Three-Milk Cake in Palmira

When’s the last time you met someone who had never celebrated a birthday? I met a man named Francisco who is in his 60’s, he believes, but has never celebrated his birthday because all of his family’s records were burned in a fire when he was little. He doesn’t even know when he was born.

When I discovered this dilemma, I decided we needed to celebrate so I made a three-milk cake, and we had a little party.

Francisco, or “Kiko” as most people call him, is a character. He’s very likeable and I enjoyed my first encounter when we ate the meal at Mundo’s house with the pig’s head on the table as a centerpiece.

On Sunday afternoon, Blas, Paula and I took the cake to Mundo’s house and waited for Kiko to arrive. He was out feeding cows and had to make a trip to San Carlos for feed, so we waited over an hour for his arrival. I had asked Blas on the way to Mundo’s if I could share the Lord with his cousin, and he said certainly. You never know what doors the Lord will open until you take the first step.

When Kiko arrived, he was all smiles when he saw the cake. I’m not sure he believed I really would, but he was happy and ate three pieces. While we visited, we talked about cows, the drought and how it had affected the feed situation, and about how much the lack of water affected the value of his cattle.

After much conversation, we began talking about money and the fact that you can’t take it with you. I told him I knew lots of people with lots of money, but that money didn’t make them happy. I asked him if he died tonight, did he know where he was going. His answer was, “To the cemetery.” I said, that isn’t really where we’ll end up. There is more to it than that, and I shared what the Word of God says about death, that “once to die, then the judgment.” I shared my life story with him and he listened intently, along with everyone else in the room. While I was sharing about the loss of my son, he wiped away tears, just as I did. I shared about moving to Mexico with my three children and about meeting Bill there.

I told him Bill’s story as well, about him turning himself in to clear his parole violation after we got married, and how he had a stroke 4 days after his release from prison and couldn’t read or write. Those were hard times, but we trusted the Lord in all of that, and have seen His hand on our lives over these many years.

Finally, told Kiko I wanted him to know my Jesus. He told me he was too hard-headed and had never been to church. I asked him if I could pray for him and he said yes, so before we left, Blas, Paula and I put our hands on Kiko’s shoulders and prayed for him. It was a really sweet time with him and the whole family. I pray seeds were planted that evening in Palmira, and that God has His way in Kiko’s life.

Thank you for reading our blog. We appreciate your prayers for us as we serve the King here in Mexico.

In His grip,

Toni and Bill

The Flying Horse of San Carlos

The Cabalgata Outreach was wonderful. I painted three banners for the floats and the group handed out 1,000 flyers to the people riding horses and floats from Acuna to San Carlos on Saturday. It was an all-day event, with over 8,000 horses and riders reported to have participated in the parade. It was amazing to see that many horses in one parade. In the evening, we went to the plaza in San Carlos where the groups played Christian music and the pastors from Brownwood and Uvalde shared messages. So many people gathered in San Carlos after the event that it was a great opportunity to share testimonies there in the midst of the crowds.

Not long after the music started, a man named Victoriano came up to me and I started to talk to him about the Lord. He was obviously intoxicated and I began to share with him about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We spoke for a few minutes when we heard a horse come galloping down the sidewalk with a rider, ran up the steps towards the gazebo in the plaza. A man on foot fell between me and the horse, carrying a metal baseball bat and apparently trying to hit the man on the horse. The man on the ground was being chased by the horse and rider, or so it appeared to me.

Several officers came running up to the horse and rider, yelling, “Policia! Policia!” One had a machine gun and two others had pistols drawn. Within seconds, the horse lost its footing and slipped, throwing the rider off.

I got up off the bench where the man and I were talking and we walked about 4 steps before the horse came flying over the bench and landed on its back with its hooves in the air. The poor horse just laid there, in shock, breathing, but not moving an inch. I started praying, as did the other Christians there, and the man at the microphone started praying for all the people in the crowd. Within a few minutes, the man who was on the ground earlier, mounted another horse, and was trying to explain to the crowd that is wasn’t his fault. He was bleeding badly from a machete wound across his stomach and arm, and the blood was falling on his horse and saddle. He was obviously very drunk.

Not a good picture because I was trying to get out of the way for the police men...but you can sort of see the horse with hooves in the air...

The other man tried to lift his horse up but was unable to get it to budge. Pedro, our friend from Tepeyac, helped him get the horse to its feet and amazingly, it seemed uninjured. Both men and horses left the scene without police escort or intervention. I was surprised but more in awe at God’s protection for me and the man I was speaking with. The horse had passed where I had been sitting, and landed right where my feet were, and I was only a few feet away and less than a minute earlier had been in the horse’s path. Amazing God. After the excitement died down, several people and the pastor came over to me to see if I was alright. I just kept telling them God had protected me and they all agreed. Unfortunately, Bill missed the excitement, as he had decided to stay home that evening due to his cold.

We had 12 children come for an impromptu art class Monday afternoon, and they spent two hours drawing and enjoying some cake and lemonade for a snack. We had fun and the kids are looking forward to the Christmas Program on Saturday morning.

We pray God's blessings on you and your family this holiday season. We know how easy it is to forget the reason for the season. Celebrating the birth of our Savior is a wonderful part of our Christian faith, and we are so grateful for His sacrifice for us.

Blessings to all of you from Tepeyac, Coahuila. We thank the Lord for you and for your encouragement as we share the gospel here in Mexico.

In His grip,
Bill and Toni