Can you imagine going to the store with 14 women and buying food for a three day event and not even knowing the number of people you will be serving? We had done a lot of planning prior to this conference-the annual conference taking place the end of July, but getting a head count prior to the opening service has always been a challenge. The theme was the anointing and the power of God, which we all desire to see manifest in a greater way in the work of God. Wayne Dent-who pastors Faith Tabernacle in Lockport, New York - spoke of the anointing, that it was the work of the Holy Spirit, and that Jesus was anointed to do the works of His Father. He also anoints us as we follow Christ!
Vincent Bravo, a pastor from Monterrey, Mexico, shared on Tuesday morning on Anointed to Serve. He dealt with some misconceptions about the purpose of having received the anointing, and pointed out that it is to serve others both within and outside the Body of Christ.
Ken Nelson, an elder from Faith Tabernacle shared on divine healing as part of what God wants to do through us. There were several healings as prayer was offered up.
On Tuesday evening there were three students who graduated from the Institute of the Ministry. It was a time of rejoicing for them, after all that work, and for us as well to see them complete this step in their lives. Pray with us, that they would fulfill God's plan for their lives.
On Wednesday evening we dedicated the church building. It is hard to imagine the dramatic change in this piece of property in the past 20 years, and that is to say nothing of the spiritual changes in peoples lives. It has required more than finances to accomplish this transformation in both property and people. Blood, sweat and tears has been the currency for all that have had a hand in this feat. We always built as we had money, for loans for such projects are not feasible, or normally possible in Mexico.
The building had been done throughout the past 20 years making use of each new addition as it progressed. There have been many good changes through the years. We are thankful that it is now fulfilling its God ordained functions in Petatlán.
Pray with us that this church building will serve as a lighthouse to all who are affected by the violence and uncertainty of events that are happening in Mexico.
May God's blessings be on you. Thanks for your interest in this work, prayers, and support.
Dave & Becci

June 2, 2009
Hello to all!
The time of the fair had finally come, which we had been excitedly preparing for—the annual fair of the “Costa Grande” (long coast). Of course, every year is unique. This year stands out due to the rash of violence occurring in the area. It was so bad that many of the shop owners refused to set up their stands!

The clowns getting ready for the program. We started around 7:20 pm and ended around 10:15 pm—which allowed us to do the same complete program twice.

The police and the military maintained an active presence in the area, patrolling while we set up the platform for our presentations. Although this year we did not experience the horror of hand grenades exploding among chattering fair-goers, fear was a palpable, living reality—never far from anyone’s mind. In fact, the simple act of attending the fair seemed itself an act of defiance—a demonstration of bravery in the face of a sense of loss of control to the drug lords who have taken ownership of the region and those who live their lives out within it.

Dave giving a message. Believe it or not people would stay to hear a short message.

God’s activity in birthing new ministries in the church was evident throughout this event. Leaders stepped up to the plate with excellence, giving oversight to the preparation of dramas, puppets and clowns.

The clowns were a big hit with everyone, although the children were especially thrilled. One of their acts was a competition over which clown smelled the best. The first clown used expensive perfumes to increase his beautiful odor while the other, apparently confused, smelled worse as the act wore on. Everyone enjoyed a hearty belly laugh at their antics, helping to dispel the tension in the air, while focusing in on our human tendency to try to present ourselves as better than the next guy, which may end up making us look worse!

Different believers had a chance to share the way in which the power of God had transformed their daily living experience, being a living and breathing demonstration of God’s creative presence. Lives that had dwelt in darkness now bore in their faces the splendor of the light of God. Those who came to the fair wracked in the fear of the times or in the pain of life could witness a God who drew near through the lives of these believers – a God who cares profoundly about each life now hanging in the balance, and who seeks to bring peace in the midst of the storm.

Bet painting Armando, and not yet having finished painting her own face.

Each night entailed preparations which would start about 6:00 pm, followed by the actual program (we had enough time to run it twice) and end around 10:15 pm.
Among the new dramas developed specifically for this event is a drama called “Two Beings in me.” Bet developed this drama to highlight the struggle which we all face between listening to God’s voice and that of the enemy. You may download this powerful video at: http://agua-viva-living-water.org/videos2009.html
Though I don’t have an exact number of the people who received the Lord as their Savior, I witnessed people responding from their hearts every time the gospel was presented. Hearts were sensitive to the working of the Spirit, as those who previously may have tossed the tract two seconds after receiving it, now took it home to read. When before it was all we could do to stop people from leaving after a minute, now their hungry eyes were glued to the stage, their hearts warmed by the Spirit. Although no one could possibly wish for the intense brutality which has left countless bodies, and few families untouched by grief, the guns, knives, and AK47s of the drug lords have broken through calloused hearts driving people to Christ. When in years past you could scarcely catch a person’s name as they fled your presence, now we had people wanting to talk with believers who waited on the sidelines.
Work and fun intermingled, and through the haze of fear and pain, the continuous move of the Spirit in the lives of the townspeople of Petatlan progressed. The kingdom of God rejoiced as we welcomed brothers and sisters into the experience of the presence of our LORD. We wish that you could join us someday, get your face painted, participate in a drama or two, and most of all share the story of God’s incessant, loving and steadily increasing work in your own life – how He has brought you from death to life, from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His marvelous light. We would join together with other trophies of Christ the King, masterpieces created anew in Christ Jesus with the purpose of making His name known.
May God's blessings be on you and yours, and may He cause you to increase in the knowledge of Him, multiplying also everything that you have given. Thank you for joining us on this journey of making His name great among the nations, for you are co-laborers with us for Him.
Dave & Becci

May 2009
Hello to all!
Did you ever see a child get really excited? Well, if
you are like most of us, you would have been
thrilled to see such a reaction. That is precisely
what happened at Agua Viva when we had
Operation Christmas Child. Many kids were
gathered together for they were invited to attend a
special program. Then, as part of the program
each one received a box that had all sorts of gifts.
The boxes were labeled according to the gender
and age of the child, thus enabling each child to
receive appropriate gifts.
The program was very well done. Becci told the
story of Jonah and the whale, and sure enough
there was a whale like “thing” that came into the
church to swallow Jonah. The kids certainly didn't
want to be like Jonah, who was fleeing from God.
So, there was an emphasis to give their lives to the
Lord Jesus now, while they have opportunity.
Since we were concerned that we might not be
able to handle all the kids well on one day, we
divided the kids up by areas—those on this side of
the river came on February 28th, and those on the
other side of the river came on March 7th. It was
great to see all the kids, and also the fruit from this
event. Then came the time to see the kids opening
the boxes. Some of the notes inside said: “Please
write me ...”, your friend; another said: “we are
praying for you.” Another said, “Please write and
send me a picture of yourself.” So you know what
the bilingual people did while they were opening
the presents, right! We were translating.
We are sure that some of you have helped to pack
some of these boxes on some occasion, which
were provided by Samaritan's Purse. So, thanks
for sowing into the lives of these kids, and of
course; these smiles can't help but stay with us for
quite a while.
May God's blessings be on each of you. Thanks for praying for us, and also for being partners together.
Dave & Becci

The photos
(Left to right, and top to bottom)
~The kids during the program.
~Becci doing the kid's class.
~Jonah just before being thrown into the sea.
~Oops, it looks like the whale got him.
~Happy to receive the special gift box.
~The clowns waiting to help out.

April 17, 2009

Hello to all!

It has been quite a while since we have sent any major news from this part of this world, and its not because nothing has happened. Let me fill you in a bit starting with the 8th of February, which was when we began to have two Sunday services. We were aware of different people who couldn't attend the evening service for one reason or another, so we began a Sunday morning service. As a result of the change we have had new people come into the church. That certainly adds to a sense of expectation in any church, just as when some believers are ready to get baptized.

Yes, one of the things that stands out in church life are the baptisms. Here in Mexico some people take a while to get baptized. Some think they are not good enough, not dedicated sufficiently, or even think that they must attain to a higher level of spirituality than they already have. Well, there were 8 people who had decided to obey the mandate of the Lord to be baptized—just waiting to get the date and place worked out. The 15th of March was that special day.
These eight people had the request—not to be baptized in the baptismal tank inside the church, but in the ocean. Of course, the ocean also means waves—sometimes rather big waves, and not everyone likes the waves. It can also be a challenge to be deep enough, to be able to go completely under, but not too deep for the poor soul that can't swim. So, we have a system worked out so there are people assisting any who might be afraid of the water, the waves, or both. It also required correct timing, it isn't pleasant to baptism in 18 inches of water, so the wave needs to come in at just the right time.
We had a great time there; people singing some traditional songs, and just rejoicing with those who were getting baptized. Well, I think everyone who went took a lunch along. Of course, there were numerous people that wanted to give the pastoral family plenty to eat. So we came away very satisfied being there for a couple of hours on that Sunday afternoon.
Dave & Becci

Here are some videos of that time at the ocean, to get a feel of what was happening, the excitement of getting baptized as a follower of Jesús!