Thank you for your Prayers!

Thank you so much for your prayers for our Christmas Program rehearsals!! They have gone very well. They've gone so well that the boomwhacker choir has added another song and not only have we formed a men's ensemble but we are going to add a small ladies ensemble!!!!! Everyone is a buzz about the program! It is exciting to see the folks come together. On Saturday we meet here in our home and practice the adult choirs, boomwhacker choirs and the drama team. We had a house full! This is a time when our folks get to know each other better. We have 60 folks that attend our services these days. Not all of them come on the same Sunday but we are getting close to averaging 55! We are so excited to see the newer folks get involved in the Christmas program! Yesterday it was such a joy to lead the children's voice and bell choir. We have one little guy (3 years old) that sings at the top of his lungs and not necessarily on key! The kids have come a long way. We graduated a lot of our kids up to youth group so our choir is made up of younger children this year. (5th grade and down) I still have 15 kids in the choir! All of the kids in our church come with their parents! Our church is blessed with lots of families!! Continue to pray for us. I'm so exhausted by the time 5:00 Sunday afternoon rolls around. This is when I can sit for the first time all weekend. At least this is when I notice that I am sitting!!

Also pray for Sam. He is so busy with Seminary, Counseling/Discipleship, church, Christmas Program ... . God has given Sam many opportunities to share the Hope we have in Christ via counseling. Folks have come to Christ as a result and many are getting their lives back on track. We are so thankful for God's Word and the Truth that sets us free, encourages us and gives us true joy in this life!

May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving this week! We all have so much to be thankful for!

I've got more room so come on down and visit us!!!!!

This week we have started upgrading our appliances. Many of them are nearly 18 years old and aren't very energy efficient. Our first upgrade was the refrigerator. I can't believe I've lived this long with one that was so small. (14 cu. ft.) My new one has over 20 cu. ft.!!!!! This will make hosting groups a lot easier and we hope it will help cut down on our light bill. The next appliance to upgrade will be my washer. It sounds like a rock polisher. I guess I might need to clarify what that sounds like to some of the young folk. I did see a rock polisher at Toys R Us when we were in Indiana so I don't feel too bad. However, it was considered a Retro Toy. Now that makes me feel old. Anyway, if you've ever heard a rock polisher in action you can imagine what my washer sounds like. We've had a repair man here but there isn't much hope. The poor thing is one its last leg. We hope to be able to upgrade the washer after the Holidays.

Speaking of the Holidays, we are so excited that my parents (Jerry and Rita Jamison) and our son, Nathaniel, will be joining us here in Mexico City!! We hope to take everyone to a Dinner Outdoor Theater where they perform the Mexican version of the Christmas Story. Many Latin countries add a little twist to the Christmas Story. It is passed down via tradition from the Catholic church. Believe it or not here they insert Satan and the fallen angels into the story. At first I was offended by this. Now, after several years living here I can understand why it is there. I think the idea of the anger that Satan and his following must have experienced when Christ was born is probably accurate but since it isn't in Scripture we really don't know. We Christians have so much to give thanks for and give God the Glory for! Satan didn't, hasn't and won't win. God is still on the Throne and His Word will prevail over everything for Eternity!!!!!!!!!! This Season we (the Body of Christ) need to give the World the gift of hope and love we have because the Messiah, the Emmanuel, the King of Kings was born, died and rose again for US! Praise God! This should cause us to jump up every morning and shout Aleluya!!!!!!

Vows Renewed!

Last Friday we had the privilege of going to Alvaro and Veronica's house for a very special occasion! Alvaro and Veronica renewed their vows to one another!!! This couple came to Sam and asked for counseling. Their marriage was a mess a few months ago. It was so neat to hear their testimonies of how God has worked in their lives. Both have come to know the Lord through counseling. It was exciting for us as a family to meet the other folks that have had an impact on this couple's life as well. We enjoyed a wonderful meal before the Renewal Ceremony. Please pray that Alvaro and Veronica will continue to grow in their Christian walk. They are the only saved members in their families. Breaking away from the Catholic church is tough.

Heartbreaking

Yesterday morning we were informed of a horrible, heartbreaking event. One of the Hornbrook Families life long friends was murdered. Nelly Muñoz was murdered by her husband. Nelly, Polly and her brother Yeko have been friends of the Hornbrooks since the children were just little tikes over forty years ago. My sister-in-law, Debby and my brother-in-law Jim have known Nelly most of their lives. Please pray for Nelly's family. Nelly had two children 7 and 3. Both the children were home when their daddy attacked and killed their mommy. Unfortunately they saw everything and even tried to find the phone to call the police in the middle of it all. Please pray for these children that they will get true help from God's Word. And as my daugher prayed last night during our family prayer time, "pray that Nelly's husband would truly accept Christ".

We have been studying on Anger here at Nueva Vida. We all know that we have disappointments come our way everyday. The goal is to handle them in such a way that brings glory to God. We are reminded again that God's Way of solving problems is the only True Way and brings about True Joy in Marriage and Life.

Just last night we were told that A.E. had another "episode" and got out a knife and was threatening her family. As many of you remember I was called up to our neighbor's a couple of months ago and found A.E. with a rope around her neck. Anyway, Sam, during our deaf bible study last night, explained again how man's ways never bring about true happiness. Unfortunately, A.E. has been placed on a medication to control her behavior. A.E. is 24, lives with her parents, and has a son that is 5. You can imagine how her son is acting out what he has seen in his home. Pray that we will have an opportunity to share the Hope that we have in Christ. Our neighbors are pretty discouraged and looking for answers.

So many folks around us are struggling in their relationships. Sam has been bombarded with counseling opportunities. Pray that Sam will be able to keep everything in balance. Right now he is trying to balance his counseling, Seminary teaching three days and one night a week, leading the youth group, preaching in the mornings on Sunday here at Nueva Vida, plus preaching at Peniel on the south side of town every Sunday evening. Peniel is a sister church that is without a pastor right now. Sam also counsels one to two couples every Sunday there at Peniel before and after the service.

Thanks for your prayers.

Christmas..........it's almost here!

We are so thankful for the new families that God has brought to Nueva Vida recently. We have four couples right now that we are trying to bring into the fold. Three of the 4 couples are unbelievers. God is working on their hearts. Two of these couples are folks that our church people have brought to church. The other two are ones that Sam has been counseling. Along with these couples come seven children! Please pray for these new families. Pray for their salvation. Some of these folks are stuggling with alcohol, sexual sins, marriage struggles, etc. We rejoice in knowing that God is the Great Counselor and His Word has all the answers for life's issues!

The Christmas Season is a wonderful outreach opportunity for us here. We have a new family in our church as a result of our Christmas program last year! Our Christmas program this year is about a young shepherd boy that needs an attitude adjustment. He sees Jesus for who He really is and his life was never the same! This will be the focus of our program this year. This weekend all our choirs will begin practicing! We have 25-29 kids in our choirs!! We will be singing some old Christmas carols with a twist this year! Please pray for our drama team. Acting isn't easy. We continue to stretch ourselves each year to do something a little better and bigger than the year before. Pray for our outreach during this time. This is a time when we as a church grow closer together with all the practices and activities. Pray that the fringe folk in our group will become more apart of Nueva Vida. Pray for us as we reach out to our deaf folks. We will need an interpreter for the program as Natalie and Oscar will be performing in special music. Pray with us as we begin to look for a place to rent. Space is starting to become an issue. Pray that we will keep Christ the center of this Season!