Pete & Cathy Dyck

"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11).

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Dear Praying Friends,

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What a precious promise we have as we share God’s Word, that it will accomplish that for which God sends it forth. We are encouraged with the opportunities that God is giving us to share His Word with others and the impact that it is having. For a few years now we have been using a revised version of the “Firm Foundation” Bible study, a study which gives a good foundation for understanding the message of the Bible. The first phase of this study starts in Genesis and covers key stories that help us understand the importance and the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. It ends with the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Pray for God’s anointing and for wisdom for Pete as he leads the studies with adults and for Cathy as she teaches the children.

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For a few years now we have been going through this study with Alex and Juana. At times our meetings have been somewhat sporadic, often canceled because of different circumstances. Sometimes we have wondered whether we are accomplishing anything with them, not knowing whether they are growing spiritually. It has been a bit like a roller coaster with them; some days we leave feeling encouraged and other days we wonder whether we are wasting our time. However, the last time that we met with them God showed us that our labor has not been in vain. After a recent study Alex shared his desire to have copies of all the studies and he asked whether we could also give him a copy of the pictures that go with the studies. He wants to have all the material so that he can share it with others when there is opportunity. That is our goal – to have local believers sharing God’s Word with others! Alex shared a conversation that he had recently with his brother-in-law Luis (one of the places where we have an English class). Luis had expressed some interest in learning from God’s Word but his concern was what others would say if they saw outsiders (us) studying with him. But it appears that Alex has an open door with him and who knows, probably with others in the community. We could hardly contain our excitement about the possibilities and Alex was obviously excited as well! Another thing that Alex shared was that if he forgets to read the Bible with his family before bedtime then his son Jesus reminds him that they need to do that. Pray that God would protect Alex and Juana and their children, that the enemy would not be able to disrupt what God is doing in that family.

We are also doing that Bible study with Jesus and Lucía but there it is also not as regular as we would like. At least once a month Jesus starts drinking and usually goes on for almost a week before he stops. We have heard rumors that Lucía does not treat Jesus well when he goes home drunk and that is marring her testimony as a believer. Please pray for a breakthrough for Jesus. Apparently he has made a profession of faith and he is attentive and participates when we have the Bible study with them. We have seen quite a change in his attitude but his drinking habit is a big hindrance. Pray that God would put in him a desire to be free and that he would claim God’s victory. Pray that Lucía would be patient with him and not say or do things that would make the situation worse. When Jesus is drinking we still go to their place but then do a different study with Lucía and her oldest daughter Lupita. Lupita has been experiencing persecution/bullying at school and with her cousins because of her faith. Pray that God would keep strengthening her faith. Pray for protection from the enemy for the whole family.

In April Cathy started a children’s Bible class at Jesus and Lucía’s place. It started with their children, then Alex and Juana’s children joined, and slowly the group grew. We were delighted when two other cousins joined the group and we are hoping that their parents will soon join the adult Bible study. They seem somewhat open but, again, they are probably concerned about what others will say (perhaps we need to send Alex to study with them). Luís and Rosa’s girls showed up at the children’s Bible class once, and we are hoping that they will start attending regularly. If all the children show up, then we have a group of ten attending, which is plenty for the limited space. It would be wonderful to reach more children, but at this point our goal is to get this group grounded in the Word. If God brings in more children then we will need to make some adjustments because Lucía’s tiny kitchen is already over-crowded. Please pray that God would do a beautiful work in each of the children. Lupita and Jesús (Alex’s son) have given their lives to the Lord but as far as we know the rest of the children haven’t made that decision yet. Half of the children are not from Christian families.

Please continue to pray for Jocelyn, the young girl who accepted the Lord a few months ago. We are not able to have contact with her. Her mom, who comes from a very dysfunctional and ungodly family, moved back to Charapan to live with her parents. She was suffering from depression and went to consult a witch who obviously told her lies about the cause of her depression. She was back in Corupo for a couple of weeks but refused to have anything to do with Lucía (when Lucía was the one who reached out to her when she was struggling). We have encouraged her to attend the church in Charapan but so far she isn’t willing to do that. Please pray that God would be at work in this situation, especially for Jocelyn’s sake.

A few months ago our neighbor, pastor Joseph, asked Pete to start a men’s Bible study, which happens Monday evenings. Pete first shared a six-week Bible study (Christianity Explained) and pastor Joseph was so excited about what he was learning through the study that he wants to use it to start small groups as a form of evangelism. God has given him a vision of a new way of doing “church,” reaching out to people by meeting in homes. Pray that God would prepare the hearts of those He wants to reach through these meetings. After that study Pete started sharing the study mentioned above, and again pastor Joseph is so excited about what he is learning.

Cathy continues to teach English to some children in Corupo. One group ended and at that place she will be starting with a new group. Pray that God will use these classes as well as our contact with the families where we have the classes. Our connection with Luís and Rosa (where we have one class) was effectively cut off a few months ago when a pastor from the city got too direct with them. We had nothing to do with the situation but we were at the same party. After that they avoided us for several weeks but lately they have slowly started to connect with us again. Pray that we could develop a good relationship with them.

In May we celebrated 30 years of marriage and that same week our WEC Mexico team had a retreat in Puebla, about a 7-hour drive from our place. Apart from the regular commitments July was busy with parties – school graduations, a wedding and a farewell for a short-term missionary in Charapan, all in one weekend.

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Family news: Josiah is still with us. We are looking at different options for getting his paperwork sorted out. This month he will be going to Lázaro Cárdenas again to help out with a Daily Vacation Bible School. ChristyAnn is busy cooking at the Rosthern Youth Farm camp in Saskatchewan. She has had some health issues (stomach pain) recently but is doing well now so we trust that God took care of it.

Thanks so much for praying! May God richly bless you for your faithfulness!

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In Christ,

Pete & Cathy Dyck

August 2023