Prayer Letter, November of 2005
Dear Brethren,
“But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works (Psa. 73:28).” The Lord is truly desirable and worthy of our greatest love! The last several weeks have been weeks of growth in our personal walks with God. We have seen ever so clearly the worthiness of our God. As we see that, at times we could grow discouraged by the fact that we are so tempted by other delights and so weak in our love for Him. Yet the understanding that Christ is worthy of our highest pursuits and that He is the one who produces the growth and love is our greatest satisfaction.
The ministry has seen the Lord provide rich blessings as well. On Tuesday night of this week, November 15th, I will have the privilege of preaching at the first ordination of a University graduate. While many graduates are in ministry, they have not yet been ordained. Emanuel Sidronio, who is pastoring a church in his home state Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, will be ordained this week. We are humbled and excited to see the Lord put our graduates on the battlefield. Please pray for Emanuel’s ministry in Oaxaca.
Many of you prayed for Pastor Luis Ortegón, who was injured when a van he was working on collapsed on his face. Since the doctors did not expect him to survive more than a few days, we are rejoicing in the Lord’s mercy not only in preserving his life, but in preventing any significant brain damage. However, he still has significant obstacles to overcome. He is completely deaf in his right ear. His right eye is almost completely paralyzed (though he has no problem seeing, he can’t move his eyeball from side to side), and he has great difficulty talking (he stutters greatly, even though what he says is coherent). Although the doctors are offering a very guarded prognosis about his long-term recovery from these conditions, the Lord has done and can still do miracles for our brother. Please continue to pray for him, his family and his church.
The Lord has also allowed us to continue working at the mission (
church planting ministry) in the metro area. In addition to the Saturday morning children’s clubs, we have begun a Bible study on Thursday nights for the adults. It has been extremely refreshing to work with these new believers as they take their first spiritual baby-steps. Please pray that we will have great wisdom in discipling them and in reaching new people with the wonderful message of Christ. Also pray that the Lord will provide a new location to meet. We are meeting in a small home. With 10 to 12 adults in the small living room/kitchen area and 20 children in the patio (or bedroom, with the cold weather approaching—although last night it was 80 degrees in our bedroom at 11:30), we have a pressing need for a more space. I will share some names and stories with you in the next prayer letter.
Our family continues to grow (though not in number—to the dismay of the grandparents). Aaron and Ana continue to show their natural insistence on their own way. We have the wonderful challenge of attempting to show them the perils of walking in their own way and the blessings of walking in God’s way. Please pray that we will model for our children a continual denial of self and a greater love for God.
Compelled by His love,
The Bixbys
Dear Brethren,
“But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works (Psa. 73:28).” The Lord is truly desirable and worthy of our greatest love! The last several weeks have been weeks of growth in our personal walks with God. We have seen ever so clearly the worthiness of our God. As we see that, at times we could grow discouraged by the fact that we are so tempted by other delights and so weak in our love for Him. Yet the understanding that Christ is worthy of our highest pursuits and that He is the one who produces the growth and love is our greatest satisfaction.
The ministry has seen the Lord provide rich blessings as well. On Tuesday night of this week, November 15th, I will have the privilege of preaching at the first ordination of a University graduate. While many graduates are in ministry, they have not yet been ordained. Emanuel Sidronio, who is pastoring a church in his home state Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, will be ordained this week. We are humbled and excited to see the Lord put our graduates on the battlefield. Please pray for Emanuel’s ministry in Oaxaca.
Many of you prayed for Pastor Luis Ortegón, who was injured when a van he was working on collapsed on his face. Since the doctors did not expect him to survive more than a few days, we are rejoicing in the Lord’s mercy not only in preserving his life, but in preventing any significant brain damage. However, he still has significant obstacles to overcome. He is completely deaf in his right ear. His right eye is almost completely paralyzed (though he has no problem seeing, he can’t move his eyeball from side to side), and he has great difficulty talking (he stutters greatly, even though what he says is coherent). Although the doctors are offering a very guarded prognosis about his long-term recovery from these conditions, the Lord has done and can still do miracles for our brother. Please continue to pray for him, his family and his church.
The Lord has also allowed us to continue working at the mission (
church planting ministry) in the metro area. In addition to the Saturday morning children’s clubs, we have begun a Bible study on Thursday nights for the adults. It has been extremely refreshing to work with these new believers as they take their first spiritual baby-steps. Please pray that we will have great wisdom in discipling them and in reaching new people with the wonderful message of Christ. Also pray that the Lord will provide a new location to meet. We are meeting in a small home. With 10 to 12 adults in the small living room/kitchen area and 20 children in the patio (or bedroom, with the cold weather approaching—although last night it was 80 degrees in our bedroom at 11:30), we have a pressing need for a more space. I will share some names and stories with you in the next prayer letter.Our family continues to grow (though not in number—to the dismay of the grandparents). Aaron and Ana continue to show their natural insistence on their own way. We have the wonderful challenge of attempting to show them the perils of walking in their own way and the blessings of walking in God’s way. Please pray that we will model for our children a continual denial of self and a greater love for God.
Compelled by His love,
The Bixbys
posted by Matthew Bixby at
10:26 AM
2 Comments:
Welcome to the blogosphere!
Bob
Thanks, I'm going to keep it simple and non-controversial!
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