brainstorm, and mentor. In this way, our church planting efforts extend beyond our neighborhood and into other neighborhoods. Our long-term goals in this area are to empower local church leadership and responsibility, and to educate ourselves about the challenges facing local ministers.

Research and documentation
Finally, our indigenous church planting strategy also includes recording “best practice” cases of local ministries and churches. Our long-term goal in this area is to publish a report for mission agencies and churches to read, so that further mission undertakings can be best informed about indigenous ministry efforts in Mexico City.

Of course, each of these three church planting pieces are ultimately in God’s hands, so we depend on him in everything that we do.

Please pray for us as we begin our work toward church planting in Mexico City. Pray that all of our efforts would be God-inspired and that we would have the discernment to hear and the courage to follow.

Did you know?

Mexico City covers an area of 580 square miles and has an average population density of 40,000 people per square mile
(Source: Four Seasons)