I think before the summer is over, we’ll put up a post looking back at our teams and what we and they were able to accomplish. Good things! But for now things are kind of busy. So we’ll put up another prayer letter we sent out today, about the Bethesda team and the plans for FBUP (First Baptist Church of University Place, our home church). Here it is:

English Week
Since we asked you to pray for our last group, we thought we should give you a brief update. Eddie’s home church, Bethesda Baptist (Brownsburg, IN) came down a couple weeks ago and we did an English camp. We had 64 kids come out for four days of English: games, songs, crafts, skits and other activities. The last day we invited parents to see what their kids had learned. Over 120 family members attended. It was a fantastic time to connect with the community. In the afternoons we put on a class for adults that Angela Bowman, a friend from Burien, WA, planned and led. We had 10-15 students for that for 1-on-1 instruction. In all, it was a great time of connection with many families.

More after the break…

VBS
This week our home church, First Baptist of University Place is coming down to help with VBS. We trust that many of the kids from English camp (and more!) will come out for fun and for Bible. We’ll be presenting the story of the Bible in four lessons: God in Creation, fallen humanity, Jesus the Savior, and a new life. We’re hosting this in the community hall, right next to the president’s office. We’re excited about what God will do this coming week and we ask for your prayers. We’re especially looking forward to the collaborative effort between FBUP and our church small group here. Our hoped-for result is to start Bible studies in 3-5 homes as a result of our work this week.

Police
Another recent development is that two weeks ago (as we were doing English) 300 state police moved into the neighborhood and began an operation to remove drug dealers, break up crime cells and improve neighborhood security. The neighborhood president asked for our support in this. One of our misionary friends here was a Nebraska State Trooper, Darrol Prusia, who specializes in MMA (mixed martial arts) training and personal defence. So this last week we held 4 training sessions with the neighborhood police and plan to continue that in the future. Tim was able to share the Gospel with the commander. We begin each session in prayer and already the door seems to be opening up to working with them in some personal issues. The police in Mexico are such a needy mission field and it seems that God may be opening that up in Pueblo Nuevo.

Help Wanted
Angela Bowman, an ESL teacher, responded to our June prayer letter, saying, “Could I help with the English class?” It turned out she was free that week, and she was a life-saver for Barbara-Lee as she planned the adult class. Praise the Lord for Angela! That is precisely what we want to encourage you to think about. What are your gifts and abilities? What burden has God laid on your heart for service? You may not be an ESL teacher (but no one in Bethesda was either!), but you are able to serve. It doesn’t have to be complicated; it doesn’t need to be a huge deal. Come for a week and serve! Let us know!

Praise
1. For the great results of ESL week.
2. For opportunities with the local police.
3. For Darrol Prusia, our friend, who works with the police.
4. For the FBUP team’s safe arrival today!

Prayer
1. For the logistics of VBS. The police use the hall for a rest space during their breaks so pray that that won’t interfere with our work and that we’ll be an encouragement to them.
2. Pray for 3-5 new Bible studies with families whose kids are at VBS.
3. Pray for the work with the police to be fruitful.

After this week we’ll be taking a family break! But we’ll get word out ASAP as to how things go, and we’ll get photos up as well. Look for brief daily updates on Twitter (@tblglessner) or on the side column of our website. Please be praying for us this week!

Tim, Barbara-Lee, Drew, Gavin, Fiona