Lots has been happening here which is why we have not gotten a prayer update out for a couple of weeks. Thank you for continuing to pray for us. We greatly need your prayers.
The past three Sundays we have been blessed to have a new family. Jesus, Analilia and their three young children have been attending. They have come from a Catholic church. We don't get many families who come straight from a Catholic church. Jesus' father moved up to the north of the city in the past several years and attends a church that had some contact with another missionary that we know. The father gave his son the address of our church and they have been coming. What an incredible God we serve. We are not allowed to have a sign up for our church, but in spite of that, we see God's providence constantly here. This family's thirst for the Word of God is truly evident. They are thrilled to be able to begin to study the Bible. What amazes us is how the Lord has been preparing them.
Jesus is 36 years old and hasn't been able to work for the last 6 years. He is in tremendous pain with arthritis and needs both hips and knees replaced. His first hip replacement is scheduled for March 14, so please be in prayer for him and his family. We were able to have them for dinner yesterday and we were able to regive them the Gospel clearly. They have been taking the CD's of the messages at church and have been listening to them over and over. I'm enclosing a picture of their family.
While getting to know their family, the impact of their situation and their desperate need for Christ was overwhelming. They have 5 children. The 10 year old girl and the 8 year old girl are now living with relatives in Acapulco---(over 3 hours away) because they just cannot take care of them with all the physical needs that Jesus has. Their little baby boy, also Jesus, was just born two months ago and Analilia spends her time trying to care for the baby, two year old Sandra, and the five year old Brenda. She also has to care for Jesus and help him with his walking. BUT wait---there is even more. She also has epileptic seizures. SOOO Jesus must go everywhere with her. She cannot be alone. Going shopping and taking the five year old to school every day are great painful trips for Jesus. We have offered them our cabin for Jesus' recovery time. Please pray that if it is the Lord's will, they will accept. Faith can help with his nursing care---while our Cristi and Carissa can help with their little girls. We just really feel that this trial may be more than they can handle without immediate family to help. All family lives far away and cannot help them at this time. Please pray for more opportunities like this where we could show them the love of Christ. Please also pray for their salvation.Martha continues to struggle with many situations, but the Lord's grace is very evidently abundant in her life. Her supervisor at the hospital made her give a wrong medicine to a little baby. She was very close to losing her job. She faces temptation in her job from other men and her attitude has constantly been one of seeking to please the Lord. Her father is close to dying. Her husband hates her and has been making her life miserable. To top things off, her health has been very poor. Just last week though they ruled out cancer, so she is praising the Lord for that blessing. She shared that daily she struggles with anger against her husband for being so mean to her. She was so angry that she picked up a potted plant, took it out of the pot that it was in and was ready to throw all of the dirt all over her husband's car. When she held it up over her head, the dirt fell all over her! She said, "Ok, Lord, he does not know the truth like I do." She said for the first time she has real hope that the Lord can save her husband. Please pray for her.
Since Marta has to leave normally right after SS, she isn't able to hear the messages. I try to save my messages for her and give them to her the next week. After SS yesterday, I gave her three messages from the past several weeks. As we finished our last hymn and I was getting ready to preach, I could not find my message. I immediately realized that I was in trouble--I had given Marta several previous weeks' messages but also YESTERDAY'S MESSAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In a panic, I realized I couldn't go home for it--that would be an hour round trip. I just decided that I would have to do it without my notes. I supposed it would be rather brief--about 20 minutes or so. I make up the bulletin with blanks for the main points and other important thoughts. The Lord allowed me to remember every point and even the examples. The message was the normal time--just over an hour. :-) People have been seeking to put into practice many of the principles for their families and it is a blessing to see.
Praise the LORD!!
Many of you have prayed in the past for Fernando. He is 35 and has come off and on for about six years. The "christian church" he is from does not believe that Jesus is God and he has chafed at that in our church for several years. He has come back again for four weeks now. Last week I was able to have a good talk with him and let him know that if he is interested in coming to learn God's Word, he is welcome in our church, but his talking to others about his false doctrine cannot be tolerated. He mentioned last week that the reason he's left the other church is because the "pastor's" day-by-day living does not match up with what he teaches. Pray that he really will see the differences and that he will depend totally on Christ to save him from his sins.
Erasmo and Matilde have closed their taco stand. They are having some problems getting his old taxi back and ready to work again. They missed yesterday as they had to go to another state to get some official papers for their car. Please pray for their spiritual condition.
Manuel and Maricela lived with us for a number of months about 5 years ago. They stopped attending about 4 years ago, but have recently come back to several services. Pray for them to truly be saved.
Memo is taking real leadership of his home. So is Jose. Pray for these men.
We are planning an Easter Sunrise Service at our home. It will be EARLY and with a breakfast to follow. Please pray that a great number of people will be able to come and that we will have even more opportunities to share that our Savior LIVES.
Last Saturday we had our monthly young peoples' meeting. We went to a mountain where the whole side is volcanic sand. It was extremely windy and the wind kicked up the sand and really had some bite. I've enclosed a couple of pictures from that also.
Thank you SO much for your prayers,
We need them and greatly appreciate them. We depend on them.
In Christ,
Mike for all the Goldfi
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