VALENTINE'S DAY

What better way to spend Valentine's Day than to lend a hand to a family with needs. The bitter cold weather made it miserable for the people in Nuevo Progreso. For warmth most of them burned dead tree limbs which they chopped up with machetes, a slow and difficult task. Lloyd took his small electric chain saw to one house where he helped cut the long branches into usable lengths of wood.

After I took this picture of Lloyd, Rogerio one of the boys in the family, brought over some concrete blocks they could prop the limbs on to make the job easier on their backs. Before long they had a nice stack of wood ready for cooking fires or for campfires to keep them warm.

There are many different ways to help people and most ways just require willingness to get involved. It is easier to talk to people about the Lord after standing in their shoes for awhile.

SCHOOL SHOES

Carlos, Rogerio and Julio need to stay in school, but it isn't easy when they don't have proper shoes and clothes. In Mexico children have to wear uniforms and black dress shoes. Each school has a different color and these boys have almost outgrown their maroon pants and white shirts. We don't know how long they haven't had shoes, but when we learned the need we promised to take them and let them pick out what they wanted.

Since their Mom and Dad were in a project and couldn't leave the house, the boys got in the Jeep with us. Three year old Esteban cried and screamed to go with us, so his brothers put him in the back seat between them. They knew exactly which store had the right shoes, one very near their home. Within minutes all three had tried on and chosen black slipper style shoes with square toes. It was clear they had walked by that store and admired those shoes before.

Carlos, Rogerio and Julio were so happy when they held their new school shoes; and it felt good for us to invest in their future. The shoes averaged $25 a pair, a small amount considering how important those shoes were to those three boys.

I took a picture of 15 year old Carlos trying on his shoes, with Julio and little Esteban watching.

JOSE LUIS FIGERO

Jose Luis sells elote, corn on the cob, in Nuevo Progreso. One day we drove past his stand and stopped to talk with him and he invited us to come for a visit next time we came to town. He insisted until we agreed to be at his house Wednesday at 10:00 am. He gave us his address since we'd never been there before.

Wednesday at 10:00 am we drove up and down the streets looking for Jose Luis. The street signs were either rusted beyond reading or non existent, so this wasn't easy. Lloyd and I wondered what we would talk about since we barely knew Jose Luis, was this going to be a waste of time? We asked the Lord to show us some purpose for the meeting.

Pastor Gerardo passed by and saw us and asked where we were going. He got excited about our visit to Jose Luis since he is one of his recent converts. He visits him once a week to read the Bible with him and his daughters. "Follow me to his house," he said.

When we arrived Jose Luis was on the phone and we learned that his parents who live in Tampico are both gravely ill. The phone call was more bad news and we could tell he was suffering from grief. He has no way to be with them and can't help them. Maybe this wasn't a good day for a visit with Jose Luis.

But then it occurred to us that the Lord had brought us all together for a reason that morning, we were there at that exact moment to pray and encourage Jose Luis. We could not have planned the meeting so well; and that gave us confidence that God was in control. Later we stood holding hands praying for the healing of his parents and for peace and tranquility in his heart. The stress and pain left his face and he began to relax and put his faith in God's promises.

Mission work means many things, but it is mainly getting involved in the lives of the people. One day it may be helping cut firewood, one day providing school shoes and one day praying for the sick. Some things may not seem important at the moment, but it's all about making disciples and teaching about Jesus one person at a time.

"Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15

The picture shows Jose Luis Figero and his youngest daughter Ashley at their house.

NACHITA

Our friend Nachita took off her sandal to show us her blistered foot. She was sitting on the sidewalk up against a building clutching her belongings. Every day this elderly woman walks a long way from her home at the south edge of town to the market where she sells nopales, chopped up cactus. As usual, she held out her arms and chattered away about how glad she was to see us and how little she had sold that day. We were prepared to see her, having brought ointment for her feet and aspirins for the pain she suffers.

Nachita's distinct Indian features and her black and grey braided hair give her a very interesting appearance. Her skin is weathered and lined and she has a permanent frown on her face put there by all the hardships she endures. Nachita proudly says she has Jesus in her heart and I love it when she calls me her little sister.

DISTRIBUTING SPANISH BIBLES

Carmelo and Gloria have a business in Nuevo Progreso but they planted a church in Matamoros and for many years they have traveled back and forth to pastor the church. They admitted it's very dangerous for them to drive the 30 miles to Matamoros these days, but they have no plans to abandon the work. We supplied a few Spanish Bibles for their church.

Carlos sells jewelry in the market and is also attending college every day in Rio Bravo. He has friends who have expressed the desire to have a Bible. Since the violence has made it difficult for us to go deeper into Mexico to distribute Bibles, we are glad for these opportunities to get God's word into the hands of the people.

At the international bridge we again endured X-ray scanning of our vehicle. We were ordered to line up our cars one behind the other, get out and stand behind the guard rail while the big truck drove slowly by. The entire operation took only minutes, but it's interesting that so much care is given to inspecting vehicles entering the United States when the main problem seems to be guns being taken into Mexico.

On our way through customs we saw a uniformed officer standing guard facing Mexico, and he was holding a weapon like an AK-47. It's amazing how good it feels to drive away from there knowing we are free and safe.

"With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow." Proverbs 3:5 & 6 (Contemporary English).

Here's a street scene of Nuevo Progreso. It looks strange to see empty parking places these days.

EXTREMELY COLD WINTER WEATHER

Cold weather in Mexico made the trip to Nuevo Progreso very important and we were taking warm sweat shirts to friends. The warm and sunny day made it hard to believe the bad forecast, but we'd already had freezing temperatures and a layer of ice that had closed highways and bridges. Already this winter has been reported as the worst in over 50 years in northern Mexico and there have been many weather related deaths.

Apolinar lives on the outskirts of Nuevo Progreso in a little house built by missionaries. They have no indoor plumbing and no way to heat their house other than gathering wood and building fires.

This is a spcial family needing a helping hand. They work hard making and selling gorditos to truck drivers. The gorditos are fried corn cakes filled with refried beans, potatoes and scrambled eggs. As usual we were offered samples of the hot gorditos along with cold drinks. They sell all the food they can prepare and it's not surprising because they are really good.

Their little boy Esteban stands in front of their house on the outskirts of Nuevo Progreso.