January-February 2022 Newsletter

Planting In Good Ground

Planting a crop is very hard work. If the field is not properly prepared before planting your work will be doubled. We have a small ranch of about 600 fruit trees and we have learned the importance of looking for good ground. In the church the same concept is true. We can spend all of our time planting seed on the path or among the thorns and we will never have a harvest. We need to look for good ground to get our returns. In 2021 we spent a year preparing the churches and planting the Word outside of the church. This year the Lord has opened the door for us to have an abundant harvest and see all of our churches grow.

As we mentioned in our last Newsletter we felt that it was time for the churches to start doing aggressive evangelism. In December we started with a 3-day evangelistic crusade in the main park of the city of Tepic. For the last 2 years, we had only been having church inside our 4 walls or in homes. During the crusade, we saw real miracles of healings and bodies being restored. More than the miracles it was a place of breaking fears that were holding down many people in the church. There were a lot of people that came back the next day bringing people that needed a healing touch on their bodies. More than anything the name of Jesus was glorified. The last day of the crusade was Sunday the 19th and we cancelled our church service and almost everyone from the church came out to attend the crusade.

At the end of January, we will be starting a new semester at our Bible school. In the month of February, we will be starting with our Bible outreach and doing evangelism with the Jesus film.

In the last part of 2021, we finished the year with a Youth Conference in San Pedro with Stephen & Marcela. We sent a busload of young people (with their chaperones) and they were blessed. Each person that went came back motivated to continue on with their walk with God. We also had our church Christmas Posadas (this is more than just a Christmas party) where the church family gets together to celebrate the birth of Jesus and do activities that represent the Virgin Birth of our Savior. There is a lot more that we could talk about, but I want to share a short story of one of our converts.

I will call him Pancho. About 23 years ago Pancho was sent to one of our churches by his leaders, who were Satanists, to destroy the church. He was not able to do what he was sent to do but before he left he had heard enough of the Word that it stayed with him. We fast forward 18 years and Pacho comes back to the church accompanied by his wife and 3 of his children. He has left the coven and he is now a born-again Christian along with his wife, his parents and part of his wife’s family. I will not go into the details of the struggle he went through to be free of the demonic activity in his life but even today he still is in constant warfare. What I want to mention is that Pancho and his wife are now starting their 5th semester in our Bible school. They both have ministries in the church and are helping us with one of our church missions. These are lives that have been transformed through being born again.

We pray that the blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ will be upon your families and your homes. We have so much to be thankful for. If God lays on your heart to help in the upcoming projects we have please do so, We have students to sponsor, Bibles to give away as well as our own personal expenses to cover as we work with the churches here. Also if someone wants to come and teach English as a ministry for 3 to 6 months we have an opening for you.




Philip, Lucy, & Vanessa Tolman

May/June 2020 Newsletter

    IS THIS REAL?

March 2020 caught most of us off guard. Our regular schedule of activities were programmed and we were working hard to make them work. Our first line of ministry that was moved by COVID 19 was our Christian school. By the middle of March all classes were suspended and schooling went virtual. This was a big change for all of us as we use a hands-on teaching method to be able to mix Christian values in the daily teaching routine. Teaching primary students online is a challenge and more so when their parents haven’t learned online technology. Schooling continues online and hopefully we can be back in the classrooms by the beginning of June.

Our annual youth camp was the next big event we had lined up. After 30 years of just doing a camp for young people (and a separate one for children) we opened up last year to mixing our extreme youth camp with an extreme family camp weekend. It worked out fine and the second one was programmed for Easter week 2020. The week before camp started we had almost 40 youth signed up to attend camp but no families. That same week all meetings, churches and other "non essential" activities were suspended in our State. All the other churches in the city that had programmed camps canceled them but we decided to continue on. Two day before the camp started we had a visit from a government official asking us to cancel the camp. One has to understand that our camp is very extreme. We are up in the mountains where there is nothing but an open field and a spring of fresh water. Everyone that goes is isolated for the 6 days of the camp. We were able to pull some strings and we received written permission to have our camp 18 hours before we started. In all the years we have been having camp this was the best one ever. Over 80 people attended and aside from a scorpion sting the first day we had no one get sick all week, no problems with the campers and life went back to normal for all present. Our camp nurse had nothing to do but pray for people to be filled with the Holy Spirit. God`s presence touched everyone starting the first day and every night the majority of the campers were laid out on the grass as the presence of God touched them.

By the 3rd Sunday of April all our churches were closed as we went into Phase 3 of the lock down. We just multiplied our services in homes and behind closed doors. We cut back on the sound volume and returned to acoustic services with just a guitar and 8-10 people present. Sure we transmitted our online services trying to reach as many of the church members as we could but there is something special about being together. Our work load increased and the finances dropped. Only the churches where the majority of the members work in the fields were not so affected. We also started giving out more food to families that were in need. In Mexico there has been no help from the government for the people that have lost their jobs. Aside from the teachings, we were there to defeat FEAR. With all the supposed news and regulations it is very easy to get bound by fear. This is a real life session of putting faith into action and we are there to help our member do so.

We don’t know when things are going to open up so that we can return to a new type of normal life but until that happens we have our work cut out. The churches continue to minister to the needs of the people and new people are coming in as they look to be freed from fear and they see the peace that the people in the church have.

Thank you to each of you who have partnered with us in finance and prayers for this ministry. We know that a lot of you are struggling financially also but as we continue to give God will bless. We bless you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.


Philip, Lucy, & Vanessa Tolman

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!

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

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 -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

November-December 2016 Newsletter

As we wind down another year we have celebrated Thanksgiving. Christmas is just around the corner and we come to the end of another year. Here we count days, months and years while in Heaven, time will be no more. Everything that we do should have a heavenly focus. The earth was given to us to work while Heaven is made to enjoy. As Christians our job is to do our work on earth so that more people can enjoy life on earth along with the joy they will have in Heaven.

Missions is a job for ALL Christians just as tithing is for all Christians. Whether we are rich or poor we ALL have that command to reach the lost. In Mexico we teach our churches to get involved in missions in two ways: The first is we tithe from all of our church offerings and this tithe is sent to missions. The second is to get people involved in the mission´s field. We believe in sending people out. Last year one of our men went to a “Youth with a Mission` school of missions and then took a trip with them into the Amazon region for a one month missions trip. This past summer two young girls from one of the churches in Guadalajara took separate missions trips. One went to Spain and Egypt while the other one went to Panama and Venezuela.

In September we had a special service we called a “Macedonia call” service. Our whole service was focused on missions. We shared about our missions effort in Pakistan. We talked about the culture, the food and the challenges of being a Christian there. We had some local pastors also attend, as the concept of being a giving church instead of a receiving church is new for a lot of churches in Mexico. What we sow becomes our harvest and there is no better place to sow than into the great commission of reaching the world with our gospel. We are working at getting more of the local Mexican churches involved in missions outside of Mexico. It is not only a concept of money but also a whole change of culture. Instead of being a receiving church you become a giving church and God becomes your supplier.

Our Christian school is now well into a new school year. We were not able to build our new school building this summer as we had planned to do. The finance that did come in we invested in steel and cement that we need for the new building. Once again our school is full to capacity for the buildings that we have. Our building plan has a double purpose. The first is to reach more students that come from non-Christian homes and teach them Christian values and a godly lifestyle. The second purpose is to make the school self sufficient so that it gets in enough money to cover it´s own expenses. We charge a monthly tuition of between $35 to $45 dollars per month for each student. With an enrollment of another 20 students our teacher´s salaries would be covered each month. We continue to raise support for our building project and we invite you to be part of it.

Our family has been through trying times these last years and we are glad to report that God has not only been with us but also he has brought us through them. Dad (David) Tolman is completely recovered from the ailments that he experienced this last year. Parkinsons disease still keeps him very limited in what he can do but it has not progressed and he is off of all other medications. Lucy has now been over a year and a half without a blood transfusion and is slowly getting her strength back as her liver is being restored. Vanessa is learning to live with the limitations of Lupus but she is also believing a prophetic word she received that she will be healed. We still believe in a God that heals and performs miracles.

We thank you for your prayers and offerings that make this work possible. May the Lord richly bless each of you as we once again come to the time of year where we celebrate His birth, which is the hope of ALL mankind.

Philip, Lucy, & Vanessa Tolman

Learning from God's Silence

September/October 2016 Newsletter

We look for the emotional side of life. We like excitement, fun emotions and movement. If we analyze life we will find that a very small percentage of our life contains these elements. Life, both in the physical and the spiritual aspect, is a chain of mundane, constant plodding that brings us fulfillment in all we do. It is the three meals a day, the washing and cleaning, the reading of the Word and a lot of other things that make life tick. It in these times of calm and silence that we learn to hear the voice of God.

Missionary work is not an exciting life in the sense of being highly emotional. Missionary work is exciting because you have a chance to mix 3 or more cultures and choose the best of them. There is my culture from my home country, the culture of the country where I am working and then there is a church culture that I live in and try to teach. All three of these cultures are imperfect and adaptable. Each culture adapts to the area where it is used. As we teach the Word of God we have to understand that the Bible also contains culture. Abraham sent his servant to look for a wife for his son Isaac. That just won´t work in the western culture we live in. 

Here in Mexico we are challenged with letting the Spirit of God change people without trying to make them part of my culture. In teaching I have to ask myself once and again: “Is this biblical or is it only culture”. A missionary has to learn to teach the Bible without teaching his or her home culture. After being on the mission field for over 35 years I find that I have lost my culture. I don´t fit in neither in Canada nor in Mexico. My prayer is that I will fit in in Heaven.

The 16^th of September is Mexico´s independence day, a national holiday. It is the season that there is fresh corn, vegetables and fruit. This year we decided to have a corn get together at the school. We take fresh tender corn that is still covered with its leaves and cook it over hot coals. It sizzles in it´s own juices and has a flavor all of it’s own. Then we cut 50 or more avocados and make a big guacamole salad. The drinks made from fresh limes; guavas and nanchi´s are a delight. All this together with good Christian fellowship, a little soccer and other sports makes it a delightful day. You may ask: “Is it spiritual” and I would answer YES. It is neither a church service nor a teaching session. It is a time of joining together as a family, creating unity and fulfilling the Bible where it says: “ …But on God who has given us all things to enjoy them”.

We thank you for your prayers and offerings that make this work possible. Dad (David Tolman) is doing great and is adapting to life as a widower. Changes are not always easy, but they are necessary. Please continue to believe with us for the fund that we need for the construction of our new school building. We are still lacking about 65% of the $42,000 dollars that we need for the first floor construction.

Philip, Lucy, & Vanessa Tolman

July-August 2016 Newsletter

Church Anniversary

   Last month in the churches we shared about the seasons of God. In the natural we have four different seasons each year. In the spiritual there are also seasons and times. There is a time to plant and a time to harvest. We all want to be part of the harvest but few want to be the planters. One of the jobs that we were commissioned with here in Mexico is to be planters. We are not planting for ourselves but for the Lord. We don't know who has been commissioned to harvest but we continue with our job of planting.

On the 9^th of July we had our graduation exercises for our primary and secondary schools. We opened our doors in 2001 and now 14 years later we continue to grow. Our plan this year is to construct a new building for our primary school. With the offerings that we have received we have purchased the steel and concrete we need but we are still lacking funds to start with the actual construction. We know that God will supply in His time and we are waiting on His timing.

 The months of June and July are being spent on a special time for door-to-door evangelism. We have marked 4 subdivisions in which we are going to leave a tract in each home as well as personally meeting all the people that we can. One of the subdivisions is an area of Tepic where we want to plant our 4^th church in the city. We personally do not pastor a church in the city of Tepic. We raise-up pastors and plant them in a new work under the support of one of the churches that we pastor. Once ago we have been called to plant so that others can bring in the harvest.

After Church Fellowship

 As we look to the coming months we are working on a State- wide meeting of pastors from the 5 pastor alliances that exist in our State. On the 13^th of August we will be joining together for a day of fellowship and teaching. On the 27^th of August we have our national reunion of pastors and churches that work under our covering. This year we will be meeting in the city of Guadalajara. Unity brings strength to all we do and also produces longevity. We are not only planting for ourselves but also for the future generations as we waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We thank you for your prayers and offerings that make this work possible. As we work together we all become part of the harvest. My dad (David Tolman) physically has been doing much better. On July 1^st we celebrated his 84^th birthday when only months before all indicated that he wasn't going to live to that date. Once again thank you for your prayers for him.

Vanessa's 15th Birthday

Philip, Lucy, & Vanessa Tolman

May/June 2016 Newsletter

   Life can be mundane or exciting. We decide how our life is with the way we live. If we live in our comfort zone life can become very boring. It is when we push out into the unknown that life becomes exciting. One of the best ways to do that is to take a step of faith to fulfill God´s purpose in your life even though it seems impossible. Walking into the impossible with God at your side is an experience that will never be forgotten.

Living here in our field of ministry we have decided to live this way every day of our lives. As we try to obey the direction that God has given us we are always extending ourselves beyond what our daily income and strength can cover. One of our goals this year is the construction of a new building for our Christian School. We thank each of you that have already sent us special offerings for this construction project. We are now at 14% of our goal. We need to have 100% by the 15^th of June to start building.

Our school was pleasantly surprised to receive a prize from the State School Board this year. All schools in Mexico have to be under the supervision of the State School Board as they check our hours of classes, the qualifications of our teachers and student achievement. This year we won 1^st place in student academic achievement. That included all the public and private primary schools in our zone. This shows us that we are not only installing Christian values into our students but we are also preparing them academically for the years to come. While other private schools in our zone charge over $170 dollars a month per student, we as a ministry only charge $47 dollars a month. Aside from that we have students with scholarships that pay much less.

Our camps this year were a success as they have been over the years. What makes them a success is the Holy Spirit that touches the lives of the campers that attend.

At our youth camp we had over 50 campers aside from staff. Most of them walked the last mile into camp as the place we chose this year wasn’t accessible by bus or car. Once arriving at camp nobody was leaving. From the first night the Holy Spirit moved bringing, conviction, laughter and spiritual drunkenness. Many of the youth had never been at a Christian camp nor experienced a physical move of God in their lives. As always, by the time Saturday rolled around many of the campers wanted to stay an extra week but that was not possible.

The next week was our children´s camp. This year was our smallest (large families are no longer part of our culture) but once again the children received a special touch from God. Oh that we all could have more of that childlike faith. They believe what they are told and the Lord responds fulfilling His promises. We were blessed to have good staff and teachers at both camps.

Our family has been blessed in this walk of faith. The trials and the testing only give us experiences that we can look back on to confirm our faith. Lucy is still struggling with an autoimmune sickness that has caused cirrhosis in her liver. Vanessa lives with Lupus knowing that she serves a God that is able to heal her. Philip has been blessed with health so that he can take up the extra load when the circumstances call for it. 

This June Vanessa turns 15, which in Mexico is a big event.  We are programming a church/family event to celebrate with her. Also she will be traveling with us to Canada this summer as we go to visit churches and family. The last time Vanessa was in Canada was 13 years ago.

Dad (David) has been through a difficult time these last through months. He was in hospital for 10 days and then at home with fulltime care. We are glad to say that right now he is doing better that he has all year, both mentally and physically. Thank you for your prayers for him.

We pray special blessings on you and may the Lord Jesus Christ let his face shine on you and fill you with peace.

Philip, Lucy, & Vanessa Tolman