The Canote Notes

Canote E-Notes 02/02/12

2012-02-02T13:07:00.000-06:00

Happy Ground Hogs Day!
Apparently that ground hog saw his shadow so it's 6 more weeks of winter....and we'll take it! None of us can ever remember a milder winter than this one. 1 year ago this week, we had 2 feet of snow on the ground and people were calling it: Snowmegedden and Snowpacolypse! It's going to be around 60F today and it has been around that temp off and on more often than not so far this winter!

Baby Update
In case you haven't heard...there is another Canote baby on the way (due June 16) and...

And although we're just happy and blessed to have a healthy baby on the way, we ARE pretty pleased with that news! That will even up the teams with 5 boys and 5 girls.

Chris IS thinking ahead and glad that there won't be 5 teenage girls all at once in the house a few years down the road. He's also thinking maybe a boy will help ease up some of the drama that may come with a house full of girls.

Of course that's also 1 less wedding to pay for!

Mexico News
Check out this new YUGO Ministries promo video: CLICK HERE!
You can also find a link for this video and other information and media at the newly rebuilt YUGO website: www.yugo.org.

We are still wrapping up loose ends and final reporting from the New Year's Team Ministry in Mexicali, Mexico. A key element of this ministry is the unique cross-cultural discipleship opportunity for young and old alike. Here are some of the testimonies shared by young people from the ministry teams who joined us this year:

"Mexico has rocked my world. Not coming from a Christian family, I have always used God as a sort of refuge from my life's problems - but very rarely have I felt God 100% in my heart. In my head? Yes. Since putting my life in his hands, never have I doubted that Christ is my Savior. However, this week (He) has so graciously welcomed me to move God from head, to my heart" ~ Kelsey

"This week in Mexico, I saw the amazing benefits of complete submission and obedience to God. This week taught me how to truely go all out for God and to make faith in Christ the top priority in my life. Thank you for your ministry to the Mexican people and your service and example to the mission teams" ~ Nate

"I learned this week that I need to rely on and trust God more to give me the courage and strength I need to overcome my fear and take the next step in my faith! I will do everything in my power to challenge myself and look my fear in it's face!" ~ Amanda

Testimonies like these are so encouraging and uplifting to hear from teenagers! We don't NEED these to be obedient in answering God's call on our lives. But, they are great reminder of why we do what we do. We hope you are encouraged by these as well. Your sacrifices of time, finances, etc. are an integral part of this significant ministry.

Music News
We are very excited and truly blessed to report about some special upcoming Canote family music bookings. We just today sealed the deal for some gospel bluegrass - Canote family style - at the annual 2012 Centralia Anchor Fest. We will be doing 2 1-hour shows on Saturday, June 2 - 10am & 12:15pm. In all the years we have been travelling around playing for similar venues, we've never actually played for the Anchor Fest.

In other Canote family music news, our kids have finally settled on a band name. It comes from Romans 4:20-22. From now on, instead of the "Canote Kids" or the "Canote Boys"... they will be using: "Fully Persuaded". The official members of the band will be: Adam & wife - Tiffany, Chewy, Alex, & JP.

They decided it was high time to get that settled when they were recently contacted and officially booked to be the opening band for BarlowGirl ALSO at the same 2012 Centralia Anchor Fest! To say they are a little excited about that opportunity would be a bit of an understatement!

It's very humbling to see God's hand at work in and through us to accomplish His big ole plans in His perfect timing! What a blessing indeed! God is good...all day long!

Sermon Links
You can find links to all of the sermon audio files available on our website by clicking here: SERMONS. Chris will be wrapping up a 4-sermon series on "Love & Marriage" this coming Sunday at HBC. Most of the time, we are able to get sermon audio posted with 2-3 days.

Canote E-Notes 01/09/12

2012-01-09T09:50:00.000-06:00

Buenos Dias!
We have pretty well recovered from our big trip, jet lag, etc. and are back into the regular swing of things. Our time in Mexico was as challenging, uplifting, rewarding, and AWESOME as any other! :) We certainly enjoyed our time there but were also glad to get back home to the rest of the Canote family circus.
We usually hit the ground running and this time was no different. Within just a few hours of being home, Pastor Chris was meeting with a grieving family followed by conducting funeral service. We love having our calendar full of activity with plenty of opportunities to serve God.
We were also looking forward to spending time with our church family again. After all the frenzied blur of activity from the holidays, travels planning, etc., it's good to get back into a regular schedule including Sunday services, weekly bible study, school, and such.
Now it's time to set our sights ahead for the near future and beginning the planning and logistics for our next opportunity to host ministry teams in Mexico. Oh, and then there's that part about another little bundle of baby joy coming our way in a few months...

Below are some links from our time in Mexicali, Mexico:

Video:
Video Review of Our Week in Mexicali (Created by Chewy Canote)
Our Canote Family YouTube Channel

Audio:
Pastor Chris' Daily Chapel Sermons:

Day #1 - "The Response To Jesus"
Day #2 - "Standing For Jesus"
Day #3 - "Oh, How I Love Jesus"
Day #4 - "Cual Es Tu Problema?"
Day #5 - "A Powerful Prayer Life"

Sermon Audio Page on our Canote Family website

Canote E-Notes 01/01/12

2011-12-31T22:42:00.001-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We are kicking off Day #5 today...our final full day... on the mission field of Mexicali, Mexico and Day #1 of 2012.

It has been a glorious week where we have seen God work in and through us and our ministry teams in mighty ways. PTL! He has kept His promise to meet our needs and equip us to accomplish what He called us to accomplish. God is gonna what He's gonna do!

We have been so encouraged and blessed to partner with our fellow workers as God "blesses the nations".

We've never been with a group any more passionate and genuine in their faith. God has truly assembled a "dream team" of His people surrendered to His lead - chasing hard after His perfect plan.

We were very honored to be included in a special surprise wedding ceremony this week! Mike & Becky Letherby, here from Caledonia, Michigan, are a married couple who have spent their wedding anniversary with us here in Mexico the last several years.

Their team decided to plan an entire renewing-of-their-vows ceremony complete with music, a pastor (Chris), flowers, etc. Alex even sang them a love song mid-ceremony! The happy couple was overwhelmed with the love and effort that went into their surprise.

God has also provided a staff for this week of team ministry that is second to none. Irv & Mari Penner along with their 2 children, are missionary candidates here with us from Canada. Irv, a former pastor, has lead a daily staff devotional time.

God has used that time to bond our staff team together and help us stay focused on why we are here and who we are actually serving.

There are many stories to tell of God's handiwork but it's time to get back at it...

Canote E-Notes 12/29/11

2011-12-29T09:27:00.001-06:00

It's a beautiful new day that God has made, here on our mission field for the week, in Mexicali, Mexico.

Having wrapped up Day #1 for our ministry teams and secured a good night's rest, we are ready to get back at it. Our teams were pleased to see a good number of children, teens, and adults show up to be ministered to yesterday and they are looking forward to building relationships over the next few days.

Last night's Prayer & Share in chapel was very encouraging as the team members shared first impressions of this cross cultural discipleship experience. We know from experience that God will be working in and through each of them this week in BIG ways.

Several of them shared how last year's trip changed their lives. Some who came this year, shared how those that came home telling stories of last year's trip impacted them and convinced them they HAD to come check it out for themselves.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We ask the teams after Day #1 to identify anything that might be holding them back from giving their very best for God this week.

In the way of a prayer request, here is that list: fatigue, emotional baggage, spiritual warfare, comfort zone, fear, and just general distractions from focus. Please pray over this list.

Satan doesn't want us here, doesn't want people to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus, and doesn't want the above list of issues to be overcome. However, we serve a God who is much bigger than all that! PTL!

The pics are from our prayer time last night and a view of the mountains from our base camp.

Can't wait to what God has cooked up for us today!

Canote E-Notes 12/27/11

2011-12-27T14:14:00.001-06:00

Hola from Mexicali, Mexico!
Chris here, I'm putting technology to the test by doing a blog post via iPhone... we'll see. I'm here with Chewy, Alex, and JP. We're doing a week of team ministry with YUGO Ministries - hosting a team from Caledonia, Michigan. We have converged on this mobile outreach center along with the other YUGO staff and volunteers.

We arrived yesterday afternoon. We spent the evening unpacking and getting settled in. Today we are wrapping up the final set-up, cleaning, etc. in order to be ready to receive our team.

Our kitchen team including chef Ron Struska has already been feeding us very well. We had a big pot of chili last night, Belgium waffles for breakfast and stir fry for lunch! Wow!

The boys have just finished setting up all the sound equipment and are rehearsing for tonight's kick-off in chapel.

Tomorrow is the first big day of ministry. We know God is with us. We are honored and blessed for the opportunity to join Him on His mission field.

More updates to come... We very much appreciate your prayers and we're counting on them.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T17:02:00.002-06:00

May this Christmas end the present year on a cheerful note

and make way for a fresh and bright New Year!

Here's wishing you a

Merry Christmas!

and a

Happy New Year!

Canote E-Notes 12/15/11

2011-12-15T12:36:00.000-06:00

"While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." ~ Luke 2:6-7

Feliz Navidad!

We sure hope you and your family are having as much fun celebrating this holiday season as we are! Granted, it's the busiest time of year... but, it's also our favorite time of year. We've already enjoyed Christmas caroling with the children's ministry kiddos at our home church, lots of Christmas shopping, and several holiday parties and get-togethers including plenty of tasty treats! As always, we try hard to keep at the forefront, the true REASON FOR THE SEASON.

Christmas Music Ministry
This last weekend included two Christmas programs with a chance to make lots of Christmas music: Canote Family style. This year's music included old standards, bluegrass and country styles, and even a jazzy "White Christmas" with dad and the boys. We'll work on getting some video up on our YouTube Channel ASAP.

New Web Site

www.yugo.org

After months of planning, design, and review our Launch Team at YUGO Ministries was just recently able to take the new web site live: www.yugo.org. Check it out! It's brand new and super fresh! It even includes a mobile version. Click here for information about joining our family in Acuña, Mexico in 2012.

Mexico
In the midst of all the hubbub of this busy holiday season, Chris and the boys are also finalizing the logistics and travel plans for their annual New Year's Outreach with YUGO. They will be leaving on Christmas Day flying out of St. Louis and into San Diego late in the day. The following day, after picking up a big van and trailer, stocking up on supplies, etc. they will be heading south of the border for a week of Team Ministry in Mexicali, Mexico. They will host a large ministry team from Caledonia, Michigan. Look for updates from Chris while they are on that trip.

Sermon Links
Below are links from recent sermons delivered by Pastor Chris. They are located on our Canote Family web site: www.thecanotefamily.com.

"Mary Had A Little Lamb"
Luke 1;26-38

"Fearfully and Wonderfully Made"
Psalm 139

Canote E-Notes 11/30/11

2011-11-30T13:45:00.001-06:00

Greetings! And Merry Christmas!
Good news! It's official... Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday have come and gone. You can now tell everyone Merry Christmas! and listen to Christmas music without people thinking you are overly weird! :) Of course, Chris would listen to Christmas music year round regardless of what people think! That falls right in line with his habit of watching the movie Elf several times per year. Granted, he does step it up during the holidays using it to pass time while on the treadmill.

As you might guess, Christmas is a pretty exciting time around the Canote house! It's kind of a given when you have a house full of kiddos. Charlotte, 4 yrs old, is asking 2-3 times per day now, "How many days 'til Christmas?"

FUN

Our little girls, Allison, Natalie, Charlotte, & Victoria were recently VERY excited to FINALLY have the "dream come true" of spending the night at big brother Chewy's apartment. We might have guessed that ole Chewy would have put his video camera and editing software to good use for some fun with his sisters. The result is hilarious! Naturally, Chris couldn't resist adding the production to our YouTube Channel. And, here's the evidence:
"Dance Party at Chewy's House"

And you probably thought missionary kids just sit around and pray all day right? Ha ha!

MEXICO
The final logistics are starting to come together for the YUGO New Year's team ministry in Mexicali, Mexico. Chris, Chewy, Alex, & JP will fly out to San Diego on Christmas Day for a week of ministry in Mexico and return Jan. 3. They will be hosting 2 teams from Cornerstone UMC out of Caledonia, Michigan. Please keep them and the ministry teams in your prayers. Please pray for those who will be ministered to as well.

ANNOUNCEMENT
As you may have already heard, yes it's true.... :) Did you ever wonder what it would be like to have 10 kids? Well, we did. We'll let you know in June of next year. That's when the doctors expect another little Canote to arrive! We're very exciting and looking forward to another little bundle of joy and gift from the Lord!

SERMON LINKS
"What Have You Done For Me Lately?"
Deuteronomy 2:7
Delivered at Harrisburg Baptist Church 11/20/11

"Do You Trust Me?"
1 Kings 17:1-7
Delivered at Harrisburg Baptist Church 11/27/11

Canote E-Notes 11/19/11

2011-11-19T19:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

May the Lord fill your home with His abundant goodness and your LIFE with His ever present joy.

Blessings on your THANKSGIVING!

The blessing of the Lord be upon you.
~ Psalm 129:8

OUR BABY BOY
Our baby boy, Adam (now 21) is all grown up! It's a bittersweet thing. We are certainly proud of the man he has become. But, we also miss the little boy strumming that first toy guitar. We never dreamed how far God would take his musical talents.

Adam recently blessed the socks off of everyone in attendance at the Willie Mae Kountz Recital Hall at Central Methodist University. With not a single empty seat left, we were all treated to what amounted to the culmination of 4 years in classical guitar training.

Adam presented for us his Senior Recital, a partial fulfillment of the Bachelor of Music Education degree. We've been listening to him play his various guitars now for years. But, this was different. It was magical. As his parents, it was a bit overwhelming. Let's just say the tears were flowing about a minute into the first piece.

The second picture shows a guitar...that's actually a cake! It was made by our good friend, cake master Mary Avery.

Naturally, his proud papa has loaded the performance onto YouTube so the masses may enjoy. And, here are the links:

Piece #1: Asturias (Leyenda) by Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909)
http://youtu.be/7d59ELuvW18

Piece #2: Sonatine Op. 71 by Mauro Guiliani (1781-1829)
http://youtu.be/J0WXDea1k7U

Piece #3: Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Harold Arlen (1905-1986)
Arranged by Adam
http://youtu.be/SWoLcaH2eT0

Piece #4: Rhylynn by Andy McKee (b. 1979)
http://youtu.be/WquTop7ZoDo

Piece #5: For My Father by Andy McKee
http://youtu.be/dCbBbFMEoo8

Sermon Links
"In The Heavenly Realms"
Ephesians 2:1-7
Delivered at Harrisburg Baptist Church 11/06/11

"Godly Families In an Un-Godly World"
Joshua 24:15
Delivered at Harrisburg Baptist Church 11/13/11

Canote E-Notes 11/02/11

2011-11-02T14:31:00.000-05:00

November Prayer Letter Posted
Our November Prayer Letter has been posted to our website. Click the heading above to access that file or wait for the paper copy to arrive in the mail. If you don't currently receive our Canote family "Canote Notes" monthly prayer letter via snail-mail but would like to, click HERE and let Chris know in an email.

Sermon Link
Here's a new sermon link from Pastor Chris

"The Unlimited Power Within You" - 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon preached at Harrisburg Baptist Church
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Pastor Chris Canote

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 - As Christians, we have access to all the resources and power of God. However, that only applies if we are connected to God in a full surrender His Holy Spirit within us. That is what the Apostle Paul was explaining to the church at Corinth in our main text.

Canote E-Notes 10/24/11

2011-10-24T16:00:00.002-05:00

Music Ministry Update
The Canote boys just wrapped up an exciting weekend of ministry serving as the worship team for a youth discipleship weekend (D-Now) for the OneWay Youth Group at Sturgeon Baptist Church. They kicked it off Friday evening and stayed through Sunday morning sharing their musical talents and setting a Godly example for their peers.

Adam, the oldest at 21, was actually unable to join them because of prior commitments, so JP (14) had to step it up on lead vocals and guitar. Alex (16) covered percussion and Chewy (19) took care of

The Canote Boys

the bass.

Needless to say, mom & dad's hearts are busting with pride. But, we also give God the credit. It's an awesome thing to see God working in and through your kids to have such an impact on others for the sake of the Kingdom.

The boys are starting to get "ramped up" and excited about an upcoming Mexico trip. It's almost time for the annual Canote Men's Father/Son trek to Mexicali, Mexico for YUGO's New Year's Team Ministry.

On a side note.... these boys need a band name! They don't seem to care for "the Canote boys". Apparently, that's not particularly "cool". It's also apparent that regardless of how "cool" a name might be, if it's suggested by your dad, it immediately loses it's "coolness" factor. So, if you have an idea, please feel free to email them directly:

Adam Canote - adam@thecanotefamily.com
Chewy Canote - chewy@thecanotefamily.com
Alex Canote - alex@thecanotefamily.com
JP Canote - jp@thecanotefamily.com

Dad is going to stop making suggestions for a band name. :) Several years ago, the boys wrote a bluegrass instrumental song which always got a great response from the crowds. Dad kept telling them it needed a name and that it should be something spiritual. Naturally, the name of that song became: "Something Spiritual".

Sermon Link
Here's a new sermon link from Pastor Chris:

"The Hope of Glory" - Colossians 1:21-27

Sermon preached at Harrisburg Baptist Church
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Pastor Chris Canote

Colossians 1:27 calls this position of Christ inus: both a “mystery” and “the hope ofglory”. As former enemies of God, wedon’t deserve this “hope of glory”. We weren’tworthy of His great love or His amazing Grace. But He loved us anyway…

"Where Are You?" - Genesis 3:1-13

2011-10-16T17:44:00.000-05:00

Sermon preached at Harrisburg Baptist Church
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Pastor Chris Canote

Fig leaves, nekidness, & the river in Egypt...

Listen to listen to audio:

"Where Are You?" - Genesis 3:1-13

"Outside The Walls" - Ephesians 3:4-21

2011-10-09T21:41:00.001-05:00

Sermon preached at Harrisburg Baptist Church
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Pastor Chris Canote

Link to listen to audio:

"Outside the Walls" - Ephesians 3:4-21

Also, Susan and JP performed Laura Story's song "Blessings" with Susan on lead vocals and JP on piano and background vocals today at HBC. Here's a link to the audio: Blessings

Canote E-Notes 10/06/11

2011-10-07T05:55:00.001-05:00

Greetings Ministry Support Team!

We want to fill you in about some exciting things we currently have in the works with the ministry with YUGO Ministries in Ciudad Acuña, Mexico. We have recently discovered that the Del Rio, TX First Baptist Church has dorms available specifically for hosting mission teams coming to the area to work. Their vision was to house ministry teams not interested in sleeping in Mexico. We are hoping to utilize the dorms to launch a ministry working with Hispanic churches in Del Rio. This would still be a cross-cultural missions experience for the ministry teams as they would be working with spanish speaking churches located in predominantly hispanic neighborhoods.

Our hope is that this would provide an opportunity for teams and churches who are concerned about safety and security in Mexico to be able to come back and rejoin us on the mission field. We have seen first hand time and time again the amazing impact this type of discipleship experience has on the lives of those who participate. Of course, as always, the eternal impact made on those who accept Christ as their Savior in the process is enormous! In that regard, we have determined that there is a very real need for ministry in Del Rio. Our main goal, as always would still be to support the local churches and pastors in their established ministry efforts.

We feel God is leading us to be flexible and get outside the box when it comes to ministry. We want to find where He is already at work and join Him there vs. dragging Him along with us. Please pray with us as we continue to work out the details and logistics for launching this new ministry effort.

Prayer Requests
1. For surrender to God's Holy Spirit in His lead on our lives
2. For the necessary prayer, resources, and support to launch this new ministry effort
3. For ministry teams to join us on the mission field for an experience of a lifetime.

thank you, Thank You, and THANK YOU to our ministry support team!
We love you, need you, and praise God for you!

Photo by: www.ginabeckleyphotography.com

"Amazing Grace" - Ephesians 2:4-8

2011-10-02T18:27:00.003-05:00

Sermon preached at Harrisburg Baptist Church
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Pastor Chris Canote

Link To Listen to Audio:

"Amazing Grace" - Ephesians 2:4-8

Canote E-Notes 09/21/11

2011-09-21T14:16:00.003-05:00

Greetings!
I'm writing with 2 very specific prayer requests regarding the ministry work God has called us to as a family. It relates to the financial support necessary to make it all happen.

Our situation at YUGO is unique among our missionary co-workers because we live in the U.S. We have the option of generating additional income to meet our household and ministry expenses without the limitations of foreign visas.

We have done that over the years through multiple "side" jobs and through Susan’s job working from home which officially makes us “tent makers”. It also means we have not given the necessary attention to building and maintaining our ministry support team.

The result is our reserve account which is used to fund my monthly salary through YUGO, my health insurance, and ministry expenses is dangerously low. We must replenish the account at YUGO or face being reclassified as part-time and losing my only option for health insurance.

We know 2 things in our hearts for certain: #1, God has called us to this ministry in this time and place. He has provided ample tangible evidence in our lives to support that belief. #2, God has promised to meet all our needs. And, our God is still faithful.

We know God will meet this need in His perfect timing as He has promised to do. Please join us in praising Him for that.

If you have not felt led to support this ministry financially up to this point, would you also please ask God specifically if He would have you begin supporting at this time?

To our ministry team: thank you, Thank You, and THANK YOU!
We love you and we need you. Your support as co-laborers in this ministry is critical and we praise God for you every day! Thank you! We are eternally grateful for your partnership with our family!

Telling the Story,

Pastor Chris Canote
Outreach & Mobilization Director
YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

The Canote E-Notes - 10/16/10

2010-10-16T09:39:00.001-05:00

:) Happy Saturday! :)
Here's a quick update from the Canote Family Circus...
We wrapped up a series of revival services on Sunday at the Armstrong Baptist Church in Armstrong, MO. The Lord laid a series of messages on my heart ramping up to Sunday morning, challenging the church towards renewal and a refocus on the basics of a fruitful and rewarding church family life with an emphasis on making an impact in their community and ultimately the world. We were able to share about YUGO's work in Mexico during each service and already have at least one committed to working towards joining us on the field in Acuna. The boys led worship for the youth group and the evening worship service on Thursday night with their contemporary worship style. The rest of the time we played gospel bluegrass doing an extended worship/performance on Sunday morning. The Canote family was VERY blessed for the experience! God is good!

Today, we are heading down to southeastern Missouri to the Gladden Baptist Church about 15 miles outside Salem, MO to share some Canote Family Gospel Bluegrass. This is one of those very rare occasions where we actually have every member of our family along with their spouses....ROAD TRIP! We are so blessed to be able to serve God in this way. Of course, we'll be sharing about Mexico and looking for who in the audience with which we can begin the stalking process of luring them down to Mexico with us!

If you're receiving this email, you're part of our support network and ministry team. Your presence in our lives, financial support, prayers, friendship, etc. all provide encouragement for us to keep heading out into the darkness to rescue lost souls. Thank you for that and God bless YOU!

Telling the Story,

Chris Canote
Outreach Director/Mobilizer
YUGO Ministries

Interim Pastor
Harrisburg Baptist Church
http://www.yugo.org
http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

chris@thecanotefamily.com
573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Canote E-Notes 10/01/10

2010-10-01T14:04:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday!
It's hard to believe another week has flown by and here's another Friday. Just a quick update on the Canote family here.

Susan and I are still riding the "spiritual high" of an amazing prayer meeting at church that happened on Tuesday night of this week. Sometimes you have an experience with other people where the presence of God's Holy Spirit is so overwhelming, it's difficult to describe. This was one of those times. We're so excited to see how God is working in and through church family, drawing us together, tearing down walls, and getting us ramped for.... well, we're not sure. The truth is, we don't need to know. We just know that God is moving in a mighty way in our church home and that's a good thing. God is good...all the time!

We are moving forward on beginning to implement some of the ideas I picked up during my visit with OM. We are currently pulling together all of the information for every church and individual who has worked with YUGO in some capacity of the last 10 years. The plan is to harness and maximize the relationships which already exist. I will begin the process of re-contacting these people to talk about the possibility of them joining us on the field in Mexico in the near future.

We have a couple of gospel bluegrass performances coming up in the next couple of weeks. I will also be preaching for revival services at Armstrong Baptist Church next week. Anytime we have an opportunity to be in front of a crowd, we always take time to share about how God us working in and through our missionaries "on the ground" in Mexico.

Have a GREAT weekend! Thank you for your support and prayers!

Telling the Story,

Chris Canote
Outreach Director/Mobilizer
YUGO Ministries

Interim Pastor
Harrisburg Baptist Church
http://www.yugo.org
http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Canote E-Notes 09/28/10

2010-09-28T11:55:00.002-05:00

Greetings & Salutations!
It's been an exciting last few weeks around the Canote house! We have had a lot going on at church, plenty of school related activity - including elementary, jr. high, high school, AND college!, along with our usual adventures in missions with Mexico and YUGO. You know...the usual Canote Family Circus!

I just returned from spending a couple of days in Atlanta, GA touring the Operation Mobilization (OM) USA headquarters and spending time with their leadership team. One of our board members at YUGO, Bill Drake, is also an OM missionary himself. He and his lovely bride, Teri, hosted me along with another YUGO board member, Ray Schwartz. OM has missionaries serving world-wide in over 100 countries and on multiple mission cruise ships which travel port to port taking the Good News of Jesus to the world. We went to learn and learn we did! It was an exciting trip. I came away refreshed and with a renewed vision for the future of YUGO Ministries and how God can and will work in and through the Canote family to accomplish His big ole plan! And I'm very excited about putting some new ideas to work ASAP!

I am currently coordinating the logistics for directing and speaking for the Mexicali, Mexico New Year's Outreach. The boys and I have been a part of this outreach now for several years. They will be joining me to lead worship, set-up, tear-down, etc. We have a team of 40 high school students and 15 college students coming to minister with us from Michigan this year - so far.

Thank you so much for your friendship, prayers, and financial support! You have an important role on our ministry team just by your presence in our lives. And it's awesome to see how God uses each of you to accomplish His will.

God Bless YOU!

Telling the Story,

Chris Canote
Outreach Director/Mobilizer
YUGO Ministries

Interim Pastor
Harrisburg Baptist Church
http://www.yugo.org
http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
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Canote E-Notes - 07/01/10

2010-07-01T12:03:00.001-05:00

Greetings!
Just wanted share a couple of updates...

The media and the U.S. State Department have been very effective in their campaign to promote their agenda regarding the "violence" in Mexico. We certainly cannot blame anyone one bit for fear and concerns about sending a bunch of teenagers and families into what amounts to a lot of "unknowns". Unfortunately, however, we have had to cancel the outreaches in Acuña for this summer. We started out the year with several interested teams. Some who had come in years past and a couple of new ones. We did still have one team who wanted to come regardless. Located in Dallas, TX, they are much closer to the border and have connections in Acuña so they weren't concerned about safety for their team. They know it is as safe in Acuna as it is in most any city in the U.S. The violence in Mexico is limited to a short list of specific areas of Mexico which does not include Acuna. Fortunately, the Dallas team understands our situation. We wouldn't be good stewards of our ministry resources setting up a mobile outreach for just the one team. Much of the expense of the outreach is the same regardless of how many come.

I changed my plans and will be going to Tijuana, Mexico, July 11-17 to preach in the daily chapel services for a YUGO outreach at our Tijuana Outreach Center. The boys and I will also be returning to Mexicali over the Christmas break as we have for the last several years.

We are heartbroken that we won't be able to minister together as a family this summer in Mexico. However, we also know that God's plans are always the best - whether we understand them at the time or not and He IS still in charge. This is actually His ministry and we know we don't have the the authority or right to question His ministry plans.

I am also preaching for the youth week at our home-church church camp each night July 5-8. I am very excited about these ministry opportunities to reach out and have an impact in the lives of youth! God is good and faithful and bringing messages to my heart deliver. Please keep me in your prayers as I prepare to spend a lot of time in the pulpit over the next couple of weeks.

Here is a link for a blog article I ran across this morning about the long-term benefits of short-term missions. It's a short read, take a look when you get a couple minutes:

http://nathanshoultz.wol.org/blog/shoultz/shortTerm

¡Que Dios te acompañe por siempre!
God be with you forever!

Chris Canote
Outreach Director/Mobilizer
YUGO Ministries

Interim Pastor
Harrisburg Baptist Church
http://www.yugo.org
http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Canote E-Notes 06/14/10

2010-06-17T22:26:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends & Family,
Greetings in the matchless name of Jesus Christ our Savior!

For starters, no you didn't get bumped off the "Canote E-Notes" list. I just haven't sent one in quite some time. We have maintained the monthly prayer letters but have fallen short on our commitment to keep you informed and updated regarding our ministry on a more frequent basis. Your friendship, support, and prayers are priceless and we are so very thankful, honored, and blessed to consider you part of our ministry support team. God bless you! Your reward is stored up in heaven pending your arrival. Praise the Lord!

If life in full-time ministry is anything, it is certainly never boring. God continues to stretch us and use us according to His perfect will. It's always amazing to see how God works things out; His plans and timing are ALWAYS the best. It's awesome to look back and see how He has moved things into place over time to accomplish His ministry - often in ways we never even considered. Praise the Lord!

We are trusting Him and His plans with a new ministry opportunity. On Sunday, June 6, I was elected the Interim Pastor of our home church, Harrisburg Baptist Church. Aside from a strong leading from the Lord to make myself available, the vote was unanimous, providing additional confirmation God was right in the middle of the plan. It is a bi-vocational position making it a perfect match for the ministry work I do with YUGO Ministries. I am very excited about serving in this new role and about the vision for ministry I believe God has given me for our home church.

Aside from making multiple trips per year to serve alongside our YUGO missionaries who live in Mexico, my primary role with YUGO is to serve as a mission mobilizer. My work includes developing relationships with churches and ministry leaders. The goal is that YUGO Ministries and our missionaries living in Mexico can help these churches maximize their ministry resources and efforts to most efficiently impact the world for Jesus. The result is that the people of Mexico come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. I also built and maintain the YUGO website www.yugo.org along with assisting with various other marketing efforts for YUGO. None of that has changed. I will continue to work in that capacity. If anything, this new ministry plan for our family has given me a renewed vision and refreshed outlook on God's plans for working in and through us for His Glory.

Thank you for your prayers!

God Bless You!

Chris Canote
Outreach Director/Mobilizer
YUGO Ministries

Interim Pastor
Harrisburg Baptist Church
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Canote E-Notes 12/28/09

2009-12-28T18:12:00.003-06:00

Buenas Tardes y Dios le bendiga!
Good afternoon and God Bless You!

Adam, Chewy, Alex and I are hard at it this week serving on the mission field of Mexicali, Mexico. We're serving on a YUGO evangelistic outreach based at our bible institute in Tamaulipas. We have made this annual trek to Mexicali for a few years now. We are joined every year by an amazing team from Cornerstone UMC in Caledonia, Michigan. We also have several other volunteer and YUGO missionary staff serving here with us. The weather here is considerably better than what we left at home. It's been around 60 degrees F during the day and dropping down to around 40 at night. That's just about as cold as we can handle without using a heater.

Everyone is so encouraging and very excited about being here. We've been faced with and dealing with all the usual obstacles we've grown accustomed to over the years. We all have a sense of the spiritual battles taking place around us. The Mexican people are hungry for something and very receptive to the gospel message. Though satan may not want us here, God has not changed. He was hard at work here before our arrival. He is with us and His spirit resides within us.

We're so thankful for and counting on your prayers getting us through...keep 'em coming our way please. We're not even bothering to ask God to give us perfect health and no obstacles this week. That's kinda silly. Please just pray for us that we will be in full surrender this week, trusting God and His plan. Also, please be in prayer for the Mexican people who our team will be ministering to this week. Some will hear and receive the Gospel for the first time. Others will be encouraged in their personal walk and ministry in their lives.

Adam and the boys are doing a great job with worship. They lead us this morning in a song I've never heard and never heard them even practice and they rocked it! God is good. Adam is concerned about his voice and allergies as it is VERY dry here and he is already getting a rasp to his voice. This morning, just before chapel he could hardly breathe. Just as he started to lead us, he immediately cleared up and stayed that way for the entire service. God is good!

I wrestled a bit with God about delivering the message He put in my heart for this morning's chapel service. I didn't want to offend or to be too direct but, God had His way. The challenge was about God's call for surrender in our lives. I reminded the team and staff that God is not "impressed with us" for taking time to serve in Mexico. He wants our surrender in all things, here and at home. He loves us and wants us but doesn't "need" us. Afterwards, several from the team and their leaders came to personally thank me for the message and how it would impact their team and their ministry today at their site.

What a blessing and a great honor! As I type this message, I realize the irony in the blessing for me from surrendering to deliver His message and challenge about the blessings of surrender...

God is still good, faithful, and has THE plan.

Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
http://www.yugo.org
http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

"Alright Okay You Win" - CMU Jazz Band

2009-12-19T21:19:00.001-06:00

More from Adam's college jazz band - the CMU Jazz Band from their annual December concert.

"As Time Goes By" - CMU Jazz Band

2009-12-19T14:34:00.001-06:00

Check out the CMU Jazz Band including our son, Adam rockin it at their annual December concert.

Canote E-Notes 12/15/09

2009-12-15T12:43:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas from the Canote family to you and yours!

It has been a while since I've sent out an email update. I hope you can forgive me for the communication hiatus! If you're not on the snail-mail mailing list for our monthly prayer letter and would like to be, just shoot me back an email and we'll get you on the list.

Family Updates
God is still hard at work in our lives and in His ministry through us. We're as busy as ever but, "busy" is a way of life when you have 8 kids...and 1 more on the way. Of course, we're all very excited about the new little bundle of joy coming our way. We're expecting her in mid-February. However, Susan is convinced she might try to show up before the end of January! We'll see about that! :) Here are some updates on each of the kiddos:

Samantha & Nathan, the happy (newly) married couple have settled into the routine of married life quite nicely. "Toby", their miniature Chihuahua (and our grand-puppy) is a never-ending source of entertainment. Every time we visit, they have taught him a new trick including "speaking", rolling over, sitting, shaking hands, playing dead...all the usual dog-tricks! LOL! They are wrapping up finals this week and looking forward to the holiday break from school at CMU in Fayette, MO.
Adam, also at CMU, is looking forward to his holiday break as well. He has maintained a very full schedule this semester between school, work, and his internship at Faith Family Church. He spends most of what little free time he has with his girlfriend of several months, Tiffany. We all very much enjoyed hearing him play along with the CMU Jazz Band and the CMU Concert Band at each of their respective December concerts. Adam and I, along with Chewy and Alex will be flying to San Diego on Christmas Day to minister in Mexicali, Mexico with YUGO for a week. Adam will be leading worship for the daily chapel services and evening "prayer and share" meetings. He will also be leading the daily prayer and prep meetings for the sports and evening ministry teams.
Chewy is half-way through his senior year in high school. He has yet to make any final decisions for college other than, of course, he is going. He's just not sure where or what his major might be. He has a lot of interests and has had some trouble narrowing down the list. :) He is looking forward to his senior trip to Florida over Spring Break. In addition to being a member of the worship team, Chewy will be taking on a new challenge on our trip to Mexicali. He will be our resident "paparazzi" for the week and will produce a video for the ministry team to take home commemorating their week in Mexico. He is excited and up for the challenge.
Alex is a freshman in high school this year and is playing on the junior varsity basketball team. Basketball in Harrisburg requires a considerable commitment of time and energy...and shuttling back and forth between practices, games, etc. We're all enjoying going to the games and will also appreciate the break when it's over. :) Alex will be serving on the worship team on our Mexico trip and helping in the kitchen and wherever else he is needed.
JP, as a 7th grader has finally "escaped" elementary, as he puts it! :) JP also played basketball this year. His team just wrapped up their season. They only had 7 on the team. They didn't win many games but he played nearly all of every game. We decided the benefits of all that play time out-weighed the losses, preparing him for his high school career. :) JP is bummed that he didn't get to go to Mexico this time. During the Christmas holidays is the most expensive time of the year to fly. He will be the man of the house while the rest of us are gone.
Allison - 1st grade, Natalie - Kindergarten and Charlotte - 2 years old, keep us all young and awake! LOL! With another baby girl on the way, we are starting a second family. A house with a bunch of little girls running around is different in many ways than the house full of little boys we once had! It's always fun to host someone for a meal at the Canote house for the first time. It's interesting to see the look on their face as the circus begins!

Susan and the baby-on-the-way, are doing very well. Since we are classified as "old" by the healthcare professionals, she is on the weekly ultrasound and doctor visit schedule. The technology is improving to the point that you can practically see the look on her face in the scans! It's great fun to get to "take a peak" every week! And, we keep getting glowing reports. Praise the Lord!

We are a blessed and happy family for many reasons. God is good and God is faithful...all the time! He created us and knows us well and loves us in spite of who we are! We need Him so much and we're thankful that He will never leave us or forsake us!

It's our wish this Christmas season and the year-round that you know the Greatest Story ever told and have the Peace and Grace of Jesus Christ in your life. Regardless of what the world tries to turn "Christmas" into, Jesus IS the reason for the season and the hero of the story! If you're reading this, then YOU are on our prayer list! Please remember us in yours.

Merry Christmas again and God Bless You!

In Christ,

Chris Canote

Outreach Director

Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries

http://www.yugo.org/

http://www.thecanotefamily.com/

http://twitter.com/canotechris

http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home

573/808-1195 Cell

Adam Canote - "Fly Me To The Moon" - Jazz Guitar

2009-11-16T09:58:00.001-06:00

Canote E-Notes 09/25/09

2009-09-25T14:34:00.003-05:00

Greetings & Howdy-doo-dah-day!

The good Lord has kept us very busy lately, blessing our socks off as usual, and a report is overdue! :) Here's a snapshot of just the last few days and this week:

9/19 - Gospel Bluegrass & Testimony - Anutt Community Church "Old Time Camp Meeting" - Rolla, MO
9/20 - Gospel Bluegrass & Testimony - Salem Full Gospel Church Morning Service - Salem, MO
9/21 - Gospel Bluegrass - Harrisburg Baptist Church Revival Service - Harrisburg, MO
9/23 - JP & Alex led worship for the "See Ya At the Pole" activity - Harrisburg School - Harrisburg, MO
9/23 - Adam led an unplanned/impromptu "See Ya At the Pole" gathering at CMU - Fayette, MO
9/23 - Chris spoke for the "Frontline" youth group meeting - Faith Family Church - Fayette, MO
9/23 - Adam, Chewy, & Alex - Jazz performance - Navigator's Ministry House at CMU "Jazz 502" - Fayette, MO
9/26 - Gospel Bluegrass & Testimony - God's Mountain Camp - Near Atchison, KS
9/27 - Gospel Bluegrass & Testimony - Clinton Presbyterian Church Morning Service - Clinton, KS

Coming up soon...we'll be doing some bluegrass and then Chris will preach at the Charity Baptist Church on Ballenger Lane in Columbia, MO on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 2PM. The following day, Chris will return on Sunday for the morning service to preach again.

Adam stays busy with his own ministry work in his internship at Faith Family and working with the Navigator Ministry on campus at CMU so we're learning how to do bluegrass without him when we have to.

We love it, love it, love it when we're busy doing ministry! Thank you so much for keeping us in your prayers! We're counting on them big time and thank God for you every day. Thank you, Thank You, and THANK YOU!

God is still good and faithful, meeting all our needs as He has promised to do. And we promise to do our best to honor Him and to be good stewards of the gifts He has given, the ministry He has called us to, and your prayers, encouragement, and financial support.

Special Project
We need to replace some of our older sound equipment. We've been dragging most of it up and down the road now for several years and it has definitely seen better days! We also use this equipment in Mexico on the outreaches for chapel services. We've used a lot of duct tape, clothes pins, bandaids, etc. but we're probably starting to press our luck with that. We're starting to get concerned that we may show up to a performance and find that we don't have a working sound system...that would not be good! :) We have asked our good friends at Arnold Music (also Adam's employer) in Moberly & Centralia, to shoot us some prices for a list of what we need. Please join us in praying specifically that the necessary funds would be supplied to purchase what we need to keep serving God in this way. We'll send an update when we know what that amount is.

In Christ,

Chris Canote - Jesus Freak
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org

www.thecanotefamily.com

http://twitter.com/canotechris

http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

H 573/874-1878

C 573/808-1195

JP Canote - "OverTheRainbow"

2009-08-27T16:51:00.001-05:00

Canote E-Notes 08/03/09

2009-08-03T13:47:00.002-05:00

Greetings and God Bless YOU from Tijuana, Mexico!
I hope you know today that God not only loves you, He actually likes you...just the way you are. I know that because His Word says so. He made us the way we are and He loves us. He is not irritated with us one moment, disappointed another, and then mad at us other times. He is not "happy" with us and love us more if we "do" certain things or go through our checklist of "do's and don'ts".

"Feelings" like that from God could only be if He thought we were one thing but we turned out to be another and only if it were totally up to us to, through our own efforts to imitate Jesus and impress Him with our style. So forget about the "checklist"! Look for ways to get to be better friends with the One who is completely "in love" with you.

Be encouraged today my friend! The Creator of this whole Universe loves you, likes you, chooses YOU and He actually had done all that long before you were even born!

Any doubts....check it out for yourself: Jer. 29:11, Phil. 1:6, Heb. 13:5, & Joshua 23:14. Still need more? Head on over to Psalm 139...(the whole chapter)

Modern Technology
Through the wonders of modern technology, I was able to listen in over the phone this morning while Susan was at a doctor's appointment at home. She was having an ultrasound done so I was able to actually hear our baby's heartbeat! Woot! God is good!

Tijuana Update
Apparently, there was an earthquake about 175 miles south of us this morning. I didn't feel a thing. I have to admit, I would kinda like to actually feel an earthquake some time....there, I said it!

Otherwise, it's all good here at the TJOC (Tijuana Outreach Center). We just finished our morning chapel service. We have several Mexican teenagers here with this week volunteering as their own ministry team at their own ministry site. Therefore, my message this morning was translated for them.

I'm counting on your prayers and so thankful for them!

Have a GREAT week!

Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter
YUGO Ministries
http://www.yugo.org
http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://www.thecanotefamily.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries
573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Canote E-Notes 07/20/09

2009-07-21T10:50:00.003-05:00

Back Home
Well, we all made it home safe and sound from two weeks in Tijuana at YUGO's Tijuana Outreach Center (TJOC). With God on our side as Sender, Protector, and Provider, we expected nothing less! Even every single piece of luggage made it there and back unscathed! That might be a miracle! God showed up big, as usual, and there are many stories to share. We are so thankful for the prayers from home.

Family Announcement
The word is out so many of you already are aware....yes, it's true....there is another little Canote on the way (yes, that makes 9). He or she is scheduled to arrive on or around Feb. 17. Yes, it was planned...as much as one can plan the miracle and God's gift of life. And yes, we feel very blessed and are all very excited. We found out the day Samantha and Nathan left for the honeymoon. We ushered one out the door and are ready to welcome another one in!

Ministry Report
God had us right back in action as soon as we got home from Mexico. We hit the driveway at about 6PM on Saturday night. The next morning, Chris preached at Fayette FBC and Adam and the boys led worship at Harrisburg Christian Church. Below are some upcoming ministry engagements:

Sat, July 25 - Missions Presentation, Adam & Boys leading worship, Chris preaching
Hammonds Mill summer youth camp - West Plains, MO

Sun, July 26 - Chris preaching
Sturgeon Baptist Church

Tue, July 28 - Music performance
Pepper & Friends TV Show

Sat, Aug. 1 - Music performance
Art Show - Fayette, MO

Sat, Aug. 1 to Sun, Aug. 9 - Mission Trip
Chris only - Preaching & Directing the Outreach
Back to Tijuana, Mexico at YUGO's TJOC

Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
http://www.yugo.org
http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Canote E-Notes 07/08/09

2009-07-08T18:06:00.003-05:00

Update from Tijuana, Mexico
Buenas Tardes from Tijuana, Mexico. God is still good and faithful and we're thankful to be on His team! We are also so thankful for your faithful prayers. Our ministry work has been an extra blessing knowing our intercessory team is at home working on our behalf. Thank You!

Our Canadian ministry team is a "well-oiled ministry machine" having come well-prepared and equipped to give God their best this week. They spent about 40 hours riding in a bus just to get here. We are so grateful for their sacrifice!

Our boys have gone out with the team this afternoon along with the summer intern staff to visit their ministry site. They will likely get to join in some of the sports ministry activities. Adam and crew have done an excellent job of leading us all in worship in our daily chapel services.

The girls are starting to adjust to their temporary home. Charlotte and Natalie have been somewhat "cranky" but are starting to move past that. They have made fast friends with a couple of other "missionary kids" here at the ranch and have spent most of today playing outside with them.

Susan has had a "bug" of some sort and has not felt well for about 24 hours. She's a bit of a rebel when it comes to drinking plenty of water....so I hope it's not a dehydration problem. She could use some extra prayers. I'll send an update if we don't see some improvement right away.

It's pretty chilly here in the mornings and evenings. We start and end each day in jackets and pants. We do a quick wardrobe change for the afternoon sunshine.

I'll try to send a shorter update next time....

God bless you and have a GREAT day!

Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
http://www.yugo.org
http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Canote E-Notes 07/02/09

2009-07-02T14:12:00.006-05:00

School Supplies Update
On Tue, I forwarded an email from one of our YUGO missionaries regarding a need for school supplies. Just FYI, literally within minutes of passing along that need, we had a commitment to send 270 boxes of colored pencils and another to send 270 spiral notebooks! Woo hoo! God is good! There is still a great need there if you feel God pulling on your heart strings.

Ministry Update
Adam just returned from spending a week as the worship leader for youth from Faith Family Church. They were attending the Rock Quest youth camp at at the Logan Valley Christian Retreat Center near Ellington, MO. Adam says he "had a blast" and really enjoyed working on the ministry team with Pastor Jamie Page and the other leaders. Pastor Jamie gave daily reports on his blog at: faith-family.org/PastorPage/

Travel Update
It's been a crazy week at the Canote house getting ready for this trip. We'll be leaving tomorrow mid-day for Kansas City. Our flight leaves Saturday morning for San Diego. We'll be stopping for a few supplies which are easier to buy there than carry with us on the plane such as diapers, etc. Then we'll be heading straight into Tijuana.

We'll be spending the following two weeks working at YUGO's Tijuana Outreach Center. I will be preaching Monday through Friday of both weeks. Adam will be leading worship with the boys the first week at the base...and in English. The second week, he will be leading worship in Spanish at a local neighborhood church. We'll be ministering along with the summer interns and other YUGO staff. We'll have enough workers to conduct a children's VBS, sport's ministry and women's ministry. We're very excited about that. Adam says he might need to brush up on his Spanish!

Please keep us in your prayers as we'll be relying on them for strength, good health, effective ministry efforts, etc.

God Bless YOU!

Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
twitter.com/canotechris
twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Monthly Prayer Letter

2009-06-30T17:23:00.008-05:00

Monthly Prayer Letter

"To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens." ~ Eccl. 3:1

July, 2009

¡Hola! (Hello!)

¡Dios le bendiga! (God bless you!) We’re writing to you this month from Tijuana, Mexico!

Yes, our entire family got on a plane (all at once!) and flew across country to San Diego, CA!

Wow! We could have filmed that for a reality TV show! (just kidding…we’ll pass on that). And…we still get to fly back home! Woo hoo!

Cambios de Viajes (Travel Changes)

Our travel plans, regarding Mexico, have gone from Plan A to Plan B to Plan C….to, well, we forgot which revamped plan we’re on at this point!

The fall out from the “sensational” mainstream news media reporting about Mexico has been intense this year. YUGO has seen a huge drop in the number of teams and individuals coming to minister in Mexico.

We’ve had many years of 3,000 or more coming to minister with us in Mexico. We’ll be lucky this year if we see even 20% of that overall. Some Christian ministries working in Mexico will likely not survive this year.

Our family has shifted our focus to the Tijuana Outreach Center (TJOC) this summer. We are here for two weeks on this trip. Chris is speaking each day for the daily chapel services. Adam and the boys led worship for the first week. We are pitching in where we can to help run the camp. Chris will return in August for another week of preaching and helping to direct the outreach.

Dios No Se Ha Cambiado (God Hasn’t Changed)

God is still faithful. He is still in charge. He still meets all our needs, never sleeps, loves us in spite of ourselves, and wants to work in and through us. Amen! We are thankful that God has not changed. And we have put our faith and focus in Him.

God has kept our ministry calendar full this year. The summer months are no different. We have had many opportunities to share our family music and preaching ministry. We’ve seen the usual wide range of venues as well.We’ve been on flatbed tractor trailers, street fairs, churches, etc. And here we are, once again, on the field in Tijuana, Mexico. God has given us some wild adventures! And, we are so blessed! The blessing is definitely all ours to be able to use God’s gifts to encourage so many people.

¡Gracias! (Thank you!)

Thank you to our awesome ministry support team! Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and financial support. For those who support our ministry faithfully every month financially, we are so very thankful for you! Please never think we take you for granted. We can’t do this without you. We need you and we thank God for you. It’s wonderful to see the Lord bless those who have faithfully and sacrificially given and we look forward to many more years of seeing the Lord do great and wonderful things in Mexico as a result of those gifts.

God Bless You!

The Canote Family

Chris, Susan, Samantha, Adam, Zachary (Chewy), Alex, J.P., Allison, Natalie, & Charlotte

Canote E-Notes 06/29/09

2009-06-29T17:20:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note to share about a beautiful moment of fellowship and blessing with our faithful "fellow workers", friends, and family. We spent the second of two Sundays in a row at Sturgeon Baptist yesterday preaching for the morning and evening worship services. As a family, we shared a feeling of God's overwhelming presence and love and enjoyed a special time of worship and ministry. Last night at the end of the evening service, the congregation gathered around us and laid hands on us, lifting us up in faithful and loving prayer from the heart, asking for God's protection and provision. It was an intimate and humbling experience we won't soon forget that blessed our socks off!

God is good...all the time!

Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Canote E-Notes 06/27/09

2009-06-27T11:18:00.002-05:00

Looking forward to a great day in the Lord tomorrow, preaching for the morning and evening services at Sturgeon Baptist Church. We were there for both services last Sunday (Father's Day) as well. Last Sunday was following a week of VBS at Sturgeon - it was very exciting to hear the reports from the VBS ministry team. We also had two different young ladies come forward at the end of the services (one in each service) to make a public profession of faith as a result of the VBS outreach. And, that was AWESOME! to say the least.

We're definitely getting "ramped up" for our 2-week trip to Tijuana - leaving one week from today on July 4. There is much to do over the next few days as we prepare for loading nine of us on an airplane.

I'm very excited to see what God has in mind to do THROUGH and IN us in Mexico this summer!

Prayer Requests:
- That hearts and lives would be transformed as a result of our ministry work in Mexico

- God's strength, wisdom, and Grace for new decision makers resulting from this ministry

- God's continued provision and protection

- Endurance as we run the race set before us

Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
twitter.com/canotechris
twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Canote E-Notes 06/24/09

2009-06-24T11:57:00.002-05:00

Well, it would appear our ever-changing travel plans have left a few people pretty-well cornfused! Ooops...sorry about that! :)

You may have heard the old saying, "if you want to make God laugh...go ahead and try to 'make plans'!". This might apply for us this summer! :) God had a plan, it just took us a bit to figure it out. We're excited about what God will be doing 'In, Through, and For' us this summer. It will be good to not only be ministering in Mexico but also to have the opportunity to spend some time working along side some of our fellow workers at YUGO.

The final plan **at this point** is that our entire family will be boarding a plane on Saturday, July 4, bound for San Diego, CA. We'll all be spending 2 weeks in Tijuana at YUGO's Tijuana Outreach Center, returning on Saturday, July 18. I will be returning by myself for a week in August.

I'll be preaching each weekday the entire 3 weeks for the daily chapel services for the visiting ministry teams. Adam and the boys will also do some worship leading the first week they are there.

Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Canote E- Notes 06/16/09

2009-06-16T17:05:00.002-05:00

It was a great day of ministry at the Kirksville FBC this last Sunday. We were there for the morning service, a noon carry-in meal, and an afternoon bluegrass concert.

We led worship for the morning service with some good old sing-alongs bluegrass style. I was also honored with the opportunity to speak for the morning service. God gave me a message about YUGO's work in Mexico with a challenge to be ambassadors for Christ.

The fellowship with our friends there was so warm and welcoming. As is often the case, we went to minister to them but we were the ones who left there blessed and reminded of God's goodness.

We were so very encouraged when right off the bat, Pastor Nissing opened the morning service with their regular prayer of encouragement for missionaries around the world. It was good to be with "fellow workers" in the Kingdom.

God is good...all the time!

Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Canote E-Notes 06/11/09

2009-06-11T14:58:00.005-05:00

Yay summer is here! Woo hoo!
Our very busy summer is already well under way. We now have the wedding behind us and it's time to move on to other things. There are multiple ministry engagements and mission work at hand.

We'll be doing some music and preaching as usual. God is keeping our calendar full. And, that's a wonderful blessing. Our Mexico travel plans have changed several times over the last few months but have finally settled in to a final plan. See our June & July Calendar below.

Our 2 weeks in Tijuana for the whole family should definitely be interesting. Adam and the boys will be leading worship daily for the chapel services the 1st week. I will be preaching each day all week for both weeks. I'm also working on another possible 2-week trip, for me only, back to Tijuana in August. That would be another 2 weeks of preaching each day.

Special Request
We have never all flown together anywhere. This will be a new experience for us. We're excited and anxious.

We need to update our supply of luggage and will also have to pay the new "checked baggage fee" for the flight out and the flight back. The luggage fees will be around $200 and we're probably going to need to spend at least that to add to our bags. That's an extra $400 to $500 we weren't counting on. Please pray with us that the necessary funds will be provided to make it happen.

Canote Calendar - June & July
- Sun, June 14, 11AM/2PM - Keytesville FBC - Worship, Preaching, & Concert

- Sat, June 20, 2PM - Sturgeon Street Fair - Adam & the kids (Sw'Action) - Contemporary Worship Concert

- Sat, June 20, 3PM - Sturgeon Street Fair - Gospel Bluegrass Concert

- Sun, June 21, 10:30AM & 6:30PM - Sturgeon Baptist Church - Chris Preaching

- Sun, June 28, 10:30AM & 6:30PM - Sturgeon Baptist Church - Chris Preaching

- Sat, July 4 - Sat, July 18 - We will all be in Tijuana, Mexico at the YUGO Tijuana Outreach Center

- Sun, July 26, 10:30AM & 6:30PM - Sturgeon Baptist Church - Chris Preaching

- Tue, July 28, 11AM - Performance on the Pepper & Friends TV Show

Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com

http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Girl From Ipanema - CMU Jazz Band

2009-05-03T23:21:00.001-05:00

Moten Swing - CMU Jazz Band

2009-05-03T21:45:00.001-05:00

JP Canote - "Somewhere In The Middle"

2009-05-03T15:00:00.003-05:00

JP Canote - "Move Along"

2009-05-03T15:00:00.001-05:00

JP Canote - The Mt Dew Song

2009-05-03T14:59:00.001-05:00

Canote E-Notes 05/02/09

2009-05-03T14:49:00.002-05:00

Happy Sunday!

Just a short note to say Happy Sunday! Also, wanted to let you know I just uploaded 3 new videos of JP singing and playing guitar. As follows:

Mt. Dew Song - By JP Canote

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SukodCSE6-U

Move Along - All-American Rejects

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWt04D3lS4c

Somewhere In the Middle - by Casting Crowns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppbq_CQgpTw

We could sure use your prayers regarding this summer's ministry in Mexico.

First, the media hype about violence in Mexico made it look like everyone in the whole country is locked in their houses and scared to death. NOT TRUE! People in Mexico actually think we're the violent ones in the U.S.

And now, this bacon flu. We've had teams canceling on us already. There hasn't even been a single case reported in any of the cities where we work...?

Anyway, lucky for all of us, God is bigger than all this and still in charge. But, we need direction on how to best manage this situation. And, frankly, as a ministry, how to survive this summer outreach season.

People still need Jesus as much as they ever did. The Great Commission doesn't mention safety or flying pigs. You can confirm this by reading Mat. 28:19-20. :) We've been called to serve in a ministry and we're going to be doing that.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Dios le bendiga! (God Bless You!)

Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Canote E-Notes 04/28/09

2009-04-28T13:49:00.002-05:00

Friends & Family~

As you can imagine, the situation with the swine flu is a matter of concern for a ministry that works in Mexico. We believe this is a spiritual battle and we're choosing to focus on the Problem Solver rather than the problem. If you listen to some of the mainstream media feeding frenzy, you might think the world is about to end as we know it. One important fact that will help pull things into a proper perspective is that approximately 36,000 people die from the "regular" flu in the United States each year. Please take a moment to read the message below I just received from one of our Canadian YUGO missionary families stationed in Tijuana, Mexico.

Thank you for your continued friendship, prayers, and support.

God Bless You!

Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
www.thecanotefamily.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/canotechris
http://twitter.com/YUGOMinistries

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

 Hey folks,

Just a short note to give  you some perspective on the swine flu- straight from the belly of the  beast.

We are not terribly worried.

The vast majority of cases are  happening in Mexico City and surrounding area. There are about 28milliion people  living in that area. That is the equivalent of all the population of Alberta,  Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and all the Maritimes. And  these folks all live in one metropolitan area.

Within this conglomerate,  there are 1300 cases of swine flu-- about .004% of the population of this petrie  dish of a city. Of those, sadly, about 100 of those have died as a  result.

One more thing to keep in mind is the health system in Mexico.  Often there is a cost involved to go to a Doctor. When people do not have enough  money for food (especially in these tough economic times) hospital visits for a  flu don't happen until it is absolutely necessary. So while we have found out  that Tamiflu and Relezen (antiviral meds) work to combat this-- they will not  work when it is too late.

Also remember the culture of Mexico-- while  this is killing primarily young men, these are the ones who would be least  likely to go to a hospital under any circumstances.

So while yes, this is  a virulent strain of the flu that more easily leads to pneumonia than our  "regular flu", so far it is not out of control (despite media reports) and it is  not killing healthy people in developed countries.

We do not feel a  tremendous amount of fear, but we will be diligent over the next few weeks until  we see how this pans out.

Please pray for our health and safety as we  continue to go about our ministry here in Mexico, but please be in extra prayer  for the poor in Mexico- those who have limited access to health care. That God  would protect His people!!

The worst part from our point of view are the  thousands of desperately poor Mexicans in our border region who live in filthy  squalor who will not be getting a house built this year, or who will not be  getting a new roof on the old dirt floor shack, or who will not be receiving the  needed food our groups bring because people are fearful.

Groups are  canceling trips to Mexico because of the violence-- (which is down 80% from last  year!!) and it is the poor who will suffer most. Please pray that those who  cancel will offer to donate the amount that they would have spent on a mission  trip to go towards the incredible needs we are finding here!

While the  Economic downturn is difficult in North America, here it is devastating! We are  seeing more and more children suffering from malnutrition and  starvation.

We also receive thousands of individuals who come to help the  Mexican church reach their people in Evangelism ministries. Please pray that the  Good News of Jesus love and salvation will continue to be spread in this time of  Great harvest here in Northern Mexico!

Please pray that God will be  glorified and His name will be lifted up in Mexico!

Thanks for praying!

--
Michael McDonald
Missionary to Mexico
YUGO Canada
1-(619)400-3326 (North America)
661-100-3396 (Mexico)
msmcdonald@yugomail.org

Canote E-Notes 04/10/09

2009-04-10T15:11:00.002-05:00

Greetings & Happy Easter!

How are you celebrating the greatest story ever told this holiday weekend? I hope you will have an opportunity to spend some of it with family and friends. Know that you are in our thoughts this Easter.

We have several upcoming ministry engagements on our calendar (see below). We love serving God in this way and are always looking for opportunities to share our family ministry. If you know of churches or groups that would enjoy some family gospel bluegrass music, a contemporary worship band, or mission centered gospel preaching, please pass this along to them with a recommendation.

We appreciate your prayers and support so much.

God Bless YOU and Happy Easter!

Sat, April 11, 1:30PM - Gospel Bluegrass Concert - Harrisburg Easter Celebration - Lion's Club Park, Harrisburg, MO

Sat, April 11, 7:30PM - Gospel Bluegrass Concert - Presser Performing Arts Center - Mexico, MO

Sun, April 19, 10:30AM - Chris is preaching - Perche Baptist Church - Rural Harrisburg/Clark, MO

Sun, April 26, 6:30PM - Gospel Bluegrass Music & Chris is preaching - Centralia FBC - Centralia, MO

Sat, May 2, 6PM - Gospel Bluegrass Music & Testimony - Pleasant Woods Baptist Church - Salisbury, MO

Sun, May 3, 10:30AM - Chris is preaching - Perche Baptist Church - Rural Harrisburg/Clark, MO

Sun, May 3, 6:30PM - Gospel Bluegrass Music & Testimony - Carpenter Street Baptist Church - Moberly, MO

Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com

Canote E-Notes 03/31/09

2009-03-31T17:13:00.001-05:00

Here's something you could pray about...

The link below is to an article that addresses an issue we are dealing with as a Christian ministry working in Mexico. As I'm sure you well know, the media has had a lot to say lately about the "violence in Mexico". Unfortunately, the American public is not really getting the whole story and it's really hurting Christian ministries working in Mexico. The reality is not quite as "sensational" as what we've been getting reported.

I myself listened to a news report just yesterday on Fox News that, had I not listened to the entire report, I might have missed some pretty important information.

I.E. The city of Juarez, Mexico has been touted in the news as having had a "blood bath" over the last couple of years. And we're hearing that law enforcement officials in U.S. border towns are "worried" the violence will spill over into the United States. However, El Paso, TX, located just north of the border from Juarez, Mexico is still rated as the "3rd safest city of it's size" in America!

The truth is, there is violence all around us all the time. It's also a fact that the Great Commission doesn't actually mention anything about "safety" or "security". We're trusting in the Lord and we're not the least bit concerned for our safety in Mexico.

Please take the time to click the link below and read the entire article. This will help you pray specifically, not only for our ministry efforts, but also for all the Christian ministries working in Mexico.

http://www.tinyurl.com/MexicoSafety

Thank you for your prayers and God Bless You!

Chris Canote
Outreach Director
Missions Mobilizer/Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com

Canote Family - VLOG 02/28/09 CORRECTED VERSION

2009-03-05T04:33:00.001-06:00

Canote Family - VLOG 02/25/09

2009-03-02T08:32:00.001-06:00

Canote E-Notes 03/01/09

2009-03-01T19:00:00.002-06:00

It was a great week of ministry here in central Missouri for the Canote family. It was a busy but refreshing week for us. It can also be very encouraging when we receive some feedback about our ministry work. That was certainly the case when we saw the note of encouragement (see below) Adam received last week in an email from a local pastor friend:

"Adam,
During my "quiet time" this morning...I had been reading about Joseph and his choices with Potiphar's wife. This led me to pray for the young men I know that face similar circumstances everyday. Somehow I ended up watching the YouTube video of you singing Chris Tomlin's "I Will Rise" and the Lord used that simple song, your willing heart and His intimate Spirit to touch and renew me. You, nor I expected that, but...that's how He normally works.
Thank you."

What an encouragement and blessing! If you haven't had a chance to watch Adam's video yet, here's the link again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTARThVqAcc
Adam - "I Will Rise" Chris Tomlin

He (with God's help) surprised us all when he told us he was ready perform this song on the piano. To our knowledge, Adam didn't know how to play the piano!?! Isn't God cool?

Here are a some more videos I just added:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BCbz8P47hE
Hallelujua I'm Ready - Performance at Faith Family Church - 02/25/09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jpszZEYFnA
Daniel Prayed - Performance at Faith Family Church - 02/25/09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFHjC9_0SnY
Montaña - Performance at Faith Family Church - 02/25/09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Muq4TeHmGy4
Bluegrass Medley - Performance at Faith Family Church - 02/25/09

God bless you and have a GREAT and BLESSED week!

Chris Canote
Missions Mobilizer & Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
www.thecanotefamily.blogspot.com

Canote Family - Gospel Bluegrass Medley

2009-02-28T16:12:00.001-06:00

Canote Family - Montaña

2009-02-28T09:57:00.001-06:00

Canote Family - Daniel Prayed

2009-02-28T09:56:00.001-06:00

Canote Family - Hallelujah I'm Ready

2009-02-28T09:53:00.001-06:00

Canote Family - Forever

2009-02-28T09:43:00.001-06:00

Adam Canote - I Will Rise

2009-02-28T09:41:00.001-06:00

The Canote E-Notes 02/25/09

2009-02-25T10:54:00.002-06:00

Greetings...

and God Bless YOU! It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood AND God is still the same....good and faithful! Ooops! It looks like we took a little break from the "Canote E-Notes". Well, we're back!

--------------------------------

Ministry

It's a busy week for us starting with a concert down in Rolla on Sunday at the Spring Creek Baptist Church followed by a "Family Night" gospel bluegrass worship tonight at Faith Family Church in Fayette. We'll wrap up the week with a performance at a fundraiser event at the Sturgeon Baptist Church on Saturday night. What fun and what a GREAT job we have!

We also getting deep into planning and coordinating for Acuna this summer. We now have teams signed up for all three weeks - Thank You Lord!

--------------------------------

New Videos

We've posted some new videos on YouTube and promise to do a better job doing that more often. Below are the links for those videos:

http://tinyurl.com/AdamCanote

This is Adam's first public performance on the piano. Who knew you could learn to play the piano in 3-4 months?!?

http://tinyurl.com/CanoteFamForever

Adam and the boys like to take our bluegrass songs and make them "contemporary". So we took a contemporary song, "Forever" and made it "bluegrass".

http://tinyurl.com/CanoteFamFly

Speaking of which....here's "I'll Fly Away"....with some phat beats added... :)

--------------------------------

What's a "VLOG"?

Speaking of new videos....what's a "VLOG"? Well, basically, that's a blog done with video and we're giving it a whirl and incorporating that into our Canote Family Blog site.

http://tinyurl.com/CanoteVLOG022209

This is the actual VLOG on YouTube

http://www.thecanotefamily.blogspot.com

This is the actual address for our Canote family blog.

--------------------------------

Thanks so much for your support and prayers! We're relying on it!

God Bless You!

Chris Canote
Missions Mobilizer & Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
www.thecanotefamily.blogspot.com

Canote Family - VLOG 02/22/09

2009-02-25T08:55:00.001-06:00

The Canote E-Notes 01/12/09

2009-01-12T13:55:00.001-06:00

Calling all cooks....calling all cooks!

YUGO Ministries is looking for someone to fill the position of Head Cook at our Tijuana Outreach Center in Tijuana, Mexico. Our current cook had to resign, at least temporarily, to care for a sick relative. This is a missionary position which would require you to build your own ministry team to raise your own prayer and financial support. The primary responsibility is to cook two meals per day each week through ten weeks in the summer. The menu, recipes, procedures, etc. are already set - advanced chef skills are not necessary. Please pass this on to anyone you think might even be remotely interested. Maybe God would call YOU to serve on the mission field as a cook...? :)

Also as we draw nearer to our next set of evangelistic outreaches we need workers to help run the camp. Jobs include cooking, cleaning, leading worship, leading chapel times, and much more. The dates are April 5-11 and 12-18. Ask God what He might have you come and do. Please let us know about both as soon as possible.

Chris Canote
Missions Mobilizer & Recruiter

YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
www.thecanotefamily.blogspot.com

The Canote E-Notes 01/02/09

2009-01-02T15:12:00.003-06:00

Dear Ministry Team~

I couldn't wait for my turn at the internet access today here at the bible institue in Mexicali, Mexico. You may remember that Adam, Chewy, Alex and I are here staffing a YUGO evangelistic outreach. Adam is leading worship for the twice-per-day chapel services with help from his brothers. He is also leading the Sports Ministry "Training & Prayer" times each day. I am directing the outreach and speaking each day in the morning chapel services. Today is our 5th and final day for ministry. We have a large team of high school students here from Caledonia, Michigan serving with us.

We have had a very exciting week. The power of God's presence has been overwhelming at times. The daily schedule is intense with little down time for the team. God is good and faithful however, and has provided the energy needed to accomplish is plan and purpose for this week.

Today, we asked for testimonies from the team members about their week here. I want to share part of one of those testimonies with you. It comes from a junior in high school boy named Sam on the team and he specifically asked that we share his story. It's a beautiful testimony of God's power and interest in having a personal relationship with Him.

"While I have been here in Mexico, I have had a wonderful time. I originally didn't want to come and my mother forced me to go. But, I am glad she made me. Before I came I really had no sense of a "need" for God. My brother, who also is on this trip, is a big role model for me and he didn't really believe in God and I followed him. But, while he has been down here in Mexico, he says he felt God. I saw this, my big brother, who I look up to being touched by God himself (and it) made me believe. Seeing him going from a non-believer to a believer has made me so alive inside. I can see now it is real and I do believe. I love my brother so much. I just love him in unbelievable amounts, and I thank the Lord God almighty for showing me that and for showing Him the way and the light. And, I love you Kyle".

I'm sitting here in tears once again as I share this with you. This is one of the main ways that God has used to inspire our family to continue working in this ministry. It's about lives changed....not just the Mexican people who come to know Christ in an eternal salvation decision.

Be encouraged. Know that God loves you and not only wants a relationship with you....He wants it to grow. He wants all of you. He wants your complete surrender.

God Bless You!

Thank you for your prayers!

Chris Canote
Missions Mobilizer
YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
www.thecanotefamily.blogspot.com

The Canote E-Notes 12/30/08

2008-12-30T17:47:00.001-06:00

Greetings from Mexicali, Mexico!

We're are having a great week here in Mexico! We have one large team here from Caledonia, Michigan. We also have a couple of families and a couple of construction teams. God is with us and is still hard at work, good, and faithful! Our evangelism team saw 17 salvation decisions yesterday on their first day at their ministry site! Praise the Lord!

Adam and the boys are doing a great job leading us in worship for the chapel services. We're also working with a great staff and team of YUGO missionaries.

We've seen all the usual distractions and speed bumps that the devil tries to throw at us to keep this work from happening. Unfortunately for him, we have God on our side. My God does what He wants and I feel like He's called us to be here and to accomplish some kingdom building ministry. So, to quote my missionary brother, Jim Slinker, we're just saying to the devil, "Neener, neener, neener!" Ha ha!

We're counting on your prayers and praise God for you!

God Bless You and Happy New Year!

Chris Canote
Missions Mobilizer
YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
www.thecanotefamily.blogspot.com

The Canote E-Notes 12/24/08

2008-12-24T12:02:00.003-06:00

Greetings!

Hey, check out the new "unreached people groups" link on our web site. You can find it by clicking on the ministry link from the front page. It's provided by the Joshua Project. It will display a different unreached people group each day that you can pray for.

I plan to work on some additional changes, updates, etc. to our web site while I'm in Mexico next week. I'll be sure to let you know when those are complete.

http://www.thecanotefamily.com

http://www.joshuaproject.net

PRAYER REQUEST:
After being booked somewhere 1, 2, and even 3 times a week every week for the last several months, believe it or not, we actually don't have anything on our ministry calendar after Christmas. Please pray for opportunities to share our ministry and mobilize for missions in the coming months. Also, if you know of a church or group that could use some encouragement or would appreciate some gospel bluegrass OR contemporary worship style music or bible preaching, please let us know, or let them know about us.

God Bless You & Merry Christmas!

Chris Canote
Missions Mobilizer
YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
www.thecanotefamily.blogspot.com

Another "Canote Boys" video on YouTube

2008-12-22T22:32:00.005-06:00

The boys were messing around with some Christmas tunes tonight including some a capella....so, of course, I had to get out the video camera.....

Merry Christmas!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQXZ-_j1lg8

Chris Canote
Missions Mobilizer
YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
www.thecanotefamily.blogspot.com

The Canote E-Notes 12/08/08

2008-12-08T14:27:00.001-06:00

THE REASON FOR THE SEASON

God has been so good to us this year - all our needs have been met and we couldn't have asked for happier "season" in our lives. With two kids in college and one soon to be married, life is starting to take on a whole new perspective. Over the last few weeks, some of the stuff Jesus said, is starting have a whole new meaning in our hearts. God used Pastor Francis Chan and some of the other speakers at the conferences in Pittsburgh and Nashville to prompt and challenge us. We've trying to say, "how much can we give?" instead of "how much do we have to give?" The blessing has been wonderful!

OPERATION "BLESS YOUR SOCKS OFF"

The Canote family had an opportunity yesterday to experience the true meaning of Christmas and the "reason for the season". The Lord laid it on our hearts to reach out to the local Hispanic community in our area. We decided to try something we've never done before. We contacted a Pastor Martinez, who leads a weekly Spanish church service in Columbia. We told him about our ministry and that God had blessed us this year and we wanted to bless a local Hispanic family in need. He immediately knew of a family from his church who needed help.

Pastor Martinez put us in contact with a single mother of two young boys who is struggling to make ends meet. He told us she was unable to pay her bills this month and didn't know how she would cover Christmas for her boys. We were able to speak with the mom over the phone within a couple of days. In her broken English, she explained that she had been afraid to check her mail for 4 days because she knew she couldn't pay any bills if they came. We told her not to worry that we wanted to help.

I'm not telling this story to brag but instead to encourage you to try this as soon as possible! This was definitely the most rewarding thing we have ever done as a family. What's ironic is that we are probably the least able financially to do something like this, this year than we've ever been in the past. However, God laid it on our hearts to stretch ourselves. We decided it wouldn't mean much if we didn't at least make some sacrifice in order to bless this family. Boy, have we been missing out on a blessing over the years!

With some extra donations from some friends in ministry, (Thanks Ron & Suzie) we were definitely able to bless this family's socks off! What's great is that we were so blessed ourselves to be a part of it. Our whole family made a special delivery to their home last night. They were in a state of shock by the time we got done! It was so awesome!

We took several gifts for each of the boys and gift for the mom along with some cash for the bills. We took them some gift cards to Toys R Us, Barnes & Noble, and Wal-Mart. We stopped for some groceries on the way there. It was so much fun just going through the store trying to imagine what a Hispanic family might want to eat. In all, we carried in about 6 or 8 boxes of gifts and food. Our boys also took 2 bags of clothes including some winter coats. Samantha had a very nice coat that fit the mom as well.

They didn't really know what to say! I'm telling you this was so much fun! I'm getting a little moist reliving the story. :)

We stayed long enough to get to know Oscar, Juan, and Lorena a little bit. We asked about school and friends. We told them our names and about our ministry. We all had a big laugh when I challenged the mom to remember our names. We just explained that God had blessed us so we wanted to bless them. We prayed with them, wished them a Merry Christmas and left.

As we were walking back to the car, somebody said, "Now, we just need some more money so we can do this again!" This is definitely not the last time for this!

Merry Christmas!

Chris Canote
Missions Mobilizer
YUGO Ministries
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
www.thecanotefamily.blogspot.com

573/874-1878 Home
573/808-1195 Cell

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"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord."
~ Proverbs 21:30

"Many are the plans in a man's (and my) heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."
~ Proverbs 19:21

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The Canote E-Notes 12/05/08

2008-12-08T14:25:00.001-06:00

Well, first of all.....M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S!! from the Canote family to YOU! :)

The Christmas season has arrived...and to quote, our friend Jeremiah Vik (who lives near San Diego), we're looking for "the yuletide carols being sung by a choir and folks dressed up like Eskimos"! :) Actually, at 10 degrees this morning, we felt like Eskimos!

God has been so good to us this year and we're so thankful for that!

- We've had many wonderful opportunities to minister in His name,
- Our prayer and financial needs have all been met according to the riches in Christ Jesus,
- We've been joined by our fellow workers in Christ in ministering to those who need to know Jesus,
- We've had our socks blessed right off our feet on a regular basis,
- Well, this list could go on for a while..... :)

Let's just say, God is good... (Dios es bueno...) All the time... (Todo el tiempo...)!

I'm preaching in Glasgow, MO this weekend for a church currently without a pastor. We also have 2 upcoming engagements where we'll get to do lots of Christmas gospel bluegrass music....our favorite!

Adam, Chewy, and Alex will be joining me in Mexicali, Mexico between Christmas and New Years for a YUGO outreach. We have a team of 40 joining us for their 12th year in Mexicali from Caledonia, Michigan.

Que Dios le bendiga! (God Bless You!)

Chris for the Canote Family

http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://www.thecanotefamily.blogspot.com
http://www.yugo.org

The Canote E-Notes 11/17/08

2008-11-17T11:51:00.005-06:00

Ministry Engagements and Nashville Bound

God continues to give us opportunities to serve Him in ministry and mission mobilizing. The Canote kids, performing as "Sweet Action" have been able to share their contemporary worship ministry along with our gospel bluegrass music ministry. I have also had multiple opportunities to preach over the last few weeks. God is stretching me in this area. I feel God growing a love in my heart for His church and giving me a strong desire to challenge others with the truth of His word. Maybe this is a sign for the future. Only God knows.

One of my recent messages was recorded by the church and placed on their website: http://www.harrisburgchristian.org/Pastor/SermonTopics.html You can click on the link and hear my challenge to "stop playing duck, duck, goose with God". :)

Susan and I will be heading down to Nashville, TN this week to represent YUGO Ministries at another youth pastor's conference. There will be around 4,000 in attendance. We're excited about making new ministry contacts and about the opportunity to share about our work in Mexico.

Would you please pray that God will #1) bless our efforts in Nashville and the relationships we hope to develop while we're there and #2) help us to stay focused on Him and His plan and purposes for the Canote family.

Thank you for your prayers ~ God Bless You!

The Canote Family
www.yugo.org
www.thecanotefamily.com
www.thecanotefamily.blogspot.com

The Canote E-Notes 10/26/08

2008-10-26T07:15:00.004-05:00

Greetings and Happy Sunday to you!

It's another busy Sunday for the Canote family. We're headed south to the Ashland Baptist Church located in beautiful downtown Ashland, MO. This is a return visit for us so we're looking forward to seeing some familiar faces. And, our former Director of Missions and good friend, Bro. George Roach is the Interim Pastor there.

I'm preaching again tonight at Sturgeon Baptist Church located in beautiful downtown Sturgeon, MO... :) I'm really enjoying this season of preaching for me. I'll be speaking about spending too much time hanging out too close to the edge.

Susan and I will driving to Pittsburgh, PA on Thursday to represent YUGO in a national youth workers conference. Our goal is to connect with some youth leaders looking for a short-term mission opportunity for their group. Please pray for those connections to happen and please continue praying for our goal of "100 teams in Mexico in 2009."

Thank you for your prayers and support. We're countin' on it.

God Bless You and have a GREAT week!

In His service,

Chris Canote
The Canote Family

http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://www.yugo.org

The Canote E-Notes 10/20/08

2008-10-20T13:48:00.004-05:00

We've enjoyed several ministry engagements over the last couple of weeks including a 3-hour drive to Iowa and a 15-minute drive just down the road. A local church is praying about possibly sending a team to join us in Acuña next summer. Woo hoo! Would you join them in praying for God's blessing for a team from their church to join us on the mission field in Mexico?

We very much count on and appreciate your prayers and support and we thank God for you every day! We'll be needing to make some big decisions over the next few weeks regarding finances and our future. It's comforting to know so many come along beside us in prayer.

God Bless You!

In His service,

The Canote Family
http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://www.yugo.org

The Canote E-Notes 10/07/08

2008-10-07T12:44:00.003-05:00

Greetings!
You may have seen an email I sent out a few weeks ago about a specific ministry prayer request for YUGO Ministries. As one of the primary mobilizers for YUGO, I have taken responsibility for setting a team recruitment goal. I have felt led over the last couple of months to pray specifically. So I have been doing that myself and am asking others to pray specifically as well. I'm praying for 100 teams to join us at one of our summer envangelism outreaches in 2009 in either Acuna, Tijuana, or Mexicali, Mexico.

Imagine, if you will, the ripple effect of increasing the number of teams who join us on the mission field in Mexico. Hundreds or even thousands more would come to know Christ as a result. Untold seeds would be planted for future decisions for Christ. Hundreds or even thousands of North American youth and adults would go home as experienced ministry leaders creating a legacy of change for generations to come.

If you haven't already done so, would you please consider praying regularly for this goal? Also, would you please consider asking your church and/or others to join us in praying for our goal of "100 in 2009"?

Thank you and God Bless You!

Chris Canote
Mobilizer
YUGO Ministries
http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://www.yugo.org

The Canote E-Notes 10/04/08

2008-10-04T16:02:00.007-05:00

Busy weekend ahead....we'll be sharing some gospel bluegrass and testimony tonight at the Clark Christian Church in Clark, MO. We'll do that again tomorrow morning at a school fundraiser in Macon, MO. And then I will be preaching again tomorrow night at Sturgeon Baptist Church in Sturgeon, MO.

Please keep us in your prayers. Our hope is that God would continue to use us as He sees fit and that we'll get out of the way so He can do that.

It occurred to me that some of our friends and family might not be aware of YUGO's "Project Joy" ministry in Mexico. Some of our Acuna teams have participated in year's past and will be again this year. They have found it to be a very rewarding experience.

Project Joy is a unique Christmas ministry that invites individuals of all ages to give gift-filled shoeboxes to poor children in Mexico. We invite you to join us by providing shoebox gifts to the children of Mexico. Many of the children who receive these gifts will not be receiving any other gifts to celebrate the birth of Christ this year. They are presented during a celebration and "fiesta" atmosphere including a presentation of the gospel.

This project makes for a great Sunday school, church or family project!

If you're interested, please feel free to contact me for more info or you can go directly to YUGO's website:

http://www.yugo.org/ministries/projectjoy.htm

In His Service and for The Canote Family,

Chris Canote

Mission Mobilizer

Yugo Ministries

The Canote E-Notes 09/28/08

2008-09-28T14:53:00.006-05:00

Busy weekend for the Canote fam... :)

- Bluegrass in Southeast Missouri last night near Salem, MO at an annual all day "Old Time Camp Meeting" at the Anutt Community Church

- Speaking at Harrisburg Baptist Church this morning

- Speaking at Sturgeon Baptist Church tonight

What a blessing for the Lord to trust us with His ministry. What an honor to know that He uses so many like you to keep us "prayed up"!

Thank you for your prayers!

God Bless You!

In His Service,

The Canote Family
http://www.thecanotefamily.com

The Canote E-Notes 092008

2008-09-20T10:32:00.003-05:00

We're sharing some outdoor gospel bluegrass at the Santa Fe Trails festival in New Franklin, MO today and more music and testimony tomorrow at the New Franklin FBC.

Would you please pray for open minds and hearts?

The Lord brought us three new Sunday night worship and preaching engagements this morning in one phone call!

Would you please pray that instead of "trying" to manage this busy schedule...we would "trust" the Lord with this busy schedule?

Thank you for your prayers ~ we need you!

God Bless You!

The Canote Family
http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://www.yugo.org

The Canote E-Notes 091608

2008-09-16T14:23:00.004-05:00

Susan and I were very proud parents as we sat in the audience for "Youth Night" at the Perche Baptist Church Revival Service last night.

Adam shared a personal testimony of how God used him on the mission field in Mexico and called him to the music ministry and worship leading. Adam and the boys also shared their musical gifts and talents when they led us in worship. They no doubt made lasting impression on the youth and adults in attendance.

Praise the Lord!

Chris & Susan Canote
http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://www.yugo.org

The Canote E-Notes 091108

2008-09-11T11:19:00.004-05:00

"Return home and tell how much God has done for you." So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him. ~ Luke 8:39

Praise:

We thought we needed to replace our 15-passenger van with one with a bigger engine in order to pull the new 15 ft. cargo trailer God provided us with. Well, Praise the Lord!, we were told this week by an "expert" in hauling and towing that our current van should have no trouble pulling our trailer! Woo hoo! That was a direct answer to prayer....just not the answer we expected! It's an extra blessing because we really love our van and didn't want to have to part with it. God is good!

Prayer Requests:

1) We are currently at less than 50% of our monthly financial support goal. "How can I help?", you ask. Please join with us in prayer that God would inspire others to join our team and provide the support needed to keep us on the field and get the job done. He has promised in His word to do that and we trust Him with the plan. If you haven't already done so, please ask God if He would have you be part of our financial team. Please consider who you may know that might be interested in being a part of team, share with them about our ministry work, and introduce us.

2) Our job is to mobilize teams and individuals to join us in Mexico. Again, you might ask, "How can I help?". Please join us in prayer that God would send more workers to the field. The U.S. has 5% of the world's population and 95% of the world's Christian workers. Let's loan a few to Mexico. Please consider who you might know that might be interested in leading a team to Mexico. Please consider who you know that attends a church or is part of a group that would be interested in allowing us to come share about our ministry with their group along with some music.

God Bless You! We thank God for you daily!

In His service,

The Canote Family
http://www.thecanotefamily.com
http://www.yugo.org

The Canote E-Notes 090508

2008-09-05T13:55:00.003-05:00

Here's a note of encouragement and a reminder that God hears and answers our prayers.

Wow! And....wow again! That's what I have to say about my Lord because He just "wows" our socks off on a regular basis! We put the word out only a couple of days ago about a "special project" we had to find a replacement cargo trailer for hauling our sound equipment, instruments, and supplies to Mexico. It's been on our prayer list for a couple of weeks now.

For starters, before we had even advertised our old trailer, we received a phone call with an offer to buy it and sold it! Way to go God! The old trailer sold for $1,200.

Secondly, we found a GREAT deal on a replacement trailer. It's a 15' x 6' trailer located in Bellville, IL. The seller agreed to accept $2,200 for the trailer which is a steal! It will cost us nearly $200 in gas just to pick it up.

Here's where God really kicks it in.....we just received a call from a member of our ministry support team who wanted to help with the project....God inspired them to want to pitch in $1,200 towards the project! Woo hoo!

Our God is GREAT! He provided the exact amount needed to complete the purchase! Praise the Lord who provided for all our needs just as He promised! God is good....all the time!

God Bless You!

In His Service,

The Canote Family

The Canote E-Notes 090108

2008-09-01T21:41:00.004-05:00

We had the pleasure of a visit to one of our many "home away from homes" this weekend in Clinton, KS. We ministered with music and testimony at the Clinton Presbyterian Church, in Clinton, KS.

We were joined by some of the youth and leaders who were on the first mission trip Chris took with YUGO to Reynosa, Mexico in 2003. What a blessing to rekindle old friendships and to make new ones as well. Pastor Mike Birney and wife Cindy and family also welcomed us into their home for a reunion visit complete with pie and ice cream!

And, of course, we don't head to that neck of the woods without a visit to a Canote family favorite, the Topeka Zoo!

God has continued to bless us with a full ministry calendar. We are currently booked through the end of October. This weekend we will provide the worship music for an outdoor community service in Harrisburg, MO and visit two senior adult residential care centers to celebrate Grandparent's Day.

SPECIAL PROJECT: We need to purchase a 16 ft. enclosed cargo trailer ASAP. We outgrew our old one which has served us well for several years. We sold it today which leaves with no trailer. If you would like to help out with this purchase you can do one or more of 3 things:

1) Please pray that we find a reasonably priced trailer ASAP.
2) Donate money to go towards the purchase.
3) Locate a 16 ft. trailer we can purchase.

We asked God to help sell the old one so someone called us and offered to buy it! We're also trusting Him to find us a new one and to provide the funds for the purchase. Maybe He'll use you to help...?

In His service,

God Bless You!

The Canote Family

The Canote E-Notes 081608

2008-08-17T13:48:00.003-05:00

What a blessing and honor to enjoy some food and fellowship and an opportunity to minister to a large group last night at the Lenoir Community Center in Columbia, MO. We shared testimony and an update of our most recent trips to Mexico along with some gospel bluegrass music. A few expressed some interest in becoming a part of our ministry team at home. Praise the Lord!

We were short one and really missed our mandolin player! Chewy stayed at home recovering from corrective sinus surgery. Please pray for him as he recovers over the next few days. He's not feeling to great right now but it's mostly just waiting on the anesthesia from surgery to wear off. The plan is for him to be able to breathe through his nose once he's all healed up.

God has blessed us recently with several new bookings to minister spread out over the next couple of months which, is a a direct answer to prayer. Please join us in praying that God would fill our calendar with opportunities to serve Him and that we He would help us to manage the busy schedule that it brings. We are also praying specifically that God would double the number of teams that join us on the front lines in Mexico in 2009.

May God richly bless you this day!

In His service,

The Canote Family

The Canote Notes

Canote E-Notes 02/02/12

Canote E-Notes 01/09/12

Canote E-Notes 01/01/12

Canote E-Notes 12/29/11

Canote E-Notes 12/27/11

Merry Christmas!

Canote E-Notes 12/15/11

Canote E-Notes 11/30/11

Canote E-Notes 11/19/11

Canote E-Notes 11/02/11

Canote E-Notes 10/24/11

"Where Are You?" - Genesis 3:1-13

"Outside The Walls" - Ephesians 3:4-21

Canote E-Notes 10/06/11

"Amazing Grace" - Ephesians 2:4-8

Canote E-Notes 09/21/11

The Canote E-Notes - 10/16/10

Canote E-Notes 10/01/10

Canote E-Notes 09/28/10

Canote E-Notes - 07/01/10

Canote E-Notes 06/14/10

Canote E-Notes 12/28/09

"Alright Okay You Win" - CMU Jazz Band

"As Time Goes By" - CMU Jazz Band

Canote E-Notes 12/15/09

Adam Canote - "Fly Me To The Moon" - Jazz Guitar

Canote E-Notes 09/25/09

JP Canote - "OverTheRainbow"

Canote E-Notes 08/03/09

Canote E-Notes 07/20/09

Canote E-Notes 07/08/09

Canote E-Notes 07/02/09

Monthly Prayer Letter

Canote E-Notes 06/29/09

Canote E-Notes 06/27/09

Canote E-Notes 06/24/09

Canote E- Notes 06/16/09

Canote E-Notes 06/11/09

Girl From Ipanema - CMU Jazz Band

Moten Swing - CMU Jazz Band

JP Canote - "Somewhere In The Middle"

JP Canote - "Move Along"

JP Canote - The Mt Dew Song

Canote E-Notes 05/02/09

Canote E-Notes 04/28/09

Canote E-Notes 04/10/09

Canote E-Notes 03/31/09

Canote Family - VLOG 02/28/09 ***CORRECTED VERSION***

Canote Family - VLOG 02/25/09

Canote E-Notes 03/01/09

Canote Family - Gospel Bluegrass Medley

Canote Family - Montaña

Canote Family - Daniel Prayed

Canote Family - Hallelujah I'm Ready

Canote Family - Forever

Adam Canote - I Will Rise

The Canote E-Notes 02/25/09

Canote Family - VLOG 02/22/09

The Canote E-Notes 01/12/09

The Canote E-Notes 01/02/09

The Canote E-Notes 12/30/08

The Canote E-Notes 12/24/08

Another "Canote Boys" video on YouTube

The Canote E-Notes 12/08/08

The Canote E-Notes 12/05/08

The Canote E-Notes 11/17/08

The Canote E-Notes 10/26/08

The Canote E-Notes 10/20/08

The Canote E-Notes 10/07/08

The Canote E-Notes 10/04/08

The Canote E-Notes 09/28/08

The Canote E-Notes 092008

The Canote E-Notes 091608

The Canote E-Notes 091108

The Canote E-Notes 090508

The Canote E-Notes 090108

The Canote E-Notes 081608

Canote Family - VLOG 02/28/09 CORRECTED VERSION