Attempt and Expect GREAT Things from God

We had a great day out soul-winning today.  We made several contacts and are expecting great things from The Lord tomorrow.  We started soul-winning in a new neighborhood, which means we were very kind, full of smiles, handed out tracts house to house, and looked for opportunities to share The Gospel and lead people to Christ.  The next time we will be just as friendly, but be more insistent on sharing The Gospel, and along with the tract we will give a John/Romans.  The third time we go with our faces set, just as friendly, but giving one more opportunity to either accept or reject The Gospel.  After these three times, we continue visiting the prospects, leading people to Christ from that list, and trying to make more contacts/prospects but not door to door.  We continue in this way until God moves us to the next neighborhood.  Sometimes, this entire process takes a few weeks or in the case of the last neighborhood we just moved from, nearly 4 months (nearly 300 families).

At any rate, in spite of our kidnapping threats and the sporadic shootings, robberies, public beatings and general violence, we're still attempting great things for God and expecting GREATER things from God.

No time to lose!  We're still praying/planning/preparing for the peace march, hopefully to have it the end of this month.  We are also getting ready for the Harvest Festival on October 23rd...the people from church are pumped up and excited to have goals and things to do.

Please continue to pray God will allow us to bring salvation closer to the wicked, no matter what the means.  Philippians 1:20 "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death."  Why?  Philippians 1:21 "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

God help us through our prayers and yours to be true to our desires and faithful to our task.

Prayer Request Update

After praying and speaking with my pastor and several other folks on both sides of the border, I felt it expedient to send Erika and the kids to my mother in law’s house for at least the afternoon.  After more prayer, I decided to chisel off the address sign we have hung on the front wall.  There are no other street signs that indicate what the name of our street is, anywhere, so it would be the only indication of our address.  My pastor specifically prayed that if someone would come to do us harm, they would be confused and not be able to find our home.  So, I felt like I needed to do my best to help them be confused!

Erika and the kids returned last night before church and stayed the night.  The night was very uneventful, not even the dogs woke up for anything!

I counseled with several friends, both American and Mexican, and I and my family feel at peace that the men that called only wanted to scare us into listening long enough to tell us a bank account number to make deposits for “protection.”  In reality, they probably wouldn’t come to the house if unsuccessful in extorting money from us, but daily prayer and consecration will definitely help keep that reality.

We attribute the prayers of hundreds of folks that had compassion on us to our present state of safety and security, and more than anything “the peace of God.”

Thank you to all those of the many churches that have prayed for us since this time yesterday.  God answered in protection according to those prayers of faith.

Please continue to pray for us, more than anything for us to stay safe in order to bring God’s peace to this war-ravaged but beloved country of Mexico.

~Chris Lanier
Missionary to Arteaga, Mexico
(256) 797-2546
cclanier@gmail.com
missionarychrislanier.blogspot.com

Urgent Prayer Request

We received 2 phone calls in our home this afternoon while I was studying, both threatening.  The last conversation ended with the caller telling me “If you hang up I will come to get you.”  Well, they would come get me if I hung up or not.  They had already recited to me our names, address and obviously had our phone #, and not wanting to continue the conversation, I hung up.

After trying to dispel the worries of my wife, I called my Pastor to ask for prayer.  Then I called my parents, then a few others that I knew I could count on to pray.  After talking again with my wife and praying, I called my mother in law to come get Erika and the kids to stay there for the afternoon until church tonight.

I believe this is a tactic of the devil to scare us away.  It won’t work.  That’s why I stayed and why I will stay.  God put us here to get people saved and to bring salvation closer to the wicked, such as this man.  A man got saved in our house last night after coming to study the Bible.  People are getting saved, right with God, making positive decisions for God and I declare, as Nehemiah “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it...?”  I say with the Psalmist in 56:3 “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”

Please pray for God’s will to be done, and that whatever the outcome, I will bring salvation closer to the wicked (Psalm 119:155).

~Chris Lanier
Missionary to Arteaga, Mexico
(256) 797-2546
cclanier@gmail.com
missionarychrislanier.blogspot.com

Meeting with the Mayor

Everything went very well!  We arrived to find out that the mayor wasn't there, nor does he entertain folks for appointments (how weird...).  However, we had a great time handing out tracts and talking to people there in the offices about Christ and inviting them to church.  Also, we got all of the information necessary to apply for permission to have the "March for Peace," and they told me all I had to do was turn in a written request and I could even have police protection.  Why would I want the police when they're promoting the violence, drugs and instability??  Of course I didn't tell them that but I graciously thanked them for their time.

Very importantly, a man from our church named Fidel went with me to the mayor's office and helped me around.  We went to eat a light breakfast afterwards and had a great time of fellowship and handing out tracts in the restaurant.  After eating, he wanted me to meet his parents (very staunch catholics).  It was very tense and uncomfortable so I tried to be very joyful and light-hearted so I would have an opportunity later to share the Gospel with them (after a good season of prayer).

God's so good to us.  We can't wait to see what God's going to do in the next few weeks with this "March for Peace!"

Marcha Por La Paz

Tomorrow I plan on meeting with the mayor of Arteaga (our town) to talk about having a "Peace March."  My idea is simply to draw attention to the need of having Christ in order to have peace--but having a march with posters, songs, and passing out of tracts.

A man from the church (Fidel) plans on going with me which is a huge blessing.  Having support from a national will be a tremendous help, and besides, Fidel says he knows the mayor and is his friend.  We'll see!

Please pray the mayor doesn't give us a hard time and that he will participate with us.