November 2001

Dear Friends and Family,

It’s Thanksgiving season in the United States and on the U.S.-Mexico border. My Mexican co-workers graciously organize a Thanksgiving dinner every year. I am not sure if they just like to have the day off (and a reason for a party) or they really do want to make me feel at home, but I appreciate their willingness to celebrate with me. Mexico has inherited many things from the United States, not all of them positive. A day of thanksgiving to God, however, is one holiday that many Mexican Christians wish their country would celebrate.

Those of you who receive Amistad News already know about the wonderful advancements being made evangelistically here on the border. Not only did the Uno en el Espíritu Congregation of Piedras Negras become an organized church, it started 2001 financially independent of Amistad as well. This year the Fuente de Vida Mission of Acuña doubled its membership, gained congregation status, purchased property for more permanent church facilities, began construction of the sanctuary, and continues to carry out a tremendous evangelistic ministry, reaching out to over 150 children and 30 adults. In July the Acuña congregation also opened a new mission called "Camino, Verdad y Vida" which is under the care of a member of Fuente de Vida. In April, Noreste Presbytery opened a new mission, "Ebenezer," here in Piedras Negras with financial support from Proyecto Amistad. Indeed, it has been a joy to see the growth of these Presbyterian congregations and participate in their development.

Great improvements have also been made in the service and mission team aspects of the ministry. Our doctor and nurse are doing wonderful preventive work with local elementary school children. Mission Volunteer Marty Quirarte is also doing fabulously, learning the ins and outs of the U.S. office as well as teaching at Amistad Center. This is the first semester in five years that less than 5 percent of students have dropped out of the courses during the semester. She and the rest of our instructors must be doing something right! It has also been a joy to host mission teams in Ciudad Acuña this year. We had not prepared to be working in Acuña so soon, but teams were very patient with us and I believe they were pleasantly rewarded by the gracious hospitality of their brothers and sisters at Fuente de Vida. I am now working on a revised team manual as well as informative manuals for U.S. and Mexican board members, Mexican host churches, and U.S. mission volunteers; a project long overdue.

The year has not been without its challenges, however. My health and that of family and friends has been an issue. The positive developments in the ministry have not come without struggles. Change is rarely invited or easy to make. The events of September 11 have also been cause of stress and concern for many here on the border. Thankfully, not much has changed at the ports of entry in our area other than a slight increase in security. We are, however, feeling the economic effects of the downturn in the U.S. economy. A few maquiladoras (foreign-owned—mostly U.S.—assembly plants operating in Mexico) have closed down and there is concern that with higher unemployment in the U.S., there will be fewer jobs for Mexican immigrants. The city of Eagle Pass depends on purchases made my Mexican nationals for its economic livelihood. Between fear of terrorist attacks and the application of new visitor requirements by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, those purchases are not being made.

I would appreciate your continued prayers for the Amistad ministry. Our board of directors will meet December 8 to make some important decisions about the future direction of the ministry. Pray for my co-workers as they prepare to "inherit" a portion of my work in the coming year as I take a year of leave to work on my master’s degree at Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of World Mission. Pray also for my health, particularly that my immune system would be strengthened and not so given to over-reacting to normally harmless things like molds and dust and a variety of very delicious foods! And finally, may we all continue to pray for our leaders around the world, that they would seek the Lord’s guidance in all they do and say and that ultimately, God would be working out His perfect will in each of our lives and in His creation. Thank you for your support in prayer.

May God’s goodness and mercy be evident in each of your lives as you continue to serve Him wherever He has placed you.

With love and gratitude,

Susanne Frerichs

The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 248