Christmas Eve In Prison

Greetings from Coahuila in the glorious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

We are so grateful God answers prayers. We had the privilege of going into the prison in Piedras Negras on Christmas Eve this year, and shared the gospel, along with pozole with all the fixin's.

We were blessed to have the presence and support of the guards to join us as three pastors shared the messages, along with the rest of us sharing testimonies and encouragement to the inmates. 

Manuel and Alejandro making the pozole

Cleaning out the ice chests

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Buying bolillos at the bakery

Pastor Alejandro Alvarado made a big pot of pozole and since we can't bring metal into the facility, we placed it in our ice chest, and brought rolls, limes, lettuce and punch to fill the stomachs of the men who attended the service in the small church inside the prison.

How glorious to hear the praise and worship of these men, giving God the glory in the midst of challenging circumstances behind bars. Many of the men came up to us to thank us for being there, and for the meal. It was wonderful hearing many of them share their stories. 

I have not been permitted to enter the facility since the escape of over a hundred inmates, and was so blessed to finally be able to enter, after praying for God to open the doors once again.

Lord willing, we will be going in to do Bible studies on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Pastor Alyejandro is working with other pastors to make it a regular ministry opportunity. God remains in control and we trust Him for His perfect timing in all things.

Me and Isabel Ruvalcaba, Christmas Eve at Agua Viva

Thank you so much for your interest and prayers for the ministry. May God use you and yours mightily as you seek His face.

In Him,

Toni

Agua Viva Thanksgiving Meal, 2018

Greetings from Tepeyac in Jesus' beautiful name!

Our Thanksgiving meal at Agua Viva Centro Rehabilitacion Center in Centinela was wonderful. We held it Sunday, Nov. 25th after the church service. The 22 lb turkey, mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, home-style beans, broccoli-cauliflower salad, bread rolls and 6 pumpkin pies was enough to feed 37 people, and we even had leftovers!

Thank the Lord for the sweet fellowship and Alejandro's message of gratitude.

Thank you so much for your interest in this ministry in Coahuila. God is our protector and our supply, and we are grateful for you and your prayers for all of us here.
May God use our lives mightily for His glory.

In His loving embrace,
Toni

VBS 2018: Full of Decisions And Blessings

Greetings from Tepeyac in Jesus' name. God is so faithful and we were abundantly blessed by the efforts of the 40-plus friends from the First Baptist Church of Haskell, Texas and several other churches in Texas and beyond. It was a week of sharing Jesus with children and families in San Carlos, Tepeyac and Centinela. We saw many friends we had seen before and many new faces joined the teachings. All together, it was a wonderful week of fellowship and outreach in our area of Coahuila, Mexico.

I worked in Tepeyac, teaching the youth Bible School. Our class had 15 children make decisions for Christ and we were so glad to pray with these young souls.

The last morning of the VBS in Tepeyac, we had a little grass snake visit the area where the kids were on benches, doing the study, and naturally, it caused a chaotic uproar. With the kids standing on the bench, yelling, I was able to catch the snake and release it in a lot next to the church, but not before it bit me on my finger. It wasn't painful and I knew the snake was harmless, but the kids were still having difficulty settling down to work after the incident.

One new friend who joined the group for the first time this year from Guthrie, Clell McCauley, asked if he could share something with the kids after the snake incident. I translated as he shared that during the Bible Study, all was well before the snake showed up, just like in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. They were walking with God and having a great relationship when along came the serpent. Everything became chaos from then on, as it is today. Without God, our lives are in chaos and it's only through a relationship with Jesus Christ that we can return to a peaceful life.

Our VBS Class in Ejido Tepeyac

It was such a profound revelation on Clell's part, I was nearly in tears as I translated that message. Then I shared the gospel and asked the children if they wanted to pray. All were willing and repeated the prayer of salvation, asking for forgiveness of their sins and asking Christ to give them the ability to walk in truth and obey the commandments of the Word of God, the Bible.
I believe the Lord gave us a profound reality with the little snake that day, and am so grateful He put on Clell's heart to share that message. God is faithful, all the time.

The Group who came from Texas for this year's VBS.

Yuki Refreshers

Joyful faces

Helping the little ones with their crafts

Evelyn's winning smile

Greg and Robin Goza joined us from Guadalajara

The littlest ones also enjoyed the VBS in Tepeyac this week

Spicy Watermelons suckers with chili are the best!

"Yuki Anticipation" in the heat of July

Loading up on donated clothing after the VBS

Thank you so much for your interest in this blog, and the ministry here in Coahuila, Mexico. We appreciate your prayers and you encouragement. May God be glorified as we bring His love and the good news to the lost and hurting here in our little corner of the world.

Serving Him with joy,

Toni

All Aboard! VBS In Tepeyac 2018

Children's Outreach In Corpus Christi

Greetings from Corpus Christi, Texas in the blessed name of Jesus Christ!

I am so grateful for this opportunity to visit Primera Iglesia Bautista here and to help a little with their children's ministry, reaching out to youngsters in the area around the church on Tarlton.

 The Dorcas Women did an excellent job of decorating the gymnasium and getting everything ready for the arrival of the neighborhood children.

Sister Delia Gonzaléz shared the gospel message using a "Bible without words." She clearly shared the truth of God, His son, Jesus and heaven, the darkness of sin in our lives, and how only Jesus Christ's blood can cleanse us of that sin and forgive us.

The children enjoyed a meal and each received a goodie bag. Some of the children received backpacks if they drew a ticket with a winning mark on it. Each of the children went home with a painted ceramic craft.

It was a great outreach and I am grateful I was invited to share about missionary life with the children who participated. I pray seeds were planted on fertile ground and that these children draw close to the Lord as they seek Him as their Lord and Savior.

Primera Iglesia Bautista is a partner in the ministry here in Mexico and I am so grateful for the sweet fellowship of the church family there. May God continue to use them for His glory.

Thank you for your interest in this blog and the ministry in Mexico. God bless you as you share Him in your sphere of influence.

In His loving embrace,

Toni

Visit to Tepeyac

Greetings from Houston! I arrived by plane on Thursday night, after spending two months in Oregon and Sacramento.
 My father passed away the end of February and the same week, my mother fractured her back, so I have been caring for her and her husband. It has been a time of reconnecting with my mother and my family. God has a way of bringing us together through circumstances we never imagined.

I have been in Brookings, Oregon, for the most part, but also in Mount Shasta where I grew up. Both locations are beautiful, and it’s been a joy to spend time walking along the beach and enjoying the beauty of the snow on the mountain.

I miss Mexico so much, and was grateful when my brother purchased tickets for me to go home for a few days. My friends, Susan and Bobby picked me up and drove me to the house. We had a wonderful visit with friends Rito and Maria, and José and Guadalupe and not enough time with Yessica and Alejandro. It was such a quick trip, but we were able to see Bill on Friday and again on Sunday and Wednesday before I flew out on Thursday afternoon.

I flew back to California yesterday, and have lots to take care of there with my mother and step-father. I am hoping to be back in Mexico the month of July to work with First Baptist Church of Haskell doing the VBS classes in Tepeyac, San Carlos and Centinela.

I covet your prayers and I seek God’s will for my future, and also for my mother’s health as I care for her needs.

Thank you so much for your interest in this blog and the ministry. You are an integral part of what happens in Mexico and beyond the border.

In His loving embrace,

Toni

Memories of Mozambique

Greetings! I recently came across some photos taken on a mission trip my husband, Bill, took with our pastor at Aspermont Community Church, Larry Melton, back in 2007. The photos were so vibrant and inspiring, I thought I'd share them with you on the blog.

 Larry and Bill travelled through Mozambique, Africa for a month-long evangelistic journey, sharing the gospel in many areas, including Inhaminga. Rod and Ellie Hein are a big part of the ministry of Afrika Wa Yesu. (Africa for Jesus)

I think Bill's favorite part of the whole journey was the children. He would try to grab them and they would run from him, laughing like crazy. It was his game, since he couldn't communicate with them.

Bill has a powerful testimony and he loved sharing it
with men and women he met on their trip. 

Several churches made the trip possible, and the 2,000+ souls

that made decisions for Christ during this trip were fruit

of those donations, and Bill and Larry's testimonies.

May God continue to be glorified.