November - December 1999
Dear Praying Friends,
It is hard to believe that we are writing our last prayer letter of 1999. But, what a great year it has been to serve the Lord! As Americans celebrated Thanksgiving, our family too was filled with gratitude for God's goodness, and for each of you who mean so much to us. Your love and care for our family is a great testimony of your love for the Lord and we are truly thankful for you. God has used you to do great things in Mexico this year, and it has been our privilege to labor with you.
The ministry is fantastic and although it is often difficult, it continues to be a blessing as well. We continue to see people growing in the Lord and it is very satisfying to hear them quoting scripture from memory. For the most part, they are people who were not acquainted with God's Word. What an honor it is to be used of God to bring His Word into people's lives. About a week ago, we had such a special opportunity. Lupe, a lady who had accepted Christ and was usually very faithful to our services, was absent. Half way through the service she came in and broke down in tears. Her 73 year-old father, Santiago, was very ill. That morning, he was weak, dizzy and couldn't walk without falling down. They rushed him to the clinic and the doctor said he had a blocked artery in his heart. The whole family was upset and scared. We had visited Santiago before. He is one of the nicest men you could ever meet but did not know the Lord. That Sunday, when Lupe brought the news, we cancelled the remainder of the service and went immediately to speak with Santiago at his home. We thought it could possibly be our last opportunity to witness to him. When we arrived at his home, the Lord blessed in a tremendous way, giving us a quiet undisturbed visit and great peace as we shared the Gospel of Christ. As we ministered to him, we felt a great presence of the Holy Spirit and the seriousness of the decision Santiago faced, to accept Christ as Savior, or to continue without Him. With uncertainty about the future, Santiago was especially sensitive to the Spirit's moving and to his relationship with God. When the opportunity was presented, Santiago took Craig's hand and prayed to receive Christ as personal Savior. Praise the Lord! Also, during our presentation of Christ, Santiago's son-in-law remained in the room and silently listened intently to every word. And then afterwards, Deb, who was sitting with Santiago's wife, said that as Santiago prayed, his wife also worded the prayer, putting her faith in Christ as well. What a tremendous Savior we have! And, what a wonderful day it was for us! Thank you for helping make it possible to reach these precious souls.
We visited Santiago again today. He is doing better but still faces serious health concerns and will probably have to go to a specialist in Chihuahua, three hours away. Craig shared with him how he had told his family in the US about his friend Santiago, and that they were praying for him. He corrected Craig, saying not just a friend, but a brother. Reinforcing the fact that he is now a Christian. Amen. We don't know what the future holds, but Santiago is serious about his faith and wants to attend our discipleship meetings. Please pray for Santiago and his family as they move forward with the Lord.
Our family is doing fine, with home school and building projects underway. The blessings of the ministry seem to help balance the difficult living conditions here. The week before last, our entire pueblo was without water for eight days. We had to carry water from the creek just to get by. Then, when the water did come in, it was so dirty that it looked black for about four days. Please pray with us concerning the water shortage here; we still need to install a storage system. It is not only uncomfortable for us, but also the corn this year, yielded ears without kernels. Corn is a staple among the Indian people and this has pushed many of them to near starvation. Maria Rosa, an Indian lady who accepted Christ under our ministry, came to our house last week with her children. She had no money, no food and hadn't eaten since the previous day. Naturally, we helped her. They live in an unheated house with a partial roof and no electricity. Life is normally difficult, but without help this winter, they may not survive. The forecasters are calling for a hard winter, and already the temperature is below freezing. As much as we are able, we are planning to prepare food boxes, blankets, coats and shoes for some of our people at Christmas.
We are so grateful for the special gifts that you continue to send to help our family and to build the work here. Last week, we were able to purchase a plane ticket for our daughter, Jessica. Not only will she be home from college for Christmas, but also her trip back to school in January is taken care of. What an encouragement! We have really missed her these last six months and are looking forward to having her with us. Another blessing is that God has allowed us to finish the roof on our house. Now, by God's grace we will continue to work through the winter to finish the wall surfaces and floors.
Thank you for your help and for all that you do to be a blessing to us. Your part on our team is making a difference for the cause of Christ, and we greatly appreciate you! From all of your Christian brothers and sisters in Mexico, we wish you a merry Christmas and look forward to a fruitful New Year for our Lord.
Sincerely, For Souls Who Have Not Heard,
The Chambers
