Dear Partners,

Pastors Luis and Micaela Maulas recently traveled with us on a prayer and investigation journey into a remote area of Chihuahua, 12 hours (about 100 miles) northwest of their church in Batopilas. The county of 8,000 people is considered virgin territory – totally without the Gospel. After leaving pavement, about ½ of our journey paralleled and crisscrossed us over the famed Copper Canyon Railroad.  This is some of the most scenic areas of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Much of these mountains are very remote wilderness areas. Our destination, a town of 2,000 inhabitants only received electricity in 2004.

We felt like the spies that Moses sent into the land of promise. Though there are many giants in the land, we come back with a good report. God is well able to give us the land. Our prayer times there were powerful. Micaela saw a vision of the people in handcuffs, being set free.

Three of the giants we encountered there are:

• A religious, spiritualist leader that used to be in Batopilas that severely persecuted Luis and Micaela when they first moved there.
• The local government is the mafia and keeps track of everyone coming in and out of town.
• We were informed that previous evangelism efforts had not been allowed.

When we first arrived, we were in the plaza voicing that we needed a contact there when someone hollered Hra. Miki! It was a young man from Batopilas they had once worked with, visiting his family. He insisted we follow him home to give us papaya.

We were at his parents home visiting and found out there was another family there from Batopilas. They had left Batopilas de repente (suddenly) with the clothes on their backs. They are good friends and love Luis and Miki. They weren't in the drug business but his brother was and because of a kidnapping and murder, the whole family was in danger and had to flee. We went to their house to visit and were received like closely loved family. They aren’t born again yet but are open and hungry to learn more about God.

Everywhere we traveled there was a spirit of violence, death, and fear. This drug war is very real and serious. What better time to turn on the light and give people a hope in Jesus.  We passed through pueblos where the locals had posted white flags in front of their houses as a public sign of their plea for peace.

Then there was the swine flu that virtually shut Mexico down for two weeks. Most of the  people we have talked to feel that the media put so much emphasis on it to distract the people from more serious problems, such as the drug war and the economic crisis. (Is it possible that the media would try to mess with our minds?)

It is so important to put our focus on the answer, not the problem. Jesus is the answer to every problem! In Numbers 21, the Israelites had been in rebellion. As a result, snakes were biting the people and they were dying. The Lord told Moses to make a brazen serpent and put it on a pole. When the people looked at the serpent on the pole, they didn’t die.

In John 3:14-15 NKJV Jesus said,  “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Our purpose in this Mexican wilderness is to lift Jesus high.

In Deuteronomy 3:19 God told His people that he had put life and death before them and told them to choose life. It’s a choice. Choosing to look to Jesus is what will set people free. Many have yet to hear of that choice. We are here to present the choice of life. II Corinthians 5:7 tells us to walk by faith, not by sight. (Or should it say drive by faith?)

So it doesn’t matter whether the enemy is threatening with sickness, poverty, death or political problems, we will focus on the answer, not the problem. 

The tunnel? Yes, we entered it by faith and five more like it. Praise God there is light on the other side.

In His Fields,

Calvin and Barbara

News Tidbits

Bob and Miki just graduated 37 students from El Shaddai in Navojoa. Praise God for more and better-equipped workers in the harvest!

This picture shows an outreach they did Saturday in the pueblo of Tajimaroa. They had a blast!

The month of May included many happy times with people from the Cumpas area. Jesus and Adalina Espinosa were a blessing to our Douglas Church when they ministered here. Their daughter, Sarai is getting married on May 23rd.

In Jecori with Pastors Alberto and Zulma Ruelas, the church building is making progress. Their new baby Jason is growing and doing well.

In Tepache, Pastors Rodrigo and Olga Suja are enjoying living in their nearly completed parsonage. They are expecting their third baby the end of June so the extra room is all the more a blessing.

On the 9th of May Juan and Maria De la Parra celebrated their 13th Anniversary of their church in Nacozari.  We enjoyed the different ministries of their church and the fellowship with various pastors who came in for the event.

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