Tons of Debris! Clearing an Earthquake-destroyed room and Showing God’s love

During the recent Mexico earthquakes, a large section of Doña Juana´s old, adobe house had caved in, filling the area with, what appeared to be, two truckfuls of debris.  Unfortunately, Juana lives alone, and has neither the strength nor the equipment to clear the debris out of her house. 

One his trip to Buenavista, Doña Juana asked Paco to borrow his wheelbarrow to start moving the rocks.  However, when Paco arrived with the wheelbarrow, he quickly realized that this task was too great for a single lady.  Instead, he organized his team to start shoveling.

The work was grueling: rock

after rock, shovel after shovel, load after load they wheeled out debris from the area in 90° heat and humidity.  After the first couple hours, the men started taking breaks every five minutes even: dousing their heads in water to beat the heat. After 5 hours, men on the team started giving up, appealing to Paco to continue the work the following trip

out.  However, Paco rallied the team, having them recite Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”) under their breath as they worked to show love to Doña Juana.  And, after another hour, they had finished, exposing only clear cement floor.

Doña Juana was beside herself

with amazement and gratitude, repeatedly asking how much she owed the men for their work, and marveling at their response that the work was a free gift of love, just like Christ´s gift of forgiveness.  She had tears on her face as she thanked them and the men prayed for her. 

Paco has no doubt that this

was a miraculous work of God: First, this job required a bulldozer to clear literally tons of debris from the area; not a job for simply 5 men with shovels.  Second, as they moved truck-loads of dirt and rocks, they did not find a single scorpion (in this very scorpion-infested area!). Paco is sure they are there, but the Lord miraculously blinded and

protected them from these creatures so that they could finish the job. 

And, the work was well worth the effort when even Doña Juana admitted that these men were “sent from God” to help her.

Scorpions! (In the harvest)

The Mixteca area is infested with scorpions all year long.  However, many more are seen in the village during these weeks when the people bring their harvest in from the fields to store and dry in their houses and streets. 

Corn is spread and hung inside the houses; red jamaica flowers are laid out to dry in the street.

And, the scorpions come into the village with the harvest.

As Paco and Eliud were moving materials and tools out of the shed one evening, they barely saw one scorpion right beside Paco´s hand as he reached to pick up a bag of cement!  Aaah! 

The rushed to get flashlights to quickly finish the task with

more light, and then praised God for protecting them from a scorpion sting as they worked!  (especially as they had given their only scorpion antidote shot away to a man in need earlier that afternoon!)

Saving a life! Miraculous Antidote for Scorpion Sting

As Paco was walking through the village, he heard a woman call out to a neighbor in the street desperately asking for medicine.  Concerned, Paco appeared at the door to inquire about the need and ask if he could pray for the patient.  He was rushed inside to find Don Francisco- hunched over, clutching his chest, and spitting profusely.  He had been stung by a scorpion that morning (about 7 hours earlier), and, unable to find the appropriate antidote medicine in the village, had progressed to this life-threatening state. 

Paco immediately offered the scorpion-sting medication he carries with him when he visits the Mixteca, knowing that it is a scorpion-filled region (pushing away fears that he himself would be without medication the remainder of his trip!).  He recognized, undoubtedly, that the Lord had put him outside Don Francisco’s door at that exact moment to be the Lord’s instrument to save his life!

The injection was administered directly into a vein in his arm.  Though patients in this serious state usually require 3 shots, within the hour of this single injection, Don Francisco was notably improving! Paco prayed for him.

When he visited him the following day, he was obviously recovering.  Without doubt, Paco witnessed a healing miracle!

Evangelism in (entire) Cuatlaxtecoma village

On a previous trip to the village of Buenavista, Paco met Pablo while bathing one afternoon in the river. Pablo invited Paco over to his house for a meal, where he discovered that Paco had presented the Jesus film in Buenavista.  Excitedly, he invited Paco to present the same movie in his tiny village of Cuatlaxtecoma!

In the village of 140 people, 110 arrived for the movie night!  There, Paco and the team delivered bags of groceries to each family, donated clothes, and a hotdog meal (which was very excitedly received!).  One of the ladies on the team shared the Gospel and prayed with the children present, and then directed some games.  Though the

village auditorium does not have chairs, the people were not deterred from staying to enjoy the Jesus movie and hear the Gospel message presented afterwards.   

Wheelchair for Don Rey!

         Unable to walk, Don Rey, for years, has sat in his cement room in the village of Buenavista all alone.  Though a friendly neighbor brings him food and keeps his room clean, his world is very small.  At times, in desperation, he drags himself to the village center: through the donkey manure and tall scorpion-ridden grass of his front yard to the rocky dirt trail that passes through the village.  However, because it is so dangerous for him, the people now lock his door to keep him from escaping; a prisoner in his own room and broken-body.

         

         To increase his mobility, Paco and the team brought Don Rey a brand-new donated wheelchair!

         When they arrived to deliver it, the neighbor who cares for Rey asked for their help: for the men on the team to bathe Don Rey and the women to clean his room.  As the men undressed him, Paco

wondered by sight and smell when was the last time he had been bathed!  The women used bleach to disinfect the floor of his room (moving his few possessions to a tiny table, and lifting his bare mattress off the floor).

         The neighbor was so thankful for their selfless care for a complete stranger!  Don

Rey, unfortunately, was a little distant (he appears to have some mental limitations due to his age and isolated condition).

         We plan on continuing to serve Don Rey: planning to build a cement patio where we can move in his wheelchair, and perhaps a bed frame and new mattress for his room.

May he witness the Lord’s love and gift of salvation for him in every act of service!!

Bibles!- for those hungry for the truth!

After the first Bible study in the Buenavista village, 11 people approached Paco to request a Bible of their own.

Here at home, people from our church and even our local bookstore donated Bibles for these people hungry-for-the-Word!

Then, on this last trip, Paco

delivered the Bibles door-to-door to those who had requested them.  Each was very excited to receive their very own Bible!  We pray that they will read it and be taught by the Holy Spirit, and grow as children of God.  

Village Auditorium for Bible Studies

After the first evangelistic movie in the village of Buenavista, where they heard the Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ, Paco invited the audience to a Bible study at the auditorium the following evening.  Over 25 people attended the first Bible study!  Unfortunately, the Bible study the third evening was cancelled as the electricity

went out all over the village.  However, even in the dark, two families found Paco to ask him to tell them more about Jesus from the Bible!

On the following trip to the village, 19 adults and 8 children attended the Bible study. Many of those people were waiting at the auditorium an hour before study started, not wanting to miss a word. 

Even the president of the village noticed that the people are interested in the Bible teaching.  He approached Paco after the study to confirm that Paco could use the public auditorium in the village as often as he desired to teach the Bible if the people continued to be interested!

Paco could not believe that he was being offered a public space to teach the Word!

The Lord is obviously opening doors for His truth to continue to be spread around the Mixteca area!