My great burden this year is to see the saints perfected for the work of the ministry and it has not been easy. But the results of yesterday has given me some hope. In the morning I preached on the need to be saved, baptized, and added to the membership to the church.

Many in Mexico have a false concept of what a church is. As the Christian movement in Mexico in the last forty years has grown parallel with the growth of the Carismatic/Pentacostal movement; for most Christians here, church is just a worship or praise center where one can take the family on Sunday morning, do the worship service, hear a sermonette, and fulfill their obligation to God for the week. Just like Catholics going to weekly Mass.

I did my best to explain ( as I have many times) that church is a united body, a family, an army of believers with a leader ministering to one another and reaching out to the community; and that it is the responsibility of every believer to become a faithful, active, working member of a local church.

I believe it is finally sinking in as, in the evening, Rosa, her brother-in-law, Victor, and his mother, Gabriela came and stayed at our quarterly business meeting to join the church as members. As Graciela said, "We want to serve in the church." That night I also taught on why women should only were skirts and dresses. This issue is what has kept some willing, faithful, and even soul winning women from being used as workers in the church. Praise God! There were, I believe, some genuine decisions among some key women in this area.

I believe God is starting to answer my prayer for some qualified, "perfected" workers in the local ministry here.

Other blessings this weekend was the salvation of Maria Luisa on Saturday. A woman named Paula came to our church the first Sunday of our Spring Campaign and had brought, during the campaign, her girls, her brother and sister, her mother, and last Sunday, Maria Luisa, her neighbor. During the week, Paula told me that she wanted to join the church and become an active member, but as I wondered about her Christian background, I told her I would like to talk to her before Sunday. On Saturday, we met at her neighbor's house. I witnessed to both Maria Luisa and her husband Fernando. Fernando has a father and brother who are Jehovah's Witnesses and this has turned him off to religion, but Maria's heart was prepared and trusted Christ.

I talked to Paula, and as I thought, she has a Pentecostal background, but is very sincere. After explaining their false doctrine, I told her that she would have to be baptized again as a Baptist first to become a member. She respectfully said she would think about it.

The following day, Paula came to church with Maria Luisa, and declared her desire to be baptized as a Baptist and join the church. Pray for next week as we have at least six people who want to be baptized and we do not want the devil to put obstacles in the way to keep Christians from obeying God.

The education building is going well. The men are putting the network of re-bar up and we should be ready to pour the concrete early next week. Please continue to pray for the need of funds to plaster the ceiling and walls, paint, and also tile the floors. We will be ready to do those things by the beginning of July if God brings in the funds.