October Newsletter
October 23,
2023
I will sing of
the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness
to all generations.
Dear Praying Friends,
We are so thankful to be able to be home for furlough this year and have been in over twelve church meetings since arriving. It is so good to see how God brought His churches through the tough times of the pandemic and is slowly rebuilding those ministries as well as ours. Our God is always faithful.
Casey, Ann’s mother, is doing well with good days and days less joyful. She completed pin-point radiation and will have to wait a total of three months to see how effective it was towards the tumor. She had hesitated in going ahead with the treatment, but decided she should try to see if that would at least slow down the growth. She able to take care of her personal needs, but does need help with any extra care and at times is less stable on her feet. Overall, everyone is pleased with her durability and peace of mind.
September 16, was the celebration of the country’s independence in Mexico. Our church, through several of the deaf along with Cheyenne’s encouragement, invited deaf we had not seen for a long time. There was a minimum of 54 deaf there to celebrate. Our deaf really pushed ahead with their own ability to carry out the plans, because Cheyenne awoke to find Ethan would not be able to go to church because of illness. She was heartbroken after all of the hours of labor she put in at church, but it proved to the deaf that with preparation and involvement, THEY COULD do it all by themselves. Since day one of the ministry, we have always made them the leaders and the center of attention, but many have stayed in the background and let a few do it. When all of the plans went awry, they HAD to complete the day by themselves. Praise the Lord for such good results.
We have met several new Deaf friends already and have not yet been in a church with a Deaf ministry. From past searches, we know that there are fewer Deaf than we knew of before, but there will always be Deaf in nearly every area. Our heart and lives are and have been centered around the Deaf community, so we are always excited to be with new friends.
Please continue to pray for the Lord’s ministry in Guadalajara. The leader does not feel called into the ministry because he is responsible completely for maintaining the family business (not only his own family but his parents and one brother). Many of the deaf have studied at different times in our Bible Institute, but do not feel capable of keeping the work going. We need strong leaders. Pray, please.
Please also pray for protection on the highways as the next few months will involve travel across many states on the eastern seaboard. Above all, pray that we will be a blessing to them. Also pray for the blessing of God as we travel to our “home” church in Andalusia, Illinois. We have not yet seen these folks; they have been our family for fifty years and the reason we continue to serve the Lord by their example.
Thank you for caring, praying and supporting the ministry.
For DEAF souls in Mexico,
Gary & Ann Layne
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