Well a whole nuther year is almost completely behind us. Only two more days to go and Lord willing we will get a whole new year to give God the glory for.
This past year of 2013 started out for me with a mission trip from my hometown of Buffalo, NY to Juarez, Mexico back in February.
I arrived back in Juarez on February 14, 2013 to begin making plans for a vision God gave me of a two day conference to be held at a big auditorium in Juarez called the Benito Juarez Auditorium.
The theme of the conference was based on Ezekiel Chapter 37; "Can these dry bones live?"
The vision was to proclaim that Yes ! - Juarez can and will live again ! We called the conference, "Juarez Vive !" ( Juarez Lives ! ).
With our two local bands; Puertas del Cielo and a very popular local band known as Heller and our 3 special speakers; Pastor Steven Brewer, Bishop William Dockery and Pastor Henry Becerra we brought a night of revival to the pastors of Juarez and the saints of Juarez who came out that evening to join us for this very special night of blessings. The Holy Spirit was in the House and we believe hearts were changed and lives encouraged by God's presence in the music and in the preaching of His Word. We believe that it did not go out void and it did accomplish the purpose for which it was sent.
In the days after the event I began to pray about what was next? What God began speaking to my heart about was "discipleship." I began to make plans for holding a bi-lingually based course on the Book of Romans that I had held before here on a previous mission. This time I felt a more serious sustained effort was called for. Students were found that expressed interest in attending and then for the next 10 weeks we studied the Book of Romans, taught on DVD by Rev. Paul Johannson former President of the Bible School that I attended and graduated from myself, Elim Bible Institute.
Our Book of Romans classroom.
Local Pastor and new friend after the conference, Clemente Talamantes
teaching a course on the Pentateuch in his building
that he allowed us to hold our Bible School in.
I joined Pastor Talamantes for weekly evangelistic meeting
in the plaza square in El Centro
After the completion of this great course on Romans I left Juarez for a season away from Juarez, first flying to Seattle, Wa. a city that I had lived in a number of years back in the 1970's and early 80's, a second hometown of mine. My reason for going back there was two-fold; to visit some old friends there that I hadn't seen in a while and to finally after 27 years of walking with the Lord as a born-again Christian and minister'/missionary I became officially ordained for Ministry in the same church that I was saved in back in October of 1986.
After a month back in the Pacific Northwest I flew back to hometown Buffalo to prepare once again for another return to Juarez in the Fall to begin our first official trimester of courses at what I now felt was the next step, a five trimester curriculum Bible School in which we would offer 5 courses in our first trimester and continue on for a full 5 trimesters which would conclude in the presentation of an Associate Degree in Ministry to anyone who would step up to the plate and do the required work and study to complete these courses over the next 5 trimesters.
I gave the name Instituto Biblico Juarez ( The Juarez Bible Institute) to this new bible school effort here in Juarez.
While I was back in Buffalo God began to set me up for a major blessing. It began by my offering to do some exterior painting on the Word of Life Church on W. Utica St. pastored by Pastor William Tobin a good friend and brother in the Lord who has been a blessing to me before and since then. At one point during my time back in Buffalo and while painting his church I was asked to preach there on a particular Sunday which was a blessing in itself.
What I didn't expect was what followed. On the monday after preaching there I was called by Pastor Bill to inform me that a brother in the church who was in attendance on Sunday had decided to bless me with a vehicle for my missions work in Juarez.
You can guess I was excited about the possibilities if it was a vehicle that I could count on for good transportation. Well I remember what Pastor Bill said on the phone when I asked him concerning the condition of this gift of a vehicle. he responded by saying, "Oh, I think you are going to like this one."
And he was correct in his assumption. Turns out it was a 2001 Nissan Xterra with less than 42,000 original miles on it. In mid-September I began driving back to Juarez, Mexico, a journey of about 1,961 driving miles if you go in the straightest line but I took a route that took me down to Hendersonville, NC then to Asheville, NC and then Spartanburg, SC. then over to Cleveland, Tenn. and then to Dallas, TX and then to San Antonio, TX and then to Carlsbad NM and finally to El Paso, TX and Juarez, Mexico which may have been just a tad bit longer, back to the mission work that awaited me of starting up a Bible School in that city.
Departing Buffalo
Buffalo behind me...
Back in Juarez - mid September, 2013
As of this writing we are a few classes away from completing our first Trimester and students are eager to begin Trimester 2 which I am planning on presenting in early February, our Spring Trimester which will run to the end of April, 2014. Then the plan is for me to return back to hometown Buffalo for another breather and preparation stage for yet another return to the mission field of Juarez, Mexico.
Well, so much for looking backward to what was. It's time to begin focusing on "What will be, Lord willing in the days ahead in this new coming year of 2014. Wishing everyone who reads this, a year in which your dreams will come true even as I see that continuing to happen for me. In Jesus Name, blessings to all.
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