July/August 2019 Newsletter

Prosperity really has nothing to do with money. Joseph as a slave in Potiphar’s house was prosperous. God's blessing was on his life as he fulfilled God's calling on his life. It is when we step outside of God's calling on our lives that we lose or true prosperity.

In the month of May we held a men's conference together with other pastors in the city. Our night speaker was a pastor from our city that I will just call David. David went to our Bible school after becoming a Christian and then worked full time as an evangelist under our ministry. He is a gifted evangelist. He got married after becoming a Christian to a dedicated Christian woman and had two children. As things happen, David had an invitation to minister in what appeared to be “greener fields”. In the next 15 years of his life we lost track of him and his family as they moved out of State. David and his family got sidetracked along the way. David never stopped preaching nor serving God but his wife and children did. A couple of years ago David came home a broken man san wife and children. The Lord has been good to him as he is now pastoring in the city of Tepic under our covering. His wife and children are back with him as they go though the hard process of restoration. David preached an excellent evangelistic message at the men's meeting and when he made an alter call at the close of the meeting almost every man in the building responded by coming forward for prayer. David came home with nothing in the physical sense but he is prospering in ministry once again.

Another school year has ended as we are coming up on twenty years of running a Christian school in a State where they don't exist. This year was our hardest year because of the small enrolment of students that we had. We ask you to pray with us that the Lord will open the door for a much larger enrolment (we need a minimum of 40 students). In March, though a church in the USA ,5 students now have scholarships for this next school year. This will help us to reach our enrolment goal in August.

On the home front, our youngest daughter Vanessa graduated from High School with a 9.9 average, (we are bragging) which is a 4.0 in the USA. She is going on to University and her goal is to study at least two years in the States. Her two older siblings both studied outside of Mexico. Foreign study permits are not as easily available as they used to be. Since Vanessa is not a US citizen we have to apply for her as a foreign student. Even though we started her application process in November we were not able to get her a visa for this school year so her first year in University will be done in Tepic.

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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A Tribute to my dad, John David Tolman

Dad is in his last stages of life as he struggles with the demons of Parkinson's disease and dementia. He is walking an uncharted path that could last days, months or years. Much of his life he followed an uncharted path. He used to be in charge of his decisions, but disease has now taken choices away from him. A physically frail version of him still exists but the man that I knew as Dad has left us.

He was born July 1^st 1932 (Canada Day) in Toronto, Canada to Siemon and Eveline Tolman, the second of four children. Dad met Mom, Mary Elizabeth Devins in High School in the town of Aurora just north of Toronto. Mom's parents were town doctors, her mom being one of the first woman doctors in Canada. Dad witnessed to Mom and she was saved when she was 17 years old. Four years later on April 4^th, 1953 they were married and remained so for the next 60 years.

The adventurer spirit in them, along with the calling of God on their lives led them to South Africa for two four year seasons between 1954 and 1962. Their three eldest children were born in South Africa. After returning to Canada, Dad and Mom worked, studied and raised 5 children while continuing his missions calling by promoting missions in various churches for the next 14 years. On June 30^th 1976 Dad and Mom started a new adventure along with their three youngest children. They moved to Guadalajara, Mexico where they would minister for more that 30 years as Bible teachers in the churches. My brother Stephen and myself still work under of the covering of Seedtime and Harvest Ministries, which was started by Dad and Mom.

Dad and Mom semi-retired in Tepic and lived next door to my wife Lucy and me for 12 years before Mom died in 2013. Months before Moms homecoming, Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Dad was never the same after Mom left and we all thought that he would follow soon after her in death. That was not the case, however and over these past 6+ years, I have been able to serve my Dad and to be with him in his time of solitude. I know that any one of his 5 children would have gladly done the same but I was chosen to be the caregiver. These last months have been especially hard as Dad is slipping away and it is frustrating that I cannot be part of the world that he know lives in. Gone are the conversations in the car as we drove together, the times of taking him out to eat or just sitting with him at home and talking. His body is still here as we bathe him, dress him and feed him every day, but that Dad I knew and loved in my own special way is gone.

He and Mom touched many lives, helped untold numbers of people and more than anything they taught me what living by faith is all about. Dad and I were at odds for many years but now I can truly say “Dad I love you and I miss you even though physically you are right beside me.”

May/June 2019 Newsletter

   The longevity of a project or a ministry is based mainly on its ability to be constant. There are lots of things that we start that we do not continue doing. Sometimes it is because the project just didn´t get up and go. Sometimes it is because we get tired and we cannot continue on. One of the blessings of life is to be able to see a project run its course and impact peoples' lives.

This year was our 31^st year of holding our Easter week youth camp. There have seen lots of changes over the years and what we called normal has now become extreme. I remember 30 years ago, our second camp was held on an island just off land in the Pacific Ocean. There was no problem with anyone leaving the camp without permission but I still remember that the mosquitos and the No-See-Ums that ate us up.

This year we had 42 campers at our youth camp up in the mountains. Some things have not changed such as sleeping in tents, no electricity and cooking over open fires. Also God´s sovereign move on each camper that opens his or her heart has not changed. This year we made another change. Some of the couples in the church were saying that it was not fair that only unmarried youth could attend so we opened the last 3 days of camp up to everyone. The youth continued with their activities and we also had classes and activities for adults and children. All together we had over 80 people attend camp.

The week after Easter we held our annual 3-day children´s camp. At this camp we have different churches that work with us run the camp at our school facilities. This year a new church ran the camp and they did an excellent job. Almost 50 children between the ages of 6-13 years old attended. The comment of the children was that they couldn’t stop crying when the presence of God touched their lives. That alone is worth the whole effort.

We learn from our mistakes or at least we hope we do. Over 20 years ago I was offered a property to build a church on. It wasn’t very expensive but it was in the middle of nowhere and I didn’t take up the offer. Today that property has a large Catholic church built on it and it is in the centre of a very highly built up subdivision of the town of Xalisco where we have a church. As I look back I see that I lacked vision. 

A couple of months ago we were offered another property to build a church on in the middle of nowhere and we took up the offer. The new subdivision just outside of Tepic is programmed to build just over 9,000 homes in the next 5 years. Half of our State population lives in Metropolitan Tepic. The cost for the property was just under $12,000 and we have already had one church that sent us a $3,700 offering for the down payment. Our plan is in 4-5 years to start a building project, plant a pastor there and have him raise-up a new church. We have 4 churches that we have planted in the city of Tepic from our church and only one of them has its own building. They have it only because years ago we did exactly what we are doing this year. We purchased a property to build a church on. The only difference there was that we personally started that church.

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

Camp Photos!

March/April 2019 Newsletter

 Life has its ups and its downs as we see it but God sees it in a different way. As we look at God's way, for those who are in Christ Jesus, life has its ups and its times of preparation for the good times, If there is no preparation, the good times will pull us down. There are times of action and there are times of preparation for action.

On the home front, the last two months have been times of preparation. In the month of January we were able to attend and be part of two missions conferences that were blessings to us as we hope we were a blessing to the churches. The churches here have continued with their regular activities (we have services or church activities seven days a week) as we work with our leadership team in their abilities to work with the church family. On February 14th we held a special dinner for the couples of our Xalisco church and had evangelist Ronnie Casillas here to speak to them.

For the following 10 days, Brother Ronnie ministered over 12 times in our different churches, blessing the people and praying for the sick and needy. The people were blessed through his ministry and we were blessed to have him stay in our home. We were able to fellowship with him and share our life experiences together.

Now that the month of March is here we are gearing up for our annual camps that are held over the Easter holidays. Here in Mexico they are held during Easter and are not just a Spring break. This year we are doing something different. Aside from our usual youth and children's camps we are also going to have a mini family camp for 3 days. We have never done this before but a number of the parents are envious that their children get to spend a week in God's presence and they don't. Actually they have never had this type of experience since the majority of our church members are first generation Christians. In our next newsletter we will be giving you a report of our experiences at these camps.

Life is full of stories, some sad and others joyful. Both are needed to give life a balance. This next month we will be celebrating the wedding of a young lady from our church. She was saved under our ministry when she was 15 years old, the only Christian in her family. In her late teens she left the church and got involved in what we call a “toxic” relationship that left her devastated. About 4 years ago (she was 24 by then) she returned to Christ and the church and made a 100% commitment to serve. We sent her to Bible School in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she spent 2 ½ years preparing for ministry. This last year she became part of our leadership and ministry team and is very active in the church. Once she gets married she will be leaving us. Her future husband is a fantastic Christian from another church and they will be attending and ministering there. We hate to see her go but this is where we understand that we are raising up Kingdom workers and not just church workers.

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 and Vanessa Tolman

January/February 2019 Newsletter

Christmas is a joyful time in Mexico. The Mexican society has been taught some biblical principals and holidays such as Christmas and Easter are very important. In the churches we continue with these cultural customs since they give us an opportunity to share the gospel. During the month of December every church and every group in the church has to have their own “posada” (Christmas party). That makes life very lively when you have to participle in more than 12 parties in one month aside from the regular service schedule and workload. It also takes a little chunk out of the pocket book.

One of the main reasons that we try to keep this up is to keep Christ as the center focus of the season. In Mexico, as in other parts of the world the word, “Navidad” (Christmas) is rapidly being replaced by the phrase “Felices Fiestas” (Happy Holidays). What is a party without a person to celebrate, or what is Christmas without Christ? Soon we will find ourselves with holidays just to have holidays and parties just to party. We are a purpose driven church and our purpose is to exalt our Lord Jesus Christ. I have the church well taught, I don't want to hear anyone saying “Felices Fiestas” in the church and I think that they understand why.

One of our church anniversaries last year was very special in that we were able to see continuity in our ministry efforts here in Mexico. One of the families that grew up in the church we have in the town of Compostela came to minister in our anniversary service. Of the 3 children that were literally born in the church, one is now a pastor in another city and his 2 sisters are professionals that are strongly planted in their local congregations. Now their children are growing up in church with the start of a third generation. A church is made up of strong families.

And speaking of families, we had the opportunity to take a 3- day local trip with of our family and grandchildren the beginning of 2019. We were able to visit a part of Mexico that we had never visited before. I believe my first church is my family and through them I build the rest of the ministry. Up until now we have been blessed to have our 3 children to work with us and be part of what God has called us to do. Simri works with us in the business and ministers in a church in Tepic on the worship team. Damara, along with her husband Agustin pastor a church that is under the covering of our Mexican association. Vanessa is still at home with us as she finishes High School this year and looks to move on to college. Lucy and Philip are the ones who need to keep everything flowing. Dad is no longer able to make trips like these any more and we all share the load of making his life comfortable as possible.

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 and Vanessa Tolman

November/December 2018 Newsletter

A church is a complicated place where we try to keep a balance between the spiritual and the physical sides of life. There is no limit to how much one persons soul is worth but the books have to balance to keep the bills paid. We minister to spiritual needs but we also need to help in the physical ones. Our goal is to get people to Heaven but they also need to be blessed in their daily walk. For God the church is a spiritual hospital while for the government it is a business. Walking the line down the middle is not easy.

Hurricane Relief: In the month of October Hurricane Willa hit the central coast of our State of Nayarit. As it came inland it quickly dropped from a category 5 to a 3. At our homestead we got the wind and rain but no real damage except for the tree limbs and bamboo that were blown down. We were all just thanking God that no major damage was done when the storm hung up on the Sierras 50 miles inland and flooded the rivers. Within 24 hours 180,000 people were flooded out of their homes. In the township of Tuxpan the water rose to 8 feet and everything was lost. Vehicles, electronics, beds and many other articles were destroyed with mud and water (see pictures). The members of our main church in Xalisco donated almost 2,000 lbs. of goods as well as taking hot meals to give out to the people in need. It was just a small token in comparison to the great need that continues to this day.

Women´s Congress: The 10th of November Lucy, along with other pastors in the city organized a one-day women´s conference. They programmed for an attendance of 120 women and over 140 attended. It was an activity that in previous years they had organized but because of health issues and other details there had not been a conference held for the last two years. The testimonies of the people that attended showed that they were blessed by the teachings and the fellowship. The 24 of November we are holding another conference, but this one is a marriage conference. Once again we are programming for between 50-60 couples to attend and both Philip and Lucy will be teaching at the conference.

A story: A growing church is full of stories. Some of them with happy endings while others have sad endings. At the beginning of the year Victor ((not his real name) came to visit one of our churches. His sister was attending and had invited him to come. After coming for some months he invited us to his home and told us the following story. Victor´s mom is a Christian and Victor had attended church since he was about 9 years old. By the time he was 14 he was ministering with the worship team of his small church. Before Victor turned 20 he started living with his girlfriend without getting married. The pastor told him that he could no longer minister in the church until he got married and made things right with God. Victor got mad at his pastor and at God and left the church. We fast-forward 10 years later to this year and we find a young man tattooed and battle scarred. Drugs, easy money, broken relationships had taken their toll. Victor´s new live-in companion, a young lady 18 years old ready to give birth to her second child had a sorry story of her own. Today Victor is married, attending church and struggling to turn his life around. Nothing is easy the second time around and each step is a struggle but as long as he keeps moving forward the victory can be won. There are a lot of Victors out in the world wanting to come home to the Father.

Thank you for your prayers for the ministry and your financial support make you part of what is happening here in Mexico. We bless you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.


Philip, Lucy and Vanessa Tolman

Newsletter September/October 2018

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

Newsletter July/August 2018

Summer has arrived and with it a change to parts of our ministry. Our school is now on vacation. The rainy season has arrived that limits our outdoor activities and up keep and maintenance are the words for the day. Seasons also are part of our spiritual life. We love the springtime with it´s new life sprouting and freshness in the air. Autumn is a time of decline and death. It has it´s good points such as the brilliant colours and the cool frosty nights.

Xecora School Teachers 

Xecora School: The 6^th of July was the graduation exercise for our 2017-18 school year. We had 12 graduating students this year, which is both good and bad. It is good in that theses students will be leaving us to continue with their education. They will carry the values and the Word that we have implanted in their lives and we pray that this Word will take root and grow in them until they have been born again. The bad part is that we have to look for new students to take their place. It is not all that bad since once we have them we will have new lives into which we can implant the Word. Please pray with use that the Lord Jesus will fill our enrollment once again this coming school year.

We were also able to complete the concrete floor on the second floor of our new classroom and we have raised the walls about 3 feet. With the floor poured we no long have to worry about rainwater seeping through the ceiling and raining on our students in the classrooms.

Christian marriages working well make a church strong. We have been dedicating a lot of our counseling time in helping couples that are in the church but they have never been taught on how to make their marriage work. Now they are married for life (or that is their ideal) but things are just not going well. The first things that we teach them are the rules for fighting. There will be fights but fights without rules are destructive. After that we teach them that to love someone takes work and we show them what they have to do to make it work from the Bible.

Dad is doing really well lately.  We were able to get some of us together and celebrate his 86^th birthday. The year did not start out well for him but God has given us wisdom and has also placed incredible people around us to help. The years have taken their toll but we enjoy what we have left of Dad and most of the time he is still with us mentally as well as in body. Please keep him in your prayers, as Dad’s focus is still to go home with the Lord.

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 and Vanessa Tolman 

Newsletter- May/June 2018

   These last two months have been a time of work, ministry and just being there. We haven’t had to look for places to minister because the ministry has pushed us on beyond our comfort zone and it has made us push ourselves the extra mile in our daily train of labor. Here are some of the highlights of these activities.

Youth camp: God is faithful and He wants to manifest himself whenever we give Him the opportunity to do so. Every year at youth camp we have the privilege of letting our youth have an extraordinary experience in God´s presence. Some are filled with laughter, others with a simple falling out in the presence of God, while others cry uncontrollably in His presence. Our youth get to spend 6 days without cell phones, electricity and the comforts of home. There are no distractions. They get to submerse themselves in God´s presence and they come home transformed. What a beautiful sight it is to see almost 50 youth bathed in God’s presence. At these times there are also demonic manifestations as evil spirits are challenged and commanded to leave the people that they have held bound. The youth get to see both sides of the spiritual world.

Children’s camp: Once again the purpose of this camp is to teach the children that God is real and that they can feel His presence. This camp is not as extreme as our youth camp. The children spend 3 days at our school facilities. There are times of the Word, of praise, play and of doing manual arts. For the youngest it is their first time from being way from home “on their own” which in itself is an experience, We have a great staff of workers that keep everything in order and make sure that all are safe and well attended. Each of these camps is made a success because we have people that are willing to take from their time to serve and minister.

Men’s meeting: Our city’s Pastor’s Alliance held a one-day men’s conference in April which we were part of. We had just over 100 people in attendance. What I like about these types of activities is that we can fellowship with other Christians that are not part of ‘our group’ and be together as brothers. We can put aside our differences in doctrine; worship and names to just enjoy God’s presence together. Each of us keeps our own identity but we just leave our judgmental spirit outside the door. We just keep working to make Psalm 133 a reality in our ministry.

Xecora school activities: This last month Philip had to step in at the school as a supply teacher. Our school principal was on maternity leave and our English teacher left so he had to filling in the gap for a couple of weeks. Things are now back to normal and we have NOW started on the second phase of our school construction. Last year we completely finished the first floor of the building but the roof over the first floor is not waterproof since it is not the final roof. With the rains starting in a month we need to get the final roof on the second floor before they start. A church in Texas blessed us with seed money to start and we are sure that the Lord has already taken care of where the finances are going to come from to finish the roof. We want to thank all of you who have been part of this project and also for each of you that will become part of this second phase.

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

Newsletter -March/April 2018

   We look back at the first two months of 2018 and we try to differentiate between the mundane and the extras that are all part of day-to-day ministry. There were three very special events that happened in these two months.

The visit: We were blessed to have Philip's brother Mark and David´s youngest sister come and spend a week with Dad in January. It was a blessing for us all but specially for Dad since he doesn´t have a lot of what we would call ‘good days’. Their visit was very encouraging to him. Dad´s short-term memory is not very good but he can still remember the visit that means that it meant a lot to him. Lucy also had a special time with her family in February. Eight of the 9 of them were able to spend a couple of days together- something they have never done before. As the years add up we learn to appreciate the families that God in his wisdom made us part of.

Marriage Conference: The middle of February, Philip and Lucy travelled to Guadalajara to hold a marriage conference for a group of churches that had been taught through David and Elizabeth Tolman’s ministry when they lived in that city. Over 150 couples attended the conference. We were blessed to be able to teach them and also to hear testimonies of the fruit of the Tolman Sr. ministry. The pastor and his wife that we stayed with were discipled by the Tolman’s for many years. We also stayed over an extra day and we had the privilege of ministering in two different churches, one of which we oversee.

The story: I try to analyze people that we minister to so that I can teach them to strengthen their weaknesses. One of these classifications if trying to change people from being black holes into becoming springs of water. A black-holed person is someone that you can pour into his or her lives money, time or teaching and it all just disappears. If it is money, they spend it and have nothing to show for it. If it is teaching or time, all that is invested makes no change in their lives. On the contrary people that are springs reproduce and bring life to all that comes into their lives. Has we grow in the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we need to become springs. The change from being a black hole to becoming a spring is not an easy change to make. As missionaries this is one of our ministries. Individually we cannot reach many people but as we help those that are with us to change, they will change others and eventually change their society. That is the work the Jesus did for over 3 years, changing a handful of lives.

Thank you for your prayers for the ministry and your financial support make you part of what is happening here in Mexico. We bless you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Philip, Lucy and Vanessa Tolman

Newsletter- January/February 2018

   We serve a God of beginnings and ends. Life doesn't just go on and on and on. As we have finished the year 2017 we look back over the things that we accomplished and finished. We also see the projects that we started and continue on with them. Then there are things that didn't work and we left them along the way. 

Our big project this last year was the construction of the first floor of our new school building for our primary school. We started construction the second week of May and by the end of August we were using the building for classes. The ground floor is now completely finished and paid for but we can't stop yet. We have already received 2 offerings to continue on to build and finish the second floor.  We will need another $35,000 dollars to complete the four classrooms on the second floor. This year with the blessing of the Lord, we are going to make this happen. Once again we invite you to be part of this project.

Our second goal this last year was to see new members baptized into the body of Christ in all the works that we oversee. That is a total of 6 churches and home groups (new churches in formation). We count baptism as a turning point in most people's lives as they come to serve the Lord. Here in Mexico most people were baptized as babies to become part of a traditional church. Once they make the decision to repent and be baptized in Jesus' name, it marks a definite step to break away from their past teachings and embrace the fullness of the gospel. Counting adults and children we minister each week to 250-350 people on a constant basis. Four of our 6 works marked a definite growth as we had new members baptized in each of them. Our goal this year is to see all 6 works have new members baptized and established.

Mindset is very important. When the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt they physically were set free but mentally they were still bound. Mexico has been a country of servitude and poverty. The mentality for hundreds of years has been, “Who is going to steal from me and how can they give me something”. This mindset of poverty is in the church still today. Our goal is to make the churches that we minister in Luke 6:38 churches with people who have a heart and the will to be channels of God's finances for these last days. It is time for Mexicans to catch a world vision. Some need to become missionaries while the rest need to support missionaries as well as tithing and giving their first fruit offerings. This year we will be sending one young lady to Asia for a second time to continue her work there. We also will be supporting other national missionaries who are already working in Muslim countries. Changing a mindset is not a day’s work but one of a lifetime. The sooner we get started the more we will get accomplished.

Thank you for your prayers for the ministry and your financial support throughout 2017. You are part of what is happing here in Mexico. May you have a blessed year as we all move forward in the calling of God in our lives.

Philip, Lucy, & Vanessa Tolman

What are we doing?

   November/December 2017

All that we do in life needs to have results. God has given to each of us different capacities, different jobs and different missions. Jonah converted 120,000 people in less than a month while Jeremiah preached for 70 years without any immediate results. None of us can compare the ministry that we have been given to do but we can measure our faithfulness to the calling that each of us has received. Here in our area of ministry we look over what has been accomplished and three key words come to mind: Faith, longevity and souls.

Faith is the case of being faithful to what God has called us to do. As we mentioned last month, our son in law was kidnapped and our car was stolen. Agustin was released and no harm was done to him but our new (for us) used van that we had just purchased and was being driven to our house was lost. Our first impulse was to send out a newsletter and invite each of you to help us replace it. It is really needed and that was the fastest fix but the Lord told us NO. The money from the church is not for the world. The Bible teaches us the contrary that the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the upright man. Further the Word came to us that the thief if he is taken in the act he will have to give back seven times as much, giving up all his property which is in his house. We have lived for over 30 years in our mission field and we have never lacked anything. There have been times that have been trying as there have been times of abundance but this was a new step of faith. We don´t understand how it is going to happen nor when, but that God will fulfill His promise to us is a certainty.

Longevity is that case of building something that will last a long, long time or as in this case, out live us. As we have invested this year in infrastructure for Christian schools. We are building a foundation for a local ministry that will be able to continue on until the Lord returns. I remember well one pastor's comment years ago when his congregation sent us an offering for school benches. He commented that they had sent missions offerings for other projects but none of the projects had lasted. He felt that the money had been wasted. No one knows the future except God but with him guiding our lives, longevity should be a word that is part of every church and ministry.

Souls are the core value of the church. Our purpose is to get people into heaven. If that is not happening we are not fulfilling our calling. Last year we were not pleased with the results that we had. We count conversions through the number of people we baptize and are established in our local churches. Mexico has NEVER had a revival in it´s history. One of the reasons is that Mexico has never been a Christian nation that has served the Lord Jesus Christ. You can´t revive something that has never had life. This year we have had the privilege of baptizing and disciplining over 12 new converts personally, aside from the converts that are being established in the churches that we oversee. We would love to see hundreds saved each year but that is still not what God is doing in Mexico. If we can reproduce ourselves in 12 people each year and those people can eventually do the same, we will make a lasting impact on our community and have great gain in heaven.

Thank you for your prayers for the ministry and your financial support that make you part of what is happing here in Mexico. May you have a blessed year, a blessed Christmas and even a Greater New Year

Philip, Lucy, & Vanessa Tolman

It is Finished- Sept/Oct 2017 Newsletter

    It is Finished

Our new school building is finished for the first phase of construction. Three classrooms are functional and the bathrooms are working. We didn't quite make our goal but on the 21^st of August our primary school started classes in their new building. The details were finished a couple of weeks later. I never cease to be amazed at how God supplies ALL of our needs. Most of the funds came from two churches that support the ministry, as they are able. The first church that to gave is looking for property to buy so that they can build their own church building. The Lord told them to plant seed money into the school and that that money would multiply for their own building program. The second church is in the middle of a building program and they needed the money just as badly as we did. The pastor called me told me what he felt led to do, as he wanted to be obedient to what God had laid on his heart to do. The money was sent and three weeks later we were using the building. I also want to bless our third largest donor. Brother Donald is a widower who is now well over 90 years of age and he faithfully supports the ministry every month, as he is able to do. He gave two large offerings that were much more that his yearly support and made this project possible.

On the 15^th of September we had the official inauguration of our building.

On September 9^th we had a special marriage conference. We had over 50 couple in attendance. One of the greatest things that we learned was the biblical way to make a marriage work and IT NEVER FAILS. First we were taught that love is a commandment and not an emotion. We have emotions that help us to love but they only make fulfilling the commandment easier. The four steps to be in love all your life are: repeat, talk (to teach), tie and write. If any of you are interested in seeing this teaching please let us know and we would be glad to send it to you. We had heard this before, we use it as a couple and it really works.

The 16^th of September is Mexico´s Independence Day. Since it was a Saturday this year, we decided to invite the members of the different churches we pastor to join together for a family picnic at our school.  One of the families butchered a goat and prepared it while we ordered 200 cobs of corn. This is aside from all the food that each family brought. We had a good time of fellowship. The rain came about half way through the event but most of the families braved it out and stayed. At the end the young people had a great game of mud volleyball. They thought that it was fantastic.  Even Dad (David Tolman) came out for a while to be present.

Times have not been easy this year in our area. There has been a lot of unrest and violence. The Lord has been faithful and kept us safe. Agustin, our son in law, was assaulted and kidnapped this month. He was held at gunpoint for around 12 hours but then released with no payment nor any bodily harm. The 6 mile walk he had to do to get help after he was released was a good exchange for not being killed. The vehicle that he was driving was taken. That can be replaced but his life is not replaceable. Your prayer for the ministry and us keeps God´s protection on our lives.

 Thank you all for blessing our ministry through your offerings and monthly support. 

Philip, Lucy, &Vanessa Tolman

New school building with students

Inauguration ceremony of the new school building

The mud volleyball players

July/August 2017 Newsletter

                                                                       Rains of Blessing                                        

 We are now 6 weeks along with the construction of our new school building. The foundation is in and the walls are up but there is still a long way to go. By the time you receive this letter the concrete roof will have been poured and the detail work starts. This is the most expensive and tedious part of the job. The electrical installations have to go in, the walls need to be plastered and the tile floor to be laid. Then there are the bathrooms to equip along with all the plumbing. We are still planning for this first phase to be finished by the 15^th of August so that the new building can be used to start this next school year. We were still short $18,000 dollars to meet our budget but as the Lord has been faithful until now we KNOW that this need will also be met on time. If the Lord lays it on your heart to be a part of this project it is because he wants to bless you through your obedience. As we send you this letter this need HAS BEEN MET.  Praise the Lord.

The rainy season has finally come to our State and is the case every year the change is dramatic. After 8 months of no rain, life has been brought back into our environment. Even though the grass looked dead and the trees wilted, within 3 days the change is incredible. The grass has sprouted, the trees look bright and the ground is drinking up the rain. Many times this same process happens in the church. We go through a time of spiritual drought and the services are dry and wilted. Then in His season the Lord pours out His Spirit and life is given back into the church body. This is why the book of Joel promises the former and the latter rain and it always comes at the right time.

The women´s group in our Xalisco church call themselves the Noemi ministries. Their focus is to make barren people fruitful and to bring life back into embittered people. In these last months they have taken to challenge to share their vision in the village churches and missions. Every month they are programming a special ladies´ meeting with the purpose of inviting new women to come and be part of an all ladies reunion. They have a time of sharing, a time of fellowship (with the food they bring) and a time of ministering. This has been a special blessing to the mission works and has brought new people into the missions. What a blessing it is when church members run with the vision that God has given them to bless others and also bless the church.

Dad (David Tolman) is doing fine. The 1^st of July he turned 85 and is still going forward. We are able to be close to him every day. Last month Stephen came down to visit with him for a couple of days that was a great blessing. We are learning really what the Bible means when it says to honor your parents. It is a blessing to be able to give back a little of what they gave to us.

 Thank you all for blessing our ministry through your offerings and monthly support. 

Philip, Lucy, & Vanessa Tolman

We Have Started- May/June 2017 Newsletter

 Ten months behind schedule but on time. That is the difference between our plans and God´s timing. On May 12^th we finally got started on the construction for our new school building. Our first step was to demolish one of our present buildings that would have taken a lot of work to bring it up to the new government standards. Our new building will be about 50% larger (ON THE FIRST FLOOR). This will give us 3 new classrooms and two bathrooms on our first phase of construction and 4 more on the next. We are lacking only $18,000 dollars to be able to finish this first phase. We still have 2 months to raise this amount. We have to have the building functional by the 15^th of August. God will supply.

Our annual camps in April this year were great as is always the case. Each year has different challenges and blessings as we move as nomads from one mountainside to another. In our youth camp we had right around 60 youth (plus the staff) and not one left without being ministered to by the Holy Spirit. We had many that were filled with the Holy Spirit speaking in other tongues. Our children´s camp, which we run in our school, had 23 children that once again were touched by the Holy Spirit in a mighty way. Many of them were slain out under God´s Spirit. It is real blessing that we are allowed to be vessels through which the Spirit moves to touch others.

Our church is the town in Compostela has been really blessed through our youth camp. We had 5 young people from the church attend the camps and God lit a fire in each of their hearts. One of the girls that attended was set free from drugs and prostitution. She comes from a Christian family that has not been very constant over the years. She started using drugs in High school and from there one thing led to the next. She had left home and she attended camp only after much convincing was done. At the end of camp she had been ‘clean’ for 5 days and she left with a decision to start serving God. She has enrolled in our Bible school to learn more of God´s Word. She has a long upward climb to get out of the hole she has dug for herself but at least now she is going in the right direction.

Lucy has recovered very well from her operation and is slowly feeling stronger as the days go by. Vanessa’s battle with Lupus continues but she is winning. God put people in our path that have shown her how a vegan diet can help her overcome the disease. After 6 months on the diet she is now only taking ¼ of the medicine that she was taking before just to control the symptoms. Dad (David Tolman) is doing fine and keeps up with all of you who post on Facebook even though he can’t reply.

 Thank you all for blessing our ministry through your offerings and monthly support. 

 Philip, Lucy, & Vanessa Tolman

March/April 2017 Newsletter

   THE GOD OF ISAAC

I had always wondered why God was known in the Old Testament as the God of Isaac or even why he was mentioned as one of the heroes’ faith in Hebrews 11. I could understand Abraham and Jacob but what did Isaac do that made him a hero? As I studied through Isaac´s life I think I have found 2 reasons why this is so. The first is that he had a steady constant walk with God ALL of his life. His faith never fluctuated even when he became blind. The second reason is that he made his son Jacob a stronger believer in his God than he was. I ask myself the question; Are my children stronger in their walk with God than I am? 

Often we look for “numbers”, great miracles or outstanding acts when I believe that the greatest act of faith is to have ones name written in the book of life.

It is the little things in life that make us great.

For the last 19 years we have been doing evangelism every week in the town of Santa aria de Oro. Even though we have started churches in other towns, here we have not made any notable progress. Through the years we have had converts and good gatherings but it hasn´t lasted. The situations have been different but the result always the same, the church is not established. We are currently holding children´s classes on the street once a week and I have children attending that their parents were in my classes. In this area of this town most girls are “married” between 13-17 years of age. I would love to have another church up and running but that is not my calling. I was called to be faithful to what God ahs called me to do and let him look after the results. It is not about being great. It is all about fulfilling your calling in life just as Isaac did.

Our Bible School “Rios de Agua Viva” was started in 1988. We would have between 10-15 students every year that were full time students and we were able to graduate well over 130 students. Today the Bible school continues but only as a Saturday afternoon, 2-year course. We currently have 5 students enrolled in classes. I would love to have the full time students once again but God has other plans. Our facilities are being used Monday through Friday as a Christian School and we are lacking classroom space. With the change of our focus we have not lost our purpose. We are still preparing people to base their lives on the Bible and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

We are pleased to report that Dad (David Tolman) is doing very well physically as we have the privilege of looking after him every day. Even with his limitation he is very active in keeping up to date with the world news and his friends that are on Facebook. Lucy still needs your prayers. She continues to battle with internal bleeding. She had an operation to remove 2 abscesses from her neck last month and it was a lot more extended than what we had imagined. We are thankful that when her lab reports came back the abscesses were neither cancerous nor infectious. 

 Thank you all for your offerings and monthly support that blesses our ministry. 

Philip, Lucy, & Vanessa Tolman