Marina Evangelism
 
Richard’s evangelistic ministry along the Cabo San Lucas Marina continues to bear fruit. The number of ‘hawkers’ fighting for the business of everyone who appears to be a tourist, or appears not to be a local resident, is down this time of year. Even though the numbers are way down, though, Richard is still having at least one good contact each week as he banters with the salesmen. By this time in the year, many of the salespeople are aware that he is a pastor, but because of the turnover in where these on-site salespeople are assigned, there is still the possibility of finding someone who has never talked with him, and because tourists are sparse this time of year, even those who are aware of his method of evangelism will strike up a conversation out of boredom.

We were able to provide bibles for several of his contacts this quarter, and were able to fulfil a request for a devotional one man specifically asked for. Even when there is not much conversation with some of the hawkers, Richard hands out one of our New Life Outreach tracts, “Jesus Took Me to the Cross with Him” (with Spanish and English versions). When all is said and done, we never know the impression that just contact with a Christian as winsome and straightforward as Richard might have on the population that gathers at the Cabo San Lucas Marina.
 

Continued Ministry; 2021 Christmas Family
 
We have shared before that the families of two of our daughters have donated the amount of money that Richard and I would normally spend on them for Christmas to the ‘Christmas Family of the Year’ (Due to the home going of my brother at the end of November of 2021, our Christmas Family for 2021 was not celebrated until the beginning of 2022).

The most recent family consists of a mother, Magdalena, who was abandoned by her husband just eight months ago. We know Magdalena and her family well, and they have been an integral part of the ministry of Cristo es el Camino Church for as long as we can remember. This abandonment by her husband has left Magdalena and her two children with no regular source of income, and only a small room off the ‘home’ of her brother.

When another one of our daughters and her family heard about Magdalena’s struggle, her family donated enough for Magdalena’s family to receive enough money every month to provide food for the family.

We want to thank our daughters and their families for their concern for this family. We also want to thank every one of you who continually give to the ministry of New Life Outreach. We continue to pray for a spiritual outpouring for the Municipality of Los Cabos, and reach out with various programming and evangelical outreaches.

Our Heavenly Father loves the people of Los Cabos, as well as all of Mexico; and He has a plan for their spiritual freedom!
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From the time the Lord called us to Los Cabos in January of 2010 until now, Richard and I have prayed and sought for the beginning of a Christian Businessmen’s Association in Los Cabos. We envisioned an association whose goal was to change the spiritual climate of the city, as well as to help with humanitarian projects.

A group of like-minded Christian businessmen is especially important for Los Cabos, Mexico. A common phrase that is used in reference to Los Cabos is that it has a “revolving door.” In other words, people come and go, and friendships of any duration are hard to find and/or maintain. Ministry outside of the church walls is very difficult.

After much prayer and much effort, the beginning of the fulfillment of this vision has finally begun. Shortly before the beginning of the Covid-19 restrictions in 2020, a friend of ours, Dave Limpert, and one of his close friends, Dereck Fullmer, approached Richard with an opportunity to be the ‘point man’ for a branch of Kingdom Builders―Convergence in the Municipality of Los Cabos. The two of them had been a part of a small group men’s ministry in the state of Colorado, from where the name originated. Derrick has a vision to spread groups similar to theirs in other parts of the world, as well as in other areas of the United States. They currently have group ‘plants’ in four other cities besides Los Cabos.

What makes Kingdom Builders distinct from what we would think a Christian Businessmen’s Association would be like, is that the groups are kept small (6 to 12 men) and are by ‘invitation only.’ The original core group of men recommend Christian friends or acquaintances of theirs who they feel would be a good fit for the group and invitations are given. The purpose of the group is to be a group of influential men in their city who are in a position to promote initiatives that will affect the spiritual climate of the city, as well as to finance programs intended to enhance the quality of life for the people there. They meet weekly for bible study and prayer in a completely confidential setting where they are able to share their hearts and/or prayer requests with other likeminded Christian men.

Just in case you are wondering where a missionary from rural Michigan fits into this program, Richard was chosen as the point man for Los Cabos because of his character, ‘pastoral care’ personality, and years of intense ministry in the Los Cabos area. Richard is taking this position very seriously. He has been praying fervently over the program and for the prayer needs of the men. He is passionate about the weekly bible studies and works hard to bring forth specifically what the men need. Richard’s motto for the group in Los Cabos is, “Manifesting God’s kingdom through convergence to Christian business leaders and influencers in Cabo San Lucas.”

This group is just the beginning of our vision for Los Cabos because of the makeup of this particular group of men. However, Richard can envision this group as the core group of leaders for an open-invitation Christian business association for our municipality.
 
Please pray for these men and their spouses (the current format includes “social” events with their spouses). Please pray for protection, continued bonding, and continued faithfulness to the bible study group. This may not seem to be on the top of the list of needs for Los Cabos, but after praying for the area for over ten years, as well as having presented this need for many years, I can tell you that the enemy of our souls does not want this to thrive.
May the Lord bless and care for each one of you who support us in any way! 

Richard has had the desire to start a men’s discipleship group in our home for some time, but because of several factors―one being that we have not had an available space in our small condo complex―this had not come to pass. However, just recently, a space became available.

Richard’s passion has not been for just any men’s discipleship group, but for a well-trained group of men equipped with the fullness of the Spirit; men operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He was so excited, he couldn’t decide on one men’s bible study, but used the material from two different men’s studies. His passion is to train men to be spiritual warriors, with the knowledge and power of the Holy Spirit that they will be able to battle against an unseen enemy. For this reason, the first study was “Every Man a Warrior” by Andrew Wommack and Don Krow.

The men that turned out were not the “snow bird” or retirement population, but these men are men―many with families―who are working full time. Nonetheless, the men that came were extremely hungry and have worked hard on the homework from the two bible studies. Not only were they hungry, but many of them were still present after two and a half hours of study and prayer!  The first session is over, but Richard and the men are looking forward to session two.

We do have one sad note to report. One of the men―Tony Franklin―whom we have been friends with for several years and was passionately involved in the study went to be with the Lord on June 20th. Tony and his family were on a short vacation in Loreto, BCS, Mexico when Tony passed during the night from heart-failure at age 46. The family shared with us several special events that happened just before Tony went home. It was as if the Lord was highlighting the beauty of His creation just before He called Tony home.
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Please continue to pray for his wife, Esha, and their four teenage children for the transition from this totally unexpected home going. 

Near the end of May, Pastor Carlos Maciel, senior pastor of the Cristo es el Camino churches, was able to get another 2-day permit for a crusade in the Colonia (neighborhood) of Las Palmas. A previous blog shared the excitement of being able to have our first, post-Covid-19 crusade at this same location.

This crusade was not nearly as successful as the first. There were strong winds during the two nights that were planned for the crusade. Pastor Carlos decided not to take the risk of putting up the tent and take a chance it would come down on the people. This particular location is a wide open, flat field/bus parking lot, and isn’t located close enough to the commercial areas to get the attention of the surrounding neighborhood without the presence of a tent.

Even with this disappointment, it was only the second time since Covid-19 that the ‘missions’ and churches that make up the Cristo es el Camino congregation could meet together. It was also the first time that communion was taken by the congregation since before Covid-19.
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There was good music, worship, and preaching, and we never know who in the crowd, or standing in the outskirts, might have been touched in some way by the ministry of the Spirit of God in that flat field, on a chilly, windy night.
Please continue to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Los Cabos, and please don’t forget that all of you, who support us in any way, will share in the reward of what God is doing through New Life Outreach at the tip of the Baja Peninsula.

Near the end of March, the Cristo es el Camino Church finally received authorization to hold a two-day event in the Colonia (neighborhood) of Las Palmas! For those of you who follow our newsletters and blogs, you might remember the name of this neighborhood from several years ago. Pastor Carlos Maciel and his magnificent team of workers started a Bible study in the home of one of their attendees who lived in Las Palmas. From that Bible study, the church branched out to having services in a ‘relatively’ empty lot not too far from the home where the Bible study was. Our ministry paid the rent up front for several months for this church start. However, when the owner found out that Pastor Carlos had ‘Gringo’ money behind him, the rent was tripled.

At the same time, the satanic influence in the area was at work, resulting in the enemy gaining a foothold in one of the family members of one of the first families committed to the church plant. As we prayer walked the area, we were told by other Christians about the heavy presence of practicing witches in the area; and one day Pastor Carlos and I had a significant encounter. One of the area witches, who we had identified and seen several times as we prayer walked, confronted the two of us. She glared with her dark eyes at Pastor Carlos and me and snarled, “Many (in reference to Christians trying to make an influence) come, but they all go.” Shortly after that is when the foundation of the work started to crumble.

A handful of times, throughout the passing years, I have brought up the words of that witch to Pastor Carlos. He remembered that day as well, and was also grieved by her scorn, but at the end of March, Pastor Carlos planned his first Post-Covid-19 crusade in Las Palmas. Since governmental Covid-19 restrictions had just been lifted, only a handful of flyers (relative to their usual canvassing) was handed out for this two day event. It started on Saturday evening, continuing with a free breakfast for the neighborhood on Sunday morning, and then Sunday evening was the closing service for this outreach.

This event was a glorious reunion for this congregation! The Cristo es el Camino Church family had been maintaining contact via WhatsApp for almost two years. During that time, they started with ‘family altars,’ then meeting with just a few families in homes or their small missions; until finally being able to have a limited number of people―which necessitated several services―in their churches and missions. This crusade was definitely a ‘coming out party!’

Enjoy the pictures and please don’t forget to pray for Cristo es el Camino Churches’ many activities.

Many of you are probably now familiar with this annual tradition, which started several years ago when the families of two of our daughters chose to have us use the money that we would spend on their families for Christmas to donate towards a ‘special Christmas’ treat for a specific family in Cabo San Lucas. Due to an extended family emergency (don’t worry, all is well), we were unable to schedule this year’s family before Christmas.  We were able to bless this year’s family and enjoy a day together, though, after the first of the year.

Pastor Carlos helped us choose the family for 2021. We have known Magdalena and her family for several years. She is one of the praise dancers for Cristo es el Camino Church’s special services and she and her children play a very active role in many activities. Eight months before we took the family out for shopping and dinner, Magdalena was abandoned by her husband and is now living in a make-shift room off of her brother’s house. Her only income is selling used clothing in front of where they currently live. When we asked her what she and the children needed most, she quietly said “food” (and that wasn’t false humility).

The family had a fabulous time shopping, and they were very careful about what they spent their money on. They happily bought items that were more on the side of ‘necessities.’ We brought Richard’s former ‘mentee’ Brayan with us as an interpreter (for the hard questions), and enjoyed a great dinner at Campestre, one of our favorite restaurants.

Since we know that all of you are generous givers―before you send me emails and texts―we do want you to know that we did give Magdalena cash for food, on top of the usual Christmas celebration amount. 
Please pray for this special family: Magdalena, 11-year-old Arturo and 9-year-old Itzayana.

May the Lord bless all of you!

For those of you who faithfully follow our blogs and quarterly newsletters, you are now very familiar with Cristo es el Camino’s annual celebration of “Festiniños, La Gran Aventura.” We have been honored to sponsor the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child ‘shoe boxes’ since 2014. If you are not familiar with this fabulous ministry outreach, please check out the previous blogs on our website where we have shared extensive information about Operation Christmas Child; including last year’s June 1 blog.
This year, I am going to report on this valuable annual program a little differently—with a picture presentation. Due to the final Covid-19 restrictions, this year’s celebrations were held at four different Christo es el Camino churches/missions. For those of you who follow our ministry in Los Cabos, you will certainly recognize these locations.

Tierra y Libertad Church
This church is in the colonia of Tierra y Libertad and for some time has been used as the “Mother Church” for Pastor Carlos Maciel’s flock. We originally purchased the “right to squat” on the two lots this church has been progressively built on.
 

Lomas del Sol Church
This smaller church is where we started in 2011. This was our first building project for Cristo es el Camino Church.
 

Valle del Cabo Church
This is the second major building project for the Cristo es el Camino church family. From its humble beginnings, this church has also been a work-in-progress.
 
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Caribe Mission
This location is a small building next to the leader’s home, and has been used more like what we would think of in the United States as a home group. This location is currently under reconstruction.

I hope you enjoyed this year’s reporting of the graduation party known as Festiniños, La Gran Aventura. As always, we covet your continual prayers over what God is doing in Los Cabos, Mexico. We have only been able to minister here these last eleven years because of each one of you. May the Lord bless you and keep you!

For any of you who have visited us in Los Cabos, or for those of you who follow our blogs, these pictures of Manuel and Norma should bring back fond memories of this dear couple.

Manuel and Norma moved from mainland Mexico seven years ago so that Manuel could find work in the hotel industry. Due to Los Cabos’ ever-expanding hotel industry, along with the blessing of the Lord upon our security, nationals are continually arriving in hope of finding work in our tourist industry. Manuel and Norma’s story has a unique twist, though. Manuel came to find work in order to send as much money as possible back to their city to build a church building for their church family there. In fact, the two of them lived well below their means in order to save as much money as possible to send home.

We have worked beside them during their seven years in Los Cabos. They have worked tirelessly and unselfishly. They are a joy to be around—even in trying circumstances. Their Christ-like character radiates from their sweet smiles.
We were saddened to hear they were ready to return back to the mainland to help finish the work on the church building that they have faithfully funded, but we also knew they were ready and anxious to return to their hometown. We celebrated their departure with a farewell dinner. We also sent them with a cash gift for expenses along the way.

There is one special prayer request we have for this couple: They have been trying to start a family for as long as we have known them. Please pray for the desire of their heart to come to pass! 

Since 2014, when Cabo San Lucas was literally torn to pieces by Hurricane Odile, our Cristo es el Camino churches have been blessed at Christmastime with Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes. The program includes professionally, well-done material that teaches children all they need to know to make a decision to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior by the end of the required lessons. They also receive their own Bible at the graduation celebration. Through the years, many of the family members of these participating children have received the Lord as a result of this program, as well.

This year was a dual blessing. The children were able to gather together again for Sunday School, so this year the Samaritan’s Purse material was used during their normal Sunday morning Sunday School time. As you can see, the children really enjoy this time of training each week.
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For those of you who might not be familiar with Operation Christmas Child, look it up on the internet and enjoy reading about an amazing program with amazing results!

Just before going home for Christmas, the 8:00 a.m. Patriotic Ceremony in the San Jose del Cabo town square in front of the Presidential Palace resumed (this is the name for the building the mayor’s office is in).

We have blogged on different, notable events at this weekly ceremony before, but the significance of this particular program was the excitement of a bit of normalcy returning to our municipality!

Please continue to pray for the Spirit of God to sweep over the Municipality of Los Cabos (which includes San Jose del Cabo, Cabo San Lucas, as well as several nearby, smaller cities).
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Enjoy the pictures! This ceremony is always a patriotic inspiration.