Dear Friends,

Victorious New Year’s greeting to you and your loved ones.

December 07 we were overcome with a terrific anointing as we dedicated a rocky knoll overlooking the Batopilas River in the little village of Satevó, Chihuahua. With a chuckle of joy Barbara said, “Only a man like Pastor Luis Maulas would tackle the immense job of bringing this solid rock down to a level acceptable for construction of the new church.”

The task was soon to be lessened by the unexpected arrival of a government dozer to breakup the rock, and men of the community joined in with pick and sledge hammer. It seemed the very windows of heaven’s blessing were opened as help come pouring in from many unexpected sources.

This small town is known in history books and tourist brochures for its Lost Cathedral, an ancient church so old no one has an accurate record of its beginning. Inside this magnificent old edifice, up beside the pulpit is a glass coffin containing a wooden statue of a dead Jesus. The spirit of death’s bondage permeates the adobe walls and radiates from the simple furnishings. Hungry hearts have gathered there for generations only to find a lifeless image in a box.

Praise God! Things were different in December 08 as we prayed the prayer of dedication in the new church where Jesus is alive, giving it a name appropriate to the setting. Iglesia Cristiana de la Fe Que Vive literally built upon a rock, stands at the entrance of town representing the living Christ. From this new name, it will in short be called La Fe Que Vive (Living Faith).

Following the naming of the church, we proceeded to the public school where the children and many adults enjoyed the presentation of the precious Christmas story, the birth of Jesus. New History is being written in this historic community.

This report and others like it do not exist apart from faithful partners like you. Thank you for helping us give a living Jesus to the people of Satevó.

…I am the First and the Last, and the Living One, and I became dead, and behold, I am alive for ever and ever… Revelation 1:17-18

Standing on the Rock,

Calvin and Barbara

Fantastic Testimonies of God’s Power

By Miki Scott

There is no way to be short and precise in this testimony. We pray that you be encouraged and inspired and that God gets the glory!!

Four years have passed since our (Bob and Miki's) last trip down into Batopilas, (Bau-toe-PEE-luss) Chihuahua. A long, treacherous journey which causes one to experience all emotions: excitement; trepidation; awe; rejoicing; emotional exhaustion. Welcome to our world! Just before our departure for this two-week “unplanned” trip, the Lord showed us great potential of danger all around, but instead of being warned not to go, we were directed to send prayer out ahead of us to make straight those crooked places.

Upon our arrival, immediately we were informed of the various perils that had been taking place against the family of residing Pastors Luis and Micaela Maulas. Throughout their ten years of ministry here, Luis has experienced NUMEROUS threats against his life, the sum of which have never been able to be carried out. Glory to God. This time, however, the odds have shifted. The current threats are against his oldest daughter (13yr). As is the norm here in Batopilas, girls 11 and 12 begin to be pursued by grown men. This being the case with his daughter, he and Miki removed their 3 girls from school and moved them to a city 10 hours away to attend school and to live with their grandparents for a season. Within days of removing the girls, the 22 year-old man who pursued Luis’ daughter went to that other city, accompanied by 3 other armed men, with intent to kidnap her. The man made it clear that if Luis did not allow him to have his 13-year-old daughter, that the man would murder Luis. Long story short, this has been supernaturally overcome.

The atmosphere in Batopilas, a town of 1,150 inhabitants is electrically charged with ire, greed, murder and fear. Mafia related drug wars are daily business. Literally, everyday, hundreds of gunshots are heard.

One night, our 3 boys were playing outside at the church, and we began to hear gunshots which came closer and closer, so we called the boys inside. Our team of around 12 people began to pray protection over the Christians in this town that are being threatened constantly for their stand on righteousness and justice in Christ. As we prayed for protection over others, the power of God descended into the room. Meanwhile, 3 of the young men of Pastor Luis’ church were outside and they recounted to us what had occurred before their very eyes:

Eight men, four of them from ages around 12-15, against four others, ages 18-22—all had pistols and were in a gun fight (hence, the shots we’d heard). As the power of God began to fill the room where we were assembled upstairs, the guns began to MISS- FIRE. One of the men ejected the clip of his gun after it didn’t fire and replaced it with a new clip and put the gun right on the forehead of a young boy, pulled the trigger and again, the gun didn’t fire. Then, the other young men also came to find out that their guns were not firing either.

ALL EIGHT PISTOLS quit functioning. The other aspect of this account is that the fight was taking place right around our ministry vehicle. The men were using it for cover.  Not only were the lives of the young men spared (though they did begin to beat each other in the head with the butts of their guns) but the ministry vehicle was also spared bullet holes and broken windows.

On the ministry side of things, our purpose there was clear. We blanketed the area in strategic prayer and served as encouragers to the faithful brothers and sisters who are faced with this turmoil every single day. We saw ourselves encircling the brethren here in Batopilas. Our backs to them, each of us keeping watch for impending danger—fighting on their behalf so that the brethren could rest and find times of refreshing in the presence of our awesome God! One such example is that Pastor Luis told us they’d been able to sleep soundly for the first time in months while we were there as their watchmen on the wall. Thank you Jesus! 

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