Let There Be Agua!!!

We are so blessed! God is faithful and we have water at 65 feet! The man said the return rate was 300 gallons every 15 minutes, which is great for us. After almost two weeks of waiting for them from start to finish, we have the casings in, the gravel around the casings and water 20 feet from the top. They drilled 100 feet, which was our contract, and we are looking forward to a great source of good, clean water for many years. Thank You, Lord, and thank you, friends who donated to this cause. We are so grateful for your love and support for us.

Blessings, Challenges and Seeking His Face

Greetings in the magnificent name of Jesus Christ! What a blessing it is to be alive and serving the King of kings!!! 

As I was removing the weevils (only two) from the black-eyed peas I was cooking in the crock-pot today, it brought to my remembrance a day, many years ago, when I was first serving on the mission field in Baja, Mexico. My good friend did the same with some donated rice she was cooking. She removed dozens of weevils, floating on top of the boiling water as she cooked rice for her family. At the time, I was a newcomer to the life of a missionary, and a little shocked by the experience. But after all the years, I have learned to be grateful, even for insects. (I discovered a large yellow-jacket nest in the vent over the stove in the trailer last week, and was able to use a bug bomb to evacuate the inhabitants.) The Word of God says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Every day, I thank Him for His provision, and always trust Him to provide for the gas, vehicles, supplies, food, finance and strength for everything we are doing here for the kingdom. There are so many needs and I know the Lord is transforming us through the trials. We have been going through some trying times of late, and sincerely appreciate your prayers for us. He is our supply, and our strength, and we pray for Him to increase our faith in this area of our lives. I love trusting Him and know that when we are weak, He is strong.

It has taken us a long time to get someone to come to “witch” our well. A man the driller knows named José Manuel Villa came up from Zaragoza, and it was quite the experience. He was a short, stocky man with an odd-looking rock with a chain connected to it. The rock was black on one end and white on the other, about the size of a large walnut.  He carried it around and found where he believes we have a good source of water for the well. He said we have 4” of water, not very deep down. We trust the Lord in all of this, and know that He’s in control. The well will be a real blessing to us and to our neighbors.

 The man divining the well...

 

 

Bill with José Alberto, his grandson Angel, and the driller, "divining"the well...

 

We were so encouraged this past Sunday when we took a group of 19 up to the church service at the Christian Rehab in Centinella. We enjoyed the wonderful praise and worship there, and had sweet fellowship with the saints. They served us refreshments and chicharrónes with chopped cabbage, sour cream and chili. The kids love it, and it’s a typical snack food in our area. These chicharrónes are flour-based, fried in oil, and looked like a large, thick, flat piece of bread.

While talking to Pastor Alejandro and his wife, Veronica, I found out that they recently had a government inspection and the center is unable to take in any more men because they need 3 large fire extinguishers. These are very costly and the ministry is unable to purchase them due to lack of funds. If this is something you would like to help with, please contact me by mail, email, text, or by phone. We are praying God provide for this need so they can continue taking in men who need to be delivered from lives of drug and alcohol.  We confidently proclaim the scripture for the ministry in Centinella, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. “ Philippians 4:19

Recently, Bill and I went up to Del Rio to check the mail and do some laundry. While we were at the laundromat, we started talking to a young woman there. She said she was a preacher’s wife and they were living by faith, which she found very difficult. I told her what a blessing it has been to me to trust the Lord, and walk by faith.

We talked for a long time, and she said they were going to Bakersfield, California on the weekend, to share at a women’s conference there. Her husband came in and we got to talk to him, too. The woman, Norma, is from, and her husband’s name is Cesar. They live in Oklahoma but were visiting Norma’s mother who lives in Del Rio.

Norma recently was hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning and was suffering from depression from the effects of the incident, her husband told us. I asked her if I could pray for her and she said yes. Her mother, Maria, was with them at the Laundromat. Bill and Cesar joined me in prayer for her, and I was crying while I prayed, knowing how much she was suffering with depression. When I finished praying, her mother came over and gave me the biggest hug. She said, “Thank you, thank you so much. That is just what my daughter needed. Thank you!” I was so touched and felt like God put us right where he wanted us that day, especially for Norma and Cesar. God is so good.

During the time we have lived in Mexico, we have had many opportunities to drive friends to and from the Centro de Salud Hospital in Acuña. Often, people ask us for rides to or from Piedras Negras or Acuña because there is no public transportation in our area. Last night, we drove Manuelita and Christian to Acuña to catch the bus to Monterey. The doctors there are doing the final tests for Christian to have a kidney transplant, and his father is being tested to see if he is compatible to donate a kidney. Please keep them in your prayers. Christian is only 6 years old, and is a sweet little boy. We pray for God's healing touch on him, and for the doctors to have wisdom.

This has been a challenging month of mechanical problems on our vehicles. Both the Tundra and the Land Rover had U-Joints that had to be replaced. When we drove the Tundra up to Del Rio to pick up the parts we needed, it broke down on the main street there, and we had to push it to a nearby street, away from traffic. We prayed God would lead us to where we needed to go to get it repaired. We already had the parts we had ordered just days before. We walked up the street and asked at several stores for anyone who knew a good mechanic. In front of a Western Clothing Store, a welder was working on an out-building and Bill asked if he knew a good mechanic. The man said he did, and called several people on his cell phone, most of which were not available. Finally, he got a man who said he’d come look at the truck.

The man arrived within a half hour with a tow-truck that said, “Kings Auto Repair.” He said his name was Cesar Reyes, and he is the owner of the shop.  Since he only could take one person in the vehicle, he took Bill and I walked back to the pickup, about a half-mile away. I was praying the whole time for God’s provision and when we got to the pickup; he hooked it up and took it to his shop, saying he would send a man to pick us up. We waited a long time, and finally, a young man from the mechanic shop picked us up and took us to the shop. During the time he was alone with Bill, he shared about his life of drugs, crime and prison, and how he came to know the Lord and now serves Jesus with his whole heart. He ministers to the homeless and the alcoholics and drug addicts because of where He was when God brought him out of the world.

He repaired our pickup, replacing the U-Joints and welding the Y-bracket that holds the U-Joint. When we asked how much we owed him for the towing and the repairs, he said, “Sixty dollars.” I couldn’t believe it! God is so good. That Brother blessed us so much, and we know God put him in our path as well. He named his repair shop “Kings” for the King of Glory, and because his last name, Reyes, means “Kings” in English. God bless Brother Cesar Reyes and his ministry to the homeless and addicted there in Del Rio.

Once again, I apologize for the lengthy delay in updating our blog. We keep busy but seldom have access to the internet. We appreciate your patience and are working on a solution for this part of the ministry. Communication is difficult here on nearly every level but we trust the Lord to open the doors for better communications with our friends and family north of the border.

May you walk with the King and be a blessing as you bring His light into world. He’s our only hope, and we have the privilege of sharing His love with the lost and hurting around us.

We love you and thank God for each of you. Be encouraged. He wants to use your life for His glory.

Serving Him with joy,

Toni and Bill

“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”       Acts 20:24

 

 

October's Update and Anniversaries

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Today is a beautiful day here in Mexico. The weather has cooled down and the temperatures are perfect. A gentle breeze is blowing and the windmill is just starting to turn.

Recently, I drove some friends to Acuña to get groceries. On our way back, we picked up a man on the side of the road. He had a small suitcase and a gallon jug of water. My friend, Yessica, said she knew him and that his name was Julio and he was from San Carlos, a town we had to pass through to get home. Although I frequently pick people up when I am with Bill or alone, I hesitate when others are with me, so with Yessica’s okay, I told the man he could ride in the back of the pickup, as the cab was full of mothers and children.

When we arrived in San Carlos, I got out to help him disembark and introduced myself. He kept shaking my hand, thanking me in English for the ride. He was a short, stocky man, and appeared unusually friendly. After shaking my hand, Julio began hugging me and kissing me. For what seemed like forever, he showed his gratitude including the sign of the cross on my forehead, all the while saying, “Thank you, thank you, nice to meet you, God bless you!”

It was quite an experience. If it hadn’t been for Yessica telling me how he was, I would have been caught off-guard. But while we had him in the back of the truck, she described how he had acted with her when her husband worked with him, and the employees bought him a cake for his birthday. Apparently, Julio always greets people like that. And I didn’t even make him a cake!!

He also told me where he lived, a few blocks from the store where we dropped him off.  What a character! I really felt loved and appreciated. Too funny! I have never had such a grateful passenger.

What was funnier was that all the while we drove down the road with Julio in the back of the pickup on the way to San Carlos, he went through the grocery bags and the ice chest in the back of the truck, clapping his hands and talking to himself out loud. He smashed all the bread rolls with his fist, hooting and hollering. We laughed all the way home! God bless Julio!

The past few weeks have been busy with lots of visits with friends.  We have had several birthdays and lots of chances to make cakes, pies and cookies. Bill enjoyed a recent visit to Rito and Maria’s house, and I took these pictures while we were there.

 

Tuesday, two women from town came to the house to ask me if I could paint a wall mural for the school’s November 20^th celebration of the Mexican Revolution.  At the same time, I volunteered the paint for the moms to paint all the playground equipment. It has been a desire of my heart to do that since we arrived. Most of the moms helped paint the playground equipment with me. Here are some photos.

 

 

On October 21^st, we completed two years here, and earlier this month, Bill and I celebrated 13 years of marriage. It’s been a month of anniversaries for us. This picture was taken when we decided to get married in June, 2000.

 

 

We have been so blessed to be back in Mexico again. God is faithful and we are grateful.

We pray God is blessing your life and encouraging you in your faith. Keep seeking His face, reading the Word and praying for wisdom.

 

God bless you as you live your lives for the King. Thank you for reading the blog. We thank God for each of you.

 

Serving Him with joy,

 

Toni and Bill

 

 

 

 

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