May 2016 update

Greetings in Jesus name friends!

Thanks so much for your prayers and your giving this past season.  Unfortunately, i got pretty sick this year, but because of your faithfulness i was able to back off on some of my english classes and just focus on the ministry. when i was too worn out to go, others here stepped in and were stretched in their faith thru the opportunity.  We had a good year, with a lot of people coming very regularly to study the bible chapter by chapter with us.  I gave out nearly all the bibles and lots of people prayed to receive Christ.  One group in particular was so curious about what the bible REALLY says, it was a joy to teach them.  they are all from the mixteco tribe down in the south of mexico.  please pray for them as they most likely are facing pressure from the catholic church down there to leave the purity of the gospel and return to hypocrisy and idolatry.  Often the local government persecutes young believers placing heavy fines for not participating in the catholic church.  other times they are chased off their land and evicted from their homes.  please join me in praying for the protection of my friends from camp nuevo.

         I could also use prayer.  my sweet little deal taking care of the house in Valle Alto came to an end last week.  However, It looks like God has provided a new place to rent, much faster than i expected, not too far from the old house.  please just pray God gives wisdom and insight as i'm getting ready to sign a contract to rent the house and have to pay out of pocket to make a few adjustments to make it livable for me.

       My health is steadily improving as I've been on a strict diet for several months.  My left shoulder is only half frozen shut now so that's improvement.  We're at the place where the nice doctor has to press hard and work out some serious adhesions in the bicep and shoulder blade area.  I find praying for my suffering brothers and sisters in other parts of the world is the best medicine for the pain.  who knows, maybe that's why God has allowed me to go thru this.

       So as you may have gathered, I'm planing on staying down here this summer to recuperate and get the new house together and get more involved with the church in the city here as well as my new neighbors.  I'll miss seeing you guys this summer but you're always in my prayers as we get closer to the Lord's return.

in brief here are the prayer requests:

  God protects and sustains all the new believers i discipled this past season

God leads my friends Goyo and Irene to stay here in Culiacan and work with me in the camps next season.

God continues to heal my immune system and the tendinitis in my shoulder 

God guides me with the leasing of a new house

God uses me to reach folks here in Culiacan this summer

God deals with the drama going on in the house in SLO so I'm not distracted from His work here

blessings to you all!

sally

​Goyo and his family when they first came to church, a few months ago.  the whole family got saved together that day.  now they come with me to the camps.  pray they dont have to move back to Mexico city !

kids who attend the bible study with eagerness.  from camp 20

​​this is what a senior saint looks like in Mexico  ;oP

Moving Day!

Hi all,

It has been a great pleasure to share my missionary adventures with you all here on this website.  I am very grateful to Sheri Burke and the Agape Projects team for generously providing this outlet for my updates and photos.  Like many organizations, Sheri needs to focus and streamline her ministry so I will be posting and receiving donations thru First Baptist Church of San Luis Obispo from now on.  
  
  https://fbcslo.wordpress.com



 Thank you all for your faithful prayers and giving to the work God is doing in the labor camps.  I'll see you in heaven if not before!

Sally

hi all

Amazing things happening here on the mission field!  people are being restored and saved every day.  I'm so glad to be found in a part of the world where people are so hungry for the word of God.   Here's one amazing thing that happened just last night.

      we'd parked outside the local outdoor market with our music going and bibles and CDs available.  a woman walked by looking pretty sad so i thought i'd run over and talk to her about Jesus.  It turned out she was a believer with marriage troubles.  we prayed a bit and as we finished her husband walked up.  suddenly we realized we'd met before, a year and a half ago in a camp outside Ygriega.  We had talked and prayed a lot with this couple, taken pictures, everything.  what a divine maneuver to find the Lord putting us back together after so long!  miraculously the local pastor and his wife were with us just that one night and i led the couple to counsel and pray with them.  God willing they'll come to church tomorrow to get some food they need but even more the fellowship and encouragement of the body of Christ. Its miracles like this that keep me coming back to this place year after year.

    i could go on and on about the little group of believers in the pueblo miles from nowhere that were so glad we stumbled into their village with much needed bibles and new testaments, or the single mom who had a dream someone would come with help and encouragement, and welcomed me with open arms because she realized it was me!

    the guys I brought with me are doing really well too.  They've been helping the pastor with some construction during the day. we have devotions every morning where we each share whatever God has given us.  I've been teaching them that leading starts with learning to serve, noticing the needs and taking the initiative to meet those needs.  when you find others following you, you suddenly find you're leading!

Pastor Francisco keeping the boys busy building a roof

    Jesus Omar is new to our work,  he's been tagging along with me in the camps for about 4 months now.  He led someone to the Lord last night and has been growing in his ability to preach the gospel and reach out.  Gerardo is absolutely in his element and doesn't want to come home to culiacan with us.  the pastor here has offered to feed and house Gerardo for another month or two so he can assist our old missionary friend and pillar in the work, Dave McMullen.  We just need me to have the strength to make the 2 day drive home with JesusOmar and for God to provide bus fair for Gerardo next month.  There's so much Gera can do here i'm sure God will find a way for him to stay and the rest of us to get home on our own.

Your prayers will make all the difference so here's the requests in brief:

• that God will keep us strong and encouraged to finish out the week here in Ygriega
• that God will continue to lead us to those people who are most open and wanting to find Him
• that God will heal my back so i can drive us home to culiacan this friday
• that God will provide Gera's bus fair back
• that God will save tons of people this year 
• that more workers will be raised up locally to assist in the ministry
• that more teams will come down to reach out to the guys in the camps

  

  guys waiting to see the Jesus movie in their own dialect of Mixe
  

thanks a million for your prayers and support!

love 

sally

 

here's the group i meet with on fridays at camp san jose

Pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.          Ephesians 6:19

Thanks friends

For just such prayers for me.  The ministry is picking up now that the weather has turned cooler and lots of people are filling up the camps. I've been doing bible study three nights a week and then taking a gang to church on sundays.

​

 With new tires on the truck we can take up to 12 guys with us to Cesar's church every sunday.  last night even more asked to come along.  we'll figure something out,  they are so blessed to find a good church and I'm thrilled to bits to see them responding to the Lord with such joy.  

       One guy got up and gave testimony during sharing time.  he said he had prayed to find a church he could go to and get encouraged.  he says we turned up just in time and he was so grateful.  Praise God for that.  We've given out quite a number of bibles and new testaments.  Guess i better restock again when i get home.

​

     My flight comes in to SLO december 15th and i'll be staying until dec 31.  I'll fly back to Culiacan un-pack and re-pack to leave for caborca the next day if that's humanly possible.  We'll drive the truck up with whatever missionary-wanna-be's want to join in the fun.  We'll share the gospel up there along side Dave and Ella McMullen as well as show the Jesus film and give out even more new testaments and bibles.

  Thanks again for making all this possible for me.  Its been a difficult couple of weeks recently but with your prayer support and the grace of God all will be well.

Here are the latest prayer requests in brief:

God raise up more workers so i can get out to the camps more often

God provide more students so i can pay for the needs down here on my own.

God draw Gerardo back to Himself, back to the camp ministry and back to church.

God provide another sister to live in the house here with me.

God keep the drama in the SLO house to a minimum

God would lead and provide for another great mission trip to Caborca

my birthday party with some of the kids who join me in the camps

these gals have been a real support to me in the work down here

thanks again, so much, saints for your partnership with me in the gospel.  Looking forward to seeing many of you soon.

blessings!

sal

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.     Gal 6:9

So this is the challenge of the season.  How long can I hang on.  The needs are great, the trials many, nothing is certain until it is past, and even then I'm still wondering!  As Pastor Tom might say,  I am ripe for a miracle.  I am on the cusp of seeing God do something amazing.  I'm so grateful you all are on the journey with me, joining in through prayer and support.  Together we are going to see God move in amazing ways this season.  Will you stand with me for the following miracles on the mission field this fall?

praying and believing:

• God will open doors into the camps, no more delays, no more rain cancelations, or workers backing out.  onward!
• God will send an abundance of new students to keep me occupied and pay the bills
• God will raise up more workers to assist me in the ministry here
• God will bring in a harvest of more people saved and discipled this year than ever before
• God will enable me to overcome in my personal life and grow in faith and perseverance.
• God will guide for this years Caborca trip and next summers plans

That sums it up saints,  pray those things, let God do what only He can, and I'll write back with testimony to His faithfulness.

Sharing our faith until He comes back to get us,

Sal

Pray my neighbor Fatima and her family respond to the gospel

Hi all,

I think its been quite a while since I sent out an update.  Here's a run down of what the Lord has taken me through these past two months:

      Starting in June, I moved out of the big house, ran up to SanDiego for supplies, had the little old truck stolen, bought a new old truck, came back, stayed in a friends house for a few weeks here in Culiacan and finally moved in to my own place just a couple of weeks ago.  

Itty bitty house with great AC and new, old truck

 Whew!  all things with prayer and fasting ;o)

Ariel and my workers Bethany and Claudia

  oh yes, and Ariel came to visit in the middle of the heat and insanity.  it was awesome.

       As I mentioned last letter, the ministry really settles down a lot in the summer.  we only visit one camp a week now to disciple my friend Griselda and her family. 

 It has actually worked out to be a good time to move and get the new place fixed up, adopt a kitten, and try to get my fledgling business back up to speed.  hey at least this little place has air conditioning, THANK GOD!  I was gonna die!

    The Lord has also taken advantage of the time off to do a lot of inner work on me and a few of my workers as well.  Its been a great time to pray and seek the Lord,  discover areas that need work and pray some more.

Griselda and kids,  her daughter Bethsaida fell in love with the kitten

Because of all the coming and going I was not able to start the bible school yet.  Griselda however, did come to stay at my house for a while, and proved to be my most interested bible student. Therefore, I have opted to begin the bible training in her camp next tuesday.  Gerardo, Claudia, and Bethany will hopefully be joining us out there.

    So here's the prayer requests in summery:

• pray we really can start the bible training next tuesday and everyone can make it.  They all really need this.
• pray I get a lot more students and don't starve
• pray the new old car gets fixed. (some mystery to do with a gasket I think)
• pray God gives my workers and I opportunity to keep sharing the gospel even during our summer break from regular ministry
• Pray God provides me with roommates

Well, thanks so much for your care and support for me while I'm serving the Lord down here.  I couldn't do it without you guys. If you like the pictures, there's loads more on facebook, mostly of the cat ;o?

God's biggest blessings to you all in these last days

sal

Hi Everybody,

Booboo always in the middle of things

Just wanted to give you all a quick update on the recent changes, and ask for prayer.  It doesn't look like I'll be able to rent the project house after all.  My friend Rosa owns it with her brothers,  one of them is not interested in renting it out.  She has another home that could be available for us, I'll be looking at it today.  Please pray God gives me wisdom and shows me what i'm supposed to do.

Meanwhile, God has been giving me lots of opportunity to share with Rosa and I'd love it if you all would join me praying for her salvation.  She comes from a Catholic background and she's very interested in the bible.  She just needs to do something about that pesky live-in boyfriend!

The ministry is just about done for this season.  We showed our last Jesus film in a mosquito infested camp far from church or chapel bell.  They were so grateful for our visit it made the sacrifice of time, gasoline, and comfort well worth it.  Pray they continue to walk with God and read the little new testaments they received.  Now we have only two camps we're visiting each week, leading discipleship groups and watching people grow in Christ.  The response is amazing, I thank God every day for the joy of serving Him here.  When the tuesday night group shuts down for the summer I'm planning on starting a 6 week leaders training.  I'd like to help my workers learn how to hear God's voice in the word, prepare a message for the camps, and gain a better understanding of the Bible.  A big task.  please pray I'm effective and they gain some much needed skills to prepare them even more to serve the Lord in evangelism and discipleship.

    Lastly, I could really use prayer for more work.  Some students have not returned after the Easter break and money is getting tight.  I'd like to start some evening classes now, so please pray lots of new students sign up.  I really enjoy teaching and it feels good to be able to provide for my own needs down here.

I love to hear from you all, even just a short email with a prayer request assures me that someone is still out there.  I miss you guys and enjoy your comments very much.  I'm so grateful to all of you who support me in one way or the other, giving me the opportunity to serve the Lord like this.  Its the most rewarding years of my life that is for sure.

Praying Gods blessing on you all

Sal