Moving to Leon

It's official: we're moving to the city of Leon!

For the past six years we've lived in Torreon, a city in north central Mexico. During our time there, Mike has helped the Mexican Lutheran Church build a seminary, start three new congregations in the area, and strengthen the existing congregation El Redentor (Redeemer). Missionaries and Mexican pastors have worked together to improve the worker training program, build up lay leaders, and strengthen the Mexican Lutheran Church as a synod.

Now it is time to start a new chapter.

The Mexico mission team, which consists of four missionary families and two volunteers, is headed to the central city of Leon to start two new congregations. The plan is to focus on evangelism, build up these new churches, and then turn them over to Mexican pastors who will oversee them (this is exactly what has happened in Sonora and has worked out very well).

While we're in Leon, two Mexican pastors and one student-pastor will continue to oversee the congregations in Torreon. Work there will continue, just as it will in other areas of Mexico where we have Mexican pastors but no missionary presence (examples: Monterrey, Puebla, Guadalupe - see the map to find our Lutheran churches in Mexico).

Leon is the fifth largest city in Mexico and has a metro population of about 2 million people. It has a solid and growing economy, and is known for its shoe and leather industry (I'm already planning to buy some cute boots for my sixteen month old!).

You may have heard that we're moving out of Torreon for security reasons. This is true, to a certain extent. We feel that it is best for us, who live as foreigners in Mexico, to leave the city due to a recent increase in violence there (the result of Mexico's drug war, which is affecting certain areas of the country but not others).

While humanly speaking we are moving because of security issues, I firmly believe that God is directing us to Leon. According to our findings, there has never been a Lutheran church in Leon, even though the city is more than 400 years old! Think of the opportunity to take the Gospel there. Just writing this gets me excited to start packing my bags.

Join us in asking God to bless the work in Leon and continue to care for his flock in Mexico. Oh, and think about coming to visit us in our new home!

You can read more about Leon at these links:

- See a map of Mexico here.

- Look at some pictures of Leon.

- Read up on tourist info for Leon, so you can start planning your trip to visit us there!

- Get an overview of the city (in Spanish)