After
his long absence from the Mixteca region of Puebla (due to our son, Asher´s,
birth and our daughter, Jemina´s, serious illness), Paco once again experienced
the Lord´s presence and power on his trip to Ixcamilpa.
The
night before the trip, the two brothers who had committed to join him at 5am
the following morning, cancelled- at 9:30pm! Paco did not have anyone to join
him into the
isolated, no-cell-phone service, no medical-care area!
He started calling brothers from the church.
When he called Toño to invite him, Toño
immediately accepted: saying that with the recent “Day of the Dead”
celebrations in Mexico he was missing his deceased wife more than usual, and
needed a distraction.
The trip was a
tremendous blessing for this fairly-new believer! Toño marveled to witness
multiple families who, even in
their poverty, continued to pray, read their
Bibles and trust in God.
Toño commented
in amazement: “They really believe God hears them when they pray!”
He returned challenged in his own faith.
Obviously, the Lord had good reasons for Paco´s other companions to cancel just
hours before the trip!
The
villagers were excited to see Paco arrive after his long absence, waving
at him
as he drove into town (after first peering suspiciously at our new car, as the
villages have had recent drug sellers filtering in).
Paco and Toño visited many homes to not only
deliver donated groceries and grains but to also pray for the people and
encourage them in their faith.
Each
family insisted they stay for a “meal” of tortillas and salsa, in their
gratitude.
Paco
was especially pleased to visit Don Chava (blind) and his wife Selerina- who continue
to listen to their audio Bible daily (Chava has lost count of how many times he
has heard the New Testament!). Chava
commented that in the past months he has woken a night a few times claiming to
have heard Paco´s voice calling him. Obviously, Paco wasn’t there, but he took
it as a sign and reminder to turn on his Bible.
They
visited the elderly María´s home, where he had coordinated and paid for the
placement of a cement floor in her poor home. She and her adult son were so, so
thankful for the floor! They could not understand why someone without political
agenda would want to help them! Paco had the chance again to share the Gospel
of grace of Jesus Christ.
At
the afternoon Bible study in the village auditorium, two teenagers and 2
children arrived for the first time (having just arrived to live at the village
a month ago- too late to join the school year).
They were attentive the entire study. When Paco offered them Bibles of
their own,
they excitedly received them, saying they had never heard the Bible
before and wanted to read it.
Instead
of staying to sleep in the village auditorium as usual after Bible study, they
instead slept under a tree in Don Miguel´s patio in Cuatlaxtecoma (heeding the
advice of the locals to avoid the public areas at night with the recent drug trafficking
in the area). However, they were woken
at all hours
of the night by chicken flapping in the branches above them and
rooster crows!
