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Violence Escalates in Monterrey Area
FEBRUARY 2012
* In Monterrey on Sunday 19th, a Mexican Baptist pastor is seriously beaten, forced to give the attakers $10,000.00 pesos (about $800.00 U.S.), and his congregation was also robbed.
It seems as though the bad guys are periodically attacking the churches, national pastors and missionaries.
* Recently the chief of police in Monterrey was gunned down as he arrived at headquarters.
* (AP) MONTERREY, Mexico – Inmates set fire to mattresses and trash Tuesday after officials announced that three prisoners would be moved from the prison where 44 gang members were massacred this week to a maximum security jail in western Mexico.
Official: Guards aided Zetas prison break
Thick gray smoke rose from inside the Apodaca prison shortly after several federal police officers went in. Outside, about 50 women related to inmates clashed with police and set fire to a pile of cardboard and wood at a gate. Crying women threw stones at officers when they poured water on the fire from behind the mesh gate, while others tried to climb the fence. The women told a local television station they were desperate for information about their imprisoned loved ones.
Nuevo Leon state public security spokesman Jorge Domene Zambrano said a federal judge ordered that three inmates be transferred to the Puente Grande federal prison in Guadalajara. He said he couldn’t identify the men until they arrived in Puente Grande.
Earlier Tuesday, three inmates were killed in a prison a few miles (kilometers) from the Apodaca prison, where authorities say 44 prisoners who belonged to the Gulf drug cartel were bludgeoned and stabbed to death by inmates from the rival Zetas cartel. The latest victims, two men and a woman, had been booked into the Topo Chico prison Monday on suspicion of kidnapping, Domene said. He said the men were stabbed to death in the prison’s observation area and the woman in the infirmary. At the time the three suspects were presented to the media in early February, Domene described them as members of the Gulf cartel.
Sunday’s massacre at Apodoca may have been the deadliest prison killing in at least a quarter century in Mexico. The prison’s director and 40 guards are being held on suspicion of allowing imprisoned Zetas members to escape before the massacre. Nuevo Leon Gov. Rodrigo Medina said 16 guards have confessed to aiding the escape.
Of the 47,000 federal inmates in Mexico, about 29,000 are held in state prisons. That has drawn complaints from Medina and other state governors, who say their jails aren’t equipped to hold members of powerful and highly organized drug cartels. Interior Department Alejandro Poire said the federal government plans to build six new federal prisons to add to the six the country already has. He said the federal government plans to house all federal inmates in its facilities by the end of the year.
* Fighting between the Zetas and Gulf drug cartels has brought a surge of violence and other crimes to the Monterrey region, which is Mexico’s third largest. On Tuesday, gunmen opened fire on a group of taxi drivers waiting at a taxi stand outside a shopping center in Monterrey, killing five. Witnesses told police the gunmen fired from a passing car, Domene said. He said authorities were trying to determine if the attack was related to the prison violence.
Taxi drivers are often hired by drug cartels to distribute drugs or work as lookouts.
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JANUARY 2012
On January 31, , 2012, missionary friends John and Wanda Casias were brutally murdered at their home in El Cercado, (Santiago) N.L. We have known them for over 30 years even before they went to Mexico as missionaries. I have preached at their church, and they have been in some of our pastors’ conferences at the Bible College. They have a strong church in Cercado. Pray for the church has they seek the Lord’s direction and consider their next pastor.
Over the years they have sent several students to our school. There is one there now in her third year. They lived about 15 miles from us, and we have visited them at their home. They will be greatly missed.
It was the second time in a year that an American missionary was killed in Mexico. Nancy Davis, 59, was shot in the head in January 2011 when she and her husband were attacked at an illegal road block.
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Fall 2011 – Monterrey Update
Things are dangerous in our area around Monterrey.
One of our students was robbed at gun point. They took everything including his laptop. The new home of one of our pastors was broken into before they had moved in their furniture. The bandits took all of the light fixtures, plugins, switches and all of the wiring out of the walls.
One half-mile from our home several men were robbed and one shot dead. Two children from one of our churches were kidnapped and interrogated by a drug cartel trying to find out who around our area had money, what their names were and where they live.
One of our staff men from the Bible Institute was returning from Monterrey to the school this past Monday with eight of our students. They had been at the hospital donating blood for one of our students (Perla or Pearl) that has leukemia, when our group came upon six vehicles with about 30 armed men surrounding another car. Suddenly they took off in different directions leaving behind two men that they had shot and killed. By the grace of God our students had not been caught up in the tragedy.
Please pray for the safety of our college students, staff, the people of our churches and their pastors. Please pray for our safety as we travel in several of these dangerous areas because of ministry needs. We are being as careful as possible. We do not leave home after dark and limit our traveling as much as possible and still be able to do the work of the ministry. Every time we leave the house, it is a bit tense until we arrive safely to our destination.
Along with praying for our safety, please pray for some special needs we have for the Bible College. We had to re-roof two staff houses and buy a new deep well pump in order to restore water to the college campus. I had to get an emergency loan of $8,000.00 from the Missions Office to cover these emergencies that we need to pay back as soon as possible.
Also, we are trying to buy a used Mexican vehicle for our commuting in order to maintain a lower profile and not have to use our van that is plated in Texas. Along with those needs, we also need increased financial support. Because of the economic crisis in the States, several churches have had to cut back on support. We have lost $400 to $500 a month in support while at the same time our ministry is expanding.
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Monterrey and Nuevo Leon:
The level of violence and insecurity in Monterrey remains elevated. Local police and private patrols do not have the capacity to deter criminal elements or respond effectively to security incidents. As a result of a Department of State assessment of the overall security situation, on September 10, 2010, the Consulate General in Monterrey became a partially unaccompanied post with no minor dependents of U.S. government employees permitted.
TCOs [The Cartel Operatives] continue to use stolen cars and trucks to create roadblocks or “blockades” on major thoroughfares, preventing the military or police from responding to criminal activity in Monterrey and the surrounding areas. Travelers on the highways between Monterrey and the United States (notably through Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros/Reynosa) have been targeted for robbery that has resulted in violence. They have also been caught in incidents of gunfire between criminals and Mexican law enforcement. In 2010, TCOs kidnapped guests out of reputable hotels in the downtown Monterrey area, blocking off adjoining streets to prevent law enforcement response. TCOs have also regularly attacked local government facilities, prisons and police stations, and engaged in public shootouts with the military and between themselves. Pedestrians and innocent bystanders have been killed in these incidents.
The increasing number of kidnappings and disappearances throughout Monterrey’s consular district, is of particular concern. Both the local and expatriate communities have been victimized and local law enforcement has provided little to no response. In addition, police have been implicated in some of these incidents. Travelers and residents are strongly advised to lower their profile and avoid displaying any evidence of wealth that might draw attention.
January-February 2012
Dear Friends in Christ,
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 the work in Mexico. It would be much more difficult without your sacrifice.
Susie and I are doing well in our travels, and we are thankful for the three souls saved, 10 baptized/joined, and 131 for special prayer in the churches while on furlough in the U.S. We need your help more than ever to help keep things going in troubled Mexico.
On January 31, we received some sad news from our staff in Mexico of the murder of John and Wanda Casias, Missionaries to Mexico. We have known them for over 30 years and have students from their church at our Bible College. They lived 10-15 miles from our home in Allende and have a strong church in Cercado. Please pray for their family and church. To quote Dr. Henry Morris III,
“God will not forsake His beloved saints. They may seem forgotten for a season, but they are never out of His sight.”
God is still saving people in Mexico. The churches report more than 20 trusting Christ! The Garcia church expansion continues, and we hope to organize it this summer.
Pray for Estella our Dean of girls. She is 68 and has diabetes. Recently she had to have all five toes on her left foot amputated. She is in a lot of discomfort but recovering well. We are so thankful for our dedicated students and staff of the Bible College who have won 59 souls to the Lord! The new mission meeting at the college chapel is doing well and growing. Please continue to pray for the churches, Bible College and the work in general.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.
Yours in Christ,
Rick and Susie
November-December 2011
Dear Friends in Christ,
We Praise the Lord for His grace and mercy as the kidnapping of pastors and/or members of their families has calmed down. Things have been relatively peaceful as souls continue to be saved in the Mexican churches. Other kidnappings still occur, and the violence and murder has not subsided in Monterrey.
Mathew 11:28-30, “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
This young mother has hope for a better life for her baby and family after trusting Christ! The churches report 28 adults and 39 children saved these two months!
The light of the Gospel brings hope and peace in a time of turmoil and unrest.
December 12, is Virgin of Guadelupe Day in Mexico. Millions will perform penance for sin and worship whom they believe is the Mother of God. She is considered Co-Redeemer with Christ. It is a false hope and peace that needs to be replaced with the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We are so thankful for our dedicated students and staff of the Bible College who have won 77 souls! There will be a few less worshipping a false deity. Please continue to pray for the churches, Bible College, and the work in general. May the Lord bless you with hope and peace this Christmas season.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.
Yours in Christ,
Rick and Susie
September-October 2011
Dear Friends in Christ,
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 the work in Mexico.
Susie and I are doing well and traveling a lot on furlough. The Lord has blessed us as we visit some of our supporting churches and renew old friendships. He has blessed us with a few “new” churches that have taken us on for prayer and financial support.
In spite of the violence in our area of Monterrey, the churches continue to reach out to the communities even in some of the more dangerous neighborhoods. There have been 24 saved in several of the churches! Many of these new converts are being discipled. The Trinity B. C. celebrated its 25th year with 10 new visitors and 4 saved! The Beacon B. C. is preparing for their annual Missions Conference and anniversary in November. Other churches are having special meetings as well, and two other churches are enlarging their facilities.
The Bible College is off to a good start with six new students. We were expecting 12 to 15, but some parents were afraid to send them because of the dangers near our campus. Our students have won 103 people to Christ these two months! Also, a new mission work has been started at the college campus with 15 adults and a number of children. Please continue to pray for the churches, the Bible College, and for the work in general.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.
Yours in Christ,
Rick and Susie
July-August 2011
Dear Friends in Christ,
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 the work in Mexico.
Susie and I are doing well and enjoying many blessings from the Lord. While the dangers around us escalate, we have decided to begin preparations for
furlough. Hopefully after reporting to our churches and raising support that has been lost due to economic problems in the States, the dangers will have diminished and some normalcy restored to the area of Monterrey.
In July a S.E.N.D. Group from Capitol City B. C. in Holt, MI came to help us build a dormitory using our open-air tabernacle as the beginning phase. Along with their offering and the offerings of two other churches and two individuals, we were able to complete the dormitory. What a tremendous blessing this is for our students who have been cooped up in small rooms.
Shortly after the group left, within a week of each other two Mexican pastors suffered a horrible experience when their sons were kidnapped and held for ransom. Thankfully the ransom was paid and the boys were set free! The families moved to a safe house.
We praise the Lord for the 55 souls who trusted Christ as their personal savior during the VBSs! Also the Senior Youth Camp had six saved and ten that surrendered to fulltime service! Several of them will be enrolling in our Bible College in the near future. Please continue to pray for our churches and the Bible College and for the work in general throughout Mexico. Pray for their safety. God bless you all.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.
Yours in Christ,
Rick and Susie