The Mission Diaries

Here are some encouraging news from the Church in Belize City, a unique congregation among our fellowship of churches in Central America. Why? Because it is an English-speaking congregation!

The sisters in Belize are celebrating the victory of their first Women’s Day Conference, entitled A Worthy Woman. Seventy-five women heard a powerful lesson by Wendy Ellis of Guatemala City, who spoke about the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears (Luke 7:36-50) Twenty of the women visitors accepted the invitation to study the Bible!

Dr. Douglas Jacoby (third from right) and his daughter Emma (second from right) visited the Belize Church in March. With their hearts overflowing with love for us, they fed us spiritually. Dr. Jacoby shared  deep lessons about the Holy Spirit and His work in our lives. They also brought a donation of books for our library, a gift that will help us with our spiritual growth. We are very grateful for this visit.

As some of you know, Julia Gallegos, mother of our minister Angel Jimenez, passed away in January of this year. Although it was a difficult time for Angel and his family, we all had the encouragement that she lived her last thirteen years as a faithful servant of the Lord. The church pulled together as a family during her last few days on earth and provided a lot of encouragement to her husband and children. Her life was not without effect, though, as this past month of March, her daughter Monica Jimenez was baptized in Christ! Julia’s example is an inspiration for us to persevere and hold on to our faith, because God always fulfills his promises.

Please come back later this weekend for news from Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico.

J. De Anda

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Our statement in our previous post was: mission work is a moral and spiritual battle against sinful ideologies that are entrenched in people’s hearts. Ultimately it takes the power of the gospel to open men’s eyes so they can see. They need to see because sin is not only a cruel master, but also a very devious one. The worst aspect of the slavery to sin is that men are blind to it; they can’t see that they are truly slaves.Sin makes us feel free. Sin entices us by appealing to our eagerness for pleasure. It appeals to our desire to assert our individuality. It provides us with motivational soundbites: “You’re an adult; you can make up your own mind.” “You deserve some space.” “Nobody’s perfect.” “As long as you don’t hurt anybody, it’s OK.”

The Scriptures give us the true perspective on sin:

“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires…those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God” (Romans 8:5, 8, NIV)
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. (John 8:34, NIV)
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. (Romans 7:14, NIV)
They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity – for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. (2 Peter 2:19, NIV)
…that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:26, NIV)
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. (Ephesians 2:3, NIV)

I have been involved in the planting of three churches in Latin America, and I have visited many cities in many countries. Wherever I go, whatever the culture, I see the ravages of sin: the broken marriages, the fatherless children, the victims of abuse … It is a lost world; mankind is a fallen race. And the worst part is: people don’t see it. Therefore they seek “remedies” to dull their existential pain. Some seek entertainment and indulge their sensuality. Some drown their loneliness with alcohol and other drugs. Some feed on the false empowerment of individuality and goal-seeking. Some isolate themselves from deep relationships, scarred by bad experiences or fearful that others will know who they really are. And all of them in turn hurt other people and leave behind them a stream of broken relationships and lost dreams.

The world’s only hope is the gospel of Christ. MCA Missions is fighting to take the gospel to the nations of Mexico and Central America, so that people’s eyes may be opened. As Christians we have to remember that we are involved in a spiritual war to liberate the captives of sin. We need to constantly review our priorities and our vision: what are we really here for? A lost world is depending on our faith to continue in this battle.

J. De Anda

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A few days ago I went with a group of brothers from my Bible study group to see the movie, Amazing Grace. The movie is about the efforts of William Wilberforce, a member of the British Parliament who spent many years of his life fighting for the abolition of the slave trade. The title of the movie refers to the well-know hymn, which was written by a former slave-ship captain, John Newton, after surviving a storm in the high seas. Newton realized what misery he had brought on the thousands of people he had transported from Africa to be sold as slaves. The words of his song, “I…was blind, but now I see”, stand out as the ultimate statement of the transformation that had to happen in society in order for the slave trade to be abolished.

Wilberforce had to fight against seemingly unsurmountable odds: a  Parliament that was obliged to serve the economic interests of the slave merchants; a society that depended on food and other items produced by slave labor; a Britain that was reeling from its defeat by the American colonies and threatened by the revolutionary ideas of France; and even his own battle with health problems. It was a hard, long fight. In the end, the battle was won because he had: (1) a deep conviction about his cause, (2) a group of men who worked as a team, and (3) a great wife by his side who helped him regain his confidence when he was about to quit.In many ways, mission work is also a battle, but not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). It is a moral and spiritual battle against sinful ideologies that are entrenched in people’s hearts. It is a hard battle, and ultimately it takes the power of the gospel to open men’s eyes so they can see. Like Wilberforce, I have been blessed with great friends who have worked as a team to take the gospel to Latin America. And, like Wilberforce, I’ve also been blessed with a great wife who still continues to inspire me even though she is waging a major battle against chronic illness.

But, in the end, it’s all about the cause. Wilberforce knew in his heart that, in spite of all the opposing arguments, slavery was wrong! He believed that his cause was right, and therefore he had to fight until he accomplished his task. Sadly, slavery still exists in our time. Girls are taken from their families and forced to serve in the “booming” business of prostitution. Boys are conscripted and forced to fight in wars that they don’t understand, to defend the interests of governments that are falling apart.

And, above it all, stands the spectre of a deeper slavery … the slavery of sin
(to be continued)

J De Anda

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As usual, our brothers and sisters in Mexico and Central America are staying busy in the work of the Lord. Today we bring you news from Aguascalientes, San Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

Alberto Machuca writes that the Aguascalientes Church of Christ (Mexico) had their 2nd Anual Students Conference on February 25, entitled “Say No to Piracy“. The youth and campus ministries were in charge of the whole service. At the end of the service, the church welcomed Victor Villalobos, a brother who had left the church and now was getting restored to the body of Christ. His wife had been baptized in 2006, and now they are together in the Marrieds Ministry. The church was also celebrating because one of their original missionaries, Victor Torres, was sent out to help the new Zacatecas mission team!

Henry Gomez tells us that the sisters in the San Pedro Sula Church (Honduras) started the year with a bang! With over 250 women in attendance, the church had the Women’s Day Conference, entitled “A Woman After God’s Heart“. Several sisters shared their testimonies, others performed special songs, and others served in other ways. More than 20 of the guests that day decided to begin studying the Bible.

Not to be outdone, the brothers of the International Church of Christ in El Salvador, are preparing for their annual Men’s Conference. Marlon Fernandez, lead minister for the church, sends us the attached image of their invitation poster. The date is March 24, and they’re praying to have three guests per member at the event.

Our good and faithful friend Bill Ellis writes from Guatemala City: During the month of February the churches in Belize and Guatemala received the visit of Dr. Douglas Jacoby and his daughter Emma where Douglas taught on the Holy Spirit, Salvation and Church discipline. Emma shared her testimony and then gave a devotional to the teen women. The trip will be remembered and treasured. Doug and Emma thank you so much for your hearts and your teachings. Special thanks also go out to the North River Church of Christ, who sponsored the trip and to the brothers and sisters in Los Angeles who made a generous book donation for the church library. 

Thanks for reading!

Jaime De Anda
 

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For your enjoyment and prayers, this time we’d like to share some news of recent events in Mexico, where the churches continue growing in their missionary zeal.

On Sunday February 18, the Guadalajara Church of Christ sent out a mission team to the city of Zacatecas, Mexico. Zacatecas is a city of about 500,000 with a strong mining industry. Its downtown area is a national historic site. For the Guadalajara church it was a time of great celebration, where they had representatives from other churches that contributed either financially or with mission team members: Leon, Aguascalientes, Tepic and San Diego (California). San Diego-based evangelist Robert Carrillo (who with his wife Michelle was also a missionary in Mexico City in the late 80′s) delivered a sermon of encouragement to continue being the hope for this dark world. Two people were baptized during the service, as the Guadalajara church also celebrated its 17th anniversary. The Zacatecas mission team is led by Manuel and Blanca Borbonio, and the new church’s inaugural service will be on March 25. For more information contact them at laspiedrasclaman@hotmail.com

At the Mexican Missions Conference in November 2006, the Monterrey Church of Christ sent out a mission team to the city of Tampico in Northern Mexico. Led by Carlos and Minerva Olivares, the 8-member team arrived in Tampico in December to look for jobs, housing and friends to bring to church. This past Sunday, February 25, closed out a month of prayer, fasting and evangelism with the first service of the Tampico Church of Christ. Over 100 people attended the service, entitled “Starting Over”. More than 25 of the visitors are now studying the Bible, with a college student very close to making a decision to become a disciple of Jesus.

Here are pictures of some of the team members and of their first service.

Jaime De Anda

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