Thursday, July 19, 2007

June 2007-20 Years of God At Work

Time For Celebration

On June the 3rd the Metropolitan congregation celebrated her 20 year anniversary. It was a great day of celebration and joy but also a little sad for those of us who have been there since the beginning. Seven families made that first journey so many years ago, and two of the seven families were there to see the end of that era. God has done marvelous things in spite of all of the trials and troubles that have come to so many of us. This will be the last post from Belinda Moore on the "Mexico City Mission Project" blog. A new generation of "Brave Hearts" are taking up the torch for Mexico City. Jacob and Amanda Henderson are now the visionaries for Mexico City, as well as the slaves of the "Pink House." That is sort of a joke, but then again not really.

Many changes have taken place since the beginning of this year. Ryan and Amanda Gray are now living in Newnan, Georgia. Their son Jaxon Kyle arrived 10 weeks early. Billy and I have moved to Playa Azul, Michoacán, located 15 minutes from Lázaro Cárdenas. There is a team already working here, and it is our hope that we will be able to help them in the dream of a beginning a mission and leadership training center for the Pacific Coast as well as other places in México and the world.



New Brothers and Sister/The Visión Marches On


The 3rd of June there were two baptisms during the celebration, and one week later another soul was added to the kingdom in the center. Last week Benito Juarez added another soul to the kingdom, and during the last two weeks four people were baptized in Lazaro Cardenas. Ivan Ponce De Leon also baptized his brother and sister-in-law. They live in Tanuato, Michoacán.


Family News

Billy is still in Lubbock, and I am at our home in Playa Azul. God continues to work in our lives.

Noah Eisenhower Henderson was born the 13th of June. He weighed in at 4lbs 12 ozs. Adah likes her little brother alot. Noah shares the same birthday as his cousin Landon Reed. Little Billy is expecting the arrival of his new brother in November. Madison and Landon both took swimming lesson at Texas Tech University. Madison is really a very good swimmer.






Thanks to all of you who have participated with me in this blog. I will be sending out a new one concerning our dreams and hope for the future from Lázaro Cárdenas/Playa Azul, Michoacán.
God's richest blessings on you all. Please continue to keep the Moore Family in your prayers.





Friday, April 13, 2007

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

A Good Friend

Greetings from Mexico. Billy and I hope this finds each of you blessed and comforted in the Lord. I just want to take a few lines in this blog to express our sadness due to the loss of our dear friend Dennis Merritt. Dennis was a good friend, a supporter of us and the work. He was tragically taken from his family and the church family at North Heights in an automobile accident some weeks ago. We desire to honor him and his family for their dedication to the Mexico City Mission Project and to us. May God richly bless and comfort his family.



Leadership Seminar
We were richly blessed by the attendance of so many for the leadership seminar. Benito Juarez was the host this time. Juan Pablo Yalaupari, Israel Campos and Jacob Henderson were the encouragers. The topic for discussion this time was the importance of integrity in all areas of our lives. Below are pictures of the meeting. You will also
find a short video in another post.





Celebration
20 Years! Can you believe it? It will be 20 years this June since six families and one single guy said yes to the call to work in Mexico City. On June 3rd we will be celebrating what God has done (in spite of of us)! I think I should write a book about then and now. No, maybe some of us should die before I do that. Maybe me! Just kidding. So if any of you are free and want to join in for this special Sunday just come on down. The Humbolt, Tlalpan, Cuajimalpa and Benito Juarez congregations are planning this event.

Lazaro Cardenas

Our work in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan has been going very well. We have been helping the team there in their new church plant for two months now. We travel back and forth to Mexico City as needed. Billy is doing the preaching in Spanish since none of the team members are at the level yet to do the preaching in Spanish. We also are working with the Gearhart family in their small group. The group is going very well with many Mexican visitors. We also have visitors each Sunday. It has been very refreshing, and we are excited with what the Lord is doing in Lazaro.


Family News
We have new news! God is blessing our family once again. Andrew and Jessica are going to have another child in November. We are so so blessed by our grandchildren. Amanda and Jacob's son will be born in June. We are planning a great family reunion for this event. Keep Amanda and baby Noah in your prayers . He is a little small right now.



Prayer Requests
Amanda and baby Noah's growth
Amanda Gray and her pregnancy
Jamie Rocha and her pregnancy
Lupita Partin and her pregnancy
The churches in Mexico City
The growth of the church in Lazaro Cardenas
The 20 year celebration on June 3rd

The music workshop next weekend
The leadership system for multiplying leaders
Our work in Mexico City and Lazaro Cardenas

May our God bless each one of you greatly, and may peace and good health be yours. Love Billy and Belinda Moore

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

News In 2007 From Mexico City

Vive la Visión

Life In Mexico
Last December we were traveling the highway from Laredo, Texas to Mexico City, and we had never seen so many semi-trucks in all of the years we have made this trip. It aroused my curiosity, so I did a little research and found this information that I thought very interesting. If you ever drive into this country it may prepare you for the onslaught of semi-trailers and doble-remolques (double trailers). NAFTA&Transportation: Impacts on the U.S.-Mexico Border "From 1995 to 1999, US-Mexico trade rose from $108 billion to nearly 200 billion;most of those goods were transported by truck. In all,cross-border truck traffic has soared by 170 % since NAFTA went into effect,with over 4.2 million truck crossings in 1999 alone, and there in is no end in sight. There are 25 ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border that commercial vehicle traffic, but 7 of these ports carry 91% of the cross-border truck traffic." Laredo,Texas and Otay Mesa, California are the busiest. Total crossings from Laredo into Mexico in 1999 were 1,340,653." Anyway, you get the point...traffic is on the rise on highway 59 out of Nuevo Laredo to Mexico City.


Leadership Training Seminar
On January 20th, the Tierra Firme congregation in Tlalpan hosted the ongoing training seminars for the leaders in the various churches. It was well attended, and the guys from the South did a great job. They provided several information packets that are very informative. It is so important that we begin to mentor and multiply ourselves so that God can continue to use us in wonderful ways. The next meeting is March 31st and the Benito Juarez congregation will host the reunion.


Adventures In Missions Cultural Experience In Mexico
At the beginning of every year, for at least the past fifteen years, the program that trains mission apprentices (AIM) makes its annual trip to Mexico City to learn about adapting to a new culture. Ninety-two came from Lubbock, and with the guides and guests from here in the city we had close to or over one-hundred in the Pink House. We served breakfast to all these people every morning. Four-hundred eggs were cracked, swirled and cooked in various forms. Fifteen gallons of yoghurt were eaten, and I cut more fruit than I can remember ever cutting. It was good, and no one became sick, and as far as I know there were no undesireable events on the metro or buses. The first picture is of the Adventures in Missions class, and the second one is a group from Paducah, Kentucky that accompanied them.


Baptism In Cuauhtémoc
Pilar Araiza Cárdenas was baptized last week in the Cuáuhtmoc congregation. She has been attending for sometime with her sister Rosalina.
Pan de La Vida
Pedro is still working on the plans for the soup kitchen. He is also taking a course in a culinary school, preparing himself to be a chef so that he can efficiently run the kitchen. His groups are doing well.
Church Planting in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan
The church in Lazaro is about to open its doors to the public the first of March. Billy and I are here to aid them with the beginning. Billy will be preaching in Spanish. Please pray that God shows his power in Lazaro and that this is the beginnings for a movement of church plantings up and down the Pacific coast.



Congratulations to the Grays!

For those of you who are not aware of this marvelous news let me be the first one to tell you. Amanda and Ryan Gray are going to be new parents in October. She is pregnant. God is the giver of the best gifts. After 7 years of disappointment and finally giving up on the idea of having a child of their own...see what God has done for them! They will be returning to the states in June. Their plans are to return in the future and begin a new work in some other area of Mexico.

Family News
Well, I am one year older. We had an evangelistic event to celebrate my birthday. This is the last time I plan to do this. Thanks to Billy, Jacob, Amanda, Vero and her sons it was a great success but we were all tired to the bone when it was over. Approximately 40 people came.

Little Billy is one year old (born on my birthday) and Amanda is doing well in her pregnanc. Landon is growing taller all the time and Madison was 8 in January. Adah is excited about her baby brother and chocolate.







Prayer Request
  • The seminar for the leadership next month
  • The churches in Mexico
  • The beginning of the Spanish worship in Lazaro Cardenas
  • Safe travel for the Henderson's and the birth of baby Noah
  • The annual music seminar in April
  • Future plans and vision for the Pink House
  • Pan de La Vida... a sponsor for the soup kitchen
  • Stefanie Ponce de Leon's health
  • Future plans and changes for Billy and Belinda
  • For the expecting moms: Jamie Rocha, Carolyn Brednich, Amanda Gray, Lupita Partin and Amanda Henderson

Monday, December 18, 2006

Vive La Visión-Madness In December

I know that this is a rather long blog this time, but please take the time to read the part in particular about the new president and his difficult job.

Greetings from Mexico City. This place has gone crazy. People are wild in the stores and on the streets. We tried to go to Sam's on Saturday, and the line to get in the parking lot was horrific. So we opted for another store. Saturday night was our annual Posada. We were blessed with lots of visitors. We enjoyed Ponche (a hot drink made from lots of different fruits) and the usual Piñata.


Life In the City
We have a new president, Felipe Calderon, but his taking of office has not been without problems. The excerpts below were taken from El Universal (a local newspaper) from the December 1st issue.
"Felipe Calderón takes office Friday as one of Mexico´s weakest presidents, hemmed in by ruthless drug lords, industry monopolists, tax cheats and a bare-knuckled left-leaning opposition movement that threatens to block his every move.
Calderón´s only chance of fixing the shopping list of social and economic ills plaguing Mexico is with a cooperative, well-managed Congress. . .
Before Fox, presidents cut their political deals behind closed doors before even taking office. In public, they were the nation´s undisputed leader.
But Mexico´s emerging democracy is fragmented among three major parties and special interests such as traffickers, industrialists, unions and leftists. Proposed reforms can be easily derailed by any of them. Leading the country will require a masterful politician, say analysts, and Calderón has yet to show that kind of skill. . .
The new president has set three main goals: create jobs and reduce crime and poverty. Achieving them would be difficult under the best of circumstances, starting with the war over drug smuggling routes along the U.S.-Mexico border that has spread nationwide.
'There have been 2,000 deaths this year in a drug war, and because of that there are parts of the country that you can´t even enter,' said Daniel Lund, a Mexico City-based pollster and political consultant.

The fight against narco-traffickers will require years, lives and a lot of money, said Calderón, 'but it´s a battle that we will win.' Others are not so sure. The enormous sums generated by illegal drugs have compromised Mexican law enforcement, from street cops to elite special forces, judges and generals.
One of Calderón´s first big-ticket proposals will be to simplify the tax code and lower rates to prompt Mexicans to pay. Rampant tax evasion and lax enforcement has left the government dependent on oil revenues to keep the country afloat.
Another Herculean task for Calderón will be dealing with Mexico´s billionaires, whose net worth equals an estimated 6 percent of the nation´s GDP. A handful of families, for example, control most of the country´s telecommunications, beverage sales and construction materials.
Market inefficiencies from this lack of competition are costing Mexico jobs and money, say experts, and deepening the divide between a tiny rich minority and the estimated 50 million people living in poverty.
But Calderón kept mum earlier this year when Congress approved a controversial overhaul of broadcasting laws that will be a windfall to two families who own 94 percent of Mexico´s TV stations."

The reason that I have included this article is so that you will earnestly pray for this country.

Church News
October the 31st Alejandro Videgaray was baptized. He has been a part of the group that meets in Jacob and Amanda Henderson's home. Alejandro is the one in the red shirt.



Also in October, Juan Pablo, our personal doctor, brought flu shots to the Benito Juárez congregation. Most people had a slight cold after the injection. Juan Pablo's work in the clinic along with Pedro Marin continues to serve the public.

Leadership/Mentoring/Multiplication
On October the 28th, the 3rd meeting with leadership from various congregations (Mexico City and Cuernavaca) took place. As reported before, the purpose of these reunions is to discuss the development of a new leadership training system. The first time together the focus was on the need for a leadership system. The second meeting we devoted to the "how to's" and the tools that are at our disposal for developing the system. Our third time together the focus was on the life and ministry of Jesus; he being the master mentor and leadership trainer. Please keep this endeavor in your prayers. The next meeting is scheduled for January 20, 2007.

Small Group News
The small group communities continue to do well except for the one here in the Pink House. The Henderson's group is blessed with fruit and a new brother. Vero's group is doing well also. They continue to have steady members who are showing more and more interest in knowing Jesus. Outside of her apartment is one of the "Santa de La Muerte" icons that I reported on the last time. She lives in a difficult area. The group that Juan Pablo and the Grays work with is still intact and showing some positive growth. The group that meets in Ecatepec has also been struggling as of late. This business of being involved in people's lives is sometimes very hard. I have just been wondering why they don't want to know about Jesus. He is so good for us.

Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico
In November Billy was scheduled to do a Boot Camp Training Seminar in Monclova, Coahuila Mexico, but he was unable to make it. He, therefore, enlisted Jacob Henderson and Lalo Rocha to do it for him. We have had heard good things about the work these two did. When you know that you have multiplied yourself and others can carry on what you have taught them to do, you realize that all the hard work has been worth it.

Prayer Requests
Please pray for the following:


  • The leadership of our new president, Felipe Calderón
  • That we all live in the presence, power, and purpose of Jesus
  • The spiritual growth of the Benito Juárez congregation
  • The growth and multiplication of the small groups
  • The protection of our family and friends from the evilness that is so prevalent
  • Peace in the Middle East

Family

God continues to bless our family. For those of you that don't know we are expecting another addition to the clan. Amanda is pregnant, and this child is due in June. Adah is excited to be a big sissy. Little Billy is beginning to walk. He will be one in February. Madison will be 8 in January and is into gymnastics at the present. Our Landon is a joy. He loves to wrestle, or as we call it "rough up."

This is us with the kids in Lubbock, and in the other photo Adah is drawing. She has gone to her right brain and doesn't know we are in the room.

Blessings to you and may your lives be richly blessed in 2007.
Billy and Belinda Moore

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Vive La Vision

This is a note about why it has taken me soooo long to do this a second time. My computer is very sick and the doctor is not sure it is going to get well. So I have been learning to work Billy's as well as this blog thing and have had a few other set backs as well. Just for your information... for all of you bloggers who have upgraded to the beta version and now can't upload you photos from Picasa or your computer there is hope. Drop me a line and I well tell you about it and save you from hours of torment, frustation and anxiety.
Blessings to all. "Vive La Vision"


Vive La Visión
Mexico City Mission Project
Billy and Belinda Moore Newsletter
September 12, 2006

Life in the City

I n the last year I have become aware of a icon that I had never noticed before. It is the Santa Muerte or Saint of Death who calls upon her followers to venerate death. In recent years the movement has rapidly begun to expand from the mountain villages to major cities in Mexico. The followers of this cult range from drug traffickers, thieves, police, actors, entrepreneurs and people from the darker side of life.
On the thirteenth evening of every month her followers gather at the altars to leave offerings and pay their respect to the icon. The worshippers have faith in her believing that she walks with them and does favors for them.
This movement is not new. For decades this religion has been underground. As Mexico has moved into democracy and the freedom of expression people have come out into the open.
The leader of this movement says there are at least one million members of this cult. He states that the reason for this explosion in growth is that people are disillusioned with the Catholic Church. One catholic priest from the barrio of Tepito says the same thing, “People are looking for comfort, but sometimes we don’t have the time or interest to go out and attend to these people…now death is being converted into another god. Our barrio does not believe in the government. People do not believe in the church. Here, people believe in death.”



The Answer to the Problem

Jesus is the answer to the sickness, and to be able to reach all of these people we need more full-time workers. People are looking for comfort; people are disillusioned, and people are abandoned. So I ardently ask you to pray for more workers for this city. We were in a part of the city yesterday that we have never been to before, and our hearts were made heavy. There are so many people and we are so few.

There is a couple coming from Tyler, Texas the 9th of this month for a week. The purpose of this trip is to check out the possibility of coming and participating in an internship with us. Also Allen and Jamie Lane are still looking for a sponsor and support to do the same with us next year.


Visitors from the day in the Park

Remember the Carnival that we had in the park during the month of June (see last months report)? We had an evangelistic event here in the Pink House in July and invited those folks who registered at the Carnival. We divided the names among the members at Benito Juarez, and they did all of the calling and inviting. It was really cool. Fourteen adults and thirteen children plus our people were entertained by a really great clown, 100 hot dogs were eaten, and a piñata broken. We shared with them a short video about whom we are and why we are here. The day ended with singing and a prayer. It is our hope that some day in the near future we will be able to send someone to the area where they live and open new groups.




Leadership Forum

The first of July we began a series of meetings with the purpose of developing a system for training leaders. Billy sent out a questionnaire several months earlier asking specific questions as to what is needed to multiply our leaders into the 3rd and 4th generation and beyond. We have been greatly encouraged by the response that has come from our brothers and sisters in the congregations. The 2nd of September will be the second meeting. This group of 25 people is taking seriously this responsibility of providing the leadership necessary to see that the Vision is carried on into the future.

The Intricate Workings of God

God is so amazing in how he brings people together. Darin Martin who is a member of the singing group “Free Indeed’ and also a member of our sponsoring congregation was in Louisiana recently. He stayed with a family that lost everything in the Katrina Hurricane, and the dad has family in Mexico City. The dad’s name is Jose, and he has been trying to study with his parents over the phone. During Darin’s stay with him they found out about us and the work here in Mexico City. Darin wrote and asked if it would be okay if he gave them our telephone number. Great! No problem! So two weeks ago the son from Louisiana called and gave us the information. We went to see the family and take them Bibles. It was a pleasant time, and they are interested in knowing more about Jesus. As with all new opportunities we have had recently, they live very far from any of our members and congregations. Please pray that God gives wisdom as to how best to work with this family.
New Sisters and Brother

God has blessed one of the groups that Pedro Marin works with fruit. Esther, Anayeli and Victor are family, and all recently gave their lives to Jesus. The first photo is the mom, Esther and the second is Pedro and Filadelfo about to pray with Anayeli and Victor after their baptism.



Our Family

The Moore Clan continues to be blessed. I am including several pictures of our kids and their families. Brian, Amberlee, Madison, and Landon live in Lubbock.
Madison is seven, and Landon turned one this summer. He just started walking and moves like a bulldozer. Andrew, Jessica and little Billy are doing great. They also live in Lubbock. He continues his studies and working. Jessica keeps Landon for Brian and Amberlee. She now has her green card. Jacob Amanda and Adah are also doing very well except for the fact that they need more support.


God bless you all. Billy and Belinda Moore