October-November 2022. The LORD is God; there is no other. 1 Kings 8:57-60

The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways … that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. 1 Kings 8:57-60 When all the work for the temple was finished, the Ark of the Covenant had been positioned in the Holy of Holies, and the glory of the Lord had filled the temple, Solomon led the people to worship Him. He began with giving thanks and praising God for His provision of time, talents, and resources. He continued recognizing that God had provided in the past, and he asked for direction for the future. His request was not self-focused but instead, that God’s name would be proclaimed to all the world. Much more important than Solomon’s earthly temple, Jesus is building His Church, and nothing can stop it. The past two months in Tepic and surrounding villages have been filled with examples of that marvel in action.

In the first week of October, more than 30 leaders and workers from the Huichol church at La Bendición left at daybreak to head for Guásima del Caimán for a 4-day discipleship conference. They traveled in the back of a pick-up and in two rented rural transport vans as far into the mountains as a vehicle can, then they got down and started hiking the remaining hours to the village. That’s so easy to say, but the doing is quite another story. No one asked them to go, no one bankrolled their transportation expenses, and no one covered the days of missed work this mission trip required. They love their Savior, they love their ex-persecutors who had previously banished them from their natal village, and they understand and obey the biblical mandate to make disciples. Three weeks later, some of them returned to Caimán with a truckload of materials to get started laying the foundation and building the walls for a building in which to meet. The Lord is God, and He will build His Church! 

Also, in the first week of October, IBBM-Tepic celebrated our 31st anniversary. God has faithfully provided in the past, and we can be sure that He will provide for the building of His Church in the future. Pastor Phil from NVBC-Phoenix and ITMI’s Steve Evers shared the importance of Trusting God for the Impossible so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God. 

Meche, Toña, Carlos, and Karen chose to incline their hearts and walk in all His ways being baptized on anniversary Sunday. 

Unbelievable! The Huichol church at Vizcarra, that I shared about in the July 2022 update, is not satisfied with being only on the receiving end of blessings.  Five of them took a “break” from their own building project to travel from their village to Tepic, machetes in hand to serve, helping clear the very overgrown land behind and alongside the church. The rainy season had turned it into a formidable jungle. Those machetes whirled like fan blades, and within a few hours, the job was done! 

It's amazing to see the domino effect of sharing with brothers and sisters. They have been recipients of much-unexpected help, and they couldn’t wait to find something to share with the family. Another brother, Romualdo, from the sister church at La Bendición, offered to lay the bricks that were also unexpectedly donated for their new building, and he did an amazing job finishing in record time.

Martín got an unexpected call from a Mexican pastor friend in Durango (Mexico) who is friends with a bunch of very hard-working German brothers, also from Durango, who, as they said, “because He first loved us,” were chomping at the bit, to get involved serving in a work project.

Twenty-two Mexican and German brothers and sisters arrived ready, not only to lay the cement floor, weld the trusses, and install the roofing on the new church building in Vizcarra, but also to donate their time and skill to replace the roof on the Tepic church! 

 

That work team wasn’t satisfied with only one project. Materials for the Tepic project were also donated, unexpectedly. The dedication of the new Huichol church building in the village of Vizcarra took place last Sunday.

The logistics of carrying out projects in Caimán, La Bendición, Tepic, Vizcarra, and beyond are daunting. While we’re at it, may we never lose sight of the truth that, although it’s exhausting, “It is easier to build temples than to be temples to God.” —Matthew Henry 

Along with Solomon, we give thanks that God has provided in the past, and He promises provision and direction for the future. We will proclaim His name to all the world that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. 

See photo albums of more Tepic activities than we could ever have imagined here and here.