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Dear friends,

Thank you for your patience in awaiting our newsletters, how we wish we could write more of-ten. But as you know the mission field is a busy place. We also realize that time is short and by God’s grace we want to accomplish as much as we can for the Master while there is time.
We truly thank God for each one of you and for all the support and encouragement that you give us.

I know some of you wonder how we could possibly come up with another project, when we have so much on our plate already, but we want to let you know that when God shows us a need, we move forward in faith. He then gives us the vision, He gives us the strength, He gives us the energy, and we place all of our reliance on Him.

We wish we could write every detail of our days, but we hope that what we share will bring joy to your hearts, that it will inspire you to step out in faith, to realize that with God all things are possible, that there is a world in need and that we are His witnesses.

So sit back, pour yourself a tall glass of water, bring the family around and enjoy what God has done.

A Cut Above the Rest

by Joe

We serve such a loving and merciful God; A God who desires to bless us with only the best of things life has to offer. Looking back, we can see how God’s hands were instrumental in leading, guiding and directing all that this ministry does; And, we have learned that it is in our most difficult circumstances that, if we are faithful, trusting, and obedient to His lead-ing, that He will pour out His richest blessings upon us. The only condition God places upon us to receive His blessings, is that we surrender our lives fully and completely to Him. It is then that He can shape us, and mold us, and fashion us into the likeness of His dear Son, Jesus Christ of Calvary. You may think that God cannot use you; You may feel that you “Need” to manage your own pathway in life; You may have hereditary flaws, that you feel disqualify you for service to God. Well, dear friends,… God seems to love using human beings with character defects and flaws.

We have had many qualified volunteers come and minister with us; And while all have been a great blessing to us, and to the people in our mountains, there are just some volunteers who go above and beyond what is expected of them. They put all of their energies into God’s service, and they give selflessly of themselves to others. I know that God con-siders them His precious jewels. He has said, “All who would be sons and daughters of God must prove themselves co-workers with God and Christ and the heavenly angels. This is the test of every soul. Of those who faithfully serve Him the Lord says, “They shall be Mine,….In that day when I make up My jewels.” Matt. 3:17

Let me show and tell you about a few of these volunteers:

Here is Wilson; Our Chef at the restaurant. I have always enjoyed working in the kitchen., fixing tasty treats; but I have never looked at food the way Wilson does,..literally. One day, I came by the restaurant hoping to buy a couple of “Arrepas”. It’s hard to describe what they are, but I can assure you that they are delicious. As I walked into the kitchen, I saw Wilson standing over the stove with this intense look of love an d joy. I walked over closer to see what in the world he was doing, and to my amazement, he was holding an “Arrepa” in his hand, stuffing it with veggie gluten. Now, there’s nothing strange about turning a “tortilla pocket” into an arreppa;…No, that was fine (and so delicious too); The strange thing was the way Wilson was looking at the “Arrepa”. The only way I can describe it is to compare his look to a mother who just gave birth, and is looking at her baby for the first time, with pride and joy. I have never seen anyone take such care and genuine love in the preparation of food. Wilson does not show this love and care only to his Arrepas; He gives great care in all the foods he prepares. God knew just the right person to send to us. Wilson has patiently taken the time to teach oth-ers his culinary skills. We would love to have Wilson with us permanently; But we know that one day, God will choose to use him elsewhere. But, until then, we, at La Conasta de Vida, will continue to serve the best food in all of Honduras. Thank God for dedicated volunteers like Wilson.

Here we have Ariel and Johanna. Elsa and I have adopted them both as our missionary son and daughter. Ariel has been with us twice before, but this was Johanna’s first for-eign mission experience. To see the two working together was such a joy. I honestly believe that it is God’s will and desire that both husband and wife are to work together (not separate) doing God’s work.

Ariel is a master at agriculture. I think he could turn Death Valley into productive farm land,..he’s just that knowledge-able. He’s a quiet fellow, who simply enjoys getting his hands dirty,…for the Lord.

As for Johanna; She spends most of her time searching out the poorest of the poor, and gives them whatever help they need. She has the patience to teach and play with little children all day long. Johanna has that special smile that lets whoever is looking know, that Jesus loves them.

Recently, Ariel and Johanna returned to their home in Colombia, S.A., where they will continue their missionary work. It is their desire to establish a Sanitarium in one of the nearby villages. If it is God’s will, M.M.M. will take part in this venture. Ariel and Johanna are true missionaries. Their only desire is to work for God,…helping and blessing others.

“In choosing men and women for His service, God does not ask whether they possess worldly wealth, learning or elo-quence, He asks, “Do they walk in such humility that I can teach them My way? Can I put My words into their lips? Will they represent Me?” M.H. pg. 37

Many think that before stepping out in faith to work for the Lord, they must first obtain a higher degree of education. Some, try to outline their service for God themselves; Picking and choosing what they will do, and where they will go. Some, want to wait until just the right time, when they’re financially secure, to do God’s work. But friends, we can never be of use to God, if we do not allow Him to take full control of our lives,….our plans. He will give us just the right amount of education we need for the work He has outlined for us; He will choose just the perfect work for us to do,…no-matter how unpleasant it may appear; He knows our every need, and will provide for us, above and beyond all that we could ever provide for ourselves.

Elisha Brown, is one of our very special missionary daughters. She has come to volunteer with us many times over the years. This recent tour was extra special for her. She was allowed special entrance into the hospital to assist in the labor & delivery room. This is right up her alley. She loves midwifery, and jumps at every opportunity to take part in it. It isn’t easy getting into the hospital in Santa Barbara; but the staff loved her Christ-like, attentive behavior so much, that they looked forward to having her assist them whenever she could. Elisha never passed up an opportunity to reach out to those in need. Her special friend, Ruby, who usually works in the restaurant, also accompanied her, and helped in many deliveries at the hospital. Working for God is not only an adventure,…it’s a privilege.

Healing the Brokenhearted

by Elsa

As we work in the mission field, there are people we minister to that leave deep impressions upon our minds and hearts. The Chavez’s are one such family. I often share the story of how they used to walk six miles in the dark and in the rain to come and hear God’s word, and even though they have six other children, the one that was always with them was their oldest, Melvin. You see, Melvin is a bit slow and socially challenged, so his dear mom, Evelina, always kept him closed by. I recall the time when Melvin came to one of the meetings by himself because it had been raining and the roads were so muddy. His mom was not feeling well. By the time the meeting ended the rain came pouring again, so I suggested to Melvin that he come with us and spend the night at the outpost; he looked at me a bit bewildered and just shook his head to say no. I kept insisting, but he stayed firm shaking his head no! So I asked him why not, was he afraid that they would be worried about him? He once again shook his head no, and slowly, in his child-like manner said, “ I must go home and share with my parents the message that I heard tonight, they need to hear it”. I was left speechless, what could I say? Melvin had only completed the first grade, but reads very well, and has a good memory. His mom told me that he learned to read from the Bible. So he was the one that read to them the Bible, because they had not learned to read themselves.

This precious family was baptized six years ago. They have remained faithful; Even when Evelina became ill, Melvin would stay home near mom, while brother Chavez would walk those six miles to come to church, and he would always arrive on time for Sabbath school, cheerful, always praising God.

Often we would go up to their village of Los Cerritos, to do a little service in their home. This would always cheer Evelina, and even though she did not feel well, she was always happy to have us there. She wanted all her children and family all around to hear God’s word. This past year her health deterio-rated rapidly. We shared all that we could of the natural remedies, and wanted her to come to the outpost, but she insisted on staying home near her children. In her last days, she drew closer and closer to the Lord, and when we came to visit, she would smile and say that God was helping her and keeping her,…whatever His will was, she was ready. Her only concern was her children; those that had not yet given their lives to Christ, and of course Melvin. She would look at me and say, please pray for him, he’s just like a little child. Whenever we went to visit her, Melvin was right by her bed side. I too worried about Melvin, because I knew he depended on his mothers’ care.

Before leaving to go to the States for a couple of weeks, we went with Joe and Elisha to say good bye, because in her condition, I didn’t know whether we would see her when we got back. She asked me how long I’d be gone, and when I told her two weeks, she looked at me and said, I’ll be waiting for you. So as soon as I got back I went up to see her. Brother Chavez said “I’m so glad you are back; I know God kept her while you were gone.”

Three days later I received a call at 5a.m. in the morning letting me know that she had died. We wanted to do the best for the family, and Joe and I prayed, asking God for wisdom as to what to do and what to say. The Lord impressed Joe to blow up a beautiful picture we had of her at their baptism, and I knew that she would want me to speak to her chil-dren about their need of Jesus. So later on that afternoon, we headed to their house up at Los Cerritos and found the house full of family members and friends.

We presented the framed picture to Brother Chavez, who shed tears of delight at seeing the joy she reflected in her face as she was being baptized. We placed the picture right by the casket, not realizing how loudly it spoke to each per-son as they walked in to offer their condolences to the family… that was the perfect testimony. I really didn’t have to say much about her, for that picture and her life told it all. I simply shared the blessed hope of those who die in Christ, and spoke to her children what I know she would have wanted them to hear. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, be-cause he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach de-liverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” Luke 4:18. Early the next morning, we helped to drive family and friends to the cemetery for a closing service. There were tears all around and hearts that sorrowed. I kept myself strong in order to be a strength to them, that was, until I glanced at Melvin’s face. He stood there like a lost little boy, not knowing what to do, for it had finally hit him that his loving mother was gone. I could no longer keep my tears back as I went over to comfort him. I reminded him that if he re-mained faithful, he would soon see his mother again at the second coming of Christ. The Lord has called us to heal the broken hearted, and to comfort those that grieve.

“There are cases where God works decidedly by His divine power in the restoration of health. But not all sick are healed. Many are laid away to sleep in Jesus. “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.” (Rev. 14:13). From this we see that if persons are not raised to health, they should not on this account be judged as wanting in faith.” M.H. p.151

“When we have prayed for the recovery of the sick, whatever the outcome of the case, (even death), let us not lose faith in God. If we are called upon to meet bereavement, let us accept the bitter cup, remembering that a Father’s hand (our heavenly Father) holds it to our lips. M.H. p. 153

Service for Life

by Elsa

Dear MMM family, first of all we want to thank God for each one of you who responded to the call for means to purchase land for the future Missionary Training Center. It warmed and encouraged our hearts to get the notes of encouragement. Projects like these are always a step of faith, and we are moving forward in faith! We are happy to let you know that we have to date, received 1/4 of the total amount needed for the purchase of property,…but we know that God will continue to provide the funds necessary for this project. We were not able to purchase the original land that we saw, but we still have confidence that God has just the right place for us.

We are so excited because our first students are bearing the fruits of the understanding of the call that God is making to them. In one of our last conversations with Roger, our hearts were made glad as he shared that he believed this was a personal call from God to him, and that he understood that answering this call meant forsaking many things…all things for God, and that this was a call of service for life. He said that his relatives told him that if he did not continue his studies he would repent later, but he said, “I know I won’t.” As we mentioned in our introduction letter about the project, we also believe that this Missionary Training Center is not just another school, but a call that God is making to young people in these last days. Not to give partial service, but a full life of service to the Master; to become His disciples. Please, keep us in your prayers as we move forward in faith with this project to prepare God’s last-days messengers.

Never Forgotten

by Joe

The blessings received from reaching out to the poor, is one that can hardly be described; But often times, we minister without follow-up. This can render little long-term results. It is so very important to keep contact with those whom God has allowed you to witness to, and share His love with. Ministry without follow-up, is not true ministry; In fact, in most cases, it can do more harm than good. At our Outpost in the mountains, we are forever doing outreach to the poor, and we often re-visit those whose hearts have been touched by our heavenly Father’s love. Just see what God can do, when people know that you really care about them; and that you haven’t forgotten them.

Several years ago, we visited a family living in a broken down mud shack. The mother was outside slapping mud and small rock into the holes of her shack. We stopped and gave she and her children food, clothes, and school supplies. Since then, we have visited them often. Last year her husband was riding his bicycle, and was hit by a truck, and killed. We had made it a point to care for them; But at one point they moved to a different location, and we lost contact with them. We have often thought of and prayed for little Lourdes, one of the young daughters. On one of our recent outreach sessions, we visited a very poor community, providing health consultations, clothes, and treats for the children. To our surprise, we saw that Lourdes and her family lived in this little vil-lage. What a joyful reunion this was. When I first laid eyes on Lourdes, I didn’t recognize her. I still pictured her as the little girl, smiling and holding the new dress we had given her. When they saw us, they hurriedly came to us, giving us lots of “we’ve missed you” hugs. In speaking with them, we learned that the mother had lost her job several months prior, and was living from day to day on scraps and hand-outs from friends. My heart goes out to this mother (whom I will call Maria), because she does not ask or beg for any-thing. She trusts in God to help and provide for she and her three children. When I went into their little shack, I noticed that there was no food. All of the clothes they had were shabby and worn out. A nearby Adventist school had just given the two younger daughters a pair of shoes to wear to class.

I have once again, made it a point to keep in touch with this family, and help provide them with all of the basic things needed to simply survive. Are you wishing that you could help? Dear friends, you are helping. All of your prayers, and support, no matter what the amount, is going to help families like this. Lourdes (top right) is now 14 years old. She wants to help her mother and two siblings, but her education and skills are limited. That is why God has sent us here into the mission field; To help those who cannot help themselves.

A smile, a hug, a few words of en-couragement, and of course, the assur-ance of God’s love for them, makes a world of difference in the lives of those who need to know that someone really does care for them.

Prayer Corner
“If we live according to His (God’s) word, every precious promise He has given
will be fulfilled to us. We are undeserving of His mercy, but as we give ourselves
to him, He receives us. He will work for and through those who follow
Him.” M.H. p. 148
Patricia Smith—Recovering from illness
Pete Raimondo – Healing of eye problems
Steve Willis – Health & healing
Sis. Vincent – Health & healing
Standish Family – Help recovering from brush fires in Australia
MMM – God’s continued direction to find property
God’s children everywhere – Faithfulness to Him in the hard times ahead