Working with Our Church!

Hola amigos in Christ,

Many blessings and a warm brotherly hug to you all! I just wanted to give you a quick update about the last few days here:

-My bus trip on Monday night from Mexico City to Tuxtla Gutierrez was around 13 hours but I was able to rest on the coach, so I was ready for some Gospel Action the following day.

- On Tuesday morning/afternoon I was able to catch up with our pastor at "Familia Unida". It is a joy to fellowship with people like-minded with regards to the King affairs.

- On Tuesday night we had a meeting to welcome the British/Spanish One (i.e. me) :-). I shared a short word for church and prayed. Afterwards we ate very tasty tacos and glorified God in the fellowship of the saints. It was wonderful to see some many new faces. One feels such sincere love as the foundation of this church plant. We are honoured to oversee this work of God!

- Yesterday night, we had a meeting at a different venue, as the house where they were meeting had become too small. We registered 75 people yesterday in our contact list. At the meeting 30 people, many sobbing at the revelation of the love of God, gave their lives to Christ. Several people felt within how stones in kidneys and bladder dissolved. There was a general consensus among people who came to the meeting last night of a real sense of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. There are great plans for all sorts outreach ventures plans and social action projects in the community. I'm so excited, glory to God!

Please check this picture as we've only been running only 6 months as a church since we first began in December last year. Isn't God good!

Truly all my love to you guys for your prayers and encouragement! I would love to be able to sow financially into this church planting venture. Should you feel a leading in this area, please let me know to show you what to do next.

Again all our love and blessings to you all!!

Mario

Our Weekend in Mexico City!

Hello everyone!

Thank you very much for your encouragement and praying for us. God's been very good!

What a joy to hear how Carmen, 72 recovered her sight "completely" as we laid hands on her in Jesus name! Also God gave Prudencia, 85 her hearing after half a century of complete deafness. Over 50 people came to Christ in the three congregations I preached today. Long day, but packed with wonderful manifestations of God's Spirit and power, loving fellowship with new brothers in Christ and lives changed by the power of the Gospel. Great way to start our first ministry fruits in Mexico City. Tomorrow I'm heading for my beautiful Chiapas. Long journey on a bus but really looking forward to seeing my wonderful family in Christ and carrying on the work that God has in store for us.

Please pray for us our beloved family in Christ!

Mario

A thought and a bit of an Intro!

Hola amigos!

Just a quick update. I'm now waiting for my flight to Mexico City at Heathrow airport with a real sense that this trip is going to be life-changing for many people, including me. I'm really expecting together with all our collaborators, to have fresh encounters with God as we serve Him in the Gospel and fellowship with other believers. This is certainly a wonderful thought to ponder about on this very long journey.

I should be arriving at Mexico City at 5.30am local time, 11.30pm UK time. I will be staying with Georgina and Jaime, a couple who we have in mind to pastor our next church planting venture in Mexico City. They are organising a large gathering at their home on Saturday night, where, I've been told, the majority are going to be non-Christian. It's always a joy to ...preach Christ to unbelievers who want to believe. On Sunday I will be spending all day with Osier Rojas, a brother in Christ who oversees the work of several churches. He's taking me to preach at three of his churches in Mexico City.

We're really expecting God to do mighty miracles, signs and wonders to point people towards Christ! Please pray for Jesus Christ to be glorified at the house meeting and at all congregations we minister. They've told me that security has been an issue lately in some of the places we'll be going over the next two days, so please pray for protection, and above all things for God's glory to blast us all in spirit and in truth!

Much love and blessings to you all!

Mario

Then the Glory filled the Temple!

First of all I would like to apologise for not having written earlier regarding the things we have seen and handled with our own hands. It took me a few days to adjust to the weather and time change. I want to take this opportunity to thank my congregation I'm a part of in Sheffield, City Life Christian Centre, for their prayers and constant encouragement; and all our spiritual warriors in the UK, Europe, Africa, Canada, the United States and of course Mexico. Moreover I want to give special thanks to Ministerios Unanimes, with whom we closely collaborate (http://www.ministeriosunanimes.com/unanimous-ministries/) in Mexico, for their Kingdom heart and zeal for unity. Thank you to the family and friends of Chris Nicholson for releasing him to join the mission and praying for us throughout. Finally I want to thank our Mexico ministry coordinator Juan Carlos Serrano for his work, integrity, loyalty to me as well as his tremendous anointing to minister the Word. All your prayers have been exceedingly answered!!

This is my seventh gospel-related trip to Mexico and every time I go there I encounter God in a fresh way. Three years ago I saw the awesome, life-changing and glorious, love-filled face of Jesus as I ministered to the sick in Veracruz and Chiapas, both in Mexico. Since then the Lord has been revealing to us different aspects of his character and nature. For us mission in Mexico is a central aspect in our knowing and experiencing God fully.

The Lord has given us a strategy for Chiapas. We're a ministry that works with the local church in winning cities and nations for Christ. For that purpose we have identified three stages: Revive, Equip and the Harvest. This trip was all about reviving the local church. Therefore the anointing that we received was to minister the Holy Spirit. This has surpassed all our previous expectations. In this sense many people were baptised in the Holy Spirit even as they heard the message, others were not even ministered to physically when they spontaneously began speaking in other tongues and prophesying. At times we literally witnessed people delivered from demons and healed from various sickness and disease where they stood. The Holy Spirit especially moved among the youth. On many occasions their expressions and body movements indicated that they felt as though their bodies were burning with a holy fire, although we're convinced their very souls were being purified by God's holy fire. In one of our meetings we literally saw the smoke of God's glory (please see previous blog entry).

This trip has been very special for several reasons:

- Several hundred people came to faith in Christ.
- Although we ministered in individual congregations, we also ministered to church alliances in three cities:
1. In Huixtla we did an evangelism workshop for pastors and leaders of the city.
2. In Tonala the congregations of the city came together to do a revival meeting
which we led.
3. In Tuxtla Gutierrez (capital of the Chiapas state) we ministered to about 40
pastors on how to win the capital of the state for Christ from an evangelistic
perspective.
- The Holy Spirit baptised many to be Christ's witnesses in their localities and to the ends of the earth.
- For quite some time it has been in our hearts to empower and equip young evangelists and church planters for the work of ministry both in Europe and abroad. This one time Chris Nicholson from Beacon Community Church in Norwich has joined us. He has been a blessing to the team and God has used him mightily through his message and with his hands healing the sick. As he laid hands of people many also received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the signs that follow.

Here are a few comments I made after the end of some of our meetings:

27 August 2010

"After a day of rest yesterday recharging from the long flight, today we're off to preach at a fresh church plant in Motosintla, Chiapas. We are expecting many would come Christ and the Holy Spirit gloriously poured out on the brand new congregation. Please pray that's the case in Jesus name!"

28 August 2010

"We had a very moving time ministering this morning to the pastors here in Huixtla on how to reach the city for Christ. Last night also 15 people came to Christ at a new church plant in Motozintla, as well as several people baptised in the Spirit and speaking in tongues for the first time. Tonight we're off to a friend's birthday and tomorrow preaching morning and evening! God's certainly moving!!"

30 August 2010

"Huixtla and Pijijiapan saw the glory of God as many came to Christ. Many many miracles, deaf hearing, blind seeing, & Rosita testified her dad was healed from terminal cancer in one of our meetings 8 months ago! Her dad has put on weight and is now back to work! In Pijijiapan the smoke came out of nowhere, at that point many manifested and were set free and confessed Christ as Lord!"

1 September 2010

"another great day at the first fruits party in Tzanembolom, an indigenous community where, yet again, we witnessed God doing miracles and baptising them in the Holy Spirit! Praise the Lord!!"

2 September 2010

"last night the churches at Tonala, Chiapas came together seeking revival among the Christian community. They had it. A pastor came to me afterwards saying "I was anxious, couldn't see what next, but God set me free tonight. I can now see God's plan for my church" I replied "and what's that?", she said "wining the city for Christ!", I said "Amen!""

3 September 2010

"I've enjoyed hearing our mission team member, Chris Nicholson preaching at the one and only English speaking church in the whole state of Chiapas! Thereafter people were baptised in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues for the first time! Tomorrow a youth conference in the city! Yay! More Lord more!!"

4 September 2010

"I was very pleased seeing over 300 youth with their families on fire for Jesus Christ here in Tuxtla!"

5 September 2010

"Amazing time ministering to pastors in the capital of the state on evangelism in the morning. In the evening we couldn't preach no more cos the Holy Spirit fell on the place healing many sick, saving 15 & baptising many. 3 preachings 2morrow, got heaps of strength, voice almost recovered, praise Jesus!"

6 September 2010

"Great stories @ the 3 places we visited 2day but 1 main character: the Holy Spirit! Similar signs of a move of God that's already a fact here. The outpouring's not been localised. Our question: "did you receive the Holy Spirit when you first believed?". People had prophesied, spoken in other tongues, wept, been healed & burned with God's fire. We now return & are convinced that revival is in us! Glory 2 God!!"

Our next trip to Mexico is to Equip the church to win the city so please join us in our prayers in the following areas:

- Our coordinator in Mexico, Juan Carlos Serrano, his wife Caro and his children Grace and Abraham.
- Financial support for them and for continuing the work in Mexico.
- Strength and wisdom to prepare all the learning materials for the church in Mexico.
- Protection for my wife, our collaborators and their families, and indeed myself.

We are extremely satisfied with the work being done and look forward to our next mission!

God bless you all abundantly!!

And the temple was filled with smoke....

On Sunday 29th August we ministered at a church in Pijijiapan, roughly a 2 hour drive outside of Huixtla. It is here we powerfully encountered the glory of God.
Having built up faith for miracles and prayed for the Holy Spirit to come in power, what we then witnessed was the first fruits of a true revival manifestation of God's glory.
There were miracles of blind eyes being opened as well as numerous other physical healings. People were being set free from demonic bondage, with many being baptised in the Holy Spirit.
It was then amongst us we noticed a misty, smokey presence, the holy fire of God was visible to the natural eye. It was truly awesome. This brought about further manifestations of deliverance, people were dancing and screaming as they were being set free, with even young children going down under the power of God's glory.
These are truly exciting times here in Mexico. Please continue to pray for us as we follow God's leading in bringing heaven to earth for his glory.

By Chris Nicholson

We finally arrived in Mexico!

Praise the Lord, for His faithfulness endures forever! In the early hours of Thursday we landed in Tapachula in the state of Chiapas (about 30 mins away from Guatemala by car) for 13 days of gospel mission. We spent the night at the Hotel San Francisco in Tapachula where we were able to rest well. Yesterday we met with one of our beloved collaborators in the area, Hector Najera. We spent our first day with both Hector and his wife and recovered from such a long trip in the best of company; the family of Christ.

Today we depart to Motozintla, about an hour away from Huixtla where we'll stay for the next two days. In Motozintla Hector is planting a church - so we hope, in partnership with God, many will come to Christ and the Holy Spirit will establish the new work.

I am travelling with Chris Nicholson from Norwich who is helping me out with some of the preaching in the several places we are going to. Please pray for him so that God uses him mightily. Moreover please pray that God would continue to keep us and guide us in everything we do. We are being really blessed in the home of our sister in Christ, Imita, who lives in Huixtla. Her wonderful family blesses us every time we come to the area.

Some exciting news: On the aeroplane somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean a scotsman called Doug, aged 23, gave his life to Christ. When asked how he felt after receiving Christ, with a big grin he said: "I feel this tingle all over my arms, I can't explain it!", to which we ...replied: It's God, His presence, He now lives in you!!

Isaiah 54:2

Hello again friends, blessings in Jesus' name! This is a quick update to let you all know what God is doing in our lives at the moment and where we've been working. Alongside our work in Mexico we've been working once again in the UK and in Spain. Our recent travels took us to a wonderful community church in Hampshire, where we were blessed to be able to share a message of God's heart for the lost as well as pray for the sick and those in need of a touch of God. In response to God's grace and power there were salvations and healings, of the body and the heart also. One man received prayer for a neck condition, he'd not been able to move his neck freely for years. He fell under the power of God and when he awoke he was beaming, full of peace and joy - God had healed him and he could move his neck for the first time in years! He was delighted and went his way rejoicing.

Later that evening we had the privilege to pray with the youth in that church, Mario spoke to them of boldness and confidence in the message of the cross - that we are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith' (Rom. 1:16,17). We were humbled by the quantity of people, young and old, who demonstrated an earnest desire for more of God. This generation of passionate Christians is making waves in their community and are walking in their God-given authority through prayer and action. We are delighted to witness their passion and diligence, and look forward to seeing what God's going to do next!

Secondly, the Lord has opened some exciting new doors in cities in Spain. With a vision for every region, He is making a way for new centres of evangelism city by city, and tremendous favour in the body of Christ in facilitating this work with finance and workers. In July we will be taking a team out to Granada and working on the streets to share God's love and see the power of redemption at work. Please pray for us as we go, and we'll update you again soon! Be blessed, Sam