We've been up to our eyeballs the last 6 months with a lot of new things. It seems like we update everybody else's site but not ours. Since December of last year we have been much more involved with CCE ( Centro Cristiano Esperanza) here in Durango. We've been meeting with the pastoral team weekly and are forming a part of that team now. The church is vibrantly alive and has an excellent discipleship plan that is very effective. We have many ministries that are outward looking which are having great success. We regularly see a dozen or more people commit their lives to Jesus at church services on Sunday. Back in December, the leaders of this church asked if we would join the pastoral team and start a mission church here in the city. The idea was to give a training ground for upcoming leaders in the main church and, of course, to reach out to another part of the city. At the same time, another mission church has been started in Milpillas, the mixed Indian/Mexican community 10 hours up in the mountains, where we've been doing medical missions over the last 2 years. We've got some pictures, so read on....

Cecilia and I have been pastoring the new 'sister church' here in Durango for about a month now, but we're still very active in the central congregation. We've got a great team of 6 workers from the central congregation and have many outreach plans for the next few months. The central congregation is made up of a mix of professional people, students, factory workers, etc...leaning more towards the middle and upper middle class economically. The new mission church, which we are calling 'CCE El Camino' (The Way/Road) is reaching out to an area that is predominately lower class economically. Here are a few photos from the "Grand Opening" on May 23rd:

On May 30 and 31, we took a team up to Milpillas and started the church there with an outdoor meeting. We had 134 people in attendance. The plan is to make the 10 hour trip up the mountain once a month to meet and raise up local believers to lead as the work grows. We see that God is preparing a couple here from the central congregation who may soon begin taking charge of that work. In the mean time, I am and will be very involved in leadership in Milpillas, too. Here are some photos:

God is doing so many great things in Durango and we'll be posting more stories soon. We'll be in the Houston/Lake Charles area for a couple of days June 21 - 24 to renew some permits and other business. We won't be able to call or visit everyone, but please call us if you can. The stateside cell phone (713-589-4392) should start to get reception as we travel up around Friday evening (20th). We'll be crossing back into Mexico the morning of the 26th.

Blessings to all-

Joe Williams