Sharing The Sword - 2016

Dear Friends & family: We are presently preparing for our eleventh year of Sharing The Sword in Mexico.  Our Pastor and two other men will be joining us on the first leg of our trip to help with a huge celebration that our brothers and sisters in Christ are planning for January.  Please pray for safe arrivals, and for each event where the truth of Jesus will be shared with many.  We will do our best to keep you informed, and most of all, we covet your prayers and support right now.  Your partners in Christ, Pete & Carole.

This will be our last blog while we are here in Mexico.  We are leaving Villa Corona tomorrow morning and traveling to Zacatacas for one night, then the next day drive to Saltillo at an RV park behind a Hotel, and on April 2nd, we make a drive to cross the border into the USA!!  We are planning to arrive on April 6th at our home in Lake Wylie, S.C. , Lord willing.
   We would like to thank all of our prayer partners and supporters for your interest in our work, and your faithful prayers.  We could never have this special ministry without YOU!    God has led us to many new people this year, and only two people refused a Bible.  They will be without excuse when they face the Lord in Heaven some day!  Many not only accepted a copy of God's Word, but asked for another for a friend or family member.  We praise God for the great response, and for the chance to serve Him in this way.  Please pray for our safe traveling this next week.  God bless each of you!

Jill & I sang "Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us" in Spanish at Church our last evening there, and the congregation was so happy to see me trying to pronounce all the words correctly!  We got lots of hugs & hand shakes & a request to please come back next year!  

    Jill & I had fun together during the week, making 8 raspberry pies, and giving some to our friends.

We enjoyed all the time we've had here in Villa Corona with Pastor Jesse, his wife Jill, and their family.  We also had many opportunities to give out Bibles and provide N.T's to the various pastors who need more supplies to help w/their ministries and counseling.  We've met w/several friends we've made over the past 10 years & thank God for the opportunities He has given us.  After this special meal at our camping site, we hurried on to evening Church.

Enjoying a last meal with Pastor Jesse & his family at our campsite.

On Sunday morning we took our Pastor friend, Jesse, with us to Pastor Miguel's Church he has in his home in Buena Vista.  He is a dear Christian, who has a great message and communication with his small congregation.  We are always so welcomed when we come, and many invitations to return next year! He is tri-lingual with Spanish, English, and his tribal language!

The group pic. of the whole 3rd grade.  After teaching in all three grades, these kids couldn't stop hugging us!!  We had a GREAT morning, and gave Javier a bi-lingual New Testament, which he was happy to have.  Praise God for all the opportunities He has given us !

This little guy has a new way of keeping all of his colored pencils together & not losing them!  When they color, they actually use the one they want, with all the others dangling on their wrist!
  I want my daughter-in-law, who teaches 1st grade, to see this in case she needs new ideas!

Carole giving the correct pronunciation for the words.  The "th" in the words was the hardest for them.  This 3rd grade class had 32 kids, and a couple were absent.

What a culture shock, to see that the children are allowed in the lower grades to bring drinks, snacks, and even suck on lollipops during class!  The mothers who brought the "late" kids to class were allowed to walk right in while we were teaching, and help them w/their backpacks, etc. Then we had MANY interruptions with older students giving their younger brothers & sisters $, or food, etc. What a zoo!  But at the end of this class, one little boy gave me his doughnut as a treat for me! (not so bad)

One of my "jobs" was to check their work that they copied from the board. They really wanted my approval, & were so much fun! Javier was looking on.

This little 1st grader caught Peter's camera lense & insisted I put her on the blog! These kids are so adorable, it was a TREAT for us!

Yesterday we were invited to attend an elementary school with a teacher friend, as he taught these first graders, 2nd, and 3rd grades English.  Last year he taught at a private Catholic school, but this year this school is run by the government.  He wanted the children to hear how English is pronounced properly. So, these kids all got the "Yankee version"! They showed up with winter coats, ear coverings & jackets. (the temperature was about high 60's).

Here is our dear friend who needed some love & help, and had been wondering if God had forgotten her.  I told her that God heard her & sent us for a short time, which put a smile on her face & she is here with two of her 4 children, pitching in to help.  It's pretty hard to keep food from spoiling, and keeping the chickens off the counters, to say nothing about the  rain, ants & other creatures who roam around her kitchen! (a new or at least a working refrigerator would help also).  We LOVE this Christian family, and would ask for your prayers, as she & husband struggle every day to provide for their family.

One day we arrived at our friend's house, and because she had been so terribly discouraged, we took her grocery shopping, & the next day, arrived with containers to store her food in and I told her we came to help her with her "outside" kitchen.

These are most of the people who showed up for the service on Sunday!  There were other Churches who visited to encourage the new Pastor and his people who lived nearby, and they had a big "feast", like the Church in Miramar.
     Please pray with us for these young men and their families, that they would be  able to reach out in their neighborhoods, and lead many for Christ!

Once again, Pastor Jesse was the key speaker for this special occasion! Since he has pastored his own Church for many years, he had very good advice for this young Pastor Fred and his small congregation.

This is Pastor Fred, from N.C., who is married with two children & in charge of this beautiful new church in this very "needy" area.  He is a relative of our friend, Pastor Jesse.  It is so exciting to see these fine young men serving God here in Mexico!

On Sunday, Pastor Jesse packed his Van, & all of us went to the newest church that this same missionary planted AND built, in the town of Pocitos, which is now pastored by one of the graduates of the Institute, who came here from
N. Carolina!  The number of Churches this missionary has planted is 21, and we were celebrating with them and thanking God for HIS guiding Pastor Jerry, Sr., for so many years of faithful service!  He is now in his 80's !!

This is Pastor Jesse & his wife, Jill.  They have a Church in Villa Corona where we are staying for two weeks.  They asked us to join them for two celebrations: One was the anniversary of this Church in Miramar, which is part of Guadalajara.  The President & missionary who actually built this Church & pastored here, is presently the Founder of a small Bible School, which trains young men to be pastors, etc.  His son, Jerry, is now the new Pastor here, and Jesse was the key speaker.
   

We are now safely at our last big stop here in Villa Corona.  We will be working alongside our friends & co-workers of Christ who are Pastor & wife in this town (Jesse & Jill).  They need your prayers as they faithfully bring a clear message to all who will listen, of God's love and salvation to all who are committed to follow HIM.  There is much demonic worship here, and it gets louder and more progressive each year we come.
    JESUS WILL return, and all of us Christians must spread the good news while there is still time.  

There are untold amounts of fields growing this plant (can't remember the name) for the making of tequila.

On the way, we pass the very popular town of Tequila.  A thriving product, but the misuse is the demise of many families both here & at home.

The nicest building in this whole town is this Church.  The rest of the town is pretty much in shambles.  how wonderful it would be to know that the people are hearing God's message of hope & salvation through Christ alone.

Coming down from the mountains, you can see the towers of the Catholic Church peeking through the trees.

Today was a rainy & very cloudy as we were driving our 6 hour trip to Villa Corona - south of Guadalajara.  The clouds were covering the road in some of the places, and we are thanking God for His protection.  The landscape was so beautiful, and the mountains are magnificent!  Thanks to our Creator!

Tomorrow morning, March 17, we will be leaving this beautiful place and heading inland toward Guatalajara at a place called "Villa Corona", where we "hook up" with our Pastor friend & his family.  It will be about a 6 hour trip, and we'd appreciate your prayers as we travel again.
   We are praising God & thanking our friends for all that has transpired so far in this ministry.  We love you all, who have stood by us through 2 1/2 months!

Just across from our camping site, this Father & his two sons are preparing the palm branches & splitting them in half(son in red shirt) with his bare hands, to make a palapa for a new kitchen area for their boss & owner, Susana.The roof to the left is an older model of this "grass" roof, but these palms are fresh & beautiful & the completed task will be a work of art.

This is the family we had over after Church when "Carlos" came to give us a gift. We love Paco & Mary, and have prayed for & WITH them through many struggles.  They are Christians, and need prayer partners - anyone out there willing to faithfully pray for them to be used by God in a mighty way?

On Saturday, I had a young man come to me asking me to buy his bamboo jugs for drinks, etc. When I gave him a New Testament, he sat down & had a long talk w/me.  I told him he spoke excellent English, & I'd bet I could tell part of his life story - "he lived in the USA, got his tatoo's there, joined a gang in L.A., got in trouble, landed in jail,  & got deported back to Mx."  Carlos' jaw dropped as he said I was RIGHT.  I told him he needed Jesus in his heart, & Jesus would change his ways & give him life eternal.  He told me he heard about Jesus while in jail, but no one ever gave him a Bible, and he promised to read it as I showed him the verses which pointed him to salvation in Christ alone. He was a great guy, (probably mid-twenties), & he said he'd bring me a gift before we leave on this coming Tues.  Well, yesterday, he arrived at our camper with a gift, & a hug, and we introduced him to another friend who had a similar story (who we had invited over for lunch & a Billy Graham 30 min DVD), & told him that our guest would speak more to him about Jesus when they meet again on the beach. (they had never spoken, but knew each other by sight). He had to leave right then, but I felt a peace that God had put these two together, and the Holy Spirit would make this happen.

Our time here in Rincon de Guayabitos is mostly spent at the beach, but the greatest joy is that we give out many New Testaments & have the chance to witness to MANY vendors - from this little one up to the adults.  ALL have been very receptive to receive  a portion of God's Word, & most ask questions about my "religion", etc.  God gives us so many great opportunities, that we come back to out camper just excited about our day!

This birthday party has been going on for a whole week!  But 75 is a huge milestone, and we are thanking God for the ability to still serve Him in this way!

Our friends can't get enough reasons to come celebrate Peter's birthday!

Who is that paleface with these singers?

What a way to celebrate a birthday!

Our friends came up from Puerto Vallarta to celebrate Peter's 75th birthday!  They treated him to his favorite fresh oysters & Mariachi singers to boot!

This little guy (not an iguana, but in that family), came to visit us many times while we had our English class, and he came to say "goodbye" to us as we moved on to our next stop in Rincon de Guayabitos for alittle R & R after two months of steady schedules.

On our last day of English classes, we suprised the children with a 30 min. DVD on Jesus, and an ice cream sundae party after.  We gave out Bibles, the last of our sporting shirts for kids, and had a great time discussing part of the movie they just saw with the help of a friend who interpreted.  The children were very touched by the DVD, and we can only pray that they will follow the speaker to ask Jesus into their lives & live for HIM.

The day after the paint job. It is dark inside, but the walls are a pretty soft green, and Mother & son are happy to have a new look to a tiny area that they live in.

The lighting is not the best, but the ceiling is GREAT!

Putting sealer, base coat & getting in all those corners!

Carole helping our new friend scrub & prep before painting.  This is her "kitchen".

After speaking to Peter, we decided that we could help her paint her home, hire a worker to help with the ceiling that was in disrepair, and brighten up her place!

A couple of blocks from the Salvation Army, where we work every day with the children, we met a Christian woman who lives in this one room house with her 11 year old son. I asked her where she lives, & found out that she speaks English! She invited me to her home which measures about 14' X16' at best.  Her toilet is to the left, behind a board, & her kitchen consists of a portable two burner gas stove & a small microwave oven.  While there, she mentioned that some day she'd like to get the inside painted, but was so happy that she owned this place. It was close to the secondary school, where she makes her money by selling cookies, drinks, & treats for the children & adults who pass by.

Our final picture on "Mapache" is that we were able to give the owner of this place a refurbished computer (donated by one of our supporting Churches).  Augustine & his wife, Victoria, have opened their back yard for a Christian witness for many years.  On this computer are Spanish Bible lessons and Christian DVD's that he can use to invite people to share the good news of Jesus when the Pastor from P.V. is not able to come.
We are praying that God will send someone to help him with his vision to reach out to his community about Jesus.

After the meal was over, Carole gave out New Testaments to everyone who did not receive a Bible last year, and we gave out lots of clothes & sports shirts & shorts that were donated by several friends from the USA & Canada.

This is our friend, Joanne, who lives in Puerto Vallarta for several months & spends endless hours buying supplies & making up crafts with a Bible message for the children.

After craft, every person who came received a huge bolillo (great tasting roll) ham & cheese sandwich and a juicy tangerine. Many came back for seconds!  For dessert they all got chocolate covered cookies.

We just can't get enough of these precious kids!

This baby was receiving lots of love!

After the singing & message, Everyone helps with a craft.  The children & even the adults love this.

Young & old enjoy the day!

Here's a group of the girls & a few boys in this area.  They were spread all over the back yard of Augustine & Victoria.  We usually have had close to 100 kids when we're able to bring the Pastor, but we found out that the migrant worker's were out in the fields picking tomatos, & alot of the children work with them.

Here's a close-up of Isac.  He just loves the kids!  Unfortunately, he has no other way of coming here without help from our friends.  Romans 10:14- "...how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"
     Please pray that God would send someone to be a steady witness in this village.