Please Pray – New Year!

Dear praying friends and family,

First, thank you for praying for our December prayer and planning retreat with the elders of Jubilee. The retreat was fruitful, and we are excited to see all that God has in store for us and our plans for 2012.

This prayer post, I would like to invite you to join us in praising God for 2011 and for all of the wonderful things that he’s accomplishing in our church. Below is a list of some highlights throughout the year:

• January – Elders’ retreat
• February – Celebrated Jubilee’s 4th Anniversary, Scott Greer guest speaker
• March – Terrific Missionary Reunion in Puebla • Began evangelistic studies with Lupe
• April – Lindsay taught at Women’s Retreat • Luke taught at Youth Campout
• May – Seminar with Vic on personal evangelism • Lupe baptized!
• June – New Hope CC Memphis work project builds new walls and doors in children’s area
• July – WACC Amarillo Short-term mission trip • Sports Camp outreach in Providencia
• August – Celebrated 11 years of bliss • NMSI visited
• September – Began Provi work project with First CC Champaign funding • North American Mission Leaders Conference • Pat Bonner seminar on Fulfilled Prophecy at Jubilee • Independence Day all-church picnic
• October – Joy arrived • Pat Bonner seminar on Fulfilled Prophecy at Jubilee • Suzanne Greer visit • Began discipleship studies with Armando and Alonzo
• November – NMSI visited • New Christians Retreat • Impacto board meeting • Began evangelistic studies with Josabet
• December - Graduated a new class of small group leaders • Finished paying for the church’s land!!!

These are just a few of the many, many blessings that God has poured out on us, our outreaches, and our church over the past year. Let his name be praised! And please pray for his continued provision in 2012!

Un abrazo fuerte,
—Luke

Eli Laughs

Please Pray – Merry Christmas!

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. –Isaiah 9:6

Please Pray – Prayer and Planning Retreat

Dear Prayer Partners,

First, thanks so much for your prayers for the Youth Retreat. It was a smashing success! God used it to jumpstart the youth group and to draw young people closer to Himself.

Second, please be praying for Jubilee Church’s annual planning and prayer retreat. All of the church staff and elders will be going, and we’ll be praying and talking together over plans for 2012. Please pray that this year’s retreat would be fruitful, that we would be directed by God as we meet, and that we would have good, clear communication in the spirit of Ephesians 4. We are excited to see what God does with this church plant in the coming year!

Finally, I want to share with you some exciting news about the Land and Building Project. The land is now 98% paid for!!! Thank you for your faithful prayers and giving. We are truly amazed at God’s faithful provision for the Jubilee Church and we “wait with eager expectation” (Psalm 5) for His continued providence over the future construction.

Thank you for your faithful prayers! One more humble request: please share this email with others, so that they too can pray for us and the ministry in urban Mexico.

Un abrazo fuerte,
—Luke

PS — the photo the crew from a recent all church picnic. We had great fellowship!

Please Pray — Youth Retreat

Dear Friends and Family,

Thanks for your prayers for the build project for a family in our church that I wrote about a couple of posts ago. The project has moved along well, and the family is excited for the cement roof to cure so that they can remove the temporary wooden beams that are holding it up. The church had a special work day where we worked to mix, lift, and pour the cement roof together. Once the addition is totally complete, we’ll throw some photos up on the website for you to see.

This month, please pray for our upcoming Youth Retreat (Oct. 21-23). The youth groups of the Jubilee church and the New Life church will both be attending the retreat. Pray that the trip would strengthen the discipleship of our youth that are Christians, and that it would be an outreach to those young people that don’t yet know the Gospel. And pray for our teammate, Sergio, as he organizes and leads the retreat.

Also, on a personal note, please pray for our son Elijah. He’s been sick the past few days with a nasty cold that he just can’t seem to kick.

Thank you for your prayers for us, for the people of our church, and for all the people of Mexico!

Un abrazo fuerte,
–Luke

PS — The photo is the some of the work crew after a long day of lifting buckets of cement to pour the roof of the new bedroom. The new 9′ X 12′ room doubles the size of this six-member family’s home!

Please Pray — Mid Year Report

Dear Prayer Partners,

First off, thanks so much for your prayers for the pastoral training classes this month. We’ve got a great group of upcoming leaders taking the course, and we’re excited to see all that God does with them in the future. Also, thanks for praying for the construction project for one of the families in our church. We plan for construction to be complete in a couple of weeks!

This month, we’re breaking a bit from the norm of our prayer updates by offering you a mid-year report that summarizes the main ministry happenings of 2011 thus far. It’s amazing to see how much God has done in the ministry and people here in Pachuca during the first half of the year. As you read it, please be praying for continued fruit!

Thank you for your faithful prayer for us and for God’s mission in urban Mexico.

Un abrazo fuerte,
–Luke

Please Pray – Pastoral Training and Construction

Dear friends and family,

Thank you for your prayers for us over the past month. The Sports Outreach was a wild success, with 86 neighborhood kids participating. You can read more about it and see lots of great photos on our mission website.

Also, thank you for praying for the folks that were recently baptized. Baptism Sunday was encouraging as we laughed together, ate together, and prayed together. Photos are up on the site.

I would like to ask you to please pray for two upcoming events. First, we’re beginning our semi-annual pastoral training next week. Every new Christian in the Jubilee church plant is encouraged to begin a process of discipleship and training. This training helps to solidify their new faith and to create new leaders for cell groups throughout the city. Over the next couple of months, please pray for both our new class who are beginning “Discipleship 201″ and our 201 graduates who are beginning “Leadership 301.”

Lastly, please pray for an upcoming build project that the Jubilee church (with generous help from a sister congregation in Illinois) will be doing for a lower-income family here. We’ll be adding a bedroom to their home for their four boys. Pray for hard work, good volunteerism from Jubilee, and for blessing for the family.

Thank you for your steadfast prayer for us and for the ministry that God is doing here!

Un abrazo fuerte,
–Luke

PS– the photo is from the Sports Camp outreach

Eli throwing and saying ball

chair walking

Please Pray – Sports Outreach

Dear praying friends and family,

Thanks for your prayers for us last month. The visiting group did a great job with the work project in the church building and with an outreach to university students. Thanks also for praying for the Movie Club that a few guys started to meet their neighbors and begin a friendship with them. One night we had 15 street teens show up to watch a movie with us! Please continue to pray for them.

In a couple of weeks, we’ll be having a “Sports Camp” in a low-income neighborhood for kids ages 5 to 10. Last year was the first year that we organized this outreach in the neighborhood, and despite rainy weather, it was a great success. We met new families and the surrounding area became familiar with the church and our small group that meets there.

Please pray for the Sports Camp. Pray it would provide a great way to meet new people and introduce them to the church. Pray for the volunteers from the Jubilee church, and pray for a group from Texas that will be helping organize the activities. Pray too for the kids (we’re anticipating around 75!) that the week would be a lot of fun and that they would begin to learn who Jesus is through our time with them.

Also, please pray for July 17th, Baptism Sunday at the church. We’re excited that several people will be baptized, including a woman that Lindsay has been studying with for a few weeks. Praise God for new brothers and sisters!

As always, thank you for your prayers for us and our ministry. May God bless you as He blesses us through your prayers!

Un abrazo fuerte,
Luke

PS — The photo is the group from New Hope that was with us last month. They did some great work!