July Newsletter
Psalm 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;
Dear Praying Friends,
We are thrilled to be back with our deaf in the ministry to which God has called us. It has been a very active two months, but a greatly blessed time. We went to our Field Conference in May, and were greatly blessed by the time with fellow missionaries. We remember pastors saying that no one could understand a pastor like a fellow pastor, and the saying certainly applies to missionaries. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and uplifting in the Word. We were able to pass by and visit shortly with family and friends before we headed out to the border.
In June we were blessed to be able to help the Kilpatricks on the Texas border with a special group of young people who had come to offer their services as a work party. They were also interested sign language so we taught them each day a few signs they could use to talk to the deaf. We were amazed that they remembered every sign and were able to use them to sign a full song before they left. We have never seen a group get so involved so quickly and stay with it.
We traveled to Schaumburg, IL to the 31st Deaf Baptist Fellowship of America (DBFA). We were invited many years ago by the founder, Dr. John Clark to attend the second one in Dayton, OH. We have attended several since and always enjoy seeing how the Lord is blessing the deaf ministry in the United States. Gary was asked by Mark Coleman to teach a workshop for Spanish-speaking deaf and to share concerning the work in Mexico. At the same time they invited us, they invited Horacio and Lupe Gonzalez to speak, our deaf pastor from Monterrey. We had them meet us at McAllen and all traveled together. As soon as they were confirmed as coming, Gary began to make plans so we could get them to see “Noah, the Musical.” As we shared in the blog, we are not much for tourism, but we knew how dramatic the presentation was and knew it would open the whole story up to them in new light. On our way to Chicago we stopped to allow them to see the program. At first we thought little interpreting would be necessary, but then realized with so many songs and words of praise, they were going to miss too much. Horacio literally sat on the edge of his seat for the entire 2 ½ hour production. He had imagined a high school stage and a small drama. He said Noah literally came alive to him. He prayed the following day stating he had thought about quitting because of health and the many pressures of living in Mexico, but after seeing Noah, he decided he will continue on until the Lord will not allow him to go farther. Praise the Lord!
An additional prayer request is for Horacio and Lupe and our many deaf friends n Monterrey. As we got closer to the border returning, Lupe actually began to worry about getting back into Mexico. They then opened up and shared with us that they had been stopped, they had seen on several occasions the road blocks ahead and detoured and that many of the deaf were being continually harassed by the cartels. The news has sort of quieted down coming out of Monterrey, but the danger is no less today that it was at its worst. Just this past week, friends of ours in another city were held for ransom and eventually freed, but suffered who knows what during those days of capture. Please continue to pray for dear Christian friends, both deaf and hearing, who are living this nightmare on a daily basis.
We are thankful for opportunities to witness while we were traveling. Two different people quickly shared with us that they were already Christians, but that they would pass the tracts on to co-laborers. Others took the tracts with a promise to read them. In this hustle life these days, it seems that our opportunities are a little more limited, but praise the Lord, He is not! God still wants to use us to reach others. As I read the story of Noah, I am reminded that he remained true to the Lord in a much more difficult day than we live in. He stayed true to his calling and faithfully preached the Word through his daily life as well as through the spoken word for one hundred years. With the exception of a few who may have died before the flood, only seven other people listened to his preaching and responded. Oh that we might be as faithful as Noah in proclaiming “his wonderful works to the children of men.”
Thank you so much for your giving and praying. Continue to uphold the work in prayer as we see the devil work overtime in trying to destroy the ministry. We love you and appreciate your faithfulness.
For DEAF souls in Mexico,
Gary & Ann Layne
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