After the Sunday worship service several ladies were hanging around. It was like they were waiting each other out. It seemed Veronica, usually one of the first to go, had something on her mind.

As the others finally left she began to talk openly with Janet about things going on in her life. She is about to become a mother and her husband has gone off to work, leaving her with a mother-in-law who is vehemently against believing the "outsiders' religion."

A lot of pressure from family has come because of Veronica and her husband's salvation. Veronica's maternal grandmother recently passed away, but she too was constantly telling them that the old ways were best, as does her uncle.

Veronica wanted to share with Janet that her mother-in-law's drinking and anger saddens her and that she knows her grandmother was wrong.

Veronica said she knows and believes that the Gospel is true. She has seen it at work in the lives of her brother Toribio and his wife. She knows that she has changed how she thinks and the things she desires. These things were on her heart and she needed to express them.

After a while lunch was ready and she joined us. Janet grabbed my hand to pray and I asked Veronica if she wanted to give thanks for the food. She grabbed my hand and said "I can a little bit," and then she spoke the sweetest prayer.

"God if it weren't for You we wouldn't have any thing. If it weren't for Your giving we couldn't eat. Thank You God."

After she left, Janet and I were simply thrilled by her openness and desire to follow after the Lord despite family complaints. We praise Him for working in lives and for building His church among the Western Tarahumara and we realize, "God, if it weren't for You …."

"I had the opportunity to preach at our church here. ... Praise the Lord for His grace and provision. I was able to clearly communicate the message taught in Romans and the Gospel of John that eternal life is more than going to Heaven when we die."

One of the pastors of the church, Caleb, is in the NTM training program and has become a good friend of Jeremy. "Please pray for the church and budding maturity of these growing believers," Jeremy asked.

Pray for wisdom for Jeremy and Beth as they consider what God would have them do when they have finished learning the culture and language. NTM missionaries Chava and Andi Nunez have just moved to a village among the Cora people and Jeremy and Beth are praying about whether God would have them join that team.

"We know that the Lord will use us wherever He has us, and that is where we desire to be." Jeremy wrote.