The convention last week was one of the best ones in the history of the Mexican Lutheran Church (see entry here to learn more about what goes on at conventions).

Excitement filled the air as pastors shared statistics from their congregations. They tallied up the numbers, and realized that the Mexican Lutheran Church has grown significantly during the last year. Here are some of the stats they found:

- During the last year 92 people have been confirmed throughout Mexico

- Overall, the number of baptized members in the Mexican Lutheran Church increased by 20 percent in he last 18 months.

- Two congregations have had an immmense number of visitors. El Redentor (Redeemer) in Torreon and Cristo Resucitado (Resurrected Christ) in Juarez together have had over 1,000 visitors walk through their doors during the last 12 months.

What’s the reason for the growth? We have more Mexican pastors than ever before, so the increase in manpower has helped get the message out. Many of our pastors are very evangelism-minded. But most of all, it is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in our congregations.

The pastors left the convention feeling recharged. They are eager to get back to work spreading the Gospel!

My husband Jason and I recently traveled to the U.S. for some presentations, meetings, and the opportunity to attend the LWMS rally that was held in Tucson, AZ.  We just returned to Zambia on the 10th of July after traveling to 5 different states, sleeping in 11 different beds, and meeting hundreds of different people.  It was quite an eventful trip.

We were able to travel to sunny San Diego and visit with the chairman of the ACA (Administrative Committee for Africa) and give a presentation at his church there.  We spent some time in the rainy and somewhat flooded Midwest, meeting with many WELS pastors, Board for World Missions office staff, and were able to see our families who both live in Wisconsin.  Jason was also able to attend a week of summer quarter at the seminary in Mequon.  We also had the chance to be in Minneapolis, MN to visit friends and for Jason to take some continuing education courses in Public Health at the University of MN.  The last part of our trip was traveling to the parched land of Arizona for the LWMS convention.

Visiting Arizona was a great experience and reminded us of all the amazing work God has done and is doing throughout the world.  We saw the beauty of his marvelous creation in Sedona and the Grand Canyon before the convention began.  We met many other men and women who travel all over the world to bring the message of God’s saving grace to all people.  We also were encouraged by the LWMS and their support of world missions.  Their enthusiasm and great support for WELS world missions is uplifting and we thank the Lord for putting his Spirit into the hearts of these many women who are part of the LWMS.  Standing in front of the large assembly one afternoon before presenting, and then later when we were called up as missionaries, we felt like celebrities.  We stood in the bright lights of the stage as people flocked to the front to take our picture.  It is a great thing when the Lord has put such a fire into women and men to support the spreading of the gospel.

Overall, we had a wonderful trip and were able to share about the mission and life in Zambia, as well as be encouraged and uplifted by the many people who support us and world missions.

It’s that time again…once a year, pastors and lay leaders in the Mexican Lutheran Church hold a national convention. This year it will be held at the church Cordero de Dios (Lamb of God*) here in Torreón.

The pastors and lay leaders will use their time together for a number of things. They will look at doctrinal essays, deal with business-related issues, and plan where they want the church to go in the future.

The official name of the Mexican Lutheran Church is the IELC, which stands for Iglesia Evangelica Luterana Confesional (Evangelical Lutheran Confessional Church). The IELC operates in a similar way as the WELS, but on a much smaller scale. It has pastors, congregations, a synodical president, and board of directors. The board of directors is pictured above. From left to right you’ll find: Pastor Mario Dominguez, secretary; Pastor Israel Rodriguez, member-at-large; Señor Jesus Vega, president; Señor Memo Cruz, member-at-large; and Pastor Eduardo Vazquez, treasurer.

Conventions are almost always an exciting time. Pastors are very spread out in Mexico (learn more here), so the chance to see each other is wonderful. They share stories, encourage one other, and get ready to tackle the work before them with renewed energy.

This year’s convention will start Thursday, July 17, with an opening service. The men will meet all day Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, during the closing service, seminary student Alejandro Sanchez will graduate. This will be a huge highlight! Alejandro’s graduation will bring the total number of Mexican pastors to seven. We are thankful for every one of them!

*The Lamb of God congregation was previously called Jesus Bread of Life.

Last week we had a great break from the hot Torreon sun. On Wednesday afternoon and evening, they sky grew cloudy and the wind picked up. Then it started raining! It rained on and off for the next three days. The temperature cooled down considerably with the rain.

This was the first time it had rained for a long stretch of time since October. Needless to say, we were extremely excited.

Torreon is not well equipped to handle rain, so some of the streets by our house flooded. A good chunk of the plaster on our ceiling fell off, too, which it usually does when it rains. But all of this was well worth getting to watch the rain and enjoy the cool weather. Trinity liked it so much she sat right down in a puddle to play!

The members of the congregation El Buen Pastor (The Good Shepherd) in Guadalupe have good news to share. On June 1st, they moved into a new place to hold worship services in.

Before, the members had rented a place in a different neighborhood. But as Pastor Eduardo Vazquez (pictured above) notes, “Our previous location was in an older neighborhood. Our new place is in one with plenty of children and families.”

This change has other advantages as well. The congregation is currently renting the new building. The owner, however, has given them the option to buy it. They hope to purchase it in the near future, and have a place to call their own.

Guadalupe is a suburb of Monterrey, located just a few hours south of the Texas border. The church there started out as a daughter congregation of La Santa Cruz (Holy Cross) in Monterrey. Over the years, the Good Shepherd has grown to 47 members. “With the move, we hope that even more will come to hear the good news,” says Pastor Vazquez.

Members are working hard to remodel and fix up the new location. They plan to have an official dedication service for it on August 3rd. Missionary Mike Hartman will go to Guadalupe to preach for the special occasion. It will be a time to give thanks for the new building, and to look into the future.