Michael Lea Mission Reports

July 2010

2010-07-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

^KJV Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Dear Brethren,

Hello again from Texcoco, Mexico. I am glad to be able to write and let you know that the Lord continues to bless. We were in the States the last half of July and the first half of August since our visas (permission to stay in Mexico) expired and we also needed to renew my son Nathaniel's passport. I had planned to take less time in the States, but, through an oversight, we left Nathaniel's birth certificate in Mexico and had to request a new one. Because he was born in Panama, we were required to go through passport services to get it, which took a week and a half. It was wonderful to take a little vacation and visit with the people of my home church (Mission Blvd. Baptist). I was able to follow up a bit with a young man named Jonathan Martinez who spent the month of July here in Texcoco. Praise the Lord, he was able to experience intense Christianity here by spending time with Juan Arellano and the congregation here. It truly changed his life from what I have seen. He surrendered to preach and to be a missionary, and was able to preach his first sermon in Spanish. Pray for him and for his family who are having a hard time with his change. When he returned to the U.S., he put into practice the discipleship he received here. He joined Mission Blvd. Baptist Church by baptism and is now getting involved there. Praise the Lord!

Before leaving Mexico, the first half of July was spent in continuing to help people grow spiritually. People here really enjoy the discipleship process, which has been effective in developing people who can win their neighbors to the Lord and then help them mature spiritually. Also, we had two activities for the young people. The older youth were able to go to Six Flags and the younger ones went on an overnight camping trip. We were not able to take them to church camp this year due to schedule conflicts, so these activities were a welcome blessing to the youth.

I want to thank you for your prayers as we continue to finish the development of this congregation here in Texcoco. Thank you also for your financial support that makes this possible!

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

June 2010

2010-06-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

	Michael Lea Family Apartado Postal No.39 56101 Texcoco, Estado de México Phone Number: 011-52-59-59-31-36-93 e-mail: mleambbc@yahoo.com website: http://mbbc.us
Tammi, Jonathan, Michael, Nathaniel, Alex, and Savanah		Missionary to Mexico

June 2010

^KJV Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in thee.

Dear Brethren,

Hello from Texcoco! My prayer is that this letter finds you well and blessed in the Lord's work.

We feel blessed that the work here continues to grow. We had three more people join the mission: Gumercindo Linares and his wife Amelia Cornejo and Rubén Vistrain. I would ask you to pray for these new additions as we disciple them and incorporate them into this local body.

The mission here was able to observe the Lord's Supper for only the second time since it was established. It was a struggle to get everyone on board (membership) and fix long standing problems, but the Lord was true and it was a great blessing to see Him work. The brethren here are excited about the unity and the valuable lessons learned through this experience.

Brother Juan Arellano is continuing to grow in his leadership here at the mission. He has had to deal with several problems that have pushed him to make decisions for Christ instead of following the crowd. He is doing very well with the children's ministry and has been a blessing to the children in several neighborhoods who come every Saturday for games, food, fun, and a Bible lesson. He also is continuing to do the lion's share of the discipleship. I feel the congregation is beginning to see him as leader and teacher. Please continue to pray for this young man as he develops in God's work.

I want to thank you for your kind support for this ministry and your prayers which are invaluable to us! Thank you so much for following the Lord. May our Lord continue to bless us all.

In Christ,

Michael Lea and family

To SUBSCRIBE to this prayer letter, please click here

Sent by Mission Boulevard Baptist Church - PO Box 2935 - Fayetteville, AR 72702 - +1 (479) 442-2565
http://mbbc.us - mbbc@mbbc.us - Brian Disney, Pastor

May 2010

2010-05-31T15:02:00.000-07:00

	Michael Lea Family Apartado Postal No.39 56101 Texcoco, Estado de México Phone Number: 011-52-59-59-31-36-93 e-mail: mleambbc@yahoo.com website: http://mbbc.us
Tammi, Jonathan, Michael, Nathaniel, Alex, and Savanah		Missionary to Mexico

May 2010

^KJV Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets:
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Hello from Texcoco, Mexico. May this letter find you well in the Lord. We are thankful for your service to the Lord.

This past month has been an exciting time here in Texcoco! We are thankful for your prayers since we have seen several victories in the Lord. I started the month with teaching on baptism (candidate, mode, authority, and symbolism) and finished out the month teaching on the Lord's Supper. I am excited that eight people have come forward for membership, and six of those were by baptism! Praise the Lord!! My preaching that it was a test of obedience and fruit of salvation helped several decide it was time to follow the Lord. Many had not come forward because of false teachings by other "churches" that are open on baptism and membership. Please continue to pray for these new members: Jose Luis Zavala Martínez and his wife Evelia González Velasco, Eduardo Paoli García, Irma Molina López and her daughter Arlenne Corredor Molina, Jaime Bojorqués Medina and his wife Esperanza Castañeda Hernández, and Pilar Solorzano Maldonado.

Things continue to go well in our discipleship of many new people. I am glad that Brother Carlos Hernández who is leading the youth is getting involved in this process. Please pray for him. I want to thank you for your prayers and generous support for this ministry. May God continue to bless you richly for your service to Him.

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

To SUBSCRIBE to this prayer letter, send a blank email to mlea-panama-subscribe@googlegroups.com

Sent by Mission Boulevard Baptist Church - PO Box 2935 - Fayetteville, AR 72702 - +1 (479) 442-2565
http://mbbc.us - mbbc@mbbc.us - Brian Disney, Pastor

April 2010

2010-04-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

^KJV Leviticus 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

Dear Brethren,

Hello from Texcoco, Mexico! Things are going very well. We see more people being ministered to and church attendance growing. What a blessing! Unfortunately, false churches in this area have lead people to believe that the only thing necessary to become a church member is to attend services occasionally. I am planning to minister the Lord's Supper to the congregation, and this issue has caused confusion for some of our new visitors. We definitely do not want to offend. Some people have had a hard time understanding. A new disciple named Pablo was offended initially when it was mentioned that the Lord's Supper would be for members only, but after we explained it became clear that he was welcome to make a commitment to membership. He continues to be discipled. Please pray that the Scriptural teaching on church membership will touch the hearts of the old visitors, some of whom have been coming for over a year and a half. Their decision not to become members yet is not from a lack of teaching on the subject.

I want to thank Bro. Russ Hanson with Grace Bearing Precious Seed for the boxes of tracts and Bibles that he sent us. We are busy passing them out and seem to be getting good responses from that. Bro. Salvador Arellano (an older member of the congregation here who is losing his eyesight) is on fire. This past month he has been visiting old friends to minister to them, and several have come to church. I have started discipling one of them (Gabriel), and he is excited about learning new things.

On Sunday mornings I have been doing a study on Leviticus that has been enjoyable not only to me but also to many of the congregation. There is a lot of excitement about both the teaching and the music ministry. Bro. Juan and Bro. Jesus have additional people whom they have begun teaching this month. Bro. Juan Arellano is teaching seven new people to play guitar and our choir is growing. I have been surprised by the attendance to choir practice. We sing a new song almost every week.

I want to thank you for your continual prayer for us as we work to build a church that will be able to fund, govern, and reproduce itself. We appreciate your kind support for this ministry. May the Lord bless you in all things.

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

February 2010

2010-02-28T12:13:00.000-08:00

	Michael Lea Family Apartado Postal No.39 56101 Texcoco, Estado de México Phone Number: 011-52-59-59-31-36-93 e-mail: mleambbc@yahoo.com website: http://mbbc.us
Tammi, Jonathan, Michael, Nathaniel, Alex, and Savanah		Missionary to Mexico

February 2010

^KJV Psalm 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles.

Dear Brethren,

Hello again from Texcoco, Mexico. Everything is going well here. I see continued growth in the men that I am training for leadership. Things are going smoothly and there is progress in the new disciples. We are also working to get Gospel tracts out into the hands of people and hoping to make new contacts.

I continue to disciple a young man named Emanuel and the Zavala family. We have also added a couple of young men to the discipleship list. Please pray for Ruben who has begun studying with Juan and Luis Francisco who is about to start discipleship with Juan as well.

As a congregation, we had the opportunity to take a day trip February 1, into the mountains to a place called Pachuca for some fun and fellowship. I think it really brought us together, especially since at the beginning it was sleeting and very cold and we all huddled under a small roof around a picnic table. By the afternoon things warmed considerably and we were able to play some soccer and walk the trails. We also enjoyed special fellowship, singing, and testimonies for Valentine's Day and for my wife's birthday.

Please continue to pray that Juan, Jesús, Jaime, and Carlos will be able to get the visa permission so that they can attend the Discipleship Conference at our home church on March 21-23. I think this will boost their vision and energize the work here. They have their appointments at the U.S. Consulate on the 16th.

I appreciate your prayers for our health. We have gotten through the rough time, and are doing great. We also want to thank you for your faithful support and prayers that are so invaluable to us in the work here. May God continue to rain His blessings down upon you and what you are doing for Him.

In Christ, Michael Lea and Family

To SUBSCRIBE to this prayer letter, send a blank email to mlea-panama-subscribe@googlegroups.com

Sent by Mission Boulevard Baptist Church - PO Box 2935 - Fayetteville, AR 72702 - +1 (479) 442-2565
Brian Disney, Pastor

January 2010

2010-01-30T10:42:00.000-08:00

^KJV Philippians 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded,
having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Dear Brethren,

Hello from Texcoco, Mexico. I hope this letter finds you well and blessed in the Lord. With the change in weather down here, we are battling with sickness, and we appreciate your prayers. We have been experiencing a surge in new visitors to our various activities and have added several to our discipleship list. Praise the Lord! I am thankful to the Lord that everything is moving in the right direction and everyone here is like-minded in what we are doing. When there is peace and love among the brethren, what a blessing it is to be together.

My home church, Mission Blvd. Baptist, is holding their Discipleship Conference the 23rd—25th of March. I am hoping to take five men from here to the conference. They are in the process of getting their passports and other documents which they need to get a visa into the U.S. Please pray that they will be given the necessary permission. The purpose for their going is for them to see that the discipleship process is not an isolated, little-used method to help believers grow to maturity; but a great tool for winning the whole world through multiplication. An additional benefit is that those who participate in discipleship grow and receive hands-on training as they help others to know Christ personally and grow. There are two men here who are actively discipling others, and I am confident that they will continue this process among the brethren here. The five men who desire to attend this conference are preparing music, to give everyone a taste of Mexico. If anyone is interested in attending, feel free to contact my home church for more information.

Please pray that Juan Arellano will continue to grow in his leadership role in this congregation. Pray for Jaime Bojorkes and family, who began attending services regularly in January and have started discipleship with Brother Jesus Arellano; and for Emanuel, a young man new to Texcoco who is meeting with me nearly every day and is soaking up Bible concepts enthusiastically. Eduardo, a man of Pentecostal background with a deep desire for knowledge, began studying the Bible with Juan this month. Isabel, who works in our neighborhood, and Amelia, who came to us for counseling, began a new Bible study with Tammi. Our desire is that these seeds would fall on fertile soil.

I surely thank you for your continued prayer for us and the work here. God bless you for your faithful support!

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

November/December 2009

2009-12-31T16:45:00.000-08:00

^KJV Proverbs 21:21 He that followeth after righteousness
and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.

Dear Brethren,

Hello from Texcoco, Mexico! It is a blessing to serve the Lord here and to see that God continues to work in people’s lives. We are striving to develop men who can preach, teach, and disciple. We are blessed with two good men that are rising to the challenge and are being very effective! Their names are Bro. Juan Arellano and Bro. Jesus Arellano (Juan’s father). I would ask that you to continue to pray for these two men since they are the men who are doing the work with God’s power. I have several other men that are being discipled and have potential and are participating in fellowship. My wife Tammi is doing a great job with the women, and I feel that she has helped them to start working through problems among themselves. She has a group of ten women who are participating in Bible studies and other “girl” stuff, such as getting together to bake goodies, which they especially seem to enjoy. We have a few correspondence students, but have not had the volume that we had when we where in Panama. It is a shame that people here are not interested in studying the Bible. I think it has a lot to do with the strong influence Catholicism has in this area. We have had greater success by building relationships, counseling, and helping with spiritual needs as a way of beginning Bible studies with new people. We still have regular long-time visitors, and have had two new visitors come recently.

I am excited to say that my son Alex, after several years of being saved but not wanting to get baptized, has now been baptized and added to the church. This was special to the congregation here since we have seen an exodus of people who have not appreciated the Lord’s church, and have disciplined several members. I want to thank you for your prayers for my family and me. I was very ill for two weeks and was not getting any better even with antibiotics. Doctor Salvador (a member of our congregation) was concerned and took me to an ear, nose, throat specialist who said that the infection had been eliminated, but that because of blocked nasal passages I had a lot of congestion which was affecting my ears and throat. I had an operation to open my nasal passages. The surgery was successful and I am currently recovering.

I want to thank you for your continued prayers and support! It is a big blessing to know that so many are praying for us! May God bless you and keep you in His will.

In Christ,
Michael Lea and Family

October 2009

2009-10-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

^KJV Psalm 37:37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

Dear brethren,

Greetings in the Lord from Texcoco, Mexico. This month found us traveling again since we received only a thirty-day visa into Mexico when we returned in September. Because of this setback, we decided that our whole family would make a trip to Colombia to pick up our household belongings which we sent there a year and a half ago. I was able to get three free tickets that defrayed the costs of our going. Because of communist leanings in the government, it has not been possible for us to get permission for us to enter Colombia, and the Lord has redirected us to Mexico for now. Many of our belongings were damaged by mold, but we were able to bring back fourteen large suitcases and six carry-ons of sentimental and useful items. Thank you Metropolitan Baptist Church brethren for transporting us to and from the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport! Drug trafficking makes shipping things from Colombia very expensive because of all the extra red tape involved. We decided it was not worthwhile, and Brother William Aya has offered to sell the stuff we left behind for us. The Lord knows best. We are grateful for His provision and for your support. We have been blessed. We enjoyed our time with the brethren of the congregation in Bogotá. They are working hard to prepare literature for a plane drop in November over the jungle where the guerrillas are. They seem to be doing very well.

Upon flying back to the States, I was able to attend an ordination service in our home church for three deacons and three preachers including Brother Nick Cogan who is going to China. I have missed the last two ordination services, so it was a real blessing to be there for this one.

On October 21st arrived back in Texcoco three weeks after leaving. Our return went really smooth, and we were given 180-day visas. We found that one family in the congregation here did not want us back, and is creating problems. I feel that the Lord is cleaning His vineyard so that we can take the Lord’s Supper. I am confident in the Lord that things are going to get a whole lot better now that we are united as a congregation here in Texcoco. Please continue to pray that many who have left will repent and follow the Lord.

I thank you for your continued prayer for us and for your gracious giving for this ministry. May the Lord bless richly!

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

July 2009

2009-07-31T20:47:00.000-07:00

^KJV Psalm 27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

Dear Pastor and church,

Hello from Texcoco, Mexico. This past month has been a month of blessings, with the Lord touching hearts, people getting saved and men taking leadership and ministering. Praise the Lord!

On July 20th-25th we held two Vacation Bible Clubs in which we ministered to approximately eighty children. We worked hard the weeks before hand to prepare the materials from scratch. Nearly every member of the congregation participated in some way. We were able to reach some of the parents for Christ. Last count is six saved and we continue to follow-up the contacts that we made.

We were also blessed with the visit of my pastor, Brian Disney and missionary Robert Creech. They were able to be with us the 21st-23rd of July. They were able to visit with the congregation here, and Brother Juan Arellano was presented with a certificate of recognition of his calling to the ministry. They were exited to see that things are moving forward with the group here.

July 27th-31st I was able to go with the youth group to camp in Palo Verde, Mexico. A group of eleven young people went, and they all had a good time with the preaching and activities. We had one saved and many confirmed their desire to serve the Lord. It is exciting to see young people moved by the Lord. On the way back I caught a cold, but am better now.

I continue to disciple most of the men here in the congregation. It is exciting to see Brother Juan Arellano continue to grow and to see his ministry expand. He is beginning to fill up his week with discipleship also. He also holds a class on Saturdays for the young people ages five to fourteen. Please continue to pray that the Lord will use Brother Juan.

Thank you for your Prayers! We definitely need them as we continue to work for the Lord. Thank you for your faithful support for the Lord’s glory.

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

June 2009

2009-06-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

^KJV 2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses,
the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

Dear Pastor and church,

Greetings in the name of Lord Jesus Christ. We continue to labor here in Texcoco, Mexico, focusing on a congregation that the Lord has given our church the opportunity to develop into a New Testament Baptist church. Many from this group came out of a "Baptist" church which began straying. Missionary Robert Creech came for six months and was able to get them started. Taking over the work from him has been difficult, because it takes time to really get to know people and their needs. I came in thinking that people were already grounded in Baptist doctrine, However, I came to realize through training and teaching that not all the congregation held Baptist distinctives. In my past experience of developing congregations "from scratch" I did not run into these problems as much, since we were winning new people to the Lord and teaching them Bible principles from the beginning, or we were teaching Christians that we had won with the truth. I have found it very challenging, indeed, to come into a situation already established and try to correct church concepts on authority, baptism, and methods. I found that about half were entrenched in an eccumenical Bible church mentality and would not respond to sound doctrine. Praise the Lord for those who made adjustments to adhere to the truth and continue to labor in the Lord's work. We have been able to win new people to the Lord and have added many through baptism, so that we now have a solid base in the congregation here. I am excited to see that we are moving forward, and that men and women are being discipled and trained in the Lord's work. Now I am not the only one involved in this, many are now pitching in and working at my side! I am still very occupied in discipling several men, most on a daily basis. My wife Tammi has also been a great asset in discipling many of the women. We consider it an important investment in their lives and in the ministry at this stage of their development.

I would ask that you continue to pray for us and the work here as we try to reach a level where the congregation here can govern itself, finance itself, and be able to reproduce themselves with leadership that comes from among them. I feel that we have all the ingredients necessary to accomplish this, and are growing towards that end.

I want to thank you for your continued support and prayers for us as we try to do the Lord's will and glorify Him. May God continue to bless you!

In Christ,
Michael Lea

May 2009

2009-05-31T06:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Brethren,

Hello from Texcoco, Mexico! I hope this prayer letter finds you well and blessed in our Lord Jesus Christ. How wonderful it is to know that we can choose "that good part." In the midst of Satan's attacks, we endure and advance because the Lord's hand is in it.

In the last two weeks we have seen a family of four receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, and four other people have come forward for membership (three of them by baptism). It is encouraging to me to see the Lord working in a couple of men to help in all this! Brother Jesus and Juan Arellano (father and son) have been taking the lead in making contacts, sharing the Gospel, and discipling. Several other men are also helping in the print shop and in outreach. Some long-time visitors have come to talk to me about joining the congregation. It is exciting to see the Lord moving in people's lives!

We are advancing in the print shop. We were able to print three new books: "What is a New Testament church?", "The Lord Jesus Christ is Jehovah", and "The Sign Gifts." We were also able to print three different tracts. One is on evolution, and we are planning on passing it out at the local universities.

I ask that you continue to pray for us, that the Lord will continue to bless with souls being saved, and people being taught. Thank you for your prayers and support! We truly appreciate your love for the Lord's work.

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

April 2009

2009-04-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

^KJVRevelation 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Dear friends and fellow laborers,

Hello from Mexico. We are doing fine and everyone is healthy. The big deal these days around here is the swine flu. The government has shutdown all public schools, public events, and even private businesses like fitness centers until the 6th of April. They are advising people not to shake hands or greet with a kiss as is tradition. Restaurants are only serving take out. Many people are staying home and not going to work. Most people are wearing sterile masks that cover their mouth and nose when they do go out. This has not affected us much, and things seem to be going forward.

I continue to disciple Bro. Juan Arellano. We are currently going thru Landmarks of Baptist Doctrine by Sargent in Spanish which has been a valuable resource. Juan has taken over leading the music and I now have him preaching on Sunday evenings. He has done a great job, and is developing his own personal ministry of discipleship. Continue to pray for him. I believe he is the Lord’s man for this congregation in Texcoco.

We have advanced in our print shop. We are currently printing the 8th study in our Bible correspondence series. We have not seen a great response from people wanting to study the Bible correspondence courses, but are looking at ways to promote them. We did get to move the print shop from my house into its new home at the church building. A few of the members of the mission painted and prepared a large room for us to move into! We now have space to spread out and work on multiple projects at once. I want to start printing some topical booklets that I feel will be useful in promoting the correspondence courses. Please pray that we can get this literature out so that the knowledge of Christ and His Word can grow.

I would like to thank you for your prayers and support. May God bless you! It is a privilege to represent you and the Lord in accomplishing the Great Commission here in Texcoco.

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

February/March 2009

2009-03-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

^KJV Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Dear Pastor and Church,

Hello from Texcoco, Mexico! I hope this letter finds you well and blessed in the Lord. I usually send out my prayer letter every month; but due to travel to renew visas and problems in the mission (which started when I left), I have been distracted.

From February 23rd to March 9th my family and I made a trip out of Mexico to renew our permission to continue working in Mexico and to pick up school books for my children since we home school. We were able to spend a couple of weeks in our home church and with family and to get some odds and ends done. During this time a group in the mission in Mexico sent a letter to my pastor alleging that I was destroying the work there and saying that they had a problem with my leadership and teaching. As you can imagine, it was a shock and dismay to me. The Lord has been very good to us in spite of what we have gone through in this situation. My pastor wrote a response to this group, but to no avail. They are not Baptists, and do not accept the doctrine of the church, authoritative baptism, and pastoral authority. In short, they wanted me and those who continued to follow sound doctrine to leave. In the end, the Lord routed all their wicked designs. I am excited to report that everything is now calmed down, and the Lord has opened the windows of heaven to pour out blessings. We have seen eight new salvations among people we have been reaching out to; and the members of the mission are involved in winning souls and discipleship, which was not the case before. Instead of the remaining members being hurt by all this, they have been energized to serve the Lord, and their commitment to Him has been strengthened! I would ask you to continue to pray. The Lord is working mightily in peoples lives! I continue to work with Juan Arellano (who has a calling on his life to pastor), and am now giving him more responsibility in the mission here. If things continue on track this mission could be organized in the next six months. Please continue to pray.

I want to thank you for your faithful prayers and support! May God continue to bless you in your work for Him.

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

January 2009

2009-01-31T18:17:00.000-08:00

^KJV Acts 16:9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.

Hello from Texcoco, Mexico. I am finally updating my letterhead to reflect our current situation. I felt it was time to acknowledge that the Lord has closed the door for our family going to Colombia for the time being and has opened a door here in Texcoco, Mexico. I have been working in Mexico now for 6 months, and the need here is that of establishing a church. I will not have liberty to leave until I have finished this job that the Lord has given me to do. The Lord gave my home church (Mission Boulevard Baptist Church) a group of people here in Texcoco, Mexico, who called asking to be under the authority of our church. Through the work of my pastor, Brian Disney, and fellow-missionary, Robert Creech, the mission was begun. I was then asked to come help while waiting to go to Colombia. The Lord has a way of changing circumstances to meet His will. We as a family have accepted that He has redirected us here until further notice.

I continue to disciple nine men. Three come nearly every day for a couple of hours at a time. Brother Juan Arellano is a young man whom the Lord has called to preach. Through discipleship he has grown and is beginning to take a leadership role in the congregation. Please pray for him! My wife is currently working with eight women in a group study. The Lord has given us fruit through the teaching. The Arellano family (eight people) joined the congregation on January 18th. We did lose a family who attended regularly, but would not submit to Baptist baptism. We hope that the literature we left with them will have an impact. Brother Jesus Arellano (Juan’s father) is one of the three who is being discipled every day. He is actively helping me in the print shop that has finally been set up and is functional. We now have a printer, paper cutter, and industrial stapler to produce the correspondence courses and tracts. We will need a collator in the future so that we do not have to go around the table to put the pages together. We have already begun passing out the tracts and studies and are awaiting our first student. It is an exciting time. Please continue to pray for this ministry.

I want to thank you for your prayers about our high blood pressure. It looks like our bodies are beginning to adapt to the altitude. We also appreciate your financial support. May God continue to bless you richly.

In Christ,

Michael Lea and family

November 2008

2008-11-30T09:10:00.000-08:00

^KJV Psalm 52:8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

Hello from Texcoco, Mexico. We are ministering here in Mexico until the Colombian government issues the ministry there legal status so that we can apply for a missionary visa to go help missionary William Aya in the work there. Please pray for Brother William during this time as he struggles to maintain the ministry in Colombia. The ministry is being limited right now, and William cannot extend farther without financial and physical help. We trust that the Lord is in control and that things will turn out as He desires.

Meanwhile, things are going well here in Mexico. I continue to disciple 9 men that are growing and are excited about the discipleship process. They have not begun to apply what they are learning, and I am a little concerned. I think about how long it took for me to grow and be effective in the Lord’s work, so I will continue to be patient. I ask that you pray for: Juan Arellano, Jesus Arellano, Francisco Ilbeño, Teodoro Gómez, Julio Huerta, Fernando Maldonado, Osvaldo Pérez, Lino Piedras, and Christian Rocha. I lost one man due to a change in his work schedule, and I am hoping that he will start again soon. I am also going to start discipling another man soon. The congregation continues to have a lot of visitors. We just purchased 25 more chairs and most are already being filled. We are also in the process of setting up a print shop here. The congregation has purchased a small printing press and we are fixing up a space for it. I hope to start printing tracts and Bible correspondence courses soon. It should be exciting to start reaching out on a larger scale. I would ask that you keep praying for us as we try to raise up a pastor who will be able to continue the work here.

We enjoyed spending Thanksgiving with missionary Dave Christenson and his wife Pat our neighbors five hours to the west. The fellowship was encouraging, and they gave us some literature and tracts which will be useful to us in the ministry here.

As always we appreciate your prayers and support! May God continue to bless you! We appreciate you very much.

In Christ,
Michael Lea and Family

October 2008

2008-10-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

^KJVJohn 10:28 And I give unto themeternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Hello from Texcoco, Mexico. I want to thank you for your prayers aboutour going to Colombia to work in the ministry there. The paperworknecessary to form an incorporation has been filed, and we are waitingon the government. It looks like it will be a longer process thanexpected. We need the incorporation to get the visas to work inColombia. I would ask that you continue to pray.

In the meantime we are working here in Texcoco, Mexico, which isnortheast of Mexico City. The Lord is blessing tremendously! I amcurrently discipling 10 men now, which is taking up a lot of my time. I am excited that these men are growing and are beginning to apply whatI have trained them in. The Lord has added to the congregation here. Brother Francisco Ilbeño realized through the teachingthat he was just visiting and not really a member of the congregation. He immediately decided to join and be added by the Lord to His church. My wife is also discipling 9 women once a week and things are goingreally well. She was able to lead a lady to the Lord (Irma) who hasalso started attending services. We have had an increase in visitorsin church services and have filled practically every chair in theassembly both morning and evening services on Sundays. We will have topurchase more chairs and even possibly extend the assembly hall soon. Praise the Lord for this kind of problem.

Another blessing is that we are starting up a printing ministry here. The congregation just voted to spend $1,734.00 to purchase a duplicatorthat can handle mass printing. The brethren are excited about printingtracts, correspondence courses, and other books (like The Trail ofBlood). This will be a great opportunity to get the Gospel out sothat many can study the Word of God free of charge.

As always, we appreciate your prayers and support! We recognize thatwithout them we could not serve the Lord as we do. May God continue tobless you richly in all things.

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

September 2008

2008-09-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

^KJVLuke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsakethnot all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Hello from Texcoco, Mexico. I hope this letter finds you blessed inyour labor for our Lord Jesus. We continue to wait for our paperworkfor Colombia to be finished, but in the mean time we are very busy inthe Lord!

Since our arrival in Texcoco on the 31st of August, the Lord has openedmany doors. There is a congregation here that contains some solidChristians to work with. I am currently discipling eight menthroughout the week, which is taking up most of my time. I am startingat ten in the morning and going until nine at night most days, but onTuesdays I teach until eleven. It is very rewarding developingrelationships and training men. I am overjoyed with the reaction ofthe men: they are expressing excitement about what they are learning. I am currently training mostly in evangelism. I look forward to seeingthem apply what they are learning. It will take them a little moretime to get to the point of reaching out to others, but I am building aproper foundation. Brother Lino Piedras is one of the men whom I amdiscipling. He is a man that has worked as a missionary in Honduras,but has come to realize the importance of church authority. Throughour classes, he came to understand that his baptism and ordination weredone without authority. He reminds me of Apollos of the Bible. Preparations are already being made for his baptism this comingSunday. Francisco Ilbeño is another disciple who has been trained in aHyles institute. He is very teachable and has a calling on his life. We are meeting every week day for two to three hours. I am alsodiscipling a young man named Juan Arellano who has a calling on hislife. He was weighing his options of going to an Bible Institute whenwe met and I offered to train him for free. We also meet for a coupleof hours daily. I have never had an opportunity to train so many atonce. I am thankful for your prayers! I know that the Lord hasopened a door among these people, and I anticipate that the Lord willraise up a pastor and that a church will be organized here.

Thank you for your financial and prayer support! May the Lord continueto richly bless you!

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

August 2008

2008-08-31T14:24:00.000-07:00

^KJVActs 16:9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.

Hello from Mexico! Yes, the Lord has a way of delaying plans and rerouting us. We are currently waiting for the paperwork to come through for us to head over to Colombia. We are waiting on the incorporation of our ministry there so that we can receive a letter of invitation. With that letter of invitation we can get our missionary visas into the country.

In the meantime, we are here in Texcoco, Mexico, with a congregation that has been developing under Brother Robert Creech for the last six months. He has left to go work on the Panama book project. It seems that we are play musical chairs. The mission here in Texcoco is not ready to be alone, and there was a need for somebody to come. I was available! The idea is to train a man to pastor and establish a church. I would ask that you pray for us as we labor here. Our trip down was a wild affair since we were pulling a trailer behind a Dodge Caravan that was lent to us by my pastor. The trailer was riding low and does not have the clearance needed for speed bumps. We scraped many times, but we arrived safely on August 31st!

I asked for prayer about getting a Mexican passport in my last prayer letter. I find it ironic that I was working on getting that done, and now I am here in Mexico. I was unable to get an appointment at the Mexican embassy in Little Rock, Arkansas, before we left the States, and, therefore, was unable to get the passport. I will try to complete the process here in Mexico, which should be a lot easier.

I want to thank you for your prayers and support for our family as we serve the Lord! May God continue to bless you.

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

July/August 2008

2008-07-31T16:20:00.000-07:00

^KJV Acts 9:31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

Dear Brothers and sisters in Christ,

May God truly bless you in all you do for Him. I am excited to think about churches multiplying themselves as seen in Acts 9:31. We definitely need more pillars and grounds of truth!

It was great to have Brother Cristóbal and Sister Enieda Yañez with us here in the states. Brother Cristóbal came to the U.S. to work on the Panama school book project. We attended a meeting at Metropolitan Baptist Church to work out details on the budget and prepare a presentation for those who may wish to donate. There is a lot of excitement about what can be accomplished in the hearts of the Panamanian people. Sister Enieda was a guest speaker for a women’s conference that our home church sponsored. They were both a blessing to us!

I would ask that you continue to pray for us to get visas to go to Colombia. At this time we are waiting for the incorporation of our ministry in Colombia so they can send us the invitation letter that we need to be able to apply for our visas. Many governmental delays have set us back. I would also ask that you pray as I work on getting
my Mexican passport. This would facilitate many open doors of ministry.

I am also excited to have finished visiting supporting churches and to be able to rest. If I have missed your church and you would like for me to come, please let me know. As always, I appreciate your prayers and support!

In Christ,
Michael Lea and Family
Missionary to Colombia

May/June 2008

2008-06-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

^KJV Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

It is wonderful to know that God works in us and for us. What a wonderful Saviour! He loves us and cares for us. I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the Lord’s blessings.

I have had a wonderful time reporting to supporting churches these past couple of months. It is uplifting to visit with our friends in all the churches and see what the Lord is doing. I am now at the end of visiting churches and am looking forward to getting to the field.

We have run into a snag with our visa paperwork to get into Colombia. It has taken two months to get a paper we needed from the IRS. We actually had to ask for it twice. We are now in the process of getting the appropriate seals of authentication. The paperwork will need to go to the Colombian consulate where it will be authenticated by them. We will then send it to Brother William Aya so that our ministry in Colombia will be recognized by the Colombian government. Then a letter of invitation will be sent to us so that we can apply for the visa. I am optimistic that everything will be “smooth sailing” from here on, and am hoping that it will all be done by the beginning of August. We were planning to leave on June 24th, but we have put everything on hold. Please pray for this to go smoothly.

Most of you know by now about the Panama school project. The government is allowing us to print a Christian text book for each public school child to use in the mandatory religious class. It is a monumental task. The estimated cost is $3,000,000.00. Our home church has a real burden to see this project accomplished although it is far above our means. In May they had a potluck after church and then auctioned off delicious desserts prepared by the ladies (and a few men). There was a great spirit of sacrifice and giving, and $16,000.00 was raised for printing the text books. Thank you Mission Boulevard Baptist Church! If anyone would like to receive a DVD about this project, please contact us and we will gladly send it to you. Also, it can be viewed at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUzoDrCQLY4 on the internet.

I want to thank you for your prayers and support as we endeavor to do the Lord’s work.

In Christ,

Michael Lea and family

2008-04-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

^KJV Proverbs 11:23 The desire of the righteous is only good...

Dear Brethren,

I am happy that my visits to supporting churches to report on the work in Panama and the change of field to Colombia have been going well. We are planning to leave to Colombia on June 24th. Everyone has been very positive about the change, and I feel blessed by that. I am in the process of making a DVD presentation so that I can send it to supporting churches that I will not be able to visit. If you would like a copy, please let me know.

Please pray for the paperwork process that will open the door for us to go to Colombia. The last report I have is that the documents are in the mail and we should be receiving them soon. These documents will then need to go to the Colombian consulate for authentication and then to Brother William Aya in Colombia so that the Institute can be set up with government recognition. We will then receive a letter from Brother Aya inviting us to come and work there. This will allow us to get the visa required by the Colombian government. Time is of the essence due to the great need that exists there.

I am also trying to get Mexican citizenship and passport. I am able to do this through my Mother who was born in Mexico. It will be helpful to me when making trips to visit brethren in countries that are not as receptive to the U.S. passport. I think that the Lord has opened the door for me to be able to go places where others might have trouble. The Apostle Paul used his Roman citizenship to his advantage, and I hope it will work for me as well. I have made several recent attempts at getting it. I now have all the information I need and am gathering the final documents required. Please pray that I can get this all done before I leave to Colombia.

I want to thank you for your prayers and support for what we are doing. May God bless you!

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

March 2008

2008-03-31T12:51:00.000-07:00

^KJV 1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Hello from Fayetteville, Arkansas! Yes, we arrived in the States on March 4th and are reporting to supporting churches. We are planning to head to Colombia on June 24th due to the extreme need that exists in Colombia. Brother William Aya is struggling financially to keep up with the work. I ask that you would pray for him.

The ministry in Panama continues. Brother Cristobal Yanez is deeply involved in the public school text book project. We have a once in a life-time opportunity to get a Baptist Textbook into the hands of every Panamanian student. The text book was developed by Brother Yanez and has been approved by the government of Panama. The door was opened to us because the government is worried about gang violence and wants morals taught to the students. Brother Alex Gordon is making a trip to “the island” to continue the discipleship work and support the men there. He continues to translate the discipleship materials of our church into Spanish. These materials are available at our website: www.mbbc.us. Brother Wide Morgan is continuing the work in Penonome and is excited that I left him the motorcycle to get around on. He is learning how to ride it at the moment and says that he has not wrecked. Please pray for him.

We have visited three churches in Arkansas and attended two conferences: the discipleship conference at my sending church (Mission Blvd. Baptist Church) and a missions conference at Calvary Baptist Temple, Fort Collins, Colorado.

I continue to visit our supporting churches. I ask you to continue to pray for us as we are in this process of change.

God bless you richly for your prayers and support.

In Christ,
Michael Lea

January 2008

2008-01-31T08:50:00.000-08:00

^KJV 1 Corinthians 16:23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Greetings from Panama! The Lord has been really good to us here, and things are going well.

I am happy to report that Brother Alex Gordon in Colón has surrendered to be a missionary in a closed country where we have an on-going ministry. He announced it to the congregation in Colón, and they are excited about what the Lord is doing. He is planning a trip there the first three weeks of April. Please pray for him as he takes these first steps and that he will have the financial resources necessary as well.

Another blessing is that we received a container full of literature that is destined for this closed country, but it will be positioned in Colón until the country opens up. We are thankful for the work of Metropolitan Baptist Church for having a vision and for sending this container full of literature announcing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Wide Morgan wet from a hiking trip

A huge unexpected blessing is that Brother Wide Morgan, here in Penonomé, has surrendered himself to valid baptism and plans to be baptized on February 9th. He chose this date because it was when he received the Lord. I am truly astounded at what the Lord can do! I did not think he would come around, but he told me that the Lord has been working on him and that he really wants to follow the truth and serve the Lord. He has shown this desire by starting the evangelization plan that I had in mind to start. He and his team (consisting of friends and family) have already walked a significant distance to pass out tracts in fifteen different villages in the Coclé Province. He is also taking over the correspondence ministry here in Penonomé. It is exciting to see his zeal in getting the Gospel out. I would ask that you continue to pray for him as he ministers to his family and friends who do not understand why he has left the ”Assembly of God” denomination. He is also working on discipling a man named Jorge Castillo, who is a devout Catholic. Jorge is seeing the errors and shortfalls in the Catholic church, and has even accompanied Wide in his evangelistic trips. Please continue to pray for Wide, and please pray for Jorge to get saved.

My family and I have been working hard to prepare to leave Panama for our return to the United States and future arrival in Colombia. We almost have everything packed up except the essentials. We have sold almost all of our furniture and are all sleeping on the floor—on mattresses, of course! The family is excited to go back to the States for our four month visit, but is sad to leave Panama. I will continue to have a part in the ministry here even though we will not be living here. We will be arriving in the United States on March 4th. I hope to visit supporting churches that want me to come report on what the Lord has done. I already have a few appointments set up, but I am open from March 9th-16th and April 2nd-June 18th. We will be headed for Colombia on June 24th. We are excited to see what the Lord will do in Colombia.

As always we appreciate your prayers and support. God bless you!

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

December 2007

2007-12-31T09:34:00.000-08:00

^KJVJohn 13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

What an example is our Lord Jesus Christ! He dedicated His life on this earth to His disciples, and they responded in kind so that we today could also be His disciples.

I mentioned in my last prayer letter the need that missionary William Aya has in Colombia. It has been a privilege to have a part in his ministry since its beginning here in Panama. My visit to Colombia on November 25th-December 5th was an eye opening experience. I went with the idea of encouraging my brother and teaching a seminar, but while I was there the Lord burdened my heart about the great need the ministry there has for help if it is to continue to grow. It reminds me of when the Lord first burdened my heart to come to Panama and help Brother Robert Creech. After returning from Colombia and counseling with my Pastor, Brian Disney, we both agreed that our church’s ministry in Colombia needs for me to go and help there at this time. This move will be a financial burden due to travel expenses and the need to start over building a new household there in Colombia. I am in the process of making preparations to go to the United States briefly before going to Colombia. My plans are to visit those churches that would like for me to come declare all things that God has done during our last eight years here in Panama. I will be arriving in the States the 4th of March and will be available through June 18th if any church would like for me to visit them during that time.

December 17th through the 23rd I was with Brother Alex Gordon reviewing and translating discipleship materials and other literature produced by our church into Spanish. You can visit our church website (http://mbbc.us) to view some of the materials in English and in Spanish. I am sure you will find these materials helpful in your ministry.

I continue to work with one disciple here in Penonomé—Wide Morgan—and he has expressed a desire to evangelize this area with me. We are planning to evangelize some new areas soon. Please pray for this man.

As always we are very thankful and humbled by your generosity and love shown to me and my family. We appreciate your prayers and support!

In Christ,

Michael Lea and family

November 2007

2007-11-30T04:53:00.000-08:00

1 Corinthians 1:21 ...it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. KJV

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in whom I preach unto those have not heard and are perishing. Praise the Lord that He saved me through the foolishness of preaching which is wiser then the world's wisdom. What hope we have, indeed!

On November 1st, Brother Cristobal Yañez and I were able to visit Brother Eleocadio Cedeño in Chiriquí Grande, in the province of Bocas del Toro. It was a quick trip, but we were able to encourage him and drop off needed correspondence courses and other evangelistic materials. We also assessed the needs of his ministry and were able to help him set up a bank account to ceive support.

On November 9th a group of us continued our outreach into the public schools with a presentation in the school at La Concepción. Presentations have also made in Alto Ibala, Alto de los Pajaros, Bajos de Higuí, Rincon de las Palmas, San Jose, Las Huacas, and Boquerones. There is a team dedicated to doing this ministry. Time has been spent in preparation and in making each presentation better. This ministry is having an effect in the hearts and minds of the people of these villages. Many contacts have been made that need follow-up. Praise the Lord!

On the 10th of November the congregation in Santiago had family day with devotions, food, and volleyball. Several came from the church in Cañazas. Wide, whom I have been discipling, and Yulissa and Yesenia, whom Tammi has been teaching, went with our family. Team Penonomé was a little short handed, and we lost every game. However we gained some good fellowship with the brethren, which was a great encouragement.

On November 25-December 5th I made a trip to Colombia to visit Brother William Aya and Family. It was a great encouragement to his family. Due to the growth in the ministry there in Colombia he has reached a point where he can't maintain the ministry by himself. I am currently working on plans to help him. The most feasible would be for me to go and help him continue the ministry there. I believe this is what the Lord would have. Please pray for the work in Colombia.

As always we appreciate your faithful prayers and support. God bless you!

In Christ,
Michael Lea and family

October 2007

2007-10-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

Psalm 73:24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. KJV

I hope this prayer letter finds you well and blessed in our Lord Jesus. I am happy to report that plans are well under way for the evangelization of the Coclé province, which contains a population of approximately 221,514. With the help of Brother Russ Hanson (Grace Bearing Precious Seed) and Fellowship Tract League, I look forward to receiving 100,000 gospel tracts in Spanish. Brother Hanson has already sent me 5 boxes of Romans Scripture portions with a gospel presentation. I will be passing them out on November 6th which is the celebration of the “cry for independence” here in Penonomé. There will be people present from the entire Coclé province. We have stuffed response cards for our correspondence Bible courses and a flyer announcing our 1 hour radio program which airs daily at 1P.M. I estimate a 10% response out of the 100,000 tracts which should give us 10,000 students of the Bible courses. Hopefully we will make 1,000 contacts from the new students, and find 10 people to disciple.

I want to thank Berean Baptist Church for the $1,400 love offering to get the gospel into 14 different schools. We are already scheduled to begin presentations in early November with an hour and a half presentation in each school. Each presentation is divided into two 40 minute periods with a 10 minute break in between for refreshments. The presentation consists of teaching several children’s Bible activity songs, a Bible lesson on a chosen theme, coloring pages and activities, a puppet presentation, a flannelgraph presentation, a video presentation, prayer with the children, learning a memory verse, and passing out tracts and New Testaments and an offer to their parents to study the Bible correspondence courses.

I am still in the process of looking for office space for a print shop/meeting place. Rent is high in Penonomé due to a lack of commercial buildings. I am praying that the Lord will give me something soon. Please pray that I can get this need resolved quickly. We had three new visitors come to church services in our home the last Sunday of this month. On October 13-23 I made a trip to the country of El Salvador. I was offered room and board for free and I saw it as an opportunity to pass out some tracts with response cards for our correspondence Bible courses and to get to know a little more about the people and country. At the same time I had the opportunity to share Christ with four men who traveled with me, three of whom I am building relationship with at this time. El Salvador is very similar to Panama in many ways, and I found out that there is a great need for sound doctrine. I am hoping the Lord will spark some interest in the correspondence courses and that some might get saved through them.

I want to thank you for your prayers for me and my family. We appreciate your kind support for what we are trying to do here in Panama. May God bless you richly in all things.

In Christ Jesus,

Michael Lea and family

September 2007

2007-09-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 3:6 ...God gave the increase.

Greetings from muddy Panama. Praise the Lord for the trials and rescues. I have officially met my match with muddy roads. Twice I have had to be rescued by good country folk, three of them helping to push my motorcycle up an extremely steep hill. The government came in to repair the road, and conditions have worsened. I have to laugh because it is impossible to level out a dirt road in rainy season! It takes away all the gravel from the top and loosens everything. When it rains you get a foot of mud! The mud mingled with rocks plugs up the wheels of my motorcycle, and it will not move. I just continue to press on and am thankful that I can.

September 11-18, I had the opportunity to go to Managua, Nicaragua to preach at a pastors conference organized by Missionary Oscar Chavez. I preached on the authority of the true church, the government of the church, and the interdependence of true churches. I had been given warning that some convention, association, and mission board pastors were invited. I found out after my first sermon that most were not true independent Baptists. Some of them understood for the first time that their church was never organized by a local church but an organization and, therefore, had no authority. There was a question and answer session that lasted four hours. I believe the Lord was glorified in it all.

Thank you for your prayers for the Colón congregation. They prepared themselves for the Lord’s Supper. I baptized three new members! We were able to get everything corrected membership wise and practiced the ministry of disciplining those who did not want to continue. It was commented by many new members that they had never seen this done, and it gave them a better appreciation of the functions and worth of a true church. I believe that the Lord had a victory in this and that this mission will continue to grow and be blessed of the Lord.

Please continue to pray for a building to rent here in Penonomé. I am also in the process of printing tracts to continue evangelizing new areas in the province of Coclé. Pray that the Lord will work in people’s hearts for salvation and following him in baptism.

We are truly thankful for your prayers, concern, and support for us and the work here. Our prayer is that the Lord will continue to bless you in all things.

In Jesus’ name,
Michael Lea and family

August 2007

2007-08-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

I hope this letter finds you in God's blessings and grace. The work here continues to advance in spite of some fall off in a few areas. Our goal is to continue to establish the existing congregations and to continue the work here in the Coclé province. Due to heavy rain all travel in the countryside is very difficult. Please pray for safety. Our daughter Savanah was baptized on the 12th of this month, which made us very happy.

The work in Colon continues to grow. I am glad to be making trips there each month to baptize or receive new members. Another family was added to the congregation by letter this month. Amen! The Lord has also raised up a man to take the role of pastor. Brother Jose Charles has really been working and taking serious his call. They are getting ready for the Lord's Supper which should take place in September.

Our correspondence course ministry has diminished some. This commonly occurs because the studies get progressively more difficult which means that we need to get out and find new Bible students. Our goal is to reach every person with the Gospel. To do so we must go into new areas to preach. Please pray for the Coclé province.

I want to also ask you to pray that the Lord would send me some new men to work with. I have spent a good amount of time discipling eight different men who have not decided to follow the truth in baptism. I hate to leave these men whom I have built a relationship with and have worked with, but if they will not follow the truth I need to invest my time in those who will. I just began discipling a young man, age 13, named Valentin. He comes from a family that is involved with Shamanism. Please pray for him.

I want to thank you for your participation in our ministry through your prayers and financial gifts that allow us to do this work. Our prayer is that God will continue to bless you with all spiritual blessings and that you would see the hand of the Lord in what you do for Him.

In Christ Jesus,
Michael Lea

July 2007

2007-07-31T05:13:00.000-07:00

Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under
the shadow of thy wings, (KJV)

Dear Brethren,

Hello from Panama in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope that the Lord is blessing you. We received a huge blessing this month. On July 26 we were informed that we have been granted our one year missionary visa (permission) to continue working here in Panama. I appreciate your prayers. I am sure they had an effect on the outcome.

My wife and children are glad to have their new (used) mini van. We purchased it while we were in the U.S. in March. Our pastor, Brother Brian Disney, found it for us at a very low cost. My special thanks to him and to the Lord. I had such a hard time getting it down to Panama initially, but the Lord worked it out so that I wouldn't have to DRIVE it all the way down. At the last minute, I was given the name of a shipper in Miami. I was in the States the first two weeks of July. I had to fly to Houston and drive it to Miami. I was able to have it shipped here for $685.00, since I was able to use frequent flyer miles for the plane tickets. WOW! The Lord is good!

July 20th through July 27th we were visited by some of the brethren from Metropolitan Baptist Church, Ft. Worth, Texas. Pastor Larry Adkisson braved the journey, the 3rd pastor to visit us in the 8 years we have been in Panama. We thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship with all 13 who came. As missionaries, we mostly depend on the fellowship of our Panamanian brethren as we labor side by side. When visitors come and get to see a small glimpse of the ministry taking place here, and even pitch in and help us, it encourages us greatly. We spent a few days in Panama City with them at missionary Robert Creech’s house. We were mostly at Cañazas where they got to meet some of the brethren there, and in Santiago as well. Bro. Alexis Gordon made the 5 hour trip to Cañazas from Colón with Justino, a new man that he is discipling who wants to be baptized soon.

We spent two days with part of the Metropolitan group here in Penonomé. We visited some of the Bible correspondent students in our area, and on Tuesday the 24th we gave a Bible presentation to over 200 students and teachers at the public school in Las Guabas, a community near us where several people are studying the Bible courses. Bro. Cristobal Yañez came with six helpers, and we all worked together to make a Gospel presentation based on the Bible story of building your life on Jesus, the Solid Rock. There was a flannel graph lesson, a puppet show, a devotion, a movie, clowns, a skit, and refreshments. The elementary children received coloring and activity pages which reinforced the lesson, and the junior high students received New Testaments. Although we had technical difficulties - we blew out the school’s television and a fuse on our speaker by plugging them into an outlet which we did not know had a short—the feedback we received from the teachers and a few parents who came was very positive. Please pray that the Lord will bless the seeds which were planted, and that many will seek Christ because of the efforts which were made there.

We are truly grateful for your prayers for this ministry and for our family. May God bless you.

Michael Lea

June 2007

2007-06-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

May 2007

2007-05-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

March 2007

2007-03-31T19:39:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. KJV

Dear Brethren,

Isn't it great to know that what we do for the Lord has value! This is all because of the redeeming work of our Lord Jesus Christ. What an encouraging statement to help us keep on.

March was a blessing to my family since we were able to be with our home church for the month. We had not been back to the States for over two years, and we were longing to visit family and friends. I originally planned to go alone with the purpose of attending the yearly discipleship conference, but praise the Lord for family members and for our home church, who gave love offerings to help with the expenses. The time went by fast but was very refreshing. I was able to bring brother Alex Gordon and his wife Herlinda from Panama to the conference as well. He was able to present to our home church the work that we are doing in Colon. It was a good reminder that ordinary church members can have a great personal ministry which can affect many people's lives. I am excited that this mission in Colon, with Alex leading them, is growing and getting the gospel out and that the discipleship process is ongoing there. Brother Alex was a blessing during the conference, and they returned to Panama afterward.

I want to thank you for your kind prayers and for your support for the work the Lord is doing. We really appreciate it! Our prayer is that the Lord will recompense you generously. Please continue to pray for us.

In Christ Jesus,
Michael Lea and family

February 2007

2007-02-28T08:22:00.000-08:00

1 Timothy 1:11 KJV
According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

Hello from Panama!

What a privilege it is to be entrusted with the most important message on earth. It is also sobering to think of the responsibility and magnitude of the job, but I am glad that God is able to use us. I am happy because there is another Panamanian soul going to heaven. His name is Florencio. I was invited to pray for a cataract surgery he will be having on March 6th. After praying for him, I began to share the Gospel, and he gave his life to our Lord. Amen.

I spent two weeks of February (and one in January) tearing down the church building and house in Gatún to make way for a new set of locks for the Panama Canal. It was a sad sight, but I rejoiced that the materials were in good condition. Half were shipped to Cuatro Calles to rebuild the church that was swept away by flood waters, and the other half went to Cañazas to build there. The brethren in Cañazas were so excited that they built their building in record time. They completed it in eight days so that it could be ready for the ordination of their pastor and the organization to the church there. I am truly excited for Pastor Geronimo Torres, who was ordained on February 23rd, and this new Independent Baptist Church (Iglesia Bautista Bethel)which was organized on the 24th. I ask you to pray that the Lord will bless them and that they will continue their focus on missions and be a blessing in that area.

As always we appreciate you, your prayers, and your support that makes wonderful things happen here in Panama. May God bless you richly in glory.

In Christ,

Michael Lea and Family

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2005-06-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

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