June/July 2025  One generation shall praise Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4

Psalm 145 resonates King David’s trust in the might, majesty, mercy, and faithfulness of his holy and loving God, a trust that naturally leads to praising Him from one generation to the next. Sadly, David failed to pass on that faith to his own family. May we learn from His costly error. Martin Luther once emphasized that God builds His church anew in every generation. Truly, Christian faith in a family, church, or nation is always just one generation from fading away. 

The past two months in Tepic have shown remarkable evidence of this generational handoff: God’s mighty acts, His faithful provision, and His perfect ordering of events have allowed, through our joint efforts, the birth, growth, and maturity of those He has chosen to reach and adopt into His family. 

IBBM-Tepic celebrated the 30th anniversary of our OANSA children’s club the first week of June. For three decades children have been hiding God’s Word in their hearts, applying His principles in their lives, and reproducing the effort that was invested in them with children of the next generation. A significant majority of IBBM teachers and OANSA leaders are themselves OANSA grads - Approved Workers who Are Not Ashamed. We wrapped up this year's club with a super fun fair, a highlight the kids look forward to every year.   

This year, Pastor Martín, who gave his life to Jesus as a boy, had the joy of introducing his very first grandchild, Ana Raquel, to the event. She’ll be a Cubbie before we know it. One generation to the next… 

The Sunday after the fair, three very special praisers of His faithfulness were baptized: 

Liz has been in OANSA since she was four. She has memorized Bible verses like a machine, even all the Extra Credit verses, and just graduated from the final rank, joining the Teachers-in-Training group. She’s studied violin for five years at the School of Music preparing to serve with the worship team. Before she celebrated being a quinceañera, Liz chose to follow Jesus’ example in baptism. Her life hasn’t been easy, and it won’t be. Her mother, Noemí, has terminal colon cancer and will soon be with the Lord. Liz is blessed that one generation has declared God’s mighty acts to her while we have had the opportunity.

Nahum was born to teenage, unmarried parents. But someone shared the Gospel with them, discipled them, and helped them pass on God's works and mighty acts to their son. Now 15 and about to graduate from OANSA, "little" Nahum has served as a teen volunteer on the Huichol camp staff, dedicated nine years to excellence in piano study, and made the wise decision to follow Jesus' example in baptism. Another generation… 

Doctor Rosita is from Cuba and currently in Tepic through a Mexican public health work grant. Her home country’s situation is so dire that she left everything behind to legally work in Mexico for minimal pay. Her story is filled with hardship, sadness, and pain, but God used this move for good. Here in Tepic, she met Jesus, asked for His forgiveness, found peace, and couldn’t wait to publicly declare that she belongs to Him. 

And finally, Phases 1 and 2 (the second story!) of Project Classrooms are complete, dedicated, and in use. From *the beginning of construction in 2020 (right at the onset of COVID), God has provided in remarkable ways. The dream has become a reality and now serves as a powerful tool for equipping the next generation of IBBM children for the Master’s mission. 

Teens now meet in Gýmnazé, where they’re training to become unencumbered, godly servants. Grade schoolers gather in Doulos, where they’re being taught to serve the Master willingly. These final two upstairs classrooms are fully committed to fulfilling the call to praise His works and declare His mighty acts to the coming generation. 

 *Linked Project Classrooms Documentary compliments of Jonatán García.

October - November 2023 - exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Ephesians 3:20, 21 

Who on earth ever would have imagined? Two dream-filled, very young, determined, energetic, and expectant followers of their Heavenly Leader, who began praying almost a half-century ago for that exceedingly abundant answer to their petitions, very “naïvely” assumed He really meant that “exceeding” part of His promise, but they had no idea the extent of that magnanimous abundance. Living an “ordinary” life was never an option! Divine power at work in the details saw to that! And His “exceedingly abundant” promise far surpassed their expectation as well as that of those who have cared enough to share and send them to Mexico 48 years ago this month. The past two months in Tepic were filled with God’s excessive abundance, His setting up of divine matchups, and His power to bring glory to Himself throughout all ages positioning people in His kingdom to accomplish that end. Following are a few examples…exceeding abundantly above all that we asked or thought! God is still in the process of calling, equipping, and providing for His recruits and His children.

First, what a shock that He would have chosen to use two 23- and 27-year-old kids who trusted Him completely but were just learning to speak Spanish, who knew no one, who were uninvited, who carried the Message that was also unexpected and unwanted, to make random friends, and share that treasure in Tepic with all who would listen. Second, how astonishing that only through His power, some of those friends began to listen and were convinced of their need to accept payment and forgiveness of their sins offering them the gift of eternal life. And how amazing that over the years, that little band of “friends” became part of the discipled family of believers who love God, love His Word, love sharing it with others, and have committed themselves to fulfill that same Great Commission with which Jesus Himself charged those two kids and all who would believe. 

Who on earth ever would imagine that another couple, from Cuba, of all places, would believe, love God’s Word, love sharing it with others, and through an incredible display of power that works in them, would have committed themselves to participate in the Commission, in Mexico! Hector and Mirelis, that Cuban couple, answered God’s call to come to Tepic as missionaries, work as apprentices alongside the family of believers led by Pastor Martín, who, just a few decades ago was, himself, a newly-believing young boy who has become the pastor of the IBBM-Tepic. Hector and Mirelis are absorbing the culture, learning to speak Mexican Spanish, working in the Tepic and Huichol churches, and asking God for wisdom as to where He, specifically, would have them serve in Mexico…and the cycle repeats itself according to power that worketh in us. 

Meanwhile, He Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think is busy adding Huichol believers to the family of churches in villages all over the Sierra Madre mountains. The latest project is in the village of Guásima del Caimán, Pastor José López’ natal village that for 25 years rejected the Gospel he carried to them just after he believed. At long last, the persecutors of believers from that once fledgling church, have themselves been marvelously transformed by the Gospel, and they have just completed the church building in their village. The following is yet another of the many crazy parts of the Guásima story, but here goes: A missionary friend from a sister church in Durango (Mexico) contacted Pastor Martín to see if there “happened to be a building project” that he and some of the very-skilled and generous brothers from his church could participate in, along with some German-speaking, ex-Mennonite believers whose families have emigrated to Durango. You can’t make this up! There are way too many details to share here, but a dozen of them (Mexicans and Germans) traveled to

Tepic from Durango, drove to the Agua Milpa dam, and “hopped” onto boats that took them up-river an hour to Huaynamota. From the landing, they trekked five hours with their equipment along treacherous trails through the mountains that only very-experienced mountain goats qualify to hike and arrived at the village of Guásima. After three days of working together, the Huichol, Mexican, Cuban, German, and ex-Mennonite believers had the roof on, held the first prayer and praise meeting in the brand-new church building, and the mission was accomplished. Who on earth ever would have imagined? Only the Master Designer. This activity of His, calling, equipping, and providing for His recruits (the least likely!) is certainly not exclusive to Tepic, but it is proof positive that with the most diverse team of rescuers, including an army of friends who are reading this letter, God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.