Leadnow August 12-19

Leadnow Ministries is a non-profit Christian ministry dedicated to rescuing, equipping and restoring young adults to live a Life of Mission, and service in the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Part of their discipleship training involves a foreign missions experience. We are pleased that God has linked both of our mission endeavors and the first team from Leadnow arrived in Chiapas last week. Many of these young people were from Texas A & M or UT of Austin.

Mike McAdams is the founder of Leadnow. The vision that God has given Mike involves making disciples of young people through Transfer (transferring life experience through mentoring), Transition (the equipping, sending and support of disciples) and Transcend (transcending the world, making the kingdom of Jesus Christ the primary focus of life.) We pray that the vision and ministry of Leadnow is strong and active for many years. www.leadnow.org

There are several others involved with Leadnow who commit a great deal of personal time in mentoring and/or additional responsibilities of this ministry. 3 of those wonderful mentors were with this team - Pete (who has been to Chiapas on various other trips) and Ginny Foley and Keith Schoenebert. Thanks for all you do all year long and for the blessing you were all week! And to the incredible group of mentees - Brittany B., Brittany D., Katrina, Krysta, David, Greg, James, John, Miles, Nick, Patrick, Robert, Travis and Zach. You are quality young people - leaders among leaders! We appreciate your heart for God! You blessed so many people in Chiapas, but you touched our hearts as well. We hope to see you again and that you will bring your friends to Chiapas!

The Schedule!

The first full day in Chiapas began with church services in Chenalho, lunch at the Jardines de San Cristobal and afternoon shopping.

Monday we drove to the village of Los Chorros where the group was divided into teams to work on various construction task. Some helped put a roof on a missions church, others painted windows and doors or made benches. The church provided an authentic meal along with music of that area.

Tuesday we returned to Los Chorros. The group mixed cement and carried it in buckets into the church to pour the floor. This is very hard work but very rewarding. Some of the ladies painted the benches that were made from the previous day. When we returned to Chenalho, the majority of the group climbed the mountain near the missions facility.

Wednesday the group drove to San Antonio del Monte, suburb of San Cristobal. The church had been built recently and the walls plastered. Leadnow painted interior and exterior of the church as well as windows and doors. The congregation consist mainly of Chamula Indians. Later that day we attended a church service in Tzabalho where the group had the opportunity to participate with special worship songs. The evening concluded with a wonderful meal together and singing by the local indigenous people. Following the meal Leadnow shared in music and song for the people of Tzabalho.

Thursday we drove to the village of Poconichim to paint their new church. Local people assisted as we painted the interior and exterior of the church and windows and doors. We returned to Chenalho for a short time. We then drove back to the village of Los Chorros for a 4:00 PM dedication service of the church that had been built earlier in the week. The building was full and most of the children stood outside the doors and windows viewing the service. It consisted of lots of singing and much gratitude from the people for their new block church. Leadnow had the opportunity to pray for the local pastor and his wife, the people of the church and their area supervisor, Pastor Augustine and his wife. Time is not an issue in these parts of the mountains, and the celebration continued for several hours. It was very moving to see the pure expressions of joy and thankfulness that makes the fund raising and the hard work all worth while.

Friday we drove back to Tuxtla and the team enjoyed the river boat ride through the canyon in Chiapa de Corzo. Then it was time to prepare to return home on Saturday.

Each evening after the work day and services had concluded, Leadnow took additional time to worship and praise our Lord. They shared testimonies, shared Scriptures and had a time of reflecting on the events of the day. We know God was pleased with what took place in the hearts of each one during this very special time together. Zach H., the youth worship leader of UMC The Woodlands, was an added blessing to the team. Zach has a wonderful gift that he uses to glorify God and inspire others to worship Him!

JULY - AUGUST NEWSLETTER 2006

Isaiah 6:8 "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."

28 years ago Larry Myers heard the voice of the Lord and responded to this call in the same manner as the Prophet Isaiah. Since then the Lord has enabled literally thousands of people throughout the country of Mexico to know Him through his act of obedience. Hundreds of churches have been built, medical care has been given to thousands and the Word of God has been shared with too many to count.

Answering the call of God is not always easy, and Larry faced many obstacles especially in the early years. A little over 20 years ago was our first missions trip with Larry. Thinking that we would do what we could to help out a caring American, we returned frequently. Little did we know that we would have to answer the same call!

To have been mentored by Missionary Larry Myers (a man greatly admired by so many) has been a privilege and gift from God. You will not see his name anywhere or on anything in Mexico. He emphatically states that only God is to receive glory for the marvelous things that have been accomplished. And we certainly agree, but it is also a fact that Larry's obedience to that call many years ago and the impact that he has had on our lives is the reason that you are reading this newsletter today. Last week we celebrated his 69th birthday, and we pray there are many more to come! Thank you, Larry! And yes, to God be all the glory!

HERE AM I! SEND ME!

At some time in your own life, you will also hear God's call to follow Him in a given area. To answer this call may not always be easy, but it certainly is rewarding. While we have been the ones to answer the call to Mexico, you have certainly shared in carrying the burden along side of us. It is impossible to do the work alone, and you have responded above and beyond expectations! God puts together the teams He wants in place, and we are continuously thankful and amazed!

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It is hard to record all that we have been doing recently in Chiapas, but here are a few highlights. During this past month we have built 2 churches for the Tzetal Indians. With no roads leading to the church location in the municipality of Cancuc, all materials had to be hand carried by the villagers or the US team up a steep mountain. We also helped host a youth conference, a medical campaign in 4 different villages and the Tuxtla orphanage, participated in various services in the mountains, bought a new ministry van, generator and air compressor for medical trips, painted 4 churches, transported teams to their work locations, church services, and to and from the new airport.

We owe great thanks to Family Life of Lafayette, LA, The Lafayette Vineyard, Youngsville Baptist, Celebration Covenant Church of Frisco, TX and several other friends who joined these teams last month to make it one of the most busiest but successful months here in Chiapas.

We also owe great thanks to those of you who have prayed for us and the work here in Mexico and have given so generously of your finances to make it all possible.

Upcoming Teams

• Aug. - Leadnow Texas A&M
• Sept. - Quest The Woodlands
• Oct. - Medical Missions Trip
• Nov. - Women's conferences

Upcoming Projects

• continued work on the clinic housing
• finances for 2 trucks for senior pastors
• request for larger church in San Fernando

God bless you! Russell and Charlotte

Celebration Covenant Church July 22 - 29

The group of 29 enthusiastic youth and their leaders from Frisco, TX arrived in Tuxtla on Saturday. Their group is called Excel, and they did just that all week! We drove directly to Chenalho and the following morning attended service with Pastor Alejandro and his congregation. The worship team from Excel ministered so beautifully in song and their missions director shared an encouraging word to the congregation. Sunday afternoons are quiet since we don't start our work projects until Monday, so the group shopped in San Cristobal.

Monday morning the group drove 1 1/2 hrs to Chicit. We divided into 2 teams where one team built benches and the men and children of the church painted them. The other team painted the doors, windows and the interior and exterior of the new church. It was wonderful to leave the church completely painted with the new benches. The people of the village of Chicit were so excited and thankful.

Praise Report: For the past few weeks we painted several churches. It rains very hard almost everyday during this time of the year in the mountains. On the days that we schedule painting of a new church, the Lord would hold back the rain until we finished and were ready to drive away. It became very obvious that the Lord controlled the weather for us.

Each evening Excel would meet together and discuss how their experiences from the day touched their lives. It was very moving to hear the reports of God at work in their hearts and their openness to share with one another. As the week progressed it became very evident that all their hard work in raising funds to make their trip possible and the level of difficulty of the work in the mountains all week was very worth while. One evening Pastor Tad stated that it was one of the most memorable days of his life. It is a great privilege God has given us to host teams from the US who greatly bless our dear friends of Mexico, but also we are thankful that the US teams have life changing experiences that they will never forget.

Excel worked hard all year to raise the funds to build a new church and pay for their trip to Chiapas. Locations are not always easy to get to or convenient for the US groups that come, but the decision is made according to where the need is at the time. This was the case of the village Paraje Tzumjak, in the municipal of San Juan Cancuc. It took 4 hours to finally arrive in the village which was very remote and primitive. Once again we had two different work projects. Part of the team helped to erect the metal roof and the rest of the group shoveled sand and gravel into sacks and carried them to the job location to be used for the cement floor on Thursday. The automobiles and the location of the sand was at the bottom of the mountain. The group had to carry each sack of sand up the mountain throughout the entire day. Each sack was filled according to how much a person could carry. The Indians of this village are Tzetal. Prior to our arrival to help them with the work they had already hand carried all of the block for the church, iron for the metal roofing, 2 tons of dry cement and several yards of gravel up the mountain. The sacrifice of these people wanting a church building was an example to all of us to work harder to get the job completed.

Due to the 4 hour drive back home and a very late evening, we worked closer the next morning in Tojcholic. We painted the new church, and it turned out beautifully. That afternoon the group attended a church service in Tzabalho. We are always excited to be with this congregation of people. When the music began, a group of women from the local church began to worship the Lord with tambourines and dance. Excel did 2 dramas which the people of Tzabalho loved and the worship team sang so beautifully once again. Several of the youth shared testimonies which are always encouraging to hear. Since LeeRoy speaks fluent Spanish, he was able to do an excellent job sharing the Word of God. What a wonderful alter service that followed! The Lord really ministered to the local people and touched us as well. After service the ladies of Tzabalho gave our girls a quick lesson on how to be a tambourine choir. A wonderful meal was served to us while different groups from the church and some of our Americans sang and provided wonderful fellowship for us all. It was a time of great joy!

The following day we returned to Cancuc to assist the local people in pouring the cement floor in the new church. The group placed a Bible in the floor as it was being poured symbolizing that the church was being built on a solid foundation of the Word of God. Many toys and gifts were brought to the village. Some of the girls enjoyed playing games with the children.

On Friday we returned to Tuxtla and visited Casa Hogar Alegre and toured the facility. The children of the orphanage joined us in the chapel for a time of singing, drama and testimonies. We listened to some of the children´s personal testimonies where they were rescued from terrible situations and brought to this Christian orphanage. We certainly feel that God used Excel´s youth to set a comfortable atmosphere where the children were free to open up and share their own stories. There were a lot of tears shared by our American team, but the orphanage is properly named because this is definitely a happy home for the children who live there. Excel´s day concluded with the river boat ride and a evening meal together.

We thank you all for such a wonderful week together! Special compliments go to LeeRoy for doing such a fantastic job in organizing the team. Even though you were one of our larger groups to host, the week went very smoothly. All of you helped out so much, and everyone carried their share of the work load. Pastors Tad and Gina, you are obviously doing a marvelous job all year long ministering to these youth. It is so moving to see young people with such passion and dedication to Christ. To Kim, Tracye and Ashley, thanks for all you did to make it a great week. And a special thanks to Erin, Brittany D., Rebecca, Andrea, Keela, Megan, Melissa, Amy, Karlee, Brittany S., Ashlyn, Tyler, Calvin, Chris, Garrett, Paul, D'Mitri, Zach, David, Kyle, Tiny, Trey and Tre. You are incredible!

Chiapas Medical Campaign July 15 - 22

While we were in the middle of the Tuxtla/San Fernando Youth Conference, we welcomed a wonderful team comprised of medical professionals and assistants. The team was headed by Dr. Jim Nichols and arrived in Tuxtla on Saturday, July 15. They were able to join us for a couple of services and also enjoy the boat ride through the canyon before heading to Chenalho Sunday evening.

Upon our request for interpreters for the week, Stacie came from Orlando, FL and joined the team on Sunday afternoon. She and her husband Pablo had been with us last summer with a youth group from the states and were such an added blessing. We thank God she was able to help out once again. Our local doctor from the Chenalho clinic, Dr. Lulu as she is known to all of us, accompanied the team throughout the week.

Four different villages were selected for the campaign. The schedule included being in Takiukum on Monday with Pastor Jose, Peciquil on Tuesday with Pastor Augustine, Wednesday with Pastor Octoviano in Rancharia Sinai and with Pastor Cesar on Thursday in Palestina. Since Palestina is a colonial of San Cristobal, it was assumed that the need would not be as great because it is one of the few places where we worked that had doctors and dentist. Nevertheless, some of the team had to work until 7:00 PM to meet the needs of the people that showed up that day.

The professional medical team consisted of Dr. Jim Nichols, dentist, Dr. Paul Landeneau, MD, Janet, LPN, and Dr. Jim Morvant, chiropractor, all of Lafayette, LA. Tuxtla professionals were Dr. Herman, dentist, and of course, Dr. Lulu, MD. A number of others who assisted included Dr. Nichol's wife, Carmen, and his daughter, Natalie, Dr. Morvant's wife, Mary, The Thomas family - David, Roxeann, Jami, and Tami - and several other wonderful friends - Hailey, John, Ben, Lyndsey, Elizabeth, Holly and Phillip.

Each day the group had to drive a couple of hours to the different locations, set up for the day, and work very hard to see all the patients that were waiting. The dentist saw at least 25 to 30 patients each day and the doctors saw over 100 in some instances.

We are so thankful for the $1800 that was donated towards the medical expenses. The cost for each medical campaign is mostly for the purchase of medicine for those in need. They are too poor to even consider buying necessary medications and in many cases there are no doctors, dentist or pharmacies even available to them.

A couple of weeks before the team arrived, we were so excited to be able to purchase a new generator and air compressor to use for the medical campaigns. The air compressor runs the mobile dental unit. The generator is brought to all villages because electricity is not always available or reliable.

As is the custom in this part of Mexico, the church members of each village prepared a special meal for the team as a way of showing their appreciation. In wanting to give their very best, one day our team was served an exotic meal of "fried caterpillars". This dish is known as a delicacy in this country, and therefore, our team was treated very royally.

Besides the medical work that took place, part of the group accompanied Russell to paint a church in the village of Yibeljoj. In addition on another day, Phillip and David stayed in Chenalho and painted the downstairs kitchen and did several other repairs around the facility in preparation for the team that would be arriving the following week.

On Friday the medical team drove back to Tuxtla and spent the day at the orphanage Casa Hogar Alegre. Dental and medical care was available to the 120 children who live there. Dr. Herman generously opened his office so he and Dr. Nichols could take care of special dental needs. We are always so pleased to learn that the children of Casa Hogar Alegre are in good health and that the director, "Mama Elizabeth", continues to do an outstanding job caring for her large family.

We thank God for Dr. Nichols who contributes several weeks each year to the cause of helping the needy of Mexico - for Dr. Landreneau for his 3rd year of missions work in Chiapas - and for Dr. Jim Morvant for returning and bringing Mary with him. We thank Carmen for her endless labor of love in the kitchen. And we want to give a special word of thanks to Dr. Paul's wife, Julie, for her understanding and continued support of her husband and the work here. Dr. Paul has missed 2 wedding anniversaries and one of Julie's birthdays by being in Mexico on a missions trip. Thank you, Julie!

And to all the team- thanks for everything! It was a wonderful week once again!