Thank You....Last Post from Shell Seeker

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your prayers and financial help in getting this move paid for. God's blessings and generosity of your hearts provided just what was needed plus a bit more to pay for the trip out. Thank you all so very much. My things are in storage in Lubbock as of last Thursday.

A Few Memories of My Last Days in Playa Azul

I am in Lubbock and not sure how I got here. It seems like a blur. I drove away from my home and friends on the 16th of October. I was so glad my buddy Rosy went with me to Mexico City. She just happened to have an emergency Dr. appointment the next day. Coincidence? I don't think so. That would have been a terrible trip to have had to make by myself. God is good! I left Bernard, Alicia and Logan Krogsgaard to carry on in my place in Playa Azul. They will do a great job.

Oh by the way this is my name sake Osiris Belinda Landa Romero. You know that you have loved with your heart and have been loved the same when a child is named after you.

I drove out the 23rd of October following Jacob and Amanda and the kids. Adah and Noah did great as did Zeke and Phoebe, (our two German Shepherd dogs). We arrived in Laredo, Texas, Thursday evening and crossed the border without any problems. Our God is good! Friday we went our separate ways. I continued on to Lubbock and the Hendersons went on to Austin. They attended the Texas vs O.U. game. (Noah's first tooth came through during that game.) I made those long hours of driving just fine. God is good!
Last Sunday in Lazaro Cardenas


Last Days With The Benito Juarez Congregation in Mexico City

I am so grateful for the adventure that God sent us on in 1987. It is over and the reality of that has been so hard. I still do not understand why I had to leave but I do not have to understand. God is in control and I have complete trust in him.

This will be the last post from Shell Seeker. It has been good but it is time to move on. The prayers that have been offered to God on my behalf and my family are the reason that I can sit here tonight and finish up this blog. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

A new blog is in the making... La Pistolera/Gunslinger...

May God's richest blessings fall upon each of you in ways that you have never thought of.

Belinda

THE MOVE...13th of OCTOBER

This is an update as to what is happening with the move. Today the estimate came in and it is huge! $12,500.00 door to door . God is good and is providing what I need. If some of you are still wanting to help and have not sent your funds could you do so ASAP. This picture explains a lot of how I feel and how big God is in my life!
(I am the cat!)


Bernard, Alicia, and Logan Krogsgaard are here. They arrived last Wednesday. They are adjusting slowly but surely. The heat is a little overwhelming for them. But they aren't complaining. They have been living and working in Canada for the last seventeen years. They were apart of the original "Quijotes Para Mexico " team. They are the last of the "Quijotes" to continue on in this country we love so much. Pray for them in their adjustment. They are in a trial time to see if this is their final destiny. You never know. I thought that it was for me.

Once again if you are desiring to help me with this move and resettling please send your donations ASAP.
You can send donations to the following with checks made payable to the same:

Lubbock Church of Christ
P.O. Box 2741
Lubbock, Texas 79408

Please add a note indicating that the donation is for the Belinda Moore moving fund.

My friend and former teammate of Mexico City, Terry Fanning, will be collecting the money.You can also send donations made payable to him directly to:
Belinda Moore
c/o Terry Fanning
4710 101 St.
Lubbock, Texas 79424

1 806 853 9935 is the telephone here if for some reason you need to contact me.

God's richest blessings on each of you!
Belinda

Time To Go

A Broken Heart
Greetings from Playa Azul...the place of tropical breezes and lots of salt. As most of you know I have been living in Playa Azul for a little over a year and most of it by myself. I can't say that this has been the most favorite place I have ever lived, but it certainly has been a learning and growing experience for me. I love the people, and I know they love me. I love what I do, and I am good at it. I was born to be a missionary. I have known for a very long time that sooner or later I would need to make some changes, and now the time is coming. I have had many nights of prayer asking for wisdom and pleading with God to tell me what to do with my life. I believe that this chapter of my life is finished, and it is time for me to move on.

I don't know if Billy is going to overcome his addictions. I don't know what will happen in the future concerning us. I leave that in God's hands. It has been said that Billy can never come back to Mexico or that he can't return for two years. Many theories have been theorized, but the bottom line is that it is between God and Billy. Mexico is not the problem.
There have been opinions and more opinions about what it is that I should and should not do with my life and about the time frame for the decisions that are being made or yet to be made. There has been so much input from so many people who have actually had very little to do with me in any form or fashion. Why does that happen?
My kids are so far away, and now with this illness of Noah, Jacob and Amanda are leaving. I applaude their courage and decision. Those of you who know them know that this decision has been heart breaking for them.
It has been nine months since I have seen my kids, and they have been to hell and back again with their dad. I have a grandson that I have not yet met. He will be five months old this month.
God has provided just what I need, and I am so thankful. I recently was informed that I am losing another huge chunk of support by the first of the year. I have been asking God for wisdom in knowing what to do, and today it became so clear. It is time to leave. I write this with a broken heart, but I am so tired of the struggle.
I need to be near my kids and grandkids. I need to be close, so I can be of help to Jacob and Amanda when they need it. I need to be in Lubbock to see what the future holds for Billy and myself.
I need a new beginning, and God is providing it. There are a few things that I need from my friends. I need your continued prayers and financial help to move. I need one time donations to help me move back to the States and get resettled until I can find a job. I am 54 years old and held my last nine to five day job punching a clock 33 years ago. I need your prayers. I am not afraid anymore, and I have been afraid a long time.
I don't know yet what the move will cost. Today I wrote the same company that is moving Jacob and Amanda. I am for certain that it will be more than $5000. It cost the Gray's that amount a year and a half ago...before the gas increase...so I am sure it will be more. I will have more information after this week. Right now I am in Mexico City helping Amanda and Jacob with their sorting and packing. We will be talking to the person that handles the details this week.
I just want to thank all of you who have stuck by me through the thick and thin. The prayers for our family have been amazing. I believe anyone who has followed this saga has grown in their own faith. Our God is good.

Donations can be sent to:
Lubbock Church of Christ
P.O. Box 2741
Lubbock, Texas 79408
Please ear mark it for the Belinda Moore moving fund. Sherry Fisher, the accountant and treasurer for the congregation, has been informed to watch for the incoming donations.
My friend and former teammate of Mexico City, Terry Fanning, will be collecting the money and sending it to me. Or you can send donations directly to him at:
Belinda Moore c/o Terry Fanning
4710 101 St.
Lubbock, Texas 79424


Thank you.


God's richest blessings on all of you.

Don't Buy On The Fly

I am still having creature problems. I had this beautiful little blue and green bird that I bought last November. While I was pratically running through the market I saw this lovely little bird out of the corner of my eye. I wanted it. My canary had just been killled by a cat, and I missed the songs. So I bought it without really checking him out and because I was told it was a canary. It was not a canary. It never sang one note or trill on the way home. I listened carefully because I was carrying it in a brown paper bag about the size of a lunch sack. Maybe that scared the song out of him. Anyway, I got him home and placed the bag in the bird cage and waited for him to emerge. He hopped right out as well as another one that was brown with hints of green and gold. Oh man was I mad. I got a good look at him and realized that it was not a canary and the other one sure enough wasn't either. All they did was hop and hop and hop and hop some more. Soon we became friends, and he was so pretty to look at.

Two weeks ago I was sitting at this laptop working on my gallery blog when I kept noticing this black fluttering around the cage. I finally got up to see what the thing was, and one of those horrible black birds was pecking away at my little blue guy and had him nearly out of the cage. It made me sick to my stomach. I thought he was dead, but he wasn't. I took him out of the cage and put him in a basket with a nice clean cloth and gave him some water with a syringe. He perked up. I decided he might live after he got over the shock. That night I put him back in the cage all confident that he was going to be ok. I had covered the cage with a huge towel because that durn old black bird was still around. The first thing I did the next morning ... before coffee ... was go check out the little guy. He was dead. The ants had killed him and nearly pulled him out of the cage. I just could not believe it. Never put a sick bird in a cage if you live where ants rule!

Then Rosy decided to fly off into the yard and landed in the pool. Did you know that parrots can swim? Well, she flapped her wings until she got to the edge of the pool. I scooped her out of the water. Needless to say she was really subdued after her swimming adventure.


Zeke had to go to the vet for an ear infection. I had to go to town five days in a row. It took two hours to vaccum his hair out of the car after the five days.



Erika's Baptism




I mentioned in the last blog that I wanted to share with you the family that Gina and Salvador have been working with for a long time. After a year of gaining their confidence, they agreed to let us come and spend time with them singing and reading the word. Their lives are hard. Their lives are simple as far as material possessions go. They are coal makers. If someone wants land cleared ... they do the work and then turn wood into charcoal.


Santiago and his family are baptized believers, but Erika wasn't until a few weeks ago. On Thursday afternoons many months back Billy and I began going with Salvador and Gina to just hang out and talk about Jesus. I continue to go as a mentor and teacher. God has used this time for many things. As well as sharing the gospel, others are being trained. Last week was planted the seed or dream of inviting the surrounding neighbors for a day of praise and worship under their trees some Sunday afternoon.


A Day In The Country





Family News

Hey what do you think about this group of kids? They are my pride and joy. From the left: Landon, Caleb, Billy, Noah, Hudson (in Madison's lap), Madison, and Adah. It was a miracle to get them all looking at the camera at the same time. I will be traveling to the states sometime in September. I have business to attend to and some long over due play time. It has been almost nine months since I was last there. I haven't met Hudson yet. Please continue to pray for Billy and Noah. Noah is doing well. Every day is a blessing, and God is good and to be praised. We are truly learning that God has the final word in every area of our lives.











Prayer Requests

• For my support. I have lost a lump sum and need you prayers that God show me what it is He wants me to do. I am needed here, and that is not just me talking. Even with Billy in the States my needs and expenses have not decreased. I have had a lot of extra expenses with the car and computer problems. Also pray that extra blessings come as I prepare to travel.
  
• We are still asking God for a miracle concerning Noah.
  
• Please keep Billy in your prayers as he fights to regain his life.
  
• Satan is attacking hard the lives of the people in this area and within the church. There has been a lot violence lately due to drugs and alcohol etc. Pray for my continued protection as I come and go.
  
• I have a lot of friends who are searching for truth. Pray that God gives me the wisdom to know how to be bold but gentle at the same time.
  
• Ask God to bless the Shell Seeker Gallery.

I thank each and everyone of you who are praying for us. I know that it is because of your prayers that we are at peace. My brother-in-law Derrel is a good man. He told me this the other day, "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, and that is why it is called the present."



God bless you all, Belinda

Shell Seeker Gallery

Shell Seeker Gallery is now up and running!

Check it out at ShellSeekerGallery.blogspot.com

Prayers for Noah and His Family!

http://www.prayersfornoah.org/


This is a new web site that Brian has built for Noah and his family. Please talke the time to read it and help if you can.
Also I am in need of 500.00 a month of support. I have lost that amount due to my present circumstances. Please pray for me and our family.

Thank you, Belinda

Our thanks to all of you!

My family and I just want to thank all of you who have written and called. We don't know what the future holds for Noah, but we do know that God is incredibly good, and whatever it is we know that God is in control. Today Noah is good, and that is all we know about today. We are truly learning to live "one day at a time." Praise our God. I am personally learning that the peace that God gives me today is the praise and honor that I want to return to him daily. We ask you all to please continue to pray for Noah and our family.

Billy's News

Hello everyone. Please know I appreciate your love, concern and prayers. I am now living in Lubbock, Texas as I am sure most of you know. I have a job at Wal-Mart and am a stocker at grave-yard shift. Other than my body being sore and learning to sleep in the day time I really like my job. It is very uncomplicated, and that is good for me right now. I am doing well in my recovery. Tomorrow I celebrate 60 days in my sobriety. I am attending group counseling sessions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and have personal counseling on Thursdays. I am going to church again at Lubbock church of Christ and really appreciate Rex and all there. My main battle continues with depression and my uncertainty about the future. I am learning to live one day at a time, and sometimes that is hard, however it is getting better. I love each and every one of you. Please continue praying for me, Belinda, Noah and all of our family. Would love to receive e-mails from you. My phone number is 806-281-4702.
The Rains

I am a weather person. Mexicans are not weather people. They do not have hours and hours of weather information unless there is a hurricane coming. I miss the weather channel. I have found a weather website that gives me the satellite scan of my world on the web. That is how I found out about our tropical depressions.

The rains have started, and the roof still leaks. It leaks maybe more than last year, and this is after we spent so much time and rent money trying to stop the leaks. A week ago this coming Monday we had a tropical depression form over Lazaro Cardenas, and oh my did the winds blow. At 9:00 p.m. the winds were completely out of the South and at 4:00 a.m. they had shifted and were completely out of the North. There was an incredible amount of damage all over this area. Several enramadas, palm shelters, where completely destroyed and their things were washed into the ocean. I have been moaning and complaining about water in the hallway, not anymore. I am blessed and God is good.

What do You do?

I have had several people ask me lately, "What is it exactly that you do?" The question is from people here. So I thought I would write about what my life is like here on a daily basis if anyone else is wondering.

My mornings begin around 7:00 a.m., earlier if there is a lot of trash that I have to get out before the truck comes by. I make my coffee, feed the parrots and dog, etc... Then I begin my time with God. I read a lot, pray even more, write in my journals, prepare for the classes that I work on during the week, answer email, and then I paint when time permits. I have really painted some beautiful things lately. Support a missionary..buy a painting!

Then it's just daily living like all of us have to do. The other day I fixed a leaking toilet. Wednesday the pump lost its prime, and I had to get it pumping water again. I really prayed over that one. Sometimes it takes a long time to prime a pump. Oh and now I have mice ... did you know that mice poop and gecko poop looks almost the same? I have learned to tell the difference ... now the mouse is dead in a place I can't get to and it is smelling really bad. Now I am waiting for my Lazaro phone to be fixed. It has been out for seven weeks. I have to be here so the technician can get in when he comes. It is a problem.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I attend my Al-Anon group which meets from 5:00 until we are done. Tuesdays I study with Gina and Salvador. They are grounding themselves in God's word. Wednesday's at 7:00 p.m. I assist them in the small group that meets in their home. Thursdays I go with Gina and Salvador to visit a family that live in the Sierra in the state of Guerrero. We sing with them, read God's word and pray. Believe it or not, some of them are baptized believers. By the time I get home it is an 75 mile round trip. Later I will post pictures and tell you about Santiago and Erika and their 5 children who are 5 years and below. Next door live the grandparents, a sister and her child. They have no electricity, no running water, none of the things that I consider essentials. All of the children have been born at home. Oh, I have gone ahead of myself, all of this to write about later.

Thursday evenings after this trip, Griselda, Ishmael, and myself are studying together. They were baptised in May. Saturday evenings there was a home group with Rigo and Yessy but they haven't had it in a while. Sunday is worship and I always try to use this day to hang out with people that God is helping me to build relationships with.

The 13th of this month we had lunch together after worship to celebrate Yessy's birthday and also used it to invite friends. I had guests go with me. (Update.... Rosy and Roxana went. Today Roxana ask me if she could go back on Sunday. I gave Rosy a New Testament, and she began reading it while the rest of us were swimming and talking at my house after church.)

Four Sunday's ago the church had lunch at my home after service. We were about 40. Three Sundays ago I had lunch with Rosy and her daughter plus Gabriel, Arlen, and their daughter, Gaby. We went to an enramada for lunch and then came here to hang out. It was the Sunday of the downpour and terrible winds. By the time I got home the wind was fast and furious. Coconut fronds were falling all over the road plus coconuts, a small one crashed into the car. I was glad to arrive home without a broken windshield or a huge dent. I was out in the weather because I had taken Rosy home. Today after worship I went to a birthday party for a little boy who turned one. You should have seen the party and the guests ... at least a hundred people. It was a good day because I am getting to know a lot of people in this family, and they are so warm and hospitable. God is good.

I am always busy with people. Al-Anon has also made it possible to meet more women who are going through the same things that I have been through and even worse. I have been able to minister to them as well as them to me. God is good.
Prayer Requests

• That we live such lives that God is honored and glorified no matter what happens


• A miracle for Noah...God's will be done


• That God continues to use me to reach the lost and be a good teacher of his word to the younger brothers and sisters


• Peace that passes all understanding for our family and extended family


• Complete healing for Billy


• The church and its workers in Lazaro ... we have been under heavy atack from Satan


• That God continues to provide for the Vision in all of Mexico

God's richest blessings on you all. Belinda

God is God and is to be praised and worshipped no matter what happens in this life!

The test results are in and Noah has Infantile Tay-Sachs. Please continue to pray for all of us, especially Amanda, Jacob, Adah and Noah. For more informtion you can type it in Goodge search .

Belinda

From Jacob and Amanda

Hello to all,

First of all we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers for Noah. He is a strong, little boy and is in good spirits. His test has come back positive for Tay-Sachs, and we will be keeping you posted on news as we know it. Here is a web-site that we have been looking at and would like to share with you if you have desire to look at it.

I am sorry but the website is www.ntsad.org

We are still praying for Noah's healing and continue to ask that you join with us in this prayer. Please share this letter with others.

Thank you,

The Henderson's

Can I survive this?

Today I am wondering if I can survive this pain. I am heartsick for Jacob and Amanda. No parent should have to watch their children suffer at the possibility of losing a child of their own. I have often thought to myself that I can endure just about anything except for some tragedy concerning a grandchild. And low and behold here I am in the middle of something that I said I could never endure. Who can understand it? Tomorrow I am going back to Playa Azul and carry on with my work. No matter what happens I know one thing for sure and that God is in control. We are in the eye of a hurricane and Jesus is keeping watch over us. We just have to keep looking up at the eye and know that today is all we have to live.


This is an incredible photo of an eye of a hurricane. It looks like God looking down on us in the midst of all this crap and saying...Be still and wait and know that I am God.


In the Eye of Felix 2 by LRandyB
Once in the eye, the view was breath taking even at night. The moon had just risen over the top of the eyewall and lightning lit up the eyewall all around us.
http://www.wunderground.com/wximage/viewsingleimage.html?mode=singleimage&handle=LRandyB&number=162&album_id=34&thumbstart=0&gallery=#slideanchor

Still Waiting

Below is a small update from Amanda and Jacob about Noah

To all, First of all, we would just like to take a moment to thank you all so very much for all of your prayers and thoughts. We tell you the truth when we feel your prayers through the peace and hope that God is giving us on a daily basis. God remains good.

We are still expecting results from the blood work being done for Noah. They are testing him specifically for "Tay Sachs." Hopefully we will have the results by next Monday. This is just a small update. Otherwise Noah is doing great. He turned one last Friday, and we had a huge party for him on Saturday. Our little boy has touched the hearts of many. He is so sweet! Please continue to pray for his healing. Adah is doing great. She is still in school until July 3. Last Thursday she had her first school program. She had a blast, and as far as her family is concerned she outshined everyone else! And to think, we thought she was going to be too shy! We love you all, Amanda and Jacob Henderson

Prayer Request:

• Continue to please pray for Noah and his family (the Hendersons and the Moores)
• That God continues to give us all his strenght and courage to face whatever may come concerning Noah
• For Billy's healing and recovery
• For Andrew and Jessica...support to enter S.I.B.I. in the Fall, also their strength, courage and endurance
• For Brian, Amberlee, and the kids as they also deal with all that is happening in our lives...strength, courage, and endurance
• For the Vision in Mexico City and the Pacific Coast
• For my continued steadfastness in my faith and courage, to seek God's will in all that I think and do
• For friends and family to continue their monetary support...I am still useful in the kingdom and needed in Lazaro Cardeans

We thank each of you for your prayers and love. Who can understand why things happen the way they do? Someone told us today that there were only 16 cases of "Tay Sachs" reported last year in the United States. It is virtually unheard of in Mexico. Who can understand it?

Blessings to all, Belinda

Why? Why? Why?

Heal Noah Please God!
There are so many questions that remain unanswered in everyday life. How did gas get to be so expensive? Why did your airplane ticket cost 450 dollars and mine 700 when they were bought on the same day. How is it that after so many years of living in the light someone goes off into the darkness? Why is it the God heals some people from trivial things and lets others go on and on and on and on?
Our family is asking God to heal Noah from something that we don't have a name for yet. There is something that is not normal for him. He has nystagmus in his eyes, and he has what has been identified as cherry spots also in his eyes. Tuesday he goes back to the doctor, and more blood will be taken, and the samples will be sent to Texas. In 10 days we will have a name for what Noah has. We are begging God to completely heal Noah. There are several different sicknesses that cause the cherry spots, and none of them are good.
We ask you to join with us in prayer for our precious little Noah. We want God to let him live with his family for a long, long time. We want the Why to be for us that God showed his Power and Love and Mercy to our families.

Noah will be one year old the 13th of this month. Please send this on to others so that they can beg God to please do this for us.

Belinda (buela) writing for Jacob, Amanda Adah and Noah Henderson.

What I Remember!

I remember that as a little girl I would pass away hours thinking about what my life would be like when I grew up. I don't remember much about those dreams except that I loved babies. Oh,and I dreamed about Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

I remember God always being present in my life. Early on in my forming someone made sure that I heard the stories about Moses, David, Daniel, Ruth, Rahab, and Hannah. I remember lots of fear and wondering about being loved. My family was not a healthy one. I remember lots of schools and never feeling like I belonged. The list is long, but then again, my life could have been so much worse. I hear lots of stories that are true and tragic. I am grateful that I am not as crazy as I could be.

The last two years of my life have been crappy, but they could have been worse. I have not been beaten, raped, or had to run for my life. I have been lied to and deceived. I have compromised my own integrity and honesty. Everyday I get up, ask God to forgive me, hold up my head and move on through the day.
I have made myself crazy trying to control something that I cannot, no matter how hard I try. I did not know for so long the alcoholism and addictions are a family disease. I did not understand for so long that help has always been just a heartbeat away. All I had to do was acknowledge that I could not run my own life and the lives of those around me. I am a co-dependent person who has come to terms with my defects and have humbly admitted to God that I am incapable of fixing anything. Have you ever tried to fix your own life using your own tools? Have you ever tried to fix an addict? Impossible! Billy is back in Lubbock. He has had a serious relapse.

I surrender to God. "Let go and let God." I have heard that phrase for a very long time, and it never connected in my head and heart until recently. Peace, oh what sweet peace comes with the surrender. Just today is all I have to contend with. Who knows if I will be here tomorrow?

New News

Baby Hudson is here! Our new addition to the family is here. Hudson Riley was born the 10th of May. He weighed in at 8 pounds and 3 ounces and was 21 inches long.

Griselda and Ishmael

Last Tuesday, the 27th of May, Griselda and Ishmael gave their lives to Jesus. They are the son and daughter-in-law of Georgina and Salvador. They have been a part of the home group that met in Malcolm and Tammy's house and now meets in their house.

Día De Los Niños

April the 30th is "Day of the Child." Our church fmily participated in this event with lots of toys in the town of La Union. Here are a few pictures of the evening.

Free Medical Clinic

The 12th through the 16th of May a free medical clinic was provided by a group of people from Abilene, Texas. The church in Lazaro Cardenas hosted the event ... but actually Malcolm and Tammy Pointon organized the affair. Three doctors, nurses, and a host of other people worked long, long hours. If my memory serves correctly, I think they saw around 500 people in 5 days. They were able to pray with lots of folks, and the seed of the gospel has been sown in this small pueblo of Los LLanos. One señora that came is in 107 years old. I hope to have pictures soon.

March and April /Late Again

March

I am late again with updates, but there is much to report, so I will get to it. During the first week of Holy Week we sponsored a group of students from Abilene Christian University. They came to work, and work they did. They painted the Deportivo in Playa Azul, the place where soccer, volley ball and other sweaty games are played. They did a great job. Thank you for coming.

The second week of Holy Week we hosted friends from Mexico City. It was so good to see the Torres, the Mendietas, and other family members.

April

The 2nd of April Billy and I celebrated our 36 wedding anniversary. I honestly say that there have been days this last year when I was not sure if I would make it. You never know what God is doing in you until you are called upon to demonstrate your faith and perseverance. We are learning to live one day at a time, and sometimes those days are hard ... really hard. But God is good, and I have learned that He does what He says He will do ... it may not be on my time frame, but He is true and trustworthy!

Music Work Shop

This year's music workshop was held in Morelia, Michoacan. The church "River of Life" hosted the event. We learned some great new songs, but the best part was renewing bonds with our co-laborers from other parts of Mexico.

The Vision for the Pacific Coast

The seeds for the Pacific Coast are beginning to be sown. The proclamation of the Vision has begun. Dreams and plans for what we all believe is God's will for us in this place are in motion. Kiwi Corporation is a means that God has provided to expand the Vision in an uncharted territory...the Pacific Coast.

Recently a full city block has been purchased. It will be the future home for a training center with a place for the congregation to worship. The building will have three floors with the top floor providing apartments to house future students who will come to train and learn the language. God is good. He is opening so many doors.

Family News

We are waiting any day now for Hudson Riley to be born. His due date is the 7th of May. Landon is still our tsunami..a rough and tough boy. Madison is playing softball and is doing great. She has recently received honors for her grades and citizenship in school.

Noah has been diagnosted with nystagmus. This means that his eyes move from side to side very rapidly affecting his eyesight and balance. You can go to Jacob and Amanda's blog to learn more details. He has started physical therapy to learn to do things that he doesn't do yet due to this problem. Adah has started school. I am still in shock that she is in school. We play Barbies when we are together, but I have decided that I am going to have to buy my own Barbie ... I am always the bad stepsister or the monster or something sinister. Her imagination is shocking as well.

Andrew and Jessica have made some life-changing decisions for the future. They have felt the call to become full-time church planters in Mexico. They are making preparations to further their biblical training. Little Billy is tremendous! Andrew has a new work schedule, so he is now able to put the boys to bed. Stories and lots of books are the routine before "nite nite." He had also started laying down with him. He then decided to sit quietly in a chair strategically placed near the door and wait until he was asleep. Last night he put the plan into play, stole quietly out of the room, and just as he disappeared around the corner he heard little Billy say, "oh no!" Twenty seconds later after thinking about what to do to remedy the problem, he started wailing. Caleb is our sweet smiling, temper boy. His fuse is short ... according to his mom and dad.

I love how life comes full circle, and we begin to see history repeat itself. My hope is that with each generation we make changes that bring us all closer to Jesus and break the chains of the past.

Blessings, Belinda Moore/La Pistolera

To Eat or Not Eat An Iguana

With Or Without Salsa?
I have been promising a buddy that I would investigate and share my new found information about the benefits of eating iguana. After moving to the coast I became a watcher of iguanas; the fact is I am a fanatic of iguanas. I now have a file of photos that I am taking of iguanas. (I still hate geckos.) The first place we lived in Las Peñas had a very high cement wall around the property, and close to the bottom of the wall were crevices and holes large enough for creatures to crawl into. Iguanas lived there. It became an obsession to watch out the windows for iguana activity. I enticed them out of their holes with food. I discovered that they love cantaloupe, tomatoes, and have seen them eat hibiscus flower petals.

Anyway, let's get on with our topic ... to eat or not eat an iguana. Almost as soon as we moved to this area, people began to entice us, provoke us and gross us out with their of eating strange foods: armadillo, turtles, snakes, crabs and iguanas ... anything that crawls. I became really interested in the eating of iguanas and their use for medicinal purposes. People actually drink the blood of the iguana. It is given to people who are very weak due to a long illness. A few drops of the blood are mixed in with coca cola, and you drink it immediately. According to those with whom I have talked about this practice, you fall into a deep sleep for hours afterwards. Supposedly it is full of vitamins, minerals and anything else that is good for you. So you go to sleep while your body absorbs all of this reptile nutrition, and you wake up a few hours later with scales and cold blood. Ha! Ha!

My Experience

One Saturday afternoon during the rainy season and while Billy was still gone, I got a call from Roxanna here in Playa Azul to come for lunch. Iguana was the main course of the day. I was lonely and bored and thought, "what could it hurt?" So I went. Great preparations were being made to serve up this special meal. First of all, the kitchen is on the outside of the house with a two burner stove hooked up to a cylinder butane tank. The sink is a place where you wash clothes by hand or your dishes, clean fish, or skin an iguana. A large pot was on the stove and its contents were boiling furiously. My friends were chopping the ingredients for a green salsa. Fresh tortillas were brought in to the table along with a red salsa and an aged cheese that is rather dry and crumbly to munch on with the tortillas as we waited for the good stuff ... iguana!

It was raining again ... I was cold, wet and thinking I had made a serious mistake as I took in all the preparations. Finally the meal was served and much to my surprise it was very good. The tail is very meaty as well as bony. It reminded me of eating chicken neck. Are any of you middle age folks remembering eating chicken necks? The thing is, after awhile I began to feel very strange. I became very cold, very sleepy, and my skin began to itch. I had a craving to eat hibiscus flowers and crawl into a rocky crevice. Gotcha! After I got over my initial shock of the whole event, I had a great time and will probably eat it again.

Church News

God continues to bless us in Lazaro Cardenas and Playa Azul. We have begun a new small group in the office of Yessy and Rigo. We meet on Saturday evenings at 6:00 p.m. We are using the book that Billy has written "Living in the Heavenly Realms" as a study to see how it works. The group is enthralled with it so far.

The group that has been at Malcolm and Tammy's house is now meeting at Salvador and Gina's home. Both groups are growing in maturity and number. Sundays we are fluctuating between 25 and 35 people. Plans are being made to attend the music seminar in Morelia next month.

A group of students from ACU are arriving to our house this very night, fifteen in total. They are coming to do a service project in Playa Azul. It will be interesting because this is the beginning of Holy Week, and this place is filling up fast with tourists. They will be painting the sports park. I will post pictures later.

Prayer
It has recently become so vital to me to experience the power of prayer and to have others linked with me that have experienced the same joys and struggles. Our little Noah has been having some eye problems, and that has triggered tons of tests. Some of it has been scary. When folks have asked for prayers for various things, I am always willing to pray for them. But when you experience the fear and pain of what someone is asking you to pray for, it becomes a completely different experience. Empathy ... to walk in someone else's pain ... to feel what they feel ... to go before God with a different heart for the suffering. I have learned so many things because of my own sin and suffering. So I am saying this to say this ... when you ask for me to pray for you know that I will do so with a different heart, one that has suffered and one that knows what it is to be so filled with gratitude for what God does for me on a daily basis.

Prayers

• I ask you to pray for Noah. We don't know exactly what is the problem with his eyes, but apparently there is something.
• Please continue to pray for Billy and his recovery.
• Please pray for Tammy Pointon and her family. Her dad recently died. He lived a victorious life in Jesus.
• Please pray for those families suffering from the disease of addictions and alcoholism that aren't getting any help.
• Amberlee's pregnancy and that our new grandson will be born healthy.
• God's continued blessing upon this work and the "Vision" of planting multiple churches up and down the Pacific Coast.

May God's richest blessing be upon each of you.
Belinda and Billy Moore

Hello New Year

Can you believe another year has come and gone and that you once again survived the holiday season? We carried our tradition of the annual Posada over to the coast. As usual we had the traditional ponche, lots of good food, piñatas loaded with candy, and sweets for the kids. We were about 45 five in attendance. What made the night so special was the baptism of Julio. He and his wife have been a part of our fellowhsip for about five months. Glenn, Carolina, Alison and Lex have given their lives to this couple. God is good and gives the increase. Check out the slide presentation below of that lovely, balmy evening.

January 2008

We have all been busy getting back into the swing of things after traveling and the holiday season. Malcolm, Tammy and Jordan traveled to Big Spring to be with family, and we visited family in Fort Worth and our kids in Lubbock. While the Pointons were in Lubbock, Jordan was baptized. This is Jordan; he is so cute and nice.

Billy and I are in a maturing study with Salvador and Gina. They were added to the kingdom last October. Gina told me yesterday that she always carries her Bible and notebook with her while she is out and about so she can study and read. She puts me to shame and encourages me at the same time.

We are in the planning stages of beginning a new home group in our home. Today we asked Julio and Maya to be a part of the study. They are both orginally from Playa Azul.

Billy and Malcolm are taking turns preaching on Sundays. While we were gone the congregation did a great job in filling in the gaps. The body is blessed with talented members. They just need some maturing and time in the Word.

Family

We had a great time with the family. Our new baby boy is precious. It was so much fun to see the older ones love on the babies. Madison is the queen, Adah the princess, Landon the sunami wrestler, and little Billy the pirate (he plunders things). Noah and Caleb will show us their special names when the time is right, but right now Noah hollers all of the time. Maybe he will be the auctioneer . . . I think he has the voice for it. Amberlee and Brian's baby will be born in May. It is a boy. Madison really wanted a sister. Boys are good. Madison and Adah will have to be the glue that keeps this clan stuck together as they grow older. Someday we older ones will be making dirt.

Our Prayer Requests

Here are some prayer requests and thanksgivings that Billy wrote for you to consider and offer to God on our behalf. Thank you.

• My continued recovery.
• My AA group here in Lazaro Cardenas.
• For my good friends in Lubbock: Roger, Peter, Stacy, Sarah and Lisa.
• For our family. For Amberlee and her pregancy. There is a problem with the development of the new baby boy's heart. The doctor expects it to correct itself, but please pray for this.
• For Andrew and his new work.
• For Jessica, (our daughter-in-law), her health.
• For all the grandkids: Madison, Adah, Landon, Billy, Noah and Caleb.
• For Brian as he continues to search for a better job.
• For the work here in Lazaro Cardenas and on the Pacific Coast.
• The church continues to grow. During our absence the Mexican members conducted worship by themselves. This is tremendous for a new church.
• Thank God for Glenn Pointon who stayed here and coordinated the worship while we were gone.
• Pray for the spiritual growth of several new Christians who have recently been immersed into Christ. We are studying Class 201, Maturity in Christ, with Salvador and Gina.
• Please pray for all the missionaries working here.
• Please pray for the several churches in Mexico City. Ecatepec has recently had a new baptism and continues to grow.
• Pray for Jacob and Amanda and their work in Mexico City. The 2008 Aim Class will be there the first of February.
• Pray for the churches in Cuernavaca, Cuautla, Apaxco, Guadalajara, Campeche, San Miguel de Allende, Puebla and the missionaries working in these cities.
• Please keep all of God's work in Mexico in your prayers.
• Please pray for Ro and Rosie and their new church plant near Oaxtepec.
• Please pray for Gerardo and Carola and their new work with children who have diabetes. Please pray for the churches in Paraguay, Peru and Argentina with which we have worked in the past.
• Please keep the Dowells in Lima, Peru in your prayers.
• Pray for all of God's work in Latin America. Please pray for the Lubbock church as they continue to reach out to the lost of Lubbock.
• Please pray for the land development here in the Lazaro area as our plans to build a mission school, retreat center, leadership training center and rehab center are directly connected to the success of the land development. God has many things planned for the coastal area of Mexico. Pray that His will be done!
• Please pray for Belinda and me and our continued growth. Pray for our support; it has taken a tremendous blow. Please also pray for our plans to become vocational missionaries in the future. We are planning to have a bed and breakfast in the house where we are now living. Please pray for these plans and that God's will be done for His glory! I know I have forgotten things but my mind has gone blank for the moment.

Please send us your prayer requests. We love each and every one of you. Vive la Vision!

Blessings to all, La Pistolera and Billy