New Years Kick Off

Five Dollar Plan

Dear Reader,

                The new year has come and with this many new plans, projects, and goals for our lives. My family and I are looking forward to what God has in store this coming year and our praying earnestly for our support to come quickly and within this year so as to be able to reach the field in a timely fashion. Our goal is to be able to be there by January 2013 and this means a lot of hard work on our part as we prepare for this big step in our life. To reach this goal we have prayed and worked on a plan to be able to raise our support allowing it to be easier for individuals and churches to support us. This plan will give everyone an opportunity to support us for a small amount and be a part of a ministry that will reach people around the world. I am calling the plan the Five Dollar Plan!

The Five Dollar Plan is simply this: 1,000 individuals x $5 each = $5,000

                This plan could allow two hundred churches with only five individuals within that church to give five dollars specifically to Reaching the Next Generation. With only twenty five dollars or more coming from each church or five dollars coming from individuals around the nation we could easily see the support raised quickly.

                This is a big endeavor and we know that God blesses those who give and those who help others. As missionaries we are giving our lives to God but also want to help our supporters in every way that we can, allowing anyone the opportunity to be a part with only Five Dollars a month. Please pray for us as we strive on to do all we can for the cause of Christ and if you want to take a part in this with us please contact us.



Great Lady of the Faith
Margaret (Grandma) Wood



"Hey Dad may I have some?"



OK, big smile!!



Family Time on the Road

Saturday, January seventh, we were on our way to San Antonio with two churches on the schedule for that Sunday. We had the great privilege to meet Pastor and Mrs. Patton who allowed us to stay with them while in the area that weekend. What a great time we had as we presented in Pastor Patton’s church and meet his kind people! He gave me the opportunity to preach Sunday School as I preached on the throwing out the life line which matched their mission theme for this year! How amazing to see how God works to bring together His work in our lives each day! It was an honor to be a part of not only his church service but also his music department as he allowed us to play with the congregational singing. We always enjoy being a part of each service and church we attend. That night we went to Bible Baptist Church pastored by Johnny Perez also there in San Antonio. I was greatly encouraged by his excitement for our ministry as we spoke before the service about what God had been doing in our lives and what we had planned on

True Texan!

doing in the future. It was refreshing as always to see a pastor get excited about the goals and dreams that we have for Reaching the Next Generation. I preached that night and the Lord did a great work! Wednesday had us in Texas City, Texas visiting with Trinity Baptist Church pastored by Ronnie Mills. This was a great experience and yet another opportunity to present and preach! Many kind people stopped by our table and we were able to speak to many about the ministry. God then provided a last minute blessing in allowing us to be apart of a missions conference in Louisiana Thursday and Friday. We drove that direction to be in Temple Baptist Church pastored by Gerald Heard and what a great conference it was.  The conference was a blessing to us in so many ways not only to allow us to present but to hear some encouraging messages and meet many other missionaries and kind church members. I praise the Lord for His constant help in providing us with many opportunities such as this when we least expect it. While there we were able to stay with a kind family who took us in and treated us with great kindness! Saturday we drove back to be in Iglesia Bautista a Roca for Sunday morning service. We were able to be there as Pastor Rodriguez and his people prepared to host there coming missions conference the next week and in a way be their first missionay to open it up and prepare the hearts of the people. What an honor that was!

Merry Christmas

Dear Reader,
       Christmas Time!! Wow, how it seems like it came so fast! This is one of my favorite times of the year, first and foremost for the celebrating of our Saviour's birth! In the middle of all the hurrying and celebrating of this season we all have to take that moment to be thankful for a God who would send down His Son to be born in a manger. What greater gift could anyone receive on Christmas day than the memory of such a time. Christmas also brings with it, time with family and another favorite time for me, giving gifts to other people. It has alway been a personal excitment for me to give gifts to other people and watch as they open their gifts with such joy!

Gabriella is loved!

    We were able to be home from Indiana on December 19th and sort of get acquainted with our house again! We got unpacked and prepared for the local church we were going to be in that Wednesday Night in Ft. Worth, TX. Pastor Ogdie allowed us the opportunity to come and present in his church in Ft. Worth and what a blessing that was. We enjoyed his service as young girls sang of Jesus' birth and the true meaning of Christmas.
    Christmas Eve was spent with our parents as we fellowshipped and had some fun with family! Gabriella even did her part in providing everyone with entertainment and even at five months old joining in on opening her presents! Christmas day we were able to be at our home church and see our many church family members that we had missed for a while! What a great time we had to be back around those who have been behind us one hundred percent since we had begun our deputational trail.

Matthew 1: 21 "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."

New Years came just as fast as Christmas and how exciting it is to be able to start a fresh new year with goals, plans, resolutions, opportunities, and more! The Bible tells us in Philippians 3: 13-14 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."  Two thousand and eleven has passed and what joy and praise can we find in remembering all that God has done for us in that year, but now begins a new year. What will we  allow ourselves to move forward with? What will we do for God that will allow this year be one of the most accomplished in our life. The time is now as the clock begins to tick away on two thousand and twelve! Let us not wast what precious time we do have to accomplish great things for God. In doing so, great things will happen in all the other areas of our life.

With Jesus should we be yoked

       December 28th, we were able to present our work in Iglesia Bautista Puerta Abierta in Dallas, TX. They asked Elyssa and I to sing and for me to preach. I preached a sermon entitled "What Yoke Are You Carrying?" The principle behind the sermon was concerning two types of yoke. In Matthew 11: 28-30 we will find how Christians can be yoked up with Jesus Christ who will allow each and everyone of our burdens to seem lighter and easier to carry. Through this we are able to make it through all our trials and troubles in life because of the uncomparable strength of Jesus. The other yoke is the yoke of sin found in Lamentations 1: 14 where it states how this yoke binds us until we fall resulting in much pain and heartache.  Which yoke do you carry as the new year comes? Will you be willing to give it to God and allow him to help you bare that burden that perhaps only you know of?
      The altars were filled and many tears were shed as people came forward giving their burdens to God and allowing thier yoke linked to God to help them in their lives. Praise the Lord for His moving in that service.
      Again we were able to spend new years with our church family and bring in two thousand and twelve with motivating sermons from our pastor, Dr. Mike Wells. I was encouraged by his sermons and, as always, fired up to do even more in my personal life and in our family as a whole.
      We have alot coming up in the new year, many churches, conferences and also a trip to the Philippines for me later in January! Please pray for our safety and for the Lord to do great things in our lives for this year. We believe He can and I believe that if God can use someone like me than He can use anyone for His service if we only let Him. I would encourage you to search deep down in your heart and find in what area God could use you most this year. This world need more Christian people to shed the light of God's Word in the darkness that inhabits it today.



Hna. Gloria Landeros representing the Ruth Missionary Group

 

Day out together!



Gabriella wearing daddy's Christmas gift for New Years!



On The Go!

      The Bible states in  Ecclesiastes 5: 3, "For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words."
      Everyone has a dream and with those dreams comes a continuous amount of work and business! The great thing about that is that it keeps us on the move! Growing up I always looked forward to seeing my dreams in life take off and begin and now that the beginning stages are taking place it has been great! I do not want it to be said that I talked of doing things but never put those words in to action  and therefore missed out in accomplishing any of my dreams. Dreams are not accomplished by just a small amount of work but by a multitude of work and  that is what keeps us busy for Jesus.

      We have definitely been on the go as we spent close to a month in Indiana. While in Indiana and alittle in Illinois, we were able to be in twelve different  churches sharing the vision that God has given us for our future. We covered the cities of Roanoke, Ft Wayne, Berne, Lafayette, Frankfort, Crawfordsville, Hammond, Warsaw, Bartlett, Cedar Hill, and East Chicago. What excitement and fun it was to be able to meet so many people and build relationships with so many pastors. God has truly blessed us and took great care of us through the entire trip. We had the privilege and opportunity to stay with a very special family, the Finton family, through the majority of our trip there as they graciously opened their house to us. We had an enjoyable time spending time with them and getting to know them even better. We are truly grateful to them for the kindness they showed us and have a great love for them as they treated us as part of their family. We also were able to spend time with Elyssa's aunts and uncles as some of the churches were in the area in which they live. This was the first time for them to be able to see Gabriella and what a joy it was as they showered her with love and kisses. We are truly grateful and honored to have Godly family members who have a love for the things of God as well as a love for us. They all were truly a big blessing while we were there. 

      We were also able to see many people saved while in Indiana, along with many decisions made in the preaching! God used us in a great way and did many miracles not only in our lives but in those who had a part in making this trip possible. God truly blesses those that serve him and when also blesses those who give to others from the heart. I remember a phrase that I always heard as a young person and that was "you can never out give God", and how true that is. No matter how much we do God always seems to bless us with more.

    After being in a church in East Chicago on December 18th we set out for Kentucky on our path back home. We made it to Claysmill Baptist Church pastored by Pastor Fugate and is where Elyssa's brothers attend college. We sat in their Sunday night service and then was able to spend some Christmas time with them. The next morning we set out for home and how we looked forward to being there. Was about a thirteen hour drive, but we made it safely in time to prepare for the Christmas Holiday!

First time in Indiana, I'm staying warm!!



Spending some time with the kids at one of the churches..



  

 

Preaching Time!



Quality cousin time!



Pastor's Son helps translate!



"So where are we now?"





Elyssa standing by the table..



Gabriella stealing hearts!