Greetings
from Piedras in the faithful name of Jesus Christ!
I am blessed
to be here in my casita, posting this for you and rejoicing in God’s loving kindness
shown to me in so many ways over the past month.
My trip to
California was amazing, and I returned to Flagstaff by bus, leaving Sacramento
on Friday, December 9th. It was hard to say goodbye to my daughter
and my grandchildren. My time with them with especially sweet this trip.
Arriving at the station in Flagstaff, Carol
Brewster was there to greet me as collected my bags and headed to her home. I
have known Mel and Carol since my I lived in Baja California Norte in the 1990’s.
They were a great blessing in my life during my years of ministry there.
Sunday
morning found me sharing my testimony and the story of my accident with the
members of Bethel Community Church during the morning service, where Mel
Brewster pastors his flock. I was received with such a warm welcome, it felt
like I was home. Several people came up and told me how much my testimony
touched them, and one woman asked me to pray for her grandchildren, who have
strayed from their faith and are battling addiction. Since I had shared about
my experience in that area during my testimony, it blessed me that she
requested prayer.
The church
decided to bless me with their van, and filled it with donations for Mexico. Blankets,
clothing, boots, clothes, and an assortment of miscellaneous items filled the
seats of the vehicle, and I cleaned out the old van, leaving my bittersweet
memories there in the parking lot of the church.
Sunday night, I was surprised and blessed when Ben Brewster, Mel and Carol's son, gave me a new computer for a Christmas present. What an answer to prayer! He had put in a new hard drive on my old computer while I was there, but said it probably would be "dead" within 6 months and that I needed a new one! God is so good and I am so blessed to be the recipient of such a wonderful gift.
Monday
morning we met at the motor vehicle department to transfer the title and
register the van, then went to the insurance office to finish that part of the
details. I was blessed to load up over a dozen jackets and coats for the men at
the Agua Viva Rehab. What a blessing during this cold time of year.
Mel, Gavin
and Carol prayed with me for my journey and I left Flagstaff about 4:30 Monday
morning, heading south to avoid the icy roads on I-40. That night, I stayed in
Goodyear, Arizona, with friends from Mexico, Hope and Stephanie Manzano. We had a sweet visit and Stephanie made me a
delicious plate of homemade enchiladas before we went to sleep.
Tuesday
morning, I left early and headed east down the highway, stopping that night in
Fabens at the House of Cornelius ministry. My friend, Rosa, is a
missionary there, and we had a sweet visit that night, catching up on each other’s
lives over the past several months.
Wednesday
morning, I got on the road by 7:30, giving hugs and goodbyes to my friend.
After driving a short time, I picked up a man named Hawk walking along the highway
just east of Fabens. He said he’d stayed the night in the rest area. It was
very cold and he said he hadn’t slept much. He told me all about his life, his
art, his writing and that he was a published author from Colorado. He wasn’t
homeless, he said, but a traveler. He asked me to drop him in Van Horn, less
than 100 miles from where I picked him up. He said he was grateful for the
ride, and I wished him well, praying for his journey. He said he had been a
Mormon priest and became a Nazarene some years before. I pray God blesses him
on his journey.
Shortly
after getting back on the road at Van Horn, a woman was walking along the
highway. I stopped to pick her up and she seemed leery of my offer, but got
into the van with all her bags and we started down the road. She was going to
Fort Stockton, and it was less than 2 hours away so she talked a lot while I
drove, listening to her story. She told me her name was Israel, was born in
1963 and was from Buford, Wyoming. She had served in the military and she said
she had no ID but had money. I took her to breakfast when we arrived in Fort
Stockton, and prayed with her there, for God’s protection as she traveled and
for her to come to know the Lord as her Savior. She said she never believed in
God but appreciated the ride, the breakfast and the prayer. I was able to give
her some money to buy a coat, as all she had for the cold was an insulated
vest. Please pray for a sound mind for Israel, as it appeared to me to be the
root of her problems.
It blessed
me to be able to use the van to give rides to two people who were in need, and
believe God put them in my path that day.
It’s so good
to be home, and I am so unbelievably grateful for God’s protection and
provision for me on this trip. He is faithful and never fails to meet my needs.
Thank you so much for your interest in this blog, and for your prayers for the ministry here in Mexico.
May God use each of our lives for His glory as we share His love with the lost and hurting around us.
In His loving embrace,
Toni
