Monthly Prayer Letter (November 2005)

Dear praying Friends,

We have been writing weekly email updates without fail ever since April. Because of that, it seemed like we had “just” sent a prayer letter. Well, we did “just” send the last one in APRIL. If you have not been receiving the email updates, please let us know. Drop us a note at mikegoldfuss@hotmail.com and we will get you right on the list. If you feel that the weekly email prayer updates are sufficient for you, please also let us know and we’ll take you off the snail mail prayer letter list. You will still receive the prayer letter via e-mail.

In April we had just gotten back from Texas and a visit with Faith’s parents. We left 6 workers working on our house. They hadn’t done the work that they said they would when we left. However, they stated that they would still get done in the allotted time that they had. We continued paying them by the week. When we got to the last week 6 weeks later, there was still about 3 weeks of work to go. All the workers just left. This was the second time we had problems with workers and we were very upset as the BJU mission team was arriving in just over a week. The neighbor lady waited until this time to tell us that the workers used the two weeks that we were gone to take 4-hour “naps” on the roof. That was grand. :-) There is a large unoccupied house, mostly finished and with running water right next door to us. Mike asked permission to use the house for the group from BJ and the lady miraculously said yes. They even had a hot-water heater to use. 24 of the team members stayed in that house and a married couple on the team stayed in another neighbor’s home. It’s great to have good relations with our neighbors.

The week of the team’s visit was the highlight of our summer. Along with our church people, the team gave 6,000 tracts and invitations out in our church neighborhood for several nights of evangelistic meetings. We saw several people come and visit for those services. Pray for continued lasting fruit as a result. The week had several trials and the Lord’s grace strengthened us through each one. One of the team’s van’s transmissions broke for the 2nd time in ten days. The other van had its back window broken. Fortunately we also have a van. One evening a young man on the team drove our van with 31 other people (team members, our family and Rachael Davis who was helping Faith cook that week) down the mountain to the church. They, and the van, all made it in one solid piece—I think everyone was molded together.

We were very concerned about how we were going to get 32 people fed everyday in the cabin, but we divided into two shifts and everything worked out well. The weather was wet and cold the whole week, but the Lord gave everyone the grace for the close quarters. It was actually better than we could have ever planned. The spirit of everyone was wonderful and we enjoyed all of the fellowship with all of the chaotic togetherness.

This past summer, we were able to start a Bible study in our new neighborhood. Nicholas, his son Humberto (20), and three siblings Janet (20,) Vanessa (19), and Jain (15) have been attending for about 5 months now. We have been enjoying studying the gospel of John. They have been hungry for God’s Word. Our studies on Saturday afternoons normally last from 4 PM until about 7 PM. Nicholas has shown true fruit of being born again and trusting in Christ completely for his salvation. He has some serious family problems that he is trying to get sorted out before the Lord, and his desire is to please the Lord in all he does. Mike recently bought him some very good Christian books and Nicholas has been seen studying until 1 AM many nights. What a blessing. Pray for him to be able to correct the things in his life that have taken years to mess up. He has been faithfully witnessing to many people that he has come into contact with including his parents who are very against him because of this. The others in the Bible study have also come to church with us.

Mark and Bekah Perry came from Westerville Bible Church in August. They even took us away on a short vacation for a couple of days. They brought some neat things for the whole family from their church members. They have a digital camera and while they were here, Mark kept up a daily summary, complete with pictures, of everything that they did. The address on the internet is: http://bigmexicocity.blogspot.com/ To find the pictures of the family and the trip details, check on the older posts section under August.

The church has had very good attendance throughout the summer and fall. We are still very burdened about the salvation of a good number who come faithfully, but have no real fruit of salvation in their lives. The big news is that our church landlord is needing our building again. So we need to move AGAIN! We are all seriously praying about this. Our church would really love a permanent building. There is a building very close to where we are now and it is for sale or rent. This would be a miracle for our church, but we have the God of miracles! Thank you for praying with us!

It seems a constant prayer request is that the Lord would raise up faithful men to lead his church here. We have lost several of the men who were rather faithful in attendance but were not saved. Morgan and Marcos struggle in their spiritual lives. Pray for Nicholas to continue his growth and leadership in his home where no one else is saved. We have three other men who need to grow or be saved.

Mike’s mom has organized a special family reunion in December. She is flying us up for it and the whole family is very very excited. Pray for the church in our absence to grow and to go forward.

Pray for us to be able to finish the house soon in the New Year if the Lord allows. It would be nice to get into the house for the new semester of school. It would be wonderful to move soon so that we can function in a much more organized manner and thus be more useful in the Lord’s service. We do have great news! Ruben and Heidi Zartman are planning to come February 1st to begin a ministry downtown primarily working with street children (orphans from age 4-12 who live on the streets). Even though they will eventually be about 2 hours away from us now, they will be staying in our cabin as they become adjusted and as they seek the proper place to live downtown. We are thrilled as Ruben’s parents were the ones that helped us get adjusted to the city. Now, we pray that their son and his wife will be the first of many future missionaries that we will be able to help become established all over Mexico City. Please pray for them as they make this important move.

Thank you so much for your prayers. We rely on them so much for the Lord’s strength and grace of each day. Your support and love gifts are so much appreciated also. May the Lord give you a wonderful holiday season, a merry Christmas and a Christ-centered new year.

In Christ,
Mike, Faith, Mikey, Cristiana, Carissa, Matthew, and Cherith Goldfuss

A Late (or early) Update-- Depending on How You Look at It

Dear Praying friends,

We did not write an update as things have been very hectic and sometimes overwhelming. It is wonderful to know that "He is the Rock, His work is perfect." Deut. 32:4

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Faithful men.
• Both Marcos and Morgan have been having major struggles in their spiritual lives. They need prayer for victory. This is difficult for us as we have helped them as much as we can help them. They just need to determine to stay in God’s Word and do what it says. This is particularly crucial as they are the only ones that are qualified to preach. They will be preaching in the month of December while we are gone for three weeks to see family. Mike’s family is having a reunion as we have not been back in almost five years—(not including his father’s funeral). His family is paying for the trip so that we can attend. Our little church needs prayer while we are gone. Please pray for much growth in Morgan and Marcos.
• Elsa’s housing situation is difficult. Pray for an inexpensive room close to school to become available for her.
• We have been ministering this week to a family that has recently come from Florida where they lived for eight years. The wife is Mexican and the husband is German. They have six children ranging in ages 8 to 22 and are home-schooled. They were recommended to our church by mutual friends in the States. The whole family visited on Sunday and seemed to be very bored. This was so sad for us as Mike was preaching on the sufficiency of Christ alone and loving Him with all of your heart. They were concerned by the lack of activities for their children and want to go to a very large church of over 4,000 in the north of the city almost two hours away. Through some special opportunities this week, they have shared some real family needs. The oldest son is very ill and needs urgent surgery to remove most of his colon. The second child, 19 and a daughter, just left home and is not speaking to the parents. Pray for us to kindly be able to continue to share that our children do not just need activities—although they can be nice and helpful, but what they need is a personal relationship with Christ Himself.
• Teresa needs prayer as she was left responsible for her 10 month old great-niece, Sara. Teresa’s niece drinks heavily and was abusive--hitting and neglecting the baby. Teresa’s husband could not bear the situation, and even though it was not his family---he brought the baby home to Teresa. We all got baby clothes together (as the baby did not have anything) and just two days ago Teresa took the baby back to her own brother, the baby’s grandfather, to make that family stand up to its responsibility. Pray for little Sara. It is another hard situation. We have prayed with Teresa about the Lord’s will. On one hand, it would be a wonderful opportunity to try to raise that baby in the Lord. And on the other hand, Teresa is in her late 50s with an unsaved husband and all of her family problems. Please continue to pray for the Lord’s perfect will and for Alberto’s salvation.
• Some may remember Itza. He was very faithful the second through the fourth years of the ministry---and even played the piano the whole year that we were on furlough. He is still in the army, but not doing well. His mother asked that Mike go and see him because Itza is now very suicidal. The problem is that he is now located in another city. Please pray for the Lord to work in his life through the problems that he is going through and that his entire family will finally become serious about serving the Lord.
• The landlord of the church wants us to get out of where we are meeting. (This is after we have moved in his building 2 times.) We now have until February. We are trying to teach our people that the Lord has a purpose in everything and not to become upset or angry, but to look at the situation as from the Lord. We are all praying that if it is the Lord’s will that He would give us a permanent building for the church. There is a very nice building not far from us that is for rent or for sale. Our landlord plans to go with some from the church to recommend us as renters. Pray that the Lord would show Himself strong to our little congregation—and that if it is the Lord’s will that he would offer us an unbelievably low price for the building.

PRAISES:

• Erasmo has a new job. This is such an answer to prayer for the Lopez family. They have been attending for four years and up until now ---he has never felt the responsibility to be the main provider for his family. This has been such a struggle for Matilde. Pray that he will remain faithful to his job and thus be a blessing to the church and the Lord’s people.
  The children’s Sunday school class is going very well. There have been between 10-15 children every week. This is such a contrast as earlier this year our children were the only ones who would attend. The mothers could not get their children there that early (11 am)(????) But the Lord has worked in their hearts and they are being faithful. Sarai, Juana, Elsa, Reme, and Faith are all taking turns teaching.
• Church attendance has been between 45-50 people for several weeks now!

Thank you so much for praying, and so sorry for all of the details. It does help to relieve our burden a little; however, to know that you are specifically taking each request to the Lord.

In Christ, Mike, Faith, Mikey, Cristiana, Carissa, Matthew, and Cherith Goldfuss

Prayer Update (November 6)

Dear Praying friends,

Thank you for your prayers this week. I think I have just about all of the addresses again. Thank you so much to those of you who helped with that. Our computer has been really acting up, and that is the reason that we are late again with our update.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Faithful men.
• Marcos and Morgan are going to have several opportunities in December to preach. Pray for them to grow through this.
• The lady, Lilliana, who is not Nichol's wife, but is the father of their four-year-old little girl, doesn't seem to be very thrilled about coming to church. She has accompanied him to church for the last three months--and now seems angry about coming. The ladies of the church are trying to reach out to her. Please pray that she would feel the love of Christ in our midst, and that she would be saved. (Praise: Nichol is really growing and changing! This may be one reason for the resentment felt by Lilliana.)

PRAISES:

• Sra. Silvia and Sra. Teresa both were back today after several weeks away with the death of their mother. Please pray for Teresa to continue to grow and for Silvia to be saved.
• Elsa came today!!!! (Prayer request: Alondra (her sister) and Miguel (Alondra's boyfriend) did not. It certainly seems as though Miguel and Alondra do not want to obey the Lord. They both need to be saved. Miguel is very manipulating and wants Alondra to live with him even though they are not married. Miguel is VERY angry with us for sharing what the Lord says on this subject. Elsa is very confused with all the upheaval in her life. Now that Alondra is going back to Miguel, she cannot pay for her apartment and needs to move again. We were able to spend about four hours with Elsa Sunday afternoon and evening. Pray for her to be faithful in her Christian walk.)
• Vanessa had not been to our Saturday Bible study for about two months. She came back yesterday. She had been living in sin, but we are thankful that she has returned. Pray that she will be saved.
• Sr. Hector seems to be having his eyes open to false teaching from a former church! Two weeks ago he did not come back because he was mad at some things Mike needed to say to him from God's Word. Yet, the Lord began working on him---and he has returned both last week and this week. Last week in Sunday school he publically apologized for being very angry and said that he felt the Lord was showing him the truth, but that it is hard to accept.
• Our three oldest children have been witnessing to the sister of our neighbor who came up here to visit but she just happens to live by our church. She has been reading her Bible, but says that she doesn't understand it. Pray that the Sra. Berna will come and be saved.

Thank you so much for praying,

In Christ, Mike, Faith, Mikey, Cristiana, Carissa, Matthew, and Cherith Goldfuss