I just realized yesterday that I hadn't written a newsletter since February, and thought I should let you all know how we are doing here in Mexico. God is continuing to move, and is keeping us busy doing His work here along the Texas/Mexico border.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. - Gal 6:9

-- IN THIS ISSUE --

• Praise Report - Healing

• Prayer Movement

• Summer Plans

• Life-Line for Pastors

• Web Site

• Banners

• Conferences

-- PRAISE REPORT - HEALING --

We have been battling with a health problem since last October. While we were in Conroe, Texas, something happened to Deborah's feet, causing a lot of pain. It gradually worsened and she couldn't walk.

It seemed that every time her feet started getting better, something happened to make them worse again. One time, we were visiting a pastor we know here in the valley, and a Pyrex baking dish fell off the counter, broke and cut the veins in the top of both of her feet. This was just days after she had started walking a little again.

Recently, the Lord showed us the root of the problem while praying with some pastor friends. We were able to break that spiritual root, which was causing the ongoing curse. We anointed her with oil, and prayed for healing.

Nothing appeared to happen immediately in the natural. However, we should never say that nothing happened when we pray, because often times something is happening in the spirit realm. Then next day, we were in a wonderful worship service in Mexico, and the Lord touched her, instantly taking the pain and swelling from her feet. She went into that service sitting in a wheelchair and left it pushing the wheelchair! That had been the most she'd walked in seven months! She's still walking, and the wheelchair is just sitting there.

-- PRAYER MOVEMENT --

The prayer movement in Reynosa, Mexico is continuing. We just held the second night of intercessory prayer for this year. However, due to a scheduling change, we were unable to attend this time.

The reason we weren't there is that at the same time as the prayer meeting in Reynosa, we were initiating the same thing on this side of the border. The Hispanic Pastor's Alliance has asked me to take the position of Director of Prayer for the Alliance and start the same sort of prayer movement on this side of the border.

I think that this will ultimately increase the effectiveness of the prayer movement, because we will be working to bring down spiritual strongholds on both sides of the border. Several of the mayors and police chiefs in the towns on this side of the border are Christians, and are supportive of this idea. One of the towns has offered their community center for the prayer meetings.

Additionally, the prayer movement we helped start in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico is doing quite well. They are continuing to meet every month for their intercessory prayer meetings (which last most of the night) and are seeing great changes in their city.

-- SUMMER PLANS --

As you all know, the last couple of years we've had a lot of trouble traveling in our motorhome. Specifically, we've had to change the engine every summer for the last three years. Because of this, when we came back to the valley last fall, we decided that we wouldn't be taking any more long trips in this motorhome.

So, we've got the motorhome parked here in the campground and are living in it. Currently, all our traveling is in the van that the Lord gave us last year from Christmas.

We expect to be taking some short trips this summer to visit some churches we know that are with a day or two drive from here, but probably no farther. In addition, we already have two trips deeper into Mexico scheduled. One is to go back to Coatzacoalcos in August for another pastors conference. The other (or, possibly others) is/are for Rich to go with a Mexican pastor and meet some pastors farther down in Mexico.

That brings up one of the cultural things that it's taken us a while to catch onto here. In the United States, if a pastor recommends a minister to another pastor, it is possible to set up a time to minister over the phone. In Mexico, it doesn't work that way. Even if you come highly recommended, the pastor still wants to meet you in person before asking you to come and minister.

-- LIFE-LINE FOR PASTORS --

When I last wrote you, our first issue of Life-Line was at the printer. We have since been able to send it out, and are in the process of preparing the second issue. That means that we're a little behind the schedule that we had originally intended, but we hope to get this running on a smoother schedule in the future.

This next issue looks like it's going to be bigger than the last one. We just can't get everything that we want to into the 12 pages that we had for the first issue. Unfortunately, that means that both our printing and mailing costs are going to go up, but God can provide.

-- WEB SITE --

Our web site is continuing to grow and minister to people, last month we had over 7,400 visitors. That's not "hits," that's individuals who visited the web site. I realize that doesn't sound large when you compare it to some of the big ministries in the United States, but for a ministry of our size, we think it's just great.

As of the last update, the web site is at 379 pages. 148 of them are teachings in English, and 65 of them are teachings in Spanish. If you were to print out all the teachings, it would amount to 922 pages printed.

If you haven't had a chance to check out our web site lately, take a look. It's been getting so big that I just made a directory of all the English teachings that are available online. It's at:
www.MaranathaLife.com/teaching.htm

-- BANNERS --

If you haven't seen it yet, we also have a bunch of worship banners for churches on our web site. We started making these to introduce the idea to the churches here in Mexico. Then, someone suggested that we could sell them to help support the ministry.

If you know of any churches that are looking for worship banners, please direct them to our web site. We don't have a printed catalog, as the cost is rather prohibitive. But, if someone needs a catalog, we can send them that part of the web site on CD-ROM.

The banners are at: (please note, this section of our web site has since been removed)

-- CONFERENCES --

We are trying something new to reach the Hispanic population on this side of the border. In order to reach some of the believers who are in churches where we haven't ministered, we're holding a series of marriage and ladies conferences in the local libraries.

Rich has also been asked to do some conferences for the local Hispanic pastors groups. Basically, this means that they have accepted us as ministers who can minister to them. That's what we've been working for all this time, and we're pleased to see that the doors are opening in that area.

Please keep praying for us and the work we're doing here on the Texas/Mexico border. We especially need prayer for open doors and open hearts. We also need prayer for God's continuing protection and provision.

Blessings, in Jesus' precious name,

Revs. Rich & Deborah Murphy