Grisly findings in northern Mexico could signal more violence to come

(Cover photo by Pepe Rivera)
 Victims of drug cartels. (Story photo
 footage from Spanish American
 Mission) Typical church construction
 (similar stage to current project).

Mexico (MNN) ― Five heads were found by Mexican police in the city of Torreon over the weekend.

Delivered with the heads were threatening messages that led authorities to believe this was yet another outbreak of drug gang violence. The grisly findings suggest a feud between local gangs, which could increase the scope of the violence.

Since 2007, when President Felipe Calderon launched a crackdown on the cartels, more than 46,000 people have died.

Spanish American Mission President Doug Bytwerk says the upheaval had an initial impact four years ago. "We slowed up our efforts in sending crews from the United States to build [in Mexico]. We have church planters that continue to do the work of leading people to Christ, planting churches in homes, and then, as those churches get up to a critical mass, we'll send a crew down there to build a building for them."

On January 6, Spanish American Mission sent a team of five to the area to help finish the 600-seat Ministry Center in Gomez Palacio, not far from Torreon. Bytwerk quickly added that the killings did not involve anyone on their team. Everyone is safe.

The war doesn't involve their team because "this is the drug world. It doesn't mean it's safe," Bytwerk points out, "but it does mean that if you're staying away from that part of the city, you're staying away from those people, and if you're not involved in the drug world, you're fairly safe."

However, "There are those who have been killed who have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pray that our guys are not there at the wrong place when that type of thing breaks out. Pray that God protects them, that they're able to continue on with their project."

Tony Gomez, SAM's field chairman, noted a recent incident that hit close to home. In his most recent communication he shared:

"There was a recent shooting around the Gomez church, and the bad guys left their guns in a church van, knowing that the police would not look there. The church people knew not to touch the guns. The bad guys came back for the guns and did no harm to the church or to the church people."

There's an interesting twist to the story: the work of the evangelists, church leaders, and church planters has earned believers a reputation in the area. Bytwerk explains, "The cartel people know our mission; they know what we're doing. They know Tony Gomez, who is our field chairman down there. They respect him, (so) pray that they continue to respect him and leave him alone."

At this point, the concrete block walls of the Ministry Center have been completed by the Mexicans. Twelve feet high, these block walls will form the lower portion of the sheet steel walls of the sanctuary that, in total, will be 30 feet high. The team there now will be erecting steel walls to completely enclose the building.

Given the tremors threatening to erupt into a blood bath, Bytwerk says, "Pray that they'll continue to see us as a group that is not interested in what they're doing. We're interested in the proclamation of the Gospel, the building of churches. We're not into politics, we're not into government issues in any way, and we're not into the drug world."

Costa Rican outreach starts 2012 with a bang

Costa Rica (MNN) ― The work of Grace Ministries International in Costa Rica is active and growing. From the well-established church located near San Jose, the field has many goals.

In just five year, since the Grace Bible Institute of Costa Rica was launched, a Great Commission vision seems to be catching on. Sam Vinton with Grace Ministries International says the school started with just 13 students but now enrolls over 40 each trimester.

The goal is to train the next generation of pastors, lay leaders, and missionaries. In the next couple of years under the leadership of Bible institute students, GMI hopes to plant churches. Their team has been praying that the nationals  catch a vision of doing missionary work. God is answering beyond their hopes and imaginations. Vinton says, "I believe this is one of the big things that we're seeing happen in all of Latin America."

A new church was recently planted in Alajuela and just celebrated its first-year anniversary. GMI's Chuck Befus writes: "We are really too large a group for our present church rental with at least an average of 110 each Sunday and growing. We have seen God change the lives of many people and there is excitement waiting to see what God will do next. Please pray with us."

As a church and a field, the ministry also has a cross-cultural dream. "The churches in the San Jose area have had a real vision for the last couple of years of taking a team every summer into Nicaragua, which is the country north of Costa Rica."

By what they saw in Nicaragua, planting a church in Nicaragua could be a reality soon. "The responses have been good, and so starting this next month, instead of once a year, we're planning on going probably six times during this coming year."

With each trip, the team further cultivates the soil. There's no church yet, but there are study groups forming. Since the Nicaraguan women tend to be more spiritually inquisitive and sensitive to the things of God, the women members of the team prepared special Bible studies which proved very valuable as they conducted over 20 Bible studies.  

Vinton explains from there, "We're hoping that in another year or two, we'll have an actual Costa Rican family go as missionaries and possibly have an international team of different groups in South America, as well as an American missionary couple."

Already, Vinton says, "We have friends, we have contacts--people who used to be members of our church in Costa Rica who have moved back home to Nicaragua, who are foundational to this ministry."

It's an exciting time for Grace Ministries."Pray that the nationals will catch a vision of doing missionary work. I believe this is one of the big things that we're seeing happen in all of Latin America."