The Mission Diaries

This week we received news from the church leaders in Villahermosa, Mexico. As we reported before, the whole city was hit with major floods last year, and several churches in Mexico and the U.S. responded with special collections and efforts to help our brothers and sisters there. God has protected them and even blessed them with spiritual fruit.

Here is a brief note from church leader German Gutierrez:

Two weeks ago, two of the families that had been living in the service room of a building were able to move into an apartment. The church helped them with six months’ rent. They were so excited and grateful!

We had to hold off on some of the rebuilding efforts. On March 23, the government will reopen the floodgates on the local dam, and there is a possibility that things will not work out well and we’ll have more flooding.

The place where the church used to meet was totally flooded. Thanks to the donations we’ve received from the U.S. and Mexico churches we have been able to rent a hall for our worship services. Thanks to all of you brothers and sisters, we have been able to meet most of the physical needs of the church. Please continue to pray for us.

If you want to find out how to help the church in Villahermosa, please send a note to mcamissions@mcamissions.org

J De Anda

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Puerto Rico is a small island in the Caribbean that has been a U.S. territory since 1898. Its political status is interesting. It is not a state of the U.S., however its residents are U.S. citizens. Its economic and political activities are under a few restrictions by the U.S. government, however it participates in international events (like the Olympics and beauty pageants) as an independent country. The main language spoken is Spanish, but U.S. influence is everywhere, and many islanders sometimes speak a mixture of Spanish and English that we call “Spanglish”. Talking to a Puertorrican about the island’s political status is sure to spark a heated discussion: should Puerto Rico become an independent nation, a state of the Union, or remain in its present Commonwealth status? The debate has gone on for decades.

My wife and I both grew up in Puerto Rico. In 1991 we had the privilege of going back to plant the Puerto Rico Church of Christ. Although we were there for only one year, it was a great experience that reconnected us with our roots. The present ministry leaders, Jesus and Mirels Cruz, have done a marvelous job in reaching out and making sure the church remains connected to the rest of the Spanish-speaking churches in Latin America and the Spanish ministries in the U.S.

 (Jesus and Mirels Cruz with J De Anda at Central American Missions Conference in 2005)

On February 23, the Puerto Rico Church will be hosting its 2008 Women’s Conference, entitled Espiritu , Mente y Cuerpo (Spirit, Mind and Body) This special event brings a holistic approach to women’s health, with topics covering spiritual, mental and physical health issues. The main speaker will be Lyn Beaty, who is a licensed therapist, motivational coach and women’s minister and well known to many sisters in our fellowship of churches (she’s also Puertorrican!)

Many of our readers have relatives in Puerto Rico, so this would be a great opportunity to let your sisters, mothers, aunts and friends know about this event. Here’s the info:

Place: Colegio de Abogados
Date: February 23, 2008
Time: 7:30 – 9:30 PM
Cost: $12.00 general; $10.00 college students; $5.00 teens and pre-teens
Childcare provided

Until next time,

J De Anda

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The Guadalajara Church closed its 2007 year with a powerful visit from one of our most dynamic apologists. Dr. John Oakes, who is a professor of Chemistry at Grossmont College in San Diego, and the editor of the Evidence for Christianity web site, visited our brothers and sisters in Guadalajara to teach on various subjects. He was accompanied by his wife Jan, who is the director for the Apologetics Research Society which helped organize last year’s debate on the existence of God between Doug Jacoby and Michael Shermer.

The Oakes have travelled around the world, teaching to many congregations. This time it was Guadalajara’s turn to hear messages about “The Bible: From God or From Man?”, “History, Archaeology and the Bible” and “The Problem of Pain and Suffering”. 

  

Dr. Oakes’ messages (in Spanish) are available at the Guadalajara Church website. If you are interested in these topics, please visit the Evidence for Christianity web site. Thanks!

J De Anda

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