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There are some things in life that happen and you just get floored. Pastor Leo Godzich, who I have had the privilege of meeting and conversing with on a few occasions, passed away in a car wreck on Thursday, October 27th while in Uganda. This man was an amazing man of god. I don't have the time to list all of the things, that I am aware of, that he did but they a many. He spoke into my life on numerous occasions and it stuck.

In 2005 I was blessed with a trip to Swaziland, Africa. The purpose of the trip was to share the Gospel through the Book of Hope, now One Hope. We visited schools and orphanages and presented skits followed by testimonials and gave each child a book of their very own. We also had the opportunity to visit a government hospital where there were those that were dying from aids. This trip was humbling and yet awesome at the same time.

The unique thing that was happening in me was the desire to come back to Africa and minister to marriages in a culture that is very very different than ours here in the US. Just prior to my trip, I had received a brochure from N.A.M.E. (National Association of Marriage Enhancement), spelling out the details of a trip that Pastor Leo was taking to Kampala, Uganda. He had been invited by Bishop John Michael Mugerwa to do the first ever outdoor stadium crusade for marriage. This was taking place at the exact time that I was in Swaziland. Since that time, the desire to minister to marriages in Africa has never left.

I went back to Africa in 2009 but this was also to work with One Hope as well as some pastors that I met in the US. I was invited to come back on several occasions but this door has not been opened yet. I am praying for God to open that door in the near future.

I truly believe, as did Pastor Leo Godzich, that a nation can be changed through biblical transformed marriages and families. I am praying for all of the hurting family and friends and all of the people who were touched by his life. Such a tragedy as this will bring greater things in the future if we allow God to turn the bad to good for His glory.

After meeting with Pastor Jim, Roberto and Pastor Alfredo, I am excited once again about the possibilities of missions to Mexico. Pastor Alfredo shared from his heart and also the things that have been happening where he ministers. There are plenty of opportunities but as usual we have to be led by the timing of the Lord as well as the "what" from the Lord. This year has been a year of reaching into our local community and as a pastor, you have to flow with the vision of the church as a whole. Good thing have been happening as well as many challenges both personally and at the church. I am praying that this year will hold many good changes regarding my family and ministries that I am involved in or leading. Regardless of where the Lord leads, Mexico, Africa, or in our local community, there are many lives waiting to be change by the power of God's Holy Spirit. Looking forward to the future to see what God is going to do.

Well it has been another good while since I last left a post. Christmas was busy as usual especially around the church. After the first of the year, I was planning another trip the Ensenada, Mexico but this had to be put on hold. Since then, you can see that the Lord's timing is just as important as His plan. The church that we were to do work at was flooded and the Pastor and his family had to move back to Valle De Guadalupe. But we will keep moving forward. There is plenty of work to be done in Guadalupe. His family is here and I am sure he will join in the ministry that is all ready taking place there. It is a little hard to communicate with these friends down there so planning is tough. We will, prayerfully, be able to put a trip for others to join us in the near future.

On another note, my good friend Jerry Northcutt just left for New Orleans for a month to help a pastor named Randy Millet. Pastor Randy was one of the only, if not the only, people left in the Saint Bernard Parish when Hurricane Katrina hit. Wow, what a work he has done and continues to do. When Jerry returns, he will be home for a month and then it is off to Africa for seven weeks. I was really hoping to join him on this trip for 3-4 weeks but I am unable to make it. Again, God's timing is important. This however is the second trip that has been planned for Africa that I have had to bow out of. It does get a little discouraging sometimes but I just have to wait on God. I trust I will have many more opportunities to go.

Most of you have probably heard of the tragic passing of one of God's finest, David Wilkerson. I am bummed but not just for that reason. You see, on the same day I found out that a friend of mine in Ghana, Africa passed away as well. Pastor Seth Eugene Mensah, from Accra , Ghana was the pastor of Overcomers Generation Church International. I had the great privilege of preaching there on a Wednesday evening in the fall of 09. This man was full of the fire of the holy Spirit. He will be missed.

Well, another fast weekend has come and gone. We picked up a trailer and headed to the boarder once again. On Friday morning, David, Gary, Danny and myself headed to Mexico. This time it was as a furniture moving company. Well, not as a company because companies make money. This was a freebie to help Pastor Ezekiel Garcia get his belongings to where he is living. We first headed to Mexicali. We had to meet Pastor Ezekiel so that he could take us to where he had lived, for a short period, so we could pick up the items that were left there. It was a little comical right from the beginning when he got us lost. This was not a big problem, because we were able to find it eventually. The hardest part was the fact that we had a super long truck, towing a super long trailer. We couldn't just make a u-turn anywhere, we had to sort of plan it out. Anyway we finally made it to the house and we were loaded and on the road in no time at all. Our destination was Ensenada but we had to travel from Mexicali to Tecate to Valle de Gaudalupe and then to Ensenada. The road from Mexicali to Tecate was a good road. It had a few tolls and a good sized mountain to climb but this was not a challenge. The only challenge on this stretch was when we were pulled over by what I would call the Mexican Highway Patrol. The didn't appear to be ordinary police or the feds. We were actually profiled. They saw a bunch of white guys traveling with a trailer full of stuff and I guess this peaked their interest. No harm, no foul, and we were on our way again. We finally made it to Tecate and made the turn toward Guadalupe. This was a challenge. The road was a mess. It appeared that they were going to widen this road from 2 lanes to 4 lanes. Instead of doing a section at a time, they made a mess of the entire road. We were traveling on our side and the other side of the road as well as being directed to many dirt roads that were not even part of the main road at all. Some of these stretches were barley wide enough for us to pass by the oncoming traffic. Even though it took a while, it was beautiful and we did finally make it. Once in Guadalupe, we had more furniture to pick up. Guadalupe is another place that Pastor Ezekiel and his family lived. We finally got loaded (after fixing a flat tire on the trailer) and we on our way again. We finally made it to Ensenada. By this time, it was dark and we were all hungry. We decide to stop at a grocery store to pick up some dinner items but we ended up buying a whole lot more. We pooled some money together and bought several items to stock up the kitchen of the Garcia's. We talk so much for granted. I have had my own financial struggles but I am rich in comparison to this family. This Pastor has uprooted his family to open a church that has been closed. He was not promised a salary or anything else. He simply responded to what God said to do. His wife makes approximately 240 tortillas daily to sell on the street. This is their only source of income right now. Well, we had great dinner that night and a good time visiting. We were all ready for bed shortly there after. There is nothing like a sleeping bag on a concrete floor. To make matters worse, we all snored so loud that none of us got much sleep. 6:30 came early but we had to get going. We had another great meal. Chorizo, eggs, potatoes and some of those homemade tortillas. Time to unload the trailer. This didn't take too long and it was nice to see that they were happy about getting some of their things back. The two girls got their bikes and they all got there beds. I could go on forever to describe what we did and how they live and how blessed we are. Now it is time to put a game plan together and really go and do some work. There is much to be done. It will take many hands and finances to accomplish what needs to be done. The physical needs are easy to see but the spiritual needs are great as well. God, help this to all come together. I will keep you posted.

I thought I better get caught back up...We had a great time in Mexico. We first set out for the border earlier on Friday and of course we got stopped going through. It seemed that we got stopped almost every time there a check point or toll booth. I guess that is OK because we had nothing to hide. There has been a little more tourism building up lately until last weekend. Two different places had some issues. Anyway, we first went to Valle de Guadalupe and met some interesting people. Chi Chi (spelling?) and his sister-in-law were extremely nice and they have a hunger for God that is awesome. They are in a valley that has the potential to reach 20,000 people for the Lord. We definitely have some possibilities there as they have a piece of property that they would like to build a church on. We will see how that pans out. Hopefully I will post a short video to show the property and surrounding area. After we finished in this first location, we then headed to Ensenada. We met up with Pastor Ezekiel and his family and then headed to there home. They have been placed in a church, on the outskirts of Ensenada, by the Assemlies of God. There is church building that has been closed and they have been sent to reopen it. It is not real large but it has a main room that is approximately 30' x 50'. the back part of the building is supposed to be for class rooms but for now is set up for their living area. The kitchen seems to OK and they have a washing machine that works but of course they don't have a dryer. They also don't have a working toilet or shower in the house. They have an outside restroom set up for the church with two stalls on each side and a common sink in the middle but only one of the stalls even works. Can you imagine that a family of five would have to use this in the rain or in the middle of the night. Man are we spoiled or what? We took some more video of this place as well. They are very optomistic in what the future holds for them and the neighborhood that they will affect. After talking with them and doing a little assessment, decided to take them all out for a sit down dinner. One of the guys made a statement after we werer done eating that it looked like they hadn't eaten in a while, they ate everything but the plate itself. Well, hopefully in a couple of weeks we will be return. this time we will start in Mexicali to pickup some of their belongings and then make our way to Valle De Guadalupe to pick up the remaining items that belong to them and finally deliver them to the church in Ensenada. I hope to be able to put a game plan together for a construction/outreach trip after the new year. There will be plenty to do and it will take plenty of willing people to get involved. Well that is it for now. Stay tuned and keep us all in prayer. We want to help this Pastor and his family to get well established and reach their community for Jesus!

I am excited to be leaving once again. Even though it is only for a couple of days, it will still be great. Heading to two different places. One is south of Ensenada and the other is east into the hills. There is a Pastor there I have been waiting a year to meet. It is finally going to happen. There is something to be said about the timing of the Lord. We, Gary, Danny and myself will be spying out the land so to speak. We will take video and access the repairs of a church that has been closed and now is being reopened. This is awesome! When we return, we will put a plan together so we can go back with a group. I am praying that many lives will be touched for the Kingdom! More to come latter. Pray for us.