Christmas Greetings to All

December 2013

I am so thankful that we don’t have to celebrate HAPPY HOLIDAYS since we live a real life with our Saviour who was born, died and resurrected to become our Lord and Saviour. The date of Christ’s birth is not what is important. What is important is that we celebrate this wonderful event that has transformed the world.

On the home front we have been able to keep ourselves busy.

We have taken the challenge to bring an evangelistic event to the plaza of every township in our State this year. Seeing that there 21 township in our State this has been a big job. Personally we have participated in 3 of these events as a church. They have been a great blessing for getting the church members off the benches and into the street where there is a world that needs Christ. We still have two more events to come. One on the 14^th of December in the city of Tepic and then on the 27^th we will be joining with churches throughout the whole State outside the governor’s palace in the city of Tepic.

In the month of November we were blessed to have the visit of a group from ANM to help us do some remodelling in our school kitchen and also to level the ground for the second half of our school basketball court. They were also a blessing as they shared in the churches and mingled with the different people that we have working with us. 

Not all things that happen are pleasant but we know that God works out all things for good. Lucy was in hospital for 3 days last month with a bacterial infection in her stomach. She received 6 units of blood and is now on antibiotics to try and eliminate the infection. Then Philip fell out of a tree while trimming the trees on the property. He broke his left arm and dislocated his wrist. He will now be 6 weeks without being able to ride his motorbike. As you can imagine our hospital bills were high and unexpected but we believe that all of the extra expenses will be covered.

We appreciate your prayers as we continue to fulfill the calling that God has put on our lives. We don’t want to be unfaithful stewards who do only what they are told. We want to do more. Blessings in Jesus name.

Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman 

P.S.-  Please note our new web page www.shmin.org

The Results of Stretching

September/ October 2013 Newsletter

In our last newsletter we mentioned that we were in the process of stretching our tent cords as we had felt that God was telling us to do so. Well the result is more work as growing takes work. Here are some of the doors that have been opened to us.

My daughter and son-in-law took the decision, as of the 31^st of August, to dedicate themselves to full time ministry. For the last years they have ministered on a part time basis with the praise team, in the youth ministry as well has pastoring in a small town church. As full time ministers they will be opening our 8^th church. We have the inauguration Saturday the 5^th of October. The church is being planted in a government housing project in the city of Tepic where the government has built over 10,000 homes for low-income families. There are no evangelical churches in the area to reach these people. Please pray for Agustin and Damara as they have taken this step of faith believing that the Lord will supply all of their physical needs.

In 2009 we started a small factory with only 2 workers to work on a food concept of guava sauce (like an apple sauce made from tropical guava fruit). In the following years we have worked on perfecting our products and opening a new market for selling these products in our spare time. This year we won a project with government financing to change our factory from a homemade product into an industrial project. This year we were GIVEN just over one million pesos ($85,000 dollars) to invest in the factory, for equipment and labor. The only thing that we need to do now is invest 40% more of our own money as a matching investment. Over the next 2 years we can ask for up to $500,000 dollars free if we can match our 40% extra each year. To be able to do this we are looking for two types of people. We need people who want to invest in the company and become partners. The second type of person we need are people who want to buy selling rights to our product for different areas in Canada and the USA. If you are interested in investing or you know someone that is, please contact us. 

Our third area of expansion is an evangelism project that we will be carried out in all our State of Nayarit and we are on the organizing committee. Our State is divided into 20 townships. In the months of October through December we will be holding an outdoor evangelism crusade in each of the townships and then on the 27^th of December we will be joining together with Christians from the whole State for an outdoor service and time of prayer in the State capital. The work is not only the crusades but also the programming of the different churches joining together to make this happen. The permits and that other logistics are also time consuming. The whole purpose of this event is to reach the lost and a benefit we will reap is more unity among the churches.

We appreciate your prayers as we continue to fulfill the calling that God has put on our lives. We don’t want to be unfaithful stewards who do only what they are told. We want to do more. Blessings in Jesus name.

Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman 

PS Please note our new web page  www.shmin.org

Delight Yourself in the Lord

August 2013 Newsletter

Once again summer has come and we take advantage of its long days and warm nights to share the Good News. Actually we share it all the time but it is easier and more pleasant this time of year.

On the 4^th of July (which is not a holiday in Mexico) we held closing exercises for our school year 2012-2013. We had 7 graduating students this year. We have been blessed this last year to be able to install our new principal, who is one of our converts. After being converted she worked at the school as a school secretary. She then decided to go to university and get a degree. Six years have gone by and she now has her masters in psychology and has been a great asset to our schools. 

On the 19^th of August we return to classes and as of now we have a record conscription of students for our next school year. Our goal is not only a high academic quality of teaching but we want to install Christian values in our students as they study in a Christian atmosphere.

School was barely out and we were gearing up for a city wide Christian concert. Not all things go as we plan but even in our setbacks God is always there. We had rented a hall that seated over 4,000 people, looking for an attendance of over 3,000 believers. On the day of the concert we had just over 1,000 people show and we still had a fantastic time of praise and worship. What we were lacking was finances to cover the cost of the activity. Within two days of the activity we had received offerings for $14,000 dollars of the $40,000 that we needed to cover our expenses. We also know that the $26,000 that we still owe will be paid, as the Lord never leaves us short.

Now that we are just over half way through the year we continue to stretch ourselves towards the goals that we have set to complete this calendar year. In the church in the town of El Ahualamo we are building classrooms for children’s classes. The church in Xalisco finished paying off its loan for the two new classroom we added to the church. In all the churches we have seen growth as every week we have new people come in who are hungry for the Word. We still have the goal of planting a new church location before this year comes to an end and it will be accomplished. At the school we are programming to finish the other half of our outdoor basketball court.

Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to stretch the cords of our tents as we reach out to the lost. Also keep my dad, David Tolman, in your prayers as he is struggling to adapt to a widower's life after 60 years of marriage and ministry.  Thank you for all your prayers and your offerings that make all of this possible. Your monthly support is much needed.  Blessings in Jesus name.

Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman 

PS- Please note our new e-mail address jptolman@yahoo.com

Death and Life

For everything there is a season, and a time for very purpose under heaven:

 a time to be born, and a time to die;

Tolman, Mary Elizabeth

May 5, 1932 - April 22, 2013

Entered her eternal rest with her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on April 22, 2013 in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico. Born Mary Elizabeth Devins in Aurora, Ontario, Canada, she was the beloved wife of John David Tolman with whom she celebrated 60 years of marriage on April 4, 2013

Cherished mother of Ruth (Tim) Kinzie, Nathan (Maria), Philip (Lucy), Mark (Cindy) and Stephen (Marcela). Grandmother of Beth, Stephanie, Rebecca, Courtney, Alex, Kira, Damara, Simri, Vanessa, Melissa, Malcolm, Elisa, Timothy and Peter. Great-grandmother of Damian, Ivy, Dasha and another baby (David Adiel) born on May 6 and whom she never saw. Loved by a large circle of extended family and friends.

Predeceased by her father, Dr. Clifford Devins (1948), mother, Dr. Audrey Devins (1990), and brothers William and John.

Elizabeth served with David in missions and pastoral work in South Africa (1954-1962), Canada and Mexico (1976 to present). Her passion and energy was evident in all she undertook as a wife, mother, teacher and servant of God. She continued to teach and minister until shortly before her death. She will be sorely missed and dearly remembered by the many people she touched in life.

                                                          _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_

Born on May 6^th 2013 David Adiel Bizarron (Tolman), son of Agustin and Damara.

As you can see these last months have been a time of intense family involvement. We were honored to have been able to help my mother until the end and to tend to her needs. The churches, the schools and the ministry continued on through these trying times and we still walk in victory.

Thank you for all your letters of condolences and for your prayers. It is not easy to say good-bye forever. In this earthly body we will never see each other again but in heaven we will rejoice for eternity.

Please continue to pray for David as he is dealing with a new stage of life and also for ourselves as we help him walk through this new experience. Thank you for your prayers and your offerings that make all of this possible. Your monthly support is much needed.  Blessings in Jesus name.

Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman 

Living the Life

March/April 2013

In the middle of February we hosted a citywide crusade in one of the city parks. Two of our speakers were Mariano y Micaela Ricache from Guatemala. What they shared with the hundreds of people that attended was a message that impacted my heart, They not only talked of a revival that took place in their town in Guatemala but they also shared that 25 years later the revival continues. Over 90% of their community is Christian. They have seen the bars and jails closed and stay closed. Every time that the enemy has tried to come in and destroy the work of God they have stood in the gap and used the authority that God has given them to overcome.

This is one of the goals that we have had in Mexico, to create a move of God that lasts. It is easy to gather a group together for a while but if that group is still with you 20 years later, the work has stood the test of time. These last month we have had to officiate 4 funeral for members of our church. As you all know these are not easy times for the family nor are they for the pastor. Sister Laura had a prolonged battle with cancer. We would have loved to see her healed but God had other plans. She and her family came into our church in 1989. Her son is now a minister in one of the local churches. It was our honor to preach her home going.

Brother Javier was born again in our fellowship in 1996. We married him in the church. He spent a time as a teacher at our Christian school. All of his family came to know the Lord under our ministry. The Lord saw fit to take him home in his late 50`s. The important part is that he made it to the end of the race.

Sister Amada was over 50 years old when she got saved. As a widow she could spend a lot of time sharing God`s love. She could hardly read or write but how she loved the Word. She graduated from our Bible School, maybe not with the highest grades, but definitely with the highest fervor to testify. God gave her over 20 years to be part of our fellowship and to share God`s love before he took her home. What a joy it was to be with her and talk about the Word of God.

The church is not about an organization nor about a building, it is about people. One young man whom I will call him Fred came to our school because he had been expelled from the public school and not because he was an A student. At his 14 years of age he was at a difficult time of life. He was invited to attend church by some of the youth and accepted. The transformation that has taken place in his life is incredible. In the nine months that he has been attending the church he doesn´t miss any activity and is always around to help. There are some time when he will be in church activities 4 and 5 times a week. He is learning to run the sound equipment at the church and he has become a full time disciple of Simri. As of now he is the only Christian in his family but the problems that he had before getting saved have all disappeared.. Stories like Fred`s help make the load lighter.

This month we are gearing up for our annual camps. Our youth camp we have Easter week and then the next week the children have their camp. Also the first week in February we started a new semester at our Bible School with 13 students in attendance. We continue with our goal to raise up ministers and leaders for the work of the Lord. 

Please continue to pray for Elizabeth as she has come to a point in her life where the doctors can do no more for her as the cancer has spread through her body. Only the Doctor of doctors can work in her now. Thank you for your prayers and your offerings that make all of this possible. Your monthly support is much needed.  Blessings in Jesus name.

Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman 

Selling the Gospel

January/February 2013 Newsletter

This sounds ridiculous but it is a truth of life.

As Seedtime and Harvest Ministries comes into its 37^th year of ministry this year, we are in a time of transition in many ways. Since 1976 when David and Elizabeth Tolman and three of their children left the comforts of their Canadian home to move into the unknown in Mexico, we have moved through many changes. Small churches have grown into larger congregations. A poor struggling country has become more prosperous and life styles have changed. A small teaching ministry within a single Mexican organization has grown into a ministerial fellowship that covers 4 States. The church has changed in these 37 years but it hasn’t changed enough.

The gospel message has not changed nor has the power of the Holy Spirit but all that we do that isn’t in the Bible needs to change. Dress, music, culture and lifestyles have all changed radically. In the church we have had to change too and change is good. The way church was 50 years ago doesn’t work today. In the business world, the company that isn’t in constant change loses out and becomes extinct. The church that doesn’t change will suffer the same fate.

Seedtime and Harvest Ministries has changed through the years. The first years were the learning years (even though we always continue to learn). Then came the teaching years. These were followed by the church planting years and the establishing years. As we now move through the administrative years we come to a new era of change, the electronic age. Web pages, video cam services, facebook and twitter are now part of the church. Lights, video clips and pre-taped video announcements have become a norm. The pastor’s sermon is now projected on a screen and people are reading the bible on their telephones.

As the third generation of ministries takes its place in the ranks in of Seedtime and Harvest Ministries we have to teach them to continue to reach out to the lost. The church is preaching the truth that it has received and at the same time it is living in the reality that it hasn’t reached the fullness of the truth. The world is selling perversion and error, and they are spending all they can to make people believe their message. The Bible words ring loud and clear: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent?…”

We have a gospel to get out. The truth has to be heard above all the noise, glitter, and distraction that the world throws up. Once again the Bible says: “So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Getting the Word out is our job and that is what we are called to do. People that hear the Word will believe. 

We have an old time gospel to preach but our means of getting it out is anything but old fashion. We, the church, are the innovators, the head and the blessed. This is the message that Seedtime and Harvest Ministries is preaching in Mexico and where ever else we can reach out to. We invite you to continue to stand along side us and do the same. 

Please continue to pray for David and Elizabeth as they are dealing with new health issues and also for ourselves as we help them walk through this new stage of life. Thank you for your prayers and your offerings that make all of this possible. Your monthly support is much needed.  Blessings in Jesus name.

Philip, Lucy, Simri & Vanessa Tolman

The Time Will Always Come

December 2012 Newsletter

This month we asked a question at the church, "What would you do if you had $86,400 pesos to spend every day but what was not spent was lost?" Every one of us has 86,400 seconds each day to spend. What is not wisely spent is lost forever. How do we spend our time?

On the 17^th of November we had an initial prayer and praise get together. We are working on the unity of the churches in the city. Division among the local churches has been one of our greatest weaknesses. Our goal was to unite 200 people at the outdoor fair grounds. That would have been really just our congregation and a few more people. What a surprise when we found that we had almost 350 people in attendance. On December 12 we have our main event at the same location and we are believing God for a gathering of more that 1,000 believers.

December is a month with much activity. Each of the churches that we pastor or oversee has its own Christmas party. That means that just in our churches, we will attend 7 parties as well as the regular services and other events. These get togethers are great because they help to create companionship and we have time to get to know each other better. 

Also this month we have a special wedding for one of our pastors. He and his wife are celebrating 30 years of marriage and they are planning a ceremony to renew their vows. As we plan for this we remember that four months from now, Philip’s parents will be celebrating their 60^th wedding anniversary.

The biggest event in December is our Christmas play. On the 22nd of December, 30 actors from our church will be presenting the play ‘The Grinch’ with a true Christ centered ending. The actors have been practicing for the last 3 months and will be presenting a truly professional show. We hope to fill up the city theater that seats over 1,000 people.

Christmas is also a time for family. Philip’s parents, David and Elizabeth, have had severe health issues in the past six months that have changed their lifestyle. Both of them are now unable to travel more than a few miles from home. We are going to be spending some family time together with them. In the next month all five of their children will be visiting and we will be the hosts. We can not stop time but we can spend it wisely. Honouring our parents is a wise way to spend time. Please keep David and Elizabeth in your prayers in this new stage of life.

Please continue to pray for the ministry that the Lord has given us. Your offerings make all of this possible and your monthly support is much needed.  Blessings in Jesus name.

              Philip,  Lucy,  Simri & Vanessa Tolman