Independence Day in Tepeyac

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

2 Corinthians 3:17

Greetings from Tepeyac in the redeeming name of Jesus!

 On the night of September 15th, the children in Tepeyac's kindergarten and elementary school celebrated Mexico's Independence Day at the basketball court. I was able to enjoy the event and got some pictures  and videos to share with you.

VIDEO: Kindergarten Independence, Tepeyac

VIDEO: Independence Day Dance, Tepeyac Kindergarten

I love seeing the children dressed up in their colorful outfits. What a blessing to be there to celebrate this special day with the community.

God bless you as you seek the King of kings. He is the way, the truth and the life. May Good use each of our lives  for His glory.

In His loving embrace,

Toni

  

Entertaining Angels Along The Way...

"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."

Hebrews 13:2 NIV

Since we moved to Mexico, we have often picked people up on the side of the road while travelling, and even met people in restaurants or grocery stores that needed a lift somewhere. But last month, we had a couple come up to us in a WalMart parking lot in Del Rio.

Steve and Kelly came up to the van while I was waiting for Bill to make a few last-minute purchases. They told us they were interested in heading to Peru, seeking God's will for their futures. We invited them to come stay in Tepeyac and they took us up on our offer. We are renting a little casa that belongs to our friend, Juana, and it was perfect for them to stay there. They had a bit of a culture shock the first few days, but then adjusted to mostly everything, except the heat. In a place where the temperatures are well over 100 in July, August and September, they were wilting in the summer heat.

We did get to take them to Centinela to meet Alejandro, Veronica and the "muchachos." They loved that ministry and enjoyed their visit there. They even got to go to church one Sunday at Agua Viva.

We pray the Lord continues to lead their feet where they can be a blessing and a light in the darkness. They love Jesus and live to serve Him. We are so grateful He brought them into our lives, even for only a short visit. No doubt, they were angels He put in our paths.

VBS 2017

"Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!"
Psalm 32:11

Greetings from Tepeyac in the magnificent name of Jesus!

We are so grateful for all the wonderful friends who took time out to make the trip to Mexico and share the love of Jesus with the children and families in four communities this year. The VBS classes were held the week of July 24th to the 28th in San Carlos, Nava, Tepeyac and Centinela. I participated in the last two, and they were wonderful.

I worked with the women, sharing the lesson and helping with the crafts. In years past, I translated for pastors who shared a message, but this year, I had the ladies to myself, and it was fun. I was able to share with them on a closer level this year. God is so good. The group from Haskell and the surrounding communities was about 40 people, including over a dozen young children. It was fun seeing them interact with the local Mexican children, and there didn't seem to be any language barrier. Kids speak love in every language. I am sharing some pictures here from the VBS classes and I hope you enjoy them.

I am so thankful for all the efforts put forth from the group from West Texas, and also for all the financing provided by the First Baptist Church of Haskell. This VBS has been a legacy for over 35 years of the work of Dr. Wayne and Yuvi Cadenhead, and many others that have given their time and money to bring the gospel to Coahuila.

May God bless them abundantly as they continue to be a light in the darkness.

Please keep the new believers in your prayers. Thank you for your interest in this ministry, and may God bless you abundantly as you share the love of Christ with those in your sphere of influence.

In His loving embrace,

Toni

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