We invite you to rejoice with us! Since our last letter, scores have been saved and baptized through our various church ministries. Our four churches are doing well, and we are planning to start a fifth church here in Guadalajara! Glory to God!
One of our men, Diego Hernandez, will be finishing Bible college this year. He plans to get married this summer; then he wants to start a church here in Guadalajara. He is praying about where to start his church and is considering a place about 40 minutes from here, but still in the city. Please pray for this young man and the great endeavor he has before him.
We have been holding many evangelistic meetings in our area. Two weeks ago, we had a special “push.” We held street meetings and preached in several rehabs. As a result, 250 people were saved, and over 100 people were baptized. Diego helped to organize everything, and we are very proud of him and our people for getting involved.
I would like to share an interesting route experience. I have mentioned before that I am pastoring two churches. I pastor our main church and another church up in the mountains. Last Wednesday, I was picking up the route for our second church when I saw a lady walking down the street with a train of children behind her. I rolled the window down and pulled up beside her. I asked her, “Would you all like to come to church today?” She replied, “Sure. Why not?” They all climbed into my van, and we went to the service. There were nine visitors in all. The Lady Anahi came with her children, her nephews, and some neighbors. All were saved in the service and made public their profession of faith.
We thank you for praying for laborers. We have hired a couple to work with us. I had mentioned David and Ruth in an earlier letter. They are now living in the church, and David is working for us full-time. Ruth is home-grown. She grew up with us and met David in Bible college. They have been a great asset to our ministry here. They are gifted musically and apply their talents to the ministry here. Pray for this young couple and wisdom for us to guide them.
Please continue to pray for us to obtain a four-cylinder vehicle. Thank you very much for those whom have contributed already. We still need US$11,037 to reach our goal. We also ask prayer for more laborers for our ministry. Pray for our safety, as we work and live in an area that is considered “high crime.” Since everyone thinks Americans are wealthy, it puts us more at risk. Please pray that we can raise more support. Our ministry has grown, but our funds have waned. Also, over the last few years, the dollar has dropped in value against the peso. We were getting 20-21 pesos for each dollar. We now only get a little over 16 pesos per dollar. Since we are paid in dollars and spend in pesos, in some respects, it is as if we have taken a 20-25 percent pay cut. We cannot leave the field to travel right now without hurting our ministry here. We are praying for you.
In His service,
Robert Wilson