LORD, PLEASE OPEN HIS EAR!

Carlos Guerrera is fifteen years old and he attends school in Nuevo Progreso. He is friendly and likable, but a little shy. He is Carla's son and the stepson of our friend Apolinar.

When we ate lunch with Carla and her four boys, we learned about the special need that Carlos has. His right ear which is usually well covered by his thick hair, is deformed. Not only that, but he cannot hear out of that ear. His mother told us that he has difficulty in school because he can't hear everything the teacher says. Carla said she has tried for a long time to get help for Carlos, either an operation or for a hearing aid. But no one has offered help.

Carlos said that he has accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and he gave us permission to take his picture and tell everyone about the need for his ear to be healed. Before leaving the family, we anointed Carlos with oil and asked the Lord to open his ear.

THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE

It's amazing how involved we are in families in Nuevo Progreso. Wednesday we went from one family to another, visiting, catching up on the family news, eating a meal together and taking pictures. We felt so at home and so included in everything, just like we were family. What a blessing it is to feel that we belong with these families. These are our people.

First we stopped to talk with Christela where we heard good news and not so good news. The bad news is that Christela twisted her ankle this week and can barely walk. Since she walks back and forth to her job on the other side of town, she is missing work. And when she doesn't work, she isn't paid. We know Christela enough to know she'll be limping back to work soon.

The good news is that Nayeli whom we've known since she was ten, is going to have a baby. She and Mario are very happy and this will be Christela's first grandchild.

Next we stopped for a visit with Marcelino and Apolinar who are doing some work on the interior walls of the church. They were having their lunch break and some of their kids were eating with them. Apolinar said Carla was preparing a meal for us in their house and it would be ready by the time we got there.

At one time Apolinar and Christela lived together next to the church with their daughters Nayeli and Nancy. About four years ago Apolinar left Christela for another woman who already had three boys. This situation was very difficult for us because we loved them all very much and we knew the heartache Christela endured when Apolinar left. It forced her to have to take a job and raise Nayeli and Nancy alone; It was difficult for us to forgive Apolinar. With God's help we focused our prayers on his salvation.

The photo shows Apolinar who is always happiest when he is working. But jobs are hard to find in Nuevo Progreso.

CARLA AND HER BOYS

That day was the first time we'd visited with Carla other than stopping to talk to Apolinar. Her three boys, Carlos 15, Rogerio 12 and Julio 9 are friendly likable kids and now there is a fourth boy, Esteban. Carla shyly invited us in and served us steaming bowls of chicken soup and tortillas with chopped serrano peppers and onions. By this time we were hungry and the soup was good.

Apolinar, Carla and the boys live in a one room house about 12' x 14' that was built for them by missionaries. Everything was clean and tidy. There was a double bed on one side, a small sofa and one chair. A small narrow table with a little bench was against one wall. A tiny chihuahua puppy shivered and shook but stayed near Lloyd's feet while we ate. Probably because Lloyd kept giving him little bites of chicken. Already we're beginning to feel that we're part of this family.

Our next stop was to purchase some sand and gravel to be delivered to the church. Carmen, who works at the store was glad to see us. She wants to learn English but can't take off work to attend our classes. So she uses every opportunity to glean a few English words from us. We began giving her lesson pages and now she won't let us leave the store until we go over more English together. Sometimes customers have to wait because she gets so involved. That day she told us she is gaining a lot from our visits and lessons with her. She's beginning to feel like family.

The day wasn't complete until we visited Bardomiendo and his son Ruben who sell jewelry among the tourists near the international bridge. There were a lot of people on the streets but they weren't buying, just looking. Bardomiendo wouldn't let us leave until we promised to come to their house for a meal some time soon.

During the day it became apparent how much we know about these people, the "ins and outs" of their lives, their problems and their concerns. I watched as Carla's boys looked up to Lloyd with respect and little Esteban kept going to him for attention. I listened as later Bardomiendo told Lloyd how pleased he is to know him and how glad that we take the time to stay in touch with them. And I heard him say that Lloyd's name is very good in Nuevo Progreso.

It's a mystery how we came to be such a part of these families, but we know one thing for sure. These are our people.

IN MEMORY OF VICTORIA HERNANDEZ ZARATE, December 1950-February 2010

Victoria Hernandez Zarate was known to everyone as Gloria. She and Sergio had been married thirty two years. They had no children. Gloria was from San Luis Potosi, but lived many years in Nuevo Progreso.

Gloria reminded us of the disciple named Tabitha or Dorcas in Acts 9:36, a woman who was full of good works and love for God. Gloria had been ill for a year and had been hospitalized three times. During her first stay in the hospital she talked to everyone about accepting Jesus Christ as Saviour and ten people became Christians! During her second stay five more people were saved including her doctor.

Gloria helped raise three of Sergio's nine brothers and was like a second mother to them. They talked about what a good cook she was, how much she loved all kinds of flowers and how she always talked to them about God. When women in the neighborhood had problems, they came to Gloria for counsel and for prayer. And she was a worker and encourager in the church.

Gloria was laid out in their home in a pink and white casket surrounded by many large sprays of flowers. Relatives and friends kept vigil with Sergio until Monday afternoon when they all formed a procession and carried her casket to the cemetery where she was interred.

"ARISE AND GO TOWARD THE SOUTH..."

It was time for another trip into Mexico with Bibles and this time we decided to search for churches along the gulf coast south of the Texas border. Before leaving Monday morning February 22nd, we happened to read the scripture in Acts about the angel of the Lord telling Phillip to "Arise and go toward the south..." Acts 8:26. The story goes on to say that the angel told Phillip that he would meet a man there. We don't like to say that God speaks directly to us, but the words from the book of Acts really gripped us and held our interest. Was God confirming that we were to go directly south? Would there be someone there waiting for us? It was exciting to think that something significant might happen, so we wrote the scripture down and decided to wait and see.

FISHING VILLAGES AND ALBINO BOYS

Eighty five miles into Mexico the map shows fishing villages that can be reached by venturing off the highway onto rough old roads. On the first road we found a church in a village called Francisco Madero. A member lived next door and he was excited to unlock the church and invite us in. Two other members came in, a woman named Irma and a man who was partially blind. The church is currently without a pastor. We prayed for the man's eyes and the spirit of the Lord was very real. Irma told us that she and her husband Gustav have been conducting services until they get a pastor. She was very concerned for the church. As we drove away, we wondered if one of them could have been the person we were to meet.

In another town called "The Fifth of May," there was another church. The pastor of "Templo Jerusalem" was a woman with two albino sons. When we asked one of them what he wanted to do with his life, he said he wanted to preach the word! We prayed that the Lord would give him a great anointing to preach and then we snapped a picture so we could remember to pray for him. Could this boy have been the one?

The next day we drove slowly and painfully down another road toward a town called Carbonera. There were many small churches there. Again, everyone was friendly. People waved to us as we passed, including men dressed in rain gear who worked with fishing nets. Small boats lined the beach. One young man directed us to a church and then invited us into his store for lunch. As we ate, he told us about his life in the fishing village. He and his family sell groceries and bread that they bake in their home. He is very enthusiastic about being a Christian. Was he the one?

A strong cold wind began to blow and suddenly we were pelted with rain. People ran one way and another, but the rain didn't stop the men working near the water. Temperatures continued to drop and the next day there were reports of snow flurries. But there was one last bumpy road for us to explore.

EL BARRANCON

One more bend in the road and we saw houses and signs of life. There was a town of about 1500 people on the coastline and five evangelical churches in the desolate area! The name of the town was El Barrancon Campo Pesquero or the Ravine, a fishing camp.

Only one of those churches had a pastor who lived at the church. Pastor Francisco (Frank) and Lupita Coazozon greeted us and invited us into their home. Frank is from Tabasco and Lupita is from Oaxaca. Frank was not a Christian when he was a soldier in the Mexican army and he was in a severe accident. For two years he was in the hospital with many broken bones and they thought he would never walk again. He had an experience with the Lord and he was told he would be healed but he must dedicate the rest of his life to serving Him. That was nine years ago and Frank is still pastoring and preaching in their church and on the streets. He and his wife travel to Vera Cruz and to Oaxaca once a year where they take the gospel.

The couple told us about having a strange experience a year ago when they were planning one of their missionary trips. An elderly couple they didn't know came to their door and greeted them with embraces. The man had white hair and a white beard. The first thing he said was, "Don't worry! Jesus loves you." They brought a box of food into the house and they all sat down to eat. Then the man picked up a musical instrument and played and sang about the love of Jesus. Before leaving, the man placed money in their hands that would pay their way to Oaxaca. No one in town saw them after that. Frank and Lupita are convinced they were visited by angels!

Frank and Lupita are missionaries, excited to go deeper into Mexico with the word. This is an opportunity for us to share in their efforts by providing many gospel tracts to spread among the churches in southern Mexico. They live only 4 hours away, so we will return to El Barrancon before their departure.

Frank and Lupita are convinced that the Lord sent us. Our visit was a great encouragement and confirmation to them. Before leaving, we prayed together for their ministry. And Frank prayed that angels would be with us and bring us back again.

In a short time we found several churches and gave out our supply of Bibles. We were in the right place at the right time and did encounter the person we were destined to meet. And it could be that we met more than one important person on this trip!

The picture shows Lloyd with Frank and Lupita with their three children and a neighbor.