Costa Maya Newsletter December 2016

December 2016 Getting Ready!  "Getting ready" in the months of November and December around here means "getting ready for cruise ships." We've gone from 5-6 ships per month to 26 ships in November and a planned 45 ships in December! Everyone's getting ready for the major business season of Mahahual. As always, this is both positive and negative: Positive for the financial stability of our families--Negative because of the distraction from spiritual preparation. We will look for any and all opportunities in the coming weeks to remind people of salvation in Jesus' first coming and preparation for his second coming.   Thank you for your continued support of gospel preaching in Costa Maya. God bless your celebration of our Savior's birth! ¡Feliz Navidad!                                  ~ Pastor Valleskey ********************************************** Echoing Thanks "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:3-6    As we enter the holiday season, we echo that verse for all of you who have helped to support our mission, prayerfully and monetarily. Because of your partnership, the gospel is bearing fruit here in Mahahual and beyond, allowing many to truly understand God's grace. We pray the Lord would touch your heart to share in the riches you have been blessed with throughout this year, knowing that his Word is being shared in truth and love throughout our area. We see His Face in our everyday work here and have never doubted that it is His Will for our church to grow! We had a blessed Thanksgiving and pray you did too. Once again, thank you.  *********************************************** Online donations may be made at www.Costamayaministries.org or by check payable to Costa Maya Ministries and mailed c/o Fred Starck, 1765 Natures Way, Lindenhurst, IL 60046   Our newest accompanist ********************************************** Subscriber comment: "My observation after reading the newsletter is the world keeps on turning without skipping a beat every minute of every day and every spiritual holiday.  But in this little place in the world, materialism means little and Jesus is alive and well. Makes my heart skip a beat and believe even more.  Sometimes I think their world is much better than my world.  Too much STUFF here to distract from what is the most important."  M.R. *********************************************** A Personal Note  I want to express my personal thanks to everyone who has been praying for my family.  I spent the last month in Carolina with my dad whose health is failing. For those who follow us on Facebook, you have seen my prayer requests for him each week. Spending time with him and my family was simply priceless as it's much harder than you can imagine being so far away from loved ones, especially in times of struggles. His condition continues to deteriorate, but with a hope of a heavenly home awaiting him! My sister's (Dad's main caregiver) husband has recently been diagnosed with liver cancer and is just beginning treatments. I will appreciate continued prayers for my family as the struggles seem insurmountable except for our faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We prayed for a Thanksgiving miracle—for my dad to be able to spend Thanksgiving with the family, and our prayers were answered…and now, we are praying for a Christmas miracle. Please join us as we pray.     ~  Deb Blackburn   Copyright © 2016 All rights reserved. *Costa Maya Ministries* Our mailing address is: 8404 Saltsberry Eagle River, WI 54521 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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Costa Maya Newsletter November 2016

November 2016 Our Time Here as Teachers As retirees, we have been offering our volunteer services, mostly in teaching English, to various ministries in our fellowship. Therefore, when an opportunity arose to teach in Mahahual, we jumped at it.   When we arrived, the goal was two-fold: 1. Contact more people and make them aware of what is being taught at Cruz de Cristo.  2. Offer English classes as an aid to their jobs in the tourist trade. Our prayer was that more of our friendly, hard-working Mexican neighbors will learn of Jesus their Savior and become part of the living building.    We decided to have a number of smaller, 1-hour classes and let the students choose from several different time slots for two hours a week. Pastor Valleskey greeted each class and opened with a short Bible verse and prayer. We were reminded of God's love, forgiveness, help, and care. The Lord encouraged us when our very first student committed to (and showed up for) a Bible study with the pastor.   Some of our students came and went because of work schedules or because learning a language is not as easy as they had hoped. But a good core group kept coming regularly. It was fun getting to know them, their jobs, their family, and a little about their lives because, in reality, the best part of any country is the people. Three or four of our students were teenagers. The rest were adults - mothers, fathers, taxi drivers, restaurant workers, store clerks, tour guides. Most of them hoped learning English would help them with their jobs.   Only one of these classes was truly advanced, mainly devoted to English conversation and answering questions such as "What, exactly, do English speakers mean when they say …? How do you say, in English …?" The rest of the classes were various degrees of beginning English.    Every day there were Bible studies going on--individual, group, at the church, at homes, at "the beach"-- many with adults, a couple with children also. How great is our God and greatly to be praised. At least five of our students became involved in individual Bible studies with Pastor V. Many more asked questions, expressed interest in the church or asked questions about religion.    A number of our students were from other areas, having come here to work. Mahahual has been growing quickly, so there are lots of opportunities to meet new people. In just the last couple of weeks, people have come inquiring about English classes and are disappointed that this session is ending.   We took their names for follow-up and possible futures classes.  We look forward to a heaven filled with people of every language, tribe and nation… God's people. Pray that future classes will be possible.   Most of the Bible studies will continue after the end of ESL classes. God's Word works in lives, and as we return to our home on Thur. Nov. 3, we ask you to continue to pray for God's work in Mahahual.       ~ Bill & Faith Krug .............................................................. Interesting Local Tidbits Learned by the Krugs 1. The Yucatan has long been the name of the big peninsula sticking north at the southeastern end of Mexico. The story is told that the early Spanish explorers asked those living here, "What do you call this place?" The locals responded something like, "We don't understand what you say." This sounded like "Yucatan" to the Spaniards, so that became the name of the place.   2. The ocean off the east coast of Yucatan is reported to be some of the bluest water in the world. 3. The great coral reef off the coast from the north continuing past Belize and Honduras is second in length only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. 4. The jungle around Mahahual is still full of wildlife. The Krugs saw foxes, spider monkeys, and agouti (a small dog-sized tail-less rodent with long legs), as well as bright blue and green parrots and many other colorful birds. Jaguars and crocodiles also abound, but are not as easily spotted. 5. The Mayan people no longer build their huge pyramids all over the peninsula, but they are alive and well in the Yucatan. A number of the Krugs' students are of Mayan ancestry, and some know a little of the Mayan language.  ******************************* From a Subscriber: "Praying for all that God will continue to bless your ministry and care for the souls of Costa Maya."   KL ****************************************** Online donations can be made at www.Costamayaministries.org or by check payable to Costa Maya Ministries and mailed c/o Fred Starck, 1765 Natures Way, Lindenhurst, IL 60046. Copyright © 2016 All rights reserved. *Costa Maya Ministries* Our mailing address is: 8404 Saltsberry Eagle River, WI 54521 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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Costa Maya Newsletter October 2016

October 2016 TAKE THE WORD TO THE PEOPLE  What do you do when your church body is not well known in the area you're doing ministry? Many people I run into in Mahahual are not familiar with the Lutheran church, and maybe have not even heard of it before. Often those who are most familiar with Lutherans are European and American tourists who stop by on a cruise ship visit!   Of course, we don't have to wait for people to visit our building. We can, and do, take the Word to the people where they are. From families on the beach who do not have transportation to families in town who are not comfortable walking into our church building yet, to individuals who would like to talk about the Biblical faith in a private setting, we want to get them in contact with the Word! Participation varies, but at times we might have 20-30 people throughout the week in 10-15 separate classes, all studying the basics of Bible teaching. Our prayer is that these studies would lead to the planting and growth of faith and greater commitment over time to the mission of the church. We are confident that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of those who believe (Romans 1:16).  ~ Pastor Valleskey ************************************************ A Burning Desire   I've been alone this week. My husband Hugh has been away in the States, so I've had a lot of time to think about many things. This morning a memory came rushing back—the first time I thought of a church in Mahahual.  Hugh again was in the States, I was alone, and the Holy Spirit came into my heart and filled me with a burning desire unlike any other I've experienced in my life. Until that time, I was not a Christian. I recall a friend visited later that day, and she said, "You look different – what is wrong with you?" I told her nothing was wrong – We were going to build a church, and I was going to preach! At that moment I felt like I could stand on a mountain and shout to the world that Jesus is Lord!    Of course, I didn't start a church and I didn't preach, but a few weeks later a friend taught me how to do Bible studies, and so it began. That was March 2008, and look where we are today!  I am in total awe to see what the Lord can do! So many have been involved in bringing this ministry to where it is today.  Many people in the States have worked tirelessly to support God's work in Costa Maya. I am so thankful to all of those people, but mostly, I am thankful that the Lord has allowed me to be a part of it all. I have witnessed first-hand the birthing and growing of a church. What an awesome God we serve! Thank you for your continued prayers and support of our ministry!   ~ Deb Blackburn **************************************** Subscriber comment: "It's obvious Pastor Valleskey enjoys his work by his comments and the comments of others. I can tell the people are very blessed by his work." GW *********************************************** Below is our lighthouse. It shines a beacon to travelers in our area. It shines in the same way Cruz de Cristo shines to life's travelers here. If you visit us, you can see both.  Online donations can be made at www.Costamayaministries.org or by check payable to Costa Maya Ministries and mailed c/o Fred Starck, 1765 Natures Way, Lindenhurst, IL 60046. Copyright © *2016 Costa Maya Ministries*, All rights reserved. ** Our mailing address is: 8404 Saltsberry Eagle River, WI 54521 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

This email was sent to costamayaministries@gmail.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Costa Maya Ministries · 8404 Saltsberry · Eagle River, Wi 54521 · USA