Mercy and Rick have been working with the Dios con Nosotros (God With Us) Baptist Convention in Baja California, Mexico since 2002. Their ministry in Baja includes leadership development for new church planting, teaching at the Seminary, and work with short term mission groups from the United States. Their ministry area includes Mexicali, Tecate, Ensenada, San Luis and Tijuana.

They write: We are coming to the end of our year of home assignment, to a year of many transitions, much travel and still many questions about the future. We look forward to returning to Mexico and to the challenges that await us as we minister with the Convencion Baustista Dios con Nosotros. We have made a list of new goals and now we present them to God.

One of the biggest challenges we have is to meet our financial goal. We have been writing emails, making phone calls and asking different churches and individuals to become financial partners in our ministry to Mexico. I can assure you that reaching out to people is very difficult to do. We really do need to be strong and courageous as some will say no but will continue to support us with their prayers. We really need to believe that many of you want to participate in the challenges and ministry that await us in Mexico.

These are some of the goals that we are setting for ourselves:

1.     To speak at every church in the convention challenging them to identify leaders of both genders to be trained in outreach and new church planting.

2.     To develop an electronic newsletter for New Church Planters.

3.     To develop a Women in Ministry Support Group.

4.     To develop regional partners in ministry groups so that church planters can support each other.

5.     To continue to teach at the seminary developing an emphasis on new church planting.

6.     To be open to God’s Spirit and leadership for new opportunities, new relationships and to discover the new thing that God is already doing in Mexico.

7.     Personally, I Mercy would like to further my education and am applying to a Doctor of Ministry program focusing on “the Beloved Community”.

8.     Rick wants to develop a program that focuses on chaplaincy, and spiritual care in the Mexican context.

9.     We both want to continue to be supportive of our children as they study in Virginia, Chicago and Junior High School and work at enjoying this part of our lives as a couple.

• Pray for Rick and Mercy as they return to Mexico to help the churches develop leaders and plant new churches.
• Pray for their children: Aida (20), Richie (18) and Joshua (12).