Our current project:
 Building a House 
for a Mexican  Christian Family In Mezcala

Christian Missions Workers

Use this page to get to know some of our mission workers 
that assist us here in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico:

Bridgeway Christian Church

The Bridgeway Christian Church mission workers pictured above will be joining us here in Mexico during the month of August, 2009 to serve the people of the Lake Chapala area. 

Pictured above, Robin and her son Garrett, are the wife and son of Pastor Ron Gann of Bridgeway Christian Church. The three boys sitting on the floor, Cameron, Chris, and Corey are sons of Craig Yoos. Also pictured are Deb Moore, Renee Zuliani, and Brad LeBlanc.

Bridgeway Christian Church is a recent start-up house-church located in southern New Hampshire whose sole purpose is to exalt Jesus Christ, to provide corporate fellowship for likeminded believers, and to evangelize the lost through preaching and outreach. 

Under the pastoral care of Ron Gann, and Led by Elder and Worship leader, Craig Yoos, Bridgeway's missionary ministry, Missions Possible, seeks to provide humanitarian relief, love and care, and to institute churches abroad after the pattern of the apostles. 

The Vandenberg Family

Our dear brother and sister in Christ, Les and Barbara Vandenberg, and their children Johnny, Peter, Sammy, Anna, and Nathaniel. The Vandenbergs have been working as Christian missionaries in Mexico for about 10 years now. They drive down from their home in Comstock, Michigan every year and spend 2 to 3 months delivering Christian tracts, tapes, and Spanish Bibles to the people of the villages through out this area and also along the Mexican Pacific Coast region. They are true servants of the Lord. The entire family takes part, spending several days and nights far back in the mountains reaching indigenous peoples that in many cases have never heard the Christian gospel.

Here's Les, above, on one of our trips to the mountains preaching to field workers that 
"There is only One Way to the Father, that being Jesus Christ, and Christ alone"

Les and the boys working to upright an overturned dump truck. The young Mexican driver was hauling a load of top soil to sell at market. He lost control when his brakes failed while coming down this steep mountain pass. 

The Vandenbergs are due to return here to Mexico in May, we miss them dearly, and we look forward to their return. May God bless and keep them in all they put their heart to as they serve Him and His people.

Harmony Conjurske & Lydia Brainard

Harmony Conjurske and Lydia Brainard spent three weeks with us last May, and they never stopped working. Above they're shown with some of the food they bought for the poor. This food cost $1800 pesos, about $165.00 US. We brought the girls to Mezcala where they distributed the food to those in need.

Lydia, Harmony, and Sissy, visiting with the widow Sanabria, and her three grandsons. Senora Sanabria, who is Letti Ramos's mother, has four daughters and one son. One daughter, Letti, is married, while three other daughters and the son still live at home. Senora Sanabria's husband, Isaac, died suddenly of a heart attack last fall at the age of 42, leaving her to raise the four younger children alone. We do what we can to help her with food and clothing.

Pictures and a painting of Senora Sanabria's late husband, Issac, on the wall of her home. 
Isaac was a very friendly and kind man, and a caring father and husband. We miss him.

   Washing clothes by hand in a pila (concrete wash tub and scrub board). 
   With four children it can be quite a chore.

Lydia and Harmony arrive at Luis and Letti's house and are greeted with home made paper flowers. Luis has no phone, so we have no way to let them know we are coming
to visit. Yet, when ever we arrive, they always greet us with such warmth and genuine enthusiasm to see us.

Luis drawing water for Harmony and Lydia from his backyard well. The well is around 100 years old, hand dug, about 30 feet deep, and the water is not potable. They use the water for bathing and washing clothes and dishes. They have to buy bottled water for drinking 
and cooking. Bottled water costs them about $16 pesos ($1.47US) per five gallons.

Lydia and Harmony with Luis and Letti and their three boys.

Luis and his daughter, Daniela.

Above, my wife, Madeliene and I, are thrilled with the 756 Spanish Bibles and thousands 
of other Christian materials that were purchased by Lydia and Harmony and their church families for our use. We now have located a Liga Biblica Bible store in Guadalajara from which we can purchase Christian materials at wholesale costs... We then distribute the Christian materials free of charge. We give the materials out to people we meet at service stations, stores, at the street markets and along the sidewalks. We also make special trips to the remote villages to bring the Bibles to those that have no church contact. Two cases of the Spanish Bibles went to the Holy Spirit Church of Chapala, a lone, Protestant, Spirit filled church located among the many Catholic churches.

Coming to work with us in 2008
More missions workers will be coming here through out the year. 

Lydia Brainard returned February 19, 2008, and brought three of her Christian friends. 
As part of their trip they stayed and worked full time at the Love in Action shelter. 

Steve and Leigh Ann DenHartog with their children, Sophie, Anna, and Joshua. Steve and Leigh Ann located us through our web site, spent a week with us here last September, and fell in love with the people of this area. After returning to the states, Steve and Leigh Ann, and their church family, Vriesland Reformed Church of Zeeland, Michigan, sent us a $500.00 donation to purchase children's Bibles and food for the poor of this area. The money was much needed and has been well used.

During their stay here, Steve and Leigh Ann both felt God drawing them to this area. While here, and upon returning home, they prayed for God's will to be done in their lives, and now... they and their children moved full time to the Lake Chapala area to serve God and his people. They sold their house, bought a mountain worthy SUV, and are sold and gave away the unneeded accumulation of material things we all tend to gather over the years. Selling out and uprooting a young family was a big step for Steve and Leigh Ann to make. Please keep them in your prayers. We know that God loves them, and will protect and guide them all the way. 

Update: The Den Hartogs arrived safely and have very quickly settled in to serving God's people through their efforts in the children's orphanages in the Lake Chapala area.

Judy and Marlys came to visit the Lake Chapala area last May, 2007, while, as Marlys puts it, “spying out the land” in search of Christian work to be done. Upon returning to their home in Cheyenne, Wyoming, they continued their research on Christian mission work in Mexico. Using a Google search, they located us through this web site last October, 2007. They then contacted us by email, and after much prayer and continued communication with us, Marlys and Judy set their hearts and minds toward serving God here in Mexico fulltime. 

Even before locating this area to begin their Christian ministry, trusting that God wanted to use them... some where, they had begun gathering and storing supplies that would be of use in the ministry field. They have tirelessly worked to sell their house, and sell and give away personal belongings in order to have funding to move here. 

Judy Jacobs and Marlys Anderson 

God willing, Judy and Marlys will be arriving here in Mexico in March! In their diligence to obey God’s command to go forth and serve Him, their obedience calls to mind the trust shown by the people of Israel, when, knowing that God had spoken to them through Joshua, they responded; “All that thou commanded us we will do, and where ever you send us, we will go.” Such faith is rare today. In addition, yes, we believe that God is sending them here.

On a personal note; Judy and Marlys have been close Christian friends for more than twenty years now. They both are retired nurses, which will be a most useful trade among the villagers here, and they also have a background in missions work. If I may, please allow me to quote from one of Marlys’ emails as she describes her background in missions:

"Following graduation from high school in '60, I went to Emmaus Bible School (Pymouth Brethren) in Chicago.

Last year we took the Discipleship Course & TESOL at YWAM's Pennsylvania base in Lebanon, but due to lack of funds were not able to go to the Ukraine for the outreach. 

In Jan of '64, I graduated from BIOLA School of Missionary Medicine in Los Angeles. During school and work years, I worked at Pacific Garden Mission, Chicago's infamous Southside Housing Projects, outreaches in Mexican border towns, directing Bible camps in Northern Ontario, Canada, women’s retreats, and 2 years in Peru working with a linguist in the jungle near the Ecuadorian border.” 

Judy and Marlys are members of Calvary Chapel of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and under the pastoral care of Pastor Shaun Sells and Pastor Tim Liddle. Calvary Chapel church has agreed to offer financial and prayer support to Judy and Marlys in their Christian missions work here in Mexico. 

Here's a web site link to Calvary Chapel:   CalvaryChapelCheyenne.org 

Please keep them in your prayers that God would open all doors for their preparing for this major move, and also please pray for their safe journey here. We welcome Judy and Marlys as our sisters in Christ, and look forward to their arrival. We will care for them as we would our own family.   Barry L Brumfield

Update: Marlys and Judy arrived safely and are dedicating themselves to numerous services to God's people here in the Lake Chapala area. Thank you, so much Judy and Marlys, for your donations of food to the widows and children of Mezcala. Also thank you for purchasing the four new twin mattresses to be used in the bunk beds for Luis and Letti's children. You are such a blessing to our work here.  Barry

Do you want to serve God through Christian Missions work?

 Click to find out how to join us here in Mexico