Greetings
from Mexico in the glorious name of Jesus!
Thank the
Lord for friends who come to visit us! We had Greg Goza and Jeremy Cadenhead
here just before Memorial Day weekend to work on the electric for the house
again, and Wayne and Yuvi Cadenhead, Ford and Donna Cole and Robin Goza came
down on Saturday for a few hours. It was a wonderful time of food and
fellowship with everyone and the Lord blessed us with rain Friday morning and
again Tuesday night.
Listening
to the rain come down on our tin roof is an amazing thing. It sounds like waves
of drops, pouring across the tin. Almost deafening at times, but I am grateful
for every drop the Lord sends us. We have been in such a drought, and we are so
grateful for any moisture.
Last
Saturday, the first, we decided to go to the prison after getting
"permission" from one of the guards to minister inside. When we
arrived that morning, the guard at the gate said we have to have a letter of
permission from the new administrator. She just started working there 3 days
earlier. As it happened, we were anticipating a glitch and prayed on the way
there that if the door was closed for us to minister there, we would go to the
pueblo across the highway from the prison and minister there. So that's what we
did.
We were a
little anxious, trying to meet new people in a new little town. Bill had
visited it about 3 months ago to just talk to the folks there but they couldn't
understand English and he couldn't understand Spanish. But it gave him a desire to
return.
We went
to a little store in a home there, and bought a few bottles of water and some
chips. We asked the woman who owned it about any churches and the woman told us of one that just
opened its doors. The pastor lives in Piedras and comes down Tuesday mornings.
From
there, we went to another house a ways down the road where a truck driver and
his family lived. We asked if they had a church home and they said they
attended the Catholic Church. We noticed a large complex near their home and
asked if it was a factory. They told us it was a Christian Rehab center for
drug addicts and alcoholics. Of course, that peaked our interest. Just our kind
of place, right??? We said our goodbyes and headed across the way to the rehab
center.
Several
men were outside unloading a truck, and we walked up to the first man who came
out to greet us. He was the pastor, Alejandro. He welcomed us into his home
where his wife, Veronica and his little girl, Priscilla were enjoying the air conditioning.
They live in one large room complete with kitchen stove, table, two chairs and
a bed (and a working air conditioner!) We sat down and started visiting about
the ministry and what God was doing there. It was so good to spend the next
hour with them, and they gave us a tour of the facility. Currently, 8 men are
living in the facility, which is self-supported. Most of the men come from the
streets of Piedras, and most don't have families. One man had just arrived the
day before and was going thru DT's so we didn't get to visit with him.
The
residents have their own cooking and dining area. The thing that impressed Bill
was the 9 huge Chester White pigs, two of them pregnant, and in a clean,
well-maintained pen. They were feeding on the discarded food from stores and
restaurants that the men were unloading from the pickup when we arrived.
The men
were all friendly, pleasant and well-groomed. We asked Alejandro about their
church services and he told us that they meet at 12:15 on Sunday afternoons. We
told them we'd try to come the next day for service, Lord willing.
After our
Sunday morning service in Tepeyac, we loaded up two vehicles with 16 of us and
headed up to the Iglesia Vida Nueva. Hearing all the men sing praises was so
encouraging, and about 10 friends from Piedras came to participate. One
brother, Gabriel, played guitar and we all enjoyed the spirit-filled
celebration of new life at the rehab church.
Afterwards,
we had watermelon and soda pop and visited with everyone. We didn't head back home
until about 3:30 that afternoon. It was wonderful, and we look forward to next
Sunday's service.
We pray
God opens doors for you, as you allow Him to use your life for His glory.
Thank you
for your prayers for us, and for your love for the lost. Let's all make a
difference for the King.
By His
grace,
Toni and
Bill
