Three-Milk Cake in Palmira

When’s the last time you met someone who had never celebrated a birthday? I met a man named Francisco who is in his 60’s, he believes, but has never celebrated his birthday because all of his family’s records were burned in a fire when he was little. He doesn’t even know when he was born.

When I discovered this dilemma, I decided we needed to celebrate so I made a three-milk cake, and we had a little party.

Francisco, or “Kiko” as most people call him, is a character. He’s very likeable and I enjoyed my first encounter when we ate the meal at Mundo’s house with the pig’s head on the table as a centerpiece.

On Sunday afternoon, Blas, Paula and I took the cake to Mundo’s house and waited for Kiko to arrive. He was out feeding cows and had to make a trip to San Carlos for feed, so we waited over an hour for his arrival. I had asked Blas on the way to Mundo’s if I could share the Lord with his cousin, and he said certainly. You never know what doors the Lord will open until you take the first step.

When Kiko arrived, he was all smiles when he saw the cake. I’m not sure he believed I really would, but he was happy and ate three pieces. While we visited, we talked about cows, the drought and how it had affected the feed situation, and about how much the lack of water affected the value of his cattle.

After much conversation, we began talking about money and the fact that you can’t take it with you. I told him I knew lots of people with lots of money, but that money didn’t make them happy. I asked him if he died tonight, did he know where he was going. His answer was, “To the cemetery.” I said, that isn’t really where we’ll end up. There is more to it than that, and I shared what the Word of God says about death, that “once to die, then the judgment.” I shared my life story with him and he listened intently, along with everyone else in the room. While I was sharing about the loss of my son, he wiped away tears, just as I did. I shared about moving to Mexico with my three children and about meeting Bill there.

I told him Bill’s story as well, about him turning himself in to clear his parole violation after we got married, and how he had a stroke 4 days after his release from prison and couldn’t read or write. Those were hard times, but we trusted the Lord in all of that, and have seen His hand on our lives over these many years.

Finally, told Kiko I wanted him to know my Jesus. He told me he was too hard-headed and had never been to church. I asked him if I could pray for him and he said yes, so before we left, Blas, Paula and I put our hands on Kiko’s shoulders and prayed for him. It was a really sweet time with him and the whole family. I pray seeds were planted that evening in Palmira, and that God has His way in Kiko’s life.

Thank you for reading our blog. We appreciate your prayers for us as we serve the King here in Mexico.

In His grip,

Toni and Bill