Truth Reaching Souls

Blessings to all! First of all I'd like to report we were able to give out 900 gifts for Christmas this past year in Mexico. Praise God! Thanks to World Missionary Press we were able to to give 600 Spanish New Testaments and we received 500 Christmas stockings to bless the children with. In the fall when we were out visiting churches a lady came to me and handed me a note that said, " I saw a great big beautiful gift box that had a big beautiful red bow on top of it and it was all around your family when you were up front and it is God's protection over your family." Little did we know the things that were to follow but God is faithful. We have been in the general area in Mexico when battles were occuring but never as close as we were in December. We had just finished having our first Christmas class at our house in Reynosa. We had around 60 in attendence. A little girl from the church we attend in Reynosa was there and we went by the church to drop her off with her mom before heading over to Progreso to have another class. At the church there were 4 or 5 women preparing tamales for a special service that night and we told them all about the class we had just had. As we were walking out of the door to leave all of a sudden they all bowed their heads and began to pray that God would go with us and protect us. We had a family visiting this week from the states and helping with the give-outs and they said, " Can we get something to eat right away when we get there because we haven't ate all day?" And we said, " Sure as soon as we get there." When we arrived we parked right across the road from where we normally eat but we all got out out and walked right past and didn't stop like we had planned. We walked a little further and I was inviting kids to the class we had planned for the next day and the sister was doing a little Christmas shopping. I stopped to talk to our Bible Study lady when my husband saw some military guys running down the road and he decided to go and check it out. About a minute later the machine guns started going off and our Bible Study family grabbed me and pushed me into a pharmacy before I  could even think. I did not know where my husband was or my daughter or this family and it was about two minutes before my son came into the store. I looked over and our Bible Study lady had her head bowed and I believe she was praying. I was praying loud enough for all to hear. After a few minutes the firing ceased and we went out of the store. My daughter along with this other family came out of the store next door but I still did not know where my husband was. And then the firing began again and this time we all ran in the same store together.Up until this time I was shaking all over when all of a sudden I remembered the women from our church in Reynosa stopping out of the blue to say a special prayer of protection over us and instantly I was filled with a great peace and joy like I can't explain and I stopped shaking and bagan to sing a song in Spanish that says, " I have peace and joy because Christ has set me free." My husband returned a short time later safe and said if we had stopped to eat like we had planned we would have been exactly where the fighting had started. We had been in Progreso less than ten minutes when it began.There was a Mexican military man killed along with a member of the drug cartel.They chased a truck a few miles out of town and caught three other guys- a red truck with Alabama tags. The guys they caught were from Reynosa where we live. They lived in Colonia Nuevo Mexico the same neighborhood we live in. Infact, two doors down from our house there was a red truck with AL tags parked up until the Friday before this battle that occured on SAT. Dec. 5th that we have not saw since. We were living right next to some of them but God had His box of protection over us! We did not have class this day or the next but we were back the Tuesday after and one of the little boys Eddie said, " On Saturday there was lots of boom, boom, boom and there was a little girl and her head went like this and there was lots of blood and she was dead." We have heard reports that there was a little girl shot in the head in the hospital in a coma but we have not been able to find out any more information. Infact, the police in Progreso know nothing as the military took over and would not let them near. This was a special day in Progreso to welcome the Winter Texans back and let them know it would be safe to shop in their town. There were many of them running past frantic and crying; trying to get to the border as fast as they could. They had never had a battle here before and the people of the town were very disturbed but none of the ones we work with were hurt. Thank the Lord! It was several days later before I remembered the note but God knew all along and we were in His hand the whole time. What a MIGHTY GOD we serve! We can truly say there is no other place we would rather be. Our burden for Mexico had only increased and our hearts desire is to see souls saved. The military are doing a good job in Mexico but the ONLY solution to see this fighting and drug war stopped is salvation and deliverance from this lifestyle from God. We appreciate your support and prayers! God bless you-The Arnetts