Author: ronwintermissions

Dear Friends in Christ,

“And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:31,32

Camargo: The Iglesia Bíblica Bautista has been increasing in attendance since the first of the year. In the last month and a half, we averaged in the 50’s on Sundays, with visitors in many services.

In one year, we have knocked about half of the doors in Camargo, a city of 60,000. Our goal with the “Every Creature Campaign” is to get a John & Romans into every house and of course present the gospel whenever possible. As many as 13 come out every week to help us.

Rosa Isela nearly died from a car accident in July and our  church has been praying for her ever since. After several surgeries, amputating one arm, reconstructing a leg etc, and much therapy, she is walking and back home with her parents and siblings and 1 year old daughter. We went out to the village to visit her and she and her parents called on the Lord to save them! Amen!

Karla, one of our faithful ladies, had witnessed to Rocío, who is a trial lawyer. She came to a few services and asked if we would visit her to show her how to be saved! Connie and I visited her and she said she had tried getting more religious, doing more good deeds, being more kind to others, but still had an emptiness that she couldn’t fill. Upon calling on the Lord, she said that was what she had been seeking and that a peace had flooded her soul! Amen! Please pray as the devil is really fighting her.

Miguel, 70 year-old Francisca’s son, said he had heard of us and thought we could help her. Since a son had been gunned down over a year ago, Francisca hasn’t walked, has kidney problems and was depressed. After some Bible study, she called on the Lord to be her Savior! Though Miguel listened to the plan of salvation, he let me know he had sought me out for his mother. They are very kind and every week invite me into their home to study the Bible with Francisca, ‘but they have their Catholic faith’, so don’t listen. Pray that the whole family would also be saved.

When the pope came to visit Mexico, even the news media here was saying that sects like the J. W. and Baptists were tricking people to leave Catholicism by learning the language and communicating to them in their own language! Though I don’t appreciate the association, we must be doing something that irritates the devil! “Beware when all men shall speak well of you.”

Workers: Bro. Gilberto and Lucy, teen-agers Daniel and Dana and 6 year-old Esteban are coming to work with us in June! Praise the Lord! We plan for them to work with our teens, music and etc, and see how the Lord would lead. Pray we can find affordable housing, to be able to take care of them.

In January we went to an ordination service for Bro. Gil and for Bro. Alberto, who have been working in the church that Bro. Jerry Collins started in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico.

Health: Connie’s white blood counts continue to be quite elevated. She is still under the supervision of a nutritional doctor, who with God’s help has kept them from climbing higher. Please pray for wisdom to know what to do to best help her and for God to heal her if it is His will!

Praise: Good attendances; People saved; Gilberto & Lucy coming

Prayer: Rosa Isela and Francisca – healing; Rocio – spiritual growth; Connie’s health

In His Service,

Dear Friends in Christ,

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2

Camargo: Happy New Year! It snowed a couple of inches in Camargo for the first time in 9 years! Thank you so much for the Christmas offerings that many of you sent. Praise the Lord!! The Iglesia Bíblica Bautista is growing spiritually; 7 people read the New Testament in 2015! We continue to have visitors and people saved in services, in the hospital and door knocking. Amen! Joel and Lupita quit coming for about a year but are now attending off and on. Pray for their family! Juan and Luis, from two different families, worked in the U.S. and were saved. Upon coming back home to Mexico, they fell back into the ungodly vices and influences of their former life. Though they want their families to be saved, they are not being a right testimony to their families, that they would desire the salvation they claim to have. Please pray for these families. Two men’s wives left and divorced them and they are with another woman but attending services. Perla got saved and we are praying for Carmen and all of their children to be saved as well. Connie and the kids class had a Christmas program, as to the reason for Christ’s coming. On New Year’s Eve many gave testimonies. We had a Christian video and a message on being Christ-like, giving our lives as a living sacrifice in this new year and then a time of prayer.

Workers: Bro. Gilberto and his wife Lucy and 3 kids, a sweet family that we have known for a few years, came to see the work and are praying as to where the Lord wants them to minister. Please pray that if the Lord wants them to labor with us here or even in some other place, they would know His leading in their lives. They work a lot with youth, so while here, they had a special meeting, with 12 teens in attendance and 3 saved! They could really be a big asset to us and to the church here.

Conference: I preached the mission conference of the Iglesia Bautista, El Faro (Lighthouse Baptist) in Chihuahua City. One young man surrendered to full-time service and many responded to the altar calls, seeking the Lord’s will for their lives. Bro. Samuel (originally from Camargo), his family and church, are always a great encouragement and blessing to us.

Health: My hernia surgery and recuperation was a success; Praise the Lord! Connie’s white blood cell count was way over the normal ranges this time. Pray for her, and for the doctor to have wisdom to treat her, though our faith and confidence is still in the Great Physician!

Family: Our son Andrew and his family came down through the holidays. With 4 girls under the age of 10, we didn’t have much “quiet time”. It was such a blessing to not be alone at the holidays! Andrew preached and our church was so encouraged by their visit, as were we. Amen!

Praise: Christ came to save us; Blessings of 2015; Spiritual growth; Salvation of souls; Health & Family

Prayer: Families of the church; Joel & Lupita, Juan, Luis, Armando & Rebeca, Daniel & Perla, Ramiro & Carmen; Souls to be saved; Workers; Connie – healing, Dr. – wisdom

In His Service,

Dear Friends in Christ,

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2

Camargo: We have been running in the 30’s and 40’s in most of our Sunday services, with visitors most every service. Many of the Thursday services run in the 20’s.

There are opportunities to present the Gospel and a few call on the Lord to be their Savior. Three men from southern Mexico had tried to cross illegally to the U.S. but were turned back. After walking and hitching rides 4 days, they arrived in Camargo. They had heard some of the Gospel and after this humbling experience were anxious to call on the Lord and trust Him as Savior. They are in another city near here trying to make enough money to get back to their wives and kids and almost every week one of them texts me with updates.

We are always amazed when people have attended a “church” for years but were never saved; only “baptized”. I led Pancho to the Lord several months ago and now his wife Brenda admits she was never really saved. Please pray we will have people genuinely saved, then baptized.

The Iglesia Bíblica Bautista celebrated its second anniversary the last Sunday of October. We had a record attendance of 69. Juan and his wife and 3 kids came for the first time. He said he had been in the U.S., attended a church and was baptized. Please pray for their salvation. On our anniversary Sunday, the ladies also honored Connie for her birthday. They had a small gift and greeted her with hugs and well wishes. It was a great blessing to her!

Ojinaga, Chih.: I filled the pulpit (in Sept.) for Bro. Henry Giesbrecht and his family. Connie also took the kid’s class. It was a real blessing for us to see what the Lord is doing in a very hard, hot city just across the river from Presidio, TX, very much in need of a good Bible preaching church.

Health: Working in another language, I often can’t make out what people are saying, even reading lips. After a hearing test, they recommended a hearing aid in one ear, so we will see if it helps. Does that make me old? Also, I have needed to get a hernia fixed for some time, so I had that surgery last week, using a Mexican doctor, hospital and insurance. Pray for a quick recovery.

Connie’s blood counts are still not what they should be; when the white counts are better, the platelets are not or visa versa. She continues with diet and supplements. Please pray for her.

Family: Andrew, our second son came to visit us for a few days and plans to come back with his family for Christmas. We are looking forward to their visit!!

Connie’s parents, James and Madelyn Carroll came for Connie’s birthday and our church anniversary. They also celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary while they were here! What a blessing!

Praise: People saved; Visitors; Great anniversary; Church’s kindness to us; Preaching opportunities; Visits from family

Prayer: People to be saved, baptized, join church; Faithfulness; Surgery recovery; Connie’s health

In His Service,

Dear Friends in Christ,

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:3,4

Camargo: Attendances of the Iglesia Bíblica Bautista have picked up some. We run a van route here in the city and to two different villages. Some have made professions of faith and we have visitors in most services. There are several faithful families but a few find it difficult to commit to baptism and/or church membership, so there are those who just want to attend. Pray for stability and faithfulness.

We are still working to get a John and Romans into every house. Our prayer is that they will be read and that people will seek the Lord.

Alicia just joined after attending for some time. She was saved and baptized in an Independent Baptist Church in another city. Connie is discipling Alicia and Karla who are both excited to be in church and serving in any way they can. Amen!

I am discipling Armando and Rebeca after Armando trusted the Lord. Rebeca was saved about a year ago in Chihuahua City, shortly after the death of one of their newborn twin boys. Their parents and family thought they were helping them by separating this married couple! Eight months later, they are trying to get back together, contrary to the wishes of their families. Pray for them and their 2 kids.

Connie and the ladies had a baby shower for Milka who just delivered the first of September. Pray for her and her 4 kids to be faithful to services and for her husband José Luis to be saved.

Building: We made an offer on the building for the church but the owner said we would have to come up closer to the asking price. Before we could get more money raised, he decided to turn it into a mini-mall-market. We have been praying the Lord’s will be done, so we are looking for the land or building He wants us to have, in His timing. The money that was sent is in an escrow account until such time.

Anáhuac: We took 13 people to the Iglesia Bautista Semilla Preciosa, the church we started in Anáhuac. I preached their conference on the family, for their seventeenth anniversary. It was a real blessing for our folks to see a functioning church.

Health: Connie had a couple more blood tests and although the counts have improved, they are still not where they should be! She continues to feel well but fatigues easily. Please keep praying!

Family: Thank you for praying for two of our sons to find employment. The Lord has really blessed them with good jobs!

Praise: Alicia joined; Discipleships; Conference in Anáhuac; Connie’s health; Sons’ jobs

Prayer: People to be saved, baptized and faithful; John/Romans distribution; Armando & Rebeca – marriage & fam.; Milka faithful, José Luis to be saved; Building–God’s will, Connie’s health

In His Service,

Dear Friends in Christ,

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32

Camargo: The Iglesia Bíblica Bautista is in a summertime slump. Not because people are gone on vacations but because the majority have work. In spite of a little lower attendances, we have new visitors nearly every service. We celebrated Mother’s Day, then Father’s day and enjoyed special services with cake afterwards. Everyone loved the fellowship and it was a good time of exhortation! The church had a birthday party for me with a meal, cake and 51 in attendance! It was a blessing! I led Sergio to the Lord after he had read from Genesis to Ruth, seeking the truth! And he is still reading, AMEN! Please continue praying for his wife and 3 kids to be saved! Eliza just got saved and is so excited! We’ve tried to win them to the Lord for over a year. The day before her surgery I urged her to get saved. Weeping, she called on the Lord and then said, “Why did I wait so long?” The surgery went well. Pray for her husband José and her parents to be saved. Armando and Jorge, young men who are separated from their wives each called on the Lord! Jesús Manuel and Belén are really confused but want to know the truth. Pray for their salvation. The church is getting more consistent in their offerings, paying the rent and utilities. We were able to get a couple of mini-split air conditioners for the store-front. Wow, what a blessing! We are starting a new series in the Sunday afternoon services on 1 Peter; ‘Salvation and Suffering’, admonishing us to be “Exceptional Christians and an Exceptional Church”. I have challenged our people to fast again, so we have someone from the church fasting and praying every day of the week. We are excited to see what God is doing and will do in our church and community!

Building: Another $5,000 has come in for the building. We have just over $20,000, so if 20 of our supporters could help us with $1,000 each, we believe that $40,000 would be a reasonable offer.

Health: Connie’s blood counts continue to fluctuate. Please pray for the doctor to have the wisdom to know how to treat her but especially for the Great Physician to heal her if it would be His will.

Family: Connie and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary. It was a blessing to be able to get away for a few days just for us! Two different preachers filled the pulpit in my absence. Our people really need to hear Mexican men preach the same thing that I preach. Amen! With the oil slump, two of our sons, Seth and Joshua were laid off. They and their families have been faithful in their churches in OK. Please pray that God would give them the employment he wants them to have, in His timing.

Praise: Visitors & opportunities to present the gospel; People saved; A.C. in the storefront

Prayer: Jesús & Belén, Sergio’s family, Eliza’s family – salvation; New series, fasting; Church Building; Connie’s health; Seth and Joshua – employment

In His Service,