NAHUM, COMFORTER

Nahum on his 18th birthday.

The name Nahum is from the ancient Hebrew language and it means “comforter.”  And that fits Pastor Gerardo’s son, Nahum.  He always has a huge smile and is always at hand to help out in any way.  He loves to help clean and decorate the church, loves computers, cats and dogs, and loves to sketch and draw things.

Nahum is in his last year of High School.  His plans are to attend university classes to become an architect.  His school grades are excellent, so he has a great opportunity to reach that goal.

Nahum had his 18th birthday last week.  He has changed so much since we first met him ten years ago.  At that time he loved catching lizards and geckos and playing with his pet rooster. Nahum loved to let a gecko attach itself to his ear or nose, and he would come into the house with it dangling on his shoulder. He loved to make us laugh!

Nahum is learning to use power tools while helping Lloyd.

Now Nahum studies hard while helping his family at the church.  He learned the use of electric hand tools when he helped Lloyd convert benches into pews.  He helped paint the furniture and the doors in the auditorium.  And he used shovel and rake to help spread the mounds of caliche around the building.  Nahum is not only a comforter, he’s a great man to have around!

Nahum is learning what it’s like to pastor and maintain a church.  He has never said that he feels a calling into the ministry, but he is very sensitive to the Spirit of the Lord.  He has had dreams that have deep spiritual meaning, dreams that sound like messages from God.

The Lord has promised that He will not leave us without comfort and encouragement while we are doing His work.  Maybe Nahum’s great calling is to encourage and help others.

Nahum was 8 years old when we first met him.

"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."  1 Timothy 4:12

THE KINDNESS OF GOD

Miriam's wallet full of important documents.

Pastor Gerardo and Miriam had another experience last week that neither one can explain.  Several times the family has testified that the Lord has helped them supernaturally in times of greatest need.  These experiences are very encouraging and they give us hope and they strengthen our faith.

Friday was a busy day.  There were errands to run and kids to pick up from school.  Miriam was delivering her special empanadas to a local grocery store where they are sold on commission.  There was a tight time schedule to keep.

While still in their car in front of the grocery store, Miriam put her change in her wallet and laid it on her lap so she could answer her cell phone.  Later, after three more stops she reached for her wallet to find it missing.  Maybe it had fallen out of the car some time at one of their stops, and it was probably laying out on the street.

Beginning to panic, they retraced their route of the day, going back to each location and getting out to search all around where they had parked.  But there was no wallet.  They searched inside the car, under the seats and behind them.  There was no wallet.

There wasn’t much money in the wallet, but there were many documents and identification cards and there was important school information.  Losing the wallet would be very difficult for them, as such documents are not easy to obtain in Mexico. They stopped to pray together and asked the Lord to help them find the wallet, expecting Him to direct them back to the place where it was lost.  Finally they drove back to their house, not knowing what else to do.

Gerardo unlocked the door of the house and went in to turn the lights on.  There in plain sight on top of his desk was Miriam’s wallet!

"For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth forever. Praise ye the Lord."  Psalm 117:2

IN MEMORY OF JOSE

Jose and his wife Guadalupe.

José Flores Sánchez passed away February 12, 2017 in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico.  He would have been 62 years old on February 16th.  José Flores Sánchez was the husband of Guadalupe (Lupita) Treviño.  They had been married 45 years.

José and Lupita had 7 children, 6 of which are still living, and they had many grandchildren.  José will be greatly missed by family, friends, neighbors and members of Bethesda Church of God in Nuevo Progreso.

José loved God's word.  He had printed many scriptures by the front door of his house so he could read them when he sat on his patio.  He had a custom of insisting the neighbor children quote at least one scripture before they were allowed to enter his home.  And many times we watched the children happily repeat scriptures, short or long, before dashing through the door.

Also, José wrote many songs of worship to the Lord.  During the Memorial Service for José, Pastor Gerardo plans to sing some of those very special songs.  The service will be held February 14th at 4:00 pm in Rio Bravo, Mexico.

Jose at Bethesda Church of God several years ago. 

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort." 2 Corinthians 1:3

LITTLE DRUMMER GIRL

Kimberly is six years old.

Kimberly is a natural on the drums!  She is just a little girl only 6 years old, but she climbs up on the stool and tenderly and gracefully taps out a little rhythm to the music.  Instead of banging and clanging as most children her age like to do, she makes a gentle sound that is pleasing.  She’s our little drummer girl!

Yesterday was practice time at the church.  Everyone was getting ready for a visiting youth group that planned to present a drama.  The youth group asked for local people to participate by singing or playing an instrument or in some other way.  Kimberly’s mother Azucena and two of her older sisters plan to sing a special song for the occasion, so without being noticed Kimberly slipped behind the drums and began to accompany them.  She was almost hidden by the size of the drums!

Music practice with Pastor Gerardo on the keyboard, Nahum on an electric guitar and Azucena and her daughters singing.

Kimberly is the daughter of Alejandro and Azucena Canales, members of Bethesda Church of God in Nuevo Progreso. There are many other talented children at the church who will one day be youth leaders or music leaders or even pastors of churches.  These children have the great advantage of having a pastor who is also a music teacher.  

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:1

SUPER SUNDAY!

Beautiful sky in Weslaco, Texas near the Mexican border.

Super Bowl Sunday.  Everyone seemed to be waiting for the big game on television and there were parties in the neighborhood.  But we were on our way to church in Mexico and weren’t planning to watch the game.  It felt like a “super” Sunday to us for some reason.  The presence of the Lord was very real.

Service was scheduled for 5:00 pm.  The sun was still bright overhead, but a rooster was crowing somewhere in the colonia near the church.  It was announcing that sunset was near.  A strong breeze ruffled the trees sending cool air through the church.  Nothing unusual, but it felt like a “super” Sunday.

Several families attended the service.  Pastor Gerardo gave a message from  1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”  He urged us all to stay close to the Lord and to distance ourselves from things of this world.

During the service Brother Florencio testified that his prayers have been answered.  His son whom he hadn’t seen for several years had returned home.  Jose will face many challenges and it   won’t be easy for him, but Florencio believes that this is the right thing for his family.  Florencio was very happy and grateful for all the prayers on behalf of his son.

In the past we used long wooden benches at the church. Backs were recently added to each bench, making more comfortable pews.

The congregation seems to be taking on new life.  There are many meetings scheduled, there are work days and special events on the calendar.  The parking area at the church is much improved and there was room for five or six cars.  All fourteen wooden benches have now been converted to pews with the addition of comfortable backs to lean against.  New coats of paint were evident on benches and soon tables will be painted to match.

We drove back across the border and home in the darkness feeling good about the events of the day. It really had been a “super” Sunday in many ways.  Instead of a sports event between two teams, we had been to a place of worship and felt like we had met with the Lord.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”   Hebrews 12:1

GOD IS IN CONTROL!

City of Rio Bravo.

God is in control!  Pastor Gerardo and his wife Miriam learned that again last Friday.  They were scheduled to attend a meeting of pastors in Reynosa twenty five miles away, but they were running very late. Nothing was going right, there was one problem after another and it was frustrating.  Finally they received a call from Fernando Colorado, the district supervisor, asking them if they were on their way.  They grabbed their things and started driving toward Reynosa, trying to make up time they had lost.

Gerardo and Miriam usually drive through Rio Bravo on their way to Reynosa because the road that bypasses the city is a toll road.  But this time they decided to pay the toll and take the quickest route.  When they arrived at the meeting in Reynosa, they discovered there had been a shoot-out on the street they would have taken through Rio Bravo.  They received a phone call from someone who witnessed the shooting.  That person had a video on their phone that had recorded the multiple gunshots on the street.

If Gerardo and Miriam had not been late, if they had taken their regular route to Reynosa, they could have been involved in a very dangerous situation.  But for reasons beyond their control they were hindered and blocked and forced to take another direction.  God was in control!

Ancient city of Matamoros across the river from Brownsville, Texas.

Lloyd and I experienced God’s timing and control in a similar way years ago in Matamoros.  That time we were with a pastor who wanted to take us to a church he had helped build.  And we wanted to give the church a box of Spanish Bibles.  The pastor said he knew how to get to the church, but things had changed in the city and he could not find the location.  We searched up and down the streets for about three hours and were ready to give up when we finally got to the right neighborhood.  And we could see the congregation was there and a service was about to begin.  We carried our box of Bibles inside at the exact moment to hear the pastor of the church praying, “Lord open up the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing on us tonight.”  We were right on time!

Come now and pay attention to this, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and carry on our business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know the least thing about what may happen in your life tomorrow. What is secure in your life? You are merely a vapor like a puff of smoke or a wisp of steam from a cooking pot that is visible for a little while and then vanishes into thin air.  Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and we will do this or that.”  James 4:13-15 AMP

VISITORS FROM REYNOSA

Church of God District Supervisor Fernando Colorado with his two children at the church in Nuevo Progreso.

District Supervisor Fernando Colorado joined us for Sunday evening worship service last weekend. He brought his two children with him along with several members of his congregation.  The group arrived early so they could help Pastor Gerardo spread out the loads of caliche (gravel) that had been delivered to the church.  All of them came prepared to work in their work clothes and shoes and with their shovels and rakes.  Unfortunately, the truck delivering the caliche broke down and there was little work that could be done. But no one seemed to be disappointed and instead they had time to visit and rest before time for church.

Later, after a few worship songs and some announcements, Brother Colorado delivered a timely message from the book of Luke.  He read the story of Mary and Martha and the fact that Martha wanted Mary to help her prepare the food and take care of other daily tasks.  But Mary wanted to just sit and enjoy the presence of Jesus.  Brother Colorado emphasized that sometimes we push aside our personal time with the Lord even with tasks that are important church work.  He summed it up by urging us all to take time and lay aside our tasks to have an intimate relationship with Him.

A large group came with Brother Colorado to help Pastor Gerardo, and also to attend the evening service.

After church cake and coffee was served.  It was a good time to visit and get to know each other and hear about their lives.

There are six Churches of God in our district and there's a good spirit of unity among these churches. When there is work at one church, other pastors and workers join in and share the load. There's great strength in this kind of unity.  Also, it sets a very good example for everyone in the community.

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"  Psalm 133:1