9.1.2005

Greetings from the "City of the Sun," Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Our prayer is that this city could be known one day as a city of the "Son", Jesus Christ.

 Our prayers and thoughts are with the many who are suffering in the Gulf Coast area. We have been able to keep up with the situation via CNN. None of our family has been seriously impacted by the hurricane, as most of them live in other areas of Louisiana. As a former student at NOBTS, we have numerous friends and acquaintances in the New Orleans and Gulf Coast area.

 Our missionary work continues across the southern two-thirds of Sonora. Recently, we've been traveling quite a bit. Our short-term goal is to visit every Baptist church and get to know every Baptist pastor in our territory. We are sharing our vision with them and asking them to partner with us to accomplish the task. We have been encouraged to find several churches that are already on mission with God. We believe that in the months to come these partnerships will open more doors for us as we continue to learn our state, its people, and its culture.

 Would you pray specifically for a fellowship that we have planned for September 1?

 Two of the projects in which we've been working are going quite well. We are encouraged that people are still accepting Christ and more homes are being opened for Bible study.  Our aim for this special event is to bring all the new beleivers in one of these areas together to meet each other. From this event we plan to launch a weekly worship service for the area. Our prayer is that this activity will result in a new church. This event will take place the evening of September 1 at 6 p.m. local time (8 p.m. CDT). We anticipate 50-60 people in attendance, about half of those being new believers.

 Would you invite others to become part of our prayer network?

 Earlier this year we asked you to be a prayer advocate for Sonora missions. Many of our prayer partners sent us names and email addresses of people who agreed to pray for us. Would you think of another person (or two or three) that you could ask to pray for Sonora missions? We believe that prayer is the key to winning the state of Sonora for Christ.

 Would you pray specifically for our September projects and travels?

 In September we will be traveling to the Texas Panhandle to meet with the Top O' Texas Baptist Association as they host a Frontliners conference. This association has set forth an initiative to partner with us in Sonoran missions in 2006 and beyond. Pray for us as we travel. Pray for the churches that form this association. Pray that they will sense God's leading in how they can effectively minister in Sonora. Pray for the 2006 mission trips that are already in the planning stage.

 Upon our return from Texas we will continue our travels in Sonora. We will be visiting some of the most remote areas of the state, high in the mountains of eastern Sonora. Again pray for our safety and for the churches and pastors who faithfully minister in this difficult region.

 Personal Stuff!

 Donna is feeling much better. After seeing several doctors and having several tests done, nothing was found. She has taken a couple of medicines for the past few weeks and is no longer experiencing the nausea. Thank God for answered prayer.

 Very soon we'll be able to say that we've survived our first summer in Sonora. The Mexicans say that Sonora is "like an oven" in the summer. Just as temperatures were peaking at 115-120 in June, the rains started and cooled things off a bit in July. Now we are in a late August weather pattern. Temperatures are creeping up again, and the rains are about over. By September, we'll be out of the 100s and back into the high 90s again. We are blessed to enjoy AC in our house, but almost none of the homes or churches where we visit have it. The people of Sonora truly are a hearty lot, to endure such extremes.

 We've discovered a new Sonoran delicacy: the hot dog. We've hesitated to eat hot dogs here, for various reasons. But recently someone recommended an excellent hot dog vendor, so we gave it a shot. A hot dog is not just a sandwich here, it's an event. The wieners are of good quality (they come in regular and jumbo), are wrapped in bacon and cheese and grilled to perfection. The vendor places them on a steamed, homemade bun which has been coated with mayonnaise. On top goes mustard, tomato, onion, guacamole, peppers, salsa, and just about anything else you can think of.

 Please know what a blessing you are to us as a friend and prayer partner. It's always a joy to recieve a personal email or a phone call of encouragement from friends like you. Remember that we have U.S. phone numbers that ring in Mexico, so you can call us without incurring expensive international rates.  Give us a call sometime! We would love to hear how God is working in your life. Drop us an email. We try our best to answer each one.

 How to contact us:

Local call in Shreveport, Louisiana: 402-4148

Local call in Monroe, Louisiana: 450-4142

Domestic long distance from anywhere else in the U.S.: 1-318-402-4148

(This phone rings directly in our house in Mexico.) Sonora observes Mountain Standard Time, year 'round.

Alan email: alan@mexicobound.org

Donna email: donna@mexicobound.org

8.2.2005

We consider it a privilege to count you among our faithful prayer partners, and we are happy to send you the following update on the work that continues in the state of Sonora, Mexico.

 During the month of July we continued working our strategy--to pray, to spread God's Word, to share the gospel message, and to disciple new believers. We are pleased with the results of the projects of the first half of 2005. As you know teams of Southern Baptists came from churches in Louisiana and Texas earlier this year to support this strategy. We are still reaping a harvest from those preparatory efforts.

 Most exciting are the recent developments in Southwest Hermosillo. During our last two visits to one neighborhood, five persons have accepted Christ and have scheduled followup Bible studies in their homes. It's been amazing to see how God is at work.

 Here's one example. We went to the home of a lady we'll call V. We had made an appointment previously, so she greeted us at the door. We went inside and sat down with her and her three children. As we began to talk, it was hard to ignore the TV playing cartoons with the volume turned up. Quietly and without prompting, the 2-year-old walked over to the TV and turned it off. When the older brother turned it back on, the 2-year-old turned it off again. No fighting, no crying, no arguing. She just calmly turned off the TV. And it stayed off. We were able to proceed with our visit and Vivian accepted Christ. Twice during the visit, the TV was turned on, but twice the 2-year-old seemed to sense that it needed to be turned off. We'll be back in Vivian's house in just a few days for Bible study.

 On another occasion we went to visit a lady we'll call D. Due to some circumstances that afternoon, we were delayed for about 1 1/2 hours for our scheduled appointment, but we went anyway. We had just sat down to talk to Diana when her husband arrived home from work. He pulled up a chair and enthusiastically listened as we read Bible verses and shared the gospel. At the end of our conversation, the husband said (in Spanish) "I'm open to receive Christ". Both D and H were saved. Had we arrived at our appointed time, we would not have met Harry that day. Isn't God good? We later learned that Harry had been exposed to Christianity from some friends who are Christian. We don't know exactly how long that process was, but joyfully, we were able to reap where someone else had sown.

 On a personal note, we took to the highways in July. First, we drove about 1100 miles to León, Mexico for our annual meeting of missionaries in Mexico. It was great to see our colleagues again, and to be informed, inspired, and refreshed. After the meeting, we took a few days of vacation with our family. Again, we were blessed to just "hang out" with our kids and with our extended family. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, but we are glad to be back in Sonora, doing what God has called us to do.

 June and July's hot temperatures have given way to summer rains. Our days are much cooler, but much more humid. The heavy rains have caused many problems in our city. Just this morning the water was nearly 3 feet deep in the street in front of our house. Storm drains are virtually unheard of, so all the water that falls generally ends up in the streets. Seems like almost none of the water soaks in to the rocky, desert terrain. We are high and dry at our house however, so no problems for us other than the inches of mud deposited out front. We heard today that some homes in low-lying areas had been swept away by flash floods. We are looking into this for possible ministry opportunities.

6.27.2005

Thank you for your continued prayerful support of Mexico missions. We consider ourselves blessed to be able to serve the Lord here in Mexico and to share our journey with you via our montly newsletters.

 June has been a very interesting month. Early in the month, as you read in our last newsletter, a team from Anderson Mill Baptist Church in Austin, Texas came to Hermosillo to join in the work. This team distributed about 2,200 gospel portions and opened up the way to reach many new homes with the gospel. Nueva Esperanza church is actively working to followup with about 190 homes that expressed interest in knowing more.

 At least 10 people have been saved due to this project, and several in home Bible studies are in progress. Not surprisingly, several homes that expressed initial interest declined a second visit. The enemy is hard at work to keep the people of Mexico from hearing the gospel. We are encouraged, however, that some are responding. We know that God is at work in many lives here in this state. Please pray for the new believers and their spiritual growth.

 We enjoyed a visit from our kids this month. They were able to see our work firsthand, meet some of our friends, and just spend a few days relaxing from their busy lives.

6.4.2005

We are extremely excited and pleased to report to you the following results of this past week's saturation project in Hermosillo.

A team of nine arrived on Saturday, May 28 from Anderson Mill Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. The team partnered with "New Hope" church of Hermosillo to plant the Word of God into the homes of 4 neighborhoods around the church. The AMBC team braved the high temperatures and cloudless skies, knocking on about 2,200 doors during nearly 18 hours of saturation. They worked a "split" shift of 9am-12noon and 5pm-7pm to avoid the hottest part of the day. Additionally, part of the team conducted an evening "Kid's Club" at the church for the children of the neighborhood.

At the conclusion of the saturation project we are able to praise God that 190 homes expressed an interest in another contact from the church. Of these 190 homes, 35 homes invited the church back to conduct a Bible study in their home. Three persons accepted Christ during the week's visits, and several families received encouragement and the love of Christ in the face of difficult situations in their lives.

Please pray for the Anderson Mill team as they travel home, and for New Hope church as they begin the monumental task of following up with 190 homes. The church consists of only 10 families and is led by a bi-vocational pastor, Enrique Aguilar. Would you especially pray for these devoted Christians, who, though they don't have much, have a vision to reach people for Christ?

Thanks again prayer partners!!! You are the best!!

5.28.2005

We thank God for you and your partnership in prayer. He continues to be faithful to watch over us, protect us, and encourage us.

During the last three weeks we have saturated about 200 more homes and continued to followup with families expressing an interest in knowing more. Our project with the First Baptist Church of Hermosillo is gathering momentum, but not as quickly as we'd like to see.

We are excited to receive the team from Anderson Mill Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. As I write this update, they are enroute to Mexico and will join us later today. Would you pray for the nine-member team as well as Pastor Enrique and the people of New Hope church?

On a personal note, thankfully we are healthy. God is so good! We continue to build relationships with our Mexican friends. We enjoyed several fellowship acitivities this past month. Yesterday it rained for the first time since February 21. Summer has definitely arrived, as my patio thermometer has registered 104-107 (in the shade) almost every afternoon for the last two weeks.

5.11.2005

Thank you for your continued prayers for the work here in Sonora. God is leading us forward, one step at a time, as we reach out to the lost and as we partner with local Christians to reach Sonora for Christ.

Alan and Donna remain busy with the followup from last month's activities. Additionally, we've been given the opportunity to conduct a series of training sessions with the First Baptist Church of Hermosillo. On Saturday, May 7, we accomplished our first all-Mexican gospel saturation project. Twenty-two members of FBC, Hermosillo distributed gospel portions and tracts to approximately 650 homes in the neighborhood called Cuahtemoc (qwa-TAY-moke). From these visits, about 20 people expressed interest in another visit or a Bible study. Also on May 7, we traveled to Empalme, Sonora where Alan taught a One-Day Witnessing workshop for the Sonora Baptist Convention. Alan's Spanish skills continue to be stretched, to say the least!

Personally, we've been healthy this month. We are thankful for God's provision in our lives. The Father continues to bless us with Mexican friends with whom we can fellowship. On the practical side, our city is rationing water. We have water pressure only 8 hours per day, but have a storage tank that provides backup during the other 16 hours. It makes life a bit interesting at times when the shower only trickles, or when you can't wash clothes until late afternoon. Summer is fast approaching. Our daytime temperatures are in the mid-90s and climbing. Thankfully, we have a home with air conditioning.

4.21.2005

We are excited to send you this special mid-month edition of the SonoraNet Update. Exciting things are happening here in Sonora and we want you, our prayer partners, to be well informed.

First, we were excited to host a two-man team from Eastwood Baptist Church in Haughton, Louisiana recently. Scott and Ken joined us and local Baptists Miguel and Yoseline for prayerwalking in our target neighborhoods of La Invasión and Nuevo Hermosillo. Over a period of three days we prayerwalked for about 16 hours in these neighborhoods. What a joy to be able to intercede for the people of southern Hermosillo and pray for God's kingdom to come!

One week later, a gospel saturation team from First Baptist Church of Doyline, Louisiana arrived in our city. After taking one day to rest from their long, two-day drive to Mexico, we set out to sow the Word of God in the areas we had just prayerwalked. Local Christians from Peniel and Bethel churches joined us for three days of intensive door-to-door distribution. By the end of the project, we had touched nearly 3,000 homes with packets containing Scripture portions and gospel tracts. Numerous homes expressed an interest in a followup visit from the church, or for more information on home Bible studies.

We are excited about what God is doing here.

4.1.2005

Thank you for your continued prayers for Mexico missions and for us as we serve the Lord as his witnesses in Sonora. These are exciting days as we see God's work unfolding before us.

March was a difficult month for us in some ways. Donna had a persistent stomach "bug" which required lab work and multiple visits to the doctor. By the end of the month, however, she was feeling much better--almost back to normal (whatever normal is!).

We traveled to our North Field retreat during March where we were able to dialogue face-to-face with our colleagues. This is a rare opportunity due to the long distances between our areas of responsibility. It was good to be with them. On a side note, we left Sonora behind with daily temperatures in the low 90s and arrived at our retreat location with snow falling. Quite a "shock" to the system, to say the least.

We are excited about our upcoming volunteer teams and our new partnerships. April through July promise to be busy months for us. We fully anticipate seeing our strategy unfold in selected areas of our state during these next months. Would you especially pray for the efforts that we'll be leading during these times?

April 4-8: Prayerwalking Team from Eastwood BC, Haughton, LA

Prayerwalking in La Invasion, Nuevo Hermosillo, and Las Minitas

April 15-21: Gospel Saturation Team from FBC, Doyline, LA

Working in La Invasion and Nuevo Hermosillo

May/June: Saturation and Evangelism team, Anderson Mill BC, Austin, TX

Working in Las Minitas

3.5.2005

We thank you for your continued interest in Mexico missions. February was an exciting month for us, and we appreciate your participation. Last month I was a bit "whiny" in my request for more prayer partners, but you responded. Since our last update we've added 32 new prayer partners by name to our database, 65 new prayer partners who are part of groups, and 8 new churches.

Our God has sustained us through the month of February and has continued to demonstrate his love for us. More than ever, we are convinced that he has amazing things in store for the work here in Sonora.

Welcome to the following churches and groups:

Immanuel Baptist Church, Hammond, Louisiana

First Baptist Church, Kentwood, Louisiana

Calvary Baptist Church, Natchitoches, Louisiana

First Baptist Church, Natchitoches, Louisiana

Forest Lake Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Bayou Macon Baptist Church, Winnsboro, Louisiana

Baskin Baptist Church, Baskin, Louisiana

Park Heights Baptist Church, Middleburg Heights, Ohio

Our previous network of churches includes:

Eastwood Baptist Church, Haughton, Louisiana

Western Hills Baptist Church, Shreveport, Louisiana

First Baptist Church, Doyline, Louisiana

First Baptist Church, Calhoun, Louisiana

Temple Baptist Church, Winnsboro, Louisiana

Emmanuel Baptist Church, Mansfield, Louisiana

Anderson Mill Baptist Church, Austin, Texas

First Baptist Church, Springfield, Louisiana

Clive Baptist Church, Clive, Alberta, Canada

(If I have forgotten to mention your church, please advise!)

February highlights:

Both of us experienced illness during the month--Alan with flu-like symptoms and Donna with a persistent stomach bug. By the end of the month Alan was better but Donna was still taking medication and still suffering with the malady.

The weather has been really good, but it appears that our short winter is almost over. Recent days have seen temps approaching 80 degrees with mild nights. We've had an unusally high amount of precipitation this year--which is good news! This will help alleviate water shortage problems which persist in the desert.

We've met several new people this month and have had the privilege to pray with many non-believers. Our strategy includes saturating areas first with prayer, second with the gospel, and third with evangelism, intentional church-planting, and discipleship. During the prayer phase, the people have been open to us. Almost everyone allows us to pray for their felt needs. As we take prayer to the next level, we'll be walking these same streets praying for the salvation of the people. An interesting, but not unexpected note is that most everyone says "Pray for my health, my family, and my job." We want to address these issues with them in prayer, but we also want to pray for the thing that they don't even know that they need--the power of God in their lives to save them.
 

2.1.2005

We appreciate your thoughts and prayers and your continued interest in Mexico missions. God continues to watch over us, protect us, encourage us, and guide us in our ministry here. January was an exciting month as many new opportunities came our way. We met several new pastors and shared our vision for church planting with many Mexican Christians. Our new believer Bible studies continue, as do our efforts to learn our state. We traveled to some areas in Sonora, where no evangelical church exists. These are some of the spiritually darkest places in Mexico.

During the month we dialogued with Christians from California, New Mexico, Texas, and Canada about partnering in missions in Sonora. We pray that God will lead these people to join us in the work. Based on this growing network of Great Commission Christians, we coined the term "SonoraNet". SonoraNet is simply a network of partners that are praying for and partnering in the work in Sonora. While levels of participation vary, all our SonoraNet partners can pray for the salvation of the people of this state. In a future update, we'll list churches, associations, and conventions who make up SonoraNet.

 Here are some updates on last month's prayer requests:  

1. Please lift up Pastor José Orona of Primera Iglesia Bautista of Hermosillo (First Baptist Church). He will have a very serious surgery to remove a kidney on January 19. Pray for his wife Ruth and for his children. The surgery was successful and pastor is recuperating at home. He looks forward to returning to the pulpit soon.

 2. Pray for three projects that we'll be working on this year: Hermosillo Southeast, Hermosillo South, and Hermosillo North. We are seeking to partner with Mexican Baptists to pray, distribute Scriptures, evangelize, plant churches, and disciple in these three distinct areas. Hermosillo South kicked off this month. We've accomplished two prayerwalks in the community and we've scheduled training opportunities, saturation projects and evangelism for this spring. The Southeast and North projects are moving more slowly, but progress is being made. 

3. Pray for our upcoming Prayerwalking Training which will kick off the Hermosillo Southeast project with the young adults of Primera Iglesia Bautista (PIB) of Hermosillo. The training will begin Saturday, January 14. About 25 young people were present for the training. We look forward to putting the training in action in a prayerwalk in Southeast Hermosillo. 

4. Pray for potential partnerships with groups from Canada and from Texas. More information next month.

5. Pray for God's protection in our lives as we face spiritual warfare. Pray that we will persevere when difficulties arise in our lives and in our ministries. The enemy is alive and on the prowl. God is more than sufficient to strengthen and encourage us. 

6. Pray for our family in Louisiana. Particularly lift up our children. Also pray for our grandmother who is recovering from a broken hip. Our grandmother is at home. Her health is not good, but she is optimistic.  

7. Pray for our first three volunteer teams from the U.S., scheduled to arrive in March, April, and May/June. Our first team has rescheduled for April 4, and will consist of two prayerwalkers. Team two will arrive April 16 and consist of 10-15 persons. Team three is forming now.  

Here are our February prayer requests: 

1. Pray for new believers B, Y, and D. Ask God to strengthen them and help them grow in the faith. Ask God to help them share their new faith with family, friends, and associates. 

2. Pray for the team from Peniel church and their work in the Hermosillo South project. Ask God to encourage them and help them grow as they learn to pray for and share the gospel with the people living in the target area. 

3. Pray for our daughter Chrissie who is facing some health concerns. Pray that the issues won't be serious and that she'll know God's comfort in these days. Pray that local Christians will minister to Chrissie and her family.  

4. Pray for upcoming training opportunities with local churches and pastors.  

5. Pray for a potential partnership developing with an association of Southern Baptist churches in the U.S.

Our most urgent prayer request:

 Twice in recent months we've asked our prayer partners to recruit more prayer partners for the work in Mexico. Our goal is to triple the number of people praying for Mexico missions. We are sad to report that very few of you have responded to us. While we are sure that some of you have asked others to join us in prayer, perhaps you have not told us about it. For those of you who have responded, thank you!!!

It makes us wonder at times if anyone is reading our update. It makes us wonder if Southern Baptists really believe in the power of prayer. It makes us wonder why a Christian wouldn't ask two or three other Christians to join him or her in prayer for a specific request. Sorry if I sound a bit preachy!! Would you take our request seriously and ask two or three Christians to pray with us. Would you then follow through, and tell us who the new prayer partners are? We truly seek your prayers for the task that God has laid before us.

1.12.2005

Thank you for being part of the "Mexicobound/SonoraNet" family. Our prayer for you is that God will richly bless you and yours during 2005. We sincerely thank you for your thoughts and prayers last year. God has seen us through an exciting first year in foreign missions, and we are truly excited about the possibilities that the new year holds!

We enjoyed a time of vacation with our family in Louisiana over the holidays. It was a refreshing time for us to spend with our kids, our parents, our siblings, and our grandparents. We returned to Mexico just after New Year's Day and are ready to get to work.

Since our return, we've been reestablishing contact with our Mexican friends and taking care of some first-of-the-year business. We've been out and about sharing the gospel and handing tracts to those who's paths we cross. We praise the Lord for opportunities to teach Bible studies this past week, and for some upcoming training opportunities.

11.29.2004

Would you take a few moments and pray with us for these special needs this week?

 1. Pray for us as we meet with an interdominational group of pastors on Tuesday, November 30 at 6:00 p.m. We will be able to share our vision and strategy with the group. Our desire is to find other GCCs (Great Commission Christians) who desire to see the gospel spread widely in Sonora.

2. Pray for us again on Thursday, December 2 as we meet with a group from Primera Iglesia Bautista here in Hermosillo. This group of young adults and their leader, we pray, are going to form the nucleus of our national church planting team. Pray that we can clearly share our vision and strategy and that they will grasp it. Ask God to speak clearly to each one as they prayerfully consider being part of the work.

3. Pray for our first convert in Sonora, Brenda! We recently hired a young woman to come and help with house work one day a week. On her third visit, we were able to share Christ with her and she was saved. Pray that she will grow in Christ, and have the boldness to share Christ with her husband, family, friends, and neighbors. Pray that God would use this to begin a new work in our neighborhood.

 We still need your help!

We are thankful for those of you who have asked others to pray for us, but we still need many more prayer warriors. Would you ask at least four more people to pray for us regularly? Currently, we have about 300 prayer partners in the U.S. and we would like to see that number grow to 3000. It will take time to reach that goal, but we can’t do it without you. Please ask them to commit to prayer for us and our work here, and to send us contact information so that we can keep them updated.

 Second, would you pray specifically for four areas that we’ve toured recently and ask God to clearly direct us to where He is already at work. The areas are La Colorada, Nuevo Hermosillo, Cuauhtemoc, and Invasión. Each of these are communities in the southeast area of Hermosillo, with thousands of people and no evangelical church.

 Again, thank you for your faithful prayer for us.

11.19.2004

Thank you for your continued interest in Mexico missions and for your prayers. We are glad to be able to send this special edition of the Mexico prayer update.  

Our prayer letter has a fresh, new look. If your email software permits it, you should notice new fonts and the use of color, instead of the plain black text. Each letter will be personalized. Your name(s) should appear in the greeting. Also, notice that your privacy is protected, because we don't send your email address to others.

 More importantly, the time of preparation for our work is ending and the actual work is beginning. Because of this,

 We need your help!

First, would you ask at least four more people to pray for us regularly? Currently, we have about 300 prayer partners in the U.S. and we would like to see that number grow to 3000. It will take time to reach that goal, but we can’t do it without you. Please ask them to commit to prayer for us and our work here, and to send us contact information so that we can keep them updated.

 Second, would you pray specifically for four areas that we’ve toured recently and ask God to clearly direct us to where He is already at work. The areas are La Colorada, Nuevo Hermosillo, Cuauhtemoc, and Invasión. Each of these are communities in the southeast area of Hermosillo, with thousands of people and no evangelical church.

Third, are matters of housekeeping for us. If this email did not have your name or names listed correctly in the greeting, would you please drop us a line and let us know. Also, if you change email addresses and wish to continue receiving our news, please inform us of your new addresses. Each month we receive notice that some email addresses no longer exist. We don't want to lose contact with our valuable prayer partners! Finally, send us your suggestions. We will work to make this letter more readable and enjoyable in the months to come. 

 Again, thank you for your faithful prayer for us.

Blessings 

Alan and Donna Brown 

11.13.2004

Dear Prayer Partners, Friends, and Family,

Thank you for your continued prayers and your interest in Mexico missions. We know that our God is sustaining us here in Mexico and that he is doing so in answer to your prayers. We are grateful for each one of you.

We've had exciting days since our arrival in Hermosillo. We are just about settled into our new home and we like it quite well. It's in a good location, convenient to most anything we need, and near some areas that we can evangelize. While the house is quite different than a U.S. house, it's comfortable and we are very thankful to be here in Mexico.

We are on-task with our strategy. Our short-term goals include improving our Spanish, getting to know our state, and familiarizing ourselves with the national Baptist work in the state. We are finding much less English spoken here in Hermosillo than in Guadalajara. There are few Americans to be seen, but some Mexicans learn English in their schools. Almost every conversation that we have is in Spanish, and that is helping our comprehension.

In terms of learning our territory, we've done a bit of traveling in the last two weeks.

First, we went north to attend the Sonora Baptist Convention. The trip took about 4 1/2 hours and we were able to see some beautiful mountain country. While there, we met many of the pastors in our state. However, this year's convention was not held in a strategic location, and the distances kept many pastors from attending. The drive from southern Sonora to northern Sonora is almost 11 hours, one way.

Next, we drove 1 1/2 hours south of our city to visit the tri-cities of San Carlos-Guaymas-Empalme. These towns are located in an area where the mountains reach all the way to the Gulf of California. There are beautiful mountain backdrops, and white sandy beaches on turquoise blue waters. Several Baptist churches exist in the area and we had a chance to visit them and meet the pastors. One of the pastors is extremely active in evangelizing the area. We are excited to know him.

We are extremely happy to report that we have met with two pastors here in Hermosillo and each has indicated willingness to partner with us in our strategy. In the next few days we plan to visit some potential ministry areas and then ask God to direct us to the one where he is already at work. We'll share more about this as the work unfolds.

We wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving!! We plan to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner here in Mexico, though we had sticker shock at the price of the turkey. Let's just say, we don't find those 19 or 29 cent turkeys on sale here in Hermosillo--more like $1.50 per lb. Thankfully, we found a small one!!!

Blessings,

Alan and Donna

10.21.2004

Dear Prayer Partners, Friends, and Family,

Greetings from Hermosillo, Sonora in Mexico. Much has happened since our last update. Our God has been faithful to sustain us, and to answer your prayers given on our behalf.

We departed Guadalajara, Jalisco on October 1 and made the two-day drive to Hermosillo without incident. We checked into the hotel and on Monday, October 4 began searching for our new home. Working with a local agent with Century 21, we viewed about 15 houses and settled on one of them by Wednesday, the 6th. Over the next several days we negotiated with the owner and worked out the details of the rental contract. The owners provided fresh paint in two of the rooms and professional cleaning for the carpets upstairs. Our mission representatives approved the contracts, we received the keys to the house, and began to move our things in on Friday, the 15th.

Our house is located in the northeastern part of Hermosillo, in a gated area with overnight security provided. The house is typical Mexican, and you would probably consider it more like a condiminium than a typical American house. There is no yard, but we have a small enclosed patio out back. The house is about 1400 square feet, with 2 bedrooms, and 2 1/2 baths. The kitchen, laundry room, closets, and such are quite nice. All in all, we are thrilled with the house. Our landlords are a friendly young Mexican couple, who recently moved from this house to a larger one.

We spent much of the first week in the house unpacking suitcases, some of which we packed in October, 2003! We had some clothes that we didn't remember we owned!! We purchased some basic household necessities like bedding, refrigerator, washer, etc., and spent much of the week at home waiting on the deliveries. We look forward to getting out of the house and to the work!

We have met some of the people at one of the local Baptist churches in Hermosillo. We originally were told that there were as many as six Baptist churches here, but found out there are now only three, and one of them has only about 5 members. It seems that we really have much to do!

Thank you for your continued prayerful support of your Southern Baptist missionaries to Northern Mexico. We know that God is supplying all that we need in response to your faithful prayers. Here are our specific prayer requests for this month.

Blessings,

Alan and Donna

10.3.2004

Dear Family, Friends, and Prayer Partners,

Greetings from Hermosillo, Sonora!

The long-awaited day has finally arrived. After spending three weeks at the International Learning Center in Virginia during September, we returned to Guadalajara, Mexico, packed our things, and headed out for Sonora. The trip took 19 hours of driving over two days, spanning four Mexican states. Thankfully, our Heavenly Father watched over us all the way and we arrived safely.

This chapter of our lives began in late 1996 as Alan surrendered to God's calling in his life to vocational ministry. Knowing from the start that God was calling us to work in a Spanish-speaking area, the calling was narrowed to Mexico by the year 2000. Donna's calling was confirmed following a summer 2000 mission trip to Mexico. As we continued the appointment process with the International Mission Board, we finally settled, prayerfully, on Sonora, in late 2002. Our appointment process was completed in 2003 and we arrived in Mexico for language study in 2004. Almost eight years have elapsed since we began, including two seminary degrees, five years service in a local church, and many, many learning experiences.

While we are relieved to finally be in Sonora, the work here has just begun. Please take note of the prayer requests that follow this update, and pray earnestly with us. One of our goals is to enlist nearly 10 times as many prayer partners in the United States. Would you take the initiative to invite your Christian friends, family, and fellow church members to join us in prayer for Sonora? If so, please send us contact information so that we can communicate with them.

Thank you for your continued prayers and your interest in Mexico missions. We appreciate each of you.

Blessings,

Alan and Donna Brown

9.1.2004

Dear Friends, Family, and Prayer Partners,

Thank you for your faithful prayer support of Mexico Missions. Our prayer and hope is that you regularly pray for the salvation of the people of Sonora, and that you pray for us as your Southern Baptist missionary representatives in Sonora. We are excited to be on mission with God in Mexico, and thank you for your interest in international missions.

August was an month of transition for us. During early August we completed the classroom aspect of our Spanish language studies. After 7 months of study, we came away from the language school with a good foundation in Spanish grammar, and literally hundreds of vocabulary words. While we are not yet "fluent," we have the ability to communicate in our new language. At times, we stop and reflect on just how much we have learned since January and it's amazing.

Alan's Spanish abilities were challenged in August. Early in the month, he had the opportunity to preach in two different churches. Those preaching events went well. Mid-month, our pastor suffered a light stroke and was hospitalized. Alan was asked to fill the pulpit the last two Sundays in August. This meant four preaching opportunities in two weeks. A challenge (to say the least), but a welcomed one. Those services went well, too.

Donna had follow-up visits with her cardiologist during August. The doctor said that her heart was functioning normally. Her EKG and echocardiogram looked very good. We praise God for his hand in her life.

Alan's grandfather had surgery during August, and the surgery was a success. Both Alan and Donna struggled with the decision not to travel to Louisiana to be with him, but God provided grace and peace in the situation.

As the month came to a close, we began the process of packing our things for our upcoming travels. We'll depart Mexico on September 5 for three weeks of Strategy Coordinator training at the Missionary Learning Center in Virginia. During that conference, we'll write our Master Plan for Sonora, and very soon begin it's implementation. We'll travel back to Guadalajara in late September, pack our vehicle, and relocate to Hermosillo, Sonora--1000 miles north of Guadalajara.

In closing, we want to thank you again for your prayers. We know that in the battle for souls in Sonora, prayer is the key. God has blessed us tremendously in our time here, and we know that blessing is in answer to your prayers. Please feel free to send us an email message from time to time. We are greatly encouraged when we hear news from our partners. (One of our partners actually types out her prayer for us and sends it via email. What a blessing that is!) Don't forget to check out our website, www.mexicobound.org. We've recently added some photos of Hermosillo, Sonora. Be sure to check out our future home!

8.1.2004

This month we have enjoyed the refreshing rains of the Guadalajara rainy season. The temperatures have moderated somewhat, and we are actually using a blanket at night. We began our final session of language study in late June and by July 1 we were knee-deep again in Spanish grammar and vocabulary. This session has been very interesting, in that Donna has been in a class of only three people, and Alan in a class of one!!! The additional time that this has afforded has been beneficial for both of us.

All of our IMB missionaries to Mexico convened in McAllen, Texas in early July for our annual field meeting. As the newbies, we were finally able to put faces with the names that we've learned over the last several months. Including the missionaries, the kids, the regional leaders, and the church volunteers that worked the meeting, there were about 240 of us. It was a great time of information, encouragement, and inspiration. The highlight of the week was the nightly worship led by Dennis Stillwell of Second Baptist/Springfield, Missouri and Dr. Roy Fish of Southwestern Seminary. Special thanks go out to the folks from Flat Creek Baptist/Fayetteville, Georgia who provided activities for the MKs.

Since we missed a few days of language school for the McAllen meeting, late July was a time of doubling up on assignments at school. Additionally, Alan was asked to teach a Bible study session in Spanish at our Guadalajara home church, "Cristo, El Unico Camino", and to preach in Spanish at "La Carpa" and "Cristo, El Unico Camino." These opportunities challenged Alan's ability to prepare materials in another language and present them in an intelligible fashion. Praise the Lord for the opportunity!

During August, we expect to finish our language study. We've already been released to move to Sonora, and that's another praise!!! We also look forward to a three-week trip to Richmond, Virginia for specialized training. As soon as we return to Guadalajara, we're off to find a home in Hermosillo!

7.1.2004

They say time flies when you are having fun! I guess that's the case with the Browns in Mexico. It hardly seems possible that we've completed six months here in Guadalajara. We can "see the light at the end of the tunnel" as far as language school goes. We are already 25% completed with what we believe is our final seven-week session of formal Spanish classes. Of course, we have to pass our Oral Proficiecy Exams, before we are cleared to move. We know that God is in control and all will go according to his providence, whenever that might be.

We've had a bit less personal excitement in June than we had in May. Our daughter recuperated nicely from her gall bladder surgery, and Donna is doing well following her Mexican heart catherization. No major health problems this month, praise the Lord!!

During the month of June, Guadalajara was inundated: First, we had an overabundance of rain, and second, we had hundreds of Southern Baptists on short-term mission trips. We had the privilege of experiencing both!!! A storm with high winds passed through Guadalajara knocking down nearly 600 trees, and flooding some low-lying areas. In one region west of the city, the rains weakened the subsoil causing the earth to split open. The fault was about a mile long, ranged from a few inches to nearly ten feet wide, and up to 60 feet deep. Several hundred people were evacuated, and several rescuers fell into the trench. At least one person died from the fall.

Lifeway sponsored two Missionfuge camps for youth here in Guadalajara during June. The teens and their sponsors partnered with area churches to do evangelism, kid's events, gospel saturation, and construction. At our church, we had about 20 teens from the first week of camp, and over 40 the second week. Several young Mexicans made professions of faith and our church is following up with them and their families. It was good to work with the groups.

Alan had his first opportunity to translate a Sunday morning sermon from Spanish to English. It was a challenge, but a good one. Thankfully, the pastor was gracious, and patient (and he also speaks a little English. He helped Alan once or twice with some unfamiliar vocabulary!!!)

We enjoyed a brief visit from our kids mid-month. It was good to see them, show them a few sights in the area, and introduce them to some of our Mexican friends.

We thank you for your continued prayers. We know that we are sustained by our Heavenly Father, and that He is at work answering your peticions on our behalf. We truly feel blessed to be here.

6.1.2004

May was an exciting month, to say the least, for us. As we advised in our last update, Donna experienced some chest pains mid-month and went to the doctor. He initially treated her for pleurisy (which I mispelled in my last email!). She did not respond to the treatment, so the doctor ordered a stress test, and a followup visit with a local cardiologist. What happened next was amazing. We arrived at the cardiologist's office without an appointment, stress test in hand, and asked to see the doctor. We waited a short time and went right in. The doctor was quite alarmed at the test results, and when we advised him that Donna was planning on flying to the U.S. the next day for our daughter's gall bladder surgery, he was more concerned. He pointed out that the test results indicated that a heart catherization was needed, and that it needed to be done immediately. At that point, Donna and I both experienced a peace that we could only explain as the hand of God. We left the doctor's!
office and went two blocks to check into the hospital. Just a few hours later, Donna was headed to the cath lab.

During the procedure, the doctor discovered that one of her arteries had 100% blockage and needed a stent. At about 3 a.m. the stent was inserted and by 4 a.m. Donna was in her hospital room, feeling fine. Now we know that one doesn't normally think of going to Mexico to have a heart procedure, but God was certainly in control of the entire situation. Donna is doing great following her procedure, and even made the trip to the U.S. (with the blessing of the cardiologist and our IMB doctors in Richmond.) Chrissie's surgery was successful, also. She had her gall bladder removed on Friday, and returned to work the following Wednesday. Praise God for protecting our family in such a way this month.

We continued our Spanish studies this month and are now nearly 75% completed with our classroom study. We have learned much this session, but the experience has been like drinking from a firehose! Hopefully, we can catch our breath in the next couple of weeks and gear up for our final session which runs from mid-June until early August.

We also met our missionary supervisors this month. They are a nice couple with years of missionary service. They transferred to Mexico in the late 1990s, and have been working almost solo in the North Field. Just this year, the Lord has sent four families to the North--three as strategy coordinators and one as gospel saturation leaders. We are excited about the new team that is being assembled to bring the gospel to the large chunk of Northern Mexico called the North Field.
 

5.1.2004

In April we completed our second seven-week session of Spanish language classes. During our week-long break between sessions, we took an eight day trip to Sonora. Our first visit to Hermosillo was exciting, and we came away with a very positive impression of our future home. At the end of the month, we began our third session of Spanish classes.

We continue to be blessed as we live and work in Mexico. We've had a few "bumps" along the way, but we are growing more and more at ease in the culture. Our emotional highs and lows seem to be leveling out. We thank God for His calling in our lives, and for the privilege to serve Him on behalf of Southern Baptists, here in Mexico.

May promises to be an exciting month as we continue our language study. We'll miss our colleagues who completed their language study last session and have moved on to their assignments. Our deepest appreciation goes to all who continue to pray for us. We really appreciate the cards, letters, and emails.

4.1.2004

March was an exciting month for us as we continued our Spanish language studies in preparation for our assignment in Northern Mexico. Since our last update we have completed 75 percent of our studies in the second of four seven-week sessions at the Harvest Language School in Guadalajara. It's hard to believe that in just two weeks, we'll be half finished with our language school. Both of us learned much this month. We participated in language proficiency interviews last week and will receive the results of our first evaluation soon.

We have adjusted well to life in Mexico. We are enjoying the people, the culture, and the food. We enjoyed beautiful weather in Guadalajara during the month, with many varieties of plants in full bloom. However, the flowers aggravated Donna's sinuses, sending her to bed for a couple of days with severe headaches and vertigo. After a few days of Claritin, and one taco with habanero pepper salsa on top, her sinuses cleared up and she felt much better.

We enjoyed attending our church home during the month, Iglesia Bautista Jesucristo El Unico Camino (Jesus Christ the only Way Baptist Church.) We participated in weekly visitation and were able to hone our language skills by sharing our testimonies in Spanish. The prayer meeting services are very special to us.

We assisted with a Jesus film project in South Guadalajara mid-month. Several people responded to the film and the local churches are following up the decisions. This month, we have been invited to present a brief devotional at the beginning of the Adult Sunday School class. We will give our presentations in Spanish--the first time we've spoken "formally" in our new language.

We anticipate a brief trip to Sonora this month. We are excited since this will be our first opportunity to see where we'll be living for the next three years. By the end of April, we'll be attending our third session of Spanish classes.

3.1.2004

It's hard to believe that February 29 marked nine weeks since we moved to Guadalajara. Much has happened in the last nine weeks. Most of all, God has been faithful to strengthen and encourage us, to help us in our studies of Spanish, and to give us His heart for the people of Mexico. He has answered our prayers and yours in all that He has accomplished so far in 2004.

We have found a temporary church home for our stay in Guadalajara. The pastor and his family are gracious people who have made us feel welcome in the church and in his home. In Mexico, when one visits in a home it's customary to say, "Estás en tú casa" which translates "You are in your home," or as we say in English, "Make yourself at home." While visiting the pastor, he to us, "You are in your home, would you like me to give you the keys?" We enjoyed a great time of food and fellowship with his entire family, and look forward to getting to know them better.

Our Spanish studies are going well. Our study consists of four seven-week sessions, or levels. We completed level one on February 19 and begin level 2 this week. We've covered many of the basics of Spanish, and now Alan is able to conduct the day-to-day business of living in Spanish. While we still don't understand everything that everyone is saying to us, we are able to formulate questions and glean the information we need from the answer. We anticipate completing our Spanish classes in August. Our schedule for late 2004 is uncertain right now, but at some point we'll relocate to our assigned city, Hermosillo, Sonora, which is 875 miles north of Guadalajara.

2.15.2004

We've been in country now for seven weeks and we are adjusting well to life in Mexico. Our accomodations, while not luxurious, are quite adequate and we are comfortable. We were able to purchase two chairs and an ottoman, so now we have a comfortable place to sit and do our Spanish homework. The Mexican family who owns our apartment is kind and helpful. We've enjoyed getting to know them.

Our language study is proceeding well. Next week we will take our final exams for the first of four levels of study. In level one, we learned several hundred vocabulary words. We learned to conjugate verbs in three tenses, and we learned about adjectives, adverbs, and interrogatives. All in all, we have enough tools to communicate in a very rudimentary way, that is, if we can remember all that we've been exposed to. We begin studying Level 2 on March 1. We anticipate our language classes to end in August.

1.15.2004

Much has transpired in the last month. We arrived in Guadalajara on December 28 and spent the first week getting settled into our new home. (Be sure to check out the photo page!) We began our language study on January 5 and it will continue for most of 2004. Guadalajara is a large city, population of over 3,000,000. It sits at about 5300 feet above sea level and is within the tropics. This combination of latitude and altitude make it's climate mild year-round. Rather than the traditional seasons to which most of us from North America are accustomed, Guadalajara has a rainy season and a dry season.

Southern Baptists have several missionaries working in the Guadalajara area, as well as those of us studying in the language school. There are several Baptist churches here, and some are quite evangelistic and visionary. Please pray for us as we visit some of the local churches to find the one where God wants us to worship and to serve for the next few months.
 

11.30.2003

 What an amazing month! Seems like yesterday that we arrived at MLC, rather than the 3 1/2 weeks that we've been here. We've adjusted well to "quad" living. We've been blessed to have shared accomodations with a great group of folks, all of whom are headed to Mexico. We've been challenged this month as we've learned about church planting, spiritual warfare, and about other issues related to our missionary calling. Our schedule has been tough at times, but it's been rewarding. We've been able to get off campus a few times--sometimes for pleasure, other times to fulfill intercultural assignments related to our studies. We want to thank each of our prayer partners for supporting us in prayer. We especially appreciate the cards and the emails we've received!!! Keep them coming. We anticipate leaving MLC for Louisiana on December 17. We'll fly out to Guadalajara, Mexico on December 28. We hope to see many of our family members and friends in our short holiday tour of Louisiana.

10.27.2003

Today begins our seven-day countdown to MLC. MLC is the Missionary Learning Center near Richmond, Virginia where we'll spend the next six weeks at Field Personnel Orientation. We've already crated 150 cubic feet of our belongings for shipment to Mexico, and now we are deciding what we'll put in the seven suitcases we're allowed to take with us on our flight to Mexico. Pray for us this week as we wrap up some final matters and pack for the trip.

9.23.2003

Today marks two weeks since our appointment in Austin. We are learning more details about our upcoming travels. This is our last week at our current jobs. We'll travel some in October before heading to the Missionary Learning Center in November.