Our friend Chris—a member of Richard’s Kingdom Builders group, as well as a board member of the Los Cabos Children’s Foundation—recently invited active Kingdom Builders and their wives to the foundation’s annual fundraiser/gala. The event was hosted by the relatively new Solaz Los Cabos Resort on the tourist corridor between San Lucas and San Jose. This event was probably the most lavish and beautiful event we have ever attended. It was an incredible fundraiser, and because of Chris’ generosity, a ‘new frontier’ was opened before us. All we can say is, “Thank you Chris!”

A New Frontier
For most of my life, I was of the persuasion that if an organization was not Christ-centered, I certainly did not want to be involved in it. This didn’t mean that all ‘non-Christian’ groups were bad, but since there are only so many hours in a day, I would concentrate on working with organizations where a relationship with Jesus Christ would be the main emphasis. Although this is still the case, scripture is clear about Christians needing the positive characteristics of “salt” (Matthew 5:17) and “light” (Matthew 5:14) in this dark, unsavory world.

On the day before the banquet, Richard took part in a tour of two of the ministries that are supported by the foundation. The first stop was Casa Hogar—the large, successful orphanage/youth home that was featured in the movie Blue Miracle. This facility is directed by a dear friend of ours from Cabo Church, Jason Stirrup. The second ministry toured was Rame, a day-facility used to train children and younger adults with severe incapacities—such as Autism, Downs Syndrome, Microcephalia, and other such disabilities—practical skills for everyday life. This group learning center also makes soaps and candles, which are sold to help offset the expenses of the program.

The last and most expensive initiative supported by the foundation is for heart defect surgeries. These surgeries take place at the children’s hospital in La Paz. Heart defects are prevalent in Hispanic children, but especially in children under twelve in the southern Baja area. This group of children will usually die before age twelve without medical intervention. The foundation also funds treatment for many more maladies that would either lead to the children being handicapped or to death.

The Handshake
This last paragraph may seem totally off subject, but this is a very important part of New Life Outreach’s possible involvement with The Los Cabos Children’s Foundation. During our weekly prayer team time, one of our intercessors told us to be on the lookout for a “special handshake.” What this meant to us, was that there would be an important introduction to someone attending the evening’s event. Richard and I take “words of knowledge” (I Corinthians 12:8) very seriously and we were ‘watching and waiting’ for that ‘handshake’ the entire evening. Then it happened; Richard was introduced to a man connected to the Municipality of Los Cabos mayor’s office, who could possibly be a connection to getting the Avanza sin Tranza program started again. We had finally found the ‘handshake’ just as we were dismissed from the dinner. But then—as Richard and I were leaving the washroom near the valet parking service, Richard started talking to an older gentleman who has been involved in the foundation for many years, and this became ‘handshake #2.’ Last, but not least, this gentleman introduced us to a couple who were just walking up to him. The couple had recently moved to Grand Rapids, MI (our home town airport). This was a third ‘handshake’—just as our car was pulling up.

On our way home from the gala, as Richard and I shared our impressions of the evening, we realized the Lord might have us volunteer someday at one of the foundation’s initiatives, and we can assure all of our faithful supporters that we will be “salt” and “light” wherever we go!

Kingdom Builders Advance
Although this group is small and in the embryonic stage, several of the goals that we have had since moving to Los Cabos in 2012, now have the possibility of coming to fruition through the contacts these men have. As the point man, Richard still holds a weekly Bible study on Wednesday mornings, and of course, every group needs its own chat for communication needs. This is exceptionally important for this group since its members are often traveling outside of Los Cabos.

I do have one fun note to share... When one of the members found out we were going to Honolulu for the TOW Annual Conference, he asked Richard if he could schedule a lunch date for us so that we could meet with a businessman from Honolulu. Our friend from Kingdom Builders was communicating with this gentleman and wanted Richard and I to meet this man in order to get a ‘download’ on what we thought of his character, as well as the property that he represented. With only two extra days before we would be busy from morning to night at the conference, I wondered if Richard could possibly get an appointment with this man in such a short time, but the gentlemen quickly returned Richard’s call and we were able to meet with him before the start of the conference. We didn’t have a rental car, but our contact kindly picked us up from our hotel. We had a very enjoyable meeting, and went away with what our friend in Cabo had asked for. Mission Accomplished (and just in case you’re wondering—he was a wonderful young man)!
 
A Surge in Personal Ministry
Richard and I have been involved in one-on-one counseling, mentoring, and personal prayer ministry for at least thirty-six years. The requests for our services, though, have recently increased greatly. We are getting the usual requests for deliverance from debilitating habits, for prayer and counseling for emotional and mental problems, and for family counseling. We are also being brought in to help with some ‘not-so-common areas.’

We are certainly thankful that we have been prepared to ‘set the captives free’ in areas that are not necessarily a part of ‘normal’ Christian ‘counseling’ and/or prayer. We are also blessed that years of ministry in Los Cabos have resulted in people having confidence in how the Lord uses us to help others towards personal freedom and Christian maturity.
 
Jesus Under the Big Top!
A New Strategy
For those of you who may not know what Pastor Carlos Maciel’s God-given vision for Los Cabos is, it hasn’t changed since we first met him in 2010. His vision―from the beginning in Los Cabos―has been “to light little fires all over the barrios until the flames of the Holy Spirit join into a powerful move of God.”

Before Covid-19 restrictions took place, we came alongside Pastor Carlos’ vision―helping when we could―to build these ‘fires’ in different communities in the barrios. At that time, he was obtaining city permits for a different ‘colonial’ (neighborhood) each month—in order to have a ‘family day outreach’ on Saturdays during the day, with evening evangelistic crusades on Saturday and/or Sunday evening(s).

For the past several months now, though, he has set his sights higher. He has received permission from the local Assembly of God leadership to use the denomination’s tent that holds between four and five hundred people (although we have not had that number in attendance yet). He started out working the Tres Mesas area. There is a very large, flat area in Tres Mesas where he has permission to erect the tent for services and outreach (this is the tent pictured in previous blogs).

Just recently, the local circus happened to set up in the same flat area where Cristo es el Camino has been putting up the tent from the Assembly of God. In true visionary form, Pastor Carlos walked outside the Assembly of God tent, and—looking at the much larger circus tent next to him (this tent holds between 700 and 800 people)—He asked the Lord, “Why does the circus get to have a large tent like that and your people have one much smaller?” He then determined that he would go over to the owner of the circus tent the next morning and ask where such a tent could be purchased. The man looked at him and said, “The timing of the Lord is perfect.” I will sell you this one. He set the selling price at $80,000 pesos, which is currently around $4,100.00 USD.

Over the years, many of you who faithfully follow our ministry have asked us to let you know if there is something special you could purchase for our work in the barrios of Los Cabos―especially for Pastor Carlos and Cristo es el Camino. The circus is purchasing a new tent, so we will have to buy or make new stakes for the large tent (Richard is already thinking of what we will need).

If any of you are interested in donating towards this project, please let Richard or I know, and we will discuss the details with you!
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Thank-you for all of your prayers and for the support of what the Lord has honored us to do in Los Cabos! Please continue to pray for all that the Lord lays on your heart.

Before we continue reporting on this great night, I do have to make one correction. I have been reporting on the tent meetings that Cristo es el Camino (Jesus is the Way) Church has been having, as being located in the community of Las Palmas, but, as I just recently found out, the property that Pastor Carlos’ extended church family has been praying over and having outreaches on is actually known as Tres Mesas (Three Plateaus).

Five of our largest Assembly of God churches gathered under the large tent that Pastor Carlos has been using for special meetings. Actually, the tent is owned by the Assembly of God denomination and has been ‘on loan’ for Pastor Carlos’ use. The Tres Mesas area and the Assembly of God tent were chosen for this gathering.

They had one of their seasoned pastors, Pastor Jose Montoya of Bet San Assembly of God in San Jose del Cabo (the city on the northern end of our tourist corridor), as their main speaker. What was special about this event, though, was that the senior pastors from the remaining four churches formed a panel to answer questions about the Bible and/or Christian living. This opportunity was greatly appreciated by those in attendance.
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This event also featured handing out food for the needy and included children’s ministry mini-tents. We may never know how many people were touched by this program. Whether through receiving Christ into their lives as Savior, being touched by the Holy Spirit in a special way, or just having fun; this night at Tres Mesas was definitely worth the effort of those who worked tirelessly putting it together.

We have been blessed to attend the annual Transform Our World Conference for several years―that is until the Covid-19 interruption. Our ministry board graciously includes the estimated cost of the annual Transform our World conference in our ministry budget. In fact, we were looking so forward to attending the annual conference in 2020 that we had already paid for that year’s conference before it had to be canceled. The same thing happened in 2021.
 
This brings us to the spring of 2022. The announcement came that this year’s conference was going to be held in the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu, Hawaii; right on Waikiki Beach! God does work all things together for good! The Hilton Hawaiian Village was chosen as the venue in honor of architect and pastor, Francis Oda. Francis has been with TOW for many years and this year’s conference showcased his design. The layout of the hotel includes several tall towers with rooms, along with everything you would need for a small ‘resort’ village surrounding the towers; all of this is spread along Waikiki Beach. One of the features we liked best was that the local residents were able to get passes for free parking at Waikiki (whereas it would have been $51 a day for us to have parked a rental car on the premises). They have fireworks on the beach every Friday night, and it was such a great experience to walk around with the local people, as well as with those who were staying at the hotel. It was also the closest that either Richard or I had been to the ‘repercussions’ from fireworks.
 
On the Monday night before the conference officially kicked off, the TOW Conference team hosted a free luau for any ‘early attendees’ at another one of Francis Oda’s newest designs; the Henry and Jeanette Weinberg Center. There is no parking available there, so three large tour busses full of attendees loaded up at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for the ride to the venue. This property had been a rundown building that had been used by fishermen to keep their nets in—even though it is snuggled between Waikiki Beach and an inlet for smaller commercial boats. The property had turned into a hangout for those on abusing substances. It had definitely become an eyesore. Francis’ was approached to envision a ‘redo’ for the property and the result was amazing.
 
The luau was wonderful and included entertainment by a well-known Christian singer. Volunteers from several of the local churches treated us like royalty, including serving four different types of local entrees and local desserts. This luau was definitely one of the highlights of the conference!
 
There is so much more to share from five days of teaching, from the speakers, as well as from the rich fellowship with other attendees. Nonetheless, I will end with just one more highlight—part of the story of the history of Christianity in the Hawaiian Islands...
At one time in the history of Hawaii, it was a Christian nation. In fact, throughout the conference we were reminded that “Aloha” represented the breath of God. The Hawaiian people would great each other with Aloha. They would put their foreheads together and breathe the ‘breath of God’ into the mouth of the one they were greeting (they obviously were not germ-conscious in the early days). They were literally blowing the ‘breath of God’ (or the Holy Spirit in modern terms) into the life of the one they were blessing.
 
Near the last part of the 1800’s, Hawaii had a Christian queen who ruled the nation according to the Bible. Eventually, speculators from the United States came to Hawaii in search of land for sugarcane plantations. These men ‘worked’ their way into the government of the queen in an attempt to encourage her to unite with the United States. When their conniving didn’t work. they physically removed the queen and put her in jail. Even then, she pled with her people to never confuse Americans with Jesus; but to continue to faithfully follow their Lord!
 
Please pray for the Hawaiian Islands. There are many huge buildings being built, but we were told the average Hawaiian is struggling to keep afloat.
 
Aloha, may the breath of God rest upon you, and, as always, we are able to minister in Cabo San Lucas, MX because of all of your prayers and faithful support. Thank you.

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!