THANK YOU, WALTER, RICK AND MARTHA!

Here's a big "THANK YOU!" to Walter LeGette, Rick Jewell and Martha Stoyanoff for all the work they did at the church in Nuevo Progreso.  It would be impossible to report all the projects they finished and tell about the love they shared with our friends and neighbors, but here are a few pictures of the work in progress:

Marcelino and Martha Stoyanoff at his home in the new little village of San Francisco near Nuevo Progreso. 

Work begins on outdoor toilet facilities behind the church.  This facility will help when there are large crowds attending the church.  A double toilet, one side for men and the other for women,  this little building will alleviate a lot of traffic going in and out of the parsonage

This building is strong enough to withstand strong storms or hurricanes. 

Rick Jewell spent much time making benches for the congregation.  There are now enough benches to seat quite a large group of people.  The benches are sturdy and well braced to last a long time.  In this picture Lloyd lends Rick a hand.

A set of drums was donated by Shelby Hellemeyer, daughter of Scott and Charlotte Hellemeyer of Bethalto, Illinois.  Rick put the drums together and tuned them and all during the process he had a small audience.  Julio was fascinated as he watched Rick tune each piece of the set.

Gerson was extremely happy with the drums.  He played them for the first time at a church service on Sunday and he seemed right at home and at ease.  Since he was 7 years old, Gerson has begged for a set of drums.

A new refrigerator was delivered to the parsonage courtesy of Walter LeGette.  The family refrigerator failed just 2 days before the two men arrived to work at the church.  And it had been in Walter's plans to purchase a new refrigerator for them even before the need for a new one was known.  The Lord took care of this need!

A lot of work was done in the kitchen.  Here Marcelino mounts cabinets on the wall on either side of the window.  A new sink was also installed.  Two new doors went into place, one to the bathroom and the other to Gerardo and Miriam's bedroom.  There was a lot of activity in the kitchen, but we found room to gather around the table and eat lunch together every day.

Sunday there was a special service inside the auditorium.  About 70 people attended and stayed for dinner..  The young man with the helmet is an epileptic and has to wear head protection all the time. 

Apolinar gave his testimony about how he has recovered from the terrible accident last July.  He was nearly electrocuted while painting a building downtown.  Burned over most of his body and incapacitated by scars, at first Apolinar was unable to move much, dress himself or even hold a pencil.  Now he is working again on the church!  Work is great therapy for him, forcing him to flex his arms and his neck to break up the scar tissue.  And he is so happy that he sings while he works!  Apolinar has experienced a miraculous healing.

Besides all of the work that was done at the church, Walter and Rick brought with them about 800 pounds of beans and rice!!  That will go a long way toward helping families in Nuevo Progreso.  The beans and rice were donated by the people of Bethalto Church of God, Bethalto, Illinois and also The Hope Center in Cottage Hills, Illinois.  Many other items were given to the work and everyone sends their thanks.

Over 800 pounds of beans and rice will help many families!  The Sunday before Walter and Rick came to Mexico, Bethalto Church of God laid all the bags of food on their altar and the  food was prayed over and blessed by the congregation.

The church in Nuevo Progreso is full of excitement, knowing that the Lord is providing things that are needed.  More importantly, we know that the Lord is blessing us with His presence.  Thank you, everyone!