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

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

Birthday Cakes and Testimonies

It was a nice week, and the weather has been beautiful. Bill and I attended a school program at the Primaria across the street on Friday, the 18th of November. (Elementary School.) The children were dressed in traditional clothing, looking like the men and women of the Mexican Revolution, 200 years ago. The mothers made the meal and served it to the visitors. I took lots of pictures and even got one of Bill on a mule with the teacher’s sombrero. I could hardly quit laughing, he looked so funny. It was a great event for the community.

We had 21 children for the art and English class on Saturday, and it was fun to see all of them. They listened to Blas while he shared a Bible story from the illustrated Bible, and they memorized their verse, reciting it for a prize from our collection of goodies. Even little Emmanuel, our three-year-old prodigy, recited his verse.
After the class, we took Blas and Paula with us to take the children home, and stayed to visit Blas’ brother, Rito, and his family. We sat out under their enormous trees and they served us coffee while the dogs chased their chickens and goats. It was such a beautiful day and the family homestead where Blas and his 9 siblings grew up is really an amazing piece of land. They have no electricity, but have a water well and the house that Blas’ grandparents built is still there, although the thatch roof is gone and the rocks are falling because of the weather. The wooden structure they lived in after the rock house is still standing, and is over 80 years old, Blas said. It was originally built in Ejido Emiliano Zapata, and they moved it to Palmira, then to this homestead where it sits next to the cinder-block house they currently reside in.

After we got home, Bill and started to settle in and get ready for bed, but about 7:30 our neighbor, Sandra, came by and asked if we would like to go to a church service in San Carlos. We went with her and her daughter-in-law, Laura, and her two children and it took awhile to find where the service was being held. About 9 pm, we found the group holding their service in a back yard, complete with two guitars, microphone, keyboard and amps. The brother from Brownwood shared a message, along with several attending that shared testimonies of God’s work in their lives. Our friends, Hilda and Pedro also shared part of their testimonies at the microphone. We sang praise and worship songs with them and the neighbors came close to hear the music, testimonies and teaching. What a glorious time with the believers! We got home after 11 pm, but were recharged and blessed by what we heard in San Carlos.

Sunday’s service was full of children to celebrate Paula’s birthday. The children learned their Bible verse and shared with the whole church after Sunday school. We all enjoyed cake, cookies, Coca Cola and mixed nuts. It was fun and everyone had their fill of cake.