"Whoever believes in Me, as the Scriptures say, rivers of Living Water will flow from within!"  John 7:38

This truly has been the “The Winter of our Contentment”…  This would be the title of a play we could write in regards to the wonderful things the Lord has been doing in the Church body at Calvary Puerto Vallarta.  We have been challenged to reflect on the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ through the smorgasbord of messages Pastor Bill has presented to our body from the book of Revelation and the Minor Prophets.  We are amazed at the quickening of the Spirit in the believers in the church.  We now have two Sunday morning services; one in English and the other Bilingual with translation.  Many of our seasonal visitors come back to the church because of the Expository Bible study of God’s Word.  The Lord has then moved these beautiful visitors to get involved with the native believers in the church by serving them while they are here in our outreaches, serving  breakfast to the kids at the church on Sundays, working on the house building project making bricks, or by serving at CCMS during the week helping in our after-school program.  So many come and pour into the body through prayer and service that we are blessed to watch the body grow as one big international family of God!We recently have had some changes in workers in Sunday school, at CC Mission School and at the church which in the beginning brought much concern to my heart.  I normally don’t like change…that in itself is completely funny when you think about where we live!  Living in Mexico is completely unpredictable and change becomes just a way of life.   But once again the Lord guided us to “walk on the water” so to speak and to trust Him to provide the support we would need to keep the children's ministry moving ahead.  Wow!  The Lord has been completely faithful!  I know, I know, I should expect that by now but I am but a frail human sometimes slow in my understanding….! 

He has so blessed the church through His servants the Costales, the Kents, the Cruz’s, the Hansens, Doctor Robert and Mara, Gary and Gail,  and the many other brothers and sisters who bring down school supplies, clothing, a stock pot and whatever can be a blessing to someone in the church and at the school. The team from Crossroads Community Church in Yelm, WA came to partner with us in the construction of a home of a needy family out in the Colonia.  In turn the Lord continues to send brothers and sisters to help make more adobes for the house as we watch the walls go up.  So many have been a part of our effort to share Jesus’ love with the people out in the Colonia where our Mission School is located and the Church.  So many have been a prayer support to all of us, standing in the gap asking for the Lord’s strengthening of our weary bodies that come with a busy schedule.  So with that I can say that it truly has been “Our winter of true contentment”! 

Debra Kent was a lifesaver!  She kept track of
all 500 presents separating them by age and gender!

We thank the Lord for the toys
provided by two separate donors!

We had a wonderful Christmas outreach in the Colonia with the Calvary Kid’s and Radical Youth group who presented a musical drama presenting the true meaning of Christmas.  We then had a gift distribution where 500 children and their parents were blessed by the Lord’s love.  We thank the Lord for blessing these families in this way and for giving us all the privilege of representing Him in this manner.  God provided the money to make our annual trip to by toys from Guadalajara and we were also afforded a bunch of gifted toys by Davis and Susana Birks which we were able to give the children along with the toys we purchased in Guadalajara!  Everybody left with something in their hands!  I love how the Lord always multiplies the fishes and the loaves!  

Bill carrying toys donated by Davis and Susanna!
Thanking the Lord for your lives!

There were many, many decisions for Christ as we watched the Lord move through the Youth and the Children in the church to touch the crowd.  The Gospel message was shared and God moved in the hearts of the people.   It reminds us of the scripture verse in the Book of Acts where it says that the Lord added to the church daily!

Praying for God to move....

Listening attentively to the Gospel...

"Somos La Luz!"

.....and He did move!  The Harvest is ripe!!

Before Christmas we received word that Bill’s father Jerry was very sick and diagnosed with Prostate Cancer.  After flying up for two weeks Bill saw the Lord work in the life of his father miraculously.  By the time Bill left his father was pain free and back at work!  He still has been diagnosed with terminal cancer but through a prayer effort of the body of Christ here and in many parts of the world, we have seen the Lord give an opportunity to his dad to have more time to get to know Him.  Bill shared the Bible with his father and took him to church twice.  He couldn't hear the service because of his hearing loss but we are waiting on the Lord for an answer to our prayers for complete surrender.  God knows his heart and we trust in the Lord to do something mighty in His life.  The Lord showed His grace to us here at home in Bill’s absence by providing teachers for our English and Bilingual services on Sunday and Wednesday nights.  The body really stepped up.  Over and over again He shows us that great is His faithfulness!  We sure love Him! 

Alejandra and Maria Fer at our Ladie's Brunch....
what a blessing to watch them grow
in their hunger for God's Word!

We were blessed to have our daughter Estie home with us for a month and half….  She has now returned to school at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrietta, CA.  She is thriving there and we were so pleased to have her home for Christmas.  She was here to help us in the church and also at the Women’s Ministry brunch that we hosted in our home.  What a blessing she is to me as we work together to serve Jesus in the kitchen!  She is surely gifted with the gift of hospitality and is always so sensitive to making people feel welcomed.  We had a wonderful time of fellowship with the Ladies from our church as we began our Spring Bible study into the life of Abraham using Ann Graham Lotz’s book “The Magnificent Obsession”.  We are studying the verses Ann refers to using the Inductive Bible Study method in our devotional time.  It is such blessings to watch the Lord transform these precious ladies study time as they grow in the Word of God!  

They had so much fun!  True Die-hards...these were only
 a part of the Youth that stayed and stayed and stayed after the youth lock-in was over! 

Under the direction of the Molina's the youth are preparing for our outreaches every Saturday by having Music and drama workshops as we prepare for Easter and other events.  Micah leads them in worship and Jose Luis is teaching the biblical definition of Worship.  It is such a blessing to watch your children grow in the Lord and in His Word.  We realize that the Lord definitely is the Lord of the Harvest.  He completes the work He started in our children, and if we are faithful to lay up scripture in their hearts and teach them how to be Christ centered, He takes care of the rest!  The youth are growing in the knowledge of the truth and are drawing other kids to His throne room!  We now have about 30 youth attending bible study.  So many returning visitors comment on how servant oriented these kids are.  To God be all the glory because it is Him who is doing the work in their hearts through His word! 

Calvary Chapel Mission School continues to grow as more volunteers have been added.  The high season brings true believers who not only want to be a blessing materially but also spiritually in the walks of these children.  The world is full of people doing good deeds but what is necessary is the Gospel message always being at the forefront of every Christian helps ministry.  This has always been our goal; to see the children and the adults truly transformed by Jesus by not being conformed to the world's standards but by His Holy Spirit. 

The kids from Crossroads Community Church attended
class with our kids while their dads made bricks!  The fit right in!

Our preschool and elementary class has doubled which has required more teachers.  It is a different season and now the Lord has added 3 teacher assistants; young girls who were previous students from the school!  We made changes in the advanced English class by placing another teacher which freed  me up to able to oversee the  younger children’s class of 35.  This change has been such a blessing for me personally fulfilling one of my heart’s desires!  When we first began the Mission School in Laguna del Valle we had many, many little ones attending.  We had one class of combined ages from preschool to middle school adolescents.  At that time Bill and I were the only teachers.  We would go out on Saturday and Sunday with our own kids.  We were yet to have our present location in town.  I love the Lord’s sense of humor as he used two people who had a very limited vocabulary to share His love with this mixed age group of children through song and simply reading through the Bible!   After worship Bill would teach the adults and I would teach the kids.  The part that makes me smile so much is to see some those little ones now in high school and in college or getting married!  Many are still coming to church with a heart to serve!  Once again the Lord has given me the privilege of working with the young ones, laying up the Word, instructing, correcting, teaching, encouraging these babies in Jesus!  Laying a foundation when they are so young is so essential to be able to guarantee an abiding relationship with the Lord in the future.  We absolutely love it!  Two of our teacher’s aids are girls who were previous students that fell away for a while and now are coming back to Jesus.  They are going to be mothers themselves.  What a blessing to see them interested in teaching these children.  Two of our other teacher aides are young moms of small children who are learning how to give a math class to 2^nd and 3^rd graders.  This really is a two-fold ministry as we disciple these women as young mothers and also availing an opportunity for them to serve the children.   On Friday’s three of them attend our Women’s Bible study given by Miss Mari Molina.  We are so blessed watching these ladies grow in the knowledge of the Truth! 

We are amazed at how the Lord gives so much grace to Jose Luis and Mari Molina by making it possible for her to come and teach the women with all that their full-time business requires from them!  We thank the Lord for their maturity and commitment to come alongside us.   We are now able to have Calvary PV open everyday as Paco Sanchez is now on staff helping out with a lot of the administrative activities that are required to keep the church open.  He and his wife Bertha came from Semilla de Mostaza en Mexico City and are a complete blessing to the church as they have come alongside our discipleship programs we are providing to the body.  This is the real work...teaching the body of believers that the most important thing they can invest in is their own personal bible study.  We have a New Believer's class on Wednesday, a men's and women's discipleship on Saturday night, the "Truth Project" on Thursday nights, and our Women's study out at Laguna del Valle on Friday night.  It is such a blessing to watch the Word transform His children right before our very eyes!  I know many of you know this blessing in your fellowship so I would ask that you would continue to pray for these discipleship classes and for all the new believers that God is bringing into His kingdom!  As always, we invite you to come down and be a part of what the Lord is doing as volunteers are always welcomed!  Thank you and God bless all of you for your prayer and financial support that you put towards building God's church here in Puerto Vallarta!

Sincerely, Pastor Bill and Renee' Martin

Praise Reports:

• Thank you Lord for all the new believers that are growing in their faith!
• Thank you Lord for the volunteers and for the servants in the Body that are serving in the Church!
• We praise you for the strength you gives us to continue daily with our busy schedule !
• Thank you for the servants you are raising up to help run the church!
• Thank you Lord for your provision of resources to feed the kids at the school and for church operation.

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for Bill's father's salvation.
• For continued growth in the spiritual lives of the Body at Calvary Chapel PV
• Please pray for our Parent's Dinner we will have next weekend for the Parents of the children at CCMS.  Pray the Lord would open their hearts to Jesus so they can give their children a godly foundation!
• Pray for the Children and Youth who are being bombarded with garbage on the internet through their cell phones!  So many young children down here have smartphones!  Pray for a decision to take a stand against impurity!
• Pray the Lord's will for a future Soccer outreach to the kids in the school.

If any of you would like to support this ministry you can do so by making your tax-deductible check to: Global Adventures, Calvary of Albuquerque, 4001 Osuna Rd. NE 87109.  If you want to support the church and mission please indicate that in the memo part of the check and if you want to make a donation to the Martin Missionary fund you can do that online at this website:  http://www.calvaryabq.org/ministry.asp?MinistryID=67