Itineration: an idiomatic ode to the end of the road

You know how it is. If it's not one thing it's another. Another day, another dollar. And so it goes. But I need to cut to the chase. The time is now. The end is near. It's Mexico City or bust by the first of June.

Drastic times call for drastic measures. But hold your horses, dear friends; no need to fear. I'm not pulling your leg or yanking your chain. I'm just going for broke and letting the cat out of the bag. We need your help.

I don't want to get in your face, under your skin, or drive you up a wall. But since you can't take it with you anyhow, why don't you take a leap of faith? Go out on a limb. Go the whole nine yards.

You may think I'm off my rocker; not playing with a full deck. But really, I'm just at the end of my rope and I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve. So could you put the pedal to the metal? Cut us a little slack? Send us some dough?

Make no bones about it, the process is a piece of cake. And For Pete's sake, it's quicker than a New York minute. Just push the button and make our day. I promise, it won't cost you an arm and a leg. Just a little faith.

Hats off to you, friends. It's time for us to get this show on the road. And your gift today will be the icing on the cake!

**But seriously folks, we just have a few more weeks to finish climbing the Itineration Pyramid and raise $15,474. Fortunately, because of the generosity of people like you, we are more than halfway there. All Assemblies of God World Missionaries must raise monthly support as well as a cash budget before we are given financial clearance and released to the mission field. The cash budget includes monies to pay for airfare to the field, rent/utilities deposits, language school, and visa expenses.

We eagerly look forward to returning to Mexico City to proclaim release to the captives of drug addiction and set at liberty those who are oppressed by the sex trade. 

Thank you!

Printable PDF Spring 2015

If you prefer, you can snail mail your offering to: 

1445 N Boonville Ave Springfield, MO 65802
Just put our name and account number (251128) in the memo line.

#GivingTuesday

Did you brave Black Friday? 

Surf for deals on Cyber Monday? 

Celebrate generosity on Giving Tuesday?

What is Giving Tuesday? Why it's a global day for giving back!

Stuart and I hope to return to Mexico City in a few months. So we are asking generous people like you to please partner with us to proclaim release to the captives of drug addiction and to set at liberty those who are oppressed by the sex trade by considering a one-time gift or recurring monthly commitment today.

Feeling especially generous? Here are more missionaries currently itinerating and needing a financial boost.

Lyndsie Williams (France)

Jason & Andrea Morrison (Czeck Republic)

Rick & Gloria McCartney (Malta)

Scott & Erin Pongratz (South Africa)

Brenda & Bernie Smith (Togo)

Interested in campus ministries?

Laurie Atz (Chi Alpha)

Let's make a difference together around the world on Giving Tuesday!

Sending! Proclaiming! Releasing!

Teen Challenge is a Christian ministry dedicated to rehabilitating and restoring men and women addicted to drugs and alcohol. Likewise, Reto a la Juventud is the equivalent program in Mexico City.

As we have shared with you on numerous occasions, Stuart and I have an opportunity to partner with this great ministry when we return to Mexico City.

Gamaliel and Alejandra Cerda (affectionately known as Gama and Ale) direct the Teen Challenge in Mexico City. On Sundays, families of residents join their loved ones for a vibrant worship service and a wonderful meal afterward.

 Above, Gama prays over the residents and visiting family and 

below, Ale teaches a seminar.*

Teen Challenge takes a holistic approach to restoration therefore, it provides ongoing training to prepare residents for a productive life after graduating.*

Please pray for Stuart and I as we continue to raise funds to prepare for our return to Mexico City. 

Our heart's desire is to proclaim that captives of drug addiction will be released and that those oppressed by alcoholism will be set free!

Will you join us?

We covet your prayers. Join our Facebook group to stay informed and consider partnering with us financially with a one-time offering or a monthly commitment. 

Thank you for your help.

You may also want to visit and like Reto a la Juventud 

(*these two photos are from their Facebook page).

Pentecostal Preaching and Lunch with Saint Mary

This past weekend, Stuart and I enjoyed catching up with old friends, (as the years go by I notice that phrase takes on new meaning), Pastor Bill and Cindy Richardson at Journey Assembly of God in Terre Haute, IN. 

We met Cindy back in 1990 when Stuart did his pastoral internship at Evangel Christian Center in Fort Wayne (now Hope Church), and then Bill a few years later when they met and married.

During the service, Stuart shared his testimony and then I had the pleasure of preaching on the Spirit of Pentecost.

Later we met this delightful woman, a Mexican Jew from Chiapas, Mexico. She shared with Stuart a tract entitled 4 Cosas que Dios Quiere que Usted Sepa (4 Things God Wants You to Know) that she hands out to Latinos in the area.

The day ended with a wonderful Sunday Brunch at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. 

The food, campus, and architecture were simply outstanding.

If you live in Terre Haute or just driving through make sure to stop by Journey Assembly, say "Hi!" to Pastor Bill and Cindy, and tell them Stuart and I sent you!

It's been a couple of weeks . . .

Now for a little catching up!

Yay, Olivia and I graduated from Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU)!

No better way to celebrate than with friends and fellow missionaries, Nelson and Rennae de Freitas, their son Marcus, and SAGU Travel Coordinator, Joshua Evans at a Mexican restaurant.

The next day Stuart and I took in the sights and sounds of Waxahachie when we happened upon a Cinco de Mayo festival. How cool is that?!

Our busy weekend continued in Indianapolis for our district council. General Superintendent, Dr. George Wood prays over our fellowship.

Last Wednesday we joined Pastor Orlando Soler at Life Point Church in Hammond, IN for their missions convention. 

We are so thankful for their prayers and support over the last 10 years.

If you are ever in the area, visit Life Point Church and tell them we sent you :)

Yesterday we ventured out early to travel down to Lifeway Church in Indianapolis with Pastor Neil and Michelle Bell. So thankful Stuart and I had the opportunity to pray over so many women (of all ages) responding to the call of God on their lives. I'll give you the best advice I ever received: Go for God's best!

Thanks to all our supporting churches and individuals who partner with us in ministry. As we itinerate, your generous offerings help offset the cost of travel so we can raise the needed funds and return to Mexico faster. Every little bit helps! 

Missionary Monday . . . We wait for him

For God alone my soul in silence waits; truly, my hope is in him. Psalm 62.6

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Been doing that a lot this past month. Maybe I should say this past year. Now that I think about it, I've spent a lot of time waiting these last ten years.

In 2003, the Assemblies of God officially commissioned Stuart and I as missionaries. We traveled extensively and worked exhaustively as we waited (impatiently) for 18 months until we arrived in Jamaica on July 4, 2005.

Since then we have traveled to Costa Rica to work on learning Spanish to prepare for ministry in Mexico. Missionary colleagues promised us that magic moment when our brain would “click” and we would exclaim, “¡Aha, podemos entender español!”

Um, still waiting on that click.

God is no stranger to waiting, though. Thousands of years God waited, but when the right time came, he sent his Son, born of a woman ... (Galatians 4.4).

Through the season of Advent, our family lit candles as we waited to celebrate his birth.

We lit one Advent candle to remind us that the prophets foretold of his appearing (Isaiah 9.6). We lit two candles to remind us he was born a man in Bethlehem (Luke 2.4-7). We lit three candles to recognize that we like the shepherds must come to Christ, believe in him, and tell the good news to others (Luke 2.8-12). We lit four candles to anticipate Christ's second appearing and focus on his salvation (Luke 2.13-14).

Advent is the season of anticipation.
Of longing.
Of waiting.

But some things are worth the wait.

Merry Christmas,
Stuart & Wendy

Christmas newsletter

NUEVO CORAZÓN

This past year, our friend Manolo Pacheco in Mexico City, asked Stuart and I, and many others in our church, to be a part of an evangelistic music video he was creating. Just recently, after months of production, the video is ready! As you will see it is professionally and creatively well-done.

So take a look, share it on Facebook and Twitter, and let me know what you think of our acting debut :)

*disclaimer - the Speed the Light (STL) vehicle we drove in the video was not actually harmed.



http://daysofdeliverance.com/nuevo-corazon/

El suelo es plano delante de la cruz // The ground is level at the cross

Tenemos un dicho en los EE.UU.: “El suelo es plano delante de la cruz.” En otras palabras, nadie tiene ventaja delante de Dios. 

We have a saying in the US. "The ground is level at the cross." In other words, no one has an advantage before God.

Dear Cape Christian School

Thank you for praying for us this year. 

We enjoyed all your sweet letters and words of encouragement.

We love serving God in Mexico, and we love that you love Mexico too!

Dios les Bendiga, Mrs Stevens and the 1st grade class at Cape Christian School in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Go Lions!

Día Feliz

Worship today at Asamblea Cristiana, Mexico City.

Oh día feliz, día feliz 

Lavaste mi maldad 

Oh día feliz, día feliz 

Jamás seré igual 

Por siempre me cambio 

Have Yourself a Merry Little Cross-Cultural Christmas

Our family has celebrated Christmas in three foreign cultures since leaving the United States in 2005. Explore our Christmas adventures on Tortilla Press . . .  Posadas, Piñatas, and Noche Buena

The Day of the Dead (is not a Tim Burton Film)

Rather it is a holiday celebrated throughout Mexico on the 1st and 2nd of November.

While visiting the mall the other day we came across this display for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

I Will Rest in You . . .

Last week I preached at our home church in Mexico City on Resting in God's Rest. You would think resting would be easy, but as I've learned these last few years, it's not as easy as it sounds. For instance, whenever I face a challenge I like to think it through, make a plan, and then to the best of my ability make it happen. But sometimes, no matter what I try to do, nothing works. Or it gets worse.

Much worse.

BARK If You Love Jesus

A dog is one of the remaining reasons why some people can be persuaded to go for a walk. ~O.A. Battista

Our Schnauzer Jack convinces Stuart to go for a walk at least twice a day. Usually though, it's a great opportunity to meet and talk with people as Jack has a tendency to greet and sniff every person, dog, tree, and rock in the park.

The other day, Jack ran over to two guys sitting on a bench. They struck up a conversation with Stuart and talked about a myriad of topics including, "What do you think of the world ending in 2012?" Taking the bait, Stuart (armed with all his hard-earned Spanish) delved into his testimony and the hope he found in Christ years ago.

Hmmm, dog-inspired evangelism. Maybe we're on to something.

http://groupwrok.wikispaces.com/Cartoon+Writing

Pray with . . . Pray for . . . Mexico

What Dreams are Made Of

As the legend goes, in 1531, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin heard a voice calling his name as he walked to church one day. Eager to know the source, Juan ran to the top of Tepeyac Hill where the Virgin Mary appeared to him. Although many historians doubt the veractiy of the story, a shrine to the Lady of Guadalupe was eventually built and the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe) has become a significant place of adoration for many Roman Catholics in northern Mexico City.

In recent years, a business man in Florida (who grew up in the Roman Catholic faith) had a dream to help four local Assemblies of God churches surrounding the Basilica in Mexico City . . . 

Let's Do Something

Let's pray for Mexico.

Today is election day in Mexico. We appreciate your prayers for God's guidance and peace in the land.

A Father's Love

Brianna's engaging smile belied the fact that she trusted no-one, especially adults. A quiet, teen-aged girl her physical scars told a story she never spoke of and her emotional scars hindered her from embracing close friendships. Regardless, Stuart and I cared deeply for Brianna and sought to buff away the hardness that encased her young life . . . Read the rest of the story on Tortilla Press.

Ministry in the City

I just realized I had some ministry photos hiding in my phone! 

So here's to Ministry in the City over the last few months.

Of Angels and Missionaries

Years ago, my young daughter confessed that she believed angels had the responsibility to fetch our heads after we die and bring them to heaven.

Read the rest of the story on Tortilla Press.