It was an unusual meeting. It was not an accident that the four of us were brought together in a motel on the Emerald Coast of Mexico. And it was confirmation to Ivan and Luz that the Lord was calling them to work for Him.
Lloyd and I had been driving all day in Mexico and the extreme heat added to our stress level. It was time to find a place to stop for the night. The emerald blue of the Gulf of Mexico made a beautiful backdrop for the many motels lining the highway, but we couldn’t find the right place to stay. One motel was expensive, another had little protection for vehicles and many were difficult to access. With all the choices, why was it taking so much time?
After an hour of driving to the motels, inquiring and driving out again, it began to look hopeless and the temptation was great to drive on, but something made us keep trying. Finally we saw Estrella del Mar, the Star of the Sea, a beautiful motel that was almost empty. The price was reasonable, a free breakfast was included, and the only other occupants were in the room next to ours.
The next morning when we met the other occupants we learned that it was not an accident that we had chosen to stay at Estrella del Mar. Newlyweds Ivan and Luz Sanchez were on their way to Ivan’s hometown of Jalapa, Vera Cruz where Ivan’s brother pastors a church. They had been married only 2 days and both had a strong feeling that God had a plan and a ministry for them. Ivan and Luz had prayed for the Lord to give them a sign, and as we began to share with them about our ministry they were convinced that we were their confirmation.
While the sun was rising over the Gulf of Mexico, the four of us joined hands and prayed together for God’s direction in their lives. Then we gave them Bibles and materials to start their ministry and promised to continue remembering them in prayer.
Even though we had been frustrated about finding lodging the night before, we could see the reason why the Lord had led us to Ivan and Luz. He had planned for us to meet the two young people who had heard the call into ministry. And He placed us in rooms next to each other in Estrella del Mar Motel on the Emerald Coast of Mexico.
The picture shows the four of us early the next morning outside our motel rooms.
