¡Feliz Año Nuevo a todos! Happy New Year to all of you! We began our year driving home from Georgia after Will and Lauren's wedding on the 30th. Though we were tired, our hearts were rejoicing in God for his gracious provision to all of us. Reading in Genesis this week I was impressed once again that Noah "found favor in the eyes of the Lord," 6:8. In the midst of a wicked generation, God showed mercy to Noah and saved him and his family. And so he saves us in Christ, our rest. And he blesses us with what is good. Though I am tempted to start off a new year looking at my sin and being discouraged, he calls me to look to him and rest. I love how John Calvin tells us to hang on to this grace all through our lives,
"But since Christ has been so imparted to you with all his benefits that all his things are made yours, that you are made a member of him, indeed one with him, his righteousness overwhelms your sins; his salvation wipes out your condemnation; with his worthiness he intercedes that your unworthiness may not come before God’s sight. Surely this is so: We ought not to separate Christ from ourselves or ourselves from him. Rather, we ought to hold fast bravely with both hands to that fellowship by which he has bound himself to us..." (Institutes III.II.24) The grace of God revealed in his covenant and the words of this faithful preacher of the Gospel encouraged me this week to "hold on!" and work.
We have several opportunities before us this year to "hold fast bravely" to the grace of his fellowship with us and work. Along with continuing in relationship with La Vid in Laredo and encouraging them towards becoming a church, you will remember we have mentioned a congregation in Reynosa, Mexico, Buen Samaritano, that has asked to help them with revitalization. Members of their presbytery have encouraged me to work with them. We were also blessed with getting to know Mario, who has started Camino de Fe in the same city, and hope to encourage them. He has already offered to help with Buen Samaritano! Our work will include ministry with others such as Grace, Dios Con Nosotros and Covenant PCA congregations in the Valley, Acero in Brownsville, and Eli in Matamoros, as we are able, and our team members Tim and Kristi Holliday are exploring a mercy outreach to a needy area with Covenant in Harlingen. He will also be organizing ministry teams for work in Laredo, in the Valley and in Reynosa, including with our partners, Isaiah 55 Deaf Ministries.
We continue to pray for church planters and evangelists and teachers and administrators and mercy ministry workers to labor and to mentor in ministry as they plant churches. We also are asking the Lord for short term teams to come to the border. There is much to do, and obviously we can't do it all, but God is faithful and he is at work. We are excited with expectation of what he will do this year in our region, and in our team over all. Please continue to pray for the border for God to work here and for more laborers!
Please give thanks:
1) For Will and Lauren's wedding, that all went well in a joyful celebration of matrimony and that they will be arriving in the Valley tomorrow (Saturday 7th);
2) For sharing Christmas with Lisa and the Linton family in St. Louis and then having time with all our children at the wedding;
3) For Rachel and her baby, continuing to be in good health;
4) For answers to prayer regarding clear priorities and plans for the new year;
5) For Carlos and Andrea Cano, that they received their resident visa cards just before Christmas;
6) For God's gracious provision in so many ways.
1. For Will and Lauren as they begin their married life together and continue to prepare for missions ministry; for Rachel's continue good health in her pregnancy; for Lisa to be healthy; for Ben and Sofia as she works, he studies, and they settle in their house they just closed on!
2. For a good start on our goals and plans for 2012, and for joy, peace, hope and strength in the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel and minister fruitfully this year;
3. For Tim and Kristy Holliday as they continue to develop ministry, particularly with short term teams at La Vid and in the Valley, with an idea for outreach to needy areas around Harlingen with Covenant Church, and with our partners Isaiah 55 in Reynosa;
4. For Buen Samaritano, Good Samaritan, Presbyterian Church, in Reynosa, MX, to be renewed and grow again as we work with them to seek revitalization;
5. For La Vid, PCA, in Laredo, to continue to grow towards particularization;
6. For church planters and other laborers to come to the border to work;
7. For Mario, an engineer starting a church in Reynosa, and his family and the core group, Camino de Fe, as they grow and begin to strengthen as a core group, and for work we will do with them.
8. For Lisa as she sings her junior recital the 23rd of Jan at Covenant College; Becky will go up to see her and help with her reception.
www.beamm.org(915) 309-1619"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6