This is an update I wrote March 9th,hoping to get it out to everyone. I didn't manage. So, better late than never.We greet you from Altamira, Mexico, where we are as busy as can be. March has already been an exciting month and we have more to come.On March 1st Brother Mike Culbreath and his wife Brenda arrived from Rejoice Church in Owasso Oklahoma to hold our first Marriage Seminar. That same day Brother Mark Cole and James Mastin arrived from Blanchard, OK. Bud had met Mark and James at the border and they drove down together. The purpose of their trip to Altamira was to travel on to the village of Atlapexco and check on the final arrangements for work crews that plan to come in May to build a church there for pastor Florentino Bautista. Bud and Brother Pacheco accompanied them on a long trip Friday the 2nd, to Atalepexco and to another mission work on further up in the mountains, way off of the beaten track. They had a worship service with the congregation there in the village of Tecacalach where even the children still speak Nahuatl. Of course they ate all kinds of typical village food and had a wonderful time with the people.Meanwhile Brother Mike and Ruth were hard at work, sorting out exactly what topics to cover from his comprehensive resources from years of experience and training in family counseling. Saturday, the 3rd Bud, Mike and James followed the regular team that goes to Celaya for visitation and service in the mission there. Brother Rodrigo Guzman leads the work there. There are always two or three students that accompany him and his family, along with Brother Efraim Segura, our maintenance man here at the Bible Institute. Again, they had a wonderful time, visiting a new mission work, and seeing the possibility of another church being established. That day Mike and Ruth continued working on conference material.Sunday Brother Mark preached at the Pistachio Green church, Bethel, the first wooden church he built here in Altamira. The people were so glad to see him, especially the pastor, Brother Rojelio Perez. It was Family Day here, and the Pachecos had invited us all to come to Santa Amalia and eat with their congregation. As soon as we were back at home Mark, James, and Bud headed out for the border again. Bud needed to get some work done on our insurance there. He returned on Tuesday with the car. Since we have a van to carry the students we can enjoy the luxury of bringing it down. It is a more comfortable vehicle to carry our guests around town, and easier for Ruth to drive in the traffic. Of course, we will need to bring the pickup from time to time just to haul needed supplies.The Conference here at IBLAC this week has been a great blessing to students, pastors and their congregations. Attendance has not been what we had hoped but, those who have taken advantage of the opportunity have expressed their deep appreciation for the teaching that has been given.John reports that they have custody of two new children, 4 and 2 mo. They have received an elderly lady into the Getsemani home. Mark will be there any day now to get some workshops built. Thank you for your continued prayer and support. We absolutely could not make it without you.P.S. We finished the conference on the 9th, with a real sense of having done something valuable for our people. Many people came to us and commented on how needful the teaching had been. The pastors met with us and are trying to figure out to do it again in a different format so that more people will take advantage of the teaching. We averaged 70-80 every night, and are glad about that, but many more could have-should have come.We spent Saturday the 10th with Brother Mike and Brenda, just doing a little sight seeing and shopping, with a little time at the beach. They flew out early Sunday morning and we are back to business as usual. We had a real storm last night with over an inch of rain, lots of thunder and lightning and wind. My little flower beds look pretty sad but, Bud promises me they will lift up their heads again. We do continue to need your prayerful support, the enemy has not taken a rest at all. God bless you there where you labor in your mission field. RuthGreetings from Pharr TX. We want to wish you a Blessed New Year! We are off to a good start here, at least a busy one. At the end of the semester at IBLAC we made it back to the border just in time to start getting ready for the holidays. Didn't even find our little Christmas tree, but the grand-gal helped me put out a few things. We made some fudge and peanut brittle too.We had a wonderful Christmas, splitting time between our sons and their families - time with Monte, Diana and Maritza before they headed up to Monterrey for Christmas with Brother Lalo and Sister Elvira, then a quick trip up to John and Paulina's to get in on their church Christmas program and the traditional pot of tamales at 10 p.m. on the 24th at the orphanage there in Piedras Negras. That was followed by lots of Christmas hugs. For the first time we were able to accompany Brother Mark Cole and a sweet gang of folks from Oklahoma & Missouri on their Reynosa Christmas Shoe Box run. They brought down 1000 shoe box gifts and several hundred pounds of beans and rice and carefully delivered everything far and wide. Don and Nat Allen came to participate in that event and then stayed over for a week. That has been like having family here. Brother Don came over and did some electrical work for us, repaired a water leak, and did some work for John’s mother-in-law. Her home in Reynosa was flooded three times last fall and they are still trying to recover from major losses there. John and Paulina had come down for a visit with her family. They brought their eight foster children, so we had a chance to visit with them again. In my little mind I thought I would have a whole month here at the house in Pharr between the end of the fall semester at IBLAC and the beginning of the next semester. I had hoped to invade storage buildings, empty out boxes, have a major yard sale, and get my life organized. I have come to the realization that this was a pipe dream. A whole month was never really available, it just looked like it on the calendar. Basically all I have been able to accomplish is try to keep up with Bud and everything that is going on around us. Now we are scrambling trying to get ready to fly out Tuesday for South Carolina. The Happy Home Church in Andrews has donated a 15 passenger van for the Bible Institute. We will pick it up then drive it back to Alabama for eight days of mission conference. That will make us arrive late for school, but we know that the van and the conference will both be wonderful blessings.Please pray for us as we travel; for our students as they prepare to go back to the Bible Institute; and for new students who are making decisions about going to study. Remember that we rely on your prayer and support. We couldn’t make it without you. May the Lord richly bless you for your investment in souls in Mexico. Serving Him - here and there, Bud and Ruth BivensI greet you-on the run. We arrived back in Pharr late last night and hit the floor early this morning with all kinds of errands to do before we head out tomorrow for Altamira and the second semester at the Bible Institute. Candace Blanchard our Georgia student arrived yesterday and was waiting for us here. She has been a big help to me today, running here and there while I work here at the house. We had a wonderful trip. We flew to Charleston where pastor Ron Ogle and one of his deacons met us. We spent a day with Brother Ron and his wife then that night the Happy Home Church in Andrews SC presented us with the keys to a 1993 Ford, 15 passenger van. We drove it back to Alabama where we were able to participate in 8 days of their annual mission conference. What a wonderful time we had there. We feel like those folks are surely from Oklahoma, they are so warm and friendly and have so many good cooks. Every place we visited we were treated royally. Folks showed such a genuine interest in the work in Mexico that it just thrilled our hearts. We expect to see some of them come down for a visit or a work trip. There is nothing we enjoy more than showing off the Mexican work and watching people begin to realize the great need there and really get a burden for Mexico. I always tell them that it is dangerous to make a mission trip because God is going to get a hold of your heart.We left Piney Grove Church after service Sunday night and started back for the border. We drove until midnight and then put in a long day Monday but, we made it fine with the van. Today we are finishing up the lists of things that we need to take back for the school. We are also gathering the list of things required for our "work permit." This is something that we need if we are to continue to teach at the Bible Institute. Once we turn in the application we will not be able to leave the country until the visa is granted. Things in Mexico tend to move slowly so that is a matter of concern. We would appreciate your specific prayer on the subject. Also, pray with John and Paulina. Their house is full and they are looking for property where they might build a larger house and some "weaning apartments" there in Piedras Negras, close to the college and the church where their foster children attend. There is a very good piece of land near where they live with some old buildings on it. The Lord knows all about it. Serving Him, Bud and Ruth BivensGreetings from Pharr TX. We hurried back to the border yesterday to tend to mail and pick up some things that we need for the Bible Institute. We will have to head back Sunday afternoon so have to make the most of every hour here. I got up early this morning and started in on the news letter. I have spent the whole morning fussing with the computer, trying to get that one job finished up and printed off. I had hoped to have it tucked away by ten and get out and do my shopping. Bud left as soon as he finished his coffee and I have not heard from him since about ten when he swung back by here to drop off a pile of mail for me to tend to. I feel like I need a computer technician on 24 hour call, because I have had my share of computer glitches in Altamira lately. I am trying to get on line there. That will help with some of our communication complications - eliminating the trips to the local cyber shops to check e-mail. I am hopeful that, with the continued help from Brother David Munoz, the last wrinkle will be ironed out Monday and we can get on line there at the house.We have nine day time students this semester and Satan is not at all happy with all of the success we are having. We are daily aware of his attacks against the work. Several pastors have also mentioned increased problems in recent weeks - due in part to a man who has come into the area holding "Bible Seminars". He has drawn away some of our night students and they, in turn, take his teachings into their local churches. This only causes confusion and conflict. Join with us as we pray for the Lord to remove him from the Altamira - Tampico - Allende area, and for peace to be restored to these troubled churches and ministries. At IBLAC we are enjoying the blessing of the 15 passenger van donated by Happy Home FWB Church in Andrews South Carolina. What a relief it has been to all of us to travel in comfort during the recent cold, rainy weather. Please keep us all in your prayers. This pace is a bit hard on an old lady. The spirit is willing to do this but the body is sometimes a bit slow to cooperate. God bless you for your love & support. Bud and RuthGreetings from Altamira. April is off to a good start. In the public schools everyone is off for Easter vacation, the week before and the week after Easter. Our students are only on vacation this week, and most left last Friday after classes ended. Alfredo and Martha and son Angel went home Friday, a three hour trip to Abasolo, to get to be in their home church in Allende over the weekend, then returned on Monday with Bud and a work crew from Georgia. Just because it is "vacation" does not mean that work around here has stopped. Brother Len Blanchard, the pastor of the Shallowford FWB Church in Marietta, is the father of our US student, Candace. Since she came last fall they have been working on plans to come down and do some work. Martha came back to school to cook for them. Brother Chindo could not go home for break because of the distance and the cost of a trip to Sonora. He, Alfredo, and another newcomer, Julio Garcia, have been working with the men. They have painted the tabernacle inside and out and this morning put the finishing touches on a section of the fence from the main gate down to the corner of the property next to the highway. They replaced about $500 worth of rusted post and it looks like new! Some of the men even got up on the roof of the main IBLAC building this morning to caulk some cracks and hopefully stop some leaks. Brother Len preached in the Mango church last night and will be preaching tonight at Mano con Mano. Last night two people, who Alfredo and Martha met on the street, came in to the service and accepted the Lord. This afternoon Bud has taken them on a little tour to see the local churches and visit the public market in Tampico. Julio, originally from Guanajuato, came to us from Georgia by way of Juarez. He returned to Mexico in November hoping to obtain legal papers and go home to Georgia where he has an American wife and family. Since he had been living in the US for several years illegally, he was denied the visa and not permitted to re-enter. His pastor, Brother Ruben Cason contacted us about him at that time. He has been living and working in the Juarez area since then. He came about 10 days to work with the Georgia group, then help Brother Mark Cole with the construction of the church in Atlapexco, and see what the Lord has in store for him. He has been auditing classes and, if he does not find a good job soon, he will enroll as a student next semester. He is a fine man and has been a real asset to the work crew. Please make his situation a matter of prayer. He misses his wife and children terribly. They are working and praying for legislation to be passed in the US that would make it possible for him to be legally reunited with his family.Bud is gearing up for the annual Walk-a-thon. He and Brother Danny Phillips from Tulsa will be walking 100 kilometers to raise funds for the Getsemani Children’s home and the Altamira Bible Institute. Bud will be walking here and Brother Danny will probably walk in Coahuila. Bud plans to walk the 24th, 25th and 26th of April. Please pray about how you might support this project. Last year they raised over $5,000 to split between the two places. John and Paulina have taken their older children to youth camp this week, and next week he plans to bring some of them down to visit us here and look over the Bible Institute. There are two who interested in coming. So, it may be vacation time, but things around here are still humming. The Lord is at work, and we are delighted to be on His team. Please pray for us and the FWB work in Mexico when we come to mind. RuthGreetings from the house in Pharr, Texas.This is just a short note to keep you up to date with our comings and goings. We are at it again.We came in Saturday afternoon and Bud is going back to Altamira tomorrow. Ruth will head ot to Tulsa to attend the OK WAC state retreat, visit her mom, then go on to NC to speak at the NC WAC state meeting before heading back to Altamira around May 2nd. We have been running around like silly, trying to get everything on several shopping lists bought for Bud to take back. Mark and Brenda Cole also came in on Saturday and have been involved in the same activity. We have managed a couple of meetings with them, over some ice cream Saturday, and then a nice supper this evening, to work out travel details. They will be heading South tomorrow too, pulling their camper trailer. Bud and Mark will both be carrying all of the supplies that they can for the construction of the mission church building in the village of Atlapexco Hidalgo. Mark will be coordinating the work-Bud and some of the students may be involved initially, since there is no concrete business in that area. All of the cement for the foundation and floor will have to be mixed by hand. Mark will be driving up to Mexico City to pick up the carpenters from SC around the 12th of May.We feel blessed to have the van at the Bible Institute for their use, and thank the Lord, that He has brought Julio Garcia to us, just at this time-even though he came to us due to difficult circumstances. He will be a big help to Mark with the translation and, he is a hard worker too. Bud will be making his 100 K walk next week. So, you can see that we are coming and going at a steady pace. Please keep us in your prayers. Thank you for your consistent support. RuthDear Faithful Helpers, Here we are again, passing through Pharr on the way to somewhere else. For the past whole month we have hosted visiting teams at the Bible Institute: E-TEAM, June 12th- 26th; a group from Cookville TN traveling with Brother Ken Akers June 30th-July 7th; a group form Pitcher OK traveling with Pastor Robert Nutting, July 9th-12th. We met the last two teams here on the border and took them to Altamira and back. Of course, Bud tried to get all of the work out of them that he could there on campus, while showing them the whole work in that area, and attending as many services as we could schedule. We trust that lives will be changed because of their exposure to our people and the wonderful ministry that is going on in that area.As we were saying "Goodbye" to the OK group yesterday, we were mentally shifting gears, making lists of things that have to be done in order to be ready to leave at noon tomorrow for the National Convention in Little Rock. If all goes well, Brother Ruben Badillo and his wife Rebecca and two little girls will accompany us on the trip. He is the treasurer for the Bible Institute and Brother Lazaro de la Rosa’s son-in-law. They are a wonderful young couple and are excited about the prospect of attending the National Association for the first time in the US.We hope to see a lot of our dear friends there at our booth in the display hall. We always look forward to this time of worship and fellowship. Believe me, right now we need a time of refreshing, time to sit down and let someone else teach us for a change.We will hurry back from there to a service in Pitcher OK, then back to Altamira for our national meetings, youth camp and our Mexican National Convention there on campus.Needless to say we are a bit weary right now, looking forward to some down time in the month of August. We rely on your prayer and support. We could not maintain this pace without strength from the Lord, nor go without your gifts.You are a vital part of what is happening in Mexico today. May His name be glorified by the work that we all do together.Ruth