January/February 2011

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. --  Psalm 37:5

OANSA manual time

Thank you so much for your continued interest and prayers regarding this amazing ministry. It is immensely motivating to have special friends back “home” who are praying and who also work and sacrifice to be an encouragement to us on the field.

If you’ve been keeping up with the information on the auction of the property adjacent to the Tepic church, you know there has been no end to the drama and insecurity involved. Not only was the property assessed with an exorbitant minimum bid value, but also it was riveted with illegal schemes devised by ambassadors of “the enemy.” The bottom line is that the IBBM-Tepic church leaders opted to be grateful for what God has already provided us and use it to the max.  Just after that unanimous decision was made, we were confronted with a very big surprise we never imagined.

Property donated

"Take that Mountain" Sunday

The property on which the existing buildings are built was “perpetually loaned” years ago to the church for as long as it is used for the church. Due to some very unexpected hardships in the extended family of the person to whom the church property actually belongs, she felt she had no other option but to sell the land. The church members agreed to buy it from her for “fair-market value.” That officially-assessed value for the property alone, turned out to be over $300,000 dollars! That’s crazy! The owner agreed to sell it to us for $75,000 if we could make an immediate down-payment of $20,000, the amount she needed without delay, then pay off the rest as God provides. What a coincidence that $20,000 is the exact amount we had accumulated in the fund over the past 15 years while asking God for the “property.” Working toward paying off the balance due has brought about great unity, accountability and team spirit among the brothers and sisters of the church.

1st anniversary after property donation

Some have offered to work extra hours; others have begun making tacos, enchiladas and pozole to sell; others have agreed to do without certain “luxuries”; others are selling possessions they can do without; the children’s classes are taking up special offerings every week; even our Huichol brothers and sisters are working above and beyond in order to be able to contribute to the project. Absolutely everyone in the church is participating at some level to take responsibility and make this church “ours,” and we are more grateful than ever for our Father’s omniscient wisdom and provision. It’s not the “property” we thought we needed, but it’s the property God knew all along we definitely needed!  …and He shall bring it to pass…

Again, I am eternally grateful to our Father for such loving and caring friends.  Thank you for praying and sharing in this work.

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. --  Psalm 37:5