Hands to the Work – Ron Winter

Dear Friends in Christ,

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3

Camargo: The Iglesia Bíblica Bautista spent most of January preparing for a very busy February. Of course we continued with evangelization efforts, door knocking, visits, etc.!
Those who made a profession of faith and continue attending some services are Eliel and Edgar, a couple of teen boys, Rubén y Cecilia whose kids had been coming to the Bible clubs, and Cristina who thought she was saved! Pray for Rubén who is battling with an addiction.
The first weekend of February we hosted a State-wide Youth Conference. There were about 160 in attendance, with the theme: “A Man after God’s Own Heart”.
Please pray for the upcoming youth conference May 6 & 7, in Parral Chihuahua.
We had our Faith Promise mission conference the third week of February, with the new promise at double what the church had been giving! Praise the Lord!!

Arturo: Arturo is out of our church, and is to graduate from the Bible institute with Missionaries Nelson and Micah Dorr, in Navojoa, Sonora this May. We are praying the Lord would show him where He would have Arturo to serve next.

Transition: Since we started the Bible Baptist church, we have prayed for the Mexican pastor that should take the church, and for it to be indigenous. It looks like my present assistant, Jorge Orozco is who the Lord would have to be that pastor. Lord willing, we’ll be working to make the transition this year. Please pray for wisdom, direction and God’s timing.

Furlough: After our Mission Conference in Camargo, I came to the U.S. on a two month furlough. It’s been great to report back to several churches in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Nebraska, and be in some missions conferences.

Manos a la Obra: The new ministry, “Hands to the Work” continues to be a blessing to Mexican churches and pastors. Near the end of my furlough, I’m going to Colorado to pick up some church pews and some other things for a church in Chihuahua City.
Please pray I can find a good truck to be able to pick up and transport all of the pianos, pews, etc. to Mexico. Also pray I can sell my Expedition in Mexico to help pay for it.
A church is helping me get a bigger, enclosed trailer to protect what we haul, and to be able to take a lot more to Mexico each trip. Praise the Lord!
Please let me know if someone wants to donate pianos, tables, chairs, pews, pulpits, etc.

Praise: Souls saved, for God’s grace; Good youth and mission conferences & Faith Promise doubled; Safety and good furlough; Enclosed trailer
Prayer: Souls to be saved; Rubén-addiction; Teen Conference; Arturo, graduation and service; Turn Church over; Youth Conference May 6&7; Truck, sell Expedition; and supplies

Bro. Ron Winter
Your Co-laborer in Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico

Dear Friends in Christ,

And the gospel must first be published among all nations.   Mark 13:10

Happy New Year!  Thank you for all your prayers and faithful support during another year.  I also want to thank those of you who were able to send a special Christmas offering as well!
    I’m anticipating new opportunities to serve the Lord in 2022, and trust that all of you will achieve what the Lord has for your ministries!  I’m praying for His soon return!

Ministry Opportunities:  I had mentioned how busy July and August always are, but from July to date, it hasn’t let up!  Praise the Lord for numerous opportunities to serve Him!
    In the middle of November I preached a family conference in Chihuahua City.
    At the end of November I picked up building materials from Zapata Texas, with Missionary Dennis Barnett, that several churches, businesses etc. had donated.  Bro. Kevin Langley and his family from North Carolina get the materials, Christmas gifts for the Bible club kids, etc. and they bring them down to Texas.  I hauled a trailer load of pews, windows, doors, air conditioners, etc. to a church in Coxcatlán, San Luis Potosí. They just built a new building, after several years in a bamboo building.  I brought another load of windows doors, etc. back to Chihuahua.  I took two pianos to Pastor Eduardo in Anáhuac, Chihuahua to recondition them, then I’ll take them to churches.  We’ve also taken building supplies to a couple other churches in the state, and are still distributing the rest of them.
    So ready or not, the Hands to the Work Ministry is answering the needs of several churches, though at this time I don’t really have time to work it as much as is needed.

Camargo: The Iglesia Bíblica Bautista here in Camargo, Chihuahua is seeing some growth!  Gaby, her husband Raul, his 3 sons and her daughter have been attending services for a few months.  Gaby had been helping to prepare food and refreshments for the Saturday Bible Clubs, even before she was saved!  One night after the service, she got saved, and now wants to get baptized, and she is still serving!  Amen!  Pray for the others to be saved soon!
    For a couple of months before, we promoted our Christmas program, for the Bible club children to bring their parents and adult relatives, to win special prizes.  The Saturday before the program we gave the gifts to 117 children, many of whom would not have gotten much, if anything for Christmas.  A few parents came to some services before the program, and the day of the program about 16 adults visited!  We gave the prizes to those who brought family, and we had a couple of piñatas, candy for the kids, and dinner for all, for a record attendance above 130, all of whom heard the Gospel message!  Now we’re encouraging them to continue, as well as sharing the Gospel with them.

Family: After Christmas, my son Andrew, his wife and 4 daughters came down to visit me!  The ladies organized some things in my house, and Andrew put a garden in front of the building, and did some projects inside as well.  Several teens and men came to work, and ladies from the church brought food each day!  A lot was accomplished during that week!
    Andrew preached our watch-night service and also on Sunday!  They were a blessing!

Praise: New year to serve; People saved; Christmas program; Supplies gotten to churches
Prayer: We’re hosting a state-wide youth conference Feb. 4 & 5.  I’m preaching at a couple’s banquet Feb. 11; Our Mission Conference Feb. 18-20; Souls to be saved and lives changed!

Bro. Ron Winter
Your Co-laborer in Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico

Dear Friends in Christ,

For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;  2 Corinthians 9:12

Iglesia Bíblica Bautista:  The Bible Baptist Church here in Camargo just celebrated its eighth anniversary!  Brother David Lydick came down again this year to preach our anniversary conference.  When he came last year, with the lock-downs and quarantines, he preached and I translated in front of a camera, and we broadcasted it to the church.  He felt so deprived, not being able to mingle with our folks, that we invited him again this year.  His messages were exactly what we needed to hear, with many people on their knees before the Lord!  We also had a great time of fellowship, which we all needed!
     The last day of the anniversary conference, I baptized six teens and adults!  Amen!
     Our Saturday Bible clubs continue with attendances between 60 and 80 children, and almost always more than 30 in each of the vans!  We really aren’t reaching the parents and families through this ministry as we had hoped.  So for a couple of months leading up to our Christmas program, we have been challenging the children to bring their parents, grandparents, and other family members, to earn some bigger prizes, hoping that we will be able to preach the gospel to their adult family members!  Of course we’ll have a dinner, with gifts for all the children that some churches are providing.  Please pray it will open doors, and that several adults will be saved as well!
     We’ve been having some good visits in our weekly door-knocking, and visits with some families of the Bible club children!  Some have made professions of faith in Christ, but haven’t come to a church service yet.
 
Family:  It was a blessing to go to my in-laws, James and Madelyn Carroll’s seventieth wedding anniversary!  What a great time to honor them, and let them know what a blessing they have been to so many, with their stellar testimony and unwavering faithfulness and commitment to each other, to the Lord, and His Word!
    When I got back to El Paso from their anniversary, I picked up Bro Lydick and brought him to Camargo for our church’s anniversary.
 
Teens:  The teens of our church are struggling with commitment, obedience to authority in their lives, and the church.  I believe it is due in part, to the quarantine, and virtual studies, which still continue here, having little interaction with their teachers and other classmates.
     Upon taking Bro. Lydick back up to El Paso to fly home, I joined up with our teens at a 2 day youth conference in Juarez, across the river from El Paso.  They were challenged to step up and be a better example and witness in their church, family, school and workplace!
         
Praise:  Great anniversaries of in-laws and church! Souls saved and 6 baptized! Bible clubs!
Prayer:  Christmas preparations, families saved; Teens to realize their potential and worth when surrendered to God!  Mexican pastor to turn the church over to
 
Bro. Ron Winter
Your Co-laborer in Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico

Dear Friends in Christ, 
           Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace… Hebrews 4:16
Camargo: The Iglesia Bíblica Bautista has been so blessed through all of the quarantines and everything associated with this past year. Some in our church got sick, but all have recuperated with few residual problems. Here in Camargo we are not officially under any lockdowns right now! Praise the Lord we continually have visitors!
   We weren’t allowed any door to door evangelism, but just got back to it, with 15-20 of our folks coming out to knock doors. I got to witness to a lady with 3 small kids, in a huge house in an affluent neighborhood, who seemed very concerned for her soul. She assured me she would read the John and Romans book. I’m praying for another opportunity to speak to her and for her salvation!
   We had our first ever Men’s Meeting, with 16 men from here and ten from other towns.  I was able preach to these heads of households, with every man at the altar at the invitation!
   For Father’s Day I preached from 2 Thessalonians 3:6-11; of the need to teach and practice diligence for the next generation to observe, in light of the Lord’s soon return!
New Ministry: The Lord has been working me into a new ministry: “Manos a la Obra”, “Hands to the Work”.  I import church furniture etc., and help and encourage churches and pastors in Mexico. Pray for the Lord’s direction and provision in this new ministry!
   In May I went up to Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma to bring down an antique pump organ, some chairs, etc. for churches and a children’s home and Bible institute!
Next Pastor: It’s good for me to leave once in a while, so my assistant Jorge, and his wife Michel, learn how to lead the church, if he would be the next pastor. It also helps the church to grasp the idea that I’m not always going to be here!    
   Please pray for the Mexican pastor, the church and myself to know the Lord’s direction and timing to turn the church over!  My plan is to continue in this new ministry. .
Jovanni: I’ve been asking you to pray for a 15 year old boy from here whom they now say has a mix between Aplastic Anemia and Leukemia. He is receiving treatment in San José CA, because he was born in the U.S.  He just received a bone-marrow transplant from an older brother, so has a long, hard road ahead! Pray that through this, he and all of his family would be saved, as there’s not much fruit even from those who claim to be saved.
Praise: Church members are well; Good Mother’s day, Men’s meeting & Father’s day; Able to knock doors; Safety in travels; Visitors to services
Prayer: Souls to be saved and baptized; Lady with 3 kids to be saved; Next pastor; God’s will for my life; Jovanni’s healing / family’s salvation
In His Service,
Bro. Ron Winter
Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico

Dear Friends in Christ,
…Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Isaiah 6:8

Iglesia Biblica Bautista: On Easter Sunday, we had a good attendance, and 5 adults followed the Lord in believer’s baptism! We are seeing people saved now and then, though many are less receptive, especially with the quarantines, masks and all!
Our attendances were coming back up, then this week everything was shut down again!
Our Bible Clubs had gotten back up to as many as 87, now 57-60 with the shut-down. Some people are afraid, so wouldn’t let their kids come. And as with any ministry, many come a few times, but don’t continue, but at least they’ve heard the gospel!
We just got he 2 vans imported, that the Bible Baptist Church in Carthage MO donated some time ago, but importation policies changed, so we hadn’t been able to import them.
With the help of 3 U.S. churches, we were able to import them! We gave one van to the church in Anáuhuac, and the other we kept. We still have a problem, with 80 kids coming now in two vans, and still a lot of kids that would come if we had a way to bring them in.

Mission Conference: We had to postpone our Mission Conference until April. Our guest preacher was Mexican missionary, Isaac Luna. He, his wife and 5 daughters are preparing with language and culture studies, to go to South Sudan, Africa! He was such a blessing, and really challenged us, mainly with some basic missionary and mission’s logic and Bible directives! We had good attendances, and our Faith Promise Commitment increased enough to be able to take on at least one more missionary, if the church follows through!
Bro. Luna is on a survey trip to South Sudan through May. They will probably be working with one of 7 unreached people groups. That region is part of the 10/40 Window, where approximately 5.16 billion people live in 8,947 distinct people groups! Approximately 61% of them live in unreached people groups, that is to say they are the least evangelized.
There are no biblical missionaries, nor any part of the Bible in their language!!

Jovanni: Fifteen year old Jovanni from our church here, has aplastic anemia. They were able to get him up to a children’s hospital in San José, CA, where his dad and two brothers live. We are praying one of his brothers will be a suitable match for a bone-marrow transplant, and that the U.S. will give his mom a humanitarian visa so she can be with him!

E mails: Both of my email accounts were hacked at least twice since December. So if you sent me something, but I haven’t responded, please send it to me again, because I probably didn’t get it! I do my best to answer all correspondence that comes in!

Family: My son Josh and his wife Kristin just gave me another grand girl! That’s 14 now!
I am so blessed that God didn’t leave me here alone! Hopefully I can meet her soon!

Praise: Good Bible clubs; Vans imported and full; Great mission conference; Grandbaby

Prayer: Souls saved and baptized; Bro. Luna, survey trip; Jovanny and his mom

In His service,
Bro. Ron Winter