31 March 2012 Update!

Liesa, Haylee, Jackson and Jeff.  Heirve el Agua, Oaxaca, Mexico

Hello to all out there!

Thank you so much to all who pray regularly for us and the ministry work here in southern Mexico.  We wish all of you could see the way your prayers are used here every day.  You are a blessing to so many.

We are doing well.  Liesa's parents are here for a few days and we're enjoying our time with them.  Haylee and Jackson will be out of school for Holy Week.  We have a busy April coming up so we're muy contento about the few days of break from school and normal routines.

After three months of no rain it appears the rainy season has begun in southern Mexico.  We're enjoying  afternoon thunderstorms and rain.  After living in Lima for several years, rain is such a big deal to us...the smell, the sound, and thunder!  And since it has been so dry here we are thankful for it!

We are thankful for your prayers.  Please join us in praying for these requests:

1. Pray for those that lead the work here in southern Mexico.  Decisions are made and are being made that will affect what we are doing here.
2. Pray for the unreached people groups here in southern Mexico.  Please go to this LINK, find southern Mexico, and pray for the people groups here.
3. Pray for us as we continue to seek the Father's plan for our family.  Pray that we will be courageous, faithful, and wise.
4. Pray that your church will give more support to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program.  If you don't know what your church gives, ask your pastor.  If you think your church should give more, do something about it.  If you don't know how Southern Baptists support missions then go to this LINK.

Thank you for your prayer support and your financial support through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.  All of you are always welcome here for a visit.  And, we love hearing from home folks.  Give us a call on our Mississippi number (601-914-6705) and let us hear from you.

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

Field Day 2012

21 March 2012 Update!

We're safe here but pray for those towns and villages close to the epicenter.

The first day of Spring roared into southern Mexico with a 7.something earthquake.  Liesa and I were at our dining room table (which continues to be our only piece of real furniture) around noon when the room started shaking.  And, no, it wasn't because of the burrito. Earthquakes are common here and we've felt them before but this one was different.  It started out as a rumble and kept going...getting stronger...and we realized we might be in a little danger.  So we stepped out onto our back patio and watched our house, the trees, powerlines, and the ground jump up and down.  This lasted about 60 seconds but it seemed forever.  We realized that everything seemed to be OK and there was no damage around us so we went back in the house and called the school to check on the kids.  Amazingly, all  was good and we did not lose power, internet, or anything.  Your prayers are always important and the Lord listens to you all.  We see the evidence of your prayers daily.

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makes me dwell in safety.  Psalm 4:8

We have had a busy couple of weeks. We had an incredible 10 days of ministry and fun with the students from Mississippi College. Ben Maddox and his crew from Mississippi College were such a great group to work with (as we have found with all Mississippi College students!). We were able to partner with a local children's home here that ministers to children/teenagers from the surrounding indigenous villages. Several of these kids have no parents but most are from families where they cannot be cared for. Several of the kids have disabilities such as cerebral palsy, autism, deafness, muteness and other health challenges. The team from Mississippi College invested their hearts into these kids through Bible stories, games, painting bathrooms, cleaning the kitchen, and whatever else needed to be done. We are thankful for the MC team!  And, we're thankful for national partner Felipe Ortega who worked with us all week.

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’  Acts 20:35

Haylee and Jackson continue to adjust well to their new home here in southern Mexico.  Oaxaca Christian School is a blessing and Haylee and Jackson are doing well in all of their classes (even their graduate level Old Testament class!).  We continue to pray for them as they develop meaningful friendships.

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.  Prov 13:20

We have some busy days coming up.  Please join us in praying for these opportunities:

• Liesa's parents are coming for visit March 28 to April 4.  It will be good to have them around to make fun of.
• In April we have a team from the Mississippi Baptist Convention Agricultural Missions Fellowship coming down to find out ways they can partner with communities in southern Mexico to provide agricultural training.  This could be a huge opportunity for ministry.
• In April, First Baptist Clinton, MS is sending down some folks to explore opportunities for partnership and ministry.  Pray for this church as they seek the Father's plan for mission involvement.
• In April, Jeff will be traveling to Virginia for a training meeting and will also be able to spend a few days in Mississippi.  
• In May, all of us will be traveling to Lima, Peru.  Jeff and Liesa have some training meetings to attend and Haylee and Jackson will be trying to see as many of their Peru friends as they can.  
• In May, we have Bethsaida Baptist Church from Mississippi coming down on a Vision Trip to look at some possible partnership and ministry opportunities.
• In the midst of all of this, we must continue to ride the roads and find the places that the Father wants us to work.  Our ministry assignment requires us to travel 3.5 to 4 hours away from Oaxaca city (and home.) to find communities in which to work.  So, travel safety on bumpy roads is always a prayer need.
• Finally, we sure would be happy if our furniture and household supplies from Peru would hurry up and get here!  :-)

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

Please let us hear from you at our email address:  wigtake@gmail.com.

14 March 2012 Update.

We're working with students from Mississippi College this week.  Liesa and Jeff served as Missionaries In Residence at M.C. during their stateside assignment last fall.  Here are some photos from today:

Mississippi College In Mexico

Take a look at some of today's events and pray for the kids in the photos.  We are having a blast working with some of the Father's most precious people here in southern Mexico.

Making Disciples...

Loving our neighbor...

Oaxaca at night.

One of our most favorite places in Oaxaca, Mexico.

3 March 2012 Update!

A great view of the city of Oaxaca, Mexico.  (copied)

Greetings from warm and sunny southern Mexico.

As a family, we are so grateful for your prayers on our behalf.

In our last update we asked you to pray for several things.  Here's an update!

• We asked you to pray for us as we build relationships with different ministries here.  Over the past couple of weeks we've made great progress in this area.  We found a Children's Home here that houses children from indigenous villages.  Many of the children come from villages as far away as 12 hours.  This could prove to be a powerful way to minister to some of the neediest villages in southern Mexico.  It is also a wonderful opportunity for ministry here in the city of Oaxaca.
• We asked you to pray as Jeff traveled to Missouri for a mission emphasis at Second Baptist Springfield. This was a wonderful trip for Jeff as he was able to help so many folks get a better idea of what it will take to minister in our culture here.  He was also able to meet with the missions team at First Baptist Branson MO who sense a strong call to equip Mexicans for ministry here.
• We asked you to pray for upcoming visits from teams from Mississippi and Virginia.  We are asking you continue to pray for these upcoming projects.  The team from Mississippi College arrives here on March  8.  Pray for a great week of ministry from these students.

The past couple of weeks have been busy.  Following a wonderful time with the folks from College Street Baptist Church (Walhalla, SC), we were able to spend a little time gathering research data about our part of the world.  Over the past few days we have learned more about the people of southern Mexico.  There is so much more to learn, however.  We were thankful for a long visit from Arnold Austin from our America's Research Team who helped us get some important data on the people groups of southern Mexico.

Haylee and Jackson are doing well.  Now that the BIG English Project is done, life seems to be more manageable for them on the homework front.  We're thankful for a break next week as Haylee and Jackson head to camp for a week with other missionary kids.  We've been on a pretty hectic schedule since we landed here in Oaxaca, so Haylee and Jackson deserve a break.

Jeff traveled to Springfield, MO for a missions conference at Second Baptist Church.  This was a wonderful  opportunity to share with many others about what God is doing here in southern Mexico.  Second Baptist is one of those churches that is a 'Mission-minded Church.'  They give of all of the resources God has given them...money, time, and people...to further the gospel to the ends of the earth.  What a blessing to be with them.

Thank you so much for your partnership with us here in southern Mexico.  Your prayers are the most important  part of the work here.  Please join us in praying for these specific things:

• Please pray for clarity as we seek to find the right places to minister here.
• Please pray for the Father to send us the right people who will work to bring the gospel to this dark place.
• Please pray that we will be led to do the right things to show the love of Jesus and to make disciples here in southern Mexico.

Blessings to you all!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

Psalm 9:10

God's a safe-house for the battered, a sanctuary during bad times. 
   The moment you arrive, you relax; you're never sorry you knocked.