ON THE RIVER

Church service in an empty lot.

Someone told us there was a group of people who lived near the banks of the Rio Grande River in Matamoros.  They said they were very poor and their dwellings were makeshift and their roads unpaved.  They said they had started out by camping in whatever location seemed the best with whatever means they had. These were people we knew would need food, blankets and Bibles.

 As usual, we had few directions to this colonia by the river, and could only start out at the international bridge to search for it. We made a left turn after crossing into Mexico and proceeded down the roads closest to the river until we found what seemed to be the newest and most humble neighborhood around. This had to be the place.  We met a few of the people, gave out the gifts we had brought, prayed for the sick and made our way back across the bridge into the United States.  Lloyd had one comment about the people so near the river - they needed a church.

Each week more people gathered in the empty lot.

A few weeks later we took two ladies with us and returned to the colonia by the river. One of the ladies was a Spanish woman we had just met.  She was an evangelist who liked to preach out in the open. Soon a crowd gathered around us in one of the empty lots near the center of the colonia.  We had a short worship service and then the evangelist preached God’s word. The empty lot was full of people who were hungry to hear her message.

We went back to the colonia by the river several times that winter, sometimes by ourselves and sometimes taking a speaker with us. It was evident the people wanted to have a church they could attend regularly, there was always a crowd in attendance.  And Lloyd continued to say, The people in the colonia by the river need a church.

A small church had been built.

It was almost a year before we were able to make it back to visit the people on that street. But we prayed and asked the Lord to make it possible for a church to be built in that location.  We were  surprised and delighted when we turned the corner and saw a small humble metal building standing in the formerly empty lot. The words identifying the building as a church were printed across the front!

Sunday School was held in the street.

Later we learned that the owner of the empty lot had donated her land for a church. With help from others, they had erected a small one room building there.  And already the building was full and running over with people.  The morning we were there, Sunday School for the children was conducted out in the middle of the street because there were no classrooms.

Children enjoying songs with actions in Sunday School.

God had answered our prayers.  And Lloyd was right, the people in the colonia by the river needed and wanted a church!

Acts 2:47

"And the Lord added to the church daily 

such as should be saved."

KJV