Today is a beautiful Monday in Coahuila and I am washing
clothes, delighted to be doing that as the washer has been broken for over a
week. José Alberto repaired it and connected my water to the windmill, so I am
grateful for the gentle breeze pumping the water to my faucet! I have so much
to be grateful for today and every day. Since we don’t have much water, I use
the same water to wash several loads of clothes, then drain it and rinse them
all in the same water. The washer uses 25 gallons of water to fill the washer,
so I try to be frugal with the little water we have. I wring them by hand and
hang them on the line. I have a lovely clothes dryer waiting for 220V
electricity but for now, drying them on the line is great, and free. Praise the
Lord for sun and wind!
This weekend, we had lots of visitors to see our house and
it was fun serving coffee, lemonade and cookies, visiting with the friends we
enjoy so much. We have been praying for rain, and although the forecast said
we’d have lots of rain and some hail, we didn’t see a drop here. We continue to
pray for rain for those here and in areas of Texas and other states suffering
through the drought.
José Alberto has been looking for one of his nanny goats
since yesterday and discovered it dead on the side of the road, having been hit
by a vehicle. Sad news, but even sadder is the news we received yesterday that
a 24-year-old father of two was driving intoxicated and died in an accident
near Jiménez yesterday. He was from Palmira but lived with his wife and
children in Tepeyac. We are praying for the family, that God would comfort them
in their loss. There have been so many
families affected by drunk drivers here and in the US.
It has been wonderful to be moved into our new house. Bill
came home three weeks ago and the next week, Greg Goza and Jeremy Cadenhead
came for a visit to install windows, doors and electricity in our house. We had
such a nice visit with them and they did so much in the 3 days they were here. During that week, Epifanio completed cementing
the blocks for our chimney, and Jose Alberto started plastering the
chimney. Our neighbors gave us a
housewarming party the Sunday before last and cooked a “cabrito” in our new
fireplace. We had a sweet time visiting with everyone and shared a wonderful
meal in our new kitchen. We are grateful for the love of our friends here in
Mexico.
Two weeks ago we did an outreach to the Catholic Church in
Tepeyac. We gave a bag of food to each woman who came to the mass and each
woman was able to get a bag of clothing for their family. It was a way to share
Jesus with the local families that we haven’t been able to minister to as much
as those in our home church here in Tepeyac. We pray God was glorified through
the outreach.
We’ve been visiting families in Palmira with food and
hygiene items. Florencia and her husband Miguel Hernandez live with their adult
children, and their daughter Juanita has cerebral palsy. Bill and I went to
visit them and we also visited with Gabriela and Facundo Tobias. They live out
near Rito and Maria and don’t have electricity. Gabriela lost her leg a few
years back but the joy of the Lord is evident in her smile and her attitude.
This was the first time Bill came with me to visit these families and he
enjoyed the visit as much as I did.
We are so grateful for your prayers, love and support for us
as we serve the Lord here in Mexico. Thank you for your interest in the
ministry and for your words of encouragement.
May God continue to use your life as an instrument to
further His kingdom in these last days while the Lord tarries.
Serving Him with joy,
Toni and Bill
