I WILL BE WITH THEE

Left to right:  Nahum, Gerson, Dana, Esly, Miriam and Gerardo

"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.  For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour."  Isaiah 43:2-3

Pastor Gerardo and his family in Nuevo Progreso are very noble and brave.  They have a clear vision for God's work and are not willing to lose sight of that vision.  Even though there are always problems and severe challenges, they are still able to encourage and uplift us.

Gerardo wrote down the verses in Isaiah some days ago in preparation for a sermon.  Now those words are special, as if the Lord spoke them to us today.  Gerardo and Miriam both agree that tribulations develop Christian character; and any work of God that will bear fruit must first endure hardship.

Please pray with us for this special family, that evil forces will no longer hinder them and the church. 

"He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."  Psalm 126:6

APOLINAR AND HIS NEW LIFE

Apolinar in May of 2013, happy and almost completely recovered from his accident.

In July of 2012 Apolinar Hernandez was knocked off of a two story building by a sudden bolt of electricity.  Fire flashed over the front of his body, burning him from his chin down to his feet.  He went into a coma and wasn't expected to live.

Three weeks later Apolinar woke up in a burn unit in a hospital in Monterrey, Mexico.  Doctors surrounded him and all of them were smiling and happy that he was still alive.  His family and friends collected money to help with skin grafts, hospital expenses and medicines.  Then he was released to return to Nuevo Progreso to begin his recovery.

When we first saw Apolinar in November 2012 he was barely able to stand clothing on his painfully scarred body.  He couldn't use his hands to dress himself or to eat.  He was emotional and still overwhelmed by his circumstances, wondering if he would ever be normal again.

Apolinar in November 2012.

We suggested that little by little he might begin to work on the church again, maybe letting one of his stepsons come along to be his hands.  Apolinar is a hard working man and the thought of being able to work again cheered him and gave him hope.

All winter we watched as he began to use his hands more and more and was able to turn his head or use a shovel.  Carlos came with him and did whatever he was instructed to do.  Apolinar whistled and sang on the job.  He was returning to life, making money to support his family.

Apolinar attended our English classes every week.  He especially enjoyed the games and would get excited when he won a competition.  We heard him laugh and joke and we also heard him praise the Lord.

Apolinar's recovery seems almost miraculous.  His healing has been gradual but steady.  And he always gives the credit to the Lord as he says, "I thank my God every day for my life."

"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 
1 Thessalonians 5:18

IN MEMORY OF NACIA, 1940-2013

Nacia

Ignacia, known as Nacia or Nachita, passed away May 3 in Nuevo Progreso.  She was a noble woman we were proud to call our friend.

Nacia was known as the viajita, little old woman, who sold nopales.  She sold the chopped edible cactus for $1.00 a bag so she could buy tortillas and beans for her household.  Every time we drove through Nuevo Progreso we'd see Nacia and many times we gave her a ride home since she lived many blocks away.  Besides food, we gave her ointment for her feet and aspirin for her headaches and toothaches.  She often wore out her shoes walking up and down the sidewalks holding up her bags of nopales for sale.

Nacia called me her hermanita, little sister, and she told anyone who would listen that she had known us many years.  She really was a sister because she had Jesus in her heart.

Nacia will be missed by her children and grandchildren who lived nearby in Colonia San Antonio.  But she'll also be missed by the many others who knew her in Nuevo Progreso.

Nacia often wore out her shoes walking to the market area.   On the day this picture was taken, she was using the ointment we gave her for the blisters on her feet.

MOTHERS DAY BLESSINGS

Mothers Day was full of blessings for one mother in Nuevo Progreso.  Several weeks ago Josephina came to church and hurried to the altar to pray for her eight grown children who are not saved.  She cried and prayed for them out of a broken heart.  Friday, May 10th she celebrated Mothers Day by inviting Pastor Gerardo and Miriam to her house for dinner.  Four of her eight children accepted an invitation to meet the pastor and attend a small worship service at her house!

Josephina stayed a long time at the altar praying for her eight grown children.

Josephina's three daughters and one son who are in their early twenties seemed to enjoy the fellowship, the music, prayer and Bible reading.  New friendships were formed during their time together.  One of the daughters remarked that her mother had worked hard all day to prepare the food and the house for company.  Josephina said that all the work was worthwhile, she was blessed and honored to have food and to have the opportunity to host a service at her house.

The event was just the beginning because Josephina's prayers are being answered.  We will continue to pray for her whole family and Gerardo and Miriam will continue to meet with them and show God's love - on neutral ground.

Matilda is an elderly mother we met in Ocampo, Mexico.  Her son-in-law Brother Chapas pastored a church there.  Matilda is wearing a beautiful afghan crocheted by Don Rhodes of Bethalto, Illinois.   Don Rhodes, now over 90 years old, crocheted hundreds of these colorful shawls and donated them to Mexico.

A DIFFICULT DAY

Thanking the men for their help, Lloyd is handing our friend Santos food, candles and matches.

It was a difficult day in Nuevo Progreso.  The area experienced a very severe thunderstorm Sunday and much of the town is standing in water.  People said they had never seen such a storm, several inches of rain fell in one hour.  The fire department went around pumping water out of houses and many neighborhoods were in water.  The city drainage project still isn't finished, so there's no place for water to go.

We had bagged food, candles and matches for the people in the settlement of San Francisco, but as we drove there we could see many of the gravel roads were flooded.  Finally we made it to Marcelino's house; but when we tried to leave, our Jeep became stuck in muddy water over a foot deep.  It took three men and two cars an hour to get us moving again and the men were drenched in mud.  We recognized one young man as Santos, someone we'd known for years.  Santos was one of nine children whose mother died in childbirth, leaving only his father Lionel to make a living and take care of them.  Many times we'd given them food and candles because they had no electricity.  When I said I was very sorry Santos was getting soaked and muddy trying to free the Jeep he said, "No problem, don't be sorry.  I remember you helped our family many times."  Santos now has two daughters of his own and has a good job driving the city trash truck.

Their help was appreciated and it felt good to give each one a double portion of the food we brought.  But we couldn't get to the other homes in San Francisco and left disappointed.

The mud was very slick and the Jeep tires couldn't get traction to pull us out.  The men let some air out of the tires and put rocks underneath them.  They tried everything, but we only succeeded in slinging mud over everyone!

There was water standing in the fields all around the church.  Gerardo and Miriam told us they had taken their kids to school only to see that they were flooded and closed.  Near the school they witnessed a terrible event that left them shaken.  About fifteen young people from southern Mexico had tried to cross the Rio Grand river into Texas when they were stopped by gang members who demanded money.  They had no money so they were held captive and abused.  They were all at a small store where they were being forced to contact family or friends to get the money.  They were frightened, weary, hungry looking and their faces were sad.  There was nothing anyone could do but stand back and watch this all unfold.  Then the gang took them off in pickup trucks.  No one knows what happened after that.

The police are not helpful in these situations, so there was no one to save them.  They are nameless and faceless to us, but the Lord knows who they are and where they are.  And this is just one incident that was witnessed in Nuevo Progreso.

It was a difficult day for us, but God's word gives us encouragement.  "We often suffer, but we are never crushed.  Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up.  In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again.  We face death every day because of Jesus.  Our bodies show what his death was like, so that his life can also be seen in us."  2 Corinthians 4:8-11 Contemporary English Version