We've just made it through our first team - a group that comes down from a church in Phoenix twice a year. It's a bit of a whirlwind trip for them with one day of travel here, three days of work, and one day to return. Backing up just a bit, a couple of weeks ago we had a couple from Crystal City, Manitoba whose church raised the money needed to put a roof on a church here in Guaymas that has been in construction for the past year or so. This was probably one of the first churches that I work with during my first year - a very much alive church and a joy to work with. Their building however, was nothing more than wood pallets nailed together and a flimsy metal roof. This church from Crystal City raised the money to buy the bricks for the walls, which the church has been working on building over the last year. Now, over this past week, with the help of this couple as well as this team from Phoenix, we have been working at putting a roof on the church.
This last Sunday evening the team was able to take part in their service and what a service it was! Several members of the church were so overwhelmed seeing the building come closer and closer to completion. Perhaps one of the most touching moments was when an elderly man shared how for 15 years it had been a dream of theirs to see a new church building put up. He shared how he prayed that God would not take him until he could see a new church built. And he shared, overwhelmed with tears not only with the fact of having a new building but with the desire to reach out into their community.
Looking Forward
And now onto the next adventure! The bags are back, and the bike is nice and shiny (for now...) and tomorrow morning a group will be heading out into the Copper Canyon in neighboring Chihuahua. 4 motorcycles, 2 quads, and a 4x4 Tahoe will be heading into the boonies loaded with Bibles and equipment to show the Jesus film in remote mountain towns. You never know what God has in store but you always know that it is going to be an adventure seeing how He will move in people's lives. Just about every night we will find ourselves in a new town, some towns we've never been to before and others that are familiar from past years. In some towns we already have contacts with existing churches, and others we will be looking for new contacts, new churches with a desire to reach out into their community.
I can't tell you how much we as a group covet your prayers on this trip! Not only for safety as we are traveling some treacherous mountain roads and traveling into some more intense drug-growing country but just that God would already be working in these towns, that the existing churches would be encouraged, and that we would be desponible, available for whatever God has in mind!
If you want to follow along with us in prayer, keep these places in mind:
- Day 1 - Alamos: showing a Jesus film.
- Day 2 - Chinipas: a hard town with no evangelical church; pray that God would raise up His church in this town!
- Day 3 - Temoris: we've been here a number of times and worked together with a wonderful pastor; pray for their continued outreach into their community.
- Day 4 - Bahuachivo: a town we've passed through on previous occasions. Pray for a new contact, that God would open the doors to work with an existing church that has a passion to reach out to their community.
- Day 5 - Ceracauhi: another town we've passed through on previous occasions. Pray again for God to lead us to an existing church in this community.
- Day 6 - Urique: A beautiful town at the bottom of a canyon more than a vertical from top to bottom! Pray for the pastor and his church as we reach out into their community.
- Day 7 - Urique: We will spend some time in neighboring villages - pray for opportunities in these villages.
- Day 8 - Chinipas: on the road home again, perhaps making some connections again in this town.
- Day 9 - San Carlos! Con el favor de Dios returning safely to San Carlos!
Thank you to the faithful prayer warriors! We wouldn't want to embark on a journey like this without you! I'll be looking forward to sharing what God does on this journey and how He will answer your prayers!
