14 March 2015 Update!

Greetings to all of our praying friends out there!

Here are some updates about our lives over the past couple of weeks and a few prayer requests:

Jackson and Haylee

1. Jackson is doing great with his schoolwork and is enjoying his swimming class and life in general.  It seems he is growing about 2 inches per month at the moment but as of today has not passed Jeff in altitude.  But, that should happen soon.
• Pray for Jackson to finish this semester strong with great grades and godly relationships.
• Pray for Jackson as he prepares for a school year in Oxford, Mississippi.
2. A little over two months until Haylee graduates from Oaxaca Christian School.  Her graduation date is May 28.  She is always busy and is looking forward to Mississippi College this fall.
• Pray for Haylee as she finishes up this season of life on the mission field.  Pray for her last weeks in Mexico to be filled with great joy.



Liesa and Christy



• Pray for Haylee as she prepares for the transition to college life.  Pray for the resources that are needed to pay for college expenses.
3. Liesa is a whirlwind of activity.  She hosted our great friend Christy Holcomb for a few days and then worked with the First Baptist Oxford team this past week as they trained English teachers in a couple of locations.
• Pray for Liesa as she cares for and nurtures Haylee and Jackson.  Pray for wisdom in guiding them to deeper relationships with Christ.
• Pray for Liesa as she shares the Gospel in southern Mexico.  She works in several different settings with women and children.



Community Church Oxford in Oaxaca!

• Pray for Liesa as she assists our USA partners in their logistical arrangements as they work in southern Mexico.
4. Two weeks ago, Jeff spent time in Lima, Peru at a meeting of Americas Affinity Leadership.  These are exciting days as we see great opportunities to share the gospel in the Americas. We also had a great visit from Community Church from Oxford, MS as they sent their first ever international mission team to work with us!
• Pray for Jeff as he leads his family to be gentle in spirit but strong in biblical principles.



First Baptist Oxford in Oaxaca!

• Pray for wisdom for Liesa and Jeff as they lead the missionary personnel in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.  Pray for leadership that is directed by the Spirit and founded on God's Word.

Other news and requests:

• Pray for the people groups in Mexico that still need to hear and understand the Gospel.  There are 200,000 people in these SEVEN groups: 
• Ixcatec
• Southeastern Guerrero Mixtec
• Atatlahuca Mixtec
• Matlatzinca
• Western Coastal Nahuatl
• Temascaltepec Nahuatl
• Durango Nahuatl
• We are very thankful and excited to have new teammates on the way.  Christy Holcomb will be moving to Oaxaca in just a few weeks.  Jim and Mandy Wells are preparing to arrive in Chiapas for mentoring and language training before they come to the Oaxaca.  The Knights and the Krafts are two families that are being sent directly by their churches to join the work in Mexico and we'll work with them when opportunities are available. We have another IMB family that will be appointed in May and another in August and they will make their way to Mexico next year.  YOU have been praying for more workers and the Father is calling them out.  Please continue to pray about this.
• Summer 2015 Student Team is going to be a great one!  We are so thankful for the opportunity to continue to work with students.  This year we'll have students from Liberty University, Mississippi College, Multnomah Bible College, McNeese State, University of West Alabama, Mississippi State University, Wake Forest University, and Kosciusko High School.  These students are putting their lives on the table as a 'blank check' for the Father to use this summer. Please pray for them!  Pray for opportunities to build relationships, good health, safety, and being able to raise their financial support.
• We will be in Oxford, MS from July 31, 2015 to June 15, 2016!  Every few years our mission organization provides a time of Stateside Assignment for us to reconnect with family and friends.  Haylee will be heading off to Mississippi College and Jeff, Liesa and Jackson will be living in Oxford, MS.  Jeff and Liesa will be serving as Missionaries in Residence at our home church of First Baptist Oxford.  We are so grateful our sending church continues to bless us in so many ways.  Please pray that we can be a blessing to FBC Oxford while we are home.  Please continue to pray that housing will be located for us that will meet the needs of our family.

Thank you for your investment in what the Father is doing in us and through us.  You all are a blessing!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

26 February 2015 Update!

Hey all,

Greetings from warm and sunny Oaxaca!

Thank you for your partnership in prayer for the work happening in our part of the world.  As you know, relationships are the key to sharing the life-changing message of the Gospel in southern Mexico.  Often, it is a group of believers working together that results in someone surrendering their life to Jesus.  We have seen that happening here in southern Mexico over the past few weeks as several precious people have made decisions to follow Jesus.  These are significant decisions that, many times, come with serious consequences.  The animistic Catholic culture here often is threatened by those who seek to have an authentic, personal relationship with Jesus.  Faith alone in Jesus alone and allowing God's Word to serve as the guidebook for life is incompatible with a religious tradition based on following ritualistic practices and a view of a distant, disengaged Father.

Would you join us in praying for more open doors in the communities of southern Mexico?  The Enemy has certainly been effective in limiting access to the Gospel here.  The Enemy has convinced many people here that a personal relationship with Jesus is not needed or not possible.  Join us in praying for more workers and for our Mexican churches to break away from unhealthy doctrine and unbiblical traditions so that the Gospel can flow freely.  There is so much to do.

Pray also for:

• On a recent visit to Oaxaca, one of our USA churches faced resistance from a community where they have been working.  They don't like the 'Christians' in their community.  Pray for a better understanding of culture for the USA church and for the Christians in this community to engage their community instead of living in isolation and separation.
• Summer Missionaries arriving on June 1!  Here is our Summer 2015 Team so far:
• Zapotec Village Disciple-Makers
• Brooke Pullen (Mississippi State University)
• Tory Ford (Multnomah Bible)
• Chontal Village Disciple-Makers
• Anna Beth Caves (University of West Alabama)
• Brittany Foster
• Kate Warner  (Louisiana Tech)
• Disciple making and Teaching English
• Erika Hofacker (Mississippi College)
• Rachel Robb (Liberty University)
• Lauren Cullen (Mississippi College)
• Disciple making and Sports Ministry
• James Swinney (Kosciusko High School)
• Matthew Yeager (Wake Forest University)
• (WE REALLY NEED TWO MORE FOR THIS ONE!  PRAY!)
• A large population of our people do not speak Spanish and they do not read.  So, getting the Bible into an oral format is very important.  Pray for an event in April that will bring together several different language groups for the purpose of developing sets of Bible stories.
• Our mission organization is once again undergoing some changes.  Pray for our missionary team as we determine what adjustments we need to make in these new directions.

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

Blessings!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson.

17 February 2015 Update!

Your prayer support is very important to the work that the Father is doing in southern Mexico.  We continue to be humbled and amazed at how God works through ordinary people to accomplish His work.  We have just finished up a couple of weeks of God working through His people.

Matthew 5:14-16

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

The Light was proclaimed to a group of women last week
by two awesome Mexican young women who are seeking
to be on mission among their own people.

James 1:27

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Michael from First Baptist Oxford offering a healing touch
to a friend in a village in southern Mexico.  He also shared
words of hope with all of those he ministered to.

Matthew 24:35

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Sarah has made a huge investment in the people of
southern Mexico.  She has been obedient in sharing His Story.

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Cheryl is an expert at being "Jesus with skin on."
This village has given us a wide open door to
their community.

Those of you who pray are as much (or more) a part of the work as those of us who actually work among the people here.  Please continue to pray for the unreached peoples of southern Mexico.  Here are some updated prayer requests:

• Please continue to pray for more open doors among communities of southern Mexico. Many communities are closed to outsiders but God is moving in some incredible ways.
• Pray for more workers.  Pray for more giving to support missionaries through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
• Pray for Mexican churches to take seriously the task of reaching the unreached peoples of Mexico.

You all are a blessing.

Thank you for being a part of what God is doing.

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

3 February 2015 Update!

Just a quick update to encourage those of you who invest time praying for the work in southern Mexico!  Here are some updates:

Shindler Drive Baptist Church is one of the greatest missionary churches on the planet.
Over a year ago we had two flat tires on the road in front of this family's house.
Two weeks ago they asked to follow Jesus' example of baptism.
YOUR PRAYERS ARE A HUGE PART OF WHAT IS GOING ON
WITH THESE FOLKS!

Esteban has been praying for 15 years for help in reaching the people the
Father has sent him to.  Christy and Rebecca are an answer to Esteban's, yours, and
the prayers of Jesus.  The harvest is great but the laborers aren't as few as they
used to be.  KEEP PRAYING.

Rosa and Raquel's father was the first believer in their village.  He was heavily
persecuted for many years.  Today Raquel and Rosa are committed to laboring
in the harvest.  KEEP PRAYING.

Thank you for praying.  Please know that your investment of your time to pray and

your giving to the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

is making a difference.  Thank you!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

23 January 2015 Update!

¡Saludos de Oaxaca!

After a whirlwind month of travel to the USA we are so glad to be home in Oaxaca.  We had a great visit to the USA spending time with our family and friends and also getting some great work accomplished.  Here's a brief update:

1. We were able to get some effective treatment on Haylee's knee and she is almost back to full-speed.  The Lord has provided an awesome doctor who knows everything about rheumatoid arthritis.  We are thankful for your prayer support as we have worked through this challenge.
2. We had great visits with some wonderful churches.  Center Grove Baptist Church (Maben, MS), First Baptist Yazoo City, MS, and First Baptist Oxford, MS are such strong supporters of missions and missionaries.  All of these churches are faithful supporters of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
3. Missions College 2015 was a huge success.  Over 100 of our USA church partners came together in Virginia for 4 days of intensive training.  More and more of our USA partners are realizing the value of training in having an eternal impact in another culture.  
4. The 2015 Mixtec Summit was phenomenal.  The Montgomery Baptist Association (Alabama) hosted this training/fellowship meeting for churches who are working with the various Mixtec people groups around the USA.  It was an encouraging time for all of us.

These next few months are going to be busy ones for our Southern Mexico UPG Catalyst Team.  Our Mexican and USA partner churches are committed to being with their people groups and bringing the Gospel to this dark corner of our world.  Please pray for:

• Shindler Drive Baptist Church (January, March, May visits)
• First Baptist Oxford, MS (February and March visits)
• Urbancrest Baptist Church, Lebanon, OH (February visit)
• Crosspoint Church, Melrose, FL (February visit)
• Village Church, Midlothian, VA (April visit)
• Piedmont Okefenokee Baptist Association (April visit)
• Second Baptist Church, Springfield, MO (April visit)

We have an exciting opportunity to join with our Mexican partners for a StoryTogether training in April.  This training equips us to get the Gospel to the heart language of various people groups.  As you know, there are at least 15 different languages in southern Mexico.  If these people do not have God's Word then we have no way to move forward in Discipleship.  Please, please pray for the StoryTogether project.

God continues to bring us students for our 2015 Summer Missions Team.  We are excited about the quality of the students that the Father is sending our way.  We need several more students to join us.  Will you pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send more laborers?  If you know a college student who speaks Spanish and is looking to be involved in missions please refer them to this website (Click Here.) and search for positions in Mexico.  You will find our needs listed there.

We will be heading to Mississippi for Stateside Assignment on July 31, 2015.  We'll be living in Oxford, MS and enjoying some time with our home church, First Baptist Oxford, MS.  Haylee will be heading to Mississippi College this fall and Jackson will be an Oxford High School Charger.  We are very much looking forward to some time in Mississippi.  Will you pray that housing can be located in Oxford that meets our needs?

Thank you so much to all of you who are praying.  We want you to know that your prayer support is THE KEY to the Father's work here in southern Mexico.  You are all a blessing!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

Here are some photos from our visit to the USA...

Haylee went to visit the same doctor that takes care of Eli Manning
and the USA Olympic Ski Team.

We'll be serving alongside Brooke during Summer 2015!
Pray for more like her!

Family Time in Mississippi.

Oaxaca Reunion before the Peach Bowl.
We have served with all of these folks and are blessed
to call them friends.

When you see a giant Christmas ornament you probably
should get a photo with it.

Peach Bowl Fun!  (This was before the game started.)

Jackson is now driving.  Don't you feel safe?

A batch of cousins.

A visit with one of the greatest missionaries.  The Gold Shoes go
to the loser of the Egg Bowl each year.  Tommy is the loser again.

Brandon Burns (in the middle) took a bullet in the head in Iraq
so that I can be free.  And, HE INSISTED THAT HE BUY MY LUNCH!
Yes...I'm a loser.  

Missions College 2015!

Mixtec Summit 2015!

10 December 2014 Update!

Feliz Navidad! from southern Mexico!

2014 has been an incredible year of seeing God's faithfulness to our family and seeing him work in some amazing ways.  You who are a part of our prayer support and those who give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program are a vital part of the work. God is using you.  When you pray God works.  When you give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering people hear about Jesus.

Here are just a few of the things that God has done in southern Mexico this year:

• Churches from the USA have committed to make sure the Gospel is proclaimed in FIVE unreached people groups that previously had no one planting churches among them (Unengaged).  Pray for the Z people (two language groups), the M people (two language groups), and the C people to soon have healthy churches planted among them.
• New teammates!  Frank and Phoebe, Christy, and Rebecca joined the team this year.  God is so good to provide more workers.
• New believers in several people groups and good relationships being made in so many communities.  Relationships are the key to reaching the last unreached communities in Mexico.
• God is calling out more of our Mexican brothers and sisters to be a part of the task of taking the Light to the dark places.  Please continue to pray for them.
• New relationships with Mexican pastors and missionaries are giving us opportunities to partner together to push back the darkness in ways that none of us could do on our own.

When you give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering people hear about Jesus.  God continues to use Southern Baptists to do amazing things.  Will you give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering this year?  Will you give a sacrificial gift?  Your local Southern Baptist church is your best channel of support BUT you can also give on-line.  HERE IS THE LINK FOR ON-LINE GIVING.

If you would like to give directly to the work going on in southern Mexico and help provide ministry funds to our team then you can do that  HERE!  Make sure you put Jeff and Liesa Holeman as the Field Person's name.

We are excited about coming to the USA for some vacation and also taking some time to visit in some great churches.  Here's our schedule:

• Dec 21.  Center Grove Baptist Church.  Maben, MS. (Morning)
• Dec 28.  First Baptist Church. Yazoo City, MS. (Morning)
• Jan 4.  First Baptist Church.  Oxford, MS. (Morning)

Hope to see many of you during our time in the USA.  Have a tremendous time celebrating the Father sending His Son to us and we hope your New Year is filled with blessings!

Feliz Navidad!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

Here are some photos of recent events...

We are very fired up about going to the Chick Fil A
Peach Bowl  and cheering for our Rebels
on December 31.

New believers who were baptized two weeks ago.
Will you pray for them?  They are the only
believers in their village.

The growth hormone that Liesa has been taking
is showing some results.  Look how tall!
This is a Zoque friend she has been able to spend
time with.

We don't know.  Just something to do.

This is how Liesa and I spend most of our time.

Sara (Batgirl) and Katherine served with us for
four months.  Pray for them as they return to
the USA this week.

Haylee and Jackson.  Growing up.  Great missionaries.

23 November 2014 Update!

Thanksgiving is a natural overflow of a heart that has been changed by Jesus.  We are very thankful for all of you who take the time to pray for us and the work that God is doing among the peoples of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.  You need to remember that we don't take you for granted.  We can't do the task that the Father has asked us to do, period.  We can't do it.  But, if we're going to be obedient and follow God on this journey we would not want to attempt it without prayer warriors like you.  Thank you.

November has been a great month.  We asked you to help us out with a few prayer requests a few weeks ago.  Here's an update:

• Haylee's knee.  We'll get more information in December when we meet with some doctors in the USA.  Originally what was diagnosed as some ligament damage has become clearer as a very large cyst on her knee.  There is some pain involved but Haylee is doing well and has not slowed down too much.  Keep praying as we prepare to meet with doctors on Dec 22 in Oxford.
• Jackson is pushing through a challenging semester.  Keep praying for him to finish strong.
• Liesa and Jeff traveled to Haiti to pray and get a better idea of how to lead Southern Baptists to more effective work.  Haiti is a wonderful place with some precious people.  The needs are overwhelming and without a disciplined approach, Southern Baptists have been spinning their wheels for decades.  Keep praying because the answers are difficult and emotions get in the way of a coherent discussion with many people.

We're very excited about the next few weeks.  We'll be celebrating the USA Thanksgiving with some time at the beach with several of our colleagues and Mexican family.  Jeff will be traveling to Peru for some important leadership meetings.  And, we'll be heading to Mississippi for a couple of weeks of vacation and speaking on Lottie Moon's behalf.

While in Mississippi we're available to visit Mississippi churches.  Here's our schedule so far:

• Sunday, December 21.  Center Grove Baptist Church, Maben, MS.  (AM Service)
• Wednesday, December 24.  Venture Church, Hattiesburg, MS.
• Sunday, December 28.  First Baptist Yazoo City, MS.  (AM Service)
• Sunday, January 4.  First Baptist Oxford, MS.  (AM Service)
• Sunday, January 11.  Pillar Church, Stafford, VA.  (AM Service)

Let us know if we can help out with anything at your church while we are in the USA.

We pray each one of you have a great Thanksgiving Week!  We are hoping that this Saturday is one of the worst days ever for our Mississippi State friends.  Go Rebels!

Blessings!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

5 November 2014 Update!

Hola from southern Mexico!

Thank you so much for your strong prayer support!  We are constantly aware that there are folks all over the world who give of their precious time to lift up the work going on around us.  You also pray for our family and that means so much to us!  Here's an update from the past few days:

• Jeff traveled to Virginia to attend a meeting of USA churches who are sending folks to the field in some very creative ways.  If we are going to reach the remaining unreached people groups in our world then ALL OF US will have to be a part of doing ALL WE CAN to make sure EVERY ONE gets an opportunity to hear about what JESUS has done for them.  CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW YOUR CHURCH CAN SEND MORE WORKERS!
• Christy and Rebecca are HERE!  Finally!  Our new teammates will be here for two years and we are so thankful for them.  They bring a whole lot of talent to southern Mexico and they've got some kick-butt Spanish skills! Christy and Rebecca are the direct answer to your prayers for more workers.
• First Baptist Oxford sent Gary and Carolyn Carter to continue the work of the Rural English Teacher Training Institute.  This ministry equips teachers in indigenous communities to be better prepared to teach English to their students.  This is an incredible opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of indigenous people.  We're thankful for First Baptist Oxford taking on this important task!
• Community Church of Oxford sent Rebecca Sanders to us for the month of October.  Rebecca is a tremendous servant and jumped right in and helped with a lot of different ministry projects.    We are hopeful she will return some time soon and continue the relationships that she made.  Reaching southern Mexico is going to happen through meaningful relationships!  Rebecca is another servant that is a blessing to the people here.
• We really don't know how but we always get the BEST and BRIGHTEST Hands On workers.  Hands On is an opportunity for young adults to come and work alongside missionaries for 4 months.  It is a great opportunity to get the REAL picture of what being a missionary is all about.  Katherine and Sara have been a huge blessing!  They are with us for one more month.
• What would it be like to pack up your family and move into an indigenous village for 3 weeks?  Twenty-one of our teammates did just that and we have had a great time of training and fellowship down here in the mountains of southern Mexico.  We finish up this training on November 10th!  These missionaries have been real troopers as they have worked in some challenging situations to put into practice the things they have learned.

Here are some updated prayer requests:

• Haylee has been diagnosed with a Baker's Cyst on her knee.  We thought it was something VERY serious but a cyst is still painful and somewhat serious.  Pray for her doctors as they determine the best way to treat this common injury.
• Jackson is doing great!  Pray for him to finish strong this semester.  There is always a huge mountain (called Homework!) that he has to conquer.  Pray for him to succeed!
• Pray for our USA partners who are working in southern Mexico.  There are so many challenges to the work.  And, the Enemy is attacking several of our best partners in very ugly ways.
• Pray for Liesa and Jeff as they travel to Haiti in the next few days.  Haiti is now a part of our responsibility and we are praying for wisdom on how to lead the strategy for these people who are very important to the Father and to many of our Southern Baptist churches.
• Pray for our Stateside Assignment that begins in July 2015.  We will be spending several months in Oxford, Mississippi.  Pray that we will be able to find a place to live during this time that is furnished and in the Oxford School District.  That's a big request but we know God has a plan!

Thank you for your prayer support.  You are SO IMPORTANT to what the Father is doing here.  We'll have an End of the Year report soon.  Be praying about your giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering this year.  When you give, people hear about Jesus.

Blessings!

Jeff

MORE PRAISES AND REQUESTS!

Our Hands On Students (Katherine and Sara) have made some
great friends in a village.  Pray for this family to understand and respond
to the Gospel.

There was a lot of this left after Ole Miss beat Alabama this year.

Here is where we live!  Oaxaca, Mexico!  Pray for this great place!

Rebecca and Christy meeting some new friends.  Pray for these new missionaries!

Our job as Cluster Strategy Leaders means Jeff sees this view a lot more
than he wants to.  Pray for us in this HUGE assignment that we cannot accomplish
without the Father's wisdom and grace.

There's a rumor going around that this young lady graduates from High School in May 2015.
It's just a rumor, though.

One more month with these goof-balls.  We love Sara and Katherine!

Rebecca (from Community Church Oxford) was a huge blessing this month!

Some folks from the Rural English Teacher Training Institute.

More folks from the Rural English Teacher Training Institute.

Training session for IMB missionaries.  We finish on November 10.

9 October 2014 Update!

I believe the followers of Jesus that are the local church carry the responsibility that comes with the Great Commission.  Jesus said that He was going to build a church that would push back darkness and it is so powerful that even the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).  The foundation of the church is the 'Christ, the Son of the Living God' (Matthew 16:15).  In Scripture we find a powerful church built on a sure foundation. 

Our calling to be missionaries is strong and certain:  We are to serve our Lord in another culture and plant churches.  Our team of missionaries is planting churches in partnership with the local church.  Our 'home' culture is the United States of America, more specifically Mississippi.  Our new culture is Mexico, specifically southern Mexico.  Our conviction is that the work of missions is done by the local church in both of these cultures and the local church pastor and/or leadership in both of these cultures is the key leader for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.  The missionaries that God is most counting on are the followers of Jesus who make up these local church bodies.

Oaxaca, Mexico

A mission organization made up of professional, paid missionaries is a great tool that God uses.  I work for what I believe to be the world's greatest mission organization.  My organization is a 'company' of servants sent by local churches and managed by people sent out by local churches.  However, in God's toolbox, the local church and the people in those churches is the preferred option.  The local church fulfilling the Great Commission has been God's plan all along.  

Sometimes the local church is not the sharpest tool and is, at times, not calibrated correctly but it is still the FIRST option for taking the Gospel to the Ends of the Earth.  It is God's responsibility to sharpen His tools.  I don't have the option of changing God's plan.  If I am living in obedience to the clear commands of Scripture then I must work with imperfect people from local churches to take the Gospel to where it is not.  

Could it be that God could use imperfect people to do great things?  Could it be that a rag-tag group of believers from a called-out local church that don't know as much about culture, worldview, and language as the 'professional' missionaries can get the job done?  Could it be that God might use the 'foolish to shame the wise?'  I'm certain that if God can use the church at Antioch and Corinth and Ephesus and Sardis then He can use my church and yours.

There has been a period in our church history when many of our local church pastors and the local churches delegated the Great Commission Task to the sent-out ones, missionaries, and many of these churches simply 'got out of the way' and let the professionals do the work.  That makes sense.  But, is it the strategy God intended?  Could it be the Enemy tried a way to de-rail God's plan by taking the local church pastor away from the missionary task?  Perhaps the Enemy tried this but it is not working.

In southern Mexico, and around the world, local churches are re-engaging a very dark world.  Local churches from the USA are waking up (Remember the church at Sardis?) and becoming complete.  Local churches in other cultures are taking up the responsibility of reaching their people and the rest of the world.  My mission organization has a new leader that is a local church pastor (some say with no 'professional' missionary experience and I say 'Praise God!').  The followers of Jesus that make up the local church and the leadership of those local churches have the responsibility of taking the Gospel the the Ends of the Earth.

Would you join me in praying for these local churches from the USA who are taking on a huge challenge and engaging unreached people groups in my little corner of the globe?  No, they are not perfect churches and they aren't any different from yours except for the fact that they have been awakened to their responsibility to take the Gospel where it is not.  Part of this responsibility is to be trained to understand a culture and how to plant a church in that culture and these churches are committed to being sharp tools in the Master's toolbox.

Please pray for these churches, conventions, and ministries who are committed to the fulfillment of the Great Commission in Mexico:

• First Baptist Oxford, MS
• Community Church Oxford, MS
• Second Baptist Springfield, MO
• Franklin Heights Baptist Church, Rocky Mount, VA
• Shindler Drive Baptist Church, Jacksonville, FL
• Crosspoint Church, Melrose, FL
• Piedmont-Okefenokee Baptist Association, GA
• SonRise Baptist Church, Newnan, GA
• College Street Baptist Church, Walhalla, SC
• Urbancrest Baptist Church, Lebanon, OH
• Koinos Fellowship, Troy, OH
• Church at the Butte, Elephant Butte, NM
• Valley Baptist Church, Bakersfield, CA
• Pillar Church, Stafford, VA
• Central Baptist Church, Wendell, NC
• Springdale Baptist Church, Kosciusko, MS
• Ole Miss Baptist Student Union

Would you also pray also for the thousands of missionaries, the 'sent-out' ones, that are serving around the world?  Many of these great servants of God were sent out under an old paradigm that neglected a connection to local churches in their home culture.  Sadly, many of our local churches dropped the ball and did not stay connected to the missionaries that were sent from their ranks.  These  local churches yielded their Great Commission responsibility to the 'professionals.'  Thus, we have a large number of missionaries serving around the world with weak or non-existent connections to their local churches.  This is not God's plan and a lost world is dying while we correct the problem.

Thank you to all who are 'holding the rope' for us!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

27 September 2014 Update!

Hello from Thailand!

Yep, we're in Thailand attending a meeting of a group of mission strategists from all over the world.  We're here to get better equipped to share the Gospel, train leaders, and plant new churches.  These have been great days of listening to the Lord, spending time with other workers like us, and learning some of the creative ways the Father is working in our world.  We now have to take what we have learned and share that with our team, our national partners, and USA partners.  There is so much to do and God is BIG enough to lead us in doing it.

Thank you for your prayer support! We are constantly reminded about the importance of the 'prayers of the saints' and your involvement in what the Father is doing in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.  Your prayer support is the KEY part of our work!

October is coming quickly and we have some prayer requests that you can help us with...

1. Our new teammates arrive on October 5th!  Rebecca and Christy will be joining us for two years in Oaxaca.  Please pray for them as they adjust to life in southern Mexico and as they begin their ministry among the unreached people groups in our part of the world.
2. A very important training event begins in mid-October for a group of our personnel serving in our part of the world.  This training will be held in a village near Oaxaca.  Pray for those of us who are a part of leading this training and pray for the families who will be relocating to Oaxaca for three weeks.
3. We're recruiting our Summer Missions Team for 2015!  If you know a college student (or you are one!) please consider joining our team during June and July of 2015.  Just click the links below for more info!  Here are the links to positions that we have available:
• Teaching English Team
• Sports Ministry Team
• Z Village Team
• M Village Team
• C Village Team
4. Please join us in praying for more Mexican and USA partners who are willing to do whatever it takes to reach the unreached of southern Mexico.  The work is difficult and requires a commitment to training and resources.  Pray that we'll have the right people in the right places doing the right things.

You all are a blessing!   Thank you for 'holding the rope!'

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

5 September 2014 Update!

Greetings from southern Mexico!

We are always blessed by the prayers of so many folks who are praying for us.  We continue to see so many open doors among the people groups of southern Mexico.  The Father is definitely up to some big things and we're just trying to hang on for the ride.  Your prayer support is such an important part of the work.  Thank you for praying!

Driving through the Mixteco region of southern Mexico.  Beautiful!

Updates:

• Our Fall Hands On students arrived and have been busy getting to know Oaxaca and finding their place of ministry.  They have jumped right in to help with some gaps at the school where Haylee and Jackson attend.  Pray for Katherine and Sara to have great opportunities to share the Gospel in the coming weeks.
• Our pastor, Eric Hankins, is here this week to kick-off the work of First Baptist Oxford among a Zapotec community.  One important project they have is a training program for English teachers.  This is a tremendous need among the public schools here and FBC Oxford is helping us launch this training program in southern Mexico.
• A group from southern Georgia was here last week on a Vision Trip.  Pray for them as they have returned home and must pray and discern the Father's leading for their churches.  Pray that they will be among the many workers that are needed in southern Mexico.
• A Vision Team from Virginia is here this week.  They have been on an adventure on the mountain roads of the Mixteco area of Oaxaca.  This is an area of great need for the Gospel.  Pray for them as they return to Virginia to determine the next steps in their journey.
• We're getting so excited about the arrival of Rebecca and Christy.  We have been short-handed for several months and we desperately need new teammates.  Rebecca and Christy will arrive on October 5 and will be with us until mid-2016!  Pray for them as they begin their work in southern Mexico.
• Jeff's mom arrives on Saturday, September 6.  She'll be with us for six weeks and will be filling in at Haylee and Jackson's school as well as having some fun with us.  Pray for her as she comes to visit.
• We have a new boss: David Platt!  Many of you will know that David came as a part of a DiscipleNow at First Baptist Oxford in 2006.  Our paths crossed several times as we worked in East Asia with college students at FBC Oxford.  Now, he is El Presidente!  We are very excited and look forward to serving with him.

Please join us in praying for these updated prayer requests!:

• Our Stateside Assignment will begin in July/August 2015.  We will be living in Oxford, MS for several months.  Please pray with us to find a place to live and for some type of ministry to plug into while we are home in Oxford.  We're looking forward to spending some quality time with our Oxford family.
• Pray for Haylee as she makes her decision about college.  Pray that she will be in the best place to prepare her for the great days ahead that the Father has planned.
• Pray for the people groups of southern Mexico.  Pray that the effort to plant churches would advance and that strong disciples would be made.

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

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

14 August 2014 Update!

Greetings from Oaxaca!

We are thankful for all of you who are praying!  We are back in Oaxaca after some busy travel days.  We were blessed with a visit from a team from Second Baptist Springfield, MO and First Baptist Branson, MO.  Then, we made a quick trip down to the coast (with our awesome teammates Frank and Phoebe) last weekend for a wedding of some of our colleagues' kids.  It was a beautiful wedding on one of Oaxaca's prettiest beaches.  Then we joined up with Sandi Bridges and the Crosspoint Church crew for part of their time with the Chontal people group.  We're now back in Oaxaca and have been busy running errands and getting ready for a busy fall!

Would you join us in praying for these things?:

1. Our Fall 2014 Hands On students arrive on Saturday (Aug 16).  Katherine and Sara will be here until December and we are looking forward to serving with them!  Pray that they adjust well to Oaxaca and that they have some great opportunities to build some meaningful relationships.
2. First Baptist Oxford, MS is getting started with a project that we know will be a great tool for helping so many of our indigenous communities.  Please pray for the team from FBC Oxford that arrives on August 30th.
3. We have a group of mission leaders from Georgia arriving next week on a Vision Trip.  These folks are looking for opportunities for their churches to impact lostness among Unengaged Unreached People Groups.  Pray for safe travel and that we will go to the right places!
4. A Vision Team from a church in Virginia arrives in a couple of weeks.  This church has been praying about their place in Mexico for quite some time.  Will you pray that we will find open doors among some unreached communities among the Mixtecos?
5. New Teammates are Coming!  Rebecca and Christy will arrive in early October and will be in southern Mexico for at least two years!  We desperately need their help and we are beyond thrilled to be able to serve with them.  Pray for them as they finish up training in the USA.  They will arrive in Oaxaca on October 5!
6. More New Teammates are Coming!  We asked you to pray for more laborers and it looks like at least two more IMB missionary families will be joining the work in southern Mexico in the next year or so.  We are thankful that the Lord is calling new workers to southern Mexico because there is so much work to be done!  Please pray for these families as they leave the USA.
7. More New Teammates are Coming!  Several of our USA church partners are in the process of sending folks from their fellowship down to southern Mexico to serve among their communities where they are working.  Please pray that these new workers will prepare well for their assignments!
8. Jeff's Mom is coming to visit.  We're excited that Jeff's mom will be coming to visit for about 5 weeks.  Please pray for her as she adjusts to life in southern Mexico.
9. Our Stateside Assignment will begin in August 2015!  We will be living in Oxford, MS!  Please pray that details will work out so that Jackson can have a great school year.  We will need to find a place to live, car to drive, etc.  Pray for all of that!

Some really great things are happening and you are a part because you pray!  Here's an update:

1. Haylee got a really great report regarding her rheumatoid arthritis.  We continue to pray for complete healing but we're also so thankful for our great doctor in Oxford, MS:  Dr. Kirk Eddleman.
2. One of our USA partners was able to spend almost 6 weeks among their people group this summer.  They have seen amazing progress in building relationships!
3. One of our USA partners recently held a Sports Camp in their village and they were able to build some relationships and make some plans for the future among their people.
4. We have had some great training opportunities with pastors/church leaders recently.  Pray for us as we try to expand ways to meet the need for training among indigenous church leaders.
5. Our Summer 2014 Student Team was simply A W E S O M E.  These students really worked hard to invest and pour into people here.  They made a big difference in many lives and were even able to build on some work they had done in the past.
6. We are thankful for Fairview Baptist Church, Lebanon, TN for donating their VBS offering to help indigenous kids in Oaxaca!  This church is buying school supplies and backpacks for some kids in some really tough circumstances!  
7. First Baptist Oxford, MS always is generous and their help with school uniforms for some indigenous kids is a huge blessing to many and it is a great way to help build relationships through meeting important needs.
8. The Father continues to bring us some great Mexican partners.  We know that to truly reach the hardest places in southern Mexico that we must pour into Mexican believers even more.

We are so grateful for your prayers.  Thank you also for your giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program!

Love to all,

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

Students from Second Baptist Springfield loving on some kids!

Second Baptist Springfield working hard!

Second Baptist Springfield visiting one of our friends!

Second Baptist Springfield Taco Night! (We had several!)

The church we attend in Oaxaca is planting this church in another
part of town.  Great crowd at VBS!

The one and only Neil Franks (Pastor at FBC, Branson)
teaching the word in a nearby village.

The Coke name craze is in Mexico, too!

Coke craziness continues...

In a village with the Crosspoint team.

The Crosspoint team loving on their community.

Sandi is our oldest child.  We're smiling when she is here!

Fairview Baptist Lebanon, TN bought a truck load of school
supply stuff for some great kids in Oaxaca!