Visitors from West Texas and Open Doors

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

May Has Been Full of Blessings

Praise the Lord because His mercies are new every morning!

Greetings from Mexico!

We are challenged and yet blessed abundantly to be serving the Lord here in Coahuila, and we thank Him for you and your prayers for us.

Bill and I went up to Carrizo Springs last Wednesday and picked up the old 1976 Dodge Van. It had been at a mechanic shop there where they fixed the electrical system. Now all the lights work and it runs fine, just need to do a little more work on the spark plugs, Bill says. We brought it home to Mexico and plan to use it for the VBS in July to pick up kids and bring them to Tepeyac.

While we were in Eagle Pass, we had a meal at a little restaurant and visited with the waitress while we were there. We discovered she is a good friend of one of the girls we met while we were ministering in the prison here. She gave us the girl’s number and we got to speak to her on the phone. She’s attending college there and got married since her release. She is doing well and attending a local church. That was an answer to prayer for us. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness!

On Friday, I attended a sweet Mother’s Day program at the elementary school in Tepeyac. The teacher invited me to join them, and it was fun seeing all the children dressed up in their traditional clothing. We enjoyed cake and soda pop, and all the mothers and grandmothers that attended received a gift or two. The children presented their mothers with framed photos of themselves that they decorated. It was a nice program and my neighbor, Guadalupe and I enjoyed going together.

Mother's Day Celebration at the Elementary School

That evening, we enjoyed a meal with Yessica and her family. She baked a turkey and had all of her in-laws over to enjoy it. Then I took a cake over to Maria and Rito’s house to celebrate Mother’s Day with their family. We had a wonderful visit.

Sunday morning, I went to pick up our newest member, Maria de Jesus, and her grandchildren, and when we got to church, we found out that someone from the US had driven their new Avalanche into the corner of the room attached to the church while they were visiting the neighbors there. The wall was caved in near the ground, the water pipes broken off but we were so grateful nobody was injured.  We still had some furniture stored there so that afternoon, our friends and neighbors helped us load it all up and bring it to the house. It will take awhile to do the repairs and we pray we can complete them before the VBS in July. It looks like both of the walls will have to be knocked down and rebuilt. I believe we can complete the job in the next two months, Lord willing.

Our damaged church building
 

We have had a wonderful week of witnessing and I always enjoy praying with people we meet. We’ve given lots of rides, and had lots of great chances to share Jesus with people looking for answers. May God get the glory.

We thank the Lord for His protection, provision and blessings as we continue to serve the Lord here in Mexico. May God be glorified in your lives as you seek His face and share His love with the lost.

 In His strong embrace,

Toni and Bill

Scraping old paint off the Tepeyac Church

Christian and his friends at his birthday party last week

 

Our neighbors cut us this wood for our fireplace. What a blessing!

 

 

 

Children's Day in Tepeyac

We had a great turnout at the Children’s Day outreach at our little church in Tepeyac Tuesday evening, April 30th and we are so grateful to God for His faithfulness.

Brother Blas shared a message about how we need to come to the Lord as little children. Moms found clothes and shoes for their families while we played games with the kids. Bobbing for apples, fishing in a washtub, potato and egg races, egg toss and sack races made for lots of fun with all the kids that joined us. Every child received prizes for playing and a bag of candy.  Lots of fun for everyone!

Bill's San Antonio Hospital Visit

We have spent the last few days in the VA Hospital in San Antonio, and after many tests, Bill has been released to return home. We are grateful for the attention given his problems, and although he has been experiencing TIAs, we now know that he doesn’t have any major problems, other than several vertebrae issues in his neck and back. He is excited about returning home and we are grateful for God’s provision for us on this trip.

Before we left on Thursday, Rito and Maria came over and told us about Princessa being sick. We went to the feed store and got an antibiotic and took it out to their rancho. About 10:30 pm, I gave Princessa an injection of penicillin. She was so dehydrated, and her eyes were matted shut. I don’t know what they called it but it seems to be common, like a cold, in dogs here. We pray she’ll be feeling much better when we get back home.

We thank the Lord for all of you who prayed for Bill and we are grateful for your love and support as we share the Lord with the lost in our little corner of the world.

May God be the lifter of your head today as you seek His face. We pray He will use you today in the lives of those around you.

In His loving embrace,

Toni and Bill

Children's Day Outreach

We had a great turnout at the Children’s Day outreach at our little church in Tepeyac Tuesday evening and we are so grateful to God for His faithfulness.

Brother Blas shared a message about how we need to come to the Lord as little children. Moms found clothes and shoes for their families while we played games with the kids. Bobbing for apples, fishing in a washtub, potato and egg races, egg toss and sack races made for lots of fun with all the kids that joined us. Every child received prizes for playing and a bag of candy. It was such fun, and we are grateful we had a chance to be a part of it.

 

 

 

 

 

April Visits and Visitors

Today is a beautiful Monday in Coahuila and I am washing clothes, delighted to be doing that as the washer has been broken for over a week. José Alberto repaired it and connected my water to the windmill, so I am grateful for the gentle breeze pumping the water to my faucet! I have so much to be grateful for today and every day. Since we don’t have much water, I use the same water to wash several loads of clothes, then drain it and rinse them all in the same water. The washer uses 25 gallons of water to fill the washer, so I try to be frugal with the little water we have. I wring them by hand and hang them on the line. I have a lovely clothes dryer waiting for 220V electricity but for now, drying them on the line is great, and free. Praise the Lord for sun and wind!

This weekend, we had lots of visitors to see our house and it was fun serving coffee, lemonade and cookies, visiting with the friends we enjoy so much. We have been praying for rain, and although the forecast said we’d have lots of rain and some hail, we didn’t see a drop here. We continue to pray for rain for those here and in areas of Texas and other states suffering through the drought.

José Alberto has been looking for one of his nanny goats since yesterday and discovered it dead on the side of the road, having been hit by a vehicle. Sad news, but even sadder is the news we received yesterday that a 24-year-old father of two was driving intoxicated and died in an accident near Jiménez yesterday. He was from Palmira but lived with his wife and children in Tepeyac. We are praying for the family, that God would comfort them in their loss.  There have been so many families affected by drunk drivers here and in the US.

It has been wonderful to be moved into our new house. Bill came home three weeks ago and the next week, Greg Goza and Jeremy Cadenhead came for a visit to install windows, doors and electricity in our house. We had such a nice visit with them and they did so much in the 3 days they were here.  During that week, Epifanio completed cementing the blocks for our chimney, and Jose Alberto started plastering the chimney.  Our neighbors gave us a housewarming party the Sunday before last and cooked a “cabrito” in our new fireplace. We had a sweet time visiting with everyone and shared a wonderful meal in our new kitchen. We are grateful for the love of our friends here in Mexico.

Two weeks ago we did an outreach to the Catholic Church in Tepeyac. We gave a bag of food to each woman who came to the mass and each woman was able to get a bag of clothing for their family. It was a way to share Jesus with the local families that we haven’t been able to minister to as much as those in our home church here in Tepeyac. We pray God was glorified through the outreach.

We’ve been visiting families in Palmira with food and hygiene items. Florencia and her husband Miguel Hernandez live with their adult children, and their daughter Juanita has cerebral palsy. Bill and I went to visit them and we also visited with Gabriela and Facundo Tobias. They live out near Rito and Maria and don’t have electricity. Gabriela lost her leg a few years back but the joy of the Lord is evident in her smile and her attitude. This was the first time Bill came with me to visit these families and he enjoyed the visit as much as I did.

We are so grateful for your prayers, love and support for us as we serve the Lord here in Mexico. Thank you for your interest in the ministry and for your words of encouragement.

May God continue to use your life as an instrument to further His kingdom in these last days while the Lord tarries.

Serving Him with joy,

Toni and Bill

 

Gratefully Back Home in Mexico

It has been a blessing to be back in Mexico after a two week visit with friends and family in Texas. I had a wonderful time with my family and it was difficult leaving them but I had to get back to Mexico. I arrived Sunday evening and even the dogs seem to be happy to home again.

I am so grateful for the Lord blessing my travels with no real breakdowns, apart from problems with the connections on the battery of the Land Rover. Brandon fixed the problem and it hasn’t failed to start since then. The Rover ran perfectly.

On my way to the house, between Acuña and Jiménez, I saw a man on the side of the road with his head in his hands. He was sitting on a rock with his motorcycle nearby. I felt led to stop and see if he needed help, and after passing him, turned around to go back to talk to him.

He walked over to the car door, and I asked if he needed help. He said no, that his motorcycle was okay, but that his heart had been broken by the woman in his life. I asked him if he knew the Lord and he said yes, he did. I asked if I could pray for him, and he said, “Of course.” He told me his name was Marcos.

I prayed for Marcos, for God to heal his broken heart and give him the ability to love again. I prayed God would give him strength and wisdom. I also prayed for God’s protection for his journey, and that the Lord would draw him closer to Himself. He prayed aloud with me in agreement.

When we finished praying, he thanked me and told me goodbye. I felt like it was a divine appointment and am so grateful for the chance to meet and pray with Marcos.

On my way driving into Tepeyac, a friend stopped me on the side of the road to talk. She and her two daughters needed a ride to the Centro de Salud in Acuña and I told her I could take them there the next morning. She told me it was God who put me in her path that afternoon, as she was walking with her cane to another house to ask if they could them a ride the following morning. I hadn’t had a chance to visit with her and her family in a long time, so I knew it was another divine appointment. We had a sweet visit the hours we spent together on Monday.

That evening, I got home and quickly baked and frosted a fresh strawberry-covered three-milk cake for Rito’s birthday, and went out to visit with Rito and Maria and their family. It was a surprise, as they weren’t expecting me, and we had a wonderful visit that evening.

Wednesday I went up to Quemado to pick up dispensas for the families in Tepeyac and had another great visit with the pastors and their helpers there at the Cornerstone Children’s Ranch.  When I arrived home, Yessica, Griselda and I filled up cloth HEB grocery bags with packages of flour, chips, canned goods, granola bars, popcorn and other miscellaneous items.  Maria and Yessica will join me to bring the bags to the Catholic Church when they have their service this week, and give one bag to each member who attends the service. I have been able to bring food to the families in our church and several other families in Tepeyac that don’t attend church, but feel the Lord will bless the outreach to the other church in our community as well. May God be glorified!

We are so grateful for rain three days this week. The land is so dry and the animals around our area are lacking pasture for grazing. Everything has suddenly turned green in Tepeyac, and we praise God for the moisture.

April 30^th is “Día de los Niños” in Mexico (Children’s Day) and we are planning an outreach to the children in Tepeyac on that Tuesday. Please pray that God use this outreach to touch hearts and change lives.

I pray the Lord use your life for His glory every day and in every circumstance, and that He give you daily opportunities to share His love with the lost and hurting. May we all be about His business while Jesus tarries.

Thank you for your prayers for us, and for taking the time to read this blog.

Seeking His face,

Toni and Bill