gdl1
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UPDATE FROM THE FISHERS
Guadalajara, Mexico
January 2007
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In this issue
-- IN THE BLACK
-- THY KINGDOM COME
-- SALT OF THE EARTH
-- THE FAMILY
-- BACK SURGERY
-- THANKS

Greetings!

Greetings once again from Guadalajara! Well, here we are, a whole month into the new year already. Can you believe it? We pray that you are relying on God's grace this year, just as we are still learning to do here, even after 20 years on the mission field!

God is so faithful and His grace is always there for us every day, according His promise; yet how often we fail to embrace it and allow ourselves to be consumed with fear and worry about tomorrow. At least that's what I often do, even though God has proved His grace to be more than sufficient day after day, year after year.


IN THE BLACK
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 2006 was a scary year for us financially, but by God's grace, and the generosity of many dear friends, our support account balance finished the year in the black! Praise God for His provision! I was even able to submit all my travel expenses for 2006 to MTW for reimbursement, which brought our support account balance back down, hopefully not into the red again. By next month we should know our exact financial status with MTW and know if it will be necessary for me to continue traveling (and spend more money) to try to raise more support. Such is the life of a missionary.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support of this ministry. God is doing amazing things here in the lives of people through the preaching of His Word and His Spirit working in the hearts of people. Thank you for your part in making it possible for us to be a part of what God is doing here.


THY KINGDOM COME
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 The churches here in Guadalajara continue to grow slowly but steadily under the ministry of our pastor, Larry Trotter and church-planting elders and missionaries. It is such a moving experience every time a new believer makes a profession of faith, is baptized and joins the church. It never fails to bring tears to my eyes. This is cause for celebration as God's visible Kingdom grows and claims more and more territory of the enemy for the King of kings and Lord of lords!

Please pray for Abundio, a former unemployed alcoholic adulterer who God saved from his former life of sin and called to serve Him as a new church planter in Guadalajara. To many, his was a hopeless case, but God is now using him to reach others with a wonderful testimony of the mercy and glorious grace of God in his life.


SALT OF THE EARTH
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 Streets I can't tell you how excited I am about the NACL initiative. It is really one of the more significant things that I have had the privilege of being involved in 20 years on the mission field. I am coordinating a small evangelistic task force, taking the Gospel to the streets of Guadalajara, to the darkest and farthest corners of urban civilization, deep behind enemy lines.

We are taking God's truth to those least likely to encounter it any other way, and it is proving to be no small challenge. Please pray for the NACL team: Albrecht, Manuel, Angel, Eduardo, Alex, Horte, Amanda, Natasha, Mary and myself. Please pray also for the evangelistic contacts we have made: prostitutes: Carla, Paola, Monserrat, Mayra, Lupita, Sandra, Marcela and Vivian; pimps: Pablo and Oscar, bikers: Jose and Alfredo and many others who need the Lord. Please visit the NACL website at www.naclnet.org for more information about this ministry. I will also be sending out a separate NACL e-mail update periodically with news briefs about this ministry for those who would like to receive it. Please pray often for NACL as we are, as one friend put it, "in the enemy's face" day after day and night after night.

Visit NACLnet


THE FAMILY
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 Thank you for your prayers for our family. It is always a challenge to keep up with the needs of this growing family, but God's grace is always sufficient day after day. I would especially appreciate your intercession for my wife, Dawn and our 10 kids while I am away in the States for another week, visiting churches and doctors. Something always seems to happen when I am away!

Pray for our oldest daughter, Amanda, as she is considering the possibilities for continuing her education after high school. The rest of the kids would also welcome your prayers as they continue homeschooling, gymnastics and cheerleading.


BACK SURGERY
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 I have been suffering with constant back, hip and leg pain since last year, an old back injury that has finally caught up with me. Conservative treatment has brought no relief. My leg is weak and numb and I can only stand for a few minutes at a time. One doctor wants to perform a spinal fusion surgery with metal screws and rods. Another specialist wants to install artificial discs between my vertebrae. Yet another just wants to remove some bone and disc material from around the compressed nerve root. I would be grateful for your prayers for wisdom as I decide what to do next.


THANKS
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 Well, that's all for now. Thanks for taking the time to read this! I apologize that there are only a few photos this month, but I promise there will be more next month!

Take care and God bless you and your family. We would love to hear from you sometime! Until then, thanks for your continued prayers! Embrace the grace!

Your missionary, Paul (for the family) Mission to the World Guadalajara, Mexico



Contact Information
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