His Call Is Sufficient

By Luke

When we began our time on furlough, I had some specific plans. Some of the things that we anticipated doing have come to wonderful fruition. We have met many veteran missionaries and church planters who we have been able to talk to and bounce ideas off of. Wheaton College has provided us with more solid mission training. We’ve been able to spend time with family and other supporters.

But there is one item that has been very different from what we had planned. For nearly two years, I have been talking to and praying with potential American teammates to join us in Mexico City. For two years, one-by-one, they have expressed their sorrow for not feeling God’s calling to Mexico City.
For Lindsay and me, this has been an experience that we weren’t anticipating. We thought that with our hard work, a team would come together naturally. As we’ve prayed and talked repeatedly through this surprise, we continually return to our sense of God’s calling on our hearts to continue in the City. It’s as if he’s saying, “My call is sufficient for now.”

At first, this experience stung. “Where’s the team, God?” “What about what we need to get this job done?” But over time, praying and talking with mentors here and in Mexico, we know one thing: God is calling us to Mexico City to work as catalysts for church planting. And for now, that’s enough. That’s what we need to know to take the next step.

After all, this is his work, not ours, and partnering directly with Mexican leaders may provide the very best inroad to truly indigenous church planting.

Please pray for God’s continued grace and providence over us.

Thank You

We would like to extend a ‘thank you’ to all of you who have supported us through our time here in Wheaton, IL, both financially and prayerfully. We felt such a peace about coming to Wheaton College when God made it possible for Luke to study here. It was so apparent to us that God wanted to use this time to help us grow, not only in an academic sense through classes (though he certainly has), but also as a family, and most of all, as followers of Jesus.

Over and over, through our preparations for returning to Mexico City, God has called us to be faithful to Him. When there have been times of uncertainty with our plans, God has reminded us that they are His plans and that He has simply invited us to participate. So, thank you for helping to make all this learning possible! We absolutely couldn’t do it without your willingness to participate in His plans, too.

Please join us in praising God for faithfully supporting us and directing us.

Wheaton Coming to a Close

There are nothing but a few papers, tests, and weeks separating us from Luke’s graduation in May! What a blessing this time has been for us for God to continue to prepare us for His work in Mexico City!

Please pray for Luke as he finishes his course work. Also, join us in praising God for the blessing of studying here!

1000 Prayers Update

We have received a number of additional sign-ups for our “pray-ers” for us and this ministry, but we still need many more to reach our goal of 1000. If you want to regularly pray for us, please tell us by going to our website and clicking “Commit to prayer for us” at the bottom of the page.
This newsletter goes out to about 450 people, so we need you to help us spread the word about gathering 1000 committed prayer partners. Tell your Sunday School class, your friends, and your family!

Please pray that God would raise up more praying people for us and for the ministry in Mexico City.

Family Update

Spring seems to be finally creeping in here in Wheaton, as plants are sprouting their little heads through the snow. We’ve had a long winter with lots of snow and cold. So we are excited about the idea of warmer weather and wearing fewer layers.

Bella is enjoying preschool. She was excited last week when they took a nature walk looking for “signs of Spring.” Olivia is growing and changing everyday. She can do most anything she wants now and even has determined ideas about what she wants to wear some days. We think we may have two strong-willed children. Lindsay was able to take a class at the college called Holy Spirit in Mission. In her words, “It rocked my world.” She enjoyed the time to be on campus and to meet other students.

Please pray for our family as we prepare for another move to Mexico City.

One Thousand Prayers

By Luke

Lindsay and I have been blessed from the beginning with people like you–people who read these newsletters, people who give to us, and most of all, people who pray for this ministry. There are people literally all over the world who are praying for us, in Japan, in Thailand, in Chile, in North Africa, in Costa Rica, and of course, in the United States. Our lives and ministry are more fruitful because of God’s faithful response to your prayers.

For this reason, this year we are launching an effort to secure one thousand committed pray-ers for Mission Mexico City.

This summer, we will be returning to Mexico City to begin the ground work on the new church plant. The possibilities, and challenges, are great. That is why we are redoubling our efforts to involve as many as possible in regular intentional prayer for us, for the church plant, for Saúl, and for other Christian leaders in Mexico City.

Please consider committing to regular, consistent prayer for this ministry. Here are some ideas of how you can be one of the 1000:

Share our newsletter with others– your Sunday School class or Bible study group, your family, or your praying friends.
Sign-up for email updates on our website. We send out updates and prayer requests monthly.
Start a prayer group on our behalf that meets monthly or weekly.
Read and pray the Psalms on our behalf.

If you want to be one of the thousand praying people for Mission Mexico City, email me at Luke@missionmexicocity.com, or sign up by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

Please pray that God would continue to provide us with people who are dedicated to lifting us up in prayer on a regular basis. Pray for us as we prepare to reenter the field this summer.

Our Visit to Mexico City

In our last newsletter, we mentioned that we would briefly interrupt our current furlough to make a visit to Mexico City.

The visit was wonderful. We were able to visit some good friends, see our neighbors, attend a local church service, pray with some people, and do some business.

It was also great for our four-year-old, Bella, to see the City again after a few months to refresh her memory and prepare her for reentry into the field this summer.

Please pray for our beloved friends in Mexico City. Pray especially for Tavo, Sara, Toño, Má-le, Ray, and Vío.

Team

Many of you have been steadfastly praying for our future teammates. Although the process of team recruitment has gone differently than we expected, we are happy to know that we have been given a great partner in Saúl, and there are two other Mexican families who are also interested in joining us. This may well be God’s answer to our prayer about planting a truly indigenous church!

Please thank God for the interest in this project that our Mexican colleagues have displayed. Pray for fruitful partnership with them.

2008 Budget

Thankfully, we have sufficient support income for the first half of 2008. However, beginning in August, we need to supplement our current support by an additional 15% for ministry expenses.

Join us in praising God for his steadfast faithfulness in providing our every need. Please ask God to continue to bless this ministry’s finances.

Saúl’s Studies and Family

Saúl Flores, our Mexican partner, is studying at Dallas Christian College, preparing to return to Mexico City to aid in the church plant. Although much of Saúl’s schooling is already covered from his work and scholarships, he still needs some additional help. Dallas Christian College has provided an easy way for donors to help provide for Saúl’s scholarship fund. For more, simply call Mark Worley at Dallas Christian College: 800-688-1029.

Please continue to pray for Saúl as he studies at DCC. Ask God to gift him with humility and wisdom.

Saúl was able to visit his family this Christmas, which was a special blessing because his father has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, thus far he has responded well to treatments.

Please pray for Saúl’s dad, Noé, as he has recently been diagnosed with cancer.

The Metro

By Luke

A kid wearing a Yankees cap bumps into me as he enters the train, just before the doors slide shut. I gently squeeze past a woman on crutches, rattling a cup with a few coins, and then beyond a man in a business suit who is barking orders over his mobile phone. Finally, just as we pull away from the platform, I’m able to stake my claim of precious subway square footage, steadying myself by grabbing the bar overhead. I can hear U2 blasting from the white earbuds of the teenager in front of me, and I can smell the earth and sweat on the barefoot farmer beside me.

This is Mexico City’s Metro, an extensive rail system that is part of the city’s sprawling and choking public transit works. Originally conceived and built for the 1968 Olympics, Mexico City’s Metro now carries more than four million people every day. Riding the Metro is quite an experience, and although it can be overwhelming to the uninitiated, it soon presents itself as one of the most efficient ways to get around the city.

When I am riding the Metro, I am usually trying to consciously feel my wallet, as pick-pocketing is commonplace in the crowded subway corridors and trains. Thankfully, we have never had anything lifted from a pocket, backpack, or purse.

I may need to concentrate on my wallet, but I can’t help but notice the sheer number of people around me. Mexico City’s Metro is an ideal place to remember just why God has directed us to this mega city in the first place. There are people everywhere. Young and old, executives and farmers, healthy and handicapped — people from all backgrounds.

And each one needs Jesus.

Please pray for the millions in Mexico City who do not yet know Christ in a real, personal way. Ask God to give us perseverance and God-perspective as we live and work in this enormous place.

Trip to Mexico City

We will be going to Mexico City in October to visit with friends, pray over our ministry plans, and to eat some of the great food that we’ve missed since we’ve been on furlough!

We had originally hoped to make it to the City during the summer, but our busy schedule wouldn’t permit, so we are glad to have carved out some time this fall to make the trip.

Please pray that our reunion with our Mexican friends would be sweet. Also ask for discernment, wisdom, and boldness as we pray over and consider ministry possibilities.

Saúl’s Fall

Saúl’s studies at Dallas Christian College are chugging along. He is enjoying all that he is learning and experiencing, although his heart is also eager to return to Mexico City. He is also working at Highland Meadows Christian Church, serving as an intern both in the missions department and in the Hispanic ministries department.

We are truly blessed to have a young man of such passion and wisdom join us as a Mexican partner in ministry.

Please pray for Saúl. Ask God to shape his plans and ideas for Mexico City. Ask God to bless his time at DCC and HMCC.

Wheaton

Our furlough here at Wheaton College continues to prove to be a great blessing. The courses that Luke is taking are terrific and many benefits for Mexico City are already apparent. Spiritual Conflict, Contextualization of the Gospel, and Intercultural Communication are some of his favorite classes.

Please pray for continued blessing over us during our time at Wheaton College. Join us in Praising God for this opportunity.

Pipeline Explosions

The “Popular Revolutionary Army,” (EPR) has claimed responsibility for more than six separate pipeline blasts that have caused hundreds of millions of dollars of damage, disrupted oil supply, and temporarily displaced more than 20,000 people.

The rebel group says that the explosions will continue until the release two EPR prisoners that it claims the government is holding illegally.

Please pray for a peaceful and rapid conclusion to this rebel action. Pray for the people who have been injured, and praise God that no one has yet been killed.