Billy and Cecilia's Christian Wedding at the Courthouse

Greetings from Tepeyac in Jesus' mighty name. We are grateful for God's faithfulness and for our friends and family and their loving support and encouragement for us as we serve Him here in Mexico.

Last week, we had the privilege of attending the wedding of Bill's oldest son, Billy, and his wife, Cecilia. They got married in Fort Worth and Billy's mother and stepfather came from Louisiana to join us as we witnessed the Christ-centered ceremony in the courthouse.

They got married by a Christian woman judge named Lisa Leaton and she shared the most beautiful message of a covenant they were entering in to as man and wife. The Christ-centered ceremony blessed us so much. She even prayed with them and it was an encouragement to all of us attending the ceremony.

On Saturday, we moved their furniture to their new place in Jacksboro from Cresson, and then Sunday morning, attended church with them at High Ridge Church and had lunch with the family.

We enjoyed two days with Brandon and Jessica in Fort Worth after we left Billy and Cecilia. Abigail and I made lots of cookies. It's always a fun thing we do when I visit.

 

We thank the Lord for all of you reading this blog, and appreciate your interest in the ministry here in Tepeyac.

May God bless you as you seek His face, and use your life for His glory.

In His strong embrace,

Toni and Bill

Welcome To The 21st Century...

Greetings from Tepeyac in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

We just had a sweet weekend of work and fellowship with two friends from Austin, Texas. Burl Fulenwider and Carlos Lopez came down to put indoor plumbing into our home. They were able to put in a toilet, connect our bathroom sink and install a kitchen sink. They also connected a shower that will be complete when we lay the cement floor over the plumbing there.

It was a quick, busy weekend, but we were able to have several meals with our neighbors, Guadalupe and Jose Alberto Rios, and their children, Griselda, Epifanio and Changel. The men all helped Burl and Carlos do the plumbing and Gris even did the tar on the cover for the septic tank.

We wanted to share photos from this weekend. Thank the Lord for my sweet friend, Janeese Fulenwider in Seattle, Washington who convinced her brother Burl to come down and “give Toni a flushing toilet.”

Burl has done mission work in Tanzania and has been all over the world while he served with the US Marine Corps. Both he and Carlos have servant’s hearts and love helping others.

We went to the Rehab in Centinella while they were here and had a short but very nice visit with Pastor Alejandro Alvarado and his wife and daughter, and the “muchachos.” I am sharing some of those photos from our visit.

The residents cooking area

Pig Pens

Back In Prison

This has been an exciting week for us in  Mexico. Our pastor and friend, Greg Goza came down with a friend from Aspermont, James Cochran to frame our doors and windows on the house. It was great having them there, even though the two days wasn't as much time as we would have liked to have. They accomplished alot in those two days.
Tuesday afternoon, James stayed to work on the framing and Bill, Greg and I went to spend some time at the prison. We arrived in time to join a church group, Bethsaida, for a service in the women's area. There were about 40 women inmates attending the service  and Brother Frank and his family led a praise and worship time, and then Frank shared a message about faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
We are grateful for every opportunity to visit inmates inside prison walls. Please pray God prepares hearts to receive the gospel when we visit.

Hallelujah!

It has been a busy time for us lately, and we hope to catch you up a little on our lives in
We are thankful for all God is doing in our midst and pray we can encourage others with the Good News.

A centenarian friend whom I have been visiting with more frequency recently prayed with me to receive Christ as His savior. He has been bed-ridden and we have often had talks about the importance of knowing where we will spend eternity. He is a gentle man, and always so happy to see me. I am grateful we have developed this friendship over the few years I’ve known him.  I pray that our time in the word will be fruitful in his life and give him joy in the midst of his trials. His response receiving salvation was to raise his arms high in the air and profess, “Hallelujah!” Oh, that every one of us would display that unfettered zeal professing the Lord of lords.

Bill and Juanito

We have recently had come more work done on the house, namely, the bathroom/laundry room. Rito and Jose Alberto recently poured the floor for us, and we are looking forward to the day when we can do the plumbing and pour the shower floor and the base for the toilet. Indoor plumbing is in our future! We have a bathroom sink the Gozas gave us and will eventually have electricity in the bathroom so we can put the washer and dryer. We still lack 220V so it will be awhile before the clothes dryer is a working item. Slowly but surely, we’re getting there.

Recently, Bill and I drove Manuelita, her husband, Nacho and their son, Cristian to the hospital in Acuña. That’s where they caught the bus for Monterrey, Nuevo Leon for Cristian’s doctor’s appointment regarding his kidney transplant. Nacho also had to have some tests run as the donor. They still don't know what date the surgery will be, so we continue to pray for Cristian and the wisdom of the doctors.

Thank you for you interest in this ministry and for your prayers for the people of Mexico.
May God give you boldness as you share His love with the lost in your area of the world.

In His steps,

Toni and Bill

Planning For Your Exit

Greetings in the name of our glorious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It has been a long time since I last updated our blog, and during the next few days, I hope to update you on several events from the past two months.

On a recent doctor’s visit to San Antonio, Bill and I had an opportunity to visit with an old friend of his from Odessa. Randy has been very ill, and we were blessed to have to chance to spend time with him while we were there.

During our visit, Bill felt led to ask Randy about his salvation, as he has been told by the doctors that he doesn’t have much time left to live.

Randy immediately told us that everything was taken care of. He’d already made arrangements with the funeral home, picked out his casket, chosen the songs that would be played during the funeral and had his plot picked out.

Bill once again asked him about his “salvation.” Randy told us everything was taken care of. All his family had to do when he died was make a phone call to the funeral home and it was a done deal.

I wonder how many of us think that is all the preparations we need to make to leave this life. What I’m afraid of is that many people think that’s really all they need to do. But there’s so much more.

We naturally spent more time explaining to Randy his need for salvation, to know where he’ll spend eternity with assurance.

Unless we make a choice now to surrender to the Lord of lords, and choose to follow Jesus, the funeral plans are the least of our problems as we leave this life on earth. The Word is very clear. Once to die, then the judgement. (Hebrews 9:27)

I doubt this is a popular subject with the majority of people here on earth, but for me, it's very important to make it clear to anyone reading this blog where I stand on the issue of salvation.

May God have His way in your life, and give you a desire for His will and use your life for His glory.

Be encouraged, He has a wonderful plan for your life. (Jeremiah 29:11)  

In His loving embrace,

Toni and Bill

Agua Viva Visitors

We send greetings from Mexico in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  It has been so long since we last updated our blog, we wanted to catch you up on the events of the past month.

We have been enjoying some wonderful visits with the “muchachos” at Agua Viva, the Christian Rehab near Piedras Negras. The Pastor, his wife and daughter and 5 of the residents went to Juarez to a pastor’s conference, and during the two weeks they were away, we were able to visit the men several times, and it was a blessing to us, and to them, we trust.

We had a sweet visit with friends from Knox City, and were able to stop by and visit the Rehab while they were here. 

It was a quick trip, and while they were at our house, Robert and Susan set up an outdoor shower for us.
We are so grateful for their help and their love for the people of Mexico. God has given us some sweet friendships during our years on the mission field.

Thank you so much for your interest in the ministry here, and we pray God will use your lives for His glory.

By His grace,

Toni and Bill

VBS In Tepeyac and Beyond

Greetings from Tepeyac! We had a busy week with the group from Haskell in Tepeyac, San Carlos and Nava with the Vacation Bible School. It was a blessing to be a part of the group and to bring my Mexican friends to help with the teaching and crafts. Here are some photos of our fun with the kids and the group this week.

Back Home In Mexico

We are so grateful to be back home in Mexico. Bill is feeling better and we are grateful for all the prayers prayed for him while he was in the hospital last week. We thank the Lord for His healing touch on Bill. We still have alot of doctor visits but trust the Lord for every day He gives us.

It has been a difficult return, with the loss of a sweet boy in Tepeyac on Saturday from a car accident. We appreciate your prayers for the family of Manuelita. Her son, Jesus, was only 12 years old. We came back to Mexico on the 31st of May, and that was the day of the car accident. It has been a sad time for all of Tepeyac.

On Sunday, we spent some time with Rito and his family, enjoying melons and watermelons at their house.

We have been enjoying a visitor to the rancho.

Our neighbors are housing a donkey, who has made friends with Bill.

Yesterday morning, we joined Alejandro, Veronica and David from the Rehab in Centinella to help them bring their supplies to the center from Acuña's Banco de Alimentos (Food Bank.) We had a challenging time with their little pickup overheating and had to stop several times for water. Fortunately, we were able to get some JB Weld and repair the leak. 

We are so grateful for your love and support for us, and especially for your prayers. We pray our blog and ministry is an encouragement to you and that God receives the glory.

Keep being an instrument of His love, and keep reading His word. We love you and thank the Lord for you.

In His grip,

Toni and Bill

Making Lemonade

"I love the Lord because He has heard my voice and my supplications Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live." Psalm 116:1,2

Greetings from San Antonio, Texas.  I am sitting in Bill’s hospital room at the Audie L. Murphy Veteran's Hospital. They doctors performed a heart cath this afternoon to try to find out what has caused his numbness and pain in his left arm.

Two weeks ago, Bill suffered a heart attack while in North Dakota. He left Mexico the first week in April to go back to work truck driving. While he was there, he had severe chest pains and thought he was having heartburn that had damaged his esophagus. After he told me he had taken many different heartburn medications and had no relief, I told him I believed he was having a heart attack. It was another 28 hours before he got a ride to the Trinity Health Hospital in Minot, where they admitted him and were able to repair the blocked arteries with stints and angioplasties.

After he was released, he came back to Mexico by bus and finally arrived in Del Rio by Amtrak on Thursday morning at 6 a.m. Here’s a picture I took when his train arrived that morning.

We came up to San Antonio on Tuesday and went straight to the emergency room, where they performed an EKG and admitted him. He has several complications and the doctors have been trying to change his medications to help him feel better.

Yesterday and again today, we had a visit from Chaplain Larry. He visited with us for awhile and we prayed together for God to give the doctors wisdom. He's a pastor of a church and chaplains at two hospitals.

After Larry left, a man came and brought Bill a thank you for serving our country in the military, and gave him a hand-made quilt and a pillow that the North San Antonio Retired Teachers Association made for the veterans in this hospital.

Here's a photo of the blanket. It's beautiful and is a work of art.

Long ago, when I was a teenager, I remember hearing a saying that always made me smile. 

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

As Christians, we know that life can be filled with trials, challenges and difficult times. But only a personal relationship with the creator can give us the peace that passes understanding amidst those trials. 

In the Epistle of James, he writes, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-4

We are grateful for your interest in the ministry and for your prayers for Bill and me. May the Lord give you His peace as you seek His face and do His will.

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever!"    Psalm 107:1

By His grace,

Toni and Bill

Let There Be WATER!

Greetings from Mexico in the mighty name of Jesus of Nazareth!
We are so blessed to be able to announce we actually have a working pump in our new water well, and today we have a hose connected and a high pressure flow from that hose! God is so good!
Here are some pictures of the past few days with friends.

Visiting Friends in Dallas

Greetings from the Metroplex! It's a beautiful Tuesday in Texas and I am enjoying this time with my family.

Sunday morning, I had an opportunity to visit the Asamblea De Dios in Dallas and enjoyed the Escuela Dominical and the morning service in Spanish.

I don't know the brother's name that taught the Sunday School class, but I was impressed by his zeal and knowledge of the Word. He was an older gentleman, and had a joy that you seldom see in Christians of his age. It was apparent to me that he truly loves the Lord and His Word.

After the service, Pastor David Lara came up to greet me and told me he had some material for me to take back to Mexico. He honored me during the service, mentioning the ministry we do in Mexico and taking up a love offering. This church has been such an encouragement to me, and I am grateful for all they are doing for the kingdom of God in the Dallas area, and far beyond.

Chava and Elvira Rodriguez gave me lots of toys and other items for Mexico, and it was great to see them once again. They keep in touch by text and they are always an encouragement to me. Chava is planning a trip to the border in the next week and I pray God blesses his trip.

The first time I met them was our first Christmas in Coahuila when their church came down to bless the children of Tepeyac with Christmas gifts. Click here to see the blog about their visit.

It was a sweet time with friends at the church, and I look forward to bringing the toys to the children in Mexico. The mothers will appreciate the material, and I am especially grateful for the love, encouragement, support and prayers of the saints here in Dallas. I look forward to our next visit.

May the Lord bless you abundantly as you continue to seek His face. Thank you for following our blog.

In His loving embrace,

Toni and Bill

An Amazing Night In Prison

Greetings from Watauga, Texas. Tonight I am at my son's home for a week-long visit with him and his family, and I am so grateful to God for allowing me the privilege of coming away for this relaxing time.

On Thursday morning, I left Tepeyac and headed for Haskell, Texas, where I wanted to join the group of women from "Treasures of Grace" ministry. They have been sharing the gospel in that prison for nearly ten years. Last week, I received texts from two women in the group about the group of 91 women who had attended the Bible study at the prison, and ten women accepted Christ that night. I really wanted to join them for an evening of praise and worship and sharing the gospel with these ladies.

When I arrived in the parking lot of the Rolling Plains Correctional Facility, the women were just unloading cases of bibles to take inside to the inmates. We hugged and greeted one another, excited about what God is doing behind those walls. We were a large group, 8 in all, and after signing in, we were taken to the chapel. It was the first time I'd been in the chapel and it was surprisingly like a regular church sanctuary with pews and a baptismal in the back of the room. I had ministered in this facility for many years while living in Texas, and have missed my Thursday evenings sharing in Spanish with the immigration detainees.

We prayed before the first group was led in, and 5 maximum security inmates filed in, hugging each of us before they sat down. We prayed with them and sang praise and worship songs, and then Haley  from Treasures of Grace, gave a short message. After that, I shared a little about my life in Mexico, and we asked them to share some about their relationships with the Lord. They told us they have Bible studies and try to encourage one another. They aren't sure what the future holds, but they know Who holds their future. It was a blessing to spend time with these ladies, and although it was short, we were encouraged by their faith.

When the guard led them back to their cells, we prayed again for the next group, knowing it would be the ICE detainees and a much larger group of women. We prayed God would prepare hearts and have His way, giving the messengers His message of hope for the lost.

Finally, the woman guard led the ladies into the room, and gradually, after many hugs and greetings, they sat down in the pews, over 65 women in all. Many took Bibles with gospel tracts freely offered them. A few had their own Bibles with them. We prayed and began to sing a few songs, with the women singing with such exuberance, it was what I imagine it will be like in heaven. The ladies took their places and Haley shared her message with them, and I translated it into Spanish. When she finished, I shared what God had done in my life, and what He is doing now, taking what the enemy meant for evil and turning it around for good, and the Lord did something amazing.

When I asked the women to come forward and ask Christ to come into their lives, it was amazing. One by one at first, then in groups, then every last woman came forward. None of us could imagine such a move of God. We were all crying and hugging, and as I prayed a sinner's prayer, everyone was repeating the words and everyone was crying, hugging one another and wiping tears. (Two of the women asked for prayer to rededicate their lives to Christ, as they were already born-again but had turned away.)

I can't tell you how wonderful it was to be in that room at that moment. It was obvious God was doing a new thing in that place. The TOG group has been ministering there for many years, and praying for God to have His way in these women's lives. Obviously, He is answering those prayers and blessing those efforts. What an amazing God we serve. What a privilege to be a part of that ministry and that movement of the Spirit.
When we said our goodbyes, the hugs were long and heartfelt, the words were sweet and grateful and the promises to pray for these sisters were sincere. May God give them the grace and the strength to serve Him every day of their lives, and to be a light to their families when they go back to their countries.

After the immigration detainees left, the guard led in two women, one prepared to be baptized. She was a petite young lady, only 18, but with the sweetest spirit. She had been studying with the group for 3 months and was being transferred to an SAFPF Drug Program at another location the next day. Sue McCurley asked the young woman a few questions about her salvation and then asked if she was ready to be baptized. She allowed me to baptize her, and we were so excited about all that God is going to do in this young woman's life. He has a wonderful plan for her and she promised to keep in touch with the TOG ministry.
When we walked out of the facility Thursday night two and a half hours later, all of us were so excited. It was an amazing night and we were thankful to God for allowing us to participate, each in our own way, with what He had accomplished that night.

May God be glorified in your life today and every day as you keep putting Jesus first in your life. He's our only hope of glory and "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 1:6

Be encouraged. If we are willing to be used by Him, He will use our lives for His glory.

Blessed beyond measure,

Toni


"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry." 1 Timothy 1:12

Fun and Games With The Children of Tepeyac

I’ve had a busy couple of weeks but am so grateful for God’s faithfulness and for friends and family.

The week before and the week after Easter, we had a VBS at the church in Tepeyac. We had 17-20 kids every day and several mothers joined their children. Each afternoon we started with prayer and songs, and then shared a Bible story.  Lucero and Estrella led the music and shared the story, and then we did a coloring page and a craft. A few days we did two crafts, and every day we had a snack and refreshments. One day, they decorated sugar cookies, and one day, cupcakes. The children were all so well behaved, it was a joy to have them fill the church during their Spring vacation from school.

Freshly-painted faces

Egg-on-a-spoon racers getting ready to go.

Blas sharing a message with the kids.

Waiting to start the three-legged race.

Sack racers in full motion.

Then, on Wednesday, the 30^th we celebrated “Día de los Niños” with an outreach at the church. Brother Blas shared a gospel message, we sang songs and then we began the fun. We gave out gifts to the mothers that attended and the outreach was complete with lots of games, hot dogs, cupcakes and drinks. The games were so fun, and we included a few new ones along with those we did at last year’s event. The children all won prizes for their performances, and we gave out bags of candy before they left.  

I am so grateful to be able to share the love of Jesus Christ here in Mexico. It is my heart's desire that every chance I get, He gives me boldness to share the gospel with the lost. What a privilege to serve the Lord and share what He has done in my life.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”       Colossians 3:16 & 17

Thank you so much for reading our blog and for being a part of this ministry. We greatly appreciate your love, prayers and support for us. May our Heavenly Father get all the glory as we serve Him in these challenging times.

By His grace,
Toni and Bill

To read our most recent newsletter, click here.

Hamburgers, Hail and Giants

Today is a beautiful spring day, with a gentle breeze and cloudless skies in Mexico and here in Eagle Pass, as I sit in McDonald's parking lot overlooking the traffic on Garrison, and update this blog.

I had a wonderful visit with friends that came down to Tepeyac from Knox City this weekend, and they put the pump into the well and hooked it up but are missing a few parts to actually have it running and bringing water out of the well. Slowly but surely.

We enjoyed a fun Saturday evening at Rito and Maria’s house, making hamburgers and French fries for dinner and ice cream cones for dessert. I brought bats and balls and the kids had fun playing baseball in the yard. I don’t pitch as well as I used to, but the kids had fun anyway.

Wednesday, we had a bad storm and lots of wind and dirt blowing with some rain and lots of hail. Thankfully, we didn’t have any damage at home except some tree branches that broke off. In San Carlos, there was lots of damage, with roofs blown away and car windows broken out. I got home from VBS just in time to get pelleted by marble-sized hail balls from the pickup to the house. I was soaked to the bone in the few minutes it took to run 100 feet. Thank the Lord for the moisture. We are grateful for every drop.

Yesterday was sad as we had a graveside service for Candelario, a 70-year-old man who was born and raised in Tepeyac. He died from complications of a stroke he had ten days before. He was a sweet man who never married and had no children, but was kind to everyone. He will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him. Please pray God comfort his family during this sad time.

This morning, I got up at 6 and left before 8 to bring Diamantina to Piedras Negras, and we stopped to visit with Alejandro and Veronica at the entrance to Centinella. We had a sweet visit and it was good to see them after nearly a month in Zacatecas. Their vehicle broke down, and finally they were able to get used parts at a wrecking yard and head back home to Coahuila. I will be visiting them on my way back this afternoon to bring some hair clippers for the “muchachos.” Right now, most of the men I see in the rancho are sporting burr haircuts, and the rehab needs a pair of clippers to “keep up with the latest fashion.” (I hope you realize I’m just kidding!)

On my way into Eagle Pass today, I stopped at the Mexico Customs office to investigate residency paperwork for me living in Mexico. I have been dragging my feet as the costs quoted me were way more than I could have afforded. Like most times in my life when I think I am facing a “giant,” I find, when I actually stand up and face it, it’s not as big or scary as I thought it was.

The man I spoke to told me the requirements and I am going to do my best to make it happen in this next month or two. I want to be completely legal living in Mexico, and I believe God will make a way for that to happen.

Please pray for our Children's Day outreach on Wednesday afternoon. We had it last year and hope to have an even better turn-out this year. We are doing lots of games and races at the church, with a gospel message, and prizes, refreshments and hot dogs for everyone who attends. Please pray God use this outreach to touch lives there in Tepeyac and beyond.

 

Here are a few pictures from last year's event...

 



Sack Race using my pillow cases.
Decided to re-think that when most of them were completely shredded after the race...



 

I am blessed beyond measure and pray that God is doing the same in your life. May you see His hand in everything you do, and I pray you keep an attitude of gratitude for every way He blesses your life. 

Thank you so much for reading the blog and for your prayers and support for us. We are truly grateful for each of you.

He is our hope,

Toni and Bill