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

Belinda Speaks

Hello to all of you out there in blog land. Today is the day that I have been moved to speak about a few things that have been matriculating in my heart and head. As most of you know and for those of you who do not, Billy is a recovering alcoholic and addict. He will soon have been home for two months, and the 6th of December he will have been clean and sober for six months. He attends AA meetings five nights a week. We live one day at a time. I am an active member of Al-Anon and thank God that He has created a place for hurt and sick people to find help. I am grateful for God, his mercy, and his grace.


We are losing more support starting in January 2008 and have lost our previous sponsor and countless other things as direct consequences of Billy's disease. These losses are not why I have decided to speak about me. Since this journey began, I have had to closely analyze my life and own illness as a co-dependent person. I was born into a very disfunctional family, and that carries its own set of problems. I married a man that had his DNA marked at birth. I have chosen not to live my life as a victim or blame anyone for what is happening to us now. It is just the way it is.



I do, however, have a few things to say about judgements that have been passed onto us. It seems some feel that we are now not apt for work in the kingdom. Who in this world is not plagued by some form of their own disfunction? Who in this world does not struggle with their own perception of who they are or hide behind a mask and pretend to be something they are not? Who in this world has got it all right? Who in this world has the right to make judgement calls on other people they do not even know or have a relationship with? What has happened to autonomy? Who in this world deserve complete forgiveness without any strings attached? I think it is called unconditional love. Who in this world has not sinned? How many have sinned and hide their iniquities in the closet? How many have set themselves up as judge and jury when they themselves should be sitting in the chair facing their own weakness and sin?


I am so glad that I know Jesus and the story of the woman confronted by a group of good citizens with stones in their hands ready to deal out judgement. Jesus said to them, "If any of you is without sin let him cast the first stone." Billy is the prodigal son with the robe and ring on his finger. He is a man that has been to hell and back again, and he knows what it is to be forgiven. God is already using him mightily in the lives of others. When you get to heaven, ask Brandon, Billy's young friend who died two weeks ago, who showed him about Jesus. I am a woman who still loves and forgives and lives one day at a time thanking God that I have been given insight into the lives of hurting, damaged people.


And there are those who think that we are not apt for work in the kingdom. I will be so bold as to put our mental health, spiritual walk, marriage, and family relationships up for display against any of yours and see who is healthier. Recovery is a daily job ... turning it all over and having complete dependency in God is true freedom. Knowing who I am, my sin, my weakness and knowing that God sees it all and stands next to me is liberating.


Tell me who does not have a favorite shirt that is torn and tacky but still uses it. Which of you does not have a favorite cup that is cracked, and yet you still drink from it? How many of you have a favorite ornament for your tree at Christmas that is old and ragged and still hang it because your child or grandchild made it ... is it still useful? Does it not still give you joy? That is who we are ... Billy and myself. People who are cracked, torn and beat up but still useful for God.


One more question. What about me, Belinda Moore? Am I not still worthy after 20 years on the mission field? After the sacrifices, the damage done to my own children, am I not still worthy of hire? Am I not a missionary?

Blessings Belinda "la pistolera"