January 24, 2007

 

Dear CrossVision Friends,

 

2007 is in full swing and looks to be shaping up as an exciting time of revival in action.  Often I describe myself as being on the back of a horse with God at the reigns.  The challenge is to not take the reigns away from Him or get off and walk every time the ride gets difficult.  Thankfully the Lord knows that occasionally we need to pause, reevaluate our position, and listen to that still small voice.

 

The young man in the photo is Jose.  I first met Jose when he came to Nuevo Laredo to study to become a pastor under Dr. Nicolas Alba.  After completing his training he returned to his home area, though I never really knew where he went.  This past October I had the privilege of traveling with a group from Primera Iglesia Bautista of Nuevo Laredo as they visited several mission points and explored the needs in the state of Vera Cruz.  I had no idea what God was doing—I was just along for the ride.  But guess who I found serving as Pastor of the mission church at Cerro Grande?  That’s right!  Jose!  Immediately God began to reveal His heart for these people and His desire that they know His salvation.

 

The people who live in this area and Jose himself are an indigenous people group known as the Totonaco Indians.  Though there is a Christian presence among these people, virtually no evangelical work is being done there.  Pastors like Jose and missions like the one at Cerro Grande are in desperate need of short term mission teams to come and both evangelize and teach the mission church how to reach out to their communities. 

 

Most of the time I wait for God to put the U.S. church that can go to these remote areas in place as a confirmation that God is leading CrossVision into a new area, and this trip was no exception.  What was surprising was who God urged to go and how close to home it came from.  I barely downloaded the pictures when my son J.D. began to ask questions.  It seemed God had been working on him about the college group at our church going on mission, and he really felt God telling him to share this with his college minister.  As a result of God working in his life we are planning to carry a team of college students to back pack through many unevangelized Totonaco villages this May.

 

I wanted to share this with all of you because 2006 has been an extremely fruitful year in so many different ways.  God has allowed us to witness the salvation of well over one thousand souls, and more than ever our effort to draw new believers into churches has become much more effective.  CrossVision has helped develop several partnerships between many of your churches and strong


 

Mexican frontier churches with a long term plan to start mission points in the most unevangelized areas in the interior of Mexico.  In 2007 we plan to go on mission with five joint Mexican and U.S. church teams to establish mission works with indigenous people groups in unevangelized areas like the “black heart” region of Mexico.  If you have been a part of supporting CrossVision by praying, encouraging, giving or going, then I believe you have had as much to do with the fruitfulness of this ministry as I or anyone else.  The whole body is required to achieve the whole purpose of God.  Your continued support is critical to this ministry and I want to both thank you for 2006 and ask you to once again make CrossVision a ministry you support in 2007.   Without your prayers we would find ourselves vulnerable to the devil’s attacks and would quickly be defeated.  Without your encouragement we would find the labor hard and heavy.  Without you going this ministry can only be marginally effective.  Without your financial support we would become a burden on churches and soon find this ministry unable to go and do the work that God has called us to do.  This year we need to raise a little over $100,000 to meet our projected budget needs.  God is expanding the territory of CrossVision and we need to train leaders in three new U.S. states and many leaders in the frontier of Mexico as well as supporting Luis & Mariza Martinez as fulltime missionaries living in Mexico. 

 

I have included a personal gift for you, a CrossVision bookmarker with a poem my father wrote many years ago on the back.  My hope is that this will remind you each time you see it to remain involved in this ministry in whatever way God urges you.  I personally pray for each person and family who receives correspondence from CrossVision.  Yes, that means I have been praying for you!  Please pray for God to use CrossVision in the lives of others and surround us with those whose life He has truly changed.

 

“We will move forward on our knees” (Eph 6:18)

In Christ Hermano Glen

 

Please remember we have a desire to give whole Bibles to those who receive Christ and in homes where they do not have a whole Bible.  Last year we gave out just over 1500 Bibles.  This year we would love to double that number but Bibles now cost $3 each so we need your help to accomplish this eternal goal.