Our Weekend Revival in Rio Bravo

We had a wonderful revival in our Bible Methodist Church of Rio Bravo this past weekend. The pictures will tell the story.

Marc preaching the opening service of the revival.

After I posted the above picture, I realized it was blurry. oh well... He was wearing a jacket because it was rainy and chilly most of the weekend.

We enjoyed going out for tacos Saturday afternoon with our great friends, Eli and Isela Balderas and their boys, Ervin and Irving. Our boys love being friends with their boys. Here's Cameron, Logan and Irving.

Jordan and Ervin - the older and "more mature" set of boys. :)

Here's Bro. Eli teaching the Sunday School class.

As you know, Jordan had his 14th birthday on Sunday. As is the custom here in our churches, they asked Jordan to come to the front. Everyone came around to shake his hand, they sang happy birthday to him (in Spanish, of course), they took an offering for him and then Pastor Santiago prayed a special prayer of blessing over him. It was such a neat time.

They say here in Mexico that Jordan will be the next missionary after his dad since he has the "stomach of a missionary" - He loves Mexican food. :)

Here he is with friends after service.

He sang a special song with them in the Sunday evening service - they did a great job.

A couple shots of the crowd Sunday evening. The other border churches lifted their evening services to attend and support the revival in Rio Bravo.

The Lord helped Marc preach every night during this revival. Sunday night was a wonderful service and a special time in God's presence. After his sermon, Marc invited the 3 Bible Methodist pastors and their wives to come to the front, then invited their church people to gather in behind them for a special time of prayer and encouragement.

Pastor Santiago and wife Edith - Rio Bravo

Pastor Homero and wife Esther - Soledad

Pastor Bernardo and wife Arely - La Florida

Here's Marc praying for Bro. Bernardo and his wife

It was my privilege to pray with each of the pastors' wives, also. Here I am praying with Arely.


Bernardo and Arely's precious 3 month old baby girl - Estrella. She's such a smiling, happy baby. Here she is smiling at my friend, Isela.


We enjoyed wonderful meals and fellowship in the home of Pastor Santiago and his family. Here we're eating our Sunday night supper. After I took this photo I realized the string hanging down to turn on the light fell directly across Pastor Santiago's face. Sorry, Brother. :)

We thank the Lord for His help in this revival, for His protection over our family and our people here in this border town, and each of you for your prayers. Thank you, Bro. Santiago, for inviting us to minister and que Dios les bendiga a ustedes muy ricamente!

Happy Birthday, Jordan

Our oldest son, Jordan, turns 14 today. I can't believe I have a 14 year old. I only feel about 6 years older than that myself. :)

Jordan, we love you and we are so proud that you are our son. God has awesome plans for your life and we can already see Him working in you to make you what He has planned for you to be.

Happy 14th, son. Mom and Dad

We ask for your prayers

We have 2 special prayer requests to share with you.

• Weekend Revival in Rio Bravo. Tomorrow, we are traveling to the Mexican border town of Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas for Marc to begin preaching a weekend revival in our Bible Methodist Church there, continuing through Sunday night. We ask your prayers for God's annointing on Marc's preaching and our singing ministry this weekend and for the reviving presence of the Holy Spirit to renew and revive us and our Mexican brethren there. Due to the dramatic escalation of the drug wars and violence in border towns, we also request prayer for our family's safety. We will be staying in accomodations provided for us there in the town of Rio Bravo.

• MRI/Doctor Visit for Logan. Logan will be going in for another MRI this coming Monday morning and we will be meeting with the Infectious Disease Specialist on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the results. Logan has been taken off the antifungal medication for a month now (after having been on this expensive medication for a year)and this MRI is to see how he has done off the medication and if the swelling from the fungus is gone. We appreciate your prayers.

Thank you so much for your prayer support - we count on it!

Home Scenes

The boys are sporting their cool Oaxaca shirts that their dad bought for them on his recent trip. Never a dull moment with these 3 guys around. What one doesn't think of, the other 2 surely will. :) I'm proud to be their mom.

Here's me with another batch of these Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins that we love (and that Pastor Dolores liked when they came over for Sunday night snack).

Sisters in Ministry - Care Package Project

Thank you ladies (you know who you are..smiles..) who have taken our Mexico Bible Methodist Pastors' Wives as Sisters in Ministry! Your willingness to participate in this project has been personally encouraging to me and I know will be such a special blessing to our pastors' wives. To know they have a Sister in the US who loves them and is praying for them will be wonderful for them.

Some of you have asked what is involved in having a Sister in Ministry. I would recommend a monthly contact if you are able. This could be in one of several forms:

• You could email me at melodiesankey@yahoo.com with a special message for your Sister. I could translate your message and get it to your Sister as soon as possible.


• You could send a snail mail card. This would take a little longer for me to receive, translate and pass on, but I know would be something the ladies would enjoy. In this you could include pictures of your family, yourself, your church, etc...


• If you're interested in birthday, anniversary information, I could work on getting that together and passing along a small gift you might want to send her way for those special days.


• Any additional Thinking of You care package you send would be passed on to her as I'm able.


• Sharing prayer requests you may have and asking her for any prayer requests she may have is a good way to connect. Share about your family, your children, your ministry...ask about hers.

These are just a few suggestions. Thanks again for participating!

Just a quick reminder to those of you who are sending Care Package items: We need those items as soon as possible to put the packages together and have them ready by mid-April. Please send them to our Texas address included in the sidebar of our blog - we will pick them up there.

Enjoy your Wednesday! Melodie

Spring "has sprung" in Saltillo

Let me show you these beautiful flowers in my backyard.

Here's the beautiful red azucena - I just love it.

Just blooming out....

In almost full bloom....

And here's another one coming

Love my aguacate (avocado) plant.

Can't think of the name of this one (in either language). Flower experts, help me out.

My waist high pink geraniums - Spanish: geranio - (higher actually with the new blooms) and very tall bamboo. This photo doesn't show how deep pink the blooms really are, or of course, how tall the bamboo is. It's twice as tall as my back yard wall.

And with all this sun and these beautiful breezes, why throw these jeans in my much-loved dryer? Let's take advantage of what we have. :) I do have clotheslines but they were full. :) So goes life with 3 boys.

Hope you've enjoyed this taste of spring - I know I am.

Marc's Birthday Dinner

Here we are celebrating Marc's birthday. Thanks to Cameron, the waiters came out and sang Happy Birthday to Marc and brought this mammoth chocolate dessert - nobody complained. :) But you can see that he shared because of the number of spoons present - thanks, honey!

Happy Birthday, Marc - we love you!

Trip to Oaxaca Days 7 & 8

Ok - let's finish up the Oaxaca trip report and pictures.

Day 7 - Sunday. This was a day of celebration for the past 16 years of God's help and presence in our Bible Methodist Church "on the hill". Bro. Dolores preached a wonderful sermon in the morning service and Marc preached the "clausura" - the last service of the revival.

Here's some of the Sunday morning crowd after the service.

Pastor Benito and his wife Ana singing a special song.

A bilingual quartet: John Parker, Marc, Bro. Dolores and Steve.

Day 8 - Monday. Headed home! A stop was made in the beautiful Oaxaca City plaza (center of town) before leaving. Love these beautiful buildings and the scenery.

A beautiful outdoor restaurant on the plaza.

Marc's gracious hosts in Oaxaca City - Hermano Moises and his wife.

Here are the 3 amigos - think they look a little distracted and travel-weary? I kinda do... :)

That concludes the Oaxaca trip report and pictures - hope you've enjoyed "going" on this trip with them.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thank you!

I am so excited at the great response to our Pastors' Wives Care Package Project and the First Aid Project for the Bible Institute Classes coming up in April!

Thank you to so many who have volunteered to send items for the Pastors' wives, those who have donated money, those who have taken one of our Pastors' wives as your "Sister in Ministry" and to my wonderful friend, Tamra Craycraft (traveling with her husband and children to Saltillo for the Inst. classes) who has agreed to help me in the packaging and card-making for the Care Packages!

There's still "room" in the packages if you would like to donate something small/compact that would benefit our Pastors' wives in their ministry. Those items would need to be sent quickly to our TX address since the Institute classes are less than 6 weeks away.

Thank you to the Covington, GA Bible Methodist Church for providing the 20 First Aid Kits to be used with the First Aid Classes in the Institute! What a quick and gratifying response - thank you, Jeri and the Covington Church!

Your help and willing cooperation means so much - thank you!

Need for 20 First Aid Kits

Here is a rather last-minute opportunity for you as an individual or church to be part of the Spring Bible Institute Classes here in Saltillo, Mexico.

We are in need of 20 of this basic style of First Aid Kits to be used as part of the First Aid Classes that Prof. Shane Craycraft will be giving in the Institute - April 13 - 17. They could be shipped to our Texas address and we will pick them up there the week prior to the classes.

If you are interested in helping with this project, please contact us at melodiesankey@yahoo.com for more details and shipping info.

Update - thank you to the Covington, GA Bible Methodist Church for providing these First Aid Kits!

Thank you!
Marc & Melodie

Pastors' Wives Project Update - Thank you so much to all who have responded with contributions and money toward the Care Packages! Your ideas are wonderful and I'm looking forward to receiving your items and giving them to the ladies. 8 of the ladies have been chosen as "Sisters in Ministry" - 6 still are available to choose from. If you'd like a Mexican "Sister in Ministry", please contact me for the ones that are available. Thanks again! Melodie

Happy Birthday to my Husband

To Marc, the man who stole my heart 19 years ago - I hope you have the best birthday ever.

I love you always....Melodie

Oaxaca Trip Days 5 & 6

Day 5 - Friday. The travelers took a trip down to Puerto Escondido, the coastal town right on the beautiful Pacific, where we have 2 Bible Methodist Missions.

Marc talking with one of the locals on the beach of the Pacific.

Marc, Steve, and Bro. Dolores enjoying fresh coconut at one of the missions.

The beautiful Pacific coastline of southern Mexico.

That evening Marc translated Bro. Parker's greetings to the people into Spanish and preached the final revival service in the village church of San Gabriel.




After the service, Marc asked the church board and all of the church members to gather around Pastor Desiderio for a special time of prayer and encouragement.

Day 6 - Saturday. Marc, Steve, Bros. Dolores and Cuco boarded a bus for the trip back over the mountains to Oaxaca City for their Saturday night and Sunday Church Anniversary Celebration and Revival. Bro. Cuco preached Saturday night in the church on the hill (we have 2 Bible Methodist Churches in Oaxaca City).
The view of Oaxaca City from our Bible Methodist Church up on the hill. It's quite a climb - ask anyone who's done it!

Oaxaca Trip Days 3 & 4

Day 3 - Wednesday. The travelers hiked up to the mountain village of La Canada to hold a service in the Bible Methodist Church there.

Bro. Cuco preached a great message that morning, then it's on to the village of Santa Maria to visit the mission there.

Here's Elsa, Bro. Desi's granddaughter and supply pastor at Santa Maria, receiving her gifts from the Auburn Church.

The church people at Santa Maria.

Day 4 - Thursday. The day began with a river baptismal service. 4 new Christians from the church at Las Palmas (Pastor Reveriano) were baptized that morning.

Here's Bro. Dolores speaking to the people and candidates before he and Bro. Parker baptized them in the cold mountain river!


The 4 young people - the baptismal candidates




After the baptismal service, everyone headed to the village of 201 to visit the mission and Pastor Maria, who is helping in the mission here.

Then the missionaries headed up the trail to visit the BM mission in Bugambilias while the Mexican brothers returned to San Gabriel for the evening revival service. There they go....

At every stop during this day, gifts were given to our Bible Methodist pastors: the Christmas gifts from the Auburn church, Spanish Thompson Chain Reference Bibles (as part of the Bible Institute), the 3 volume set of Spanish "Exploring Christian Holiness", given by the Alabama Conference, etc...

Here's Marc with Pastor Reveriano. At an age when most pastors are retiring and enjoying their rocking chairs, this pastor keeps pushing on. He has a burden to see the lost in his community saved.



Marc and Pastor Edgar in front of the newly remodeled church in Bugambilias


The sun is setting on Day 4...over the village of Bugambilias. How beautiful!