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JULY / AUGUST 2020
Dear Friends in Christ, July / August 2020
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We thank the Lord for you and deeply appreciate your 
faithful prayers and financial support for us and the work in Mexico.
Mexico is still on lock down because of Covid-19, and now they have extended the border closing until at least October 22. It turns out that Mexico has grossly under reported the number of infections of the virus. As of August, the number of confirmed cases has exploded to over 550,000 and 60,000 deaths! In spite of this massive increase in reported cases, the churches are Coffins of Covid-19 victims stacked behind a crematorium at cemetery doing well with only a very few cases of the virus. Pastor Samuel has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus but without any symptoms. He is fine, however several evangelical pastors and priests in Monterrey have died due to Covid-19.
We had a virtual meeting with the teachers and staff of the Bible College to prepare them for the virtual classes starting in September. One of the teachers later became infected with Covid-19 and is very ill in the hospital. His brother and pastor died of the virus on August 19th. Our teachers and staff are now in their second week of self-quarantine. So far, everyone and their families are not showing any symptoms of the virus. PTL!
We participated in a wonderful Missions Conference at Bible Baptist Ch. in Chickasha, OK with Pastor Steve Volante. Many from this church has visited us several times in Mexico helping with several different projects over the years. We were stunned when the funds were presented to us to purchase in Mexico this 2010 Ford van for the Bible College in Mexico! PTL!
God bless you all, and thank you for your faithful prayers and support.
Yours in Christ,
Rick and Susie
MAY / JUNE 2020
Dear Friends in Christ, May / June 2020
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We thank the Lord for you and deeply appreciate your 
faithful prayers and financial support for us and the work in Mexico.
Susie and I are doing well, but She had to go back to walking with crutches because of the slow healing of the tendon in her right foot and her arthritic left knee becoming overstressed.
As many of you know, Mexico is on lock down because of Covid-19. This is “social distancing” while waiting at a metro station. Nationally, the confirmed cases have risen quickly to over 36,300 and 3,500 deaths. Commuters at a metro station in Mexico City
The churches are doing well but are having to do services through social media outlets like so many others. Mother’s Day had to be done on line of course. But here, people wait in a long line to enter a wholesale market to buy cakes for Mother’s Day celebrations because of Covid-19. It is reported that several pastors in Monterrey have died because of Covid-19.
We had to cancel our 40-year mini-conference celebration and graduation for the class of 2020 and still do not know when we will be able to have it. The shut-down was extended into the summer until July.
God bless you, and thank you for your faithful prayers and support.
Yours in Christ,
Rick and Susie
MARCH / APRIL 2020
Dear Friends in Christ, March / April 2020
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We thank the Lord for you and deeply appreciate your 
faithful prayers and financial support for us and the work in Mexico.
Susie and I are doing well, and Susie continues to recover from the torn tendon in her right foot. Thankfully she is able to walk carefully without crutches now and is able to do therapy at home. Thank you everyone for your prayers.
Mexico is on lock down because of Covid-19. Stores, restaurants, and businesses are closed and only a very few have been allowed to stay open with strict guidelines. Travel from town to town is very restricted and monitored with road blocks checking the reason for your travel. Nationally there are about 68,000 confirmed cases and 500 deaths. 
We praise the Lord for His blessings on the ministry. The churches are doing well but are having to do services through social media outlets. Evangelistic efforts and passing out tracts are very limited right now, but there have been several souls saved through social media and phone calls, and have been added to the churches.
We have finished up the classes on line at the Bible Institute PTL! That was crazy; and we had to cancel our 40-year mini-conference celebration and graduation for the class of 2020. We do not know yet when we will be able to have the graduation. The shut-down will continue through the summer and maybe even into early Fall. God bless you all.
Thank you all for your faithful prayers and support.
Yours in Christ,
Rick and Susie
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020
Dear Friends in Christ, January / February 2020
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We thank the Lord for you and deeply appreciate your 
faithful prayers and financial support for us and the work in Mexico.
Susie and I are doing well, but Susie continues to suffer some through the long and slow healing process. She had injured her right foot in December, and an MRI showed that it was a torn tendon in the bottom of her foot. She is out of the boot now but still needs to use crutches when leaving the house. She saw the specialist on the 29th of January, and he said it will be a long recovery and started her on physical therapy. Please continue to pray for her recovery.
We praise the Lord for His blessings on the ministry in the churches and Bible Institute. The churches are doing well, and have had over 27 souls saved through their evangelistic efforts and visitors to the churches for Friend Day Celebrations! There were 4 baptisms as well, PTL! Also, remodeling continues on the García Mission, finishing the ceiling and beginning the new flooring for the auditorium. 
The Bible College is doing well and the students have done a great job of evangelizing these two months with 21 souls saved! The annual missions trip for the students was in Platón Sánchez, Veracruz this year. They helped establish two missions and helped in a revival meeting of the mother church. There were nearly 500 Gospel tracts distributed, 40 adults and 35 children saved! PTL!!!
Thank you all for your faithful prayers and support.
Yours in Christ,
Rick and Susie
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019
Dear Friends in Christ, November / December 2019
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We thank the Lord for you and deeply a
ppreciate your faithful prayers and financial support for us and the work in Mexico.
Susie and I are doing well, but while preparing many things for our Christmas party at the Bible Institute, she suffered an injured right foot, partly due to her osteoarthritis, that resulted in a torn tendon and ligaments according to X-rays and a MRI. She has been in a boot and on crutches or in a wheel chair for over seven weeks with very little improvement. Susie will return to the specialist on the 29th of January.. Please pray for her recovery.
We praise the Lord for His blessings on the ministry in the churches and Bible Institute. The churches are doing well, and have had over 48 souls saved through their evangelistic efforts and visitors to the churches for Christmas celebrations! PTL! Susie’s Christmas Kids in 12 churches received over 500 bags of candy and presents as well as the Bible College students and staff kids! 
What a tremendous blessing for them through the help of several contributing churches: Trinity B. C., Big Spring, TX; Bible B. C., Chickasha, OK; Cornerstone B. C., Indianapolis, IN.
We had a wonderful Christmas party and service at our house on the college campus with all of the decorations for the students, staff, and their children to enjoy. For some of these students, this is the only Christmas they have ever had, and it meant a lot to them. Also, the students have done a great job of evangelizing these two months with 26 souls saved!
Thank you all for your faithful prayers and support.
Yours in Christ,
Rick and Susie
Mexican Authorities Make Arrests – Dec. 2019
Mexican authorities make arrests in killings of American Mormons
Members of the LeBaron family, U.S.-Mexican citizens who lost nine women and children in an attack in November, join a march to protest violence in Mexico City on Sunday, the first anniversary of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s inauguration. (Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters)
Dec. 1, 2019 at 6:57 p.m. CST
MEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities on Sunday arrested several people suspected of involvement in the killing of nine members of the LeBaron family, the extended clan of American Mormons whose deaths last month drew international attention to rising violence in this country.
The federal attorney general’s office said in a communique that soldiers, Marines, National Guard and other security forces launched a joint operation early Sunday and detained “various individuals believed to be involved” in the killings outside the town of La Mora in the northern state of Sonora.
How relatives and Mexico’s government are responding to the massacre of a Mormon family
Authorities have yet to determine who killed nine members of a Mormon family in Mexico on Nov. 4, or their motive, but the victims’ family is demanding justice. (Alexa Ard/The Washington Post)
Officials didn’t provide details, and the attorney general’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment. The newspaper El Universal cited sources as saying three people were arrested in Bavispe, not far from La Mora.
Mexican authorities have said the LeBarons — an extended family of fundamentalist Mormons with dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship who have lived in northern Mexico for generations — appear to have been caught unawares in a conflict between affiliates of the Sinaloa and Juárez cartels that dominate the rural area. Three mothers and six children were slain in the ambush.
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How Mexico’s cartel wars shattered American Mormons’ wary peace
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador faces mounting pressure to rein in the country’s growing violence. In the latest eruption, authorities said at least 19 people were killed over the weekend in a gun battle between the Cartel of the Northeast and security forces in the northern town of Villa Union, about 40 miles southwest of Eagle Pass, Tex.
President Trump said last week he was planning to designate Mexico’s cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, a move that Mexico fears could lead to foreign interference in everything from the business sector to government security policies.
Attorney General William P. Barr is expected to visit Mexico City this week at the invitation of the Mexican governmen to discuss Trump’s plan.
Demonstrators hold a banner in support of the LeBaron family at the protest Sunday. (Ginnette Riquelme/AP)
Julian LeBaron, a family spokesman and longtime anti-violence activist, said the three suspects detained Sunday were low-level “thugs.” He and about 50 other members of his extended family are scheduled to meet with López Obrador on Monday morning.
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“We think that’s the reason why they went and picked up these local thugs — so these people can say, ‘Yeah, we did something about this,’ ” he said.
He said the family wasn’t satisfied with the arrests of the triggermen, but wanted the detention of “the people who were responsible for giving the order” to carry out the attack.
At least 19 killed as Mexican cartel battles police and army south of U.S. border
The FBI has been assisting Mexico in trying to track down the killers. Last month, Mexican police detained a man believed to have been involved in the attacks, authorities said in the communique Sunday. That arrest wound up providing “critical information and evidence” that authorities pursued.
LeBaron helped lead a march of thousands of critics of López Obrador in Mexico City on Sunday, the first anniversary of the president’s inauguration.
Julian LeBaron speaks during the protest Sunday. (Ginnette Riquelme/AP)
Mexicans were shocked by the attack on the Mormon family, but some have criticized the LeBaron family for calling on Trump to do more to reduce violence in Mexico — including classifying cartels as terrorist groups.
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LeBaron acknowledged that many Mexicans worried that such a designation could prompt a U.S. military invasion.
“I don’t think any of us would like to see that,” he said. “But when your sisters and cousins are being murdered, we don’t care where the help comes from.”
Five reasons Mexico objects to Trump’s plan to designate its cartels as terror groups
AMLO is Mexico’s strongest president in decades. Some say he’s too strong.
After LeBaron killings, a new reckoning for isolated U.S.-Mexican community
Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Mary Beth Sheridan is a correspondent covering Mexico and Central America for The Washington Post. Her previous foreign postings include Rome; Bogota, Colombia; and a five-year stint in Mexico in the 1990s. She has also covered immigration, homeland security and diplomacy for The Post, and served as deputy foreign editor from 2016 to 2018.
MEXICAN GUN BATTLE – VILLA UNION
November 30, 2019
Mexico gunbattle near Texas border between suspected cartel members, police leaves at least 21 dead
21 killed in gunfight between Mexican drug cartel, police near Texas border
At least 21 people killed in a gunbattle near Texas border between suspected members of the drug cartel and police; Fox News contributor Tom Homan weighs in.
Four police officers were among nearly two dozen people killed after security forces engaged in an hour-long gunbattle with suspected cartel members Saturday in a Mexican town near the U.S. border, days after President Trump said he was moving to designate Mexican drug cartels as terror organizations.
The shootout happened around noon in the small town of Villa Union, a town in Coahuila state located about an hour’s drive southwest of Eagle Pass, Texas.
Coahuila state Gov. Miguel Angel Riquelme told local media that four of the dead were police officers killed in the initial confrontation and that several municipal workers were missing. On Sunday, the Coahuila state government said that security forces killed seven additional members of the gang, bringing the death toll to at least 21.
THE IMPACT OF DESIGNATING MEXICAN CARTELS A ‘FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION’
The armed group of suspected cartel members stormed the town of 3,000 residents in a convoy of trucks, attacking local government offices and prompting state and federal forces to intervene. Ten alleged members of the Cartel of the Northeast were initially killed in the response.
The City Hall of Villa Union is riddled with bullet holes after a gun battle between Mexican security forces and suspected cartel gunmen, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerardo Sanchez)
Riquelme told reporters the state had acted “decisively” to take back the town, as videos of the shootout posted on social media showed burned-out vehicles and the facade of Villa Union’s municipal office riddled with bullets.
The City Hall of Villa Union is riddled with bullet holes after a gun battle between Mexican security forces and suspected cartel gunmen, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerardo Sanchez)
A damaged black pickup truck with the C.D.N. of the Cartel del Noreste, or Cartel of the Northeast, written in white on its door could be seen on the street in an Associated Press photo.
A damaged pick up marked with the initials C.D.N., that in Spanish stand for Cartel of the Northeast, is on the streets after a gun battle between Mexican security forces and suspected cartel gunmen, in Villa Union, Mexico, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerardo Sanchez)
Riquelme told reporters that police had identified 14 vehicles involved in the attack and seized more than a dozen guns. Three of the suspected gunmen were killed by security forces in the initial pursuit of the gang members as they fled into rugged terrain, according to Reuters.
In the wake of the assault, the governor said that security forces will remain in the town for several days to restore a sense of calm. The town is about 12 miles from the site of a 2011 cartel massacre where officials say 70 died.
“These groups won’t be allowed to enter state territory,” the government of Coahuila said in a statement.
MEXICO’S ANNUAL HOMICIDE COUNT ON PACE TO BE HIGHEST IN DECADES AS NEARLY 100 KILLED DAILY
Mexico’s murder rate has increased to historically high levels, inching up by 2 percent in the first 10 months of the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Federal officials said recently that there have been 29,414 homicides so far in 2019 – up from 28,869 over the same period last year.
Members of family massacred in Mexico had been previously victimized by cartel violence
Nine Americans were killed when their convoy was ambushed in broad daylight by gunmen believed to be affiliated with a drug cartel; insight from Robbie Whelan, Wall Street Journal correspondent covering Latin America.
The release of the figures comes at a time when López Obrador is facing growing criticism for his government’s “hugs, not bullets” policy of not using violence when fighting violent drug cartels.
In early November, Mexico made international headlines when a drug cartel ambush killed nine Americans, focusing world attention on rising violence in the country.
The three women and six children — all members of dual-citizen families that lived in La Mora, a decades-old settlement in the Sonora State founded as part of an offshoot of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — were on their way to see relatives in the U.S when they were targeted about 70 miles south of Douglas, Ariz., by cartel members.
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At the time, Trump called on Mexico to “wage war” on the cartels. He told author and former Fox News Channel host Bill O’Reilly in an interview posted last week his administration is “well into that process” to designate drug cartels as terror organizations. While the president did not indicate how the U.S. policy would change from past years, Trump said he told López Obrador that the U.S. stands ready to “go in and clean it out.”
At least 14 people were killed, four of them police officers, after an armed group in a convoy of trucks stormed the town, in Coahuila state, prompting security forces to intervene, state Gov. Miguel Riquelme Solis said. (AP Photo/Gerardo Sanchez)
On Friday — the day before the deadly gunbattle — Mexico’s president said he would not accept any foreign intervention in Mexico to deal with violent criminal gangs after Trump’s comments.
A damaged pick up is on a street of Villa Union, Mexico, after a gun battle between Mexican security forces and suspected cartel gunmen on Saturday. (AP Photo/Gerardo Sanchez)
Riquelme on Saturday made similar comments to Lopez Obrador on how Mexico should handle the problem.
“I don’t think that Mexico needs intervention. I think Mexico needs collaboration and cooperation,” he told reporters. “We’re convinced that the state has the power to overcome the criminals.”
U.S. Attorney General William Barr is scheduled to visit Mexico this week to discuss cooperation over security, according to Reuters.
Fox News’ Greg Norman, Edmund DeMarche and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER – 2019
Dear Friends in Christ, September / October 2019
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We thank the Lord for you and deeply appreciate your faithful prayers and financial support for us and the work in Mexico. 
Susie and I are doing well but suffering a little with the aches and pains of arthritis. Susie was recently diagnosed with osteoarthritis in her left and right shoulders. She has had a lot of discomfort from time to time but was given an injection in her right shoulder and is doing much better. The doctor will check her knees soon since she has trouble walking.
We praise the Lord for His blessings on the ministry in the churches and the Bible Institute. The churches are doing well, and have had more than 34 souls saved through their evangelistic efforts with at least 5 baptized! PTL! Thousands of flyers have been handed out in several communities resulting in some of these conversions to Christ. Others have been saved in the churches.
We had a wonderful service in the chapel to open the new school year at the Bible Institute and Seminary. It was full with people standing outside by the windows and doors. The students have done a great job of evangelizing these two months with 87 saved! Our goal is to disciple them and get them into local area churches. 
Please remember Susie’s Christmas Kids Offering to help 500-600 kids with candy and gifts for the churches and Bible Institute kids! We have only received $400 so far, and hopefully more will come in.
Thank you all for your faithful prayers and support.
Yours in Christ,
Rick and Susie
JULY / AUGUST – 2019
Dear Friends in Christ, July / August 2019
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We thank the Lord for you and deeply appreciate your faithful prayers and financial support for us and the work in Mexico. 
Susie and I are doing well but suffering a little with the aches and pains of arthritis in the heat and humidity here. Two grandsons are starting kindergarten this year, and boy are they excited about it! I think the parents are too – no more daycare!
We also praise the Lord for His blessings on the ministry in the churches and the Bible Institute.
The churches are doing well, and have had more than 30 souls saved through their evangelistic efforts with at least 7 baptized! PTL! Several VBSs have been done reaching many children and some adults for Christ.
Also, the mission trip to the work in Cuernavaca to disciple new believers had to be postponed due to an illness of one of the national pastors. We are also making plans to organize the García Mission this Fall. We are trying first to finish the remodel of the auditorium and bathrooms.
We are getting things ready to start the new school year at Ambassador Baptist Bible College on the 2nd of September. The students will be arriving soon, and there is much to be done. It’s exciting to have the opportunity to be a part of their preparation for the ministry.
Also, please remember Susie’s Christmas Kids Offering to help 500-600 kids with candy and gifts for the churches and Bible Institute kids!
Thank you all for your faithful prayers and support.
Yours in Christ,
Rick and Susie
MAY / JUNE – 2019
Dear Friends in Christ, May / June 2019
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We thank the Lord for you and deeply appreciate your faithful prayers and financial support for us and the work in Mexico.
Susie and I are doing well and praise the Lord for His blessings on the ministry. We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary by taking a cruise for the very first time!
It was great, and we even ended up back in Mexico – at Cozumel! Go figure! Hopefully we can do it again in another 50 years! Naw, we don’t want to wait that long. But it was a wonderful time of relaxation and time for each other. We also got to see our first great grandchild, 3 month old Manny (Emmanuel Joshua Biven) during a brief trip to Maryland!
The churches are doing well, and have had more than 48 souls saved through their evangelistic efforts and Mother’s Day Celebrations with 13 baptized! PTL! Several thousand fliers and invitations to the churches during evangelism have been distributed throughout several communities. Also, discipleship is going on in many of the churches along with plans for a missions trip to Misión Bautista Trinidad (Trinity Baptist) in Cuernavaca to disciple new believers there.
The students of the Bible College were busy getting things ready for the graduation that takes a lot of preparation. Also, there were 46 saved through their evangelistic efforts! We had a great graduation under the tent with over 350 present and 7 graduating. Pastor and professor Aarón Rocha preached a wonderful challenge to all. Afterward, under the outdoor lights, we had a delicious dinner and fellowship.
Thank you all for your faithful prayers and support.
Yours in Christ,
Rick and Susie