February 2009

Dear friends and family,

We would like you to meet a friend of ours from Xalapa , Veracruz , MEXICO .  Her name is Lyd Elisa Pensado, and she is a missionary candidate for the Toulouse , FRANCE ReachGlobal city team.  The city of Toulouse has a population of 1.2 million, and is the fastest-growing city in Europe right now, but is less that 1% Evangelical.  It is a multi-national city, and on her vision trip there last year Lyd engaged several young people in conversation that were willing to talk with her about their relationship with God.                 

Lyd will be at the EFCA Midwest District conference in Wichita February 26-28.  When you see her there, please stop, say hello and pray with her and for her as she follows Christ’s call to mission service.

COMMUNITY HEALTH EVANGELISM

Eric and I returned last week from an exciting week of Training of Trainers.  CHE is successfully planting churches all over the world in holistic ministry.  Primarily it is a means for people to learn to solve their own problems, develop their communities in dignity and it is all based on scriptural principles.  We are looking forward to how God will help us apply these principles in the rural and urban areas where our churches work.  There are already several co-workers in Mexico that are interested in learning more.   Please pray that we will follow Christ’s leading and His timing to put it into practice.  If you want to learn more check out: https://www.cheintl.org/  

We look forward to greeting many of you at the Midwest District Conference, after which we are headed back to Mexico for a couple of months.  There are several first time churches sending teams to Mexico this year.  We look forward to a co-laboring ministry plan with the Mexican churches. 

PRAISING GOD

We are praising God for the completion of the Matching Grant fund for the Ministry Center in Tlanchinol , Hidalgo .  The construction on the structure continues and currently the beam structure is being put in place to roof the third floor by the end of February.  Meanwhile new families have started to attend the church there,  and they have shared with Pastor Dionisio that now that there is a permanent place for the church, they want to be a part of it.  Also, Pastor Dionisio will soon be using the training center to initiate a homiletics course for the rural mountain pastors.   Thank you all for your sacrificial giving and prayers to make this training center a possibility.

SOVEREIGN GOD

You, our support team, are an amazing encouragement.  Even though our country is going through difficult economic times, there is also a deep abiding faith in the sovereignty of God over all of the uncertainty that is happening.  God is in control.  Thank you for your continued support, we praise God for you.

In His Keeping,

Eric & June Petersen

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