Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The summer is in full swing and so far everything is going good. In spite of the violence and swine flu scare, we still have had groups come down and have been blessed by them. We were able to do some work at the Albergue, our local church and even some nearby churches. One of the projects we are working towards is repairing the showers in both boys and girls bathrooms of the Children’s home. Another project is to finish the upstairs room above our local church to use for sunday school.

Last week, Andy and Sarah went with a pastor friend of ours, Davis Thorton to a village beyond Madrono to visit for the first time. For those of you who have been to Madrono, you know well how rough and long the trip is into the area. The actual mileage is under 80 miles round trip but it can take anywhere from 7-8 hrs to get in and out. The area they visited is called St. Inez. The people there have never had anyone visit them with the gospel. Bro. Davis had gathered up some food, clothes and books of John for the people there. The people invited us to come back into their village.  Although it is only an hour past Madrono, the conditions of the roads are much worse. No traveling can be done if there has been a good bit of rainfall. We ask for your prayers concerning the people in this area, that they will accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be encouraged by future visits.

Some of our students graduated during the last 2 weeks. Some from kindergarten, others from middle school, high school and elementary school. Two of our graduates from elementary school were Aaron and Saul. Those of you who have been coming down for a while and following our ministry know that they along with their older sister and brother, Ruth and Esteban have been with us since the inception of the Children’s home.  They were all of 3 yrs old, when they came to live with us and now are about to move up with the older students in the Albergue as they start the 7th grade. It is our hope that the all students will take the biblical principles they have learned here wherever they go in life.

As most of our staff has left for the school break, we ask that you would keep them in your prayers. We know all too well what a sacrifice they are making by leaving family and friends to serve there in Galeana. We also know that God always provides for his servants. Pray that their time during their short vacation will be refreshing and renewing.

It has been a different summer compared to others, but God is faithful and always provides. We ask for your continual prayers and support.

Your missionaries serving in Mexico,

Wayne, Carolyn, Jasmine, Andy and Sarah Brown

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We again greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Winter is finally past and Spring is here but in south Texas it already feels like Summer. The temperature is reaching 90-95 degrees nearly every day and sometimes goes over 100. This makes us even more anxious to return to Galeana where the temperature is more moderate. We love it there.

As some of you know my mother Juanita “Ponnie” Brown, who with my father, founded the Mission had been having strokes. Mom had moved back to Ga. to live with my sister Bernice Carpenter and be closer to her family. Carolyn and I decided to visit Mom in February and try to help Bernice care her while speaking in churches that had invited us to give a report of the work in Mexico. We arrived on a Thursday afternoon and found Mom was standing at the sink peeling a tomato to make herself a sandwich. We enjoyed 2 great days with her and then had to leave for Alabama to speak in 2 churches. Sunday morning at 5:30 we got a call that Mom had another stroke. My first inclination was to dress and rush back to her side even though it was a 4 hour drive. But over the years Mom had told me that the Lord’s work came first. She had even told me that if it came to pass as it did, I was to finish my engagements. I must admit it was hard. As soon as we finished we drove straight back and arrived at 2 A. M. For the next 6 days we stayed by her bedside. Sometimes she was alert but at other times she wasn’t. She passed away very peacefully on Feb. 23. She had a funeral in Butler, Ga. and another in Onalaska, Texas where she was buried. I thank God that Carolyn and I were able to spend those last 6 days with her. We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support shown to us at this time and also to those that gave memorial offerings in her memory.

While speaking in churches and with the other special offerings, we were able to raise the money for the roof on the second floor of the church. We had a youth team from The Woodlands, Texas come on their spring break from school and help mix and pour the concrete. I estimate the weight of the roof at between 8,000 and 10,000 pounds. We mixed the concrete in a gas powered hand mixer. Then the concrete was dumped on the ground. We had Mexican men who shoveled the cement from the ground onto scaffoldings. After 18 feet it reached the roof and was shoveled into wheelbarrows to be distributed. We had asked for prayer that the day would be a good one for cement. The sky was crystal blue. There was just enough wind to blow the dust away so we could see what we were doing. Shoveling cement, sand and gravel is dusty work. The temperature was cool enough so that we didn’t sweat too much but warm enough not to need a sweater. It was hard work but such a blessing to finish!

First we had to let the cement cure for 2weeks. Then we took out the rented support boards holding the roof and returned them. Manuel, who some of you know, is plastering the walls now. We hope to have the rooms finished and ready to use for Sunday School soon. V. B. S. is in about 5 weeks and we?ll also need those rooms then. We are expecting about 300 again.

Andy and Sarah are taking a break and are in Ga. visiting family before the summer groups start coming in. Carolyn and I are taking a load of stuff down this weekend. I plan to add another toilet on our back porch. Carolyn wants to do some letters with the kids for their sponsors. She had planned to help them make Easter Cards but ran out of time her last trip down. There is always so much work to be done when we leave for a few weeks. We’ll be assisting a group of doctors from Monterrey that are coming to check out the kids. The last week of May the team from La. comes to hold V. B. S. Pray that people accept the Lord.

We want to thank you for your prayers for our safety. We thank God that the areas that are having the drug wars and attacks are so far from us. We are fortunate that the only large city that we get near is Reynosa, and that is just to use the by pass around the outer edge of it. When asked if we are afraid to travel or to take groups into Mexico, we truthfully can reply that we are more uneasy in the U.S. than we are there. But please pray with us for those who live and serve in those dangerous areas and that God not let it spread anywhere near us.

In Jan. we received several new kids from Monterrey. One young girl was so messed up we didn’t know if she could stay or not. She is 14 and has been living on the streets since she was 9. She was into drugs and had S.T. D. s. Naturally she was behind in her school but we enrolled her in the 6th grade. She tried but she couldn’t catch up so she is being tutored by Miriam. Because of her S. T. D. she had to be quarantined away from the other girls and because she had run away from other institutions, we have had to nail boards over her window. This places an extra burden on the staff in the children’s home. When we went to Ga. I told Carolyn that I hoped Jullisa would be there when we returned but I didn’t expect her to be. After being gone for 5 weeks we returned to find a changed kid. She is discovering some self worth. She follows the ladies of the staff around and is learning so much from them. She has prayed to accept the Lord. Only God can heal her and help her reach her true potential.

We ask your continued prayer for the Mission and its staff. At the present Carolyn has had the hives for 10 days. Benadryl, Caldadryl and corn starch helps but we ask a healing for her. My prayer is more technical. I need to learn more about computers. In the last 3 years I have had 3 computers crash on me. Right now I have a computer that hasn’t crashed yet but changes stuff as I enter it. It frustrates me that I can’t understand what is wrong. Carolyn asks for your patience in that she didn’t get to make the Easter cards with the kids and for prayer that she can get her letters to all you sponsors done and in the mail our next time in Texas. We love you.

Your Missionaries serving in Mexico,

Wayne, Carolyn, Jasmine, Andy and Sarah Brown

Wow, this week has been really tough. Over the Weekend my grandmother passed away. Even though we all knew she was not well, it was still very hard. The funeral was Wednesday. Although it was a sad time, God changed it. It was so awesome to see so many members of the family attend the funeral. It was great to see Cousins, Aunts and Uncles who we have not seen in quite a while. After the funeral, instead of being sad, we all began to talk about some memories that we shared with our grandmother.

Although I did not spend quite as much time with my grandmother like my brothers and sister, it was still really hard for me. I did not even know if i would be able to go to the funeral since it was on a weekday. I prayed very hard that God would let me go so i could be with my family. God was so good, at last minute, everything worked out to where I could go. I was so glad. Like I said before, I might not have spent a lot of time with my grandmother, but she was a very important and influential person in my life. I am so grateful that God gave me such an amazing grandmother. I will always remember one thing in particular that she taught me, and that is if I am going to serve God, I need to do with my whole heart. The reason why this is so important to me is because she and my grandfather both served God so faithfully for so many years. I admire them both for that. They both started an amazing ministry together. Now God has let my father continue the work they started many years ago. I am so blessed that God has allowed all my family to continue the ministry of sharing the Gospel to the people in Mexico, like my grandfather and grandmother did. It is a blessing to be a part of something so special.

For those who have been praying for us, it is greatly appreciated. Thank You. God Bless.

Hello again, I know it has been quite a while since I have updated this section, I am sorry. As many of you may know, I have been through a lot recently but thanks to lots of prayer I am doing much better. I have just started my spring semester at South Texas College. I am hoping between my studies I have time to write a little more.

In December, I was glad that I was able to see the children in Mexico again. It was a long week of getting the gifts together but it was worth it. They all loved their gifts. I know little Julio really liked his since he was dragging his gifts around. All the kids were excited about their gifts. One of the girls, Beatriz really enjoyed receiving a Christmas gift. Beatriz has only been with the children since school started so the Christmas party was very special to her. She loved getting to eat cupcakes and candy for dessert.

During the week of the Christmas party, we were also getting gifts ready to go out to the little churches in the villages. Aunt Gracie and Aunt Sybil worked hard at getting things bagged up to take to the villages. Dad, Andy, and Sarah worked at bagging candy. Even though there were a lot of gifts packed, sometimes we did not have enough so we had to get more. It was incredible to see how many gifts were given.

Hello, we are all busy getting ready for school to start back. Right now we are getting ready for a group. The group that will be coming down is from Alvin, Texas. They are coming to help us get the children’s back to school stuff ready.

I am sorry we have not sent a Newsletter out yet. We have had some problems with the computer that we are trying to get fixed. We hope to have a Newsletter sent out as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience. God Bless. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Thank you for all your support this summer.

Hello again, Sorry I haven’t updated my letters recently. Our summer has been very busy with the groups. The groups started the last week of May and will continue until July. In May, we had a group from Louisiana go to Mexico and hold V.B.S. for a week. It was amazing, by the end of the week we had probably 350 people attend V.B.S. God was so good. It was awesome to see so many people come to V.B.S.

This year I taught the 7-9 years olds, it was fun. Each day they learned a new song and Bible verse. I was so glad that God allowed me to be a part of watching them grow, as well as, teaching them about His Word. I love to see children soak up the Word of God, its an awesome experience.

Now we are half way done with the groups. We have 3 more groups until we are finished. After the groups are done we will be starting on back to school for the children.

For all of you who sponsor a child, please let me know if you would like something sent to you from that child.

We also have to get ready for our 6th grader’s graduation. We are all so very proud of them. I am especially proud of them for doing so well in school. When i tutored them a few years ago, i prayed that God would help each and every one of them to succeed. They all deserve to have a chance at an education. I am so glad that He answered my prayer. God is always faithful when we ask Him.

On a very personal note, I would like to ask your prayers for me. As some of you know, I will be starting to college in August. I ask that you pray that I will be able to handle the challenges that are put before me. I know it will not be easy since I have not lived in Texas for a whole school year. Thank you.

Hello again, I just thought that I would write and let you all know how your week in Mexico went. We just got back from Mexico a few days ago. While we were there, we celebrated Day of the Child. We had our normal church service, but afterwards we had a party for all the children. The church members bought a couple of piñatas for the children. Our workers all pitched in and helped to bag candy and toys for each child. All the children enjoyed the meal that the church ladies prepared for them. We were very lucky that we had just enough candy, toys, and food for everyone. I think we had like 100 children attend church. It was awesome. It was a tremendous blessing to see so many children. We hope that everyone will come to Vacation Bible School the last week of May. We are hoping that as many children, teenagers, and adults possible will attend. We really hope that men will attend so we can reach them. They are the hardest ones to reach. I ask that you pray for all of the people that will be teaching, translating, and for those that are behind the scenes during V.B.S. I greatly appreciate it. Well that is all for now. God Bless everyone who continues to support and to pray for us daily. Your prayers are a tremendous blessing to the Mission in Mexico.Thank you.

Dear Brother’s and Sister’s in Christ,

This school year has gone by so fast that it is hard to believe that it is already April. As many of you know we were really concerned about accepting responsibility for so many more children this year. We still do not have sponsors for all the children, especially the older ones, but God has miraculously provided everything necessary to care for them. Thank you all for the special offerings as well as your monthly support.

We now have internet service in the mission house in San Juan again and we just got it in the Albergue also. Can you believe it? It seems such a short time ago that we were so excited to have phone service, and now internet! WoW! There have been so many things that have happened this school year that its really hard to know where to start telling you about them. i guess it probably will make more sense to start now and go backwards and try to hit the highlights:

I, Carolyn, am feeling better and my ear has healed. I was on antibiotics for about five weeks and my immune system crashed. It took IV antibiotics and vitamins but Praise the Lord I am well and able to do my work again. And double Praise the Lord for a Christian doctor that treats me for free. That’s a big “God Thing.”

Last Sunday I was BLESSED to attend the Albergue’s Board meeting in Monterrey. Everything was so positives and upbeat. After the meeting while getting a ride to the bus station with the shelter’s founder, Sister Sagrario shared with me that she feels that for the first time ever the Albergue is fulfilling the vision that it was founded upon. That vision was and still is to provide a safe Godly environment where hurting kids can heal and learn about the Lord as they are obtaining their education.

Christmas is always a big deal for our ministry. All the children and staff received gifts. We celebrate after the children are back in school. In September of each year, a short term mission group helps with taking the kids measurements and shoe sizes. They then get people from their church to buy a gift for each child. last September we took in about 30 new students, most of them 12 to 14 years old. I’ve never seen so many children grow so fast in my life. Some kids went up 2 sizes in 4 months. There is a rumor going around that we give them steroids. Sadly, the truth is just that we feed them three times a day. A luxury indeed!

The Elementary School is trying something new and we are concerned about how it is affecting our kids. Until recently the school day started at 8:00 and ended at 12:30. There was a lot of homework and we spent about 2 hours daily teaching our kids the things that they were introduced to in school. Now the kids come home for lunch and return to school until 4:30 each day. The reason the system changed was because a lot of the children have illiterate parents that can not help them at home. Unfortunately, most of the children are not learning or testing very well. And because they are so tired, they misbehave lot more. But on the whole they are doing remarkably well. Integrating the elementary and the older kids together is working very well. And it is wonderful to have all the staff working, praying, and praising together. A big Praise is that everyone can fill in for each other so everyone has some time off and time to serve in the church and chapel.

Since we are here in the states for a limited time, we decided to send out a general newsletter. As we get the internet going, hopefully we can get news to you faster. If the child that you sponsor is not included, be thankful because they are doing well. But for more information please feel free to write to us and we’ll try to respond. Even though all the kids are special and they all need prayer, this time we’ll focus more on some of the elementary kid’s needs.

Laura Gabriela is our newest child. She was placed with us because she refused to obey any of the authority in her life. After these few months she has changed her mind and now wants to be a good girl, but she is still having a hard time behaving at school. She is very susceptible to peer pressure and she wants to be popular. We pray that she will allow God to help her change her behavior as He changes her heart.

The four children that seem to have had the most changes in their lives lately are Jonathan, Liliana, Zaida, and Lucero. For several years they had almost no contact with their mother who was a drug addict. the children have prayed for their mother to come to the Lord and have never totally lost their desire to have her be their mom. They really have a lot to forgive her for, the neglect and abuse…God does answer prayer and she started visiting them about once every month or two. She finally realized how much she needed help and went into a government rehab program. She was there for several months, and she came out of it a different person. The biggest change is that she can actually see that the kids are special and that they need love and protection.her family believes that she should take the children, but she has said that she knows that they are better cared for with us and that really she can’t provide anything that they need including stability. Zaida and Lucero have had the hardest time since they have more memories of their life on the streets and of being traded for drugs. They have had some trouble keeping up in school now that they are in the 7th grade and their assignments are much harder and less supervised. Jonathan also needs a lot a prayer. Since his birth mother has reentered his life, he has become very emotional. He is a very likeable boy but like a lot of kids his age he is bit lazy and has to be told what to do. He also needs prayer for his grades. he is passing but he is capable of doing much better, And he is growing so fast that he needs longer pants and bigger shoes often. Liliana is doing well. She has decided that she does not like playing with dolls or toys very much. She now prefers to listen to music and talk with the other girls. She has finally gotten over some of her jealousy that she felt toward the smaller girls. She’s still cute as a button. Please pray for her as she is turning into a teenager. We have had these children for 5 1/2 years and love them greatly.

Another brother and sister that need our prayers are Juanita and Jose Carlos. Unfortunately Jose Carlos is having some behavior problems in school. We feel that is partly because his mother doesn’t seem to want to visit them. But he also would just plain rather be playing than sitting in a classroom. But there is one thing that he has absolutely no problems with and that is playing soccer. He loves it. Although Juanita is still our flirty little beauty, she has begun to study a lot. She still likes helping a lot with the chores and feeling needed and is very responsible in completing her chores. We pray that she will continue to grow in the Lord.

It is a good thing that when we took all these children that we never considered that they would be becoming teenagers while in Elementary School. Most of them were looking for food in garbage cans while other kids their ages were in school. They each face many challenges while trying to overcome emotions that have become a part of their personalities. Only God can truly, completely heal their hearts.

Some good examples of these are Cesar, Victor, and Jorge. Their mother deserted them and their father has been in prison for years. The boys were left with their grandparents that just can’t afford to feed and care for them. There is some confusion about whether their father is still in prison or is out now. The boys get excited about seeing him and then he never shows up. So they don’t know whether to feel sad or angry. Cesar could be the best influence in the big boy’s dorm since he has been with us so long and he is a natural leader. But since he is in the 7th grade and we have other boys that have been there through jr. high and high school, he follows their lead and sometimes that causes him to show his insecurity by showing off. Victor also has a hard time when he comes back from visiting his grandparents. He comes back with such a lack of self-confidence that it takes him a while to feel good about himself again. We pray that he will always remember how much that God loves him and that He will always be there for him. Jorge is a smart boy and has a lot of potential but he has a problem with being a little restless. He is a very good helper and usually a joy to be around. These boys need a lot of encouragement and to be reminded that they do not have to follow in their dad’s footsteps. They can become men of God.

Yessica is doing well in school but she is having some problems with being depressed. We believe the reason for her depression is because of the tough home life she has had. Her mother is working now, which is a change since she usually lives with one boyfriend after another. Please continue to pray for her.

Saul has had some problems behaving while in class and that has caused his grades to be low. He is doing better now. He has changed his attitude at the Albergue for the better. he spends a lot of time playing soccer. Please continue to pray for him that he will be able to get his grades back up again.

Claudia is a girl who needs a lot a of prayer because she has many problems deep within herself. She is a girl who needs to feel and know that she is loved. The only way she will know that is if she lets God show her. Claudia is the oldest girl in the elementary children’s home and it is not easy for her since she is becoming a teenager. Please keep her in your prayers that she will allow God to guide her through this difficult time in her life.

Alex realized that his grades were starting to lower a little and he is putting more time in studying to get better grades. Please pray that he will be able to raise his grades up again.He has grown really close to Bro. Amos( the house dad) and even spent the holidays visiting Amos’s family. This is especially good since Alex is such a good kid that is often overlooked in the crowd.

Carlos has real willingness to learn but he has a hard time keeping up with the other children. Please pray for him, he is having a tough time at school with both grades and social interactions. We believe that some of the problem is that the school is trying to prepare the kids for jr. high and the teachers don’t have a lot of patience.

The churches are doing well. “Adonai” (the Galeana Church) is growing and it is so great to have to show up on time to get a good seat. We recently baptized several new converts and they are such a blessing to the church. The little Sunday School room is almost complete, but the upstairs still lacks a roof. We also now have two bathrooms with flush commodes. We would love to finish the upstairs in time for V.B.S. but we know that everything is done in God’s time.

Thank you for all your prayer. We appreciate them.God Bless.

Your MIssionaries in Mexico, The Browns

Hello. I am very sorry it has taken me so long to give you an update. We have been very busy in Mexico. In March, we had a leadership conference for the pastors and teachers that we help support. I think we had 70 people, that is counting pastors and their families, attend the conference. Since the conference was in Galeana, the members of our church helped by preparing the meals and making sure everyone was comfortable. Even though the conference was only three days, everyone enjoyed it. As the pastors and their families were leaving, they said that they had been very blessed to have the opportunity to attend the conference. Even the church members who were working during the conference said that they too had been blessed. The Sunday that all the visitors left, all the church members and us prayed, and thanked God that the conference had been such blessing to everyone.

Hello again, I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Right now my parents and I are in Mexico. Everyone is busy trying to get the children and teenagers back to school. The students are all doing well. Please remember to keep them all in your prayers.