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Forever Thankful

Missions Trip Report

Christmas: Just Around the Corner

Faith – Rising Above the Storm

from Barbara

Luke 18:27 NASB "But He said, 'The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.'"

Definition of faith: Hebrews 11:1 NKJV Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is the substance of the benefits of God’s Kingdom. Faith is like a mirror that reflects the realities of an unseen world. Through the prayer of faith, we are able to pull the reality of God’s world into this one. That is the function of faith.

Faith has its anchor in the unseen realm. Faith lives from the invisible toward the visible. Faith provides eyes for the heart. To encourage us in our capacity to see from our heart Jesus gave this specific instruction:

Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

We grow in faith (seeing from our spirit) when we worship. We don’t worship to get faith, but it is a wonderful by-product. God lives among the praises of His people. Psalm 22:3 NKJV But you are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.

As we praise God we sense His presence. Psalms 16:11 … in Your presence is fullness of joy… Praise is a powerful spiritual weapon as it changes the atmosphere around us. In Acts 16:25-26, we read that the prison doors shook open when Paul and Silas prayed and praised God. We can sing praises in the midst of trials and difficulties as we know God will overcome. Praise lifts our eyes from the battle to the victory, for Christ has already won the victory. We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.

Real faith is not living in denial of the natural realm. If the doctor says you have a tumor, it’s silly to pretend that it’s not there. That’s not faith. However, faith is founded on a reality that is superior to that tumor.

Romans 10:17 NKJV So then faith comes (is activated) by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  Not by having heard. It is the listening heart, in the present tense, that is ready for Heaven’s deposit of faith. Hearing now is a key to faith.

A command used 62 times in the Bible is fear not. It’s because fear attacks the foundation of our relationship with God, our faith. Fear and faith cannot coexist – they work against each other.

II Timothy1:7 NKJV For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Satan has no power except through our agreement. Fear becomes our heart’s response when we come into agreement with his intimidating suggestions.

Response to truth always wins out over reaction to error. Don’t live as a reaction to darkness, rather live in response to light.

A surrendered heart is a heart of faith, and faith must be present to please God.

The Lord is all we need. His love is limitless and it gives us strength. We can live in the reality of God's love, a love that grounds us and establishes us regardless of the storms we face.

Rest in Him and praise Him in the storm. He is the God of the impossible and He is working all things for your good. Join your heart to His and allow His love to give you strength.

God is fighting for us and He turns our situations around for His glory and for our good. There is nothing too hard for God. There is nothing that is outside of God's reach. Scripture teaches that God can make a way when there seems as though there is no way, and no doubt we can all testify to times when God has made a way in our lives when things seemed impossible.

God invites us to hold onto the promises He has given and to believe He is able to do the impossible for us. He may not do it in the way we expect, but He will work all things for our good and it will be so much better than we thought. God is bigger than your situation. You are not walking in this journey alone. He is with you and will never leave you.

Forever Thankful

from Calvin and Barbara

…“ Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God  forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 7:12 NLT

We are thankful for the presence of the Lord that is always with us, giving us the strength and power to follow His leading.  His still small voice continually whispers love, wisdom, encouragement, and direction to us.

According to Psalms 91:1 NLT, we live in the shelter of the Most High and find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  At rest in Him, we overcome dis-ease.

Regardless of the storms that surround us, we are at peace in the eye of the storm. Storms cease at the voice of Jesus. 

Colossians 2:7 NLT admonishes us…  Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

The way our roots grow into Him is by spending time in God’s presence, worshiping Him, feeding on His Word, and fellowshipping with His children.

Let’s pray: Father, we are forever thankful for Your love, for Your presence ever with us, and for the still small voice that continually whispers love, wisdom, and encouragement to us. Your love fills our being. We are forever thankful!

* * *

From last month’s newsletter, you know that Calvin was sent home from the hospital with a diagnosis of cancer throughout his body. His hospice nurse is amazed at his progress. He is continually getting better. We expect total healing.  We have not been in fear, rather, we are rejoicing in the Lord. Our trust is in Him.

Missions Trip Report

Cumpas, Sonora and Surrounding Areas

Pastors Ruben & Maria Serrato, along with their daughter Lucy Samaniego hosted the mission team.

Connie Bland was the trip coordinator.

Faith Ministries Church: We had a beautiful time in Douglas with the mission team. They each shared a little from their heart. There was a sweet Spirit of the Lord present and many were blessed and encouraged.

Virgil Roberts wrote about the activities each day in Mexico.

Cumpas Mission Station: We did work on the mission house during the week; patching the roof, trimming the trees, mowing the grass, cleaning the furniture, and painting inside.

Teonadepa:  Pastors Ruben and Maria Serrato:  There were about 30 people attending.  We ministered to some people dealing with suicidal spirits, and panic attacks. One man with ear problems was healed. A lady with a hernia and liver problems was prayed for. It was a great night of ministry.

                                               
Jecori:  Pastors Octavio and Blanca Peralta: We had a good meeting tonight with about 50 people. One lady was born again. Many were ministered to for healing and other things. The church fed us a great meal after church. Many thanks. Praise the Lord for all He did.

Divisaderos: Pastors Oscar & Griselda Hoyos: We had a great service at Divisaderos last night. There were 75 - 80 people there. Pastor Oscar has a great church. There were many ministered to. One lady we ministered to had a large tumor in her stomach.

One lady with an ovarian cyst was ministered to. One lady wanted prayer for her daughter who has been missing since Sept 1. One young boy was prayed for because of a growth behind his ear. Much joy broke out with singing, praising dancing in the Holy Spirit. It was a sweet time of refreshing from the Lord.       
           
From Pastor Oscar: Thank you mission team for being with us. It was an honor and glory to our Lord and was a big blessing.

Nacozari: Pastors Juan & Maria De la Parra: We had a great time in Nacozari with Pastors Juan and Maria. Several of the team members were led to talk about the importance of our words. How our words need to line up with God’s word. Mike had a powerful ministry of prayer for men with lost family members. It was a powerful meeting. After the service, they served us a delicious meal. We were really blessed.

Cumpas: Pastors Jesus and Adalina Espinosa: We had a great time of ministry tonight with Pastor Jesus and his church, ministered to many, especially the young people. His church cooked our noon meal we even had enough left for after church. The food was delicious thank you very much. You blessed us mightily.

Christmas: Just Around the Corner

Christmas is just around the corner. We are excited to once again be able to bless thousands of children with a beautiful Christmas. Our Christmas programs present the wonderful story of how Jesus came to be with us. We give children the opportunity to invite Jesus to live in their hearts and to be with them always!

The children have SO much fun. Besides the program, there is usually a piñata, a meal, and a goody bag with a toy, candy, and a gospel track.

We’ve gone to many pueblos that didn’t have a Protestant church, but after people receive Jesus it’s not long until a church is born.

At the time of this writing, (mid-October), we still need $9,000.00 USD to meet our goal. God is always faithful! Our trust is in Him!

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