Thanksgiving Meal at Agua Viva 2019

Greetings in the gracious name of Jesus Christ.

I am very behind in my updates this blog, so will try to play catch-up on with this update.

The past several weeks have been busy ones, transporting people to doctor’s appointments, emergency room visits, taking vitals and giving injections because the local clinics are on vacation for the rest of the year, and delivering food, clothing and blankets to families in need in our area. I have been so blessed to receive lots of donations from  Primera Asambea de Dios of Dallas, Texas during my recent visit to the Metroplex. 

We celebrated Thanksgiving at the Agua Viva Rehabilitation Center in Centinela on Sunday, November 24^th with 14 residents at the rehab and nearly 40 in attendance ate their fill of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli-cauliflower salad, potato salad, yeast rolls and cake. Everyone went back for seconds, and some for thirds and fourth helpings. It was a sweet time of fellowship and the Lord multiplied the food. We had 3 big turkeys cooked to perfection by Veronica, Pastor Alejandro’s wife, and Susan Carver and Robert Strickland helped me make the salads for the event.

I took vitals on the residents of the center before the meal, and with my blood pressure cuff, glucose monitor and pulse oximeter, I was able to get a good read on the men’s health.  Most of the men had high blood pressure, and I gave them each a list of their results to take to a doctor when they get a chance to be seen.

Thank you so much for your interest in the ministry, and especially for your prayers and support. I am so grateful for the Body of Christ partnering with us in our efforts here below the border.

God bless you as you seek His will in your life and share the love of Jesus with the lost and hurting around you.

I'm His loving embrace,

Toni

Tepeyac VBS 2019

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Isaiah 52:7

We are so grateful for all who came to our little corner of Mexico to bring the good news to so many. The group from First Baptist Church of Haskell, Texas was 40 strong, and brought encouragement and love to the children and families in San Carlos, Tepeyac, Centinela and Casa Hogar Bethesda. 

This year, they stayed in a church in Acuna, and we saw many attend the Vacation Bible Schools at each of the locations.

Here are a few of the pictures from the week in Tepeyac. It was a wonderful time of praise and worship, teaching of the Word and encouraging the new believers that came to Christ that week.

These few pictures don't nearly tell the story, but the faces should give you an idea of the enjoyment felt by the children and mother's who joined us at the church in Tepeyac.

Thank you for your interest in the ministry in Mexico, and for your prayers for the families in our area. We are so grateful to God for you and your love and support.

By His grace,
Toni

VBS 2018: Full of Decisions And Blessings

Greetings from Tepeyac in Jesus' name. God is so faithful and we were abundantly blessed by the efforts of the 40-plus friends from the First Baptist Church of Haskell, Texas and several other churches in Texas and beyond. It was a week of sharing Jesus with children and families in San Carlos, Tepeyac and Centinela. We saw many friends we had seen before and many new faces joined the teachings. All together, it was a wonderful week of fellowship and outreach in our area of Coahuila, Mexico.

I worked in Tepeyac, teaching the youth Bible School. Our class had 15 children make decisions for Christ and we were so glad to pray with these young souls.

The last morning of the VBS in Tepeyac, we had a little grass snake visit the area where the kids were on benches, doing the study, and naturally, it caused a chaotic uproar. With the kids standing on the bench, yelling, I was able to catch the snake and release it in a lot next to the church, but not before it bit me on my finger. It wasn't painful and I knew the snake was harmless, but the kids were still having difficulty settling down to work after the incident.

One new friend who joined the group for the first time this year from Guthrie, Clell McCauley, asked if he could share something with the kids after the snake incident. I translated as he shared that during the Bible Study, all was well before the snake showed up, just like in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. They were walking with God and having a great relationship when along came the serpent. Everything became chaos from then on, as it is today. Without God, our lives are in chaos and it's only through a relationship with Jesus Christ that we can return to a peaceful life.

Our VBS Class in Ejido Tepeyac

It was such a profound revelation on Clell's part, I was nearly in tears as I translated that message. Then I shared the gospel and asked the children if they wanted to pray. All were willing and repeated the prayer of salvation, asking for forgiveness of their sins and asking Christ to give them the ability to walk in truth and obey the commandments of the Word of God, the Bible.
I believe the Lord gave us a profound reality with the little snake that day, and am so grateful He put on Clell's heart to share that message. God is faithful, all the time.

The Group who came from Texas for this year's VBS.

Yuki Refreshers

Joyful faces

Helping the little ones with their crafts

Evelyn's winning smile

Greg and Robin Goza joined us from Guadalajara

The littlest ones also enjoyed the VBS in Tepeyac this week

Spicy Watermelons suckers with chili are the best!

"Yuki Anticipation" in the heat of July

Loading up on donated clothing after the VBS

Thank you so much for your interest in this blog, and the ministry here in Coahuila, Mexico. We appreciate your prayers and you encouragement. May God be glorified as we bring His love and the good news to the lost and hurting here in our little corner of the world.

Serving Him with joy,

Toni