Dear Pastors, Friends and Family,

October 1, 2022 (Aug. – Sep. ‘22)

We have been busy as usual these last two months in the open-air markets, in the orphanage, going door to door, visiting the Jews, and in a drug & alcohol rehab. center.  Regular church activities keep us busy, too, as does our Bible Institute in which we recently finished the summer semester and have started the fall semester.  We see people saved regularly here, baptized, and discipled.  An older man named Aurelio in his mid-70s was saved recently in our church, and a lady named about the same age named Rosa was saved and baptized.  A 90-year-old man named Heriberto trusted Christ recently while witnessing to him in the streets.  After getting saved, he said, “Lately, I wondered why God has allowed me to live so long, but now I know it was to hear about His Son, Jesus, so I could receive Him as my Savior.”  We had some visiting ministry friends recently, one being Bro. Reese Parfitt, missionary to Papua New Guinea, who also speaks Spanish.  We also had Bro. Vitalic Grech & his wife Vera and family from Russia.  He graduated from Heartland Baptist Bible College where my son-in-law and daughter, Mark & Hannah went. We have had a few people these last two months from other countries come to our church & hear the gospel and get saved. One was Edgar from Nicaragua.  After he trusted Christ he told me, “I think the Lord brought me all the way to Mexico to hear about Jesus and get saved.”  Ricardo in another who came here from Venezuela.  It took Ricardo a couple of months journey to get here, and it is a dangerous trip.  He told me after trusting Christ, “Had I died on the way, I now know I would have gone to Hell, but God got me here safely so I could hear the gospel and get saved.”  Pray for me as I have an invitation to go to Cuba soon to preach and help start a church there.

We regularly have first-time visitors, including recently a couple named Andreas and Magda. They came because of a tract from our church that they received.  They were not saved & were having some family problems and told me they believed God was reaching out to them through the tract.  And He sure did – they both fell under conviction after hearing the gospel and trusted Christ, being born again.  Recently at the orphanage at the very end of our time there that day, one of the girls named Karen told Mary “I believe I am lost.”  Mary, with much love, began to share the gospel with her.  Karen did not get saved that day, but the following week when we returned, Karen told Mary as soon as we arrived “Let’s start by talking about being lost.”  Mary was able to witness to her again, and to other girls there that day, and a total of four got saved.  Mary & I met a lady named Cecilia in the street recently and she said she had just finished reading the gospel tract we left on her door. We then began to witness to her, the tract had prepared her heart, as she bowed her head, praying and trusted Christ as Savior.  I shared the gospel with a young man named Angel who was involved in Santa Muerte.  He told me he had found one of our gospel tracts a few weeks earlier and read it.  I believe the gospel tract he read earlier had helped prepare his heart as he trusted Christ as his Savior.   While witnessing to Teresa recently at the open-air markets, she was very open and receptive.  She then said, “Will you pray for my bad leg and my business here selling used clothes?”  I told her, “I’d be glad to pray for these needs, but there is a greater need that you have, and that is of salvation.”  As I continued, she then prayed to ask Jesus to saved her.  Mary also shared the gospel with Lupita that same day. Her friend was a Christian that was also present, and as Mary started, she gave up her seat so Mary could sit and better witness to Lupita. Then Lupita trusted Christ as Savior.  A lady in our area named Angelica came to church recently seeking counsel as her son was recently arrested for robbing people at gunpoint in public transportation.  She asked me what to do about her imprisoned son, but after hearing the gospel, she realized she was a prisoner, too, to her sin.  In tears she called on Jesus to save her and was set free spiritually.  Last month we celebrated Hope Baptist Church’s 7th anniversary, Independence Day, and our mission conference. The church will take on another Mexican missionary, to Spain.  Last month we had two strong earthquakes just a few days apart registering 7.7 and 6.8.  We often ask for prayer for our health with the bad sanitation & pollution.  We also ask prayer for our safety as the cartels, gangs, etc. are real threats, but so are the earthquakes here and the volcanoes.  Some more good news is that Mary’s jaw is much better. Please pray for her pinky finger on her left hand, though, that has a lot of pain, which she uses a lot for piano, guitar, and violin. Please also pray for our son, Stephen, who has a problem with his throat and has not been able to eat solid food for over a month.   We are “…your servants for Jesus’ sake.”  2 Corinthians 4:5

Bro. Mike Wallace & Family