Missionary Bill Hart

NEWSLETTER Spring 2009

Dear Brethren,

Phil. 3:10 - That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

     We are plodding along as usual and things are going as usual which is great because God never fails or falters.  We are now reaching into 3 states here in the center of Mexico and supporting Bearing Precious Seed as they go into many other places in the world.  We have also been able as God has allowed to support missionaries in Veracruz, Morelia, Michoacan, Chihuahua, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Guatemala, Spain, Ivory Cost, Africa, Equatorial Guiana, and a man in Uruguay who is winning Jews to Christ.

     We often as a rule simplify the life of a missionary, but to me it is nothing short of miraculous, in the sense that God is working in the missionary family as much as the people he has been sent to reach.  I believe true missions is church planting and all that it requires and entails, and in saying that, it is not to devalue any other service that anyone else provides to the end.  I also believe that churches start churches as the Holy Spirit works in the lives of His people through continued service and education via preaching and teaching in local churches.

     We pray to the Lord of the Harvest, that He might send forth laborers.  You can not harvest where it has not been cultivated, planted, weeded, and watered.  We came here initially to work amongst the villages that have not been evangelized, of which there are literally thousands.  We found ourselves bogged down between 2 different works nearly 40 minutes apart, we say this in respect that it was God's will, but also His will to get into the ranches.  (We have planted 4 different works.)  We now feel that God has defiantly moved in our hearts to get more actively involved in the village works He has lead me to start.  All of which is great, but I still have the problem of lack of personnel to help with the endeavor.

     You may ask, "Why we don't turn some of the work over to a national?"  Well, if we had some that could take the work obviously we would.  What we're seeing here is that missionaries are leaving their works with men who will not stay with it and then when he falters the people go to another church and many times they compromise and go where it is less Biblical not because they really agree, but because that's all there is.  I am not worried that God will not give me men to take my place, I believe it's a matter of time.  I can see where quite possible, He may give us some men from my prison ministry that will be fit to pastor in a few years.  We also have several who are getting grounded and I have great hopes for them, but I believe it takes someone who has been prepared, proven, and provoked by the  Holy Spirit to take these works.

     We have had a deluge of new converts and some are very eagger to learn.  Last month and this we have had 6 follow the Lord in Baptism.  One of the big problems here is the economy, our folks work tremendously late hours and for very little money.  Therefore, it's difficult to get them into church, for conferences, or something special.  I work with between 200 & 250 people a week, including my ranch works, the jail ministries, and the churches.  That doesn't sound like many, but I have to drive literally hundreds of miles to do that.  The Lord made me very conscious of the fact that we are to reach every dialect and nation.  In the villages where I go there is not anykind of church that preaches that Christ and He alone saves.  We have the cults and Catholics who are the biggest cult ever.

     We are in places called: "Las Matancillas, La Hierba, La Paz, La Presa, El Novillo, El Llano, Las Jualas de Abajo, Ojuelos, Chinampas, and 2 prisons.  (Not to mention our churches in Jesus Maria, Aguascalientes, and our out reach here in the little ranch of La Herrada, where we live)  There are hundreds more I need to get into.  I meet with some of these folks 2 times a week.  Please pray God gives me strength and wisdom to keep up with the already existing vision He has given me.  I often feel frustrated and dwarfed by the need, but have to stand back and look at the overall picture.  Please pray that can continue to go through open doors.

     A few weeks back, I preached the funeral for a young couple in our church in Aguascalientes that lost a child.  I preached for an hour to 35 or so people in a little farm house out in La Paz.  The people seemed to be catatonic, they bearly moved, in the sweltering 100 degree heat, and when I gave the invitation no visible response.  People hardened and possessed by hundreds of years of Catholic dogma that damns their soul to an eternity without Christ.  The baby was born on a Wednesday, died the next Monday at around 11:00 AM, the family took her body to her Grandmother's home in La Paz, paid $20.00 for the plot, I had the funeral at 2:00 PM, 4 men in the family dug the grave, and at 6:00 PM they buried her.

     For Valentine's Day, we had a banquet with 67 men and women.  I had read that there is an increase in marriages that end in divorce after 50 years, they sight as reason for splitting up as incompatibility that results in constant strife.  I showed them that strife doesn't come from incompatibility, but rather comes from strife and strife result of pride.  I ask them to kiss one another and none would have any part of it.  Here in Mexico you don't have to drive far at night to find someone fornicating on the street and I have a hard time gettng married people to kiss each other.  To my way of thinking something is wrong with that.  You may say maybe they're embarrassed, but you can't embarrass most folks here.  They can be offended, provoked, and they get mad easy enough, but not often are they embarrassed.  Anyone who after years of teaching still can walk into a church service anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour late, has lost that ability.

     In the ranch works, I get together in houses and have sometimes as many as 35 and more including the kids.  What a wonderful God we have!   I preached the other day in an old adobe building (build in 1910) that belongs to the Catholic church.  I have been meeting with some elderly folks (76-85 years old) there and they tell me they were born Catholic and they are going to die Catholic, but I keep on preaching God's ever powerful Word knowing that one day as long as they listen the sweet Spirit of God will remove the scales from their benighted eyes that they can be saved.

     Our ministry is not one of great numbers, but I am convinced that it is of great value in the mind of God.  Please pray as we are feeling all of the pressures, especially physical and more than these the ever present demonic onslaught, I deal with out and out demonic acivity that wears on my soul day after day to the point of destruction.  The danger, the heat, the dust storms, asthma, flu, bronchitis, and just plain human frailty, we push on for Christ.  There are more kidnappings, killings, drugs, drunkeness, horrible driving habits, etc....   I say all this so you might be able to pray for us as we commit our selves to Him to the end for His glory.

     Last week we completed all the requirements and received our FM2 visas.  Now we have 4 more years and we'll be a resident of Mexico.  In order to have a FM3 or FM2 visa, you have to be sponsered by a registered church.  The national Pator of the church that sponsers us recommend that we aply for an FM2.  Since we own land here, and are in the process of putting Mexican plates on all of our vechiles, it is better for us to have an FM2.  This will also in time remove any responsiblity his church has for us.   Whatever it takes to make things easier for us to live and serve the Lord here in Mexico.

     May God do for you what He has done for me.

     Brother Bill, Sandra, & Jessica

Jessica Hart Prayer Letter FALL 2008