Thursday, November 18

     Today, the weather has warmed a little and so has the house. Ann has been down with some stomach troubles, but otherwise we are well.
     Here is November's newsletter.

November 2010

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

1 Peter 1:3

Dear Praying Friends,

We praise the Lord He is still working in the hearts of His people in spite of the problems around them. We just celebrated the union of Carlos Salgado and his new bride, Guillermina. Pictures are posted on our blog as noted below. Both have become avid soul winners that approach their friends about Christ, without intimidating them. We pray them a whole lifetime of service together for Christ.

Pastor Armando is in Monterrey for 2-3 weeks to help with the care for his father once again. The doctors are hoping to re-connect the intestine and restore its functioning on Thanksgiving Day (not a holiday here). His dad has done very well and has recuperated much these last months, but the doctors warn there are still risks to the procedure. When the operation was first performed, they sent him home quickly and his stitches popped the following day. That caused massive infection in his abdomen and nearly killed him. Please continue to pray for him that this will go well.

As a result of Armando’s absence, Gary is filling in with the pastoral duties including preaching the services. It is always a pleasure to be in the pulpit with our deaf. Our congregation now is a strange mix of old-timers (in salvation) and a large group of newly won deaf with a sprinkle of a few who are several years old in the Lord. That makes it very interesting for a pastor as he prepares a message, as he decides where to aim his teaching. The Lord is always faithful in providing the right message for the right group.

Violence continues to be the only way to describe Mexico right now. It is ratcheting up all over the country at present. It is hard to explain how we feel and handle the present situation. We are fully aware that there is danger lurking anywhere, yet the Lord gives peace to continue to labor for Him. We may pass an area going to church, only to hear later that a shootout took place there. The Lord is so gracious in giving us protection. We pray for our children, our deaf and other brethren in Christ, that He will likewise protect them. Yet, He gives a tranquil peace to continue as though nothing is happening.

God has blessed our efforts to provide materials for the deaf, but the process is labor intensive. We use straight-forward teaching of the Word of God with many illustrations, both drawings and verbal, to make the teaching clear to the deaf. We are aiming at the educational level of the pastors. Many times a new deaf is barely literate, but with the right literature, a pastor can use it as a guide and teach whatever level of education that might be present. Pray for our continued efforts to get good literature into the hands of the deaf.

Thank you for praying and supporting our ministry for your church. Please check our blog, listed below, for updates that are more frequent than newsletters. May God greatly bless you today.

For DEAF souls in Mexico,                 

                         

Gary & Ann Layne