MERRY CHRISTMAS

Dear Praying Friends,

     What a blessed time of the year. Oh sure, there is way too much commercialization and many folks have forgotten the purpose for which Christmas was established. It is a time, however, when the majority of the world slows or stops to honor the birth of the Christ child. It is s great opportunity to share with all the wonderful, true story of Christmas.

      I was invited to preach at the Christmas banquet for the deaf at Grace Gospel. The last we heard, there were 72 in attendance and that gave me a good opportunity to share the Gospel with deaf from the Tri-State area, Portsmouth, Oh and Lexington, Ky. It was an exciting opportunity as the Lord blessed our time and we pray that some of the deaf might understand salvation clearly. No public decisions were made, but several deaf commented that they really understood the message. Thank the Lord for such a good opportunity.  Of course, Grace Gospel always does things right and gave a wonderful program and open hearts to all who attended.

       We also had a good time of chatting with a young lady from Mexican heritage who works near us. She was so excited to have us chatting with her in Spanish. We are praying for another chance to share the Gospel with her.

       We are traveling locally with many of our churches here and are looking forward to being with all of our supporters. We are so thankful for you who pray and support our efforts to reach the deaf. The church in Guadalajara is doing well, and continues to "stay by the stuff." We miss them, but realize we are in the ministry that the Lord has for us at the moment. 

       The church there is planning a big Christmas outreach followed by the 15th birthday of Ruth Irene, one of our "kids" who has spent her entire life in our church. Her parents attended when teenagers. Her mother knew no signs even though deaf, but soon began to catch on. It wasn't long until Ruth's dad noticed her mother and they began chatting. After a while, they were married in our church and later, along came Ruth Irene. She is now the assistant teacher in the children's class and will be celebrating her move into womanhood  in January. 

       We are praying for you and are asking the Lord to give you a wonderful Christmas and the hope for a prosperous (for the Lord) New Year as we all serve the Lord together. May God bless you.

For DEAF souls in Mexico,

Gary & Ann