26 November 2012 Update!

Back from our Thanksgiving Beach Trip!  Here's some photos:

Thanksgiving 2012 at Huatulco, Mexico.

The Banana Riding Crew

Getting ready to ride the Banana!

Haylee and Jackson being silly.

Sexy beach bums.

Kimberly and Jackson playing some volleyball.

Mexico's best pastor and his family!

Queen Banana.

Liesa making sure Jackson is strapped in.

At the front of the Banana!

Taking a little tumble.

Splash!

Part of the Banana crew.

The Holemans and the Fall 2012 Hands On students.

19 November 2012 Update!

Happy Thanksgiving!

For our family, this year has been a blur.  Can it be Thanksgiving already?  We are so thankful for the Father's faithfulness to our family this year.  You folks out there who spend time praying for us are such a BIG part of the many blessings that the Father sends our way.  You are a blessing!

November has been an unexpectedly busy month.  Jeff attended a training meeting in Lima Peru and Liesa has been holding down the fort here in Oaxaca.  First Baptist Church Oxford Mississippi is helping to give a new outfit to the kids at the children's home so Liesa has been busy getting that together.  Haylee and Jackson have been busy with school and their social schedule.  We are furiously trying to get our act together to get to the beach for a few days of fun with some great friends.  We'll be hanging out at the beach with our Hands On students and our pastor and his family.  We're ready for a great time.

We pray that your Thanksgiving Week will be one focused on the Giver of all great things.  He has given us His Son and the command to Tell His Story.  Be sure to do that this week.  Keep telling His Story...

And, Go Rebels...beat the ever livin' daylight out of Mississippi State!!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

6 November 2012 Update!

Greetings from southern Mexico!

We have just lived through one of the most popular weekends of the year in Mexico:  The Day of the Dead.  This is a tradition in Mexico dating back several hundred years where families gather in the cemeteries around Mexico to pay respects to their deceased relatives.  They bring 'gifts' to the grave sites, spend time cleaning the tombstones, and gather as a family to remember their loved ones.  Some of the folks carry things a step further and try to communicate with their dead relatives through religious rituals.  Most of the folks we encountered were following a family tradition with few outward signs of spiritual significance.  And, that is basically the story of many Mexican families.  Their trust is in their religious tradition and not in a Saving Faith.  If you take away their idols, chants, cathedrals, and rituals there is nothing left.  Please pray for these precious people to encounter the Jesus that is enough:  A simple faith with a hunger for Gods Word, equipped by the Holy Spirit to live a life of obedience.

These past few months have flown by.  There have been so many things that the Father has been doing:

• We continue to have contact from our Southern Baptist churches in the USA who tell us of their desire to work in southern Mexico.
• The Father continues to lead us to new people and new places for ministry.  We have prayed for a clearer understanding of the needs of southern Mexico and we learn new things every day.
• The Benito Juarez Children's Home is a local ministry that  Liesa has fallen in love with.  We are grateful for the opportunity to work with them.
• Anna, Davinity, Kelley, and Kimberly have been a huge blessing to us.  They are our four Hands On semester workers  who are doing a great job teaching English, tutoring kids, working at the Children's Home, and helping out wherever we need help.
• Haylee and Jackson are having a great experience at Oaxaca Christian School.  We are blessed that our kids are enjoying life here.

Your prayers are such an important part of the work here.  You may never know the impact of your prayers but please know that we see the evidence of your prayers EVERY day.

Your giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is very important.  Please give through your local Southern Baptist church so that the Light can be taken to the dark places around the world.

Thank you for being a blessing!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

31 October 2012

The first Bible verse I (Jeff) ever memorized was Proverbs 3:5-6.  The Bible says:

This passage has been sort of a 'life verse' for me as I've tried to follow the Lord through the years.  I like it because there's so much wisdom in it and because there is also so much hope. There is also the instruction to not lean on my own understanding and that is certainly a daily temptation.  My family and I know that a God-directed path is really the only path for us.  We are at a loss for words in describing how trustworthy our Lord is and how much He is worthy of our 'acknowledgement.'  It is now November and as we look back over the past couple of years we can see the path He has directed.  We have learned quite a few things:

1. Trust God.  There have been some very difficult days here in Mexico.  The transition was much harder than we imagined it would be and we had a mountain of doubts.  But God has been faithful through every storm and has directed our path.
2. We're Not Going to Understand Some Things.  There's a ton we've learned in this area.
3. Our Ways Must Honor the Father.  Measuring our ways so that they bring honor to Christ has kept our mouths shut many times this year and allowed the Father to work on our behalf.
4. His Path is All That Matters.  There's no better place to be than on the path He has for us.  We certainly would not have chosen the bumps that we encountered these past couple of years but we're convinced the Father is using those to make us more like His Son.

Our family has been blessed beyond measure in so many ways and we are so thankful for all of you who pray for us and 'hold the rope' through your financial support of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program of Southern Baptist churches.

Upcoming Events!

Dec 15...We'll be headed home to Mississippi for Christmas!

Dec 16...Morning Worship Services at First Baptist Oxford, Mississippi.

Dec 23...Open.  Contact us if your church needs a missionary speaker.

Dec 30...Open.  Contact us if your church needs a missionary speaker.

Jan 2.......Back home to Oaxaca!

Strike Up The Band

Psalm 101:1  I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music.

Who do you make music to?  That's the question the Lord asked me during a recent trip to an indigenous village.  This village is like many communities here in southern Mexico.  Simple.  Poor.  In the eyes of the people living there: Forgotten.  We were visiting this village with the hope of finding an open door for future ministry.  Our missionary assignment is to partner with USA and Mexican churches so that communities with no churches will be able to have a church.

Usually when I enter a village I follow a simple plan:  Talk to people.  There is usually a small store in each village and that is usually where I start.  I'll buy a coke and try to start a conversation.  That is exactly what happened this time and I was able to have a conversation with a lady about her village.  I usually try to ask about things the villages take pride in but I did not have to ask in this particular village.  This lady told me (and the folks from the USA who were with me) about a group of young people who have been learning to play musical instruments.  'In fact,' she said, 'they will be practicing in just a few minutes.'

We were interested in hearing these young folks play their instruments but we had no idea what to expect.  I've certainly had long nights in some villages as the local 'band' played for weddings and celebrations.  I wouldn't consider these experiences to be very 'in tune.'  But, we really wanted to get to know some folks in this village so we gathered at the school for the rehearsal.

We found a group of thirty teenagers who had a whole orchestra of instruments.  The Mexican government was providing a music teacher for this village.  When the music started we were very impressed because the students could play very well.  We were even more impressed to know they had only been playing the instruments for a few months.

This orchestra played on for hours filling the village with familiar marches and patriotic anthems.  But, there is no church in this village to help people make music to the Lord.  Our prayer is that a church from Mexico or the USA will come and seek to start a church among these precious people.  This village band could learn how to make music to the Lord if someone would be the missionary to this small people group.  Will you join us in praying for the village of PV?  Who do you make music to?

15 October 2012 Update

Many, many thanks to all of you who pray for us!  Your prayers are a constant help and encouragment to us.  Thank you so much for you concern for us and what the Lord is doing in southern Mexico.

Is it October already?  Wow.  It just seems like yesterday we were driving into the city of Oaxaca and learning our way around.  Now, we're coming up on a whole year and it seems like every day we find something new about this place and culture that we did not know.  We still have mucho to learn.

With our vehicle situation being disheveled for the past few weeks, our ministry plans have been inconsistent.  But, we welcomed a team from Walhalla, South Carolina's College Street Baptist Church who came down to continue to search for their place in God's plan.  We had a great few days supporting this team.  We were able to work under the leadership of another worker here and it was such a blessing to see doors open for the future.  We were able to visit house churches and traditional churches.  We were able to visit with many area pastors in a  people group that was labeled Unengaged, Unreached just a few months ago.  Your prayers were such a huge part of the week.

We will be concentrating on training and research for the next couple of months as we do not have any teams scheduled until after the Christmas holidays.  There are many communities around the city of Oaxaca that must be visited and research conducted.  There are also people groups around southern Mexico that we must visit and find out if there is a need for church-planting among them.  Pray for the Father to lead us to the right places.

Please join us in praying for the following requests:

• For the Father to lead us to the right places to work.
• For our four semester workers to finish strong and be encouraged by their obedience to come and invest their lives in southern Mexico.
• For Haylee and Jackson as they study and learn and minister.
• For Liesa and her ministry at the children's home.
• For Jeff as he is traveling over the next few weeks in Mexico, the USA, and Peru.
• Need a good missions prayer guide?  CLICK HERE!

Thank you for your prayers!  You are a blessing!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

Haylee and one of our sweet friends.

Just wanted to share a photo of Haylee and one of our sweet friends!

10 October 2012 Update!

Philippians 4:5-6
English Standard Version (ESV)

5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

People we're thankful for:

• Our families...for sharing us with people far away and being so supportive.
• Our friends...for 'holding the rope' in so many ways to allow the Gospel to be taken to the ends of the earth.
• First Baptist Oxford...for being a great example of a 'sending' church.
• Former students around the world...for making us so proud to be a part of your lives and what God is doing through you whether raising preschoolers in the USA, running a business or serving in very dangerous places.
• Fellow workers on the field...We learn so much from you. Thank you for your obedience.
• Southern Baptists...for being used by the Lord in so many ways every day.
• Those in leadership over us...Thank you for your commitment to the task. 

Blessings to all of you!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

Click the photo to enlarge. Save it and print it and share it!

1 October 2012 Update!

Hello to all of you out there!

Thank you so much for your prayers over the past few weeks.  Your prayers are very important to the work here and we're grateful for your partnership as you 'hold the rope'.

Here's a few highlights from September:

• We celebrated Haylee and Jeff's birthdays this month.  Thank you for the many birthday wishes!
• We have four Hands On semester students here until December.  They are a huge blessing and are involved in teaching English, tutoring at the school, loving on kids at a children's home, leading Bible studies for Kid Missionaries, and finding random places that even Liesa and Jeff have yet to discover.
• A Vision Team from a church in Louisiana is partnering with a Mexican worker in engaging the SFU people group.  The church has excellent leadership and we are thankful for the commitment they are making to this people group.
• The JEEP LIBERTY is back!  You may remember that the JEEP died on August 5 and has been on life support ever since.  We have been waiting on parts from the USA for several weeks.  Finally, we can get out to our people group assignments again.
• The ESL classes that the Hands On workers are leading are going very well.  We have partnered with  our church to offer classes two evenings per week.  We have classes for kids and for adults.  We are praying for relationships to be developed through these classes that will lead to more Mexicans involved in missions.

October will be a busy month.  Please pray for these:

• PartnerConnect Training.  Jeff will be leading a webinar entitled, 'Missions and Ministry' on Tuesday, October 2 at 7 pm Mississippi Time.  This training class is for EVERYONE and we'd love for you to participate.  Go to this website to register:  https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/204183810.  If we get finished with our assigned topic we'll also discuss SEC football.
• Our dear friends from College Street Baptist Church in Walhalla, SC will be coming to Oaxaca on October 4 to 9.  Randy and Sharon and their crew have been so good to us over the years and we're excited about working with them again.
• A Vision Team from a church in Texas will be coming to southern Mexico later this month.  Pray for the Father's plan to be made known to them.
• Kelsey is getting married on October 27!  Jeff will be traveling home to Oxford to officiate the wedding of Kelsey and John Robert.  Jeff is hoping his officiating skills will be better than the replacement officials that the NFL was using.  We'll see!

May the Father bless each of you as you are such a blessing to us!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

18 September 2012 Update!

This week has been HAYLEE WEEK as we have celebrated her 16th birthday with several parties.  Here's some photos:

Great friends!

Even the chef at the Taco restaurant gave Haylee a gift.

Tacos!  The reason we're all getting fat down here!

Hopey and Haylee.  We love our cousins!

Aunt Jenny McLamb made a Hunger Games cake!

The silly boy McLamb cousins!  They Looooovvvveee Haylee.

Another Party.  More Friends!

More friends!

Jackson is definitely up to something... we just don't know what.

 

Beautiful!

Hopey and Haylee blowing their horn.

Elijah and Jackson.  Two peas in a pod!

New shirt from Aunt Jenny and Uncle John!

Thank You for FIVE YEARS!

On September 12, 2007 we were appointed as missionaries.

We have been blessed to have

the prayer and financial support

of Southern Baptists for FIVE YEARS!

THANK YOU!
(and we get a pay raise, too!)

Pray for the Fantastic Four!

We have the best Hands On Missionaries on the planet!

Pray for A, K1, D, and K2 as they minister in southern Mexico this semester.  They are here with us until December.

To learn more about Hands On click HERE!

Sweet 16!

Haylee will be

16 years old on

September 11!

You can email her at wigtake@gmail.com 
or call her at

601-914-6705.

Happy Birthday

Haylee!

Home

3 September 2012!

Saludos de Oaxaca!

We've had a good, busy week here in southern Mexico.  We are always grateful for your prayer support.  Here's an update on last week's prayer requests:

1. Prayer for seminary students.  God is working through the ministry of our friends T1 and T2 at the Oaxaca Seminary.  New students who sense a calling to missions are arriving and are ready to go out to the unreached communities and get to work.  Pray for missionaries T1 and T2 as they equip these students for a huge task.  The Oaxaca Seminary is a key part of God's plan to reach all of the people groups of Oaxaca.

2. Our Hands On students are here for the entire semester.  Your prayers have helped them have a great week of training and adjusting to the culture of Mexico.  Please continue to pray for K1, K2, D, and A.  They begin their ministry assignments this week teaching English, ministry with indigenous kids, tutoring at a local school, and hosting a fellowship for MK girls.

3. Please continue to pray for upcoming teams from our USA partner churches.  Remember that we are praying for the Right People in the Right Places doing the Right Things.

4. You have been praying for Haylee and Jackson!  They have had a good week and are adjusting nicely to new teachers, new classes, and a new schedule.

5. You have been praying that we would find the best places to begin church planting work.  Please continue to do so.  This is one of the most important parts of the work here in southern Mexico.

We've had a great week.  Some highlights:

• Getting to know our Hands On semester workers.  We have 4 incredible young women who are so ready to make a difference in southern Mexico.  We've had training meetings and fun times this week.  They are a tremendous blessing and are a huge encouragement for us.  It is good to have 'teammates' again.
• Ole Miss Football!  Hotty Toddy!  It was good to enjoy another Rebel Football Victory.
• Phone meetings with potential USA church partners.  We're praying the Father will connect us with USA church partners who are committed to planting churches among the communities of southern Mexico.

It is an encouragement to know that we have many folks praying for us.  Thanks so much!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

28 August 2012 Update!

Greetings from southern Mexico!  Thank you to each of you who are praying for the people here and for our family.  We are so grateful for you 'holding the rope'.

Summer 2012 is in the books and we've seen the Father do some great things.  Most of the time we've just been blessed to be at the right place at the right time to see God do great things.  As we told our semester missionaries yesterday, 'If you're looking for missionaries who've got it all together and know all the answers, then you've come to the wrong place.'  We are woefully inadequate to do what God has called us to do but we are very confident knowing if we put our lives in His hands, then He will get His work done.  And He does.

I Corinthians 1 reminds us:

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth, 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.  30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

We have a busy few months coming up.  Please join us in praying for these requests:

• Pray for students from the Baptist seminary in Oaxaca who will be going out to communities where our national and USA partners have been working.  It is a huge blessing to be able to work with these students.
• Pray for our four Hands On semester students who are here in Oaxaca until December.  D, K1, K2, and A need your prayers as they learn the culture here, fall in love with the people, and find the place the Father has for them.
• We will be welcoming teams from Missouri, Texas, South Carolina, and Mississippi over the next few months.  Please pray for the preparation that must be done for these teams.
• Haylee and Jackson have begun a new, challenging school year.  Pray for them as they adjust to school.
• Pray for the many communities here that need churches planted among them.  Pray that the Father will lead us to the right places.

Thank you for your prayers and your financial support through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program.

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

ON LINE TRAINING BEGINS TUESDAY, AUGUST 28!

Here are descriptions of each class session.  Click on the photo to enlarge.

Our Fall On-Line Training Classes begin on Tuesday,

August 28 at 7 pm and continue for several weeks.

  We'll have different missionary presenters each week!

You'll need to have speakers or headphones with your computer to be able to hear the discussion.  If you have a microphone you can participate in the sessions!

Please click the link below to sign up!

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/564473322

12 August 2012 Update!

Jackson is a part of an American Football Club here in Oaxaca.  Today the dads played the sons in a game with full pads and live contact.  Jeff played center on offense for his team and Jackson was a defensive back.  Here's a few photos:

Jackson on his way to warm-up.

Ready for the snap.

This is really gonna hurt tomorrow!  --with Jimmy Streelman

  

Jackson stretching with his team before the game.
Dads didn't want to do this.

Jackson's Oaxaca Football Team

11 August 2012 Update!

(There are links to other websites in this edition of the blog.  Just click on the highlighted links to visit the other sites.)

Philippians 4:6-7...

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 minds in Christ Jesus.

Thank you to all who pray for us.  We are grateful for the way you invest in the work here.  Here's a good tool to help you when praying for missionaries.

We were blessed to have a Vision Team from Sharon Baptist Church in Powell, TN here this week.  We crammed a lot of travel and learning into three days while they were here.  I'm sure they were worn out and mentally exhausted as they arrived back home in Tennessee this evening.  This was a somewhat frustrating week for me (Jeff) because I never sensed a clear direction of where to take this team.  For most Vision Teams coming to explore future involvement with us here in Mexico, I usually am confident as to where the Spirit is leading us.  This week was different in that we saw several options for future involvement here in southern Mexico.  Please pray for Sharon Baptist Church and their Missions Team as they try to discern where the Father is leading them.  The verse above came to my mind every morning as I met with these enthusiastic folks.  I know the Father has a plan for them to do great things.

Jeff will be traveling to the USA for two weeks of training.  This training is to prepare us for different scenarios that could occur on the mission field.  Please pray for Jeff as he participates in the training.  It is rumored to be intense but very, very important to our work.  We are thankful that Southern Baptists provide these training opportunities.

For those of you interested in how to prepare for work in a cross-cultural setting, Partner Connect On-Line Training will begin on August 28.  Please plan to set aside your Tuesday evenings for this very important training.  All you need is a computer with audio capability to participate.  And, if you have a microphone you can be a part of the discussion.  This is a great opportunity to get very good training without driving miles to attend a meeting.

We are so thankful that four students are coming to work her in Oaxaca this semester.  Anna, Davinity, Kim, and Kelley arrive on August 23.  They are a part of a program called Hands On.  These students are giving up a semester of college/after college to come and help spread the Gospel to the unreached people of southern Mexico.  Please pray for them as they get settled and begin their ministry assignment.  Pray their families who are supporting them.

Other prayer requests:

• Would you join us in praying for this list of unreached people groups...paying special attention to the groups listed in Mexico?
• Please continue to pray for the community of 'SPT' and the ongoing work there among this community with very few believers.  Pray for a strong church to emerge and impact this community.
• Pray for the small group of believers and the small group of seekers who live in 'SBY'.  You may remember that Jordan and Erica and Zuri just finished up two months of 'living life' in this village.  Read about their adventures here.  
• Pray for the village of 'PV' that we visited with a team from Virginia a couple of weeks ago.  These people are waiting for someone to tell them about Jesus.  Will you pray for workers among this harvest.
• Pray pray for our pastor friend Franco Lopez who would love to have some help reaching his village.  Pray for the village of 'SA' where he lives and ministers.
• Please pray for the village of 'SPH'.  Liesa and I visited this village but we did not sense acceptance by the people there.  This is a village with few believers.  Pray for open doors in the future among this community.
• Please pray for the home for indigenous children that we have developed a relationship with here in Oaxaca.  Casa Hogar is reaching many children from indigenous villages that we are not able to get to.  Please pray for their ministry.
• Please pray for Haylee and Jackson as they begin a new school year at Oaxaca Christian School.
• Pray for more workers for the harvest here in southern Mexico.  We have unfilled positions for Journeymen and Career Missionaries that would be great help to completing the task in southern Mexico.  You can visit www.imb.org for information about serving anywhere in the world.

As always, your prayers are vital to the work here.  When you pray, He hears and we see the answers every minute of every day.

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson Holeman

1 August 2012

Dear friends,

Thank you for all who pray for us regularly.  You are such a blessing to us.

Time really flies when your having interesting experiences.  While not all of our time here in Mexico has been fun we are amazed that it is August already!  Jeff and Liesa are excited that August brings American football.  The kids are gearing up for a return to classes in a couple of weeks.  It is amazing how time passes so quickly.  In just a few weeks we will mark 5 years as a missionary family.  Wow.

Thank you for your prayers over the past couple of weeks.  The Vision Trip with the team from Virginia went really well.  We were able to visit two people groups and the Father blessed us with open doors among one of them.  Pray for NBC from Virginia as they determine the Lord's plan for their future mission involvement.

A Vision Team from SBC in Tennessee arrives next week.  Pray for the Father to give clear direction to this team.  Pray for them as they make a commitment to training/preparation for their mission task in a cross cultural assignment.  Pray for the village they will be visiting to have a 'person of peace' to welcome them.

Liesa, Jackson, Haylee, and Jeff are currently traveling to a meeting of our Mexico mission personnel.  Pray for safe travel and a spirit of unity during the meetings.  Pray that the Father will continue to guide our steps.  Pray for those leading our meetings to be led by the Holy Spirit.

Also, we said 'see ya later' to our summer missionaries this week.  J, E, and Z did a remarkable job in the village of SBY.  Thank you so much for praying for them.  Your prayers definitely made a difference as they were able to build strong relationships and started a Bible study in their village.  Pray that 2BC in Missouri will continue to send workers into this harvest field.

We are blessed to know you all are praying for us and the work here.  Thank you for your support through prayer and your financial support through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program.

Liesa, Jeff, Haylee, and Jackson Holeman

23 July 2012 Update!

Many thanks to all of you who pray for us.  We are so grateful for your partnership.

Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson are currently trying to make their way home to Oaxaca from Mississippi.  Haylee and Jackson went to Mississippi for a few weeks to spend time with family and friends.  Liesa went up a few days ago to bring them back to Mexico.  Their flight to Oaxaca was cancelled so this morning they are trying to find options to get home to Oaxaca.  We're praying for opportunities to make some flights today that will get them home this evening.

Also, we have two leaders from Newsoms Baptist Church in Virginia who are trying to make  their way to Oaxaca for a Vision Trip.  They are in the process of deciding how to be involved among the unreached people groups of Mexico.  We're praying they are able to find flights to get to Oaxaca today.

Just wanted to give you those quick updates!  Thank you all for your prayer support.

Blessings!
Jeff

14 July 2012 Update!

Hola from southern Mexico!

Just a quick update to let you know what is going on.

• Z, E, and J are our summer workers who are living among an unreached people group this summer.  They have a difficult assignment but are seeing the Father do some great things.  Please continue to pray for them.
• We have two Vision Teams coming in from churches in Virginia and Tennessee over the next couple of weeks.  Please pray for us as we determine where these churches should be working in the future.
• Valley Baptist, Bakersfield, CA will be sending a team down to work among their people group they have 'embraced' as their own.  Pray for them as they seek to open hearts to the message of the Gospel.
• Liesa and Jeff just completed three days of research of a couple of unreached people groups.  Pray that doors will be opened to work among more of the people of southern Mexico where no one is reaching them.
• Haylee will be attending Super Summer Mississippi next week.  This is a leadership/discipleship/evangelism training camp at Mississippi College.  Pray for her to have a tremendous week.
• Liesa is in Mississippi to have some fun and bring Haylee and Jackson back to Mexico next week.  Pray for them to have a great time with friends and family.

As always, your prayers are very powerful and we depend on them greatly.  Thanks for praying!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

View from a Chontal fishing camp on the coast of Oaxaca.
Pray for them as they recover from recent tropical storms.

"To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map."
— William Carey, pioneer missionary to India

Beautiful lady on a beautiful beach in Oaxaca.

We love meeting fellow believers like Pastor Franco Lopez.
He leads a Baptist church in a coastal town in Oaxaca.

Here's info about Oaxaca.

5 July 2012 Update!

Just a quick update to thank you all for your prayers.  We are so thankful for you.  Your prayers are so important to the work that the Father is doing here and around the world.  Please don't forget how important you are to us.

1 Thessalonians 5:17: pray without ceasing.

Highlights of what is going on in southern Mexico and elsewhere:

• We are preparing for Vision teams from Virginia and Tennessee over the next few weeks.  Pray for the right people working in the right places doing the right things.
• Our summer workers are doing great work.  Continue to pray for Z, J, and E as they finish up their last three weeks with us.
• Liesa and Jeff have been able to begin research on several people groups.  Pray for us to be led by the Spirit to the places the Father is working.
• Haylee and Jackson are enjoying a month in Mississippi.  Pray for them as they enjoy time with friends and family.
• An IMB media team will be coming to southern Mexico to highlight some of what the Father has been doing here.  Pray that this project will be used to advance the Gospel here in southern Mexico.
• We are blessed that a large number of our Southern Baptist Churches are contacting us as they pray about how to get involved in missions in southern Mexico.  Pray that our SBC partners will be committed to preparing themselves for this huge task.
• Haylee will be attending Super Summer 2012 at Mississippi College next week.  Please pray for her as she attends this leadership/evangelism/discipleship training conference.

Thank you all for your prayers and financial support through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson Holeman