^{Spanish Missions Bulletin}

Rev. Joel Silos, Director
P.O. Box 40398
San Antonio, TX  78229-1398
(210) 615-1945

July 2002

"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."  Daniel 12:3

Dear Friends in Christ,

With gratitude to God, who gives me this new opportunity, I greet you trusting that you are enjoying good spiritual and physical health.  My family and I marvel at the great love that He has bestowed on us through Jesus Christ.

May 2002

The latter part of the month I began a two week-trip to present the ministry in North Carolina and in Virginia.  The purpose of the trip was that we may be able to be of a greater support to the work of the missionaries in Mexico.  Karen and the children were not able to go with me because we did not have an adequate vehicle.

June 2002

During the third week of June 2002 I went to Houston for one ton of gospel tracts offered by "International Words of Eternal Life Faith Ministries" and delivered them to Brownsville, Texas.  Please pray that Pastor Jose Luis Ochoa in Matamoros will have minimal problems as he imports them.  We also took light fixtures donated by a mechanic here in San Antonio for Brother Ochoa's building.

July 2002

On the 2nd, I went to Glenwood Springs, Colorado to purchase the 1996 Ford converted truck for which we had been praying.  The Lord miraculously worked out the transactions concerning the purchase.  Different people offered to buy our old vehicles-even the 1979 Malibu which I had had for ten years.

Thank you for the concern expressed regarding the flooding in the San Antonio area.  When I arrived home from Colorado on July fourth, it had been raining hard for three days.  The very next day we were asked to evacuate our home because of imminent flooding.  We went to Karen's mom's house south of San Antonio and were marooned there for five days as water surrounded that area.  When we returned home, the house and everything else were exactly as we had left them, including Mary Elizabeth's chickens.

It is amazing to reflect on the Lord's timing and protection!  Praise His Name!!

Pastor's Meeting

The reunion of the pastors at Iglesia del Pueblo in Matamoros, Tamaulipas was a blessing to everyone in attendance.  The people were encouraged by the messages and we were asked to make copies to give to others.  All the literature and videos we had stockpiled were given to the men but were not enough.  Pray that the Lord will supply this need.

Bible Institute in Leon, Guanajuato

Some funds have been pledged toward the dormitories for the Bible Institute.  Please pray for wisdom for Pastor Isidro Ontiveros as he directs the building and or remodeling of a present house.  There are 29 students enrolled and more are expected to attend the fall semester.

Prayer Requests

Some of our office machines need to be updated.

Video overhead projector needed for presenting the ministry.

For the purchase of a car.

Our conference in January 20-22, 2003 with the Maya brethren in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Blessings and petitions from the missionaries' letters received in June 2002

Ismael Flores, San Francisco del Rincon, Guanajuato  We are grateful to the Lord for His blessings.  He has sent two full-time workers.  Before, we hardly had any men in our church, and now we have several.  We ask for prayer that these new converts will be strong in the Lord.  We are grateful to the Lord, whereas before only five people would go out to win souls, now we have twenty.  We are firm in the Word of the Lord.  We also have more young people.  We ask that you continue to pray for us.

Rodolfo Pacheco, Puerto Progreso, Yucatan:  Brethren, I am so happy to share with you that God continues His work here.  He gave us many new people for our church during the month of May.  A married couple were separated and involved in vice.  She, as an alcoholic, was already hallucinating.  One night, the church prayed for her, and she was saved and healed.  All of our church has been praying every Friday from 10 to 12 P.M. during the month of May, and we have seen how God has answered several prayers.  We give thanks to God for five young people who made professions of faith.  We will be having an evangelistic campaign, and on the last day of these services, June 30th, we will have these baptisms.

Felipe Urquieta, Leon, Guanajuato:  We thank God for two baptisms that we had and for the new people who come.  We pray that their faith will continue to be strong in the Lord.  A lady and her two sons have been visiting us, and we hope that her husband will visit us.  They had been Jehovah Witnesses for ten years, but had not attended their hall for two years.  One of our church members invited her.  The mother has not accepted Christ, but she asks us to have patience.  We are praying that all the family will give their lives to Christ.  I request prayer for my wife and her eye surgery, and for our eight year old son David who has a physical problem.

Leonardo Urquieta, Leon, Guanajuato:  Pray for our goals: not only to expand our building, but also to fill it with people.  We continue to plant the seeds of the gospel in spite of opposition.  We press forward, and each week we have 12 to 15 professions of faith.  We continue this great search - Luke 19:10.  We ask that our Lord will help us continue to appreciate what He did for us.  What awaits us are a new heaven, a new earth, and eternal life - all of which cannot be obtained through our works - Ephesians 2:8,9.  Nor can we buy them at the supermarkets - not with gold, silver, precious pearls, nor any material thing, for it is a gift that needs to be received - Romans 6:23.

Javier Valadez, Las Juntas, Jalisco:  We are grateful to God for His infinite mercy and for His faithfulness in allowing us to work in this great endeavor.  We ask God to give us strength, wisdom, and, above all, spirituality so that we can serve Him efficiently.  We request prayer for: (1) Souls and baptisms in the church; (2)  The men and women students in the institute; (3)  My health, as I have a severe problem with my kidneys; (4)  The mission in the Colonia Beatriz Hernandez; (5)  Much faith and strong emotions as we begin construction of our church building. 

Julian Del Angel, Arguelles, Cuernavaca, Morelos:  We have several prayer requests:  (1)  The enemy has enticed two families;  (2)  There are brethren (your pastor included) who are ill;  (3)  We desire to begin construction on our church building, but we have no financial resources (we are still meeting under a tin roof); (4)  The Bible Institute classes will conclude with a graduation ceremony in June;  (5)  For financial support for the schooling of my children;  (6)  That the Lord will send workers for His fields.

Hernan Flota, Merida, Yucatan:  Thanks be to God, who blessed us during our evangelistic campaign in Telchaquillo and Panaba, where - Glory to God! - we had 19 professions of faith.  There are homes where we were not welcomed and the people asked us to leave because we wanted to present Christ to them.  It does not matter.  Glory be to our Lord because His mercy is great!  Continue to pray for us.

Eduardo Guzman, Oaxaca, Oaxaca:  Motives for prayer:  (1)  That our church will develop leaders; (2)  For both human and economical resources that we may be able to begin a project for children;  (3)  For the health of my wife and mine, since I have been gravely ill due to problems with my throat;  (4)  For our music ministry, that the Lord will use us in His work.

Jose Luis Herrera, Tonala, Jalisco:  We have been having several problems in our church ministry.  Two more families decided to leave.  They wanted to use rock music and introduce other doctrines.  We began a mission in El Sauz de Los Marques.  We expect the Lord to guide and to bestow His grace on us. 

Asuncion Lopez, Leon, Guanajuato:  It is with great sorrow that I inform you that our sister in Christ, Delia Mendoza, for whom we had requested prayer, died.  After having been hospitalized for two months after childbirth, she went to her heavenly home.  Her baby boy, however, is in the best of health.  The Lord blessed us with tremendous victory on the Sunday set aside as the "Day of The Child".  There were 80 children in attendance and 41 received Christ as their Savior.  Pray for our church.

Felipe Nery Canche Dzul, Valladolid, Yucatan:  In one of our activities for May 10th (Mother's day in Mexico), the young people, the children and the mothers in our church shared time together.  We had a joyous service, thanks be to Jesus Christ.

Fernando Salinas, Colonia Jacinto Lopez, Leon, Guanajuato:  Our heavenly Father has been gracious to us.  During the month of April, we had the highest attendance of any other month, and we had three baptisms.  Apart from this, the Holy Spirit has touched the hearts of several of our brethren to go out to visit and to win souls.  Although we are few, we gather together to pray from Monday to Friday at 6:30 A.M., trusting in the Lord that over time, our number will grow.

An heir of God through Christ,

Joel Silos, D.D.