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What a summer! God has done amazing things in Baja. I am continually amazed at how he answers our prayers in ways bigger and better than we could have ever imagined. I am so blessed to have seen God work through and in His people this summer. I believe a special thank-you is in order for the many group leaders who take time and sacrifice to plan trips that give us all an opportunity to serve in Baja. A special thank-you as well to all the church leaders and ministers who strive to make our visit a special one. Thank you as well to our incredible team of translators. Through long hours and only a handful of free moments you all played a vital roll in what was a truly remarkable summer. Thanks to Peyton, Jamie, Sara, Misael, Alejandro, Pilar and Chelsea. Finally, thanks to you for your continued support and love for the people of Baja California. For your dedication to relief in the name of Jesus.

As I have already said, I am continually amazed by the way God works. In the past two years that I have been in Mexico I have seen first hand how He has moved and put things in place for Baja Missions to grow and have an impact on more lives. About a year ago I started to feel the need to grow just as God was helping the work in Baja grow. I started looking at graduate school programs and trying to find one that would help me to better help both the Mexican churches and the groups that come to spend time and serve in Baja. This past Friday I had my first class in the Conflict Management program at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. I am very thankful to the elders of Mayfair church of Christ as well as the board of directors of Baja Missions for this wonderful opportunity that they have extended to me. I am very eager to be able to begin to use what I am learning to help in Baja.

May God bless you this week!

While I am in school I will be living in Hunstville, AL. I wanted to take time and talk about how this all will look now that I am no longer living in Baja. Pilar, Alejandro, and Misael will continue working on site in Baja. Feel free to contact Alejandro and Pilar regarding questions and issues that you need addressed by someone who is physically in Ensenada. Alejandro’s email is Alejandro-guzman@hotmail.com while Pilar’s is still ralip25@aol.com. The office number that you can reach them at in Mexico is 513.783.7340 (office hours are from 9-4 pacific standard time). I will continue my work with Baja Missions while I am pursuing my graduate degree at Lipscomb. I plan to be in Baja several times throughout the year including the summer missions season. I will be available by phone or email just as I was in Mexico and my desire is still to help you communicate with our brothers and sisters in Baja. One of the many opportunities that this new arrangement offers is that I will be able to work more directly with you, your church, and your mission team. I would love the opportunity to work with your church or group in any way that I can to help you in your effort to serve in Baja. If I can be of any assistance or help you raise awareness of Baja to your church or community please do not hesitate to contact me. I hope to be able to visit with you soon!

This is an exciting time for Baja Missions. We are in the process of taking several large steps towards many goals that we have established - I believe that we are poised to move into an even greater ability to serve the people in Baja.

In an effort to communicate more efficiently I would like to ask you for a few favors. We have built a pretty large email distribution list. We normally use it to send out this update as well as other correspondence. A great example of how this list was used to get the word out fast about things happening in Baja was during the flood of this past January. We were able to be some of the first on the scene with relief and aid due to our ability to get the word out and your awesome response. We want to be even more effective, so if you are receiving these updates or other information as forwards we would love to put your email address into our distribution list. Please email me and I will get your name on our list!

I want to take time to also remind you of our annual fall conference that will be held in Ensenada, November 5-8. We are headed towards a very exciting and encouraging time with our brothers and sisters in Baja. Again, this conference is for anyone that would like to come. Please let Rex or I know if you are planning to be there. It is of vital importance that we can get together and share our experiences in Baja with one another so that we can all move forward together on the same page. Our goal is for every American church that is involved in the work in Baja to be well represented. More information can be found if you scroll down to the next post on the blog.