![\"Children's](\"http:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2017-05-01-12.30.28-300x300.jpg\")
Children’s Church Ministry of Mario and Janny<\/p><\/div>\n
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)! Romans 11:33 (AMPC)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Do you remember riding a roller coaster \u2013 especially one of those old, vintage wooden ones that are probably banned now for being unsafe? I haven\u2019t ridden one for years, and in fact I think that I got violently nauseated from motion sickness the last time I did ride one; but I still remember the sensation as it slowly clicked and rattled its way laboriously up the incline only to crest and then careen madly and seemingly out of control down the curved and undulated downslide.<\/p>\n Sometimes I think life feels like that, or at least mine does. Much of the time life is just kind of clicking and clacking along up the incline with not much to show for much of anything. Clickity, clack, wake up, go to work, clickity, clack, do the necessary things around the house, rattle, click, clack\u2026 But just wait until the thing crests! Whoa, hang on baby, and try to enjoy the exhilarating ride.<\/p>\n My last blog entry was the 25th of April, not because nothing has happened in the mean while, but rather because I simply have not sat down to my computer and written. I will attempt to briefly bring you up to date on the events of the past months.<\/p>\n I think that the best way to begin will be to place a vision and planning report that Javier Santos has just recently sent me on the various aspects of the work in Cd. Valles. After his letter I will flesh out some of the ministry highlights.<\/p>\n So, to begin; Javier writes:<\/span><\/p>\n To the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who gives us the victory be all of the glory.<\/span> O Lord, fulfill your purpose in me. O God of Israel; till the appointed time. In the name of Jesus.<\/span><\/p>\n Civil Association:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 1) To protect the Civil Association \u201cObreros Unidos para Cosechar\u201d (Workers United to Harvest) with men and women who do not seek dishonest gain and who have a vision to serve and teach. To achieve this goal this year by placing into the Civil Association people who have the same heart of servanthood and that of laborers.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 to this end; to bring two married couples with like-minded vision into the Civil Association, OUpC. These are namely: Juan Mendoza and Blanquita, and the other couple is Samuel and Blanca, all of which are also workers in the church.<\/span> Projects on the Farm (Casa del Obrero):<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Ford Ranger picking up vegetable waste for feeding the animals on the farm<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n 1) Increase the production of vegetables; planting in seedling beds or directly for production in order to become self-sustaining for consumption on the farm itself, as well as being able to produce sufficient food in order to be able to feed others. Always with the aim of the level of vegetable production growing until it can become commercialized. In order for this to take place there must always be a careful and constant collection and conservation of seeds.<\/span><\/p>\n 2) Simultaneously develop the agroforestry of fruit trees, ornamental trees, as well as shade trees. This will make the site more attractive and will serve as a model for those who will have the opportunity to come to the farm to learn techniques of land transformation and of continuous sustainable production.<\/span><\/p>\n 3) We will expand the present vegetable and agroforestry site by one hectare in order to accommodate further reforestation. We will also place a quarter hectare if this area into the direct production of food.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 This year four or five further swales and holding ponds will be created to capture water and soil in order to conserve the soil and organic resources which are currently being lost to erosion, and to improve the land. By utilizing these ponds we will also have enough water to begin raising fish.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 With the soil collected in these ponds from the annual runoff from adjoining farms, the soil of the farm will be gradually improved and the production of its sugarcane and agroforestry enriched.<\/span><\/p>\n Casa del Obrero (House of the Laborer):<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 1) Build an apartment with facilities including a kitchen and bathroom for a young couple. I intend to build onto the top of the concrete septic tank which is currently 2 meters x 4 meters, also adding two more footings in order to make its footprint into a full 4 meters x 4 meters. This will allow for an area of 3 meters x 4 meters for the bedroom space, and 1 meter x 2 meters for the kitchen, and a square meter for the bathroom.<\/span><\/p>\n 2) Build a shaded receiving area (porch) in front of the house where Armando and Alicia live. This will be 4 meters x 10 meters – the full width of the house. This area will be constructed of metal framing with corrugated tin (lamina) roofing, and flooring and the lower portion made from cut stones and rustic wood.<\/span><\/p>\n 3) We will make shaded seedling nurseries and growing beds from the wood of otates (a type of bamboo that grows locally) covered with shade producing mesh where we will germinate and grow the young fruit plants and vegetables. We will need a shaded, mesh-covered nursery area of 10 meters x 10 meters, or at a minimum of 6 meters x 8 meters.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Tanlacut Mission Church Plant:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Marty Dyer and team from Oklahoma in Tanlacut\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n This is a place where many servants have labored. There is a church of Christian believers in the village. However, what is urgently needed is to buy a space or plot of land in order to build a building, either a more temporary wooden structure or a more permanent building of more solid material, for a center of Bible teaching in order to continue to disciple men and women within the Pame tribe. Tanlacut is the logical starting point to enter the other towns that correspond to the Pame tribal ethnic group.<\/span><\/p>\n I feel burdened and called to this place. I intend to sell the van that God gave to me in order to buy a small property for the meeting place of my brothers and sisters there. I know that the price that I will get for my burro (\u201cmy donkey\u201d \u2013 referring metaphorically to his van) is very little, but it will be enough to make a down payment on a small property for a house of prayer; the rest of the money God will provide. I want to achieve this as soon as possible with God\u2019s help. God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is with us. The seed has already been sown; it has already germinated; it has already grown; it is ripe; is ready for the harvest.<\/span><\/p>\n Mission Plant: Buenos Aires \u2013 Miravalles (under Samuel and Blanca):<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 1) I am assisting the work at this new mission plant by providing some otates wood to build a roofed shelter for their meeting place.<\/span><\/p>\n 2) With my finances, as God provides them, I want to help to finish the footings and foundation for the shelter, since it is not yet finished. God will provide the economic resources.<\/span><\/p>\n Children\u2019s Feeding Ministry \u2013 \u201cHidden Manna\u201d:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 1) Continue to support the teachers who serve the children’s needs and who instruct them in Bible truths, and to ensure that the finances and facilities needed to continue to offer Saturday breakfasts to children in the community of Buenos Aires continues to be made available.<\/span><\/p>\n Mission: San Antonio Huichimal:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Encourage and help Armando and Alicia to achieve the purposes that God has given them for this place. Develop a small meeting place for prayer and worship of God within this village. By God\u2019s grace helping to break any taboos and spiritual bondages that exist within the Tenek culture in this community.<\/span><\/p>\n In Academic Areas:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Javier and Cristina at the Berean Bible Institute in Monterrey<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n 1) In this coming year we will finish with the formal academic preparation of Armando and Alicia – the first couple that we are going to send out into the Lord\u2019s harvest field.<\/span><\/p>\n 2) For the upcoming year I have in my heart to adopt two further couples to be prepared for ministry at the farm training center. I know that God will provide the workers and the finances to do so. Notwithstanding, knowing that this will require finances for the personal support of the couples (food and clothing), as well as for the needs of their children. This support will be necessary for a period of three years only, during which time they will be trained at work on the site, in academics, and in missionary work.<\/span><\/p>\n 3) We have didactic resources of common subjects; however, I lack some books which I require. Those missing are:<\/span> 4) This year, although we already have an identity as an organization, we want to give more prominence to the identity of the Training Center for Laborers (Casa del Obrero); registering it with Catastro (see footnotes at end of this heading concerning Catastro); putting up new signs; and managing the logo for dissemination on the internet.<\/span><\/p>\n 5) To use Armando and Alicia to teach classes for the preparation of new workers.<\/span><\/p>\n (The Municipal Property Office (Catastro) deals primarily with technical aspects of real property, such as measurements, tax codes, mergers of parcels, subdivisions, property taxes, etc. The purpose of the Catastro agency is to provide the government and individuals with accurate descriptions and information about the existing real estate in Mexico)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Iglesia Casa del Alfarero (House of the Potter) (in Solidarity):<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n During this year, and since 2004 when God first granted my wife and I the opportunity to minister in the Colonia of Solidarity, there has been a lot of adventure; however primarily it has been a testimony of struggle and much work.<\/span><\/p>\n 1) After a long time we are beginning to see the church functioning little by little in the labor of the Lord and in hospitality. Although we lack an electric hookup to the church, we hope this year to be able to reach the amount of $7,000 pesos necessary to hook up electricity to the church so that we will have power. This year we also hope to be able to be able to request the introduction of water and drainage to the church which will cost a further $8,000 pesos. We have already installed the electrical wiring and light and switch terminals. The building is a very enclosed place with little air movement, but little by little we are acquiring fans for the very high temperatures.<\/span><\/p>\n 2) Build four bedrooms above the church building to house my brother missionaries coming from both outside the country as well as inside the country, as we constantly have the joy of receiving visitors from other places.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Javier and Cristina<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n 3) In the church we have local workers. God has given us the privilege as a church body to support the breakfast feeding program for children in Buenos Aires, and to send workers to San Antonio Huichimal, and to Rio Verde (where Hazael Moreno labors). We also have Samuel and Blanca and Heriberto who have also been added to the work teams, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n Thanks be to God because he always fulfills his Word by raising laborers.<\/span><\/p>\n May the God of peace bless you today and always.<\/span> <\/p>\n As is immediately evident from Javier\u2019s visioning and planning report, there is a lot going on in the work in Cd. Valles and the surrounding areas.<\/p>\n Mantage of photos of Mario and Janny’s work with the children whom they serve<\/p><\/div>\n In the April blog I mentioned that the decision had been made to network together with Provision of Hope, and that my cousin Karen Barkman (the founder and CEO of this organization), had applied to Hope for the Nations (which is the registered charity of which she is an agent), asking them for an agency agreement so that Provision of Hope could do some projects for Voice in the Wilderness Ministries, in Mexico. I am delighted to report that the application was accepted by Hope for the Nations and that we are now able to receive funding for specified projects from these organizations. Praise God for this provision.<\/p>\n Through this newly opened door God further blessed the ministry by laying it on the heart of a brother in western Canada to donate a substantial amount of money to the work in Cd. Valles in honor of his parents. These funds make it possible to quickly expand the work on the training center farm, as well as that of the sewing training ministry that the women are involved with.<\/p>\n In May God provided a much needed vehicle for the work. As I have indicated in past blogs, there was a huge need for a reliable vehicle for all aspects of the ministry, including, but not limited to the work on the training center farm. Up until May, Javier had a beat-up, eight-cylinder van that was hanging together with a wing and a prayer, and which guzzled gas like a thirsty camel sidling up to the watering trough. My attempt to import a little pickup truck for the work had failed the previous year, and we determined that the best recourse was to try to find one locally \u2013 not an easy task; at least to find one that was suitable, and reasonably priced. God graciously provided an excellent little, well maintained 2007 Ford Ranger crew cab for the work. Exactly what the doctor ordered. Praise the Lord for his provision and for the finances which were made available to purchase this tool for the work.<\/p>\n I have personally been blessed by Carl Thompson\u2019s ministry in Cd. Valles. In talking to the leaders there I know that they are even more blessed by his willingness to serve them than I am. We all look forward to Carl\u2019s return to Cd. Valles in the beginning of the new year. With Carl will be another brother, Kim Warawa who will be going there for the first time. We look with expectation to see what surprises God has \u201cup his sleeve\u201d for that visit in January. One thing that I am personally very excited about is that while in Mexico they will be receiving a brick making machine which utilizes a soil and cement mixture to manufacture interlocking bricks. This excites me to pieces because I can see how this simple piece of equipment could be utilized, first of all, to supply building materials for the increasing housing needs on the farm site as well as in the church plants into the villages. Then, secondly, it takes only a little imagination to see the equipment being fabricated and duplicated in order to be utilized at the farm site as well as in the surrounding villages as a cottage industry and trade which will be able to supply income for national Christian workers and missionaries. I am very excited to see where God takes this.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The ministry work horse being put to good use in Tanlacut outreach<\/p><\/div>\n This year\u2019s rainy season has been very hot and with heavy rains. Planting has been delayed due to the intense rains, and to the water-logged soils. We will need to wait and see how the sugarcane responds this growing season. The animals are doing well. More shaded growing beds are needed for the vegetable crops and tree seedlings. Javier told me last night that the shade mesh that is needed to cover the growing beds is very expensive there now. We trust God for the provision of the funds necessary to purchase the amount that they need for the farm.<\/p>\n Mario and his wife Alejandra (Janny) have now finished the purchase of a new facility in Cd. Valles for the Bible Institute and Project LAMBS, as well as a place for visiting missionaries to reside. I have only seen pictures of it, and I am not sure that I remember the building, but it is close to the downtown square, and is a large old stone building that they purchased and refurbished specifically to house the Bible Institute. May God richly bless Mario and Janny for their commitment and service for Him; to mention nothing of the personal finances which they give so generously towards His work.<\/p>\n Currently there are three students attending the Light of the Nations Bible Institute in Cd. Valles of which Janni is the director. There are also around twenty students in the Project LAMBS program of Christian leadership training which is currently being held in Tamazunchale, approximately two hours south of Cd. Valles. Mario is the director of this school, and is also faithfully teaching the program in Tamazunchale. Mario is not getting any reimbursement for his teaching or travel. This speaks of his high commitment to Jesus, and to training other believers in the Word of God.<\/p>\n The Light of the Nations Bible Institute is also solidifying its association under the cover of the Berean Bible Institute in Monterrey, Mexico. You will remember that I spoke of this some time back, and that we were excited to see what God was going to do with this spiritual union. Recently Mario and Janny, as well as Javier and Cristina spent some time in Berea again in order to continue to develop this relationship with them as their parent school.<\/p>\n The women are very busy teaching and expanding the sewing classes and the cottage industry associated with it. Cristina is the director of this program in Cd. Valles which currently incorporates several churches as well as women from a number of very poor, squatter villages in which Javier and Cristina serve, as well as young girls from the feeding ministry and children\u2019s work in Buenos Aires (which Javier mentioned in his visioning letter). Many of these women are now able to produce income for their households through this newly-learned trade.<\/p>\n One of the sewing instructors with Anna<\/p><\/div>\n As Javier indicated above, they have very recently begun to renew contact with a village called Tanlacut, about two hours south west of Cd. Valles. This is predominately a Pame tribal area and has up to now been very closed to the gospel. Back in the early part of 2000 we began a church plant into this village and its surrounding region. We continued monthly medical clinics over a period of six months or more in order to prepare the ground there for a church plant. A group of believers was established in the village at that time, but subsequently the national missionary couple who headed up the work there moved away, and the believers had no ongoing spiritual leadership and they no longer flourished. Only weeks ago God laid it upon Javier\u2019s heart to revisit these villages and to reestablish a Christian outreach there. He spoke about this in his visioning letter above.<\/p>\n Last week pastor Marty Dyer and a group from Oklahoma spent some time in Cd. Valles, Rio Verde, and Tanlacut, joining Javier and others of the leadership team in their work. Marty reported an excellent time of ministry, and men and women with a passion for Jesus and who are focused in ministry. What a wonderful report from a trusted brother. I am so privileged to know that God has placed strong, trustworthy, and dedicated men and women in leadership of His work in Cd. Valles, and I am honored to be able to have had a small part in laboring beside them.<\/p>\n How different Mexico is presently from the time that I first arrived in Cd. Valles some nineteen years ago. In those days I had zero communication out of Mexico and made only the extremely rarest of phone calls outside of the country at a huge cost per minute. This procedure required one to go to the corner public phone somewhere and feed pesos into the insatiable coin slot. Just very recently, at my urging, Javier has purchased a \u201csmart phone\u201d on which he has downloaded the \u201cWhatsApp\u201d. We now communicate with each other at will on video calls for free. What a crazy world we live in. In fact, technology creates monsters, and I am now constantly receiving little random \u201cthinking about you\u201d spam from Cristina. Sigh! A new social media victim!<\/p>\n I suppose, to follow my own implied advice above, I had better close this thing down before it turns into unwanted spam and excessive media junk mail from my own desk.<\/p>\n Theresa and I appreciate each of you and are so grateful for your prayers and support of our brothers and sisters in Mexico. Please continue to faithfully lift them before God\u2019s throne. Nothing that they do is easy. They struggle against many issues, both physical and economic, as well as spiritual. I am so thankful for their faithfulness.<\/p>\n Your brother and sister,<\/p>\n Steven and Theresa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)! Romans 11:33 (AMPC) Do you remember riding a roller coaster \u2013 especially one of those old, vintage wooden ones that are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1865"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1865"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1914,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1865\/revisions\/1914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n God says: \u201cWrite out the revelation, engraving it clearly on the tablets, so that a courier may run with it. For the revelation pertains to an appointed time\u2014it speaks truthfully about the end. Though it delays, wait for it, because it will surely come about\u2014it will not be late! Habakkuk 2:2-3<\/span><\/p>\n
\n \u2022 Renew the Civil Association\u2019s constitution by placing new board members who are willing to work, and remove those who do not presently wish to participate in any part of the work<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Ford](\"http:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG-20170714-WA0001-225x300.jpg\")
![\"Marty](\"http:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG-20170912-WA0009-168x300.jpg\")
![\"Javier](\"http:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG-20170729-WA0000-300x225.jpg\")
\n – Eschatology,<\/span>
\n – Explanation or Manuals of the Pauline Epistles,<\/span>
\n – The Universal Epistles,<\/span>
\n – Biblical dictionaries, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Javier](\"http:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/20160817_103855-300x225.jpg\")
\n______________________________<\/p>\n![\"Mantage](\"http:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/2017-05-01-12.27.44-300x300.jpg\")
![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG-20170912-WA0008-300x168.jpg\")
![\"One](\"http:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG-20170718-WA0001-225x300.jpg\")