Pastor Rafael Junior, Gerardo, and the rest of the local volunteers did a phenomenal job of continuing with the ministry and helping meet the needs of the elderly, widows, and quarantined migrant farm workers during COVID. This dedicated work resulted in two mission churches being established!
Yet, we also praise God that mission teams were able to come back and serve with us at La Esperanza this last summer for the first time since November 2019. There is always something so special that happens when people of different countries come together to serve the Lord–it’s a bit of heaven on Earth! The people being ministered to feel loved and receive hope through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Mexican workers and missionaries are encouraged, and the mission teams come to serve and be poured out and yet God ministers to them as well. Team members’ lives were so impacted by the Lord during their mission week that six of them decided to be baptized at La Esperanza this summer–what a blessing to be part of their special day!
The Mexican children in the migrant camps were so happy to have the Americans back for VBS. Each day, the children were eagerly waiting at the edge of the park for us to arrive. They love the one-on-one attention they receive from the missions teams (especially since their parents are normally too exhausted to play after working in the fields all day). Many of these children come from villages in southern Mexico that are not open to the Gospel, so it is a great opportunity to share God’s love with them throughout the week, culminating in a clear salvation message on the last day of VBS. So, imagine our dismay when it started to rain in the middle of summer right before the last day of VBS. That had never happened before! We prayed that we would not have to cancel, and we praise God that the rain let up during playtime and we were able to gather all the children under the shelter of a gazebo for the rest of the program.
Pastor Jr. was able to share the Good News and over 200 children had the opportunity to bow their heads and pray to accept Jesus as their Savior that day. The angels in heaven were certainly rejoicing! Spiritual seeds were planted, and we trust and pray that they will bring forth an abundant harvest for the Lord.
