Author: ronwintermissions

Dear Friends in Christ,

“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:10,11

We hope that you enjoyed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years with family and friends. We trust that you will have a Happy New Year, filled with God’s blessings. Our prayer is that the Lord would find us faithfully serving Him when He comes! Thank you to all who sent Christmas greetings and to those who sent special Christmas offerings!!

Camargo: God has opened doors and we are having weekly Bible studies in 5 different homes, Amen! I teach the adults and teens and Connie teaches the children. We are averaging between 25-30 people in total. It is encouraging when they allow us to show them who God really is, and His desire for all mankind to be saved. It has been a blessing to see the one-on-one interaction. Mayra, a young mother was so proud of her first Bible, she wrote her name on the front cover, the date and from whom she had received it. Janet
said she had never had a Bible, and that her family wanted to know what it is to be a Christian. At first it is quite difficult for people to make time for God and His Word in their busy schedules as most work 6 days a week, some all 7, barely making enough to live. Please pray for Zeferino, who works at a gas station and wants his family to study but is struggling to set a time. We continue visiting and knocking doors, looking for people who would allow us to introduce them to the Saviour. Our goal is to see people saved and a strong church that reaches their own.

Health: Connie had blood tests done in December and they all came back in the normal ranges. It has been 2 years since her last chemo treatment, and though they say she still has leukemia, she feels well. Praise the Lord!

Holidays: We celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas alone with turkey and all the trimmings, just smaller quantities. How wonderful to receive phone calls and skype (live video) from all of our family. We really feel spoiled with the technology that makes it possible to “be with family”, even when we are a country away! Connie shared some home-made treats with neighbors and the Bible study families; everyone seemed to enjoy them!

Prayer: More Bible studies; People to be saved; Wisdom starting the church; Zeferino – schedule; Continued good health

Praise: God giving His Son to redeem us; People whose lives God is allowing us to influence; Connie’s good test results; Holiday blessings

In His Service,

“Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” I Timothy 2:4

As we come into the Thanksgiving season, we are reminded of God’s goodness and for all we have to be thankful. For life, health, family, and most importantly His saving grace.

Camargo, Chihuahua: It is a blessing to be settled in the house! There are still things that need attention and we will continue making improvements as we can.
We have been making visits to people who have expressed an interest in studying with us. As we witness, we’re finding the religious community adapting the same vernacular as Bible believers. Many are convinced that they are trusting in Christ 100% for their salvation, although they still have images of saints and virgins in their houses and places of business. Please pray that the Lord would convict hearts as we knock their doors and that more and more will allow us to share the gospel with them. A few families and individuals have agreed to study the Bible with us. We plan to start next week. Some are still convinced that their religion is correct and that they are alright, but at least they seem willing to see what the Bible says. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will give understanding, that people will be saved and then see the need to reach their own. We are excited to see what the Lord is going to do through us and with us in Camargo.

Family: Our daughter Bethany and her husband Kyle had their first baby, Gary Evan Martin born October 25. He is our fifth precious grandbaby! Our family is growing; we have twin grandbabies coming in April and another in May! God is so good!!

Praise: God’s protection and provision; Settled in house; Opportunity to start a new work; Healthy grandbaby

Prayer: Holy Spirit to give understanding and convict of sin as we teach His Word; People to be saved and to reach their own

In His Service,

Dear Friends in Christ,

…Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed… Isaiah 40:3 & 5

Camargo, Chihuahua: We found a house to rent! Four students from a Bible Institute in Hermosillo, Sonora, who were doing a summer internship in Anáhuac, helped us paint inside the house and move our things! Praise the Lord; they were a huge help and blessing! The house is only about 7 years old, but needs several things fixed which we will do a little at a time. There were no kitchen cabinets or closets; it was a blessing that our last house came with them. There is very little water and/or pressure, so we are trying to figure out the best method to increase that. We have an evaporative air conditioner, but we haven’t been able to get anyone to come and make the duct to put it on the roof, so the temperature inside the house is between 85 and 90 degrees. On one trip to Camargo the power steering on the van blew all the fluid out, though we just had it overhauled. We finally had to change the whole steering gear box. There have been a lot of expenses but we have been able to save up to cover most of them. Amen! More importantly, we have been encouraged by some who say they would like us to teach them the Bible! We are really praying that we can teach and win souls and for men that we can train to pastor and begin more churches.

Ministry Opportunities: The Precious Seed Baptist Church in Anáhuac recently celebrated its fourteenth anniversary. They have allowed me to preach every Sunday night and we have been door knocking with them every Saturday. It has been a special blessing to get to know Pastor Eduardo and his family better. The last Sunday we were in Anáhuac, the church had a going away service and dinner in our honor. It was a great time of fellowship and testimonies.  After the anniversary service we visited the Lazo family, our neighbors and good friends. We’d witnessed to them on several occasions and they had attended special services at our church, but
they never trusted the Lord. Before we left, I told them that they really need to be sure they are saved. Immediately Marta said she needed to be saved and wanted me to show her how. Luís said he just wasn’t ready yet. I couldn’t convince him otherwise, but Marta got saved! Amen!!

Visas: We were unable to get our FM-2 visas which later convert to permanent visas but were able to get FM-3 visas which have to be renewed every year. Not what we had hoped for, but Praise the Lord!

Health: Connie had blood tests again and all appears to be good. Keep praying for our continued good health!

Prayer: Getting house in order; Souls to be saved & church started; Luis Lazo, salvation; Good health

Praise: Housing; Ministry opportunities – Marta saved; Visas; Connie’s test results, Good health

In His Service,

Dear Friends in Christ,

“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Ps. 27:14

Camargo, Chihuahua: Since before returning from Sinaloa, we felt the Lord leading us to Camargo which is located about 6 ½ hours south of the El Paso/Juarez border. It is a city of 50 – 60,000 people, and although they have about every other religion, we don’t know of an Independent Baptist Church. Camargo is a farming community, raising mostly cattle and pecans, as well as many vegetables. It is very arid, with summer temperatures up to 115 degrees and down to freezing in the winter. We have been going down about every week looking for a house. In these rural cities they don’t advertised much, so we drove down nearly every street and put an ad on the radio. There just are not many houses for rent. God led us to a couple of realtors who have found a couple of possibilities, but haven’t been able to contact the owners yet. Pray we can find what the Lord wants for us, in His timing! We are “waiting on the Lord” but would sure like to get this move behind us. Please pray for housing, souls to be saved and for men that we can train. We’re looking forward to what the Lord will do through us in Camargo!

Ministry Opportunities: A pastor from Chihuahua who has family in Camargo introduced us to them. Some are already saved and seem glad that we want to start a church. We also witnessed to another man who is very interested and asked us to please look him up when we get moved. We are excited to have a few prospects to start with! In-between trips back and forth to Camargo, we have been getting vehicles ready, working on the house here, and studying to be ready to start another church, etc. I have had several opportunities to preach in some of the churches in this area. We also have a lot of opportunity to go door knocking and other activities with the church in Anáhuac. It is great to see the new pastor and church doing well!

FM-2 Visas: We have been working on our visas since the first of the year. All the documents have been in Mexico City since the first of May and we are still waiting. Please pray that we can get them soon, as we have other documents expiring soon that require our visas to renew them.

Health: Connie had blood tests done in June, and though slightly changed, they are still nothing to be concerned about. Praise the Lord! I had a molar cut out and am also getting natural treatment that should help the ringing in one ear.

Prayer: House, move & church in Camargo; Souls to be saved; FM-2 Visas; Connie’s health; My ear

Praise: Lord’s direction; Ministry opportunities; Souls saved; Connie’s health

In His Service,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter 1:3

Los Mochis, Sinaloa: We went to help the Fundamental Baptist Church in transition to Mexican leadership. It was a huge blessing to get back into regular scheduled door knocking, preaching, teaching, music, etc. The church responded well, allowing us to minister to them, as well as loving and encouraging us. It was hard to leave them. In the Bible institute I taught on worship and the attributes of God. Many of the students told me that their prayer lives have changed as a result of putting what they learned into practice! Amen! One of the visits we made was a special blessing. I went with Bro. Roberto and his wife to visit her brother Enrique who had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He had never allowed anyone to witness to him before but because of the circumstances I was able to give him the gospel. When I asked him if he would like to trust the Lord, he immediately knelt on the floor. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he called on the Lord to be his Savior! Praise the Lord!!

Our Plans: We prayed about staying in or near Los Mochis to work out from there, but we believe the Lord would have us begin another work in the state of Chihuahua. Please pray for housing, for souls to be saved and men that we can train. We’re looking forward to what the Lord will do through us!

Connie – Hospital Bill: Connie had her quarterly blood test and all still appears to be normal. Amen! We have been paying almost $900 a month for the surgery Connie had before we had insurance. We were to have it paid off by this November, but the hospital gave us the opportunity of paying it off in April for a 25% discount. By adjusting our budget, we were able to take advantage of it! The money we were paying to the hospital every month can be used to get us back on budget.

FM–2 Visas: During the time Connie was in treatment in the U.S., we lost our work visas and had to start the whole process over. There have been several setbacks and new requirements. We need them by July to avoid problems with other legal documents. Please pray that we can get them soon.

Family: Our daughter Bethany and her husband Kyle Martin are expecting a baby in October! This will be our fifth grandbaby! Amen!

Prayer: Transition & leadership of church in Los Mochis; Enrique – cancer; Our direction & move; FM-2 Visas; Bethany and baby

Praise: Good response of church in Mochis; Enrique saved; Connie’s health; Hospital bill paid; News of grandbaby

In His Service,