Arturo and Elizabeth Mendez Mexico Mexico The Open Bible work officially started in 1965 with the arrival of the Paul Canfield family. The first years were given to beginning works in La Quemada and Tala, near Guadalajara, the second largest city. Later First Church of the Open Bible was established in Guadalajara, which is now the center of our ministry in Mexico. Open Bible was established in the southern peninsula of Chetumal when a member of the church in Tala moved and began several new works. Don and Margaret Smith were appointed as missionaries in 1993 and served in Guadalajara until 2001. The Steve Rogers family served one term in the Guadalajara area. Puente de Amistad, a short-term missions base in Tijuana, was opened in January 1992. Groups from the United States, primarily youth, visit this base and experience missions firsthand. Ed Daley was director of Puente de Amistad ministry base in Tijuana from 1991 to 1999. In 1999 Ed was redeployed to Argentina. At that time, Lisle and Shirley Sultzbaugh were appointed as directors of Puente de Amistad. They left the staff at the end of 2007. In July 2007 the Mike Brandt family was redeployed to Tijuana, Mexico. Mikes serves as the director of the Puente de Amistad ministry base. In 2006 Lawrence and Bertha Kelley were granted missionary appointment and joined the Puente de Amistad staff in Tijuana, Mexico, from 2007 through 2011. Other missionaries have also served at the Puente de Amistad base. Bill and Fayth McConnell of Nogales, Arizona, were appointed as Harvestime missionaries in 1998 to northern Mexico. They minister at a rehab center, a children’s ministry in Imuris, and in prisons in Nogales, Mexico, and have expanded their outreaches to San Luis. In 2007, Del and Joy Brown were appointed to join the McConnells in their varied ministries. As of January of 2021, Open Bible has 36 churches with 2,293 members and 50 credentialed ministers. The work was nationalized in 1994. Arturo Mendez Jr. was elected in 2009 as the national field director and president of the Open Bible incorporation.