January, 2018

January 1, 2018

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

The new year is here and we should start it out right, but how? The Apostle Paul wrote, “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead...” (Philippians 3:13), to which I would add, forgiving what is past. Unforgiveness becomes a tremendous weight that keeps us from moving forward into what God desires for us.

I am reminded of the story from Genesis 27 where Jacob stole Esau’s blessing and, “Esau bore a grudge against Jacob,” planning to kill him the next time they met. For twenty years Jacob lived in fear. For twenty years Esau bided his time. When the moment arrived, Jacob saw his brother coming with 400 men, but instead of raising a battle cry, Esau ran to his traitorous brother, embraced him, kissed him, and the two of them wept together. I’m sure they wept with a surprised joy, but also probably tears of sorrow over what had been lost the last twenty years.

In Acts 15 a dispute arose between Paul an Barnabas over whether John Mark could go with them on a missionary trip. It was so hot that the two men of God parted ways, Paul having nothing to do with Mark, while Barnabas took him alongside. Years later, toward the end of his life, Paul wrote to Timothy and said, “Do diligence to come to me shortly. Take Mark and bring him with you, he is profitable to me for ministry.” We don’t know if there were tears shed at that reunion, but there was forgiveness given from both sides.

We all have encountered strained relationships and hard feelings. I for one refuse to carry them into 2018. Instead, I choose to heed some other words from Paul: “Old things are based away, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5.17). We are new in Christ. All things are new. And it is good to revisit this newness that is ours as we approach the beginning of a new year.

Speaking of new - the new church and ministry center in Tuxtapec is moving forward beautifully, and we plan to have the roof on sometime this month (check out the pictures on the flip side). Thank you so much for joining with us in making this new phase of ministry a reality.

Happy New Year, and God bless you all,

Larry

December, 2017

November 13, 2017

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

Greetings from a little yellow tent in Tuxtepec, Oaxaca. I suppose I could stay in a hotel, but the core team of workers here have traveled from Tuxtla, Chiapas, leaving behind their friends and families, and are camping in a small run down building on the church property. They’ve been here since September, and I am with them the entire month of November. My plan is to spend most of 2018 in this same spot.

In Exodus 32, God was so put out with his people because of their idolatry and stubbornness that he wanted to destroy them. Moses intervened and begged God to turn from his burning anger, change his mind, and save the people. The Lord relented when Moses stood between God and Israel, willing to sacrifice his life if need be. The need was greater than the sacrifice.

I sat in a one room shack and held the hand of a frail, dying woman. She had paid two witch doctors to heal her but only grew worse. I had been on the road for three days and was tired, hungry and dirty, but the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “You will have another day to eat, sleep and rest. This woman will not have another day to live.” Her need was greater than my sacrifice. I prayed for her and later found that she had fully recovered and as a result her entire family had given their lives to the Lord and had been baptized.

As we enter this holiday season, let us be sensitive to the Spirit of God speaking in our hearts, and let us care for the needs of others - sometimes their need is greater than our sacrifice.

God bless you all,

Larry

November, 2017

November 9, 2017

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

Greetings in the love of Jesus our Lord. October was a very busy month for me and the ministry, and November promises to be active too. In October I was in Tuxtepec, Oaxaca with a group of 20 men from McKinney, TX who worked hard on the foundation of the new ministry center there. I also made a trip to Chiapas to survey the earthquake damage, and met up with a church group from Missouri who helped build a new mission church there.

I’m taking the space of this newsletter to share with you an encouraging message I received from LaNell Miller from Church on the Rock, Texarkana. Her words were a great comfort to me

I have seen one of the largest Banyan trees in the U.S. in Maui. It spreads out wider and wider. It looks like many trees, but it is all one tree. It’s branches put down roots, but the branch is still connected to the main tree. The largest Banyan tree is in India and it spreads out over almost 2 hectares (or 4.67 acres). The Great Banyan looks more like a forest than an individual tree. Another Interesting fact that I learned this morning about the Banyan tree. The largest tree in India now survives without its main trunk, which decayed and had to be removed in 1925.

God says that you have been like this Banyan tree and have cared well for the churches and people that I have put in your heart. You have insured that they were healthy and you have provided for them. And God wants you to know that because these churches have put down roots and have become solid and strong, that even when you are no longer able to care for them they will continue to grow strong and branch out and put down more roots. You have taught them well. You have done your job exactly the way I have led you. And you can be assured that this ministry will continue even after you are no longer able to come and go because they have put down roots and will continue to grow strong.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/MexicoMinistries/ for a short video about the Banyan tree.

God bless you all,

Larry

October, 2017

October 27, 2017

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

Why in the world would an 80 year old man start a fresh venture like planning and building a new ministry headquarters for the Tuxtapec, Oaxaca region of Mexico? I have been asked that question a time or two and I know people have thought it more than they have asked it. “Shouldn’t you slow down and rest and enjoy what you have already accomplished?”

I suppose I could give a dozen different answers to that question - a dozen reasons to stay in the game and not sit on the sideline. But the answer that burns in my heart right now is, “I do it for the sake of the children.” Beyond the mountains in Oaxaca lie the valleys scattered with villages where families live; men, women, and children who know nothing of the great love of God. Those towns are home to children who have never been to Sunday School or Vacation Bible School, who have never sung, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world…” It is important to reach the present generation with the Gospel, but reaching the next generation is where the real transformation happens. We do it for the sake of the children. Those children will grow up formed in Christ and knowing and sharing the Good News of Jesus. Those children will be the ones who make a difference long after I am out of the picture.

There is a story in Exodus and Numbers where the people of Israel refused to enter the Promised Land out of cowardice, but they used their children as an excuse for not crossing the Jordan. Sadly, that generation died in the wilderness and it was their very children who crossed over forty years later. We are determined to not make that same mistake. We are committed to going forward for the sake of the children.

Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to me: for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these (Mt. 19.14). And, please don’t forget, that there was that one old man, Caleb, who also entered Canaan at the age of 85. So, I still have five years to catch up with him. Now is not the time to stop. Now is the time to move forward. For the sake of the children.

God bless you all,

Larry

September, 2017

October 27, 2017

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

Well, July and August have been whirlwind months and September promises to be one too. I flew to Chiapas and then drove to Oaxaca where we spent a couple of days checking the progress of the Tuxtepec project, and I am pleased to announce that things are moving smoothly and quickly, and construction work should begin the first week of October! In the meantime, I have been overseeing the completion of two new mission churches in the mountains of Chiapas.

On July 30, I celebrated my 80th birthday, so I am now officially approaching being an old man! In the last six years I have had back surgery, knee surgery, a stroke, and several subsequent spells related to that stroke, so clearly I can’t do the physical work I could when I began this missionary work in my early 40’s. But my heart, mind, and compassion are as strong - no, stronger - than when I first began. And, so, I enter my ninth decade of life with a sense of purpose and vision rather than resignation and retirement.

The people in Mexico are telling me they don’t need my physical abilities, they need my mind and my wallet! “Tell us what to do and when to do it, and provide the resources, and we will get it done for you.” And, from the other side (supporters in the U.S), I received a text from a partner wishing me a happy birthday and saying, “Be encouraged! 80, 90, or 100, I’m with you and Mexico Ministries!”

And these two comments, from the two sides of the Rio Grande, make a point for me. I have never claimed to be a lone ranger, out doing mighty exploits on my own. It isn’t about what I am doing, but about what we are doing. The work of the Kingdom of God is teamwork, not a solo performance. And, until the Lord calls me home I intend to stay out on the field, playing my part with the rest of the team. I will continue to be the conduit through which so many in the U.S. bless so many in Mexico. We aren’t changing anything; as the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

For much of the rest of the year I will be in Oaxaca working on the new “mother church” there. Thank you for standing with me all these many years. Here’s to many more to come!

God bless you all,

Larry

August, 2017

August 11, 2017

“I Must Be About My Father’s Business.”

-Jesus, Luke 2.49

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

Greetings, friends. I returned on July 4 from a seven day vacation with Mary Lou and my granddaughter, Bailey. Four days later I was in Atoyac, near Acapulco, being about my Father’s business. I was needed in Atoyac to pray for and minister to the sick, and to encourage the church there. I returned home in time to celebrate Mary Lou’s and my birthdays, and next week I will be back in Chiapas, once again being about my Father’s business. While there, we will put the finishing touches on a new church building, and on the 7th a group from Louisiana will arrive and we will build another mission church. Right after that I will return to the states and minister in Texarkana, then Labor Day Weekend we will be at Family Life Church in Lafayette, Louisiana, then visit other churches and pastors before returning to Mexico to celebrate the quinceanera for Pastor Moises daughter.

But wait! There’s more! After the Mexico trip I will travel to Florida to celebrate a wedding, then return to Mexico the second week of October to build another mission church with a group from Springfield, Missouri. The rest of the year I will be in the state of Oaxaca, working on the new headquarters there. Not a bad way to begin my 81st year on earth. Yes, it is a busy schedule, but the focus really is to be about our Father’s business.

Obviously I’m not the first, nor will I be the last, to be concerned about the business of the Lord. Isaiah wrote, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’” Isaiah responded, “Here am I, send me” (Is. 6.8). In Acts 13.2, while the prophets and elders were in the middle of a church service, “The Holy Spirit said, ‘separate for me Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them to.” The work of being about the Father’s business.

Not every person is called to pack their bags and go to Mexico or Asia or Africa or some town in the United States. But we are all called to be about the Lord’s business. We are all called to serve God by serving one another, particularly “the least of these.”

As I pass the milestone of my 80th birthday, I want to thank each of you who have “been in the business” with me for these past 38 years. Together, we make a good team, and what more rewarding enterprise is there than being about our Father’s business?

God bless you all,

Larry

July, 2017

July 5, 2017

FROM WHERE GOD SITS
“HE SITS ENTHRONED ABOVE THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH” - ISAIAH 40.22

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

The Scriptures teach us that God knows the end from the beginning. He told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” From where God sits he sees it all. He saw the entire lives of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and all the other figures in the Bible. I was born on July 30, 1937, and God looked from his throne into that New Orleans Charity Hospital room and saw the path I would travel, who I would become, what I would do. And I believe that he not only saw it, he had a hand in planning it.

I believe God planned the first works I would do in northern Mexico. He planned the next phase of ministry in Atoyac, Guerrero. God called, prepared, and brought alongside me people like Tom and Deanna Shaffer who would help build and operate the medical ministry in Atoyac. I am amazed as I think of all the young doctors and dentists preparing for medical careers, not knowing they would be mightily used to care for the poor in Atoyac and throughout Mexico. From where God sits, he saw my need for help and he raised up a team of financial supporters who faithfully support Mexico Ministries to this day.

When I first ventured into full time missionary work in 1978, Russell Linscombe was a young man working in the family business in Lafayette, LA. Paul Pogue was struggling to establish a contracting business in north Texas. They could not have seen their futures, but God could. Russell joined himself to the work and became a great missionary. Paul is a dear friend and a faithful servant to the ministry. I didn’t foresee a work that would cover the state of Chiapas. But from where he sits, God saw. He sent me there 28 years ago, and he sent Carlos Tovilla, Jose, Victorio, Alex and Octaviano - men who would work beside me and be a tremendous help.

Today we stand on the property in Tuxtepec, Oaxaca where we plan to build a new headquarters to serve the states of Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Tabasco. I wonder, from where God sits, what does he see for this new project? Sometimes I let myself wonder how it is that God has confidence in the team members and in me; then I realize that God has confidence in Himself! He simply invites us to share in his vision and in the work of building his kingdom, “on earth as it is in heaven.”

Thank you for being part of a work that is bigger, better, and more wonderful than any of us can see. But God can!

Larry Myers

June, 2017

July 5, 2017

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

A few weeks ago I was in Tuxtla, Chiapas and saw a man on a street with a sign asking for help, so I stopped and visited with him. He is 39 years old, has a family, and needs work. But no one will hire him because he has a huge hernia, the largest I have ever seen.

Some say why get involved? I say, why not?

We all know the parable of the Good Samaritan - a man gets ambushed by robbers, beat up, and left for dead. A priest and a rabbi walked by and thought, why get involved? But a Samaritan (an outcast as far as the Jews were concerned) came upon him and thought, why not? He had compassion on him and got involved.

Jesus always got involved. He got involved with the Samaritan “woman at the well” who had already had five failed marriages and was living with a man not her husband. No self respecting rabbi would come near that situation, but Jesus did. And as a result, “many of the Samaritans in that city believed in him” (John 4.29).

Proverbs 19.17 declares, “The one who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed.” And then, “He who gives to the poor will never want” (28.27). And toward the end of the book we read, “How blessed is he who considers the poor. The Lord will deliver him in the day of trouble. The Lord will protect him and keep him alive” (41.1).

So, we are getting involved with the hernia afflicted man on the street corner. We are going to help him with his life. We are also getting involved in Tuxtepec, Oaxaca, by building a new church and base of operations in that area. We have purchased land, are drawing up plans for the building and applying for the necessary permits. By the time you read this letter the “dirt work” will have started on the site. We need and appreciate your support for this new project that gets involved in changing people’s lives with the Gospel being demonstrated in both word and action.

On the flip side of this letter are some pictures from the past when we got involved and changed young Nabor’s lives forever. This has been the calling of Mexico Ministries from day one, and that call is stronger now than ever before.

May the Lord remember you for your kindness to Mexico Ministries and the people we serve,

Larry Myers

May, 2017

May 1, 2017

The church in Atoyac, our first major center of operation, will be the model for the new work in Tuxtepec.

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

Today I am in the town of Atoyac in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero where thirty five years ago we built our first headquarters. With me today are Pastor Carlos from Tuxtla, Chiapas, and Pastor Cesar from Tuxtepec, Oaxaca.We are here measuring the dimensions of the church we built decades ago with the hopes of duplicating the same plan in Tuxtepec.

In a few days I will return to Chiapas where I left Mary Lou and we will go up to Chenalho and select sites for a couple more churches to be built this summer. I also sent money to Pastor Moises in Nuevo Laredo to put the finishing touches on a new church there, as well as finances to finish a small house we are building for a needy family there.

When the plans for the Tuxtepec church are ready we will submit them to an engineer for approval and get a permit from the city to begin construction. I am sure that much of the remaining months of 2017 will be spent on this project. We are receiving positive feedback from friends and supporters regarding making this dream a reality. Everyone realizes that we have not lost the vision and the calling that God put on our hearts over 40 years ago, “to bring good news to the afflicted, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to prisoners, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord” (Isaiah 6.1-2).

Some of you were with us when we built our very first Bible school in San Jose in northern Mexico where we hired local labor (for 25 cents an hour!) to help us dig a hand dug well. In the early 80’s many of you stood alongside us when we built the complex in Atoyac. In the early 90’s you supported us when we built the compounds in Chenalho and Tuxtla, Chiapas. So many of you have now told me, “We’ve done it before, and we can do it again!” With the help of our Lord, some hard work, sweat, pain, patience, and a lot of money, we will do it again, and when it is all finished no one will boast or receive honor, glory or praise - that will be for God and God alone. It is a joy doing business with God, and a pleasure doing God’s business with you.

We love and appreciate you all,

Larry Myers

April, 2017

March 30, 2017

Greetings, Dear Friends:

I pray all is well with you (really - I do regularly pray this) and thank you for the many years that you have walked with me in the mission field. I just returned from Chiapas where we worked on a new home for Miguel and his family; I will tell you more about this next month.

On the same trip Pastor Carlos, Paul Pogue, and I drove to the state of Oaxaca where we had to cross the Papaloapan River to reach the city of Tuxtepec, where we purchased a piece of property on which to build another major church and headquarters. This “mother church” will provide a base of operation to reach into the states of Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Tabasco. Now, Carlos is already leading a powerful ministry in Chiapas, Paul Pogue is 68 years old and should be shopping for a rocking chair, and I will turn 80 in July. So why are we doing this? Because we all sensed God directing us to. There is no guarantee of quick and easy results from our decision; it took over 30 years to establish the works of the headquarters in the states of Guerrero and Chiapas, and now both have vibrant and far reaching ministries.

We cannot guarantee success, we can only do what God directs us to do. He is the one who gives the increase, our responsibility is to be obedient to his call. Jesus told the disciples who had fished all night and caught nothing to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. Their responsibility was to be obedient. God was the one who filled the nets with more fish than the nets could contain.

As we crossed the Panaloapan River and stood on the property that will become a new church and headquarter, I looked toward the mountaintops and wondered, how many villages are out there? How many people who have never heard the Good News.

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, three men saw the man lying by the side of the road. Only one saw the need and stopped to render aid. If we cannot see the need, we will not respond. My prayer is that God open my eyes to see, and my heart to feel, and my mind to respond, to the needs in this territory. For the next many months I will be in and out of Tuxtepec working on the new vision, not forsaking what we already do in Chiapas and the rest of Mexico, but expanding the labor as God provides.

In a few days I will be in Nuevo Laredo, then Monterrey, and then back to Chiapas. Please pray for my strength, that I not only am able to begin the work, but to also finish it. And one day not too far away, I hope that many of you will be able to see with your own eyes what the Lord has done in Oaxaca.

God bless you,

Larry Myers

March, 2017

March 30, 2017

Dear friends of the ministry:

Greetings in the love of Christ. As you know from the last newsletter, my daughter in law Shirley passed away on January 9th. On the 29th I flew to Chiapas and an hour and a half after landing received a call from Mary Lou saying that my younger sister Florence had died. I took the next plane home, then drove 400 miles to officiate the funeral along with my brother Roger. By the time you receive this letter I will be back in Chiapas continuing the work of ministry there.

A few weeks ago I talked with a ministry friend who felt he had accomplished very little compared to others. He had never built a large church or grown a powerful congregation, he had never even had the finances to properly care for his family. Perhaps he even felt a little unworthy of his calling. In Luke 15 Jesus tells the story we all know about the Prodigal Son who squandered his inheritance on careless living while his older brother stayed home being the responsible one. Destitute and at the end of his rope, the dirty, hungry, miserable son left the pig pen saying, “I will go to my father and say I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But, in the eyes of his father (who is a picture of our Father in heaven), he was and always will be worthy.

Jesus saw a rich man and a poor woman giving their gifts at the Temple one day (Luke 21), and while others might think the rich man more honorable and important, in the eyes of Jesus this poor woman who gave two pennies was just as worthy. Jesus also tells us of two men going to pray at the Temple (Luke 18). The Pharisee boasted of his own righteousness, but the tax collector lowered his head and cried out for favor - “Be merciful to me, a sinner.” It was the tax collector who went down to his house justified, Jesus said. Worthy.

Never compare yourself to someone you deem more successful or somehow better than you; and never look at someone who struggles more than you to achieve their goals and life and think you are better than them. We each answer to our Master, and he is someone who so loves the entire world - counts the whole of creation worthy enough - to send his only begotten son that the world through him might be saved. And if God himself deems every soul worthy of his own shed blood, who are we to dismiss someone as unworthy? Do you know what worthy actually means? It means valuable; “of worth.” Whatever place you find yourself in life, you are of great worth and you are loved of God.

Rejoice in the love of the Lord,

Larry Myers

February, 2017

February 2, 2017

Greetings in the love of Christ:

I’m Kenneth Myers, son of Larry and Mary Lou, and Dad asked me to write the newsletter this month. Most of you know that my wife Shirley has served as secretary and office manager at Mexico Ministries for decades. She’s the one who helps with correspondence, bookkeeping, and making Dad’s newsletters actually make sense! What you may not know is that on Christmas night she went into the hospital with double pneumonia, and on January 9, after two weeks in the hospital, she unexpectedly passed away at the age of 58.

My father was studying in Genesis about Jacob and Rachel, about how Jacob was smitten with her, and how she was, “beautiful of form and face.” I’m here to tell you that Rachel didn't hold a candle to my Shirley Mae McSorley Myers. We met when I was 17 and married when I was 18 and this summer would have celebrated 40 years together. I have been incredibly blessed by God to be married to a woman who was on the one hand godly, caring, selfless, sacrificial, wise and gifted, and on the other hand a woman who was gorgeous, fun-loving, free-spirited, and adventurous. She was, as they say, the whole ball of wax. I hit the jackpot with Shirley.

Demure and unassuming, she was often in the background, but her touch, her ministry, her giving of herself, can be found all over the life of Mexico Ministries, not to mention our family’s. She will be deeply missed and I request your prayers for me, for our children and grandchildren, for Mom and Dad, and for all who knew and loved her. We are amazingly fortunate that she is being buried right here on our family land, just down the hill from our homes, so I’ll still be able to walk down and have morning coffee with her and the grandkids can visit Grandma when they come up to see PaPa.

St. Paul tells us that Christians, “do not grieve as those who have no hope” (1 Th. 4.13), but we still do grieve! It’s just that our grief is tempered by “the sure and certain hope” of the resurrection that awaits us in Christ. Until then, I will continue with my teaching ministry of Graceworks, I will help out Mexico Ministries by trying hard to fill Shirley’s shoes around here, and we will all keep pressing on. And now I have an even greater reason to yearn for “the restoration of all things as spoken by the prophets” (Acts 3.21).

Death isn’t good. In fact, according to Scripture it is the final enemy. But we have the promise that it will be destroyed, and, to quote Julian of Norwich, there will come a time when, “All shall be well. And all shall be well. And all manner of things shall be well.” This, after all, is what we labor for in ministry - to bring a foretaste of that promise to people in Mexico, to people everywhere; to help make a reality of Jesus’ prayer that, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

So pray for us, and let us keep pressing on to the higher calling of the Lord, and that day of blessed reunion for which we yearn. Oh - and you husbands - love the fire out of your wives.

God bless you,

Kenneth Myers

December, 2016

December 2, 2016

Dear Friends:

Greetings on this, the last month of 2016. It has been an amazing year for Mexico Ministries. One of the best. I look forward to another amazing year in 2017.

Today, I am somewhat disturbed by the ever growing division in our country. It reminds me of the contempt leading up to the Civil War here in the US. The North fought against the South, and South fought against the North. Brother against brother, father against son. Great was the division, and great was the suffering and pain caused by that war. I thank God the division that separated us was healed and our nation was united once again. One nation, under God with liberty and justice for all.

For the sake of our children, our nation and the entire world, I pray that I will once again hear these words, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

The Scripture itself says “If a Kingdom is divided against itself, that Kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” (Mark 3:24-25) David writes in Psalm 133:1, “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.” There is an old song that says, “Where the healing waters flow.” I pray to be the first, followed by many who will cry out, “Come healing waters, heal our nation.”

The Scripture says, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” I think there is another root. Deep controversy that causes division and separation. Cain killed his brother Abel, and the family was never the same again. Jacob stole his brother Esau’s birthright, and Esau vowed to kill Jacob. Isaac’s family was never the same again. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. The family would suffer for many years. For the sake of our children, our nation and our world, pray for unity and peace.

There are only a few weeks left before Christmas. I pray this to be one of your best Christmases ever. I pray for unity in your family, your church and most of all, in your walk with Jesus Christ our Lord.

Soon I will be back in Mexico where I will reach out to the children, the families, the churches and the nation of Mexico, praying for unity and peace.

Thank you for helping make 2016 such a great year.HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

Larry Myers

November, 2016

November 4, 2016

Dear Friends:

Greetings from Chiapas, Mexico, where I have just spent a full month completing five new mission churches. Thanks to the five groups of Americans who came and helped. Why did we do it? Because we could! We saw the need, and we responded to it. Building houses of worship is a great priority of our ministry, but it is not the only one. Like our Lord Jesus Christ, we are touched by the feelings of others’ infirmities. (Hebrews 4:15) Jesus loved Jerusalem and her people, even though they killed the prophets and stoned those sent. (Luke 13:34) He loved them and wanted to give them a better life. In the last few days of His life, the Scriptures say “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it. (Luke 9:41) Our Lord had so much compassion for hurting and needy people. Even for the children. When they brought the children for Jesus to lay hands on them, the disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, let the children come. He took the time to bless the children. Leaving Jericho with a very large crowd, Jesus heard the words, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” Many told the man to be quiet. Jesus stopped and called him to himself. He healed the blind eyes of Bartimaeus. In Mark 5, there is the story of a woman who had lost all hope, having spent all that she had on physicians. Hearing about Jesus, she said, “If I just touch his garments, I will get well.” She touched His garment, and immediately, she was made whole. Jesus always had the time to help hurting people.

A few years ago, an old man gave us a small piece of his property to build a mission church. The nearest church to him had been some five miles away, which he walked every week. The church was completed and we gathered around and laid hands on the building, dedicating it to our Lord. The old man laid his hands on the front wall and then cried like a small child. I looked around and every American man was also weeping, perhaps with the same compassion that Jesus had for Jerusalem.

My petition to the Lord is to let me be touched by the needs of hurting people and respond with the same compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ. I received a call from a Mexican pastor asking, “Can you help me bury my mother?” I responded and met his need. A pastor called and was in need of knee surgery. Again, I responded and met his need. So many have done so much more than I. In Luke 10, a man fell among robbers who beat himand and left him half dead. Two religious men passed by but offered no help. A third man, a Samaritan, saw him and felt compassion and went to him. He bandaged his wounds, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day, he gave money to the innkeeper and asked that he take care of him, saying “whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.” (Luke 10) My type of man.

Some say, “Enough is enough. When will you stop?” Perhaps, like Stephen as he was being stoned and gazed intently into heaven, I see the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. Perhaps when I hear him say, "Welcome home thou good and faithful servant. I have a feeling there is still much more we will do together. Thank you for helping in all that you do. God bless you and meet your every need.

Larry

October, 2016

September 29, 2016

Dear Friends:

Greetings! Scripture tells us to go and make disciples of all nations. Today, I would like to introduce you to my first convert and disciple in Atoyac, a town about an hour northwest of Acapulco. When I met him he was a young man in his early twenties. Julio and his beautiful family are pictured on the following page in a restaurant in Mexico City celebrating his 58th birthday. When we see a family like this, we tend to think how lucky they are. How healthy, wealthy and wise, and we may even wish we could trade places with them. There are many things you cannot see in this picture. So, before you wish that, let me tell you a little bit more about Julio.

I am thankful that God gave me the opportunity to be a part of this man’s life and a part of his walk with God.

He has often said, “Thank you for bringing God to us.” I performed the wedding of Julio and Chagui on January 17, 1987. He was a great help to me in building the Atoyac church, where he has been a leader and deacon since its beginning. But, his path has not been easy. Through many difficulties and struggles, Julio built his own house and a construction material business. Two of his brother-in-laws have been kidnapped and held for ransom. Kidnappers have entered into Julio’s house through the roof, but, thankfully, Julio was not home. He has endured the stress of living under constant fear of himself, his wife or one of their children being kidnapped. Julio’s father was murdered by his own driver. Julio’s bodyguard vowed to track him down. One day, Julio received a call from the driver saying, “I have him in my sight. Give me the word.” Yet, Julio said, “No, don’t kill him.” My point is, “Don’t wish for another man’s life until you have walked in his shoes.”

At the end of this month, I will be back in Chiapas preparing to build five new missions. We have five groups coming in October. Money has already been sent to purchase the building materials, to have the foundations and floors poured, to have the blocks laid. Money has been sent for the roofing, the paint, the benches. And I know when we have completed the work, we will walk away satisfied that we have done our best.

Yesterday I asked a friend to get a few other friends and supporters together for a luncheon. I asked him to tell them that this would not be a fund raising event, but rather an opportunity to thank them for what they have done for Mary Lou and I and the people of Mexico. I hope to do the same in other areas before the year’s end. I wish it were possible to sit down and have lunch with each and every one of you as well, but time and distance make that impossible. I can only say, “Thank You” a million times over for who you are and what you do. As I often say, life is short. Live it to the max. Keep it clean. Love family and friends. And in the end, you will have no regrets.

Larry Myers

September, 2016

August 31, 2016

Dear Friends:

Once again I send you greetings. Once again, I quote the words of our Lord Jesus. "Go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations." And today, I send you pictures of Pastor Carlos Tovilla Cortez and his family.

Seeing Carlos and his family in a restaurant, you would think they were, "healthy, wealthy, wise and blessed". Seeing his ministry compound in Tuxtla, you would admire the beautiful church, the medical and dental clinic, the gymnasium and dormitory. Carlos is president of all we do in the southern part of Mexico. He is responsible for more than three hundred credentialed ministers, each of whom meet with him annually to give a report of the past year and share their vision for the year to come. Yes, knowing all this, you might even wish you could trade places with Carlos. But, before you step into his shoes, let me share with you about the road he traveled to get to this place.

I first met Carlos in 1989 when he was a young man in his twenties. After studying engineering at a university in Tuxtla while assisting a pastor in a very small Tuxtla church, he left his career to become a preacher. At a young age, he married the daughter of this very legalistic pastor. The pastor resigned, leaving the little church in Carlos' hands. Soon afterward, Carlos’ wife said, "I don't want to be a preacher's wife,” and she asked for a divorce. The following Sunday, Carlos stepped up to the platform and asked the congregation to turn to Psalm 23, and then he preached from that chapter. He announced to his people, "I have just entered into the valley of the shadow of death. I do not know how deep or wide or long it will be". He continued to pastor that church. Ten years passed before he was able to go to the platform and say once again, "Turn with me to Psalm 23". He was finally able to tell his people, "I have just exited the valley, and I invite you all to my wedding in two weeks." I officiated at the marriage ceremony of Carlos and Barbara on November 11, 2006.

Carlos is loyal. He has helped build every church that we have built in the southern part of Mexico. Once we were sitting on the side of a mountain, and he said, "You do not know how much I care for you. I would give my right arm for you." Carlos is steadfast. A few years ago, he and a couple of young men from the Tuxtla church were driving to the northern part of Mexico to purchase a vehicle when they were stopped by members of a crooked military and members of the drug cartel. They were placed in hand cuffs and leg irons, robbed, and taken to jail where they were further assaulted. It cost me $9,000 to get them back to Tuxtla, Chiapas. Yet Carlos continues with his ministry. I thank God for the opportunity and privilege to have a part in the life and ministry of Carlos. I am thankful that I've been able to walk with him through his valleys.

We build many churches and buildings throughout Mexico, but our greatest accomplishment is making disciples. There are many others besides Carlos that I have helped disciple both in Mexico and the US.

Each one has their own story. They may all seem steadfast and sure, but that only makes them larger targets for Satan to throw his fiery darts at. They need our prayers. They need YOUR prayers.

Larry Myers

P.S. Please take note of our new phone numbers below.

Larry Myers: 903-624-6043

Mary Myers: 903-815-1959

Shirley Myers: 903-815-5161

August, 2016

August 16, 2016

Dear Friends:

Greetings! This is a hard letter for me to write, yet I feel that it is very important for me to speak to you about Making the Best of a Bad Situation.

I have so many friends and even family members who are going through hard times, bad situations, fighting for their very lives. Some are facing the valley of the shadow of death. To all of you in this situation I say, fight with all that is within you to make your situation better. Never give up, never quit, and never turn back. God has not died. The Holy Spirit has not lost His power. Nor has Christ lost his love for each and every one of us who are going through hard times and difficult situations.

Joseph, at 17 years of age, was sold into slavery by his own brothers. That was a bad situation! How many times did David suffer difficult situations? Naomi lost her husband and both sons, but with the help of her daughter-in-law, Ruth, she held on until the storms passed. Take courage from Biblical examples. Mary and Joseph traveled, probably by foot or on a donkey, some 70 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. That was a bad situation! Joseph and Mary, who would soon give birth to Jesus, heard the words, "No rooms in the inn." A very bad situation. In those 33 years from the cradle to the cross, Mary would experience many difficult times, but she NEVER gave up. Never have I read of a man who suffered as many bad times as the Apostle Paul. Yet he wrote, "His grace is sufficient."Stephen was at his darkest moment when he was stoned to death. Yet, it became his brightest moment when He gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, saying, ”I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

Jesus, our great example, during the last week of His earthly life, faced a BAD situation. He was beaten, mocked, rejected, spit upon, crucified and buried. But on the third day He was resurrected and is seated at the Father's right hand. (Romans 8:34) He is still at the right hand of God interceding for us.

We all see the wounded returning home from war, parts of their bodies blown away. I hurt for them. Some are in wheelchairs, others are learning to use prosthetics, all trying to make the best of their horrible situations. I see Desiree, Mickey, Florence, Danae, Janie and others. And I encourage you all to continue to walk in faith and hold on to hope. If only I could take your place for a time and let you rest from your fear, worry and pain, God knows I would do so.

If all is well with you and yours, rejoice and give thanks to God! But, if you are suffering, I stand with you and say to Satan, "You will not rob us of another day of life. We will laugh. We will hug our families and friends, We will reach out to a hurting mankind. We will continue to build them churches, buy them medicines, supply them with doctors and dentists." In the darkest of days, remind Satan of Romans 8. "Who will separate me from the love of Christ? Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or sword? No, in all of these things I am more than a conquerer through Jesus Christ, my Lord, who loves me." I stand with you, my friends and loved ones. And with you, I say, ”We will not give up, we will not quit or turn back. Together we will stand.”

Larry Myers

July, 2016

June 29, 2016

Dear Friends:

Greetings on this, the first week of July.

With the king’s permission, Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls which were destroyed in the conquest of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 4:6) “So we built the walls, for the people had a mind to work.” I saw an example of this attitude three weeks ago.

Javier Perez Ruiz is a 36-year-old Tzotzil pastor. Sixteen years ago, he accepted the call to preach the Gospel to his people in Chiapas, Mexico. He went to a village called Yabtechum and began his ministry. He had no house, no family, no car and no church. One thing he did have was “a mind to work” and a heart to love, much like Nehemiah. He built his first church out of wood. It was 16’ x 49’. After they outgrew that building, they tore it down and built another wood church, 20’ x 66’. They outgrew that church as well, and they began to build a third church. This time, they had the help of Steve Osborn, his son Justin and a group from a Mennonite church in Kansas who came to help fulfill the pastor’s dream. His new church is really beautiful, built of block and 33’ x 83’.

I asked Pastor Javier the number of his congregation. He said there are 180 children and 140 adults. I asked him how he did that, and his answer was perfect. A mind to work, and a heart to love.

Pastor Javier is now married. He and his wife have two small children and they live in a small house near the new church. They care for their people. Every time one of them has a need, he and his wife visit their home and pray with them and for them that their needs will be met. No matter what the need. They both have a mind to work and a heart to love. I wish I could see more of that attitude here in the US.

Although Pastor Javier’s house is very small, he did not ask me for anything. But, with pleasure I have already sent money to begin enlarging his home. I was there with them only four weeks after having knee surgery. Why? Because, like Javier, I have a mind to work and a heart to love.

That trip reminded me of a question asked of me a few years ago by a visiting US pastor. He asked, “When you go home, where do you get your food?”. (Referring to where we go to church for spiritual food.) I answered, “When I go home, I am not hungry”. When I see the mind to work and the heart to love, somehow it’s very fulfilling to me.

Thanks to Steve for his financial help. Thanks to his son Justin, the youth pastor at a Mennonite church, and thanks to the entire group who came with a mind to work and a heart to love.

In His Service,

Larry Myers

P.S. A pastor in Durango, Mexico is in need of a used half-ton pick up or van in good condition, preferably a model between years 1995 and 2006. Please be in prayer about this need. God bless you all.

June, 2016

June 1, 2016

Dear friends:

Greetings, and welcome to the journey. When we plan a trip, we look at our calendars, check our finances, and determine when and where we will go, and for how long. But, unlike these trips, LIFE’S journey is unpredictable and takes us from the highest heights to the deepest depths.

In Genesis 12, the Lord said to Abram, “‘Go forth from your country and from your relatives, and from your father’s house to the land which I will show you.’ And Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken.” Thus began Abram’s journey. At his highest height, “Sarah bore a son to Abraham and Abraham called the name of his son Isaac.” At his deepest depth, his lowest low, God said, “Take your son, whom you love and offer him as a burnt offering.” (Genesis 22)

In Exodus 3, God said to Moses “Come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh so that you may bring my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” Thus began the journey of Moses. A journey that would take him to the highest mountains, but also to the lowest valleys. There were times when everything was so wonderful, but there also times when everything was so wrong. In Deuteronomy 34, The Lord said to Moses, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, I will give it to your descendants:’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.’ Moses died there, and God buried him in land of Moab.” Thus ended the earthly journey of Moses.

Genesis 37:28 reads, “So they lifted Joseph out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph to Egypt.” Thus began Joseph’s journey with unbelievable heights and depths. “Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, ‘God will surely take care of you and you will carry my bones up from here.’ Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years.” Thus ended the earthly journey of Joseph.

In Matthew 1, The angel said to Joseph, concerning Mary, “She will bear a Son and you will call His name Jesus. For it is He who will save His people from their sins.” Thus began the earthly journey of Jesus. No one else will ever experience the highs or the lows of Jesus’ journey. His words and deeds will live forever. “Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more.” To the paralytic, he said, “Rise, take up your bed and go home.” From the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” This is one journey that will never end. In Acts 1, as Jesus ascended into heaven, His disciples heard these words, “This same Jesus, as you have seen Him go, will in like manner come again.”

Now, let me tell you a little about my missionary journey, which began in the late 1970s. My first trip to Mexico was in a borrowed vehicle. I knew no Spanish, and had very little money. I slept in the car, eating sardines and crackers. I started at the very bottom. From there, I went to Atoyac, near Acapulco, where I slept in a borrowed shed overlooking a garbage dump, bathed in a water bucket and watched rats fighting as they crossed the rafters above my bed. I remember wondering aloud, “God, do you even know where I am?” That was my lowest low. But, last year I entered the most beautiful church that I have ever built in Atoyac and read the plaque thanking Mary Lou and I for bring them the Gospel. That was my highest height.

Twenty seven years ago, I pitched my one man tent on a hill overlooking Chenalho. I remember wondering, “Why am I here?” But. at the end of our convention there in April, there were 5,600people in attendance. Could there be a higher high than that? And the journey continues. Today I am in Chiapas, building yet another mission church. All of our earthly journeys will end, but that will only mark the beginning of our eternal journey together that will last forever.

Larry Myers

May, 2016

May 4, 2016

Dear Friends:

Greetings. “I just want to say thank you.” The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

To the pastors who, even in your difficult times continued to help us, I just want to say thank you. To the business men and women who have helped so much, I just want to say thank you. To the widows who have lost husbands, yet continue to help as though they were still with us, thank you. To the multitudes of groups who have paid their own ways, used vacation time, brought money for building material and then helped build a church, I just want to say thank you. For all who have so generously helped the orphanage throughout the years, giving tens of thousands of dollars each year, I just want to say thank you. To all the natives who took the Gospel to the villages and helped build every mission church, thank you. To all our doctors and dentists, both from the US and Mexico, I just want to say thank you. To all who have helped build the medical facilities and equip them with very expensive equipment, a great big thank you. To all of my helpers, my team who have crisscrossed Mexico with me for 38 years helping hurting people, I just want to say thank you. To the thousands of indigenous men who worked so hard, helping build the churches, carrying 110 pound sacks of cement, mixing it on the ground, then carrying it in five gallon cans to pour the floor, thank you for all you have done. To the women of the villages who cooked for us. I just want to say thank you. To my office staff who have helped so much, thank you.

To my wife, Mary Lou, who as a young girl must have had dreams of a very different life, thank you for marrying me. Thank you for adjusting to my primitive way of life, for adjusting to our 20 years of pastoral ministry, for adjusting to our 38 years of missionary life. For adjusting to being alone so many times in those last 38 years, I just want to say thank you. To my children and grandchildren who I often think that I have failed for not spending more time with you, I just want to say thank you.

To my Lord Jesus Christ who has had so much patience with me, thank you.

The Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 3:15, “Be ye thankful”. In all things be thankful.

Giving thanks for you always,

Larry Myers