Learning to Trust...

Greetings in the awesome name of Jesus!

I am sitting in my son’s home in the Metroplex and enjoying sweet time with his family. The Lord is faithful and I am so grateful for His mercy and grace.

A week ago, I enjoyed sharing at Aspermont Community Church, and was blessed by the outpouring of love from friends there. I miss all of them and thank the Lord for their love and support. But above all, I am grateful for their prayers for us. Without the prayers of the saints, we couldn’t do what we do.

All week I have enjoyed spending time with Abigail, my three-year-old granddaughter. She keeps me on my toes, and has a faith that amazes me. She loves me unconditionally. No matter how I look, no matter if I have to discipline her or not, she loves me. She frequently jumps up in my lap and hugs me tight and says, “I love you, Grandma Toni!” What a blessing that is to me.

It makes me realize why Jesus said we must come to Him like little children. With all their wonder and amazement, with all their unconditional love, with their ability to easily trust, believe and have faith, He wants us to be like them.

Becoming like a little child isn’t a one-time event. It’s a continual process of leaning on God and submitting every day, in every circumstance, no matter what. We can’t trust in our own abilities, although that’s the message we get from the world.

We all fall short of trusting Him in some area of our life. But the more we trust him and lean on Him to help us on an everyday basis, the more we will grow in our faith, and the more we will be transformed.

I need to be transformed. There is too much of me and not enough of Christ. I want to be so Christ-like that people don’t recognize me. Lord, help me to be like a little child.

We thank the Lord for all of you and your love, prayers and support for us. We know that God has us in the palm of His loving hand. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He will never leave us or forsake us. No matter what the future holds, we are on the winning team. What a blessing that is!

Be encouraged today. God is in control. He just wants us to trust Him and to let Him guide our steps. May He be glorified in all you say and do today.

 

Serving Him with joy,

Toni and Bill

Busy February

Greetings from Mexico in Jesus’ name!

We pray this day finds you seeking His face even more as Jesus tarries and we work to make a difference in the lives of those around us.

We wanted to catch you up on the busy month we’ve had here. Here’s a little update on February’s news.

 Saturday, the 9th, I took  Sister Pati (who ministers in San Carlos) to Del Rio to meet brothers Chava Rodriguez and Arnold Bonilla from the Assembly of God Church in Dallas. They brought donations to help her in her ministry, and also to help us here in Tepeyac and Palmira. The church members donated supplies for the Valentine Outreach we did last Thursday in the area schools.

We baked cookies, cupcakes and bagged candy and toys for all the school children in Tepeyac, Palmira, Jarita and Emiliano Zapata. That included the preschools and kindergartens in those towns. It was amazing to me because we originally thought we would only have enough for the children in Tepeyac. With all the donations we received from friends in Swenson Baptist Church and the Assembly of God Church in Dallas, we were able to bring the love of Jesus to all of the school children in all those towns. We shared with each group that this gift came from friends in the United States that wanted them to know how much Jesus loves them. It was fun to see their faces when they received their bags of candy, cookies and cupcakes.

We had a wonderful visit this month when our friends, Greg Goza and Matt Freeman came down to frame the windows and door in our new house. They arrived in Mexico on Monday, the 11^th and left two days later. During their visit, they were able to install three windows and one door, and framed out all the windows and one of the outside doors. It was lots of work but they kept at it and we are so blessed by their efforts and love for us.

I was able to spend two days with Bill in Asherton, and the church he attends there blessed us with shoes and clothing for the families here in our area. Most of the families in our community have received the blessings sent down from these sweet friends in Texas.

This week, my neighbor, José Alberto and his cousin, Alvino have been leveling the floor in our house, preparing to lay the cement this coming weekend, Lord willing.

Since Sunday, I have made four trips to take Yessica’s son to the doctor. There have been many people suffering with colds and the baby’s cold continued to get worse, with fever and coughing. We are praying fervently for God’s healing touch on this little one.

Yesterday, I brought some supplies to a family in Palmira with a 30 year old daughter who has cerebral palsy. Miguel and Florencia take care of their daughter, Juanita, who is only able to sit in a chair. Her body is twisted up as she has been in the same position for many years. She responded to me with a smile, and I prayed for her, knowing that God can touch her in ways we never can. Sometimes its hard for me to see so many needs that I can´t possibly meet. I can only trust that God has this family in the palm of His loving hand. 

We appreciate your love and prayers for us, and we are so grateful for God’s unfailing provision for the ministry and our personal needs here. God is faithful and we are so blessed to be able to serve Him here in Mexico.

Serving the King with joy,

Toni and Bill

                                                       

Enjoying the Sunrise...

As I watched the sun come up between Eagle Pass and Del Rio this morning, I marvelled at God's mighty handiwork. Every sunrise and every sunset makes me think of God as the most gifted artist, painting the sky for us to enjoy. Thank You, Lord, for giving us another day to serve You.

I spent the last two days with Bill in Asherton, and last night we visited with and prayed with our friends at the Asherton Baptist Mission. The church had loaded us up with donated clothing and shoes for the ministry in Mexico and we are so grateful. They have been such an encouragement to Bill during his time there in the area. Praise God for the saints!

The past two weekends, we have had visits with a sweet couple in the are in their 80's. They love the Lord and live alone on a little rancho with no electricity. Due to the donations of the Primera Iglesia Asamblea de Dios in Dallas, I was able to bring some needed items for this couple on our first visit. Maria and Socorro know them well, and Saturday Maria read the Word to them while we were there. Facundo has diabetes and is unable to read, but longs to read the Bible again. Gabriella is in a wheelchair since she lost her leg two years ago due to a fall. They told us they used to have friends come from Dallas and have church services in their home. We hope to start having worship services in their home, and look forward to visiting this precious couple frequently.

Our dog story continued this past week when I picked up the two sheep dogs designated for José Alberto, our neighbor, and brought them to the ranch. It is amazing how much the puppies have grown in six weeks. The owners named the dogs Milo and Otis, from the movie. Otis, however, is a female. But it's sweet they liked the movie that much.

The picture is of Maria, Manuel and Socorro holding three of the puppies.

 

 Part Great Pyranees and part Anatolian Shepherd, these puppies are working

dogs and naturals at goat and sheep herding.

 

 

Last week, I had some friends over to make sugar cookies. We made dozens, and they decorated them for their families. It was great fun and afterwards, the trailer smelled like cookies for days!

 

 

Sunday morning, we had a wonderful church service and I brought a cake and oranges for refreshments so we could enjoy some fellowship after the service. I didn't know it was Blas' birthday, so it was a blessing we had something to celebrate.

 

 



Well, I will close this for now as I am heading back home across the border shortly and pray the Lord is the lifter of your head today.  I leave you with this scripture:

 

Be  diligent to present yourself approved to God,

a worker who does not need to be ashamed,

rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

 

 

In His Love,



 

 

Toni and Bill

Fun With Friends

I spent an evening with Rito and Maria´s family making a gingerbread house. The kids loved it!

Sunday after church, the ladies had fun finding clothing and shoes

for their families outside the church in Tepeyac.

 Bill proudly displays his favorite of Princessa´s puppies. Hard to choose when all 10 are so cute!

This is Sanson, the neighbor´s sheep dog. He is totally ruined for guarding sheep now that Bill has allowed him in the house to sleep on Max and Tootie´s bed with covers. What a shame!

This is our new house, as it stands today. We hope to be able to pour the cement floors in February and start getting windows and doors in. Slowly but surely. 

We¨ve already enjoyed many meals with friends inside the house. It already feels like home!

A Wedding, Ten Puppies And A Mechanic

On Sunday night, I went to a wedding in San Carlos with Yessica. Her friends, Adriana and Obed got married and it was a nice wedding.

One of the things I love about Mexico is that celebrations usually include anyone walking by. Several people just came in off the street and sat down, welcomed to enjoy the celebration and the meal, and take home souvenirs. Two young mothers with little ones came and sat down with us, and we shared cookies with them. 

At one point, I walked outside to call Bill and on my way back inside, two men in a pickup spoke to me. I walked over to them and they asked me (in ENGLISH) where I was from. I started to share with them how the Lord had brought me down to Coahuila and found out that one of them, a young man named Rigo, had lived in Hamlin, Texas for 16 years and worked at the Peter Piper Dog Food plant there. He also worked for a rancher in Anson. He had recently been deported so was looking for work here. The other man was a man Bill and I met and talked to in San Carlos about a year ago, when he had just been deported.  I encouraged both of these young men to get into a church and not get into trouble. They both said they were Catholic but didn’t attend church. I told them I would be praying for them, and appreciate your prayers for them, too, that God would guide their footsteps and give them a desire to seek Him.

Over a year ago, we brought 4 puppies down from Carlsbad, Texas, near San Angelo, to serve as goat and sheep dogs for local ranchers. On December 23^rd, Princessa had 10 puppies. They are just about big enough to wean and José, our neighbor, is getting a little male and female. He’s already working on the shelter for them. Lord willing, the puppies will be as good at their jobs as Princessa and Rey have been.
This has been a month of car problems and about a week ago, the shift lever on the Tundra wouldn’t move. I was giving Francisco a ride from La Potasa to his home in Palmira, so he got his uncle and they followed me home because I couldn’t stop the pickup to open the gate to the property. The next morning, Martín fixed the linkage problem in the steering column and I was back in business, or I guess I should day, on the road again. Thank the Lord for mechanics who know what they’re doing.  It took Martin about 4 hours but most of the time he was talking and visiting with everyone who came by to see what was going on. I love Mexico!

Amazing Grace

Greetings from Mexico in the awesome name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

What a privilege to wake up and see the moon shining, listen to the roosters crowing and know that God remains on the throne, ready to use us if we want to be used by Him!

I woke up at 4 this morning, with excitement knowing that God is going to use me today.

Lately, I had been feeling like I’m not making a difference here, but my strength is renewed by His Word and I will not let the enemy take that away from me. The devil wants to discourage us and make us feel we aren’t touching lives or serving God as we should. Yesterday I got a “shot in the arm.” And today I am excited, knowing that God’s promises are “Yes” and “Amen!”

I read two devotionals this morning, both encouraging me to remember that I don’t need to get into debates about religion, but just to do what God has called me to do. I need to bring every thought captive, including those that bring discouragement. God has called us to be a light, and we don’t have to worry about how He’s going to use us, we just need to be ready to be used, for His glory.

Yesterday morning I took Henriquetta’s daughter, Hortensia, to Piedras Negras for blood work at the Seguro Hospital. Guadalupe, my neighbor (her sister-in-law) came with us. We left at 6 as we had to be there by 7. We had a smooth ride until we came just into Piedras, where the car broke down and wouldn’t run. We let the car on the side of the road, leaking “fluids” and hailed a taxi for remainder of the ride to the hospital for 30 pesos (that’s about $2.50 US.)

The hospital was full of people, and I would estimate over 200 persons were waiting in line before 8 am for consultations. When we got up the stairs to the line where Tencha (Hortensia) was to wait, she realized she had left a bag in the taxi when we got out. Guadalupe and I quickly walked back downstairs and out the hospital doors to find the taxi driver who had given us a ride. Needless to say, he was long gone. We spoke to another driver waiting there, but he didn’t seem to know the man who drove the other taxi. No sooner did we speak to that driver, a horn honked and behind that taxi was the other driver, with the bag in hand. He had gone around the corner, apparently, and realized we left the bag in his car, and brought it back to us! To me, that was a miracle. Not many people would do that. But he did. I gave him 20 more pesos for his trouble and thanked him profusely. Praise God for touching that man’s heart. Although I doubt he knew it, the bag contained the contents of Tencha’s grandson’s wallet, with his clothes he had left at his parent’s house in Tepeyac. God is so good!

Tencha was relieved when we arrived back upstairs with her bag, and she was already finished with her blood work. The next thing we had to do was get a mechanic, hopefully with a tow-truck, for the car.

I checked my phone for numbers of mechanics in the area that Bill and I had used previously. (I think we’re a little rough on our vehicles here in Mexico.) The only one I had was a welder who did our muffler work on the van months ago. Then I realized Brother Hector would probably know a mechanic, and called him. Hector gave me the number of a man named Rene, and I called him right away. Still sitting in the hospital, Rene gave me his address and we walked down to get another taxi to his house.

He was waiting for us, and got a neighbor to take us to the car, along with his tools. The neighbor dropped us off at the car, and I decided to turn the key to see if it would start. (It just died on the way and wouldn’t start again, so we left it.) Amazingly, it started and he told us to all get in and head for his house, where he could work on it. We made it about halfway, and it overheated, so we pulled over to a feed store and turned it off to let the radiator cool down. Then he filled it with water and we headed to his house, after he got a sack of feed for his goat and loaded it in the trunk.

When we got to his house, he started checking out all the things that seemed to be wrong, and to make a long story short, we spent over 9 hours with Rene, while he worked on the radiator hoses, removed the thermostat, disconnected the air conditioner and told me it was missing major bolts, like for the motor mounts. I knew the car had problems, but didn’t realize how many problems it had.

The wonderful part was I had hours to talk to him about the Lord. He is a believer, just not really faithful about fellowshipping in his church yet. He is single and wants to return to the states, but had been deported so has 5 more years to wait until he can try to get legal. He grew up in Southern California, and doesn’t like living in Piedras, but is originally from Michoacan. Rene speaks perfect English, but I didn’t know that until I had been there over 5 hours because I don’t speak English to people in Mexico. When he had to go get parts for the car, he drove his bicycle, and came back within 15 minutes.

We walked to get something to eat at a little café called “Chavito’s,” and left there to deliver the package to Tencha’s grandson by taxi ride on the other side of town. Then the taxi driver brought us back to the mechanic, where we spent the rest of the day.

Another blessing was when I asked him what I owed him, he said “Three-hundred and fifty.” I immediately asked, “Dollars?????” and he said, “NO, pesos. But the thing is, you have to let me do all your mechanic work in the future.” What a deal! That came to about $30.US dollars. Praise the Lord. I doubt many mechanics in Texas would have worked on a vehicle all day for that price. He really knew what he was doing, and told me what parts I needed to get to repair the vehicle correctly. I am so grateful the car ran great and we got home safely, about 7 o’clock. It was a very long day but a very good one. God is faithful.

Today is Tuesday, and I look forward to another day serving the Lord most high! What a privilege it is!

Serving Him with joy;
Toni

Great Company and Sweet Fellowship

Greetings from Mexico! I pray that while reading this, you are encouraged and blessed today.

Last week, I received a message from Yuvi Cadenhead that she and her family were coming down to talk about the VBS this summer in Tepeyac and Nava, and I was so excited to have them come to visit.

Maria and Socorro planned a meal and went to get all the fixin’s to feed the group and our church family here at our house.

Greg Goza and Ford and Donna Cole were with the group when they arrived on Friday afternoon. They brought a swing set down and set it up in our yard, for kids and adults to enjoy.

We enjoyed a meal of pollo guisado, ranch-style beans with bacon and chilis, fried potatoes, potato salad, homemade flour tortillas and corn tortillas, steamed rice, and three milk cake to celebrate Lucero’s 16^th birthday. It was so fun to have everyone here. Blas and his sister, Cecilia, Agustina and her grandson, Abraham and Maria’s children joined us. We had a sweet time and everyone enjoyed seeing our house, a work in progress. What a blessing it was to see my neighbors, Jose and Guadalupe sitting on the swing set, enjoying it after the group left on Friday afternoon. Jose said that when he can’t find his wife, he’ll come to see if she’s here on the swing set because she like s it so much.

They had to head back before dark, but returned the next morning to pick me up to travel to Nava on Saturday morning. These pictures are from our visit to Nava. We had a great time and they made us a wonderful meal. It was a blessing to spend some time with these saints.

That afternoon we headed back to Tepeyac, and the group dropped me off while we said our goodbyes until their next visit. It was a wonderful two days with friends.

I pray this little update encourages you and that God gives you the desires of your heart as you seek His face.

In His loving grip,

Toni and Bill