Wednesday in Pátzcuaro

Today was a relatively slow day in terms of visitations, but there
were 9 professions of faith, including 4 from the evening service
during which Lila talked about the Great Commission in Matthew 28.
Thankfully, it seems that God has provided a lot for us to do
tomorrow.

Thank you for your prayers!

Tuesday in Pátzcuaro

One remarkable thing to mention at this point in the trip is the story of what God has done with Claudia. It was she and her
husband who came forward in profession of faith on Sunday night.  Since
then, she has been an absolute warrior for Christ, taking us to share
with her parents, aunts, and neighbors.

Monday in Pátzcuaro

The pastor initially informed the 3 of us this morning at breakfast that we had only 25 appointments for the week (that is an average of less than 2 appointments per weekday for each international participant). I was very concerned at the time, but God has done marvelous things today to open avenues to share the gospel, and I am trusting in Him for what remains to come this week.  Please pray for God to continue bringing more opportunities, and for all involved to be good stewards of the time He has given us to labor together here together in Pátzcuaro for the sake of Christ and the Gospel.

The 3 of us split ways this afternoon.  Paul and Lila went with the pastor's daughter to the town of Ihuatzio where they visited the aunt and grandmother of a church member.

I went with Pastor Davíd to a center for rehabilitation of alcoholics and drug addicts.  There God gave me the opportunity to share my testimony with a group of at least 20 men.  Despite the contrary tone set by one outspoken man, about 5 of the men openly indicated that they now believe that Jesus Christ has saved them from their sins after calling out to God in a prayer of repentance and faith in Jesus  as their Savior.

The man who came forward at the service last night came forward with his wife.  I did not learn until today that both of them made professions of faith that day.  Tonight we went in with them to visit the wife's parents.  Paul shared his personal testimony and I translated with the help of the pastor who also knows some English.  After walking them through some questions, some scriptures, and a prayer, both of the parents put their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.  Tears ran down the mother's face.  It was so wonderful to see the two new believers from Sunday there along with us, and hear the man rejoice about his in-laws' new faith.

Praise God that He is doing here in Mexico what seemed impossible.  I too started to be concerned after talking with the local believers that many of the people here might be too hardened in empty religion to be reachable.  God has again proven Himself mighty to save beyond all human comprehension.  He continues to be faithful, and even when our faith is weak.  I believe that prayer has an enormous role in this miraculous work of God, and I want to thank you for all of your prayers.

Sunday in Pátzcuaro

I want to thank my family and friends for your prayers. Thank you so much!

Paul, Lila (from Venezuela), and I are here in Pátzcuaro for the week.
It is a town of immense culture and unique beauty.  It has an
altitude of over 7,100 ft., compared with Denver at 5,280.

There is much tourism here, particularly this time a year, as
Pátzcuaro is known around the world for its special attention to the
observance of the Day of the Dead, a holiday in Spanish speaking
countries that is similar in concept to Memorial day, but often
appears a lot more like Halloween and is celebrated the day after
(11/1), primarily by Catholics.

Paul preached at this morning's service on Who Jesus Is (Matthew
16:13-20), and a man in the front made a profession of faith at the
end of the message.

I am planning to speak at the service this evening.  My hope is to
share what God has done elsewhere on these projects and encourage them
for the coming week in which we will be visiting their friends and
family members who are lost.

Opening Rally Day in Morelia

We are all here in the city of Morelia, the capital of the state of Michoacán, for the opening rally.  The city is amazingly clean and filled with beautiful old architecture, including large cathedrals and an old, tall stone aqueduct running through the downtown area.  The city is bustling with people doing all sorts of activities.

We stayed last night in the Hotel Las Americas.  This morning, we went from there to one of the churches in Morelia that is participating, something Divino Baptist, and there we had breakfast. The opening rally was to be held there at 3pm.

Local IMB missionary assured us this area is pretty safe.  Said that teens had came recently from the U.S. and stayed out till 2am.

Before lunch, 5 of us, including Paul, Sergio and I, decided to take a walk from the church into the city before the opening rally that was to happen there at 3pm.

We met a guy named Adam at a major plaza.  He was from England originally, and we found him as he was sitting on a bench playing guitar and singing in English.  After videoing him I gave him a small tip and we started talking to him.  He asked where we were all from and what we were doing.  He mentioned he is Jewish and stated that people didn't like the Jews, particularly in Europe.  I sat down on the bench with him as we were talking.  I asked him since he was a Jew if he believed in the Messiah.  Turns out he was unsure about anything, and he had a lot to say.  Although he seemed disturbed or troubled in some way, and possibly ill, he also seemed very intellectual.  He claimed to have read the gospels and he demonstrated knowledge of them.  He believed there is truth in the Bible, but said he had found things that he felt didn't add up, like Jesus saying you had to hate your mother and your father.  We tried to address his concern, we shared our faith with him.  He said he wanted to trust in Jesus but he needed to do some more searching first so that his decision came from the right place, a genuine faith.  Sergio led him in a prayer.  We are not sure where his heart is now.  However he came back and had a meal with us at the church before leaving for a concert he was playing in.  While there he conversed with a leading lady at the church about coming to church and also helping this week as a translator.  They even exchanged contact info.  Turns out he lives very near the church though we met him quite far from it.

Met the pastor of the church that Paul and I are going to work with in the city of Pátzcuaro, about 40 minute drive from Morelia. We went with Pastor Dávid after the rally to Pátzcuaro. This town is amazing. Turns out that it is a tourist location, and it is absolutely filled with rich beauty and culture. Paul and I were very blessed to be sent here. The pastor showed us around the town. Out hotel, his church, and the 3 plazas where all the activity is are all within walking distance downtown. It is like being in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, but with even more culture.

Prayer Needed for the Trip to Mexico

We are leaving Friday for the mission trip to Mexico. I would like to ask family, friends, and fellow believers to please partner with me in prayer, both this week and in the coming week of the trip.

Please pray for the trip. Please pray that God will:
1) prepare the churches there for His work
2) prepare the hearts of the people that we will be reaching-out to
3) prepare those of us who are going as His witnesses
4) give each us a spirit of love, humility, kindness, patience, and peace
5) put the truth of the Gospel on our lips and keep us from preaching any falsehood
6) work in a mighty way through this trip and bring salvation to many

I have a few special prayer needs of my own. Prepare pray for me that God will:
1) let me go without anxiety about what needs to be finished at work
2) prepare the message(s) for me to share if I am asked to speak at a service
3) let my kids be on their best behavior for their mother while I'm away
4) give me peace, clarity, and assurance for the doing of His work on this trip
5) keep me focused faithfully on Him and on showing love to everyone I encounter
6) keep me from losing anything (i.e. passport)

Thank you so very much for your prayers. They really are very important. I believe that God will hear them, and they will make a difference.

In Christ,

Kris

I decided to make a commitment to go to Mexico with International Commission in October of this year. I feel like God has really opened the door for me to go. I mentioned the trip to Stacy and she said, "Put it on your calendar." My wife's eager support and her peace with it was a real confirmation for me.

The coordinator is a man named Bob, who served in the same city that Lynn and I did when we were all in Venezuela together on a previous project with IC.

This trip is to the state of Michoacán, in the southwestern part of Mexico. Bob says that they may need me in one of two cities: Tumbiscatío or Zacapu.

Tumbiscatío


Zacapu


Please pray for this project, and for my role as a participant. Please pray that God will prepare the people there in Mexico to hear the message that He has for them, and that he will prepare me to serve Him faithfully on this project in whatever He may have planned.