Buildings, Babies and Baños

I am sitting in the Seoul ChinaLatina Restaurant in Del Rio, and just finished painting for today. I am tired and looking forward to heading home, but took this opportunity to use their WiFi and update our blog.

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday with Bill in Carrizo Springs and was able to get his place in order and all of his clothes and bedding washed and put back in place while he was at work. It was great to spend time with him and he especially had fun reconnecting with the dogs.

Last night, I was awakened at 11:30 by my neighbors, Jose and Guadalupe, to tell me that the marines were going house to house, confiscating guns. Jose's mother had just called him to say they had overturned her furniture and took her pistol. Henriquetta is in her 80's. Needless to say, although I don't own a gun, I was a little rattled at the news and thought of soldiers entering our home and ransacking it for weapons.
I spent the next two and half hours sitting outside under the stars, praying for peace, wisdom and for all the people that came to mind. I thought of friends serving the Lord in Thailand, enduring hardships there, and I thanked God for the peace I usually experience living in Mexico. God remains on the throne and I want to serve Him until it's my time to go home. I prayed God would use me in the lives of any soldiers that might enter our home and that I could be a light to those in darkness.

I woke up grateful that it was my alarm that woke me at 6:30 am and not a knock on my door. Over the past month we have had the military as part of our everyday lives in our area, and I've had many opportunities to share with individuals in uniform as God has allowed me opportunities to speak to them.

The house project is coming along, and I am trying to upload photos of it so you can get an idea of what it looks like.
Sorry these pictures are out of order. Completely backwards chronologically. Took the picture of the house today. The workers were last week and the tractor the week before, digging the septic tank.
The outhouse was installed over a week ago and I put a stain-sealer on it. It smells like you're sitting in the forest! Love it! Even has a t/p holder, made of wood, that I bought for less than $3. at Lowe's.

So many good things going on, can't tell you how blessed we are and how good God is. I am enjoying serving drinks and lunch to the workers. It has been nice and they are amazing, working through these hot, hot days in Mexico.

My friend, Yessica, gave birth last Saturday to a little (big) boy, who still has not been named. He weighed over 9 lbs. (4.3 kilos) and is such a sweet baby. I took this picture of Yessica the night I brought her to the hospital in Acuna. She was there from Thursday night at 8 pm until Saturday before she gave birth by C-section at 3:20 pm. They released her on Monday morning. Long hospital visit, so she was very glad to be home again. She and her husband have 3 older children.

Newest Addition to Yessica and Epifanio's Family



May the Lord bless you abundantly as you keep Jesus first in  your life. I will try to keep posting as the opportunity arises.

Thank you for your prayers, love and support. We praise God for our friends and family.

Serving Him with joy,

Toni and Bill

August Update

Greetings from Tepeyac! We have not updated our blog in months and apologize for the lengthy silence, but many things have taken place since we last shared about or lives so we’ll try to catch you up a bit on our lives and the ministry we’re doing below the border.

In May, there was a Cabalgata here in Tepeyac and because of some exposure in the media, we shut our site down until we felt comfortable to open it up again to our friends and family. We apologize for the lack of communication on our part but have had many challenging changes here in the past few months.

To bring you up to date on our housing situation, we have purchased a piece of property near where we lived at the church.


We moved the trailer earlier this week and hooked the electricity up yesterday. It is on a little hill, with animals all around. Within a few hundred feet of our property is a valley with horses, cows, sheep, goats and the perfect place to have quiet time beneath the trees, watching the animals graze on the green grass there. I’ve spent the last two mornings there sitting on the bench below the trees, reading the word and praising God for His faithfulness.

Bill remains in Carrizo Springs during the week, and usually comes home on the weekends.

Our week-long VBS here and in Nava last month was wonderful, and we saw many make decisions for Christ in response to the messages shared. Dr. Wayne and Yuvi Cadenhead brought a great group down, along with Greg and Robin Goza and Jake, and many other wonderful friends, new and old, who came to help and share. It was a great time for everyone and I pray God causes the growth in the new believers.

We are planning a baptism next week in the river and a picnic day afterwards. Several here are looking forward to being baptized and we are excited about their decision to follow Christ and take that step of obedience.

In June, we were given a 2004 Toyota Tundra pickup and it has been such a blessing.  I have been able to bring people to and from church, and was able to pick up a new outhouse this week in Piedras Negras.

A little over two weeks ago, we had a tornado in Tepeyac and three homes lost their roofs. Our outhouses at the church were damaged, on destroyed and the other repairable. My washing machine was also damaged and we are grateful no damage was done to the trailer or the church. God is so good.


We appreciate your prayers and support and encouragement for us and we pray you will keep the new believers in your prayers as well.


May God continue to bless you as you allow Him to use your life for His glory.


By His grace,
Bill and Toni

Prison, Peanut Butter and Piñatas

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We have been so encouraged by your letters of encouragement and support, and we thank the Lord for you. Your prayers are greatly appreciated and we know God has given us favor here as we minister and share the gospel here in our area and in the prison near Piedras Negras.

Last week, I made my first trip to Del Rio in a “combi,” the area’s main form of public transportation. A friend, Yessica, drove us to San Carlos where we caught a van to Acuña, and then I caught a taxi to cross the border, pick up mail at the post office and then to Walmart.

My reason for the trip was to purchase all the “fixin’s” for the school’s Children’s Day celebration on Friday. Hamburgers and French fries was the menu and I had the privilege of cooking the hamburgers for 80 people, which included moms and siblings of the school kids. It was quite the event, and everyone enjoyed cupcakes and Rice Krispy treats for dessert. The children played in the water of the stock tank and even the dogs joined the fun.

Saturday was an amazing day, with God directing every step I made. I prayed, as I always try to do on days I am not sure of the Lord’s leading, that He would give me divine appointments and work out the details of my visit to the prison. I left walking from Tepeyac in the morning, and walked a little less than 2 miles when I was picked up by an elderly couple in a pickup truck, and they instructed me to jump in the bed of the truck. When we got to the crossroads between Piedras and Jiménez, I instructed by hand signal that I was going to Piedras. I rode the 30 miles on the tire well in the back, wind blowing my hair all over so I must have looked like a scarecrow. The amazing thing was that they drove directly to the prison, pulling in to unload groceries for a loved one incarcerated there. We never spoke and they didn’t know I was going anywhere but to Piedras. I felt that was a God-anointed ride.

Once I got inside, I went directly to where Brother Hector was meeting under the trees in area 4, and heard them praising the Lord with guitars and heavenly voices. Six men were there, with Bibles opened, and I enjoyed the next two hours with them, reading the Word and giving testimonies. It was a blessing and I was rejuvenated. The brothers gave me a ride to a gas station in Piedras, where I caught a taxi to the International Bridge. I walked across and went to the bank, then sat down to rest on a bench before I started heading back to the bridge to cross the border back into Mexico. Across the street from the bank, I saw a little church and some kids coming out of a VBS. I talked to the boys a few minutes about their newly acquired “tattoos” they got while at church, and then a couple came out and we visited awhile. It was another God-ordained meeting as I met Don and Amie Crabtree, who are missionaries in Piedras. They also have a church in Eagle Pass, and they gave me a ride all the way to my house! How amazing is our God! We had sweet fellowship and I’m sure I’ll see them again. They have been married and serving the Lord 20 years. Thank you, Jesus, for those sweet saints and their children.

Sunday morning, Blas asked me to share about our trip to Corpus and it was a blessing to share all that God had done and the sweet fellowship we enjoyed with Jim and Brenda.

Monday, I made cookies and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the children of the kindergarten and preschool. Their party was much smaller as they only have 10 children total in both classes. The area is like a park with lots of trees and green grass this time of year. Also, local people tie their horses up to graze on the grass there. It’s a peaceful place to picnic so a great location for the school events. The kids had a ball with the piñata and all the games they played. Even the mom’s got in on the games, and everyone had a great time.  Our weather has really started to warm up and most days are over 100° Fahrenheit. But the mornings are pleasant, usually with a gentle breeze.

We had a pretty nice thunderstorm Monday night with lots of thunder and lightening, and enough rain to make a pretty big puddle in the little house where we sleep. It was a blessing to have some rain to wet down all the dirt and I’m sure the farmers appreciated the moisture.

I took a ride with Yessica and her aunt to Piedras Negras on Wednesday. They had to go to the bank and pick up a few supplies at the Gutierrez store, and we were blessed to get a ride with her uncle, Gonzalo, to and from the store.

Bill went to work driving a truck in South Texas about two weeks ago to support us and the work here. I look forward to seeing him when he returns for a visit to Tepeyac.

We talk every day and I know it’s difficult but the Lord is giving him strength for every day.

May God fill you with His peace and give you ‘divine appointments.’ We are so grateful for your prayers and support and we know that God has His hand on us at every turn.

Eagerly awaiting His return,

Toni and Bill

"I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgement of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." Philemon 4, 5& 6

Visiting Corpus Christi

It's a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I am sitting at the computer at Brother Jim Garcia's house in Corpus Christi.

Yesterday I caught a ride up to Piedras with Sergio, the "profe" from the school in town and walked across the bridge to Eagle Pass, where I stayed at the First Baptist Church for the night.

I walked to the Eagle Pass Library and checked my email, and then while I was walking, I came across a little shop near the tortilla factory on Pierce where Michelle makes and sells her piñatas. They are amazing, and she only charges $20. for the big ones that are nearly 4 feet tall. The shop is called Mr. Funny and she lives in a house attached to the shop. She is a very gifted young lady.

This morning, Jim and Brenda picked me up at 7 and we had a wonderful breakfast at Skillet's.
I talked to Bill on the phone and on our way, we picked him up in Carrizo Springs. This afternoon he caught up on some much-needed rest. We had a wonderful meal of shrimp gumbo that Brenda made. She's an awesome cook, and we enjoyed the sweet fellowship with them today.

Here are a few pictures from this week and last week. Enjoy!



Sun coming up over the FBC Eagle Pass

Bill petting Princessa at Rito and Maria's

Maria and Rito's son, Manuel 

Art class at the church

Fruit salad for the cows...looks delicious, or looks appetizing to a hungry cow

The cows enjoying their meal near Nueva Jarita

Jose delivering my water bottle to the door with his cousin's "carrito"

Princessa and Rey smelling the food cooking in Maria's kitchen

Sunset at Maria's

The cactus are blooming and I'm stopping to take pictures....beautiful!!!

Bill visiting with the donkey with no name that Carlos, the welder, owns in San Carlos

Sunrise over the neighbor's barn in Tepeyac

Tomorrow morning, I am sharing my testimony and about our ministry in Mexico at the Primera Iglesia Bautista, Corpus Christi. I am so glad Bill is with me and look forward to meeting new friends in the morning. What a privilege to be invited to come and share what God is doing in Tepeyac, and I pray God is glorified in what we share tomorrow.

Party, Princessa and Prison

Sorry it´s been so long since we updated our blog. We´ve been ¨out of pocket¨ as they say in Texas. Our laptop still isn´t working but I used the old computer from Swenson Baptist to type out this update and saved it on a flash drive for the internet store here in San Carlos. Thank the Lord for computers!

Monday, April 2nd, we attended a little party for the local pre-schoolers. Blanca, the teacher, made a piñata and cupcakes, and all the moms brought something for the meal. We made sugar cookies and it was a beautiful day and the lake (they call it a tank) is a great place for a get-together. We gave the moms a ride to and from the party and everyone had fun.

I love this picture! It says it all...
Bill and Guillermo laughing while Evelyn cracks a confetti egg on Chandy´s head...too funny!

Angela and her sunglasses! Perfect Springtime attire...

Forgive the wrong date stamp...couldn´t figure out the camera settings...Ring around the rosies, Mexico style. The kids facing outwards are ¨burros¨...when they lose they have to turn and face outwards...very cute game.

That afternoon, we took our next-door neighbor and her family up to Navaja to visit a sick friend, and they had a nice visit.

We’ve had a beautiful week in Tepeyac and although I know the really hot weather is coming soon, we have enjoyed the beautiful days and evenings in the 60’s and 70’s. It has already hit the high 90’s and we keep our fan going most of the time in our room and the trailer. With the rain we‘ve had recently, everything is green and it’s a beautiful trip when we go down the road to pick up Maria and her family for church.

Tuesday, the 3rd, we went up to Del Rio and were able to get some more dog food for Rito and Maria’s dogs. We also picked up some Emu oil for Princessa. She has a bad spot on her back over her shoulder, about the size of my open hand. We trimmed the hair over the wound on Sunday when we went to celebrate Rito’s birthday. They made a nice meal and we spent several hours there. When we brought the food on Tuesday night, Rito said her back looks like it’s starting to dry up a little. We don’t know what caused the problem, but are glad it´s beginning to heal.

Lupita is doing much better after the past month being ill. She was doing so much better when I saw her at the Bible study Wednesday evening and we enjoyed fellowship after the study at her house. 

Thursday we had 14 kids for the art class and they memorized their verse, Ephesians 2:8. They made little boxes from card stock that had verses on all sides. It was a little complicated for the younger kids, but most of the older children helped with the little ones. Blas and Paula came and helped, too. It was nice, and everyone enjoyed the refreshments as it was pretty warm that afternoon.

Saturday, we went to the prison and visited with our girl from the U.S. for several hours. She was supposed to be transferred to a federal facility in the states but her move has been delayed for 3-4 months. We also talked to several men about the Lord, and we attended a church service under the trees outside the women’s unit. The man who spoke is named Hector and he lives in Piedras Negras with his wife, Ofelia. He is a horse-trainer by trade and spent 15 years in prison in California when he was younger. He has a great testimony and a great way of sharing the gospel with the inmates. He reminds me of Jimmy Stewart....Gentle, quiet, and to the point.

We visited with several inmates individually, praying with some and reading the word with others. It was definitely divine appointments that day.

We had a quiet Resurrection Day, with a little birthday party after church for Lupita´s daughter, Nena and Yessica´s son, Pepe. I made a three milk cake and everyone enjoyed cake, peaches and punch. 

Thank you for your interest in our blog and our lives here in Mexico. We appreciate your prayers for us, and for those here in our area. We want to make a difference and we see opportunities every day for evangelism here.

May God use your life for His glory this week and always, and may He guide your steps and put you in the paths of people who need to hear the truth and see the changes He can make in our lives.

Seeking the King,

Toni and Bill

Rey, Princessa and Manuel

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints”   Ephesians 6:18

From Rochester, Texas to Mexico

We've had some birthdays since I last updated our blog. Sister Lupita turned 81 this month. Maria had a birthday and her son, Manuel, turned 5 this month. Everyone enjoyed the Italian Cream Cake, Carrot cake and Manuel especially liked his M&M cake. It has been a sweet month in Tepeyac, needless to say. 

Saturday, Maria and Socorro came over and we made lots of empanadas to sell for the church. We sold all of them and everyone enjoyed the day together.

Bill and I went to the prison Sunday afternoon and again today for several hours, visiting with our American girl who has yet to be transferred to a Federal facility in the U.S. We’re glad we get to see her but know she’s anxious to get moved into a safer environment.

Our visit with her was sweet both days, and today we were able to bring her some hamburgers, as she told us last time she misses American food. She said she’ll probably miss Mexican food when she gets to the states.

We also visited with a man we met Sunday. We shared alot with him about God's plan for his life. He admitted he's made alot of mistakes in his life and said he’s trying to seek the Lord now, and we hope he really does. He has 6 children he hasn't seen since he's been locked up, and he said it makes him very sad to think of how much his mistakes have cost him.

We visited awhile with Pedro. He was selling candy and showed us where his hair was shaved on the top as a punishment from the other prisoners. The inside of the prison is run by the inmates, and the guards remain on the outside all the time. Pedro is another one who confesses the Lord but isn't sure he wants to surrender all yet. Please keep him in your prayers. He was very surprised when I called him by name and thought I would have forgotten him. I told him I've been praying for him since we first met him a month ago. He said he was grateful for our prayers. The courts gave him more time and he won't be released until April, he said.

Bill went out in the yard while I was talking to our girl, and met a man named Alfonso who spoke perfect English. When Bill asked him where he got in trouble, he told him Rochester, Texas! That's about 30 miles from Aspermont! Hard to imagine, but he said he was picked up by Greg Hearn, who is the police chief and city manager there. In 1998, Alfonso was working at the Rochester Peanut Company, the main employer there. Mr. Hearn told him he stopped him because "he wasn't from around there." I remember when people used to say that to me. Too funny! 

Anyway, Alfonso had a warrant from Eagle Pass and went to jail in Rochester, then Haskell, and finally got deported to Mexico. Now he's serving 4 years in Mexico for another crime, and although he was born in Texas, he's serving time behind bars there near Piedra Negras.

We gave out lots of Agua Viva, the gospel of John in a nice booklet in Spanish that we recently received in the mail. They are great ministry tools. 

We look forward to seeing Greg, Robin and Laura this weekend, and hope to take them to the prison while they're here. 

Thank you for reading our blog, and thank you for your prayers for us and the ministry here in Mexico. We are blessed and encouraged by your loving support.

In His grip,

Toni and Bill 

A Busy Week

We’ve had some rain this week, and some windy days but it’s starting to warm up here in Tepeyac, and today is a nice day for hanging clothes on the line, with a little breeze, and the birds chirping all around.

Last week, Blas brought a boy named Alejandro, one of Paula’s nephews, over to dig the new outhouse hole and the boy invited his friend. We’ve been talking about it for awhile but are finally getting it done. Guillermo spent the day with us, had breakfast, and hung out with his friends while they worked. We served them drinks, lunch and sugar cookies I baked, and they listened to their MP3 player while they dug the hole. They completed the job and as soon as we can get some help, we will move the outhouses over the new holes.



Alejandro (on left) and his friend digging the outhouse hole for us.

One of our beautiful sunsets thru electric lines...

 

This week, we have been collecting things for the men in the prison. We have handed out all the New Testament Bibles we had but look forward to next month when Greg will be bringing some down from Aspermont Community Church.  

One man has a wife in Eagle Pass who just had a baby by C-section. He asked me to call her and find out how she’s doing, and I’ve tried calling several times and finally spoke to her on Saturday. Señora Magda Gonzales and her baby boy, Alan, are doing fine, but mom found out she’s anemic and is taking vitamins. He was born February 3^rd and his mother plans to bring him down for a visit this coming weekend.

Saturday, we were invited to have dinner with Samuel Villaroja, the previous dentist of Jiménez and his friends in Dolores, across the bridge from there. We had chicken taquitos and grape Jell-O for dessert, and before we ate, they asked me to pray for our meal. Bill and I shared about our lives and what God was doing in Tepeyac and at the prison. They invited a neighbor over, David, who is from Connecticut. We had met him in November when I painted at the store in Jiménez. He is retired military and has lived there for several years. The home belonged to a young woman who is the librarian in Jiménez, and since we asked about it, they told us a little about the children’s home there in Dolores. It was enough to peak our interest.

After we left their house, we drove to the children’s home, (Casa Hogar,) Rancho Jovenes Del Rey (Youth of the King Ranch). The director, Geronimo, was very nice and told us that he and his wife, Stella, and their two children are moving this week to the Casa Hogar in El Moral, on the way to Piedras Negras. Both homes are supported by the ministry we visited in Quemado, Bob King Ministries. The home in El Moral only has girls and the home in Dolores has boys. At present, there is only one 15-year-old boy residing there who is autistic, and has lived there for the past 5 years. A couple from Piedras Negras is moving in to replace Geronimo and his family this week. We hope to spend more time with these ministries and see great blessings there for the children in their care. We asked Geronimo where the children come from that live at the home, and he said DIF brings them, which is Mexico’s version of Child Protective Services. As it is in the states, they are an understaffed group of government workers and need lots of prayer as they make decisions for the children on their caseloads.

Maria and Socorro and the kids stayed after church and Blass helped them clean up the back area and burned most of the brush and old cactus. It looks so good now. I made a big meal of chicken spaghetti, cornbread and un-frosted cupcakes and we enjoyed a sweet time with all of them. We took them home about 5 p.m. so it was a full day of fellowship.

We’ve had a surprise this week when we received our electric bill. Our electric bill was over 2,000. pesos, (almost $200. US.) and although it’s for two months, it was much more than we thought it would be. When we received our last bill, we unplugged our big refrigerator and just use the little fridge in the trailer now. We saw other people’s bills that had the same amount of kilowatt hours, but cost a tenth of ours. After talking to our local electrician, we found out that the electric company charges 10 times more for churches and businesses here than for residential customers. Needless to say, we’re disconnecting the majority of our appliances, even though we don’t use them much. We can cut back a lot but we need to get moved to the house we’re going to repair to live in. It’s a long way from being livable but in the meantime, we can do a lot to lessen our usage at the church. I thought it would go down when we disconnected the fridge, but apparently that wasn’t the problem.

Bill did some patching on the roof of the trailer Monday with ”cold coat,” a sort of rubbery paintable liquid to seal the holes around the vent. The sunny day made it a great time to get that job done.

I have been doing Beth Moore’s Study on Queen Esther. It’s so good, and has been a real eye-opener for me. I have enjoyed it very much.

Thursday we had a visit from Manuelita and her son, Christian, who live in Tepeyac. She is Guillermo’s cousin, and she came to see if we could help her with her son’s need for diapers. He was born with a birth-defect called “neurogenetic bladder” and has had a catheter since he was 2. He has had surgeries and she showed me his scars and catheter, and said she wondered if we could help with diapers as they are very expensive and he has to use two to go to school. He attends kindergarten, and was one of the children who received a Christmas box when Greg and Robin came down in December.

If anyone has a desire to help with this need, please contact us or Greg Goza. We hope we can help Manuelita and her son with this need. His diaper size is 5, and I am not sure if that's the same in the US. He is an average-sized 5-year-old boy., as you can see in the picture below.

We’ve had several kids come over this week to paint. One girl, Samantha, had an art project she needed to do and her painting was an abstract design. She needed paint so came by to paint her picture at our house. I asked her where she got the fabric (it looked familiar) and she said her mother cut up the inside of a bedskirt, the fusing part, to make her canvas. Pretty smart, actually. She covered a piece of wood with her “canvas” and painted a nice abstract.

I have been sick most of the week with a bad cold that has gone into my chest, and I am finally feeling a little better, but still coughing a lot. I appreciate your prayers for our health.

We thank the Lord for you and your interest in the ministry here in Mexico. We want to see many souls come to a saving knowledge of Christ and hope to be a part of the solution here.

Walk with the King and be a blessing!

In His steps,

Toni and Bill

Manuelita and her son, Christian