Introducing Howard and Susan Dyck

Dear fellow workers :

This month I want to point out some of the highlights of decisions that this year has brought in - decisions and changes that we trust will further the work and bring honor to the Lord.

For some time our only contact with the work in Mexico has been with and through the Mexican workers in ministry there. We have felt the need for an English - Spanish couple that would take on a leadership role in Mexico and at the same time be able to relate this to the folk in Canada and the USA in English. This would bring a closer coupling between those in ministry at home and those on the field. In His usually "mysterious ways" the Lord has brought this to pass.

We never thought that we would benefit from the disastrous decision that the Venezeluan President made when he expelled the New Tribes missionaries from Venezuela. Among the expelled was the Dyck family - Howard and Susan Dyck. Howard has his roots in British Columbia and Susan in the USA. Missionary work brought them together and they served the Lord faithfully in Venezuela under New Tribes Mission. NTM has placed the Dycks on loan to us so this next term they will be working from the base in San Carlos. Both speak Spanish. The Lord has truly answered a need - and prayer. Any bookings ( visits ) will now be handled by the Dycks in Mexico. We ask you to pray for them. Venezuelan Spanish is not quite the same as Mexican Spanish so there will be a period of adjustment - both for the Dycks and the Mexican missionaries. Howard and Susan can be reached by email - howard_dyck@ntm.org and by phone at 011 52 622 226 1142 after the end of February.

We seldom mention the work at home but they need your prayers as well. As you know the office staff is made up of volunteers. It's hard to find folk who are able and willing to dedicate time to this mnistry. Starting this year, Brain and Louise Unrau have chose to make this a minstry in their lives. Louise will be sending out the monthly statements. Pray that God will give them joy in this new area of service and that He will guide and lead as only He can.

Another item of prayer is the San Carlos situation. Both the English and Spanish churches are without pastors. They need shepherds of God's choice. Pray that these men ( whereever they are ) will hear His calling and respond.

Because of Calvary,

Elmer Fehr

BMSLA Newsletter - January 2008

January 2008 Newsletter

Dear fellow workers :

God has granted us to see another year. I trust that we will all walk through it with eternity's values in view. As I get older, time seems to speed up and I realize as never before how short this dash 1932 - ???? really is, and yet what an importtant part it has in my eternal destiny. No wonder the apostle Paul counsels us to, "Redeem the time, because the days are evil". The world has many demands that it imposes on us. It takes divine wisdom and insight to realize that we are all here for a higher purpose and that God has an enternal plan for each one.

The Christmas season is now over but the foreign news is just now filtering in. In many areas it was a time of celebration such as folk had never seen before. This year the name "Jesus" has taken on new meaning. From Banamichi, the Ortegas write, " Last Sunday we had a Christmas party and we had people from Sinoquipe and Banamichi, we had about 60 children and 45 adults, we enjoy together and had some pinatas breaking, and candies, cakes, gifts for the kids, stuffed toys, games, etc., and the most beautiful part was when we share the greatest gift we have, and that is Jesus living in our heart, and through Him we have eternal life, we had the opportuinity to share it with the people that came to this Christmas Party, and we have to do that every day, we need to share this great gift with the people around us. We need to unwrap the gift and share it, let others know about the gift and that way they would like to have this beautiful gift that God has given us". - Nacho, Jetza, Ninive.

From San Carlos, Martha and Paul Cook are running the Center and pinch hitting for both churches there, that at present have no pastors. Both the English and Spanish churches are being led by their own Board members and deacons. Although this is difficult, it is probably good for both fellowships as it will cause greater development of leaders from within. Pray!

From Arizpe : Oscar and Rosa Rangel inform us that it looks as though the Lord is raising up a Pastor for the flock and both are quite enthused and encouraged about this.

Here at home we too, are encouraged. What a wonderful team God has brought together for this outreach into Mexico. Many of you don't know one another but you are working shoulder to shoulder in this task that the Lord left for us. Just think, He could have committed this to angels, but he chose faltering lips and stumbling feet to spread abroad the greatest news that the world could ever hear - through simply sharing His word, lost men and women can come to know Jesus and receive eternal life. Thank you all for accompanying us in this awesome journey.

May the Lord grant you a blessed and fruitful New Year as you serve Him.

Elmer Fehr

Letter from Nacho

Hello dear brothers and sisters :

We hope and pray that everything is going very well with all of you, we are doing okay. Jetza is recuperating very good so far and thanks to our almighty God, as you probably know she had a DNC two weeks ago, and we want to thank our God because he is faithful, and He is with us all the time.

Anyway it has been a while since we gave you an update, so here it is. In Novevember, we had a group of twenty three young people and their leaders from Winkler, CA who helped us with some physical and spiritual work. These groups of young people share with us about what they are capable of as far as physical work, digging, and painting. But not all was digging and painting for them, they also teach and share about what Jesus means for them, and the most wonderful of all, what He did for all of them,and they told people down here that Jesus would do the same for them too, and in fact He wants to do for entire world.

And as far as God's work around here, we continue to give bible studies in the different homes during the week, and as well couples meetings, and in Sinoquipe we are there every Friday and Sunday, to give bible studies and services Sunday evenings.

Last Sunday we had a Christmas party, and we had people from Sinoquipe and Banamichi, we had about 60 children and 45 adults, we enjoy together and had some pinatas breaking, and candies, cakes, gifts for the kids, stuff toys, games, etc and the most beautiful part was when we share the greatest gift we have, and that is Jesus living in our heart, and through Him we have eternal life, we had the opportunity to share it with the people that came to this Christmas party, and we have to do that every day, we need to share this great gift with the people around us. We need to unwrap the gift and share it, let others know about the gift and that way they would like to have this beautiful gift that God has given us.

And we want to thank all of you for sharing with us that gift and the love that God has given you, we do not know all of you personally, and you do not know us either, but one thing we are sure of of that God does, and He is the one that put in us to want and to do, and we thank Him for putting in your heart to help and support us economically, and that's one of the many ways of sharing the great gift that Lord our God has given you, and us too, but we thank you specially for all of your prayers, and now that we are this time of celebrating Christmas, and we do this year by year, and once again is time to do that, and we prepare for buying the food for the special dinner, gifts, decorating lights, spend time with the family, and there is nothing wrong with this, it is wonderful, but let's not forget about the most important part of all this time and that is Jesus our Savior. He was born, and died for us and resurrected from the death and He lives, and He will come once again and we need to tell people around us about the great gift, that He has come for them too. Let's unwrap the gift and share it, and we could not choose a better time to do it, and let's keep doing it all year around.

We thank you so much for all your prayers and support, and please continue to pray for us so the Lord can use us according to His will. God bless you, and May God be with you and your loved ones, and His love fill your heart with His riches always.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Nacho, Jetza, and Ninive.

BMSLA Newsletter - December 2007

December 2007 Newsletter
Dear friends :
I know that this is probably a very busy season for you, but I do want to drop in for a brief chat. I have marvelled before that our new world of communication is truly astounding. We are inundated with news - from every corner of the globe. The prolem with that is that most of the time it's not good news - it's downright heartbreaking. As a missionary, it's wonderful to be able to keep in touch with the workers of the field - to share in their joys as well as their sorrows and there are lots of both.
Jetza Ortega had to have surgery because of internal bleeding and Carlos Campana sprained his foot and is hobbling around trying to keep up with the youth he's working with. Oscar is still taking pills for the pain that resulted from breaking his foot that never healed properly. However, Oscar writes, " The Lord has opened a great door of opportuinty for all of these cripples and neither our mouths nor the Word of God is bound nor wounded. We continue to make Christ known as best we can." ( Thank you for praying ). Without a doubt, Satan is trying to thwart the futherance of the gospel but we have been assured by none other than our Lord himself - "The gates of hell will not prevail against it ( His church )."

While there's lots of news from everywhere, we ( believers ) are the only source of the " Good News". What a tremendous responsibility God has placed upon the believer in Christ. Peter says that we are "Stewards of the manifold grace of God." Paul says that God has charged us with, "the ministry of reconciliation." It is this charge that has predicated our choices from the day we came to know Jesus until now and by His grace continues to do so. Jesus says, "We are the salt of the earth." How great the trust that God has committed to us! How small we are to carry it out.

I trust this season will be an especially precious one as you again contemplate the wonder of the season. May this propel us into a New Year with joy and confidence. Since God has so ordained that the believer in Jesus should be His mouthpiece in a lost and hopeless world, let us go forward in confidence and boldness. With Paul we admit that we are just not sufficient for such a task. However with Paul we can also say, " Our sufficiency is of God."

Thank you so much for having stood with this work through all these years. May the Lord bless and enrich your loves as only He can.

Richest blessings in 2008,
Elmer Fehr

BMSLA introduction

Welcome to the blog for the BMSLA ( Baptist Missionary Society of Latin America ). Within this blog, you will discover the origin of the BMSLA, where it is situated within Mexico, the families involved in ministry in various towns and villages throughout the valley, and have the opportunity to view frequent newsletters, giving you information to better be able to pray for, encourage and support this important ministry among the people of Mexico. Thank you.