THE VISION



Beautiful clouds in the sky over Nuevo Progreso.                                               


We've been working many years in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico on a project called Bethesda Tabernacle.  It started from an urgency Lloyd felt to build a church on the south side of town in colonia El Jardin (The Garden).  He knew exactly what he wanted to build and also knew the future purpose of the building.  And we've remained true to that purpose.

In the Bible, Bethesda was a pool of healing and that's our vision for Bethesda Tabernacle in Nuevo Progreso.  There was to be a place of worship including a parsonage.  We had visited too many churches in Mexico where the pastor lived elsewhere and couldn't be found.  Our church would have a pastor who lived on the premises.  The second floor of Bethesda Tabernacle would contain classrooms and a central open area for study or for small gatherings.  We saw a Bible school, trade school and an adult education center.  The vision was to meet many needs, both spiritual and physical.

There were endless possibilities for other buildings in such a mission:  an orphanage, a home for senior adults or maybe a youth center.  Only the amount of our faith would limit this vision.

It has been twelve years since we broke ground to begin the project.  Each year has been a challenge to our faith as we faced problems of every kind while the building grew.  But during that time many new friendships were formed and we experienced the warmth and love of the people.  We watched children grow up and have families of their own.

Today the vision is alive and well in Nuevo Progreso.  The parsonage is finished and a pastor and his wife and family live there full time.  They have also caught the vision.  Even though the rest of the building is a work in progress, services are conducted regularly.  The vision is to lead people to salvation through Jesus Christ.

The Bible says in Hebrews 12:1 that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.  We have many friends who have witnessed and shared this vision through the years and prayed for it.  If you are reading about this from another part of the world, we welcome you.  We will hold fast to the great vision and we are encouraged knowing that you are with us!