Hands to the Work – Ron Winter

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,

Dear Friends in Christ,

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

Camargo: The ongoing “Every Creature Campaign” to get a John and Romans into every home, is going well. Some who started knocking doors with us have slacked off but we still have 5-9 that go out every week. We haven’t seen any direct results yet, though we have had opportunity to witness to some. One woman wouldn’t answer the door, so we left a J&R. She opened the door and threw it out in the street shouting, “We are catholic and don’t want anything to do with your cult”. Most people are kind when they receive the J&R and we often see them reading it or our tract!

The catholics even have “bible studies” but we know God will bless those who worship Him in spirit and in TRUTH, and God’s Word will not return unto Him void! We continue to have opportunities to present the plan of salvation, some making professions of faith.

The attendance of Iglesia Bíblica Bautista has been in the thirties and we continue having first time visitors. Some who had fallen away are coming back and yet others, whose lives are miserable, know they need to be in church but find too many excuses.

Eliza and 3 kids have been coming back. She knows she needs to be saved but her husband José made a pact with “the virgin” and until he can make good on that, won’t get saved and neither has she.

Pray for Pedro, Lupita and their 23 year old daughter Paulina who are saved and really have a lot of potential but need to get into church.

Sergio invited me to his house and a week later he had read Genesis from a catholic bible he downloaded on his phone. He really wants to know the truth. Pray for him and his family to be saved.

On the “Day of the Child”, April 30, we had 46; half of which were children, with several first time visitors. Several children as well as some parents and grandparents called on the Lord to save them!

Connie has begun discipling a couple of ladies who are excited to learn and be able to teach others.

Building: We had asked prayer and help to possibly buy an existing building. The $60,000 asking price is already half of what it is worth but they haven’t been able to sell it. Our prayer is that they would accept an offer of $40,000. We have or have promised $16,225. As the Lord said in Jeremiah, “Is there anything too hard for me?” Please continue to pray with us for God’s will.

Family: Connie’s blood counts had been improving significantly but the last counts were quite a bit worse. The doctor changed her back to the previous regimen of supplements. Please continue to pray for her to feel well and to not require more invasive treatments.

For the first time since we have been in Camargo, we have family coming to visit! Joshua, Kristin and 2 of our grandsons are coming down for the week of Mother’s Day. We are so blessed!!

Praise: Privilege to serve the Lord; Souls saved; Discipleship; Family – visit

Prayer: Outreach & souls saved; Saved to get into church; Church building; Connie’s health

In His Service,

Dear Friends in Christ,

“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens,

and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6

Camargo: The “Iglesia Bíblica Bautista” is having an “Every Creature Campaign”, to get a John and Romans booklet into every home in this city of 60,000. In preparation for the campaign, six others wanted to fast with me a different day of the week, every week until Easter. We are asking God for His power, for each scripture portion and people to be saved, for spiritual maturity and ultimately for God to be glorified by our church. We have presented the gospel to many people and several have made professions of faith. Ramiro came to church one Sunday, got saved on Tuesday, came back to church on Thursday and brought his 3 kids the following Sunday. Praise the Lord! Pray the kids will be saved soon. Lorenzo (64) went on a drinking binge, somehow also drank a quart of an agricultural poison and died. A week later 81 year old Joaquin died. We knew both families; one wanted me to preach at the funeral home before a mass, and the other wanted me to preach the funeral, Connie also sang. Many heard the gospel and the plan of salvation. Pray that we will see fruit from those who heard  and who made professions of faith. Connie gave the kids a test on what they had learned from another section in the book of John. They all did well and 4 got 100% plus extra points for  Bible verses they had memorized. She will finish the study in the next few weeks and we look forward to seeing spiritual growth in the kids.

Building: We have been praying the Lord would give us a building or land to build on, to not pay rent longer than necessary and to give the church more permanence. Land in a decent location is pretty expensive, from $3.50 – $4.50 USD per square foot. A party hall measuring 66’ by 164’, with a 14’ ceiling has been for sale for a while, and they just lowered the price to $60,000 USD, (about $5.50 a square foot) barely more than the land alone. It is on a corner lot, centrally located, on a well known street, which seems perfect. It is a lot bigger than we need now but would give us a lot of room to grow and could even house a pastor’s residence in the other end. If we can get the church in it, they could put up sheet rock dividers and windows and fix it up inside, as they are able. Please pray for God’s will on this property. The first $5,000 dollars has been promised; would you pray about helping with this need?

Family: Connie’s strict diet, food supplements and prayer, seem to be improving her white blood cell count. Please pray that the she would continue to feel well and that she would have more energy. Clark Avery Martin was born to Kyle, our daughter Bethany and two year old Gary, on January 1st. He was the first baby of the New Year at the hospital in Parsons KS! Our tenth grandbaby! Amen!

Praise: Church fasting and praying; People saved; Opportunities to present the Gospel, Grandbaby

Prayer: Every Creature Campaign; Souls saved, baptisms, church attendance; Ramiro’s kids; Church building; Connie’s health

In His Service,