Steve & Amy Robertson - Church Planting in Guadalajara, Mexico

Transcription

1 Steve & Amy Robertson - Church Planting in Guadalajara, Mexico View this in your browser

2 Greetings from Columbia, TN! We are thankful for you and hopethat you are doing well. In the midst of transition, it s been comforting to know that God s people have been praying for us and supporting us in so many ways. The last few months have been a whirlwind of activities, emotions, goodbyes, hellos, and challenges. In the midst of it all, God has proven himself faithful as he always has. We have much to be thankful for: We had a special despedida (farewell party). The church put together an amazing meal, complete with live music, as a way of getting everyone together and giving people the opportunity to say goodbye to us. In our last few Sundays we had a chance to celebrate several baptisms and the reception of new members. Among them were 10 tweens making their first-ever professions of faith and a man named Hector. Back in 2008 or 2009, I began to get to know Hector s dad (Guillermo). He was not one of Jesus followers but had genuine spiritual interest. Over a couple of years of inquiry, he came to the point where he desired to express faith in Jesus and be baptized. His family came to the baptism on Christmas Day 2011, and it was clear that they were all very uncomfortable being in a Protestant church. But a few months later his daughter-in-law (Karla) began to come to a realization of her need for Christ, and after a time she came into the church too. Through all of this process, Hector (Karla s husband) was closed to the gospel. He was convinced that he was just fine in his own ways and in his own righteousness even though his own ways were destroying his marriage and family relationships. Then, something amazing happened. Hector changed. Something in him radically changed. And the man who said time and again that he was fine just as he was humbled himself before Jesus. And our last Sunday in Mexico he was baptized, along with his 14-year-old son. God has made his mark on three generations within the same family. Antonio Barrera, who will be handling most of the pastoral duties in the church, was ordained as an elder. We had a huge garage sale and were able to unload almost everything! Due to space and costs we weren t able to bring furniture back with us, so we had to get rid of almost everything in the house.

3 We were safe on the journey here. Mary Beth and I drove to the border (along with super-teammate Matt Jesch) pulling a trailer full of our belongings. The first evening of the journey the trailer suspension springs broke! But the Lord provided, and without too much difficulty we had everything fixed and were back on the road the next day. Who would have thought that we d be able to find a specialty spring that fit perfectly in Zacatecas, Mexico? We made it to the border that night, transferred all the stuff over to a rental truck the next day, and the following night made it to Columbia, TN. God watched over us every mile of the way! We were able to bring our dog, Maya, with us (she rode in the truck with Mary Beth and me). For all of us, and especially for the kids, having Maya still with us has been a source of comfort and stability. Zion Presbyterian Church here in Columbia has received us with open arms. Church members have donated and lent furniture to us, helped us unload the truck, oriented us to our new city, lent us a vehicle, and have shown so much love to us. They even helped us stock the house with food and cleaning supplies! After months of separation, we are so thankful to have Joseph in the same house with us. His health was the best it's ever been this past spring, and we can see how God has been providing for him. Our kids (who had only a 3-week summer vacation due to the different school calendars) have transitioned well into their new schools. Joseph (high school junior) and Mary Beth (high school sophomore) are at Columbia Central High School and are running cross country. Johnny is an 8 th grader at Zion Christian Academy and is playing basketball. The leadership team of the church (Iglesia Cristo Rey Eterno) has been doing a great job of ministering to people and looking to see how they can continue to move the work of Christ forward. We miss our friends, we miss good tacos, we miss the Mexican style of life, and we miss worshiping with our beloved congregation. But God has given us strength and comfort.

4 Baptisms: Mauricio, Andres, Miguel Angel, Brisia, and Junior.

5 Hector As far as the future is concerned, there are two main items on the horizon. First, we still don t have peace about our next ministry

6 assignment. We have been visiting, praying and evaluating different opportunities, and MTW has been wonderfully supportive through this process. And we re still not sure as we try to discern the Lord s call, not just for the type work that we would do, but also for the right place for our family. Second, now that we ve had a chance to settle in a little bit,we are starting the process of reconnecting with all of our supporters.we ll be visiting our supporting churches and as many of you as wepossibly can. In September, we begin with some official church visits. As we travel to different areas, we ll be giving you advance notice so that we can make plans to connect. Thank you so much for all of your prayers, your encouragement, and your financial support. Please continue to pray! Thank you for everything! The Robertsons You may support us through Mission to the World by automatic transfer, by check, or by online payment. Mission to the World PO Box 2589

7 Suwanee, GA Please put 'Robertson ' in the memo field. Copyright 2015 Steve & Amy Robertson, All rights reserved. You are receiving this because of the interest you expressed in the work the Robertsons are doing with MTW in Guadalajara, Mexico. Also, our new contact information: 1108 Confederate Dr., Columbia, TN Steve's Cell: Amy's Cell: unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences Click here to support the Robertsons financially. Copyright 2015 Steve & Amy Robertson, All rights reserved. You are receiving this because of the interest you expressed in the work the Robertsons are doing with MTW in Guadalajara, Mexico.