It's More than a Confession

Newsletter-November-December 2008

It has been a busy time these last two months as we focused our attention on our youth activity, ‘El Punto’, as well as our regular activities. This is the second year in a row that we have done our mega youth activity, presenting Christ to the world in a different way. A lot of the activities that are done in the name of evangelism are good but not largely effective. The raising of the hands to accept Christ, the healing crusades and large outdoor evangelism campaigns all have their place. We count the positive results that these activities bring but we realize that many groups of people are not reached because they do not attend.

With our youth activity ‘El Punto’ we don’t focus on people accepting Christ or getting healed. We let them see Christianity as a lifestyle. We let them see Christ outside the church building in the world where they live. The street people, drug users, and others find a Christian atmosphere where they can express themselves and find a different option in life. They see that we Christians can have fun without the help of vices. We let them see Jesus on the street.

Thousands of youth came through the two day event we held on the 24^th and 25^th of October. We gave out over two thousand dollars in prizes donated from local businesses. We made an impact on our city and area. This is something that we are going to take to other areas of Mexico because it works.

It’s a lifestyle

The middle of November we had a wedding and a surprise. On the 17^th my niece Stephanie (who is working with my brother Stephen here in Mexico) was married to Hugo Baigorrio. Stephen married them in the town of San Pedro where they minister. We had a partial family reunion as family from Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Mexico came for the wedding. We had a great five days together. This is something that only happens every 6-8 years.

We pray rich blessings upon all during this Christmas time
as we all celebrate CHRIST JESUS
and His birth that has given mankind hope and life.
We covet your prayers as we work to meet
our financial obligations for the projects
we are continuing to carry on.
We appreciate your faithful offerings
that help us to fulfill our vision.

Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman

God Always Wins

Newsletter September-October 2008

The life of a Christian moves in many areas that include the spiritual and the natural. Since the spiritual was first it is the most important. The modern society has tried to eliminate the spiritual aspect of mankind and categorize spiritual problems as physical disorders. As Christians we understand what is spiritual warfare “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” Even though we live in a very natural world we are affected by spiritual events.

We had a very good trip this summer through the States of Texas and Florida. Even though few churches opened their doors for us to share our vision, we were blessed to be able to minister on a personal level. We were also able to spend some time with a Bible School roommate of Philip’s who was in the midst of a hard spiritual battle. In the natural we look to meet many people to supply our needs but we must never forget that our supplier is Jehova-Jirah and when He meets our needs we are lacking in nothing.

On the home front we are blessed to be in a time of tribulation as we are going through a time such as Paul wrote to the Romans: “For we know that all nature has been groaning and travailing together until this hour. And not only that, we ourselves, although we are grasping the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves are inwardly groaning, while we are waiting for adoption, the redemption of our body”. We are blessed in that tribulation brings us closer to our Father and makes us trust in His Word. If we were to look at our situation with natural eyes we would see defeat. We will share with you some of the struggles that we are going through:

a) Enrollment in our Secondary school dropped this year instead of increasing and we are $12,000 dollars short for our yearly budget. The Primary Christian school in our city that we worked with closed it’s doors for lack of finances

b) The youth activity we call ‘El Punto’ that we will be doing in different States was almost completely financed through offerings, pledges and support from foundations. At the last minute one of the foundations broke the contract and we are $80,000 dollars short at one month from starting the activities. We are going forward with the activities and our God will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory.

c) Our national churches are all self supporting (except for our own income) but we have experienced a large drop in income to the place that we have spent all our reserves and we are living each day as it comes to just cover expenses. With all this we have not deceased our missions giving in the least.

All that is happening at this time are blessings as we are getting the opportunity to stretch and increase our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. I know that some of you will be used by the Lord to help us through these trying times. What rings in my mind at this time are the words of Mordecai to Hadassah: “For if you are completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise to the Jews from another place,…. And who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for a time like this?” As the Lord was faithful with his people in the time of Mordecai so he will be with us as we march forward under His banner, Jehovah- Nissi.

We continue to pray rich blessings upon all you who support this ministry and the vision that we carry here in Mexico. We covet your prayers as we believe to meet our financial obligations for the projects we are doing. We appreciate your faithful offerings that help us to continue moving forward.

Philip, Lucy, Simri and Vanessa Tolman

God Created All We Are

Newsletter July/August 2008

The Church has many aspects of life that it has to cover. A person’s walk with God not only involves getting saved and baptized. It involves the transformation of our lives as we take on the character of Christ in our lives. Mission work is not only getting people to recognize the need of having Jesus Christ in their lives but it is also walking hand in hand with them as they continue down salvation’s path. As a ministry we are working in the three areas of this process.

The Church: This is the spiritual side of the ministry. Every week we are ministering in 7 different churches or centers as we bring in new converts and help them as they grow in The Way. We also supervise 4 other churches that are directly under our covering. There are sermons to prepare, classes for the Bible School and many people to minister to. The needs of the people are so diverse as we minister to a wide spectrum of society, from the unschooled to professional people and from children through to octogenarians. The spiritual growth of the church is an exciting challenge.

The People: The church family is a small part of ministry. Just as Jesus ministered to many people that weren’t his disciples, we are called to reach out to all men. Much of our day is spent ministering to people that perhaps will never darken our church door but they need a touch from the Master’s hand. In our Secondary School, during street ministry or just with people we meet every day, we need to let them touch the Jesus in us.

Just the other day a young man that is a professing atheist stopped to talk with me. We have known him and his family for years. He described an event in his life where anger took control of his actions and when all was said and done he mentioned two thought came to his mind - what would Philip (I’m not brother Philip to him) have done in this situation and how would Jesus have reacted.

We really don’t know how much we influence other people’s lives.

The Social: The church has to be involved in the social aspect of people’s lives. Our main thrust in this area is a youth activity we call ‘El Punto’ which reaches out to thousands of youth in each event. Our budget this year for 4 events is over $200,000 dollars. Since it is social we look to the world to finance these events. Our focus is drug abuse prevention and youth expressions in a positive way. We are working hand in hand with different government agencies and private foundations to make these events a reality.

In this Summer time we pray rich blessings upon all you who support this ministry. We covet your prayers as we will be traveling extensively to meet our financial obligations We appreciate your faithful offerings that help us to continue moving forward.

Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman

An Arrow Directed

Newsletter March/April 2008

This year 2008 started out with a clear direction in the sector of ministry that we are covering in our State of Nayarit. David and Elizabeth have been traveling extensively while teaching in Mexico and the U.S.. They are teaching in areas of leadership training and financial integrity. They are also giving classes in both Bible schools, here in Tepic and in San Pedro Coahuila.

On the local front the secondary school and the churches continue to move forward. Every day we are seeing more the need of good Christian education in our public school system. The churches after going through a pruning this past year, are now going forward in spiritual and numerical growth.

The beginning of February we opened a new semester in the Rios de Agua Viva Bible School. In the past we have had mainly youth who have studied but the semester our medium age is 48 years old. They are people that have decided to leave all to follow the ministry that God has given them.

One can not move on forward without encountering opposition. The 15th of March three enemy attacks came at the same time. While David and Elizabeth were away their house was broken into and over $5,000 of merchandise was stolen. Half an hour after Philip and Lucy arrived home from the police station to register the theft, brother Chuy Sanchez passed away. He was a village pastor who had lived on the grounds for the last 12 years. His life changing experience
of salvation when he was converted was an example for all of us. That same night Pastor Chuy’s grandson, who was living on the property with his parents, ran away, not knowing
that his grandfather had died and has not been seen since.

The funeral service for pastor Chuy was held at 10 Am on the Monday morning. One hour previously, 96 young people boarded a bus to go to our Youth Camp. We were expecting only 50 to 70 youth because of the recent pruning that we had been through. What a fantastic camp we had! One young lady who arrive at camp very downhearted was given a spirit of joy and for hours she rolled on the ground laughing in a Holy Spirit drunken stupor. Another young lady who was at camp for her first time, in her reserved manner said: ‘Can’t we stay her for a month”.

We have many plans and goals as this year continues on. We want to take our youth activity “El Punto’ national. We also want to take some youth on a Missions trip to Asia, to an area where Mexican people are accepted to minister. As our short term and long term goals flow together we are sure of the direction in which the Lord has directed us and as an arrow we want to fly true to the mark.

In this Spring season we pray rich blessings upon all you who support this ministry. We covet your prayers and your faithful offerings as we continue moving forward.


Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman

MARCH/ APRIL 2008
Seedtime & Harvest Ministries
8635 Callaghan Rd, San Antonio TX 78230 or
APDO 351, 63000 Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico
e-mail: philip@s-h-ministries.org or d_e_tolman @s-h-ministries.org
Volume 1, Issue 1

A Time To Go Forward

January/February 2008 Newsletter

As we look over the past year, we see months of preparation for a gigantic harvest. 2007 was full of special activities such as Bible school classes, camp meetings, evangelistic campaigns, 5 outdoor Christian concerts with the last two having over 5,000 people in attendance. There was also the daily work of teaching, preaching, visitation, school classes, plus ministry and a busy home life. Vehicles must be kept running, buildings maintained, help given to people going though unbelievable hardships, as well as all of the unexpected events that occur. David and Elizabeth were also able to teach in the country of Chile for almost three weeks in conferences and churches.

As we start this New Year we prayerfully consider the events that will bring increase to the churches here in Mexico. The everyday work must continue. We must minister to the people’s needs and inner healing is a reality to be addressed.

As for our teaching ministry in Nayarit, Mexico, the Xecora Christian Secondary School is moving forward with a new principal that took over the office in October. Rios de Agua Viva Bible School is beginning a series of new courses from February 4 – May 15, both in ministry and music.

We wish to extend the very successful outreach, El Punto, to new cities with its youth oriented activities in 2008. There are already open doors.

Holy Week, before Easter, we will continue our annual and exceptional wilderness youth camp. The youth return each year challenged and spiritually aflame. The following week will be the annual children’s camp, held on the Xecora school grounds.

In answer to requests, we plan to have a regional Ladies’ Conference later in the year. There are also three churches now working completely on their own but look to us for spiritual guidance and counsel. We shall continue working on the growth of the local church with strong Biblical doctrinal foundations. This will include infusing them with a heart for missions, giving and moving beyond their present attitudes and local outreach

As we start this New Year with new goals we also continue to pray rich blessings upon all you who support this ministry. We covet your prayers and your faithful offerings.

David & Elizabeth Tolman

Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman

El Punto

November/December 2007 Newsletter

The Point: This was the focus of the evangelistic activity, to reach the youth in the city of Tepic. The point was that Jesus Christ is Lord of lords and King of kings. Aside from letting people know this we also wanted to attack the enemy on his ground and defeat him here in our State once and for all.

The Purpose: Preach the gospel to over 5,000 youth in their territory using their activities and using the world’s money to do the job. At the same time we wanted to impact the city with a Christian activity that would be remembered.

The Promises we were given:

- This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

- Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

- Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations….

- That now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places

- And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us …

The point was made, the purpose accomplished and a new way of doing things was established. On the 28th and 29th of September we had 14 hours of motorcycles, acrobatic bikes, skateboards, graffiti, fashion show and more. It was all done in a Christian atmosphere with a Christian musical and two concerts at the end of each day. The effort made by the organizing churches was incredible, the prayers of the saints innumerable and the preparations unbelievable. The promises were fulfilled.

Our work has just begun as we start to reap the results of the Word that has been sown. Also we are planning to reach out to other areas and States with this activity so the impact that our city received can be made available in other cities and States as well.

At this Thanksgiving and Christmas season we pray rich blessings upon all you who support this ministry. We covet your prayers and your faithful offerings.

Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman

The Battle Ground

September/October 2007 Newsletter

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force, Matthew 11:12

In the Americas the concept of war, or going to battle, is foreign to most of us. Soldiers have gone to war in far away places and everyone has his own personal opinion on the value of these wars. When the Bible talks about us being at war, it is hard for us to grasp the reality of what war really is. Spiritual warfare is not just saying a few prayers and hoping that things will work out. It is about life and death. The Christians with the greatest risk, are those on the front lines of the battlefield.

This year in Nayarit we declared war on the principalities and powers that have ruled over our land for hundreds of years. We must not only win the battle, but we must destroy the kings of the enemy forces. King Ahab didn’t kill the king of Syria when he had the chance and it cost him his life (1 Kings 22:30-37). Gideon didn’t finish his battle with the Midianites until he had destroyed their four kings. In January of this year the Lord gave us a plan, not only to evangelize the city of Tepic and the surrounding area, but to saturate them with the presence of God. The work started immediately with the planning, the legal permits and the contacts we needed to arrange. The end of May we had a free breakfast for the pastors in the area to inform them of the project. Between the 9th of June and the end of July we presented 3 Christian open-air concerts.

Vanessa on Dad's motorbike at an activity

Did we get a reaction! The traditional church officials successfully cancelled our permit for the second concert 24 hours before the event. Unable to use the baseball stadium we had rented we closed off the main street outside the stadium, with police permission, and set up our 40’ platform on the street. We had a concert. The rains came and tried to wash us out but in war you don’t give an inch. Our causality rate has been high. In our main church we have seen our membership dwindle from over 100 members to fewer than 60 in 4 months. Economically we have felt the strain as we are $6,000 dollars short of our budget.

The biggest and final battle is yet to come. We have permits to hold a social benefit activity in the park in front of the State Government buildings on the 28^th and 29^th of September. This social event ends at 8 PM and at that time we have two Christian concerts and a musical depicting the salvation message. With over $20,000 in rented sound equipment, lights, fireworks and closed-circuit T.V. we will be heard everywhere. We are financing the activity through sponsors from large businesses in our city. We are going to let the world finance the preaching of the gospel. We are going to take the enemy’s money and use it in God’s kingdom. This is the promise that Jesus has given us.

Simri and Damara with music group

It has not been easy, but then, war is never easy. Casualties will be replaced by victors, sinners converted into saints. The kingdom of Satan will be destroyed in our State and replaced by the Kingdom of God. The battlefield, where there is no comfort or rest, is not a pleasant place. Our rest is in the knowledge that we shall be victors for we have been promised the land.

Please keep us in your prayers as we fight in the thick of the fray.

Philip, Lucy, Simri and Vanessa Tolman