Operation Christmas Child Information Sessions

Operation Christmas Child (OCC) starts way before December!

This August and September, our OCC state team led two information sessions informing churches about this international ministry and preparing them to not only distribute the shoebox gifts but also share the Gospel  (in a clear, concise, and visual) with children in their areas of ministry. 

We are so thankful for the church body around the world that makes this ministry possible and for each of the churches from our state of Tlaxcala this year that will participate and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Youth Evangelism: Concert and Skit

Our youth group led our final summer evangelistic event in the Misiones community. 

They were so nervous to be presenting in an open-air event for the whole community to see!

 

The event consisted of a concert by our youth worship team, a short skit

presenting Jesus as Savior from sin/despair (the Lifehouse “Everything” skit), and the Gospel message of freedom in Christ.  Afterwards, we passed out Gospel tracts and Bibles.

 

One pair of ladies stayed after the event with tears in their eyes.  After reiterating the Gospel message, I

prayed for them. We know that God’s Word is powerfully working in their lives. 

 

Praise the Lord for these youth who are using their time, talents, and lives to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord!

 

 

 

 

 

Open-Air Closing VBS Ceremony

We used our Vacation Bible School closing ceremony as yet another opportunity to continue our summer open-air evangelism in Misiones.

 

And it definitely drew a crowd!  Curious moms and interested children all gathered to watch our VBS children share their worship dances and memory verses from the week.  3 d

ifferent parents asked if their children could participate in the closing ceremony, even though they had not attended any part of VBS during the week!  Why not?!, I responded, and the children joined the others and tried to follow their dance moves.

 

During the ceremony, I shared a small summary of the Bible story and

message from each day.  As I shared our Wednesday lesson, of Jesus telling Nicodemus that those who believe in Him will have eternal life, a 5-year-old Alejandro suddenly exclaimed: “Wait! We already heard this story!”  I laughed that it had only then dawned on him that we were reviewing the lessons from the week, and that evidently the message of eternal life in Jesus was already very present in him memory!!

 

We pray that these children and their families would continue to search out truth in Jesus Christ.

 

VBS in Misiones Community: Submerged!

Vacation Bible School at our church plant in Misiones brought new challenges due to our limited space and limited crew- but new opportunities to see the Lord provide and work!

 

Our rented church space is only approximately 12ft x 12ft- a very small room for active kids! However, the

Lord multiplied that small space to attend the 30 children that participated in VBS this week (between 16-25 kids each day)- most who had not heard the Gospel of Jesus before!

 

We saw the Lord work: each day, two girls would excitedly inform me that they had looked up the Bible story

and memory verse from the previous day in their family Bible at home, and that is said exactly what we had learned! (I loved to see them excited to study the Bible on their own!). 

During kitchen time one day, before eating their snack, the leader announced it was time to give thanks, and Alex (5 years old) immediately responded: Thank you. However, the leader explained that we also give

thanks to God, in prayer, for the food, because it is from Him.  I marveled that even the idea of praying and thanking God before a meal was such a new idea for these children!

 

I got a terrible cold the first day of VBS, and each subsequent morning I awoke feeling horrible and without a voice! How could I lead VBS without a

voice?!  However, the Lord amazed me and answered my prayers by giving me strength and a voice each day of the camp.

 

We met lots of new families though VBS, as parents dropped their kids off or asked about the games.  Paco even had the opportunity to share the Gospel with a couple moms who were

waiting to pick up their children.

 

So thankful for all the Lord did in Misiones and these precious children during VBS!!

 

Puppet Show Evangelism

Summer evangelism continued in the Misiones community…

with a puppet show!

 

A group from our neighbor church presented the story of “Lanita the Sheep”: a little lamb who strayed from her Good Shepherd and found a deceitful magician, whose promises to prosper her life only resulted in pain

and sorrow, before the Good Shepherd found her and led her again to green pastures. 

 

Quite a crowd of both children and adults gathered even in the afternoon rain (the audience huddled under umbrellas to watch the show).  After the presentation, Paco shared the Gospel message that Jesus is our

Good Shepherd, and that we can come to him after having strayed away from God into sin to receive forgiveness and eternal life.  Then, we passed out evangelistic tracts to all the audience and bystanders. 

 

We also used the event to announce the upcoming VBS in Misiones that week, and many children who

attended the show signed up to participate!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evangelistic Music and Testimonies from Puebla!

Our summer evangelism continues…

This Saturday, our sister church in Puebla joined our church plant in the Misiones community to lead another open air concert and testimonies- specifically focused on the freedom from addictions found in Jesus Christ.

 

During Katy’s testimony, about having

her young daughter taken from her by her ex-husband, and becoming homeless when her family took her home, the woman who works at the nearby bakery was sitting outside her shop listening and wiping tears from her eyes.

During Cinthya’s testimony about her struggle with bulimia, one adolescent girl beside me was nodding knowingly and discussing the topic with her

friend. 

 

During the concert and Gospel message, many eyes around the street appeared fixed on the stage.  The Lord held off the rain until the very last two minutes, when the call was made to accept Christ at Lord and Savior, and then the skies practically fell on us!! So so much rain- falling in

buckets from a single dark cloud directly over our stage!! (I had never been more aware of a spiritual battle for salvation as that moment!)  We believe the Lord was using His Word and worship in a big way in the lives of many if the Enemy was so insistent to try to hinder it with the 8 minute storm!