God Moments.

There are so many great things about being a cross-cultural missionary.  The most meaningful to me are those "God Moments" when the Father simply opens a door for ministry right before my eyes.  A few days ago, a friend from the USA and I went to visit a village among an unreached people group here in southern Mexico.  We experienced some incredible "God Moments."

The most meaningful was an encounter we had as we were walking to our vehicle to head back home.  As we were walking a man asked us to come and speak with him.  Just so you know, a part of our work in this village was to allow the people to send a video greeting to members of this community in the USA.  My friend from the USA is a staff member of a church in a city where hundreds of people from this village are living.  It is incredible to think that members of indigenous, unreached people groups are living right under our noses in the USA.

This man asked us to video him but as we began talking with him he began to cry.  A few months ago his father had died and now he feels like his life is falling apart.  This man's family was once close but now they are becoming distant because their father was the one who held the family together.  This man wept bitterly about how his family in the USA was not able to come back to Mexico for the funeral.

But God placed words of truth in the mouth of my pastor friend from the USA.  He spoke wonderful words of biblical truth to the man and we prayed over him, his wife, and his son.  This grieving man heard about a Father of comfort, a way to have eternal hope, and was assured that the God of heaven indeed heard his cries of grief.
My pastor friend in the USA will be able to deliver a special video message to the family of this man.  Will you pray for this Mexican man and his family?

Deuteronomy 10:18-20 (ESV)

18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. 

19 Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 

20 You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear.

This is supposedly a people 'closed' to the Gospel but I can assure you that the Father has opened the doors wide because of this church's response to the 'sojourners' living in their community.  Does God have a "God Moment" waiting for your church?  Look around your town or city.  The Father is bringing the nations within reach of many of our Southern Baptist churches.  What will happen if we miss the opportunity?

19 January 2012 Update!

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.   Colossians 2:6-7

We are so grateful for so many of you who are 'partners' in the work here in southern Mexico.  Your prayer support is of utmost importance and your giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and through the Cooperative Program is a huge blessing.  Thank You!

We just wanted to give a quick update to our prayer requests from last week.

• That the people of southern Mexico will have the opportunity to hear about Jesus in a way that they can fully understand the Gospel.
• Your prayers are helping us see the 'hidden things' that we must understand in order to communicate the Gospel.
• Please continue to pray that we will learn the culture here so that we can communicate effectively the message of hope.

• Pray that we will be faithful to the vision God has given us for ministry: A multitude of disciples among all peoples of southern Mexico equipped to fulfill the Great Commission to the ends of the earth.
• Your prayers are strengthening our determination and deepening our desire to work hard among the people of southern Mexico.
• Please continue to pray for this important need.  We must stay focused on our task.  It is so easy to be distracted from our main task by really good things.  One reason southern Mexico is still in need of the gospel is because good things are being done instead of the BEST things.  

• Open doors for ministry here in this very spiritually dark place.
• Your prayers are creating 'divine appointments' where we are able to meet folks that God wants us to connect with.  An example is last week we were looking for good hotels for volunteer teams to use.  God led us to a great place with a very friendly manager and staff.
• We must build relationships.  Pray for this to happen.

• Our families in the USA who must adjust to life with us here in Mexico.
• Our families in Mississippi are our biggest cheerleaders.  Your prayers give them a sense of call to this task, too.
• Please continue to pray for our families in Mississippi.

• Partners from the USA who are committed to doing missions in a responsible way.
• Your prayers are being used by God to send us USA partners who want to make an eternal impact beyond the traditional methods of building a building or sending cash.
• Please pray for God to call out Southern Baptist churches who have a desire to reach southern Mexico with the message of hope.

• Haylee and Jackson adjusting to a new life, new school, new friends.
• Haylee and Jackson are making good friends.  Your prayers have led them to a Wednesday night Bible Study for teenagers.  And, there's frozen pizza here!!!  :-)  Small to you...BIG to us!
• Please continue to pray.

• Finding the house that God has for us.
• Your prayers are helping us to find the best house for our family.  We have negotiated a contract and are waiting for approval from our attorney.  Doing all of this in Spanish is a challenge!  :-)  And, we are blessed to have our dear friends who are keeping Amazon (our dog) for us while we house hunt.
• Please continue to pray for this house-hunting process.

• Favor with immigration officials so we can receive our long-term visa.
• Your prayers have allowed us to find favor with immigration officials who are very helpful.  We should find out more info on Friday.
• Please continue to pray for the long-term visa process.  We cannot get our furniture from Peru until we have our long-term visa.

Thank you so much for your help through prayer!

Please also pray for Jeff as he travels to an unreached people group over the next few days with a friend from California.  Pray that we'll get good research done and that a 'Person of Peace' will be located so that the message of hope can reach these people.

You are a blessing!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson.

Letting Go.

10 January 2012 Update!

The city of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Thank you to all of you who so faithfully pray for our family.  You are such a blessing.  We wish you could all see the impact that your prayers have on every part of our lives as missionaries.  Amazing.

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.  Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.  Philippians 1:3-5

We are here in southern Mexico in the city of Oaxaca.  We are learning our way around and we are really enjoying getting to know the people and places of our new city.  We certainly miss many people in Peru but Oaxaca is a special, special place.  We cannot wait for all of you to come and visit us here.

Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend's counsel that comes from the heart. Proverbs 17:9

We are in a temporary apartment while we search for the house that God has for us here.  Haylee and Jackson have begun classes at their new school, Oaxaca Christian School.  Amazon (the amazing Peruvian dog) is alive and well here in southern Mexico.  She's staying with some of our dear friends until we can find a pet friendly casa.  Liesa and Jeff are busy getting our new lives going.  We hope to have some type of 'normal life' one day soon.

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

We do miss our family and friends in Mississippi and Peru and around the world so much.  But we are at peace knowing that the Father has us here for a reason.  We will search for where He is working here and join Him in His work.  We did not arrive here with some grand plan but we are simply trusting Him to guide our steps to the right people and the right places.

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6

Please join us in praying for these requests:

• That the people of southern Mexico will have the opportunity to hear about Jesus in a way that they can fully understand the Gospel.
• Pray that we will be faithful to the vision God has given us for ministry: A multitude of disciples among all peoples of southern Mexico equipped to fulfill the Great Commission to the ends of the earth.
• Open doors for ministry here in this very spiritually dark place.
• Our families in the USA who must adjust to life with us here in Mexico.
• Partners from the USA who are committed to doing missions in a responsible way.
• Haylee and Jackson adjusting to a new life, new school, new friends.
• Finding the house that God has for us.
• Favor with immigration officials so we can receive our long-term visa.

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. I John 5:14

Please allow us the honor of praying for you.  Send us your requests at wigtake@gmail.com.

Our USA phone number is unchanged.  601-914-6705.  That's a Mississippi number.  Call us.

Get SKYPE on your computer so we can talk face to face.

Go ahead and plan your trip down to Mexico to see us.  We want you to come and you will certainly be able to pray better if you see the precious people that we would like to have join us around God's throne.

Love you all,

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson.

Catholic building on the plaza in Oaxaca.