Kevin & Crystal Elworth Missionaries to Mexico

NEW WEB SITE

2007-01-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

We have moved to a new website
our new address is www.sakeofthecall.org

Hope you enjoy!

Fighting Giants

2006-11-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

I was reading today in 1 Chronicles. I've been trying to read through the Bible in a month. I am a bit behind because of our extensive travel schedule, but doing well nonetheless. 1Chr 11 talks about David's elite group of warriors called "The Three". His 3 most valiant fighters. They were so faithful to him. Whatever he would even want, it was their desire to make David happy and satisfied.
Once in a battle when all the army turned and ran for their lives one of these “Three” stayed and fought, along side none other than David himself. Kings aren’t supposed to put themselves into a mix like that where they could easily lose their lives. But there is no greater form of leadership than putting oneself alongside the followers.
I hope that I can follow God so strong as David and his “Three” did. I wonder if I would be considered one of God's Elite? Would you be considered?

Thanksgiving

2006-11-27T18:50:00.000-08:00

We've enjoyed spending some time with Crystal's family this past week for Thanksgiving.
Our thoughts are ever filled with "lasts" that we will have before we leave. It's a somber feeling, but we know that God is in it and will lead and guide where He will.
Needless to say Thanksgiving was great. We are feeling very "benefited" and in need of a good treadmill!

Car Problems

2006-11-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

After our meeting at Florida Bible Church we left to travel north to be with Crystal's family for Thanksgiving. Miami to Murfreesboro, TN is about 850 miles, so that's quite a stretch, so we left soon after the morning service to get a good jump on the driving. On Monday we were going to drive the rest of the way. Just before we drove into Atlanta, we decided to stop and top off and take a short walk through Wally World and stretch our legs. After we came out, we found that our truck wouldn't start sounding like the battery was dead. Very strange since we had been driving for hours all day. We eventually found without much trouble that our battery had kicked the bucket! Praise God we were at Walmart, and were able to just get a battery there and change it out. Fun times!

Miami, Florida

2006-11-22T11:36:00.000-08:00

This weekend we were in Miami at Florida Bible Church. It's one of our newest supporting churches. it was all God who allowed us to be a part of this church.
We are so excited to have them as part of our team now. They were so excited to have us a part of their church, and were so willing to help with the expense of our airfare to Costa Rica this coming April. All we could say after this weekend was, "Wow"! God is really at work through this great church.

These Past Few Days:

2006-11-16T13:46:00.001-08:00

These past few days we've had fun. God is so good to give us good friends to spend time with. Crystal and I believe that an essential part of our deputation is raising a family of supporters who are dedicated to just ministering with us through prayer and encouragement. He has given us some like this, and we are so grateful.
We've also had a few meetings these past few days, and we are especially grateful for them as well. God is given us a full month of meetings this month and they have been an encouragement to us, and we hope we have been to them as well.

Meeting in Oklahoma

2006-10-30T15:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were in Ponca City, OK at a wonderful church. We had a great time sharing our burden for the Mexican people. Also enjoyed all of the great fellowship and food afterwards. Tomorrow Kevin and I head back on the road towards Florida for a full month of meetings. Please pray for safety as we travel and for health. It is hard on our bodies to go from a colder area to warmer area.

Picture Album

2006-10-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

This is Crystal playing the girl in the drama that dies in the hospital.

The house fire scene where the brother and sister are pulled out of house. Girl saved and goes to Heaven, brother not saved and goes to Hell.

This the scariest scene. It smells like hair burning, lots of screams, dark, and very hot. This is the Hell scene.

Party scene that the brother of the drama threw and during the party house catches on fire. Kevin's brother Kenton played the boy. (disclaimer no real alcohol was used in scene just empty containers) This scene hit home to alot of youth that came through.

Report on Judgement House

2006-10-30T15:07:00.000-08:00

Before each evening our church had praise & worship and prayer. It was a great time to thank God for using us and asking Him to work in hearts of those going through the drama.

This is what the gym looked like each night. Youth groups, couples, families, churches, and others from all over came with unsaved to go through Judgement House. Over 450 got saved!!! About the same for rededication or needing help in other ways!!! Many more emails of decisions still coming through the church. Heaven is going to be even more crowded! Praise the Lord for working in the hearts of these people.

Heavenly thoughts

2006-10-30T14:57:00.000-08:00

Judgement House is now over but the scene that keeps in my head is this one. I will always remember when God (the actor) came up to me and said "I love you, thank you for serving me" and gave me a hug. I cry everytime I think of it. One day I will be in my Father's arms and I want Him to be able to say that to me. Think about it today...What are you doing for Him?

Crystal

More Judgment House!

2006-10-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

As I said prior Judgment House has been going on at our church last weekend and will begin again tonight for this weekend. We are still feeling the effects from the hard work and long hours, but the eternal rewards continue to pour in as we heard last night that over 200 people have already accepted Christ as their Savior.

We received this letter last Friday night regarding a teenager and his decision to accept Christ. I wanted to share this with you all since it is so dramatic and shows how Christ deals with these people through Judgment House.
This letter was written by a youth worker who brought a group of teens from their church to Judgment House for the first time.

"My what a production on love...We had about 12 go through with many of them not knowing Christ. I was a little disappointed that one 1 went for counseling afterwards even though you could tell they were wanting to make a decision. We came back to a church members home for a pizza party and after we ate one of the girls asked, "is that we saw really true and we all will stand before the Judge to see if our name is written down in that book?"
Our leader had a chance to share the gospel again and 4 of those kids accepted Christ in that living room with the others watching. Four hours later my wife and I were driving 3 of the boys home, and one of these boys, Bobby, asked if going to heaven could really be that easy. (This boy is one rough dude! Been in jail a couple of times and has beaten up his mother twice!) he went on by saying, "Can God really forgive all the sins that you have committed?" Right then I stopped in the McDonald's parking lot in downtown Wichita and got the track that he was given when we were leaving and went over God's plan of salvation. After 10 minutes of very hard questioning and wondering if God could ever forgive a person like himself, Bobby and his two brother accepted God's free give of salvation!
When we got to Bobby's house he asked if my wife and I would come in and meet his mother. We agreed and went in. Bobby went right to his mother, got on his knees, and said, "Mom will you forgive me for hitting you and causing you pain?" His mother looked at him like he was from mars! She said, "Have you been drinking again? What's wrong with you?" Bobby replied, "Nothing. God has forgiven me of all my sins and I know I am going to heaven when I die, and mom I want you to be there with my and my brothers. Will you let this man tell you how God can forgive you and you can know for sure that when you die you will go to heaven?" We stayed in that house and shared the gospel with that mother. At 11:23 with her boys wrapped around her she became a child of God!
What an awesome experience!!!!!!
Tell your church, tell your pastor, tell your actors and cast THANK YOU FOR DOING JUDGMENT HOUSE! It was totally transformed a family and has brought them home where there was darkness."

What an amazing story! This is what God's power can do with people.
We thank God for Judgment House and what God has done through it, and what He is still going to do. I am praying that God will issue His most Mega-Abundant Blessing this weekend.
Again if you want to know more about Judgment House and your church can get involved with it please visit: www.judgementhouse.org

Thanks all for your faithful prayers for us!

Judgment House!

2006-10-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

The Lord gave us these last two weeks where we had no meetings to be a part of the annual Judgment House project at our home church Messiah Baptist. For seven years now Messiah has been putting on Judgment House and has seen literally thousands of people come to Christ. If you would like more information on Judgment House, what it is, and how your church could get involved with it please visit www.judgementhouse.org
I wanted to be able to let you know personally what it has done in our lives in just the 4 days we have been involved with it. Crystal and I have been able to counsel many people in their decisions to follow Christ as their Savior, and it has changed us as well. With this Judgment House project, many teens, children and adults come from the invitation room ready to harvest from the fields of the lost. Our church staff and the many volunteers that are involved do a wonderful job of bathing this ministry in prayer and petitioning God to do the work and not we ourselves. These people come and are ready to get saved.
In the last 4 days, the Lord has used me to win 8 young men to Him, and to help 3 others in their Christian walk with the Lord! I can not tell you the gratification it is for me to hear a young man speak to God for the first time in their lives and ask Him to be their Savior. I listen to one boy pray and he said with all sincerity, "Lord, I believe in you!" It broke my heart.
I have more stories that I will add later, especially one specific about a teenager who was very violent towards his mother, and how the Lord changed his life forever!

Be in prayer for this ministry. Messiah puts on this program each year for two weekends. This next weekend will be more dramatic and have more people going through. Pray that the Lord will reap a great harvest through this years project. Also pray that the staff at Messiah will be able to follow up to so many new believers.

Sunrise Christian Academy

2006-10-21T06:29:00.000-07:00

Crystal and I had the opportunity to visit this great class at Sunrise Christian Academy this week. We were able to show them our DVD, our display, and answer many of their questions and boy they had some good questions, they always do! We also gave them some Horchata, a popular Mexican drink. Some really enjoyed it, and some really didn't.
This group of 20 children had been saving their pennies for when we came, and they gave us a huge bag of pennies. There is no better time to learn the importance of giving than at a young tender age as this.
Thank you kids for being so good, and having so many good questions!

What are we up to now...

2006-10-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

As of right now we are resting to prepare for a busy November. God has given us two weeks off here in Wichita, KS. We are excited to be in our home church for a little while and visit with individual supporters. Please pray for our church these next two weeks. Each year we do what is called "Judgement House" where tousands of people go through a live drama experiencing the lives and deaths of three individuals. One goes to Heaven and the others go to Hell. Each year we see hundreds come to the Lord. This is a great opportunity to share Christ and see how God works. Pray for all those involved and the many who will be going through the drama. We will post some pictures in the next few weeks and let you know how God worked. Kevin and I are thankful to be able to be involved and have time to recharge.

Meeting in Kansas

2006-10-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to a little town in Kasas for a mini conference. We were excited to find out that our team members; the Baird family were going to be attending as well. It was great to see them again and minister together in this conference.

Branson, MO

2006-10-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

God is such an awesome God! We have had our ups and downs these last few months but He has been so faithful to us. It is great to just sit and remember how our needs have been provided and the lessons we have learned over the year.

An example of how we have seen God provide for our supporters...this building is in MO and last year at this time we had church in a 100 year old school house with an out house. Look at how God has provided. The pastor and members built this building. The church is growing and we enjoyed visiting them and seeing their new building.

Mission Conference in New Mexico

2006-10-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our meeting...

Pastor Sarracino and his wonderful family.

The church celebrated 13 years and had a feast after Sunday service.

Crystal gave her testimony and sang during the conference. She was more excited to be involved in the nursing home ministry there.

Remembering the Past

2006-10-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

I had never been to New Mexico so I was very excited God gave us a meeting there. Kevin gave me the grand tour of where he use to live. Five houses in the middle of no where.

The beginning of October Kevin and I traveled to a mission conference in New Mexico. Kevin lived there when he was younger and we had the opportunity to visit a family who Kevin knew. He had not seen his child hood friend for about fourteen years. Here is a picture of them together. No more braces, big glasses and look Danny is now taller then Kevin.

Our trip back to school

2006-08-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

We were in second grade yesterday. Mrs. Huisman's class were soooo cute and so much fun! They drew us cards and pictures to take with us on the road and they pray for us each morning.

This is Mrs. Culpepper's fifth grade class in Florida. We had the opportunity to visit this class and talk about Mexico. The children had many great questions and we look forward to get to know them better this year and share the experiences of a missionary. Pray for these children as they start fifth grade and that they get a heart for missions. We are their class missionaries.

New Friends

2006-08-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

On break we were asked by a friend to house sit. Here are the family pets! We had a great time watching the goats play and trying to eat up everything.

Up Coming Plans

2006-08-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

Since we have had to take a break from traveling Crystal and I came up with an idea to raise some support needed. We call it the team ONE project. It is where we are going to try to get more individuals to become part of our team and support us for 1%. This equals about $31 dollars per month. We are designing a card and letterhead at the moment and plan to use this to help with the 25% left to raise. God has blessed us with a few more meetings coming up and our support raising ministry is almost over. This has been such a great year on the road! Please pray for team ONE project.

Crystal Having Surgery

2006-08-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

This is me at the hospital going to have surgery to remove some cyst. I have been sick for awhile and am feeling much better. Flat Max was one of my doctors in the room. Thank you to all of you that prayed for me and my recovery. God used many of you to encourage us as we have had to cancel some meetings and sit for a bit. Hopefully I can now keep up with our busy schedule coming up and can update the blog more.

Team Members

2006-08-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

Some of the goals on our survey trip were to meet with national pastors and ask questions about the area and visit their ministries. We all learned so much! These meetings helped us to decide what part of Mexico to work in.

Aaron, Melissa, and Isacc at the mummy museum.

The Baird family have been missionaries in Mexico for about 15 years and are on furlough at this present time. We will all be working together for the first few years. The Bairds have such a heart for Mexico.

Survey Trip To Mexico

2006-08-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

On our trip to Mexico God really made it evident that we were to start our work in Zacatecas. It is 95% catholic. There are over 20 universities in the city and our plan is to start a work among the students and use this ministry to branch into the rural surrounding areas. When you feel like you have it all planned out; that is when God shows us what He has planned which it far better then what we thought to do. We are so grateful for God opening our eyes to the need in Zacatecas and can not wait to return and start His work there. We are very excited about the opportunities!

Construction Projects When On A Break

2006-08-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

This is our construction effort on mom and dad's house. Looks great right?

Had a great time, but it was frustrating!

Headed To Mexico

2006-06-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

We are headed to Mexico this week. Please pray for us as we seek direction as to where to start our ministry. Kevin and I are very excited to go back and see the people. This is a very important trip for us.

Tornado Season In Kansas

2006-06-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Kansas is not only known for there windy tornado weather but also hail storms. We had planned to go camping for a few days of rest but this was what is looked like outside. We thought it best to stay home.

Taking A Break...What Are We Up Too...

2006-05-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

Graduations...

Visiting Family ...

Visiting Supporting Churches...

Going to Church activities...

It is nice to take a few days off.

A Few States And Some In Between

2006-05-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

We have just finished our spring schedule! Over thousands of miles, tons of fast food, a dozen different beds, and many wonderful churches. Here are a few states we visited or drove through. This will give you an idea what one week of travel can be like. Praise God we are almost over 60%!

Fun Things We See While Traveling

2006-05-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

These men had to be sore! An outreach opportunity to trouble teens.

Mexico Bound

2006-05-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

We are home in Kansas for a few weeks getting ready for our survey to Mexico. Our goal is to check out 3-4 locations in central Mexico and see where God would have us start our ministry. Please pray for this trip and for direction.

Where's Flat Max

2006-05-11T17:10:00.000-07:00

Rochester, New York

Flat Max went to the lake and also visited a youth group for Sunday School. Flat Max is a representive from our sending church in Kansas. The children in Kansas love to recieve pictures of where Max has been on our deputation journey.

Still on the Road

2006-05-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here the view we have had this month. God is really blessing our deputation! We are praying for 70% by June and we are almost there. We have a few more weeks before we head back to Kansas for a two week break. Crystal and I are excited to see family and friends and sleep in a bed for longer then two nights. God has faithfully provided homes for us to live in over the last four months and He has blessed us with wonderful churches to minister too. Please pray for us as we finish up our spring schedule. Pray for rest, encouragement, and strength as we get home sick.

Check out the new pictures

2006-05-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some new pictures we had taken.

Got Moose?

2006-05-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

Vermont
Lots of beautiful bridges, and quaint little towns. We stopped and had a bowl of soup in the town below. Saw tons of road signs stating "Moose Crossing" "Watch for Moose" We did not see any and Crystal does not believe they exist. She kept a close eye on the woods and had the camera ready, just in case.

New Hampshire Meeting

2006-05-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Picture above:
Pastor Clouse & Wife; Josefina

We had a wonderful time talking about Mexico and fellowshipping with Merrimack Valley Baptist Church. Kevin and I worked in a 3-4 grade Sunday school, gave testimonies, and Kevin preached. It was a great meeting! Josefina is from Mexico and came from and church where the Baird family are working. (We will be working with the Bairds for the first few years of our ministry in Mexico). What a blessing to see how God is blessing this church!

Boston, Mass.

2006-04-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

Boston! Lots of history here and beautiful area. We had the opportunity to ride the subway, eat lots of good food, and enjoy the town's attractions.

Connecticut

2006-04-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hello From Connecticut!
We had the chance to stop in and see a few friends. Kevin spoke and gave a challege to the teens at Long Hill Baptist Church. It was a great time to hang out! Check out the teen room; pretty cool! Please pray for the youth groups we have spoken to in the last few months. Many decisions have been made and many are praying for God's direction in their lives.

Easter Sunday

2006-04-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! Crystal and I are in PA. and had the opportunity to visit Calvary Indepedant Baptist Church; one of our supporting churches and where Crystal grew up. We always enjoy staying with Pastor Carroll and his family; there are lots of pranks and laughs when we are here.

I had the chance to preach my first Easter sunrise service. It went great and after the service Jacob came up and wanted to make sure that he is on his way to heaven. Praise the Lord!!! I was able to show him how to be saved.

Our getaway

2006-04-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

We had the chance to relax for a week and really needed it. God has blessed us so much since January. This is one of the many blessings. The Jones', in the picture below, opened their home as a retreat for full-time missionaries and ministers. It is beautiful and they made us feel really special. Peggy and David Jones served us our meals and gave us a place to spend alone. This was a great couple of days to get refocused, spend time with each other, and relax before our full schedule over the next few months.

This beautiful garden is their back yard complete with a water fountain and all. Beautiful!!! We spent alot of time sitting out reading and preparing for future speaking arrangements.

Kevin's birthday

2006-04-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

Another year older! This is some of the fun adventures we did on April 6th. Kevin loves golf and races. In Ga there is a place where you can drive an actual race car and feel the race. He took a few drivers out and sped over 130mph; Go Kevin! Another year down and many more to come.

A place to call home

2006-04-15T14:17:00.000-07:00

This past week God has given us the opportunity to take a break from traveling. Last week was Kevin's birthday and we stopped in Lawrenceville, GA to relax for a week. Our mission board has a mission house where their missionaries can stay and have a home for a little while. Crystal enjoyed cooking home-cooked meals and a place to clean and not live out of a suitcase. This week we finished up letters, emails, letterhead design, much needed paper work, and relaxed. We are so thankful Biblical Ministries Worldwide and their help and encouragement.

Fellowship

2006-04-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

Here are a few friends of ours. As we travel it amazes us as to who we run into. It has been such an encouragement to see all of them and catch up on what is going on in their lives. On the right is the Shank family who are also on deputation to go to Africa and the Sheffields who are expecting their second little one this summer. We went to college with these couples and had alot of good, crazy, and memorable times with them. On the left we like to call the Tilmans; family. They have opened their home in Jacksonville to us and have a room called the Elworth suite for missionaries. Also Beth, Kristi and her family. It was a great time to load up on Sonnys BBQ while in the south!

Full Schedule

2006-04-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy but profitable month for us. Here are a few churches we have presented our work in. Most of them were in Flordia and now we are headed up North to the colder weather. God is blessing us with great churches to partner with to reach the people of Mexico. We have enjoyed being at these churches and getting to know the people. We have made new friendships and have seen God work in many hearts.

Ordination

2006-03-03T15:43:00.000-08:00

Last November I had the opportunity to be ordained at our home church in Wichita, Kansas.
It was truly a life changing experience and an event that I will never forget.
Here are a few pictures that were taken. Our family to the right.
Below is us with Dr. David Gibbs. Dr. Gibbs is the founder and President of the Christian Law Association. Also one with our Pastor, and then a picture of the ordination council who were able to ask me questions of whatever they wanted.

Flat Max

2006-03-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

Meet Flat Max. Flat Max is a representative from the second grade Sunday School class at Messiah Baptist Church. They decided that since they were not able to come with us on deputation, they would send their representative with us. As you can see here he is driving while Cris and I sleep. He does a wonderful job helping out. A few weeks ago, I was sick and not able to preach, so he took care of that as well.

We are excited that Max is willing to help us for the cause of Christ.

New Life Fellowship Baptist Church

2006-03-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

This is Pastor Eddie and his wife. He has been the pastor of this great little church outside of Orlando for a few years now. The church is growing and they have a small missions program that they are looking to grow. We were able to encourage the people in their involvement with missions this past February. They are hoping to be able to take us on for support soon, and in the mean time they are dedicated to being our prayer supporters. We are so grateful to have this great church as part of our support ministry and God will bless them for their involvement in reaching the people of Mexico with the Gospel of Christ.

Fort Walton Beach

2006-03-02T19:14:00.000-08:00

Hello from Fort Walton Beach! Now before you judge, let me explain. We are between meetings right now and needed a place to stay. Crystal was able to find an organization on the internet that organizes free missionary housing around the nation. We were able to find a couple that had a guest house here in Ft Walton Beach! It's very nice to have our own place to stay for a few days between meetings and be able to get some work done at the same time.

Yesterday, Cris and I spent the day in the soaking up some rays! It was very nice to relax, listen to the rushing water, read a book, and forget about most everything. As you can see the water is beautiful and clear, however COLD. It was nice for the feet but that's all.
Speaking of feet, I bet you can't tell whos are whos!

We are grateful that the Lord has allowed us to spend this time here. We have really needed it. Mostly because we had much work that needed to be done, and simply to much distraction to get it done elsewhere.

2006-02-28T10:40:00.000-08:00

Somewhere today, somewhere else tomorrow

Busyness!

2006-01-13T12:07:00.000-08:00

That’s about the only way to describe our recent days. Crystal and I have been working so hard at trying to schedule out our year with meetings. This past week we have sent out about two hundred letters and e-mails helping our support team keep up with what’s going on in our lives. We have also put together about one hundred fifty packets of information to be sent out to potential supporters. The Lord has really blessed and provided for us throughout this month. You can imagine the expense behind sending out so many mailings, but God provides wonderfully. We were in need of another 100 DVD’s to be included in our packets, a $300 investment which we had none of. God faithfully provided all of it!
We have about two more weeks of preparation for this years schedule before we start traveling again with our spring schedule. We start in Spring City, Florida and will end up on Tulsa, OK during the first week of May. Our travel schedule will take us again up the East Coast with meetings in North Carolina, New Hampshire, New York, and Florida. The Lord has provided for us for these meetings by YOUR PRAYER! You are an essential part of our ministry team when you pray for us. Thank you. We are indebted to you for your prayers on our behalf.

God bless

Kevin & Crystal Elworth
Missionaries to Mexico
Phil 1:27

Happy Holidays

2005-12-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

It’s been a while since we have had time to update. We have been so many places since I have added anything. We had several great conferences to wrap up our fall deputation schedule. One in McConnellsburg, PA, another in Branson West, MO. Both of these churches have chosen to become a part of our ministry team, and we are excited about these new opportunities.

One of the most exciting stories we have is that we were able to be a part of a mission church in Missouri. It is called the Mildred Outreach Ministry. It is exciting to be a part of such a new work and to help them get excited about what God is doing around the world.

We also had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Guadalajara, Mexico for ten days. We had a wonderful visit with the current Biblical Ministries missionaries working there and several missionaries from the state of Chihuahua as well.

We learned a lot on this trip. It was by no means a “missions trip”. For the majority of the time we were down there, we spent talking to the missionaries and our area director about future ministry, where we could get plugged in, where we could live, and different aspects of ministry. It was also a good time to get rejuvenated and re-motivated for deputation.

The Lord has truly called us to a great work and we are extremely excited about it. We really cannot wait to get there and be a part of this great work which God is doing.

We want to invite all of you to become part of our ministry team. Our ministry team includes prayer partners, and financial supporters. If you would like more info about this please simply add comment here and I will get back with you.

Currently our support schedule stands at 37.5% complete. We have worked hard and the Lord has abundantly blessed.

Our prayer needs currently are:
• For our spring deputation schedule to be finalized
• The remaining finances to be donated for Video Projector ($500 Still needed)
• For the hearts of the Mexican people

2005-12-10T21:03:00.000-08:00

Cris and I

2005-12-10T20:59:00.001-08:00

Mexico scenery

2005-12-10T20:59:00.000-08:00

Mexico scenery

2005-12-10T20:58:00.001-08:00

Mexico scenery

2005-12-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

New believers being baptized

2005-12-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

A little friend

2005-12-10T20:56:00.000-08:00

Crystal and church kids

2005-12-10T20:55:00.001-08:00

Family from Guadalajara ministry

2005-12-10T20:55:00.000-08:00

Families from Guadalajara ministry

2005-12-10T20:48:00.001-08:00

Mildred Outreach Ministry future building

2005-12-10T20:48:00.000-08:00

Mildred Outreach Ministry present building

Re-run

2005-10-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

Rochester, New York; Waynesboro, Pennsylvania; Jacksonville, Florida; Topsail Island, North Carolina; Medford, New York; Trumbull, Connecticut; Oxford, New York; Spring City, Tennessee; and Jacksonville, Florida. This has been our trek thus far, and we still have nearly a month to go. This trip has taught us so many things. We have seen God work in so many ways. We have seen Him provide our needs through desperate situations. We have learned His faithfulness first hand. We have been to the point where quitting was almost an option, but He never gave up on us so why should we give up on Him.

God is a great God, and He deserves our praise, and service.

1Timothy 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

Thanks for your faithfulness, your help, your prayers, for us as we endeavor to serve our faithful God.

Here are some pictures of our recent endeavors. Hope you all enjoy.

Kevin & Crystal
Missionaries to Mexico

2005-10-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

W.T.C Memorial

2005-10-13T18:10:00.001-07:00

Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry

2005-10-13T18:10:00.000-07:00

Time Square

2005-10-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

The only remaining structural beam from W.T.C. in the shape of a cross

2005-10-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

NYC at Night

2005-10-13T17:37:00.000-07:00

Our NYC Tour Guides!

2005-10-13T17:36:00.001-07:00

Central Park

2005-10-13T17:36:00.000-07:00

Our NYC Adventure

2005-10-13T17:35:00.000-07:00

Our class in Jacksonville. They pray for us every day!

2005-10-13T17:33:00.001-07:00

Sail boats entering Harbor at Lake Ontario

2005-10-13T17:33:00.000-07:00

Lake Ontario Sunset

2005-10-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

Rural Pennsylvania

Atlanta, GA

2005-10-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

Wow. It seems now that we have been just about everywhere along the east coast. The Lord has created so many opportunities for us over the past weeks since I spoke to you all last. He is such an amazing, wonderful God! We had three opportunities in the past two weeks to present our burden for the people of Mexico. What a tremendous blessing it is to speak about our burden with people who are also excited about seeing God’s work in other parts of the world. These three churches were a wonderful help to us, giving us a place to stay, helping us meeting wonderful new families and friends, and also helping us financially with love gifts.

Every time we have opportunity to present our work in a new church, we leave so encouraged and ready to get to Mexico faster. Just a few more days now and we will be there!

Our survey trip takes place in less than a month. We are going to Guadalajara, Mexico from November 4^th—16^th to meet the BMW(Biblical Ministries Worldwide) missionaries that are currently working there. We will have the opportunity to meet with them all, see the works they are involved in, and even get an opportunity to find out where we might be able to be “plugged in” when we finally arrive for good after we have raised all our support.

Please continue to pray for us as we travel extensively over the next weeks. We will be busy to say the least.
Pray for our continued provision. As you all know the price of gas continues to go up. This takes a great toll on our finances.
Pray for our survey trip. That it will be a great success, and that we will receive the adequate finances to make it all work.
And most importantly, pray for the people of Mexico. They need the Gospel of Christ preached to them.

We love you all and praise God for each of you and your part in our mission to reach the people of Mexico with the Gospel of Christ.

For the sake of the call,

Kevin & Crystal Elworth

Phil 1:27

Jacksonville, FL

2005-09-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a little while since I have added anything. We’ve been pretty busy with different things going on, and the Lord moving us. Last week we were just about at the end of our rope, and discouraged to the point of giving up and that’s when the Lord changed our direction. He answered our plea for encouragement and sent us to our refuge—Trinity Baptist Church. For the past week we have worked hard, served in opportunities the Lord has opened to us, and been encouraged. Today we will get back on the road and go where the Lord directs and serve where He leads us to serve. It’s exciting serving God, and I would not rather do anything else in life than serve my Savior.

2005-08-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

More Niagara

2005-08-21T12:24:00.003-07:00

Me and Cris in front of Niagara

2005-08-21T12:24:00.002-07:00

Niagara

2005-08-21T12:24:00.001-07:00

Maid in the Mist below Niagara

2005-08-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

Canada side Niagara

2005-08-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

Niagara

Deputation Week One

2005-08-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I read this morning in Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” Despite the fact that I am not a king in any sense of the word, I am glad that the Lord directs our paths, and that He has over the past week.

We have genuinely seen how the Lord came bless faith not only in our life but in the lives of others as well. We have the opportunity this week to help out a church in need of some construction experience. The Lord has blessed them (because I have construction experience) and the Lord has blessed us (because we will have a place to stay for the next few days, and an opportunity to build another relationship)! God is good.

I have attached a few pictures that we took yesterday at Niagara Falls, Canada. As you can see, it is simply beautiful. That was the first time Crystal or I have ever been to Canada or seen the falls. We really enjoyed our time. That’s just one of the many benefits of being a missionary is being able to see the beautiful parts of this country.

The Lord has simply been good to us, and for that we praise Him.
Pray for us specifically that He will provide good meeting opportunities for the next months. Pray for our provision as we live by faith.

For the sake of the call,

Kevin & Crystal Elworth
Phil 1:27

Orientation Training

2005-08-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

Crystal and I have completed our orientation training at Biblical Ministries Worldwide. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there, getting to know their staff and all the policies and practices that they help their missionaries with. We really like BMW’s philosophy on how the handle the finances of missionaries and how they are so willing to help in any area they can. We are now part of a mission family!

Currently we are preparing to start traveling full-time on deputation. Our first stop will be Rochester, New York where we have been invited to a Pastor’s Conference. It will be a good time for us to get to know some pastors and just get ready for deputation a bit. We are excited about where God will take us from there. We really have no idea where the Lord will take us from there. We are out to be servants in other churches and see where we can be most effectively used by Him. We want to be a blessing to others and that’s about it.

Please be in prayer for us as we begin our travels. Pray that the Lord will provide His protection over us as we travel. Pray that we will find churches willing to have us in and present our work. Also pray that He will provide a Digital Video Projector as we really need one now. Some other small needs are: stamps, restaurant gift cards, and a travel refrigerator.

For the sake of the call,

Kevin & Crystal Elworth

2005-08-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

Biblical Ministries Worldwide Headquarters

Dear Friends and Family

2005-07-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

We are so excited and anxious to say that we have been officially accepted as appointees with Biblical Ministries Worldwide. Due to some areas of concern with Mount Abarim, and through the direction of the Lord, we have decided to pursue a partnership with BMW and our home church Messiah Baptist. BMW takes a distinct approach towards missions and we believe that together we will more effectively reach the Mexican people.
I would invite you all to check out BMW on their website, biblicalministries.org. I think you will find their ideas about missions to be exciting and creative.
I will have more to say about this in the future as all of the formalities are confirmed and we are done changing things around.

Thank you all so much for your continued prayer and financial help.

In Christ
Kevin & Crystal Elworth

Missionaries with Biblical Ministries Worldwide!

Dear Friends and Family,

2005-07-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

Crystal and I have been learning so much about missions, things that we have never thought about before. There are also a lot of things we have been able to share to them about new ideas of how to do things. The one thing we have learned that has made the most impact is the fact that team work and prayer is vital to the success of a mission. We have also learned that deputation is not such a scary thing after all. It all depends on how much preparation and work you put into it. We are really excited about our upcoming deputation schedule and are anxious to start.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to share our testimony and passion to a local church here in Georgia. It is always a blessing to be able to talk about Mexico and allow people to pray for you. I truly believe that if we just get people to realize the power and prayer and the impact they can have on the people of Mexico through their prayers, we will have no problem raising the support we need to accomplish what we want to accomplish. We need God to supply our needs, not churches.
There are several things that you can specifically pray for us right now. We really need to fill our fall deputation schedule. Our first meeting is in New York, and we don’t have another meeting for a month after that. Pray that we are able to get more meetings in New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. We really don’t want to have to drive back and forth between the East Coast and Kansas. Please desperately pray that the Lord will fill our schedule.
Other needs we have are: stamps, and restaurant gift cards.
Thank you all for your faithful prayers and support

For the sake of the Call,

Kevin & Crystal Elworth

Back to School

2005-07-14T06:13:00.000-07:00

Crystal and I are back to school again. We have arrived in Lawrenceville, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, for three intensive weeks of missions training. There are going to be several different missionary families here over the next weeks. It’s always exciting to talk to different missionaries and find out their ideas, and hear their stories.
We learn and are reminded daily of God’s care and dedication in taking care of us. Just this past week, one of our faithful supporting families came and told us that God had laid on their hearts to help us with our finances. They raised enough to pay for our candidate training! We are amazed at the ways God takes care of us without fail.
Please continue to pray for God’s direction in our lives as we make decisions concerning our future.

It has become extremely evident to me how important our prayer support is and will be over the years. Today we discussed deputation, and the various means, and ideas of how to raise adequate support, but the one thing that we could not get away from was the fact that prayer if vital support even more so than financial. Crystal and I are not dependant upon churches to provide the way for our ministry, we are dependant upon God. I truly believe that if we can raise the prayer support needed for our ministry than the finances will find their place as well. I do want to say that I am so grateful for those of you who have taken us on and have supported us over the months, we are so thankful for your sacrifices, and we pray that God reward you and bless you for giving to His cause.
We read today in Philippians 4:18 “At the moment I have all I need—more than I need! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable to God and pleases Him.”
The sacrifice that you give to us is actually a sacrifice to God on our behalf! Thank you so much.

Please stay in contact with us and let us know of your prayers. We love you all and are so excited to let you know of all we have learned here.

In Christ

Kevin & Crystal Elworth
Phil 1:27 “Striving together for the faith of the gospel!”

Dear Friends and Family,

2005-07-03T13:33:00.000-07:00

Crystal and I would really appreciate your prayers right now. We have been through so much over the past two weeks, it seems like God has completely changed all of “our plans” and rerouted us into a better direction. I don’t want to go into to much detail because not all of it has been finalized as of yet, and you can be sure that I will let you all know what’s going on shortly.
We have cancelled our survey trip to Mexico this summer because of schedule conflict. I really take it that the Lord just didn’t have it in His perfect plan to have us be there this summer and has better plans elsewhere.
For the next three weeks we will be going through candidate training for missions and are so excited to learn more about what God has in store and about how missions works and how to do it effectively. We are excited about how to make deputation a time of fun and adventure, meeting new people and places. We are anxious to see where God takes us and how He is going to get us there.
Also please pray specifically that God will provide our needs. This three week training was rather unexpected and we really don’t have all the finances to take care of three weeks off of work. We have health insurance, car payment, cell phone, electricity, school loan, as well as food, travel expenses ect. for this trip. Also this training will cost $550 for us to attend.
I read a few weeks ago in the book of Matthew about when Jesus walked on the water. Peter wanted to meet Jesus there and began to walk on the water himself with the Lords direction. For that one single moment Peter was the only man to ever walk on water. At that moment his whole entire focus was on Christ alone. Not a single other thing mattered, just Christ alone. And then he lost his faith and began to sink. What if we could all have that same faith that Peter had at that one moment? This world would be a different place! The Lord has really been challenging our faith lately. God is so good and His word is perfect, He has never failed us and never will, but I’m sure you all know how hard it is at times to have faith. Please pray that God brings in those finances for the bills that we have.. As you can tell is expensive to be a missionary on deputation, but once again God is faithful.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support, we would never make it without them

For the sake of the call,

Kevin & Crystal Elworth

This e-mail address is probably going to change, so please start e-mailing us at the address located on the prayer card we gave you (if you don’t have one, please just let me know and I will get one to you).

Pre-Deputation Woes

2005-07-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

These past few days have been stressful and hectice to say the least. You know it's odd how when all seems to be wonderful for a time and we get comfortable, and really think that we are in control, that is when God decides to change things up and throw in a wrench so to speak. I do have to say that I am grateful that we are being guided and directed by our loveing Heavenly Father. I cannot imagine being alone in this adventure. God is so good to us. He is so faithrul and willing, caring and kind. AFter we get all this sorted out i will be a bit more descriptie in telling you all how to more effectively pray for us. That's just what we need right now. Wisdom for the decisions ahead, and prayer for our sustenance. Please pray for us, we have so much to decide in just the next few days.

2005-06-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

The phone calls continue! Our schedule is beginning to take shape, and our hopes for the future progress. We are so anxious to be missionaries, we are so anxious to serve God. This past year Crystal and I have been involved in the College Ministry at our home church, Messiah Baptist. We were so excited to be used by God. Each week presented a new opportunity to serve God and be involved in another persons life, while at the same time holding a full-time job and the business of our lives. We just can’t wait to just serve God and not have to worry about jobs. Please pray that our support comes quickly that we may get to Mexico faster. When I was in high school I would tell people that God was going to give me a Corvette so I could get to Mexico faster! Well, I believe now we need your prayers more than anything.

Just about 6 weeks from now we will be taking our survey trip to Mexico City. We were blessed to be able to purchase our plane tickets for much less than we expected, however, we still need about $300 for our trip.

We are also in need of a Digital Video Projector; more DVD’s to be used for deputation, truck payments, ect.

Please understand that no gift is too great or too small. Our DVD’s cost only $3 each. Consider purchasing 10 DVD’s, that would help us get into 10 potential supporting churches! All for only a $30 investment into God’s work.

Thank you all so much for your faithful prayers for us. Please stay in contact with us, and we love to hear from each of you.

In Christ
Kevin & Crystal Elworth

2005-05-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We are just a few short weeks away from starting deputation. We have spoken with nearly 150 Pastors/Churches and have been blessed, encouraged, and challenged. We have a spotty schedule starting in August and continuing through October. We will travel from New York all the way to Georgia, and points in between.

We really appreciate your faithful prayers and support as we continue on this journey which God has called us too.
We are scheduled right now to take our survey trip July 19-26 in Cuernavaca, Mexico. We are so very excited to get back with our people. We still need your prayers as we are still in need of $450 to pay for the trip. If you are willing to help please send support to Mt. Abarim Baptist Missions P.O. Box 173067 Arlington, TX 76003. Checks to be made out to Mt. Abarim with our name in the subject.
We also are in need of a digital video projector. A video projector is used to connect to our computer to project what’s on the computer to a large screen. This tool will be used in churches to play our DVD which was created for our deputation. The cost for this tool is about $1,000, and is an essential part of our deputation. Most churches do not have this tool, and will require us to have our own if we are going to play our video. Please help us with this essential part of our deputation.

We love you all and are indebted to you for your help.

Deputation

2005-05-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

We have started making phone calls, and it is exhausting. I had no idea how much work it would be to call Pastors. I guess there are some things you just can't learn in school.
We have been officially accepted by our mission board, Mt. Abarim Baptist International Missions, and are going to spend a week with Dr. Mike Patterson in Cuernavaca, Mexico at the end of July this summer. We are very excited to get back to Mexico as it has been nearly 3 years since we were last there. We really miss these people who have so deeply captured our hearts.
We covet your prayers, now more than ever before. As I have said to several of you already, it has become so evident to me how important the prayers of our supporters are. Without them we are lost and our efforts are in vain. Please let us know you are praying for us. There is no greater encouragement we could have than the fact that you are praying.
We are grateful to each of you for your prayers and continued support.
Kevin