May 2013

Dear friends,

Thank you for praying for us and for the things that God is doing in the universities here in Mexico.  We are very excited about the things that have been happening since our national student conference last month.  We have seen the students taking more initiative in sharing their faith with their friends as well as taking ownership to lead the movements on their campuses. 

Few weeks ago I had the opportunity to travel to Ecuador along with other CRU staff from Latin America and the Caribbean for our final of 5 leadership trainings in our areas.   It was an incredible time to hear about how God is working throughout the continent. 

I would also like to share that I have been accepted into the program for a certificate in Christian Ministry with the Birmingham Theological Seminary in Alabama.  It is a one year program, and I am very grateful for the opportunity for personal and ministerial growth.  Please pray for me that I would be able to give my best especially since the entire program is in English, as well as that I would be able to learn a lot and apply to my life what I am learning.

On the home front we’ve had a few difficult weeks after the student conference.  Leah was sick with another virus for about 2 weeks.  She recovered from the virus and did well for about a month.  Liz and Leah returned from a trip to the U.S. and Leah got sick again.  Our doctor ordered blood, urine, and poop samples to investigate further why Leah keeps getting sick so often.  A few things in her blood tests were out of range and we are going to repeat her blood tests again to see if there are any improvements in the tests when she is feeling well.  We ask that you continue to pray for Leah’s health and for wisdom for her doctor.  We are happy to share that last few days Leah has been feeling very well and is laughing, singing, playing, and eating well. 

Liz is now in her 28th week and in her last trimester of pregnancy.   Leah likes to rub her belly and give her little brother hugs.  We are all excited to meet our little boy in just a few months.  We still don’t have a name picked out, but will be happy to share this information once we know ourselves.

Thank you for your partnership with us in reaching university students with the message of the Gospel, and for praying for us and investing in our lives.  We are grateful to have such a supportive team of people alongside us in the call that God has given us.

Prayer requests:

-That God would continue to use student leaders in on their universities to reach more students with the Gospel of Christ.

-For good health for Liz and the baby, that the pregnancy would continue to go well and that the baby continues to grow healthy and strong.

-For good health for Leah and wisdom for her doctor in determining why she keeps getting sick.

Luis, Elizabeth & Leah Pomares

April 2013

Dear friends, 

Last week we had our national student conference with Student Life.  Thank you for praying for us and for this time that is so key in the ministry in Mexico.  They were some intense days but we would like to share with you that by the grace of God it was a success.  Students from many parts of the country came to learn about how they could start a movement on their campus.  We had morning prayer times, workshops, conferences, fellowship, baptisms, it was truly a time that we could see God working in the lives of many students.

In particular I would like to share about the participants from Chihuahua.  They drove 18 hours to be with us despite the fact that they don’t have a Student Life movement there; they were very excited for the conference.  I met Patricio last October at the Christian Expo in Mexico City where I invited him to attend the conference, along with some college students from the church, where he is a college student ministry leader together with his wife they have made a great effort.  At the end of the conference they shared how God has used this time to grow their hearts for God, His mission, and for their city.

Michelle, one of the participants from Chihuahua wrote:  “Thank you so much for all your support, for being able to be there in this key time to take part in this opportunity to be taught how to reach college students in Chihuahua and Mexico.”  Every student felt very challenged to start something new on their campuses.

Thank you so much for your support in prayer during this time.  Here are a few pictures where you can see a few of the activities that took place.

 

Prayer requests:

That the students would apply what God has taught them during this week of the conference.That God would use the students to begin new movements on campuses where there currently aren’t movements.That we would continue to serve students the best way possible who want to see their campuses transformed by the gospel.

Luis, Elizabeth, Leah and baby Pomares

             

February 2013

Dear friends,

In addition to our regular activities we have with the students involved in CRU Puebla, every Tuesday I have been meeting up with the men involved in the movement to invest in their lives and help them to grow even more in their relationships with Christ and their love for the people who still don’t know God personally.  Each week we pray together and learn more about what it means to follow Christ and the steps of action that each of us should take as a result of knowing God.  It’s been incredible to see how the majority of the students have responded to the steps of faith that should be taken.  It is my prayer that God would use these young men to be an example for others of what it means to follow Christ in their university and family.  Also that they would be an example to their friends of a man of God who loves and serves God without fear. 

March 24-28 we will be hosting our Student National Conference with CRU here in Puebla.  This a time to get the students together from the various cities in México where there are movements and encourage and challenge the students to take the message of the gospel to their campuses.  There will be guest speakers, workshops, trainings, prayer, fellowship and more all with the goal to encourage the students to go deeper in their walks with Christ.  I, along with the team that is leading the conference, have been working for several months so that God would use this time in a miraculous way.

On the home front, Liz and the baby are doing well.  She is currently in her 17^th week of pregnancy and at her recent doctor’s appointment everything looked good with the baby.  At our next appointment we will hopefully find out if we are having a boy or another girl.  We are excited to see what God has in store for our growing family.  Leah is growing and learning lots of new things.  Right now she really enjoys making animal noises; especially “roaring” like a lion and “meowing” like a cat.  Here is a picture of her awesome hair after waking up from her nap. 

Prayer requests:

For the group of guys at BUAP, that God would raise up a new generation of men who love God with all of their strength.

That God would provide the finances for the students to be able to attend the national conference in Puebla March 24-28.

Please pray for us that we would be able to serve the students and staff to the best of our ability during the conference.

Please pray that our baby would continue to grow strong and healthy, and that Liz would have energy to take care of Leah         

   Luis, Elizabeth and Leah Pomares

January 2013

Dear friends,

As I shared with you in our last prayer letter, we had the opportunity to visit Liz’s family in the U.S. for Christmas.  We spent a very special time visiting the family and for many of them it was the first time they were meeting Leah.  Everyone was very excited to meet her.

Even though it was very cold we were able to go out and enjoy the snow and play with Leah for a little while.

For Leah these last couple of weeks has been a bit difficult.  She caught a cold that hit her pretty hard, and then got a secondary ear infection and we ended up going to the doctor several times.  In addition to a very long day of traveling back to Puebla we ended up taking her to the ER due to lots of vomiting which we found out was caused by her stomach being irritated by the medicine she was taking for her ear infection.  Thankfully she is doing much better and is finally playing and getting her appetite back.  We still need to be extra careful what we allow her to eat since she could start vomiting again if the food is too heavy for her tummy.  Thank you for your prayers for her health and our discernment on what she can eat.

We are definitely very excited to be back in Mexico and encouraged for what God is going to do in the lives of the college students.  This week we are starting our weekly meetings and discipleship on campus.  One of our goals for the semester is that each student who is involved would share their faith with 7 of their friends and encourage them to make a decision to follow Christ and begin to go through the follow-up material with them.  Please join us in prayer for this goal and that God would give them boldness to share the message of the Gospel with their friends.

We also have some very exciting new to share with you.  In August of this year the Pomares family will grow to 4!!!  Liz is finishing up her first trimester of the pregnancy and we are incredibly grateful for this blessing from God.  “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.”  Psalm 127:3

Thank you for your prayers and financial support.  It is a privilege for us to work shoulder to shoulder in taking the message of the gospel to the lost.  May this year that God has given us begin with the grace to see lives transformed for Him!

Prayer requests:

That God would give us many opportunities to share Christ on campus and in our neighborhood.

For Liz’s health during the pregnancy, that everything would go well and that there wouldn’t be any complications and for the baby to be born strong and healthy.

             Luis, Elizabeth and Leah Pomares

December 2012

                           Dear friends,

We are finishing up the year as well as the ministry activities for this semester.  We are happy to see that the students involved have been growing in their relationship with Christ this semester; some more than others but thankfully we have seen how they have been sharing the Gospel and what God has been teaching th

em with their friends.

Now that the students are almost on vacation, many of them are heading out of town to see their families.  Please take a few minutes to pray for their time at home that they could share the Gospel with their friends and family, many of whom still don’t have a personal relationship with Christ, and also that they would continue to grow in their love for God.

Also in Mexico on December 1st the new president of Mexico started his presidency term in the midst of various acts of protest where there was violence and injured people.  Please join us in praying for Mexico, that God would use His church to share the message of salvation to a country that needs Him.

We are also excited to visit Liz’s family in the United States for Christmas.  It has been almost a year and a half since we’ve been to the U.S. and my wife’s family is very excited to know that we are going, even more for the opportunity to meet Leah for the first time for many of them.  We also ask that you pray for our travels and time with family, as we will spend a lot of time on the snowy Wisconsin roads going back and forth to connect with family and friends. Liz and Leah are in the US now and I will meet up with them in a little over a week.

Christmas time is a time that I enjoy very much.  We celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus, who came to pay the price for our sins and restore the relationship that we had lost.  It is also an opportunity to share with our families about why we believe that only thru Jesus Christ we can have eternal life and a true purpose for our lives. We pray that you can enjoy this special time of the year!

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support. We are excited for all the new things God has done in the universities in Mexico and the world.  Thanks for being a part of what God is doing in Mexico and the world that every student would have the opportunity to say yes to Christ!

 Luis, Elizabeth y Leah Pomares

Dear Friends,
As I mentioned in a previous email, I had the opportunity to go to the Christian Expo in Mexico City last month.  It was a few intense days but we are really happy about the results.

During this time we were sharing about what CRU is doing in Mexico and how we can better serve the church in evangelizing and discipling.  Personally I had the opportunity to talk to various people who were interested in working with college students or were students themselves and how they could start a spiritually multiplying movement on their campus.  They were incredible talks!  One day during the Expo I met Patricio from Chihuahua, Mexico.  He and his wife had just started working with college students in their church about three months ago.  He was in town for work, but found out that the Christian Expo was going on and decided to make a quick stop to check it out and see if there was anything that might be able to help him with the new ministry that he was starting as he wasn’t quite sure where to begin.  He found us and we talked for almost an hour about how they could not only just serve students in his church, but how he could also reach other college students in various universities in his city.  By the end of our talk I was really excited about the opportunity to serve Patricio by encouraging him to reach out to more students with evangelism and discipleship and explaining how to use some of the materials with CRU to do so.  We plan to stay in touch to be able to continue to encourage and serve him.

We were also promoting the student movement in Mexico City and many students involved in CRU were talking to other students that came to the EXPO.   They were able to contact 120 students from about 20 different universities in Mexico City.  The students involved in CRU were super excited to see that other students wanted to start movements on their campus while others were simply looking for other Christians at their university.

The Josh McDowell seminar called, “The Naked Truth” was a success.  Everyone who attended left encouraged that with the help of the tools that were shared in the seminar they will be able to better serve their children and the youth in their churches.

Thank you so much for your prayers for this time at the EXPO.  There is no doubt that God gave us many great opportunities!

Prayer Requests:

-That we would continue to do a good job with following up all the contacts from the EXPO.

-That God would allow us to see new student-led movements in Mexico City.

-That more and more people would partner with us to reach Mexico for Christ

 Luis, Elizabeth y Leah Pomares