On The Road Again

Greetings to you in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. I apologize for taking so long to update this blog, and appreciate your patience with me.

It has been a wonderful two weeks visiting friends and family in the states, and I will be heading home tomorrow morning to Mexico.

I left on Sunday, September 8th after church. It was a long drive, and I arrived at Brandon's about 10:30 pm. No problems on the road and the Lord blessed me with travelling mercies. My tires are very worn but not even a flat along the way. God is so good!

I enjoyed spending time with Brandon, Jessica and Abigail and we made cookies for Abi's preschool class. I love making cookies with her, and she seems to feel like it's the thing we do together when I come to visit.

Cookies for Abigail's Preschool Class

I flew to Sacramento on Tuesday morning, and Amber picked me up at the airport. We had a wonderful visit and I enjoyed every moment we spent together. I seldom get to see her due to the distance between us, so staying at her house with her family was a blessing.

Getting to spend time with her two-year-old was a special treat. Jayden is so much like Amber was when she was little. Here I've posted a few pictures of her.

Jayden and her new puppy

Jayden at the park

 Jayen and Amber

On Saturday afternoon, Amber and Josh had a wedding to attend, and Amber took me to Ken and Judi's for a time of fellowship. They have a Bible study a few Saturdays a month and it just happened I was there to join the fun that day. Ken asked me to share about the ministry in Mexico and I was privileged to share with the group some of the blessings and challenges of living on the mission field. I have known several of the people attending for many years, and Joan Souza, Nanette Yaw and Ken and Judi McKnight have been friends for over 28 years. I met them when I was pregnant with Amber. So needless to say, we have some history. They have always been supportive of me and my family, and have been there for me since the beginning of my commitment to walking with the Lord.

They blessed me with prayer and lots of encouragement and hugs that night. It was wonderful spending time with them once again.

 





On Sunday, we went to  my sister's to celebrate my mother's 80th birthday. Jennie hired a 15-piece band that played the oldies. It was great to see all my siblings and to spend some time with my mom. It was a wonderful celebration with lots of friends. I'm glad I was able to join the party.

 

The remainder of my time with Amber was sweet and it was so hard to say goodbye. I pray the Lord provides another visit sometime soon, and that He continues to hold her and her family in the palm of His loving hand.

 

Brandon picked me up from DFW on Thursday evening, and we met Jessica and picked up Abi to go to Bible Study. Their Cell Group is just starting the Beth Moore Study, To Live Is Christ, The Life and Ministry of Paul. It was great to see everyone again, as I had been to their cell group before.

 

I was able to join Brandon at Northwood on Sunday morning, and really enjoyed the praise and worship. They have a new worship leader who recently came from The Potter's House.

 

I am looking forward to getting home tomorrow, Lord willing, and getting back to our lives. I am so blessed to have had this time to visit, but it's always great to get back home in your own surroundings. Bill has been home in Mexico while I have been in the states.

 

It has been a wonderful time of refreshing for me. I re-read two books that have encouraged me for the ministry God has called me to and I hope that you will consider reading them, too.

 

Jackie Pullinger's book, Chasing the Dragon is an amazing book. She left England completely trusting God to direct her and supply her needs. God used her mightily in Hong Kong with drug addicts and gang members.
 

Radical  by David Platt has not ceased to inspire and instill a renewed desire to do all I can do for the kingdom. I would encourage any believer to pick up a copy of this book.
 

I pray God blesses you and continues to use your life for His glory. I am certain that He will complete the good work He has begun in each of us. Philippians 1:6

 

And let us not grow weary while doing good,

for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Galatians 6:9 

 

In His loving grip,

Toni and Bill
 



Delivering School Supplies To Local Students

We are so grateful for the generosity of our friends in Aspermont, Hamlin, Anson, Dallas and Corpus Christi. Because of you, we were able to bring goodies to the students from Tepeyac, Palmira and Jarita.

Here are a few pictures for you to see some of the children's faces. They were so blessed by the supplies and asked us to thank the people who donated the items.

So, we are sending a big GRACIAS from the children who are enjoying all the goodies you sent.
God bless you for your love for the children.

Serving Him with joy,

Toni and Bill

Grateful To Be Home Again...

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ!

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of blessings, reconnecting with friends and family, and seeing  God’s abundant provision for us as we travelled nearly 1,500 miles from Mexico through Texas and home again.

We are so grateful for travelling mercies, and did not have even a flat tire along the way. Our tires have given us much trouble as we’ve put lots of miles on them in the past year, and the roads in our area are not smooth. But we were blessed with sweet hospitality, fellowship, opportunities to share the work here in Mexico and opportunities to share with people along the way.

We left Mexico on Friday, August 9^th, and headed for Del Rio. The first thing we had to get was an inspection on the Tundra. We passed after buying two lug nuts for the wheels and then headed up the road to Aspermont. We stopped to see Greg and Robin Goza in Anson, and had a sweet visit with them. Then we went to spend some time with Todd, and headed out to Steve and Eileen Cochran’s to spend the night. They were gone to Andrews for the weekend, but invited us to stay at their place. We rested and then headed in to town to have lunch with Laura Pilkinton at Hickman’s. While we were there, we saw lots of friends and had a nice visit with Laura. We went by Steve and Debra Petterson’s house and had a nice visit with them, catching up on the news of grandbabies and such.

After we left Aspermont, we met Greg and Robin at their house and went to the Bumpis home outside Anson where Larry Goff was sharing about his recent trip to Papua New Guinea. What a blessing to hear all the things God did on that trip, and we were excited and encouraged by Larry’s testimony.

We stayed the night with the Goza’s and then went to share at Aspermont Community Church on Sunday morning.  It was great seeing everyone as we reconnected with old friends there. That was our church the 10 years we lived in Aspermont, so it was coming home for us.

Several of the families met at Uncle’s for lunch, and then we headed back to Anson with Greg and Robin to rest up for the evening service at the First Baptist Church of Swenson. We picked Todd up to join us for the service that night. We didn’t share but got to meet the new pastor, Mickey Wagoner, and saw several old friends.  They support us and provide shoebox gifts for children and families in Tepeyac.

After the service, we headed for Brandon’s in Watauga, and arrived a little after 11:30. It was so good to see him and we talked a few minutes before heading to bed. He had an early day Monday at work, and I was there to watch Abigail when Jessica came home just before 8am from work.

Spending time with Abi is always a joy, and she is growing up too fast. We had a great week, making cookies, coloring together, going to the Jump House and for ice cream, and just hanging out together.

Wednesday afternoon, we headed for Primera Iglesia in Dallas, and we had an opportunity to share about the ministry when Brother David Lara invited us to come forward. The saints there loaded us up with clothing, shoes, and cases of notebooks for the school children and school supplies. We were so blessed.

We took Todd to the bus early Friday morning so he could get a little rest before work on Monday. Then Saturday morning, we headed to Corpus Christi. It was a long drive and we didn’t arrive until about 7:30 that night, but Jim and Brenda had a meal ready for us and we had a sweet visit before we headed to bed.

Sunday morning we had a wonderful breakfast, made by Jim himself, and then headed to the Primera Iglesia Bautista. I shared during the first service about the ministry (in Spanish) and then again in English for the second service. The church had a wonderful lunch in the fellowship hall for us, with a beautiful cake. They really made us feel welcome.

Bill shared during the evening service and we all joined Juan and Martha for supper at one of their favorite restaurants. The next morning, we said our good-byes after visiting Halleluiah, the local Christian Bookstore. Jim and Brenda ordered copies of Stormie Omartian’s Power of a Praying Wife in Spanish for our studies. What a blessing to have this resource for the women in Mexico.

We got on the road and headed towards Eagle Pass. When we arrived at the aduana, we gave the woman there a list of the school supplies we were bringing to Mexico, and paid the 16% taxes they charged. We were blessed it only came to $40. US.

We arrived home about 9:30 Monday evening and were so glad to be back home. Our neighbors, José Alberto and Guadalupe took great care of the dogs.  We received this photo of José serenading Max with his harmonica.

We are grateful to God and to all of our friends and family for the sweet time we had while we were in Texas. Thank you for your prayers for us. We appreciate every one of you.

May the Lord be glorified in your lives as you seek the King of kings.

In His loving embrace,

Toni and Bill

 

 

Entertaining Angels…Unaware?

Greetings from Coahuila in the glorious name of Jesus of Nazareth!

Our day started out with an agenda, and ended with God’s agenda, as we later came to discover. I love it when God makes things come together like we would never imagine, don’t you?

Bill had an appointment in Del Rio to renew his CDL certification with TXDOT. So we left before 8 in the morning, bringing our neighbor, José Alberto Rios with us for his appointment in Acuña. We went across the border and Bill passed his physical with flying colors, as they say. Then we picked up a few things, ran some errands and headed back to Mexico.

Shortly after leaving Acuña, we saw a man on the side of the road who was waving for a ride. So we picked him up and gave him a ride to the turnoff for Tepeyac. I gave him some popsicles I had in the ice chest and we talked a few minutes. He told us his name is Marlon Acuña Cruz and he’s from Nicaragua. He had just been deported from the US a few days ago. He said he left Acuña early that morning and a woman made him breakfast when he asked for some money for food. She played Christian music and was surprised when he told her he was a Christian too. She said she thought he was a homeless man and he said no, that he lived in Juarez six years and has a wife and son but had gone to the US to find work, ending up working as a welder in New Orleans for six months.

When he left her home, he stopped to ask for water further down the road and a man took him to his ranch where he gave him lunch and a haircut in his barber shop, and drove him to the highway. It was shortly after that, we picked him up. He was going to Piedras to look for work so he could get a bus ticket to Juarez.

We decided to take him to the Rehab in Centinela and waited several hours for the pastor and his wife to get back from the church service they attend in Piedras. When they got home, Pastor Alejandro talked to him for a long time. He told him he could stay at the Rehab Center and they would help him to get to Juarez tomorrow. Alejandro’s wife, Veronica is from Juarez and the main Rehab they are affiliated with is there.

We ended up spending over three hours with Marlon and during that time, he told us his story of how he had turned away from the Lord in the states, and ended up in Sonora in the desert without food or water for three days. He prayed and asked the Lord’s forgiveness and felt that God had not failed to take care of him as he worked to make his way back home.

We said our goodbyes and told Marlon if he ever comes back this way to come by and see us. We drove away with such a feeling of “that was a God-thing.” The Lord allowed us to meet and speak in to Marlon’s life. We heard from our friends in Centinela and they said Marlon was on his way to Juarez the next  morning.  We pray our brother allows the Lord to work in his life with renewed strength and wisdom.


By His grace,

Toni and Bill

 

VBS Week in Mexico

Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ!

We just finished our week of Vacation Bible School in Tepeyac, San Carlos and Nava and everything went so smoothly. Our friend and pastor of First Baptist Church in Haskell, Jim Mc Curley was here, and so were Pastor Greg and Robin Goza and their son, Jake from Anson. They pastor the Community Church in Aspermont that we used to attend when we lived in Texas.

Dr. Wayne and Yuvi Cadenhead have been heading up this VBS outreach for over 30 years and have it down to a science. It was on the trip to Tepeyac in 2008 that opened my eyes to the needs here in Coahuila. God has a way of touching your heart when you come to Mexico to make a difference for the kingdom.

 

 

Guillermo and friends waiting on yukis at the Tepeyac VBS

 

 

 

Many more friends, old and new, participated in the group. It was such a blessing to spend time with them and to hear what God has been doing in their lives over the past year.

 

We have been working hard to scrape old paint off and repaint the church in Tepeyac. It was a group effort and we are so happy with the results.

Monday afternoon, Susan Carver came down to join us from Knox City. We met her in Del Rio and caravanned down to our house. She will be leaving today and we are sad to see her go. It has been great having her here for a visit.

I am posting some photos of things that we’ve been doing the past few weeks. Susan purchased a new outhouse for the church in Tepeyac and we picked it up in Piedras  Negras.

Many of the local farmers are growing corn. This picture is of Bill and our friend, Yessica’s baby Jaziel. He will turn one next month.

This picture is of the group (and a few of our friends from Tepeyac and Palmira) at the church in Nava on the last day of the VBS. It’s a great picture of the group and we’re so glad we were able to participate again this year.

 

We thank the Lord for all the wonderful friends who participated in this year's VBS and look forward to their return next year. Many seeds were planted for the Kingdom of God and we know His Word does not return void. May every seed be fruitful.

Thank you for your love and support and your prayers for us here in Coahuila. Keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

 

In His loving embrace,

Toni and Bill

 

 

July Update from Tepeyac

Greetings from Coahuila!

We pray this letter finds you encouraged and drawing closer to the Savior each and every day.

As I write this, we are experiencing the hot July weather typical in this part of Mexico and trying to keep cool is usually futile, unless you want to stay in front of a fan or air conditioner. Those items are somewhat rare in this part of the world so we are grateful we have both in our home.

On the other hand, we are grateful for the breezes that we get most days, and since the windmill is our only source of water supply, the breeze does more than just cool us off. Washing dishes, clothes and ourselves is difficult without water so we are more than blessed when the wind blows here.

We recently had a visit from Susan Carver and enjoyed three days with her here at our house. She plans to return with the group for the VBS and we look forward to seeing everyone next week.

Enjoying my 60th Birthday with Susan Carver in Del Rio

 

going Last week, I attended three different graduations in our area schools. Here are some pictures from the events of last week. It was great fun and I love being a part of these families.

 

We were deeply saddened at the news of our dear friend, Linda Burson, going on to glory, but know that God has prepared a place for her and she’s in His loving arms along with her husband, Tim. We are so grateful for the years we shared in prison ministry with this amazing couple, and we will miss them both. We pray the Lord comforts their family and friends.

It has been a busy month already preparing for the group. I am in Del Rio today to buy paint for the church and pick up the new outhouse we ordered. These are important details for the little church in Tepeyac, and everyone has been working hard to get the church ready.

Bill has returned to Texas to look for work, and had a bad bout of food poisoning this weekend, putting him in the hospital for a little over 24 hours. He drove home last night and is resting now. We appreciate your prayers for his complete recovery.

Yesterday was Election Day for the office of president of our little municipality. Lots of campaigning and we are praying God anoints the man who was elected to the position. May He make godly decisions as the Lord directs his footsteps.

We thank you all for your interest in our blog, and apologize for taking so long to get this posted. Hopefully, I will be able to update it more often in the future.

Thank you for your prayers for us. We are so grateful for the love you show us in comments, letters and prayerful support. May the Lord be glorified in all we say and do.

 

In His loving embrace,

Toni and Bill

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