Coming Home to Mexico With The Dogs

We had a wonderful time visiting Brandon and Jessica and little Abi for Christmas, but it was hard to leave. We hope we’ll get to see them again in the next few months, Lord willing.

On our way to Aspermont, we stopped to visit Dr. Wayne and Yuvi, and met their children and grandchildren. It was nice to visit with them and to meet their family.

Laura watched our dogs in Aspermont so we got to visit her a few minutes when we picked them up. They seemed to be very happy to see us again and we appreciated Laura’s willingness to keep them while we went to the Metroplex.

We stopped and had a meal with Greg and Robin in Anson on our way through, and they blessed us with lots of goodies for Mexico. We look forward to seeing them in the coming year when they visit Mexico again.

When we got to San Angelo, we drove from there to Carlsbad to pick up the dogs Brandon Alldredge gave us. He gave us two 8-week old male Anatolian Shepherd puppies and one five month old female Anatolian/Great Pyrenees mix and one three month old Great Pyrenees male. He donated them to the ministry and we were so grateful for that answer to prayer.

We were able to bring the dogs and lots of dog food to their new owners. Rito and his family named their dogs “Rey” and “Princessa.” Amadeo hasn’t given his dogs names yet. The dogs are all doing well and adapting to their new homes. They are drinking goat’s milk and living with the goats and sheep. It’s amazing to see the instincts they already have for that lifestyle. They are working dogs, and are very content in their environments.

Our border crossing was amazing. We came across at the Del Rio/Acuna crossing about 2 am on Tuesday and absolutely nobody was there! It was the first time I’ve ever seen that. Between Acuna and Tepeyac, we might have seen 6 vehicles, which made for a pleasant drive home. We slept a few hours, and at 9:30 a.m. we went to bring our “tuning fork” to the doctor. She didn’t come for consultations that day, though. We will see her next week when she comes back.

My son, Brandon, purchased the tuning fork online while we were visiting and had it delivered on Saturday, which delighted Bill tremendously. The doctor needs it for a better diagnosis of Guillermo, and hopefully it will enable him to get the help he needs.

We enjoyed the Bible study at Lupita’s house on Wednesday. Her husband was sitting up in the chair during the study. Nena and her daughters were there, also, and we brought Maria, Socorro and the children. Blas came but Paula spent the evening with her mother, who has been having a hard time since her husband died Friday before Christmas. Paula and her family are healing slowly from the loss of her father. He died of pneumonia, but had been struggling with Alzheimer’s for the past 5 years.

This morning, Paula and Blas brought two of their nieces, Alexis and Angela, and we made sugar cookies in the trailer. It was fun, and the girls had a great time, cutting the “masa” with the cookie cutters and putting sprinkles on them. We made dozens of cookies but only a few made it home with them!!! I know they had fun, and Paula probably enjoyed it most of all! Alexis is 5 and Angela is 3. They are cousins.

Alexis was born in Del Rio and speaks English and Spanish and is quite a character. While we were making our cookies, Bill came in to ask me where the cordless drill charger was and I told him what he needed to know. Alexis said, “Why are you talking to him in English? HE doesn’t speak English!!!”  I guess she thought his Texas drawl didn’t sound like English to her. I couldn’t help but laugh! Too funny!

While we made cookies, Alexis decided to tell the story (in English) of the 3 little pigs. I told her we should speak Spanish so everyone could know what we’re saying. She asked me to tell the story, and I ended up telling it nearly 10 times….Alexis wanted me to tell it over and over and over again.

Have you ever thought of that story in Spanish? I don’t guess I ever did before today. Of course, it got better and better the more times I told it…in they end, the puerquitos cried “Gloria Dios! Alleluia!!!” porque el lobo se murio en la hoya de agua hirbiendo en la chiminea. (my spelling is probably way off, but you get the jist!) I had to remember soplo in place of respiro (blow in place of breathe) Maybe I could write a Spanish children’s book about it, giving God the glory! Paula had never heard the story before. When my children were small, we had a Christian tape from Hosanna that told the story with a Christian flavor to it. It would be fun to do that in Spanish.

After we made cookies, I drove Blas and Paula to San Carlos to pay their electric bill. When we came back through Palmira, we stopped at Blas’ brother, Reymundo’s house and had a meal with them. They had just killed their pig this morning and made a wonderful meal of it and we stopped to visit with them.

We ate outside at a big wooden table made from an electrical wire spool, sitting near the fire where the meal was still being cooked, and tortillas were warming on the grill. The only thing out of place (probably only to me) was the pig’s head in the middle of the table, eyes fixed, looking at me. He had white whiskers. All I could think of while I ate was that saying Jerry Coplen and Greg Goza say, “Happier than a dead pig in the sunshine.” The sun was shining brightly on this beautiful afternoon, and that pig actually looked happy. I know that’s strange, but it’s true. He had just the slightest smile across his lips…

Well, it’s getting late and I want to get this posted to the blog. I have lots of children coming for Art class in the morning, and am looking forward to seeing them all again. Our weather has been beautiful the past few days, and I hope it will continue tomorrow so we can have a good turnout for out class.

Bill and the dogs are waiting for us to drive to Jimenez. It’s their outing for the day.

We covet your prayers. God has protected us, provided for us, given us boldness, and kept us healthy because of the prayers of the saints. We greatly appreciate your prayers for us.

May God bless you richly this coming year, and may He use your life for His glory. I pray that you realize how truly blessed you are. We all have so much to be thankful for.

Psalm 84:10-12    For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper  in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield, the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

In His service,

Toni and Bill

Christmas Eve

This evening we went to NorthWood Church in Keller. Their Christmas Program was very nice. They sang Christmas Carols, had communion and children in a manger scene on the stage. I enjoyed it. but it was hard for Abi so Brandon and Jessica spent most of the service in the Crying Room, where they saw the service on a TV screen. Hard for little ones to sit still very long.

We went on a drive to see the Christmas Lights in Richland Hills the other night. Some of the homes were amazing!

Christmas in Watauga

Abi got this hat from Grandpa Bob and Grandma Ethel in Brookings,

and she loves to wear it in the cold~

Thursday evening we arrived at Brandon and Jessica's house, and have had so much fun visiting them and playing with Abigail! We're blessed to be here with family to celebrate this special time of year. Here are just a few pictures Brandon has taken of his sweet daughter.
We hope your Christmas is blessed and filled with God's peace, friends and family.

Visiting Aspermont

It's Wednesday night and we drove up to Aspermont today to join the Gozas and Laura in sharing about the Shoebox Gift outreach in Tepeyac. It was great seeing everyone at church and felt like we never left!
Robin made Hot Apple Cider and the children sang Christmas songs for us. It was a blessing to see the pictures and to let everyone see the faces of the children when they received the boxes.
We are so grateful for everyone who participated in the outreach. Thank you for giving to those sweet children.

Sandra brought this little goat on Tuesday evening. She named it Domingo and it's brother Santo. They were born that morning and Sandra found Domingo on the ground, trembling from the cold, so she brought him home in a towel and bathed him in warm water.

This is Virginia. She was born about a month ago, and when her mother died a few weeks ago, Sandra had to feed her with a bottle. She's a sweet little goat.

This is of Blas, Paula and Bill. Bill is roasting hotdogs over the fire in front of our house in Tepeyac.

Bill holding Cold Max....Brrrrrrrrr!

 

This is my friend, Dylan Eason at church on Wednesday night in Aspermont.

These are the children at church, singing Christmas carols.

Tomorrow we will be heading for Brandon and Jessica's to spend Christmas with them and Abigail. Can hardly wait to get there!

Shoebox Gifts~Special Delivery

Greg and Robin Goza and Laura Pilkinton arrived Friday afternoon and brought 106 Shoebox Christmas gifts for the children of Tepeyac and the surrounding area. The gifts came from individuals and several churches in Stonewall and the surrounding counties.
They were blessed to get their small vehicle across the border without revision as it was packed to the ceiling with shoebox gifts, in addition to their personal belongings.

On Friday afternoon, a group of ladies from our church made pozole for the group, and fried chicken. It was fun to spend that time together and we enjoyed the sweet fellowship of the saints. We ate too much but slept well that night, and were ready the next morning to deliver gifts. I left at 7:30 to pick up Maria, Socorro and the kids from Palmira to come help us with the deliveries, and as it turned out, Blas had a better plan. We pulled up to the front of his gate and the children on his street and surrounding houses came up to get their gifts.

We enjoyed a wonderful meal of tamales and beans with homemade salsa at Sandra's house on Saturday afternoon. When we got ready to leave, she said her Christmas tree didn't have any gifts under if for her grandchildren when they were to arrive that evening, but because the group gave her gifts for her grandchildren, her tree had presents under it for when they arrived. She was crying as she thanked us and hugged each of us goodbye.

We enjoyed giving the gifts to all the children and the mothers asked us to thank our friends who supplied the gifts. What a blessing it was to be a part of such an act of love for the children of Mexico.

We are grateful for Greg, Robin and Laura and their sacrifice to come to Mexico on this trip. We thoroughly enjoyed having them for even the few days they were here. They made it across the border without any problems and should be home this evening, Lord willing.

We hope you have a wonderful week. God bless you and your family as you keep your eyes on the King.
Always,
Toni and Bill

Little Orphan Annie

As I was washing dishes at the table outside my front door this morning, I noticed the chickens were once again hanging around and before I voiced my disapproval, I realized I am living the life…of Little Orphan Annie!

I wash the cups and saucers, and brush the crumbs away. I shooed the chickens off the porch and dust the hearth and sweep, Make the fire and baked the bread and earned her board and keep! Yes, that’s me, except for the other part about telling witch’s tales around the fire at night.

Haven’t done that yet. I don’t know why, but it struck me this morning. I guess all the stuff I do I have done for years, except the chicken part. Shooing chickens was never part of my life in the US. Kinda fun to be popular with the chickens here, though. I talk to them on the way to the outhouse. They’re always around, kinda like groupies…looking for a handout. I am a little concerned that my coffee grounds might make them hyper. Any input on that?

Being Grateful For Water...

I’m sitting in our little one-room house, praising the Lord to ‘Stronger’ by Mandisa…What a great song! Bill thinks I’m crazy when I praise the Lord…On well.
Bill is sitting up in bed with pillows all around and drinking his first cup of coffee…It’s freezing cold outside and all the water is frozen. I took these pictures of the water barrel.



Guess most people from West Texas have done this many times, but I confess, it’s the first time I chipped ice to boil water. On my visit to the outhouse, I found the water I usually wash my hands in was a block of ice. Couldn’t break it, although I’m not sure I would have wanted to wash my hands in such cold water anyway.

Yesterday I broke down and washed my dishes inside the house. It was so cold outside, I couldn’t get up the nerve to stand at the table outside in the wind and cold and wash those dishes. Even though I warm up water on the stove, it was too cold outside. We have very little space inside, so washing dishes is a challenge. But better sardines inside than popsicles outside, right?

Needless to say, the laundry I usually do when the water comes on in the morning won’t get done until the pipe thaws out. We only have one faucet and it’s frozen solid this morning. It was hard to do laundry yesterday as the wind was blowing so hard and my hands were freezing when I hung the clothes on the line. But I got three loads done. This morning, they are still on the line, and I will have to get up the gumption to take them down…Brrrrrr!

I can remember my mother hanging clothes on the line when it was very cold in Mt. Shasta. I guess I have really taken my clothes dryer for granted over these years. It was such a blessing when we lived in Texas. Now that the weather has changed, I guess I need to hang some line inside the house for those wet days.

A few days ago, I really considered our water. Thanking the Lord for water, I was thinking about how precious it is to us. Since our town water service is intermittent and we purchase drinking water in 5-gallon bottles, it has become even more precious. When we lived in Aspermont, I bought water, but when we didn’t have drinking water, we always had tap water.

I have learned to do laundry and dishes when the water comes on, although I have a 50-gallon barrel to hold a supply for necessities, it isn’t nearly enough. I am sure I took showers that used more than 50 gallons of water. Humbling, isn’t it?

Bill has talked about the lack of water in Mozambique when he and Larry Melton visited there in 2007. We take so much for granted, don’t we? Water…Thank you, Lord, for water!

What an awesome God we serve! He provides our every need, abundantly more than we can ask or imagine. Thank you, Jesus, for providing our needs. Help us not to take that for granted. Give us grateful hearts, Lord.

Love you all, and thank you for reading our little blog. Blessings in the glorious name of Jesus!




Found a ladybug hanging on for dear life when I opened my washer after the rinse cycle. Amazing little ladybug...Thank the Lord it was able to fly away after all that spinning!




A little hen keeps making her way into my kitchen to eat the dog food. I think she's developed a taste for Kibbles and Bits!

It Was A Cold Monday, But Salsa Helped

It has been a cold, wet Monday in Tepeyac. It rained most of the night, and the sound of the raindrops on the tin roof made it hard to sleep. The wind has been blowing dark clouds across the December sky. I have washed three loads of clothes, and with the shortened water supply, that was a challenge.
This afternoon, Bill and I went to visit Logio at his store, and bought cilantro for the homemade salsa we had on our steamed rice for lunch. Brother Logio was reading Colossians when we arrived at his little store.
I want to say a few words about that infamous Mexican herb, cilantro. When I first moved to Mexico in 1994, friends brought it to my home and I almost got sick to my stomach from the strong smell. I actually had to remove if from the room. It took me awhile to get used to it, but now, I can’t make salsa without it! Fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeño chili and cilantro make the classic fresh salsa, and we love it. When we can’t get the fresh tomatoes and other ingredients, we use canned salsa (Herdez Salsa Casera) if we have it. But it is a disappointment compared to fresh salsa. Probably all of you already have discovered this treasure, but I thought I’d share with those who haven’t.

Yesterday’s church service was nice, especially since it was cold and drizzling in the morning. Often, when the weather is bad, people don’t come out to church. I guess that’s true everywhere. Sister Agustina came, and so did Nena. Bill and I picked up Socorro, Maria and 4 of her children, and the children wrote thank you notes to the group from Dallas during our class. They also memorized Proverbios 1:7 and recited it for the church. We took them home, went home and made lunch, and then went to visit the Huerta family in the afternoon. As always, it was nice to visit with them again.

Tonight, we are planning to drive to Jimenez to use the wireless internet there. Hopefully, one day, we’ll have internet in our home.

We didn’t hear from the man regarding the dog yesterday, but hope to still hear from him one day soon. Since I didn’t get his number, we have to wait until he contacts us.

Bill and I are feeling a little better today. We still have colds but they aren’t as bad as they were. I’m making homemade chicken soup in the crock pot for our supper. Hmmm…Chicken Soup for the Soul….sounds like a good title for a book, doesn’t it?

God bless you. May the Lord use your life for His glory.

Love in Jesus’ name,
Toni and Bill

Preparations for the Dallas Group

We made a quick trip to Del Rio this week to pick up some supplies for the upcoming Christmas Program on Saturday. The women of the church are going to make pozole chicken soup with hominy) and tortillas for the group coming from the Dallas area and we look forward to fellowshipping with everyone.

I drew posters and put them in all of the little tiendas (stores) in the area, announcing the Christmas program, and early Saturday morning, we will pick up children in Jarita, Nueva Jarita and Palmira. We will drive our van and we brought gasoline so Blas can drive the church van, loading up many more people than the manufacture’s recommended capacity. We still need to get Blas a battery but for now, our battery charger will work until we’re able to make that purchase.

I am excited about what God is doing here, as we visit families in our community and share the love of Jesus with the people here. I am praying for lives to be changes through what we do in Mexico. This weekend will be another opportunity for sharing and we are grateful that the group from Dallas has decided to come to our area and bring the gospel message. Pray for many seeds to be planted in fertile soil as the gospel is preached. Also, join with us as we pray for the families here, affected by the economy. Many children here stay at home alone while both parents work.

We are looking forward to the group from Aspermont Community Church coming down on the weekend of the 17th of December. They are bringing shoebox gifts and we know the children will be so blessed. If you are interested in helping with the shoebox efforts, please email Greg or Robin Goza at ggoza4@sbcglobal.net

Bill has been trying to get some Great Pyrenees puppies for our neighbors here to train to protect their sheep and goats from the coyotes. When we were in Eagle Pass this week, we met a man who has a 14-month-old Great Pyrenees male dog in Zaragoza, about an hour south of us. He is going to give it to us, and we hope to find a few females so we can raise some puppies for the people here who need them. It could be a great help to people that raise sheep and goats here.


God bless you and we hope you will consider coming down to visit sometime soon.

Rejoicing in His goodness,
Toni and Bill

Children, Toys and Changed Lives

It’s Saturday afternoon and I am exhausted. The group of 13 people from the Dallas area left about 1:30 this afternoon and we were all so blessed with their visit and the outreach to the children and families in our area.

We got up early this morning, and got ready for the festivities. Bill and I left before 8 to pick up Maria and her family, and when we got back to the church, Blas, Paula and Nena were there, getting things cleaned up.

We had spent most of Friday afternoon preparing and cooking the pozole, cutting up cabbage and onions, slicing lemons, and frying corn tortillas for “totopos” to go with the meal. We only had to warm up the pozole and serve it.

Blas took the church van and Bill drove the Tundra while I drove the Dodge van. We went to Nueva Jarita and picked up Wendi and Lucy, and then to Jarita to get Yesennia and her family, and all the other children waiting there for a ride. Blas picked up children in Palmira, including his nephews. When we arrived at the church, the group was already organizing the gifts for the children and we spent a few minutes introducing ourselves and then went inside the church, where it was packed with children and mothers, grandmother, aunts and friends.

Blas played the guitar and we sang songs, and then he shared about the Lord and the meaning of Christmas. One of the brothers in the group, Angel Rodriguez, handed me two brand new soccer balls to give to the children that could recite the most Bible verses. 

Two of our girls, Lucy and Maria won the soccer balls. They attend the art classes that we have at the church, and learn a verse every week, and again on Sunday. I was so proud of them for reciting their verses from memory.

When the program was over, we had the children line up in two groups, boys and girls. Then they walked to the tables where the group had wonderful gifts for them to choose from. The children each received a bag of candy with fruit in it. 

It was very organized, and they children were pleased with their gifts.
I didn’t count the children, but the group had gifts for 250 children, and all the children who attended received a gift. They brought extra bags of candy and we shared them with Hilda’s family, as they weren’t able to attend.

The most amazing part of the whole day was that I was privileged to lead two women to the Lord. Antonia from Palmira came for help with a physical ailment and while we were talking, I found out that she did not know the Lord. I asked her if she wanted to and she said yes. She prayed, confessed her sins, and received Jesus as her savior! I was so excited for her, and told her I’d come to visit her in Palmira. We will start reading the Word together this week.

 After everyone in the group left, and we took the children home, we came back to find another woman, a niece of the old pastor at the church, was there with a friend named Amalia Perez from San Carlos. She asked for prayer for her friend, and the whole Dallas group gathered around. I felt led to ask if the woman was a believer. Her friend said she thought so. When I asked Amalia herself, she said no. I asked if she wanted to know Christ, and she said yes. She began to cry. She prayed with me and we rejoiced in another soul for the kingdom. God is so good, and I am so blessed to have had the privilege to be a part of their decisions.

On another note, Bill and I have been sick with colds and coughs, and we appreciate your prayers for us.

The group from Aspermont is coming down on December 17th, and if you are interested in contributing to the shoebox gifts for the children, please contact Greg or Robin Goza at ggoza4@sbcglobal.net 

We would love you to join us, but you have to have a passport to cross the border. We are planning to come up to Eagle Pass on Friday, the 16th to visit with the group there before they come down. 

God bless you as you keep Jesus first in your life! We love you and thank the Lord for you.
In His service, 
Toni and Bill