Our Guadalajara Trip

Greetings in Jesus' righteous name! He is faithful and I am blessed to share some of my adventures with you.
Our two-week trip to Guadalajara was wonderful, and I wanted to share just a few of the pictures from our journey on the blog today.
Greg and Robin Goza and Susan Carver were my companions, and I was actually just along for the ride, having the privilege of accompanying them, but I was blessed make the trip.

One of the chief purposes of our journey was to share the gospel with the people God put in our paths. We had many opportunities while we were there, often with Uber drivers transporting us all over Guadalajara and the surrounding communities. My companions shared with the teachers and students at the University, also. We gave out tracts and shared our testimonies and we pray many seeds were planted there on fertile soil.

"I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase."  1 Corinthians 3:6 KJV

Robin, Greg, Susan and me outside our apartment Sunday a.m.

Our first Sunday there, we attended a wonderful service at the Casa De Cristo Iglesia. The worship was amazing, and so was the message. If you are interested, tap on the name above and you can enjoy their worship and church service recordings.

Worship At Casa De Cristo

Robin, Greg and Susan attended a Spanish School at the University of Guadalajara during the day and I walked around the area, talking to people and enjoying the city. It's so beautiful and the people are generally very friendly. I was sick the first few days after imbibing in a tainted cup of cappuccino from a little coffee shop near the apartment we stayed in, but got over that quickly. I usually had a meal ready when they returned from their classes, but sometimes we went to the café nearby for lunch.

The Cathedral in Guadalajara

We enjoyed some great meals, toured some nearby cities and had a great trip overall. One of our favorite restaurants was a little café near the apartment, and the owner, Alejandra, went out of her way to make us welcome. Of all the flan we enjoyed in Guadalajara, hers was, by far, the best. We made flan our favorite dessert, after trying out many of the local fares. Jericalla is a custard with a burned top, similar to Creme Brulee, and is really delicious. Chongos Zamoranos is a milk curd dessert named for its place of origin, Zamora. We weren't big fans of that dessert.

We visited Chapala, the town located next to Lago de Chapala, Mexico's largest freshwater lake. There were many vendors there, and lots of shops and restaurants. It has a great collection of artisans representing many parts of Mexico.

This Boy Scout and Girl Scout were part of a team of young people

cleaning up Guadalajara, and all the tops and lids made a mosaic

to depict their programs in the square behind the Cathedral.

The Programs were "RECICLON" and "TAPATON"

When we were in Tlaquepaque,
a man was selling fried grasshoppers.

Susan and I each ate one.
My variety had chili and garlic.
Hers was just fried with salt, I think.

I had to take a picture of this sign.

It's advertising a business that removes lice.

The  name Piojolandia translates to LiceLand,

like Disneyland?

Free Diagnosis. Be free of lice in 90 minutes,

without chemicals, with a European Machine.

Sitting in front of Lago de Chapala

My ceviche at the Palapa del Guayavo, en Chapala

This concoction was boiling hot! Chicken, shrimp,

mushrooms and lots and lots of queso! (cheese)

We talked to this little boy and his

dad, and he loves his puppy!

This was a clay sculpture in an art gallery. Amazing work!

Outside the restaurant in Chapala

Getting ready to order our meal

Enjoying the beauty of the

city of Chapala

Near the main plaza de Catedral

Hang on tight!!!

Chapala

Getting refreshments for the bus trip

These brothers preach the gospel in the square every afternoon
We spent two evenings with these amazing men.
May God continue to use their testimonies for His glory!

Praying for a woman and her children

next to the Cathedral

We have many more pictures of our journey but this gives you an idea of the sights and wonders we saw along the way. We hope this encourages you to share your testimony with others, and to be the light He wants you to be in this dark world. People are looking for answers, and we who know the King of kings can point them to the Savior, and love them unconditionally.

Thank you for following the blog, and if you are interested in the ministry, please comment and I will be happy to connect with you. God bless you as you share His love with the lost.

In His grip,
Toni

All Creatures Great And Small

Greetings from Mexico in Jesus' glorious name! It has been busy for me the past few weeks and I wanted to catch you up on some news from our part of the world.

I spent last week with my granddaughters in Ft. Worth while my son and his wife enjoyed an anniversary vacation in Mexico. Before I returned to Mexico, I was able to pick up donations from our friends in Dallas, Chava and Elvira Rodriguez, and these donations will be a big blessing to the families in our area of Mexico.

This baby deer was standing on the Hwy 277 Saturday when I drove to Ft. Worth.

I picked it up and took it to Sonora, Texas. It was injured and Derek Rogers, the Game Warden of Sutton County, received it from me on Saturday afternoon. He was amazed that I was able to transport it 35 miles without problems, but the deer stayed between the seats in the back of the van.

One of Bill's rescued puppies,
given to a good home last week

A cold drink of water on a hot day...in our yard

I had so much fun taking pictures of Texas Wildflowers last month that I wanted to share a few of them here. The highways were filled with color.

Texas Wildflowers

"Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it."

Psalm 96:12

God's adornment on the roadside

"Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.."

Psalm 95:7

Sunday in Centinella was great, and I brought 2 families from Tepeyac and Palmira to join us for the Mother's Day service and meal. Here are a few photos from that special day.

Veronica with the youngest member of the church

Enjoying the Mother's Day Fellowship and meal

Thank you so much for you interest in this blog and the ministry here in Mexico. I am so blessed by your encouraging notes, comments and emails.
I pray God uses me for His glory and I am excited to have the privilege to share the gospel wherever He leads me.
In His loving embrace,
Toni

"...and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel..."

Ephesians 6:19

Let The Little Children Come Unto Me...

 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me,

and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 19:14 NKJV

Greetings from Mexico in the wonderful, glorious name of Jesus Christ!

We are so grateful for your interest in our blog, and wanted to share photos of the Childrens Day event in Tepeyac with you.

We had a wonderful time sharing the gospel with children and mothers alike, and Blas Martinez brought a great message to start the afternoon activities off. After the message, the kids played several games, including baseball in the basket, water balloon toss, and sack races. We were short on helpers but served everyone a meal of hot dogs and chips, with cupcakes for all the kids.

I couldn't have done any of this without the help of Maria Vasquez, Socorro, Estrella and Manuel Martinez. Yessica Garcia and Gemma Gonzalez were a big help, also. Praise the Lord for sweet friends who are there when you need them!

Hermano Blas Martinez sharing the message

Lining up for the balloon toss, dog not included.

Lining up for the sack races

And they´re off!!!

Balloon tossers getting ready for the game

With lots of help from moms...

The final push for the finish line!

The moms received gift bags sent from Cynthia Hilsinger and her sister, Kathy in Virginia, complete with beautiful wash cloths, shampoo, Kleenex, lotions and combs. We also offered lots of donated clothes and shoes from Cynthia and the Primera Iglesia, Asamblea de Dios, Dallas, Texas. The same church donated toys, as well as those received from Carlos and Laura Lopez of Austin, Texas. The children each received several toys they picked for prizes at the event. 

We are so grateful for all of our donors, and for all of your prayers for our event. God provided every need and we pray the gospel was sown on fertile ground in the hearts of the children and their mothers and grandmothers.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to do the event in Centinella because I became ill on Saturday, but we handed out bags of candy with gospel tracts and Bibles in Centinella, and I was able to bring 7 people from Tepeyac and Palmira to the church service there on Sunday. We even got to attend the Sunday School class, where Alejandro is using the materials from Primera Iglesia Bautista Corpus Christi.

The case of Bibles was supplies by donations from Treasures of Grace Ministry in Haskell, Texas.

Thank you for your interest in the ministry here in Mexico, and thank you especially for your prayer support. It means so much.

God bless you as you serve the King of kings!

In His loving embrace,

Antonia

Resurrection Day With Aspermont Community Church Friends

He Is Risen!

Pastor Greg Goza Sunday morning at Aspermont Community  Church.

Greetings in the powerful name of Jesus Christ!

What a glorious truth, knowing that Jesus gave his life on the cross for our sins, and was raised from the dead on the third day, and is alive today. Those of us who know the King are blessed and are called to share our faith with the lost around us.

 I was blessed to be able to spend last Sunday, Easter Sunday, with friends in Aspermont. For 10 years, Bill and I attended that church and those believers are still a big part of our lives.

Greg and Robin when they came for a visit last week.

The past few weeks have been busy for me and Greg and Robin's visit was as refreshing as a cold drink of water on a hot summer. I enjoyed our visit and we had a great time doing simple things together. We took baby rabbits to Piedras Negras to sell them, and visited with Alejandro and Veronica and the muchachos at the Rehab in Centinela.

After I left Aspermont on Sunday, I came to spend the week helping care for my granddaughters.  It has been a sweet visit and I took this picture of the clouds at sunset last week.

 This is a photo of some our little congregation in Centinela after the church service earlier this month. We try to have a potluck once a month, and more often, a fundraiser to help with the church and rehab expenses.

 The calf we've been helping our neighbors care for is thriving and we are so grateful.

Here's a YouTube video I uploaded of feeding

to the calf when it was sick two weeks ago.

Feeding Baby a bottle of suero (electrolytes)

 

These pictures were taken at past Children's Day Events in Tepeyac.

It's almost that time again, time for fun and games with the kids in our little area of Mexico. Children's Day is a big deal in Mexico, and these kids know how to have fun.

We pray the gospel message will be sown on fertile soil this year, in the hearts of children and parents alike.

If you are interested in helping us with this effort, please contact  me by email or text message. My information in listed in the comments section of this week's blog. Saturday and Sunday are our planned event days in two different pueblos. We appreciate your prayers for us as we share the love of Jesus and the gospel message with these precious souls.

I am so grateful for your interest in this blog. God bless you as you serve the King of Glory.

In His loving embrace,

Toni 

Spring Has Arrived In Tepeyac

Greetings from Tepeyac in Jesus' glorious name! I had a wonderful trip home from the Metroplex on Monday, stopping in Austin to visit with friends who loaded the van with more donations for Mexico, including two bags of toys for the Children's Day events. Praise God for sweet friends and giving hearts. The picture below is Laura and Carlos Lopez, sweet friends who love the Lord and share in this ministry. What a blessing to spend time with them and their family. Carlos came to Tepeyac with Burl Fulenwider a few years ago and installed plumbing in our house. He is familiar with the needs in Mexico. Thank the Lord for this sweet couple.

Being in Austin gave me a desire to do street ministry there, as I saw so much need with homeless and hurting on nearly every corner of the downtown area. It felt like so much need for outreach in that city. Hard not to stay and minister.

When I arrived in Tepeyac, I felt like I had been gone for a month and not just 10 days. The rancho was brimming with new life. A new calf and baby bunnies were there to greet me, and the little red hen has been laying again. Fun to get home to all the new babies.

      Video of Baby

We have had a great time with our recent bake sales to raise money for the rehab. Cookies, cupcakes, and burritos made up most of our product line, and the residents of Centinela have been great customers. Pastor Alejandro hopes to continue the sales to help cover expenses for the church and the center.

Every weekend, we are continuing to do the bake sale and hope it will be a blessing to the community and the rehab center, and not raise the residents blood sugar levels too much!

Thank you so much for your interest in our ministry, and for all your prayers and encouragement. God is faithful and I am blessed to be a part of what He is doing in Mexico and beyond.

In His grip,

Toni

His Grace Is Sufficient

Greetings in Jesus’ mighty name. I am writing this while at my son’s home in Watauga, Texas. The past week I have enjoyed time with my family, specifically with my two granddaughters. Sewing, doing crafts and making cookies, it’s always fun with two girls, especially when they have a week off of school.

The Lord has blessed me in so many ways and I am so grateful for the friends and family that support this ministry through prayer, donations, correspondence and finances. Your support helps so many families that I work with, supplying transportation, medical supplies, food, clothing, Bible study materials and much more. Thank you for your partnership with this ministry.

Recently, the Lord has supplied the Agua Viva Rehab with finances through a government program to do improvements on the buildings and the property. The “muchachos” have already completed tile work in the sanctuary, plastering and painting in the new office and electrical work throughout the center. I was able to purchase a dozen LED light bulbs on this trip for the center to help reduce their electricity consumption. They are still raising sheep, and have now registered and licensed their mini-van for transportation. Pastor Alejandro and his wife, Veronica are working to create a presence in the community, as rehabilitation centers are often not welcome in small communities in Mexico, as in most other countries. Through the Christmas shoebox program and our bake sales in Centinela, we hope to break that stigma and help the center become an integral part of the community of Centinela.

 Successful apple-bobbing winner from Children's Day a few years ago

We are planning events for Children’s Day, Sunday, April 30th. Every year in the past since living in Coahuila, we have had a big event at the church in Tepeyac, with games, gifts and food for the children and the parents that participated. It’s a wonderful way to share the joy and love of Christ with the local community.

If you can help with this upcoming need, please contact me. We are in need of small toys/gifts for the children as prizes, gifts for moms that attend, like yarn, fabric, hygiene items, etc., and any financial gifts to help with the food for the events in Tepeyac and in Centinela.

Thank you for all you do, for your prayers and your encouragement. It means so much and I am very grateful for your interest in this ministry.

God bless you as you seek to serve our King and be a blessing to those in your sphere of influence.

In His loving embrace,

Toni

Here are some pictures from past Children's Day events in Tepeyac.

Trusting Him To Direct Our Steps

 Greetings from Mexico, in Jesus' Holy name. I pray this update finds you encouraged and blessed, trusting God to direct you, as He guides you throughout your days. Allowing Him to put people in our paths who are looking for answers gives us opportunities to share our testimony to encourage others to seek His will for their lives.

I have had some sweet experiences lately, and wanted to share a few of them here.
Last week, I received a call for help and after a trip to a grocery store in Piedras, we saw a man stepping off a bus in front of the prison, beginning to walk toward Centinella. I stopped to see if he needed a ride. He said yes, and after he got in the van, he told us his story.

 He said his name was Mario, and he came on a bus from Sabinas to look for his brother, an alcoholic he hadn't seen for 8 years. He had received news that his brother had died, and Mario, having received Christ some years earlier, planned to try to locate the family, to console them and encourage them in seeking the Lord.

Veronica, Pastor Alejandro's wife, called several people in Centinella, asking if they knew Mario's brother, but nobody did.
Finally, we want to see the local judge, Blanca Gallegos. She knew José, Mario's brother, and told us he had moved to Piedras Negras. So we went to the forrajera (feed store) to ask where he lived, and they pointed across the highway to a house.  We went to the house, but nobody was home. Then a woman walled up, asking who we were looking for. Mario recognized her as his sister-in-law. It was a sweet reunion, with everyone shedding tears of joy. We said our goodbye's and headed home, grateful for God's perfect timing. The best part was Mario's brother had not died, but was alive and well.

This week, while I was in Piedras picking up parts ordered for the car, a woman was wandering in front of the parts store, unable to maneuver through the ongoing construction in progress there.
I asked her where she was going, and she said she lived in a Colonia several miles from the parts store. I offered her a ride, and we talked while I  drove her home. The house shown above is her house. She said she's a widow, lives alone, and her children are grown but seldom come to visit.  Her name is Dolores and she invited me to come back see her. I went back on Sunday to ask her to join us for church, but she wasn't home. I will try to go see her again this weekend. I pray the Lord encourages her as she is a lonely, sweet woman, and would enjoy fellowship with Christians.

The kids waiting for the teacher to open the gate in Centinella Primaria Escuela

Thursday, I helped Alejandro and Veronica transport the kids to and from the school in Centinella. Their van is in need of a fuel pump and they needed a hand. I enjoy the children and we often sing while we travel, making it a fun time together.  

Riding in the van heading home from school

Feeding the little calf given to Pastor Alejandro at the Agua Viva Rehab.

I love how they painted the Acuña sign for Christmas last year!

This vehicle had the window shot out of the back while we were in the line,

heading out of Piedras recently. It happened while I was right behind it.

Praise God, nobody was injured. 

We were recently blessed with another box of Bible Teaching Materials from Primera Iglesia Bautista of Corpus Christi. These materials are such a blessing, and Pastor Alejandro is looking forward to using them at Agua Viva. Thank you, Hermana Marie Ruth Fernandez, for sending them!

I have been reaching out to several women in Piedras Negras, and last week, held a class to show them how to make and decorate sugar cookies with a recipe from my friend, Dalia Hernandez of Corpus Christi. These are some of their results. One of the women, Maria Luisa, attends church with us every week in Centinella.

My good friend, Cynthia Hilsinger frequently sends boxes of goodies for the ministry here, and we are doing a bake sale, using the cake mixes she sent from Virginia to help pay for the van for the rehab. Every item sent is a blessing here to these families. I am grateful for Cynthia's boxes of shoes, socks, hygiene items, and lots more goodies that help hurting families in our area.

I appreciate your interest in this blog, and thank the Lord for your prayers for me and for the ministry here in Mexico. Your cards, letters, packages and phone calls always encourage me as I serve our King.

In His strong embrace,
Toni