One learns from life experiences. Each experience that we have is a class of instruction. One of the classes that I have learned from my 38 years on the mission field is that each church has what I call a wave action. The church surges forward in numbers, activities and excitement and then it recesses. When the tide is coming in, each surge brings growth to the church but when the tide is going out the church declines. We cannot control the tide as it is a natural function of life but when the surge comes we can push a little harder and take advantage of it.
Our main church in the town of Xalisco is in the surge mode. In the last two months we have had a special move of the Holy Spirit in the services and an influx of new people coming out. On Sundays we have every space in the sanctuary filled and even on Wednesday night service we have ¾ of the auditorium filled. Through the years we have had this phenomena happen and we have taken advantage of it to plant new churches in Tepic instead of expanding our present building. This time around we will not be able to do that because most of the new people coming live in the neighborhoods around the church. It is a very satisfying experience watching people give their lives over to the Lord and be transformed.
Xecora School: We have had a very opposite experience with our Christian school than what is happening on some of the churches. We had a downturn in enrolment this year that made us take drastic measures. We don't know if this has to do with the economy or if it is a spiritual attack on this area of our ministry but the result was the following: Our Secondary school closed for one school year after 18 years of giving classes. We are hoping that this is only temporal and we won't be making any final decisions until the end of this school year. We were able to maintain the primary school functioning taking advantage of the new facilities that we have. Our teachers and principal are putting in an extra effort, with less pay to make this the best school year that we have ever had.
National Pastors' meeting: In the month of August each year we have our national one-day meeting for the pastors that work with us under our church covering. This year we had a change of leadership. Pastor Raul Arrellano stepped down as President and Pastor Carlos Hernandez from Tonala, Jalisco took over the leadership for the next couple of years. We have been able to establish a good group of Mexican pastors that have their own vision and calling from God. Each of them is working in the capacity that they have to minister to the people that the Lord Jesus has brought into their flocks. Our vision is not to build churches but to raise-up leaders that can carry on the work that we have started until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you for your prayers for the ministry and your financial support make you part of what is happing here in Mexico. We bless you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Philip, Lucy, & Vanessa Tolman
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