Missionary Tom Montgomery Update

Mexico Missions
Covenant Baptist Church
P. O. Box 741
Broken Arrow, OK 74013

Dear Friends, January 8, 2010

We send you greeting for the New Year. Last year was one of many changes and advances in our mission work. We began a new Institute for Pastors in Nicaragua. The Institute in Guatemala finished its third year of studies. We have decided to continue with another year of these monthly studies at the request of the students. The spiritual situation in these countries and their churches continues to be of great concern.

At the beginning of last year our largest mission moved from the south of Mexico City to a more central location and has enjoyed a continued increase in attendance (averaging over 100 adults each week). This work has been able to save close to 50,000 dollars toward the purchase of the mini-mansion that we are presently meeting in. The purchase of this property is still on hold, due to the financial crisis and other details that have yet to be finalized.
We helped to start a new mission in Aguascalientes in the spring of last year. Two of our pastors from Irapuato are traveling there each week and working diligently to lay a foundation. We are hoping to see a number of new missions established in this part of central Mexico. The area from Guanajuato to Zacatecas has almost no sound gospel witness and is considered a fortress for Roman Catholicism. This part of the country is also considered the ‘cradle’ of Mexican independence and its first middle class. This is due to its history of mining, agriculture, and ranching endeavors that provided an economic basis for development.
Our audio sermon sites averaged 15,000 down-loads per month for most of the year. We were able to make the last payments to provide a permanent pension and health insurance for Bro. Allan. He continues to work full time on the Spurgeon translation project. There are now 355 Spurgeon sermons available on-line in both print and audio versions.
I will be traveling with Pastor Omar to Nicaragua the 21st to the 25th of this month. I am scheduled to give the Institute in Guatemala on the 29th and 30th of the following week.
On the 14 of February I will preach a conference in the mission in Irapuato (La Purisima) on stewardship. They are in the process of making a commitment to buy some property that already has a structure that can be converted into a permanent church building. We do not believe that property and buildings should be purchased with U.S. funds, but rather through the obedience and stewardship of the Mexican churches and believers. Over the years we have seen this policy prove to be the best method to establish self-supporting, indigenous churches. Most US based missionaries practice some form of what has been called “Welfare Missions”. This tends to create an unhealthy dependence on the ‘gringos’ as well as negligence and irresponsibility in the national churches.
This year Mexico will be celebrating its Bicentennial (the war for Independence 1810) and Centennial (the 1910 Revolution). Some are predicting another ‘revolution’ in 2010 if the government is unable to deal successfully with the ongoing economic, political and drug trafficking crisis. The continued water shortage and drought are also causes for concern.
Last year our son, Mark, graduated from the UNAM and is now working full time at Banamex (Citibank). Luke is in the second year of studies toward a civil engineering degree. Carolyn is in her last year of home schooling and should graduate this spring. Lissa continues to be a blessing to everyone. Early in December we enjoyed a visit from Pastors D. Chamberlin (Broken Arrow, OK) and L. Justice (Kansas City, MO). Besides preaching and teaching they were able to visit some historic and important areas in the central part of the Republic. You can take a look at some of the pictures from this visit at the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/lyndyjustice/MexicoMissionaryTrip2009

Missionary Tom Montgomery and Family