We are approaching nine years since we arrived from Canada to live and work in the Sonoran desert city of Hermosillo. It is approaching 1 million inhabitants, and as in so many other parts of this large country, represents lots of need. In addition to what we see all around us, we are ever-conscious of the real need within our home. Four of our children were born here, but we continue to pray that all of them will be born from above.
It has been our distinct and humbling privilege to be a small part of what God is doing in this little corner of our world. Sadly, we have seen that the work can and has been attacked in some subtle and not so subtle ways. This ought not to surprise us, but rather remind us that we, completely incapable of the task, must consciously lean on the Lord of the harvest for His all-sufficient grace and preservation in the face of our glaring weaknesses.
Tim & Stephanie Woodford with three of their children.
The assembly in Hermosillo has seen considerable growth in its over ten years' time. We were encouraged when a young couple from this city were commended to the grace of God in 2013, and also by the spiritual maturity that the Holy Spirit has cultivated in a number of the believers who make up a part of the local assembly. Due to the growth of individual believers and the assembly as a whole, I have been able to get away occasionally for a week at a time, without leaving Stephanie alone with the family for too long. My exercise in traveling is to be an encouragement to other small assemblies and new works and especially, to other workers who are labouring mostly alone and carrying a heavy load. So far this year, I have been able to visit works in 4 different states in the country, and always return encouraged by God's goodness and His hand at work in clear and thrilling ways. I am just now returning from Cancun, where as a result of God's blessing on the efforts of a number of young people in a Seed Sower distribution in December and the subsequent gospel preaching over many weeks by a number who helped Timothy Turkington, a sizeable group of new believers are now finding their legs as new, spiritual life manifests itself in them. To God be the glory! We have been privileged to participate in 4 Spanish-language conferences since February, in both the US and Mexico. Our whole family was able to be at 3 of them. In each case, we have met new believers who have driven long distances (sometimes, as far as 2000 km) to be able to enjoy the fellowship of other believers gathered under the sound of the Word of God.
In the local assembly here in Hermosillo, we find there is much need for encouragement of believers who are young in the faith, and there are some who are struggling at present with a variety of health challenges, both physical and spiritual. However, we are very thankful to God for signs of blessing and good spiritual appetite in others. In the last couple of months, God has graciously blessed in the baptism of 2 young women, and four sisters added to the fellowship. One of the latter was our eldest daughter, and for that we give thanks to God, praying for His preserving hand upon her, and her further usefulness in His service. We appreciate most honestly, the prayers of the Lord's people on our behalf and rejoice with you in His goodness, as fellow servants by His grace. Summer 2017 Written by Tim & Stephanie Woodford - Mexico tswoodford@gmail.com
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