"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think... To Him be glory...forever and ever..." (Ephesians 3:20-21). We praise God because He alone is worthy! We know nothing escapes His all knowing eye, He is able to deliver His people of all trouble. He doesn't ever change, we can completely and totally rely on Him every time! We have the group from Life Christian Fellowship from Orange County, California, right now. They arrived Monday afternoon, but we were expecting them since Saturday afternoon. They were sent back to Tucson from Customs in Km 21 in Nogales, not once or twice, but three times! Okay, if it would have been me, I would have probably thought, for sure 'it isn't the Lord's will for me to come to Mexico. With all the turmoil in the country, all the murders we hear about, etc., etc., God just wants to spare me...' Well, not these six, they persisted knowing the Lord had called them to come.   Thinking about this group, the verse from James 5:17 comes to mind. "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months." Yes, these people too are ordinary people like you and me, yet they had a purpose. What a blessing they have been to us. I was also thinking this morning about our son-in-law Brian. I shared this with you before. A while back he & Rochelle had a scary episode with Levi where he stopped breathing because his trach came out. That left us, and especially them, shaken for a while, but talking to Brian the next day, he told me he realized he couldn't live in fear, the Lord had Levi's days numbered... Talking to one of our co-workers this morning, (we love having co-workers once again, THANK YOU, JESUS!),  she was telling me about people back in the U.S.A., that were planning on coming to Mexico on short-term missionary trips are having second thoughts. They are afraid of what might happen to them because of what they hear in the news that is going on in Mexico. Well, there are a few things I would like to say about that...  'has the arm of the Lord been shortened?' 'Aren't my days numbered by Him?' Isn't He able to sustain me and to deliver me?'   No matter where we may find ourselves, the safest place to be is always were the Lord would have us be, even if it may be  Sderot, Israel (we are praying for you Stewart), where often people have to run to bomb shelters to escape a certain death. Knowing the Lord has our days numbered, and that He will be with us till the end of the age, gives us confidence and courage. May we answer His call always no matter the cost. For those of you praying for the legal situation here at the ranch, please do continue to pray and don't grow weary. Things don't seem to progress, but then again, how do we really know that? Our Lord has control over this evil world, His purposes will succeed. He is a victor! Our strength often fails us, but we keep going back to Him for our strength. He posses an inexhaustible source. He is able to sustain us! The work in the communities continues. I was recalling a conversation my husband had with someone that came to visit a while back. Daniel was telling this person how he viewed the ministry here as a 'dance.' When others came that wanted to be a part of this 'dance' they needed to get in step with the people dancing. We couldn't stop, he said, to let someone else in. When people come to visit ( and believe me, we get so blessed and encouraged when that happens), we continue our 'dance,' we continue to do what we always do. It is amazing to see the Lord using whoever comes with the same spirit of servanthood, they can just join this 'dance' together with us. The group from California has continued to help in the project of the building of the brick room for Carla's grandparents in Mezquital that the group from MN helped start, there is always work to be done here. If the Lord is calling you, don't hesitate. Having the 'life insurance' we have, we can go anywhere the Lord would have us go. My brother Miguel Angel told me this last year after he accepted Christ finally, and was getting ready to go back to the mountains of Chihuahua where the murder of people is a daily occurrence, he was ready to die, if that was what God  would allow, if that would bring Him honor and glory... Remember in Acts 21 the people pleading with Paul not to go to Jerusalem because what was awaiting him there? What did he tell them in verse 13? "What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, "The will of the Lord be done." The will of the Lord be done. Isn't that a great Scripture!  Daniel's perspective: When I think of safe places I think of lion's dens, fiery furnaces, battle fields, ships being tossed and turned on the open sea, etc. Those are "safe places" when you are in God's will. No matter what comes, no matter what is on the other side of the door when we wake up each morning, as long as we are walking with Jesus, we are in that safe place. That goes not only for when things go the way that we want them too, but when they go so terribly bad such as happens when people take God's children's lives. After all is said and done, if you die for Christ, can you imagine a safer place to be than in heaven in His arms?  PRAYER REQUESTS FOR RANCHO MARANATHA, ALAMOS, MX.     Do continue to pray for our girls to be brought back to us in our Lord's perfect timing. They keep telling us Trini needs to be brought back from the U.S., first. Who knows...we cannot know for sure if that would be true, we know men are not trustworthy. Therefore we continue to put our trust on the One that never fails! His kingdom come; His will be done. Pray for Paul & Pam as they have lots of work to do before their place is more ready. The group from California has also helped there, as well as with our Internet problems. These guys have been awesome! Pray for our women's retreat April 10th. Also for our loved ones that will be traveling to the ranch for Easter, including our son Josh. Pray for the group that heads back for California tomorrow. For travel mercies for them. Pray for all of us serving the Lord here, what a privilege we have to share in this great and awesome task! Pray for the communities we work with, also for the new ones. Huazahuari is one of the new ones. We are so blessed to have Chelsea with us. Also Samuel (picture below) from Tijuana. He has been a real blessing to us.  "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life"(John 12:25). Thank you so much for your prayers and your loving support, Daniel & Ana

News from Rancho Maranatha March 21, 2009‏

"Trust in the Lord with all your hearts, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6).   We exist to glorify God and to do His will. But how do we know what He wants us to do? Salomon gives us threes steps to discovering God's will for our lives.   First, "Trust in the Lord with all your hearts." We will not always understand what God is doing--or why. We have to put our full trust in Him even when we don't understand the circumstances.   Second, "Lean not on your own understanding." The will of God is not discovered in planning sessions but in prayer, therefore the importance of this practice.   Third, "In all your ways acknowledge Him." We shouldn't make any decisions till we have first inquired of the Lord. Although we would prefer to hear God's will first--so we could decide whether or not we like it--that's not how God leads.   Not much that we can see has happened since our girls were taken by DIF three weeks ago yesterday. It is hard to believe that it has been that long already. Our state is electing a new governor, and also our counties are changing mayors, so all efforts, finances, etc., are being poured into that. I just learned this morning that the director in charge of DIF Sonora just quit her position to seek a political one. We were writing to her and had been trying to reach her also by phone without success, now we know why.   I was thinking this morning how our pastor (aka my husband) is always telling us we only have to endure till the end, that's all the Lord asks of us, we are not dead yet, therefore we need to continue in our fight. Only the one that finishes the race will have a reward. May we run this race with endurance, may we never grow weary and give up...   On Wednesday, just but coincidence, (yeah, right), my husband stopped by DIF on his way back from work in Mezquital, Tesia. It turns out the lady in charge of the shelter where the girls are staying had brought Josie, Carolina, Lupita & Vanesa to get a few items there in DIF. Before the lady could do anything, the girls were already hugging Dan and crying together with him. It was so neat for him to be able to see them and let them know we were praying day and night (as well as so many others around the world), and doing all things in our power to get them back. Chelsea & Ashley were with Dan and they also got to hug the girls and cry with them. That was a gift from God to us.   And, 'no, Warren, we were not able to see Josie on her 15th birthday on Thursday.' We made phone calls, we begged, we cried, we implored, but to no avail. I got to meet the lady in charge of the shelter, Dan had met her already but not me. Her name is Esperanza. We bought a yummy cake for Josie and took it to the shelter together with a couple of gifts Rochelle & Brian had sent from TN. Esperanza was very nice and talked to us for a while. She told us how she had been talking to Josie the night before, how Josie had asked to please be given permission to spend her birthday with her family at the ranch. Esperanza told her she wished she could do that for her, but it was not in her power to do so. She told us how Josie told her all about her 'mommy' & 'daddy' (Rochelle & Brian), and how she cried with her. Esperanza also told us she had sang Jesus Adrián Romero (Christian Mexican singer) songs with them the night before. I thanked her for doing that with our girls and she assured us she would give them our love. So that too was like a gift from the Lord to us.    We are seeing a lawyer in Navojoa, he has been talking to Hermosillo and has been trying to at least get us a permission to see the girls, but so far he has had no luck either. We continue to trust in the Lord, knowing He has a plan for all this...   We said goodbye to Paul & Ruth on Friday. That was sad, but at the same time we were so thankful for the time they got to spend here. Paul & Pam Cooper arrived Thursday afternoon, after being on the road for 19 days! It is so good to have them here to join us in the ministry. We are looking forward to what the Lord will do in the future. I was talking to them last night about all the things that are happening. We miss the girls tremendously, I was telling them, but it is not at all like we find ourselves without tons of work to do because they're not here, we continue as busy as ever.    'Las Minitas'   Talking about being busy, my little sister & I were commenting on how the Lord works, He has not allowed us to be feeling sorry for ourselves or be dwelling on what is happening, we have been extremely busy every single day. I realize the Lord has planned things to be this way, we cannot allow ourselves to be sidetracked by circumstances surrounding us, as our enemy would like us to be. How awesome it is to know that with the Lord NOTHING is coincidence.    Daniel's perspective: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirsheirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Romans 8:14-26). Enough said, the rest are just groanings that only the Spirit can interpret! God bless you all and thank you for your prayers.    PRAYER REQUESTS FOR RANCHO MARANATHA, ALAMOS, MX. Please continue to pray for a way for Jaziel (picture above) to be taken to TN, if it may be the Lord's will, to have his much needed surgery. He often has to be taken to the hospital due to elevated haemoglobin concentration (erythrocytosis). He just went about three days ago. This thickening of the blood causes circulatory difficulties that could result in strokes and more heart problems. Pray for his parents too, specially for salvation for his dad Héctor. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR THE GIRLS, please continue to do so. We want them to shine for the Lord and be an example to everyone they come in contact with. For growth in this time of testing. Please pray for the One Day Women's Retreat' coming up April 10th. For the the awesome name of the Lord to be lifted up, for soft hearts, for the anointing of the Holy Spirit for all involved in this event. Pray for me (Ana) as I have been invited to share with the women in a church in Navojoa next Wednesday evening. For the Lord to use me to bring hope and healing to those ladies there. Continue to pray for my brother Miguel Angel in the mountains of Chihuahua. The Lord continues to use him and to give him a burden for lost souls there. We are so thankful for the work the Lord has done in him. Pray for a group traveling to the ranch at this time from Life Christian Fellowship in Orange County. May the Lord give them travel mercies and a fruitful time here. We are thankful for all the people the Lord sends our way. Pray for Chelsea as she is here. We love having her. Pray the Lord speaks to her as where He would want her in the future. (China is a LOT further from Missouri than Mexico Beth!:) DJ Pray for wisdom and guidance for the work going on here in the ranch. For the vehicle situation as we continue to struggle with broken cars. For the Lord to provide a reliable mechanic. Pray for the communities with work with, specially the new ones. Pray for good soil where the Seed can germinate. "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-16) Thank you so much for your prayers and your loving support to this ministry.   Daniel & Ana

"Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2Timothy 3:12). Our special get together in honor of Paul & Ruth yesterday in Osobampo turned out great. We had a blessed time, and God anointed His Word. Daniel shared from 2Corinthians 4. Paul had some special words of love and encouragement for all  and he made the translator (that would be me) cry. It has been so special to have him and Ruth these few days. The Lord is good to us!  Paul is such a hard worker "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2Conthians 4:17-18) Isn't this a great Scripture! My husband was asking if we would be willing to suffer all the persecution and heartache of this life  for about five minutes, because compared with eternity, our years here on this earth, he said, 40, 60, 70, whatever amount, would be much less than five minutes in light of eternity with our Lord, where all suffering will stop and no more anguish or suffering of any kind will bother us any longer. What a blessed hope we have in Christ.     The group from Minnesota with Chris their leader, have been working in Mezquital, Tesia, building a brick room for Carla's grandparents, picture above. The grandpa is 90 years old, but still works every day. This group has always been a tremendous blessing to us, this is the 9th time they've been here, and we hope many more trips await them. Each group that comes, each person the Lord sends is always a huge blessing to us. The Lord truly never ceases to amaze us! Of the people coming to help out, Chelsea Stearns, sent by our Lord too, she is not the exception, she is a blessing from above to have. "Paul & Beth, thank you so much for allowing your daughter to come and be part of what the Lord is doing here. And, yes, Beth, she is a such a good translator, and so willing to do whatever needs to be done, including brick laying with Dan."  Daniel's perspective: We are in the middle of a spiritual workout for sure! It's amazing how many problems we are having with cars, tires, mechanics, lawyers, politicians, etc. The good thing is that the church seems to be doing really well. We  miss the girls so much and today I finally went with a lawyer to ask him to try and find out exactly what is going on. I told him that we need someone to interpret for us all the politics that are taking place because we can't for the life of us figure out what is going on with these people. I know that we wrestle not with flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places....but even though we speak two languages, three if you include the most important one, love, we still can't figure out politics! So anyway, please pray for the lawyer to be able to get the information that we need and also that we would be a witness to him. We are going through the fire this month but we know that it's the closest we will ever be to hell. On the other hand, we are trying to help others so that this time on earth won't be the closest that they have to heaven! PRAYER REQUESTS FOR RANCHO MARANATHA, ALAMOS, MX We praise God for the help He has sent us, Rogelio, Samuel, Chelsea, Paul & Ruth and the group from MN. We are expecting Paul & Pam Cooper next Thursday, we are excited about having them working with us, and also are so thankful for having more people helping out. We continue to pray for travel mercies for them. We continue to have lots of problems with vehicles, it seems like every week one or two brake down. The biggest problems is not finding a mechanic that will fix them. Pray for the Lord to provide an honest & competent person to fix our vehicles. Our ministry requires so much driving, it is so essential to have vehicles in working order. We thank God for Hebaristo (AKA Chito), he drives a van for us and he has been so amazingly reliable and responsible. We could use a few more people like him. This goes without saying, PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THE GIRLS, for the Lord to move the hearts of the people that have the authority over them, and if it is His perfect will, that the girls would be able to come back soon. Pray that while they're away, they will be witness of God's great love and power. That the people that are taking care of them, or are in contact with them, would see a difference in our girls, that the amazing light of our Lord would shine through them. Pray for my brother Miguel Angel in the mountains of Chihuahua. Killings and all kinds of evil things continue to go on in this great state. He also asked me to pray about them (the believers) getting a vehicle they can use to go to other villages to spread the Good News. The believers there in 'Cieneguita' where he lives are very eager to go share and have fellowship with other believers.¨ Please pray for Jaziel,my brother Miguel Angel's grandson, the six year old I told you about with the medicals condition called ''Tretalogy of Fallot' which refers to a group of four types of heart defects. According to 'Google search,' this condition is classified as a cyanotic heart defect because the condition causes low oxygen levels in the blood, which leads to 'cyanosis,' a bluish-purple coloration to the skin. Rochelle has been looking into him being brought to the USA to Vanderbilt hospital in Nashville, TN to have surgery. Jaziel has had about 5 appointment for surgery, since his condition requires it right away, but until now they have never been able to perform it for one reason or another. We are praying for God's will in Jaziel's life. He can hardly do any physical activity at all. Just walking leaves him out of breath. Pray for wisdom for us in all these issues that try to consume our lives. "Rocío, thank you for remind us not to be consume with the problems at hand that we forget our purpose here on earth." Please pray for upcoming 'One Day Women's Retreat' hear in the ranch, Lord willing, April 10th. For the Lord to be lifted up, for soft hearts where the Word of God can penetrate and make lasting changes. Pray also for the group, Lord willing, coming from California March 22nd. For the Lord to use them here and for us to be able to bless them as they come to bless us. Pray for the new communities where we have started new Bible studies, for the Lord to work in the people's lives and for Him to be known to many. People live in fear these days, and they need to know the Lord can free them from their fears. "The harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" (Matthew 9: 37-38). We love and appreciate you all so much, Daniel & Ana

"Truly God is good..." (Psalm 73:1)   Sooner or later, we will each face something we cannot understand. When that happens--when the world around us seems to be falling apart and we feel confused and overwhelmed--it is important to remember this foundational truth: God is good.   Too often, in the midst of pain, we think the opposite. We look around at others that are doing okay and wonder why we are the ones suffering. Satan--who always attacks when we are weak--is right there in joining us to challenge God. He tries to shake our faith in God's goodness and His power by whispering, 'If God is so mighty and so good, then why did He allow this to happen to you?'   The way to silence the whining of the flesh and the whispering of the enemy is to remind ourselves of God's great love.   In reading through Psalm 73, it would appear that the psalmist was going through some sort of painful experience or a physical malady. Like we do at times, he felt weak. But he knew the truth about God. Toward the end of the psalm, he said, 'My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever"(Psalm 73:26).   We need to remember that God is in control of our lives. That He is working all things together for our good.   We have been having some hard and trying times. Our strength truly seems to be failing at times, but the Lord is faithful to remind of His amazing goodness.   All doors seem to be closed concerning the girls. It has been two weeks already since DIF Navojoa took them and we have not been able to get a permit to even see them for a few minutes. The investigation continues and they tell us till that is over they cannot allow us to see them or talk to them, or anything. They continue to tell us too that Trini needs to come back, that things would progress quickly if she came, which, of course, could just be talk...it is hard to know what to do.   We have been making phone calls to Hermosillo and Navojoa daily, writing letters, etc., but no doors seem to open, on the contrary, things look more somber and we lose heart wondering if we'll ever get the girls back. Although it is said the darkest hour is right before dawn, I don't know that we are there yet, though. Of course, in the midst of all this legal mess we know our Lord is in control and that He will, somehow, work things out for the good.   Also, in the midst of this heartfelt situation, we continue to go about our daily activities, asking God constantly for His amazing strength and joy and the midst of the struggles. He is so ever faithful! When we are going through hard times we feel like the world should stop till we gather ourselves together, or till the situation improves, instead of learning what God wants to teach us through all this He, for a reason, is allowing in our lives.    We are blessed with a group that is here from Minnesota from Paul & Ruth's church. We are extremely blessed to have the Wallestads with us too at this time. We'll have all the communities come together tomorrow, as we do on communion Sunday to celebrate and fellowship all together.    The Minnesota group is helping build a brick room for Carla's grandparents in Mezquital, so they have been busy doing that. They went with us to 'Las Minitas' yesterday evening where we had a sweet time of sharing of the Word, and fellowship one with another.   We are very thankful for all of you that are praying for the situation here on the ranch. Please continue to do so. We long to have the girls back, but trust the Lord has everything under His control and want to put our trust completely in Him, we know He is the only One that never fails.   Continue to pray for us not to be sidetracked by this, as the devil would like us to be. Thank you for the words of encouragement received from so many of you, for the warnings and exhortations to continue focused on the things that matter, instead of grief, discouragement and hopeless...our Lord's arm can still save!    Daniel's perspective:   I continue to thank the Lord for letting me know that this storm was coming. It's a blessing to know that nothing, not one little detail escapes Him. He is with the girls, He is here with us, He is there with you all. Nothing is too big for Him to handle and nothing is out of His capable hands.   Last night we were in Matthew 26. I am always amused at how the Lord lets us be in circumstances that seem to mirror where we are studying His word. (Maybe I should just stick to the last chapter of Revelations from here on out...streets of gold, a river that flows from God's throne, Him being our Light and spending the rest of eternity with Him...) I digress.   Matthew 26, Jesus is in such anguish that He says that His soul is in anguish, even to death! Jesus feels our anguish, He can totally relate. Then when Peter strikes off the ear of the high priest's servant, Jesus tells him to put away the sword. He tells them that if He wanted, He could call 12 legions of angels. (I would settle for one right now). The point is that He is not out of control, and He never has been. The other point is that we ask for God's will instead of our own because He can see the end of all things, the outcome of every little drama. Our hope is in Him and we are standing on the rock. I see what is happening to brothers around the world and I realize that our circumstances pale next to theirs. Still, my soul is in anguish as I wait upon the Lord to come and take us home. Soon, yes, very soon.       God bless you all,   Daniel & Ana

When 11 things go wrong

A ballerina   "I will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1-2) We continue to wait on the Lord. On Friday we were again testifying. We were there in Alamos over five hours. Things just take a long time around here...   We know the Lord wants to teach us patience and other things through this ordeal. May we continue to wait on Him patiently and also learn what He wants to show us. It is hard not being able to see the girls and at least talk to them and let them know things are progressing, but even for that, I am sure, the Lord has a purpose...   Now we wait for Monday and will see what tomorrow brings.        Obed taking his nebulizations   Yesterday morning, Roshon came to our house with Obed, he was having problems breathing. We took him to Cindy, (she is a nurse), and she advised us to take him to ER right away which we did. It turned out he had developed a condition over night known as 'laryngotracheitis' (inflammation of the trachea or windpipe), and larynx. Very similar to croup. He was immediately given nebulizations which helped his breathing right away. The pediatrician, (Dr. Daniel Salas), told us we could bring him home and continue the nebulizations every three hours. He was still not breathing too well, but today he is better.   We continue to have lots and lots of problems with the vehicles. Same thing as always it seems like, we take them to the mechanics, but they are never fixed right. Daniel was taking a van to Las Minitas yesterday morning, but it didn't make it there. Thank God for Cindy and her truck, they were able to tow the van back to the mechanic in Navojoa where Daniel picked up the bus from Mocúzari, it was being fixed. On his way back driving the bus, it too broke down before he made it to the ranch. It had to be towed back too...   Okay, for Josh's sake, I need to let you know of some good news. We had a mini-retreat in Alamos yesterday (Sat. March 7th.) Quite of few women were present. I had already called my sister Elia telling her I wasn't going to be able to make it. Daniel needed help where he was broken down with the blue van, we were thinking Obed might have to go back to the ER, but in the end I made it. I took Lolis & Aaliyah with me. Marilú stayed back with Roshon to help her in case she needed to take her son back to the doctor, which, thank God, was not necessary.   The new Bible studies are going great, the Lord is blessing us so much and He is teaching us new things each day. We really are learning to rely on Him for all of our needs and in the midst of our struggles. How faithful He is!!! Rogelio is back from Baja California after being gone for a bit over a month. A young man named Samuel came with him to be with us for a while. Also, Paul & Pam Cooper are already on their way here, should make it by the middle of the month, or so. It is good to have more help. Thank you, Lord!   Paul & Ruth are here! They came yesterday. It is so good to see them. They will be here for about two weeks.     Daniel's perspective: When something goes wrong, maybe it's just something going wrong. When two somethings go wrong in a row, it might just be coincidence. When ten somethings go wrong in a row, then either you are doing something wrong, or right?   I was sharing this morning in Tesia about how the Lord chastens those He loves. If you are doing something wrong and you belong to the Lord, you will be chastened. The problem is that most people here think that if you start walking with the Lord and your 99 year old mother dies, then it's because you became a Christian.   Of course we know that's absurd. But you would be surprised at how many new Christians get attacked with that very same lie. I was telling them this morning as a sidebar, that that was exactly what Job's friends thought when he was under attack. You must have sinned against God, you must have failed to help the widows and orphans, etc.etc. Even his wife gave him the counsel of "Curse God and die!" I love his response saying, "Shall I accept good from the Lord and not the bad?"  Can you imagine poor Job scratching his head and thinking of what he could have done to be in the predicament that he found himself in? In truth, he knew that his life was in order with the Lord. All his worldly goods, all his children, and then even his health taken away in such a short period of time. Then to top it off his well intentioned friends insisting that Job must have been trying to hide his sin but had been found out! My point is this, if you are walking in the flesh, you will be chastised. (I'm speaking to those who love the Lord.) If you are walking in the Spirit, you will be tried. Peter explains it well comparing our trials to gold going through the fire. The outcome of our faith, once purified by the fire is something much more precious than gold. If you don't want to go through trials, then when hard times come, your faith will be in peril. God is faithful to try us and to build us up so that we can be of use to Him. If your desire in life is to glorify God, then my condolences for the trials that you are going through, but my congratulations for the end product that you are becoming. God bless you all and keep walking in faith. The darkest hour is before the dawn and Jesus is coming soon! Daniel & Ana

Hopeful News from Rancho Maranatha

Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! (1Ch 16:8) Well, where should I start...? We have been waiting on the Lord, but at the same time knocking on all the doors we could think of. WE WANT OUT GIRLS BACK! We kept saying. Yesterday was Trini's 14th birthday (one of the girls DIF took), we wanted so bad to get permission to visit her, to bring a birthday cake to her. We could not get a permission. We bought a cake and sent it with a note... Today, again, we kept making phone calls, seeing people in Navojoa, but really nothing we could see, seemed to be happening....the lawyer in charge of DIF Navojoa, told us again, how much she wanted to help us, how she had no problem with us seeing the girls, even getting them back, but had to wait for the proper authorities to do the investigation, and till they said everything was okay, she really couldn't grant us a permission to even see them. Back home today, although we were sad, we were still convinced God was on the throne,  just Dan & myself were here, (Carla, Marilú & Lolis were in Navojoa with Cindy and her children), when one of the lawyers that  searched our house on Friday, showed up with the District Attorney from Hermosillo in charge of the investigation. Wow! We were pretty amazed this important man had come to see us in our house. They sat with us, drank coffee, and we talked. He told us that as soon as the report had gotten to him, he knew right away we were victims, and that there was nothing to accuse us about. He said that that was why nothing had transpired in the news, they didn't want to harm us in any way, he said. The adoptions, including Trini's, were done illegally, and will have to be done again, the birth certificates will be revoked. But he said, (the District Attorney), that he will personally make sure that the procedures, having to be done again, are done quickly. He told us he would be our spokesman. He said that us being so willing to cooperate with the authorities right away was a sure sign of our innocence too. We greatly rejoice in our Lord, our Defender, our Deliverer! I know many of you are right now rejoicing with us too! THANK YOU, ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR AWESOME SUPPORT TO US IN THIS TIME OF ANGUISH! WOW! WHAT TRUE FRINEDS WE HAVE IN ALL OF YOU!!!  Tomorrow we will present ourselves to declare against Lic. Ceballos. I know you will be praying for us and for that I am so thankful. We want to glorify our Lord in all that we do, and in all that we say, may the Lord help us to do just that! Daniel's perspective: It's truly been a difficult time knowing that the girls are not at home where they belong. It's so hard to not be able to protect and defend your children when the authorities are involved. I know that our Redeemer, our Rock and our Refuge is God Almighty and He neither sleeps nor slumbers. I haven't been able to sleep myself so I've had a lot of time for prayer. I want to thank first of all our God. He has surrounded us with people that love us and have been laboring in prayer. In the second place I want to thank all of you for praying with us and waging war against the enemy. The battle isn't over. The girls will hopefully be home tomorrow and then we will be able to truly rest. Then of course, the battle will continue for their souls.  Again, thanks and please keep the prayer cover up! Maranatha! Jesus come soon! God bless you all, Daniel & Ana