Where is the Promised Land?

Heaven has always existed. Hell was created for Satan and his angels. Here on the earth God’s people have been invited to live in the Promise Land. For Abraham, Jacob and Moses it was one physical location, the land of rest (He. 4:6, 7). For us it is a spiritual attitude where we can live in the world.

In the month of April this was one of our focuses at our annual youth camp. This year we had well over 100 in attendance. Great teamwork effort made this one of the easiest camps ever. The power of God descended on our mountain abode on the first night and never left. The Holy Spirit transformed lives, healed wounded hearts and implanted new hope and vision into the young people and workers too. The youth lay out in the dust, filled with new tongues and taken to an altar of repentance. As always the campers wanted the week to continue but the six days came quickly to an end and we all had to return to our daily jobs but changed in our attitudes.

Children’s camp came next at our school facilities. 75 children had 4 days of excitement, devotions and fun. Jesus was the center theme as we took part in the teaching of the Word so that they can live blessed in obedience to His Word.

Camps are only a small part of our daily work. Let me tell you why all this works:
Ana (not her real name) is a young girl that was invited to youth camp by her neighbor, a non-Christian student from our school. I was surprised to see her show up for the camp bus since her parents hadn’t called to see who we were or what the camp was about and she was still in primary school. She was big for her age but not really ready yet for youth camp. Two days later it was brought to my attention that she had not been in a meal line once. Lucy and I called her and talked to her about what was happening. That night at the fireside service God’s Spirit touched her. She came over and sat beside Lucy and started to talk about what was happening in her life. She just broke down and cried and couldn’t go on. We didn’t talk to her the next day except to check that she was eating. That afternoon she came looking for Lucy with a big smile on her face as she said: “I finally got it out and I am free” and free she was: We watched her participate in the praise and worship, weep under the moving of the Spirit and be a different person. She now comes to church and even though we haven’t met her parents yet we know that God is going to continue to do great things in her life and her family.

As I write I am flying to China to represent Mexican products in a food show. Ministry is not only getting people saved. Once they get saved we must walk with them and pastor them. It’s not just saying a prayer but being there with them in the end. Preaching in church is great but so much more needed. We believe that this trip give more finances, not for our ministry, but also for Mexicans that want to invest more time or money into the ministry. We want to live in the land of rest with God’s abundance.

We thank you for your support that makes this ministry possible.

Philip, Lucy, Simri and Vanessa Tolman

March-April 2011 Newsletter

In the fullness of the blessing of Christ



We live in exciting days. The prophecy of the book of Daniel 12 is a reality as are the words of Jesus: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed;…”
Even in these chaotic times, the excitement of being a faith walking Christian is exhilarating. The Middle East is a hot bed, Mexico is full of violence, but the church is a bulwark in these times of trouble.

Abundance is a word that describes the church. I’m not talking about riches, wealth or fame. Abundance means that we always have more than enough to fulfill the work that the Lord has called us to do. On the home front in these last months we have continued with construction in several of the churches. The church in the small town of San Luis de Lozada has more than doubled in size from a small room that sat 30 people to a building that seats over 70. The doors, the concrete floor and the bathrooms are finished. The windows and the electrical installations are still lacking.


The church in the town of Xalisco is building a classroom and a youth center along with new plumbing and a water cistern. Our church plant in the city of Tepic just moved into a new loaned facility and they had over 180 people in their Sunday inauguration service.

In our education ministry we continue with our Secondary school. We are also finishing the paperwork and the permits for a Primary school that we will be opening, Lord willing, this coming school year. In these schools we have not only the opportunity to give Christian children a Christ- centered education but we also have the privilege of discipling children from non-Christian families for nine of their most formative years.

We could continue to tell you about all our weekly services and different activities but the activities that we do are not what is important. What is important is that we are doing God’s will for our lives. We have been called to evangelize, make disciples, and walk with them to the end of our journey as we fulfill our calling.

We invite you stand with us and to sow in this fertile ground as we pray rich blessings upon you as we do for our disciples also. We appreciate your prayers and your faithful offerings. Thank you for giving.

Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman

January 2011 Newsletter

January 2011

A new year starts and for us that is important, God has no need of time but he made time for His creation. Days, weeks, seasons, and years are all part of our needs. As a ministry we look at this New Year with much expectation and with plans to reach many goals. For us it is a year of success. The word that was given us comes from Joshua 1:8 that tells us our responsibility and then it says: “for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.
Before making plans for a new year it is healthy to look over the past year and see your strengths and your weaknesses. Throughout the years we have informed you of our successes and our needs. The year 2010 was a year of evangelism, consolidation, youth ministry, seed sowing and church growth.


As were look into this present year our ministry plans are to open a second school that has grades 1-6 to compliment the school we presently run. We will be expanding two church buildings as our congregations continue to grow. We will be teaching once again in the ‘Rios de Agua Viva’ Bible School as we continue to focus on training leadership for the churches. Our youth and children’s ministries will continue and they are growing as we join these ministries together with evangelism in different parts of our State. Our work with the Pastors Alliance of our State is also a priority as is our missions program.


Lastly we know that the Lord will send us the finances to attend our son’s graduation from Hillsong’s school of ministries in Sydney Australia this summer. Simri finishes his two years of studying there and has plans to return to Mexico to be part of our ministry team in the areas that the Lord is leading Him.

Success is completing God’s will for your life.
How successful are you?

We invite you to sow in this fertile ground as we pray rich blessings upon all you who support and pray for this ministry. We covet your prayers and your faithful offerings.

Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman

December 2010 Newsletter

Life goes through cycles and the church is no exception. Some of the cycles are short and repetitive, while others are long and drawn out.

In our State of Nayarit we have walked the churches through a cycle of inner strengthening and consolidation. Through Bible studies and systematic teachings the church body has been strengthened through a time of testing. In the last couple of months we have seen an influx of new people who are not only visiting, but are also having a life changing experience with Jesus Christ. Some of these people have been irregular visitors in years past but now the Holy Spirit has brought them into conviction and a new way of life.


As we mentioned in past letters, we started a small business venture in our spare time that has opened many new doors in government, business and with new people in general. The end of October Philip was commissioned by the Mexican government to travel to Toronto, Canada for two days to promote Mexican exports in the area of food products. Brother David was also able to go along and spend time visiting family. This past weekend Philip was once again traveling in Mexico by invitation through the business. His contact in Mexico City called to ask how he can become a Christian after spending a day with Philip on business. Please keep this business venture in your prayers as we look for Christian investors who want take our business worldwide. We desire to continue to dedicate our lives to missions, evangelism and training of national leadership.


On another note we are praising the Lord for Sister Elizabeth’s healing from cancer. After only 3 chemo treatments and a lot of prayer God performed the miracle.

On the 1st of December Philip will be going into hospital for vascular surgery on his leg. All going well he will only be in hospital overnight, and within a month he should be back to 100%. Please keep him in your prayers.

I want to leave with you a saying that I read which has changed my way of looking at the gift of FAITH.

“If God gave you a watch, is it any less faith to use the watch
than to ask God for the time?"

200 Years

October 2010

This year is Mexico’s bicentennial celebration. On the 16th of September, 1810, Mexico stated its independence from Spain (even though the actual declaration came 11 years later). Two hundred years have gone by which is a long time for man but for God it is only a flash.
The changes that have taken place in Mexico in the last 200 years are incredible. It has grown from a population of 6 million people to a 110 million people; from horses and mules to super highways, from six months mail service to high-speed Internet. In all this our God has not changed. Among all the festivals we have continued sowing the Word in all the areas that we can.


Our Christian Secondary School started classes once again on the 23rd of August. This year we have a new challenge as we do not only have our regular students but we also have 3 Huichol Indian students who are living on the premises and studying. We also have now registered with the government to open a primary school. We have already received the authorization and we are now working on some paperwork that needs to be finished. Our plans are to open the school in August, 2011.

The 15th of September is a big Mexican celebration. This year with all the violence that has been happening many people were afraid to leave their homes. To combat that fear we got together with 4 other churches in the city and celebrated a Christian Fiesta. We used the county fair grounds and had a great time with all the 3 ‘F’s’ (food, fellowship and fun). The youth did skits, while the rest of us just enjoyed fellowship and feasted. Being able to join together with other Christians of different denominations is a great testimony to the community. This is what made the New Testament church strong.


Church buildings are necessary. Without them we have no place to gather together. Out-growing a church building is a wonderful experience. In the small town of San Luis de Lozada we have had to double the size of our small church building. The town's people are responding to the gospel and the number of believers is growing. Little by little the building is going up. This month we will be finishing the bathrooms and we hope to have the new section roofed by the end of October. Very soon we will be dealing with the same situation in other churches where we minister.
Ministry is a family thing and we are blessed to have all of our family involved in the ministry. Over all we are very grateful for the miracle that Jesus has worked in Sister Elizabeth. The cancer that had invaded her body is gone and she is on the road to recovery. Brother David is now able to get back to his reading and counseling that has become his ministry. Agustin and Damara are working well along side us and have been a great blessing in many areas of the ministry. Simri and Vanessa continue in school, Simri in Sydney, Australia, while Vanessa is here with us in Tepic. Lucy is very involved in many aspects of the ministry, as it has become a fulltime job for her.

Our special need at this time is to purchase a good used vehicle here in Mexico. We need just over $5,000 dollars for this purchase. We covet your prayers and your faithful offerings.

Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman

Being Part of His Promises

God is not in a rush. We get all worked up over time and when we have to get things done. Life picks up a very hectic pace but God is not in it. He is never in a rush and if we move with Him we can live a life without stress and worry as we cast all our worries on Him.

At the end of May we (Philip & Lucy) had the opportunity to be part of a conference and missions symposium in Western Canada. It is a part of Canada we have never visited before and what caught our attention more than anything else was the calm that the western Canadians have in carrying on their everyday events. In Mexico the slow “mañana” attitude of the past has changed to a very up beat pace of life, which we have carried into the church. The change of pace and the lesson that God taught us were very enlightening.

In Mexico we have seen a move of God as we walk into the promises that He has given us.
Since their marriage. Agustin and Damara (our daughter), have been helping other churches but the Lord has led them to work with us. As well as joining the music ministry of the Xalisco church they also took charge of one of the village churches in the town of San Luis de Lozada. San Luis is a town of under 2,000 inhabitants and we are the only Mexican Christian church in the town. They planned a special children’s program to celebrate Children’s Day here. In the church we have about 30 children but this activity in the plaza drew about 300 children plus many mothers. We had to divide our 150 bags of candies so that each child could have something.
The next week there was a special Mother’s Day service in the small church. Instead of the usual 6 mothers we had 50 visitors. This helps to break the taboo town people have of attending a Christian church.

The end of May we partnered with other churches in the Tepic area to have a three-day outdoor evangelistic campaign. Using the open-air theater that is in the State Fair grounds, a Mexican evangelist shared with the non-Christian on how to increase their faith to receive from the Lord Jesus what He has promised them. Many people came to be healed and God was faithful to His Word. On the first night of the campaign we had close to 300 people in attendance but by two days later there were more than 800.

This summer we will be staying home in Mexico in order to be close to my parents as they walk through a new trail in their lives. In May my mother went through two major surgeries and was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Thirteen years ago she was given 3 months to live after having a radical cancer surgery and the Lord Jesus performed a miracle. We are praying at this time that another miracle will take place in her life. Thank you for your prayers and the concern that many of you have shown.

We invite you to sow in the fertile ground of Mexico as we pray rich blessings upon all you who are supporting and praying for this ministry. We covet your prayers and your faithful offerings.


Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman

Living the Promises

As Christians we don’t live life in the same realm as the rest of the world. We not only live to please God but we also live directed by God. As servants of the Lord we thrive on the promises that He gives us and we walk towards them each and every day of our life. Even the direction of teaching that we take for the church depends on the promises that we receive to go forward.
As we entered into this new decade we received, through prophetic word and confirmation, six promises for the churches working under our covering in Mexico. As we are now in the third month we are thoroughly blessed as we see these promises taking form and overtaking us. After a year of sowing all we had into the areas that the Lord directed us, we are excited and encouraged as we see this seed growing.


Promise #1: That there would be an influx of new believers into the church. In the past years the churches have evangelized but with little results. So far this year we have seen over 10 families come into three of our churches drawn only by the Holy Spirit. No one invited them to come or evangelized them. To establish them in their walk with Christ we were given a simple three-step plan, disciple them, baptize them and then teach them.


Promise #2: Extender the cords of your tent: One of the pastors that ministers under our covering called me last week and he said: “Can you loan me 25 chairs because on Sundays I have people standing”. Considering that he pastors a church of 60 members that is an exciting problem. This year we will be building, expanding and making room for more people to come and worship in the house of God. Even now we are looking for a property to move one church out of a rented building and into a larger building that will be there own.


Promise #3: Recover the lost and the stolen: We were given the example of David and his men when they went to war with the Philistines. When they returned to their homes in Ziklag everything was gone. David first strengthened himself in the Lord and then asked for direction of what to do. They recovered everything. In the churches we have had people leave. Some have gone to other churches while others have simply stopped serving God. The reasons, in many cases, have been hurts and offenses that the enemy has used to move people away from the plan of God in their lives.
One example of what is happening is a telephone call that I received three weeks ago. One of the leaders that had left the church a number of years ago offended and had gone to minister in another church called me and asked to talk with me. He said that the Lord had told him and his family to return. He had already talked with his present pastor and received confirmation. They are now back and looking on how to restore the ministry that they had in the church before they left.

There are still three more promises that the LORD has given us in financial areas as well as areas of authority in our lives. These promised will also overtake us this year even as we are seeing these first promises coming to pass.

We have also enjoyed the visit of a group of youth from San Antonio, Texas that spent their Spring Break with us painting churches and working with the children. I know that they returned exhausted but blessed.


We invite you to sow in this fertile ground as we pray rich blessings upon all you who support and pray for this ministry. We covet your prayers and your faithful offerings.

Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman

March/ April 2010