Yesterday we just enjoyed our "neighbors" from our camping place, had fun with a couple of the cleaning girls (who are so sweet to even sweep our mat off), and take these 4 little "cuties" to the beach for a time of fun.  They found sand dollars, and made a big heart in the sand, wrote our names in the sand, and told us IN ENGLISH, "we love you"!  How great is this? We'd like to take them home with us.  So much to thank God for, and all of you who are keeping us in your prayers.  God bless each one of you!

Almost every time we go out in the truck, we have to watch for the livestock wandering around on the roads-especially when it starts to get dark!  As long as we don't hit any of them, it's fun to take these pictures!

We drove into Lazaro Cardenas this past Monday to say our "goodbyes" to Pastor Marco at his shop in the market place, and then went to the home of Raquel (the mother of the 9 grown kids).  Her home was an original beautiful "casa", with at least 5 of her children & their families joining us once again for a feast of the best foods you could possible eat in Mexico!!  Her family is very special, and reminded us of Peter's family when they were younger!  All of them are Christians, and we had a good time of fellowship and question & answer time around God's Word.  Peter was asked to come back in two days to speak with a small group of believers who gather each week.  We feel so blessed to have a "support group" of believers right here in Mexico, where God has sent us to minister!  Please pray for Peter as he shares from God's Word, and encourages these dear people.

Peter & I had an "interpreter" to help us make this visit easier, but he dropped out at the last minute, so we were on our own to visit this older couple that we've been friends with for several years.  God always comes through for us, and with His help, and our "Spanglish", we had a great time fitting the children that Adelaida had invited.  Those that didn't find a pair of shoes to fit them were very content with their Children's copy of God's Word.  Praise His name!

This past Saturday, this family invited us to go with them to visit the wife's mother & father, who just came back from Charlotte, N.C. We met their other son at a Mexican Restaurant a few years ago in Lake Wylie where we live.  They have a beautiful home, and they made a delicious feast, with fresh flour tortillas on this stove!  We had a great time of fellowship, and their niece, Victoria, and daughter, Allie were our translators for the day!  We gave Bibles to those who had not received one before, and had a restful and enjoyable visit.

Peter was sick for two days, but is now in full swing again after a little rest.
Isaiah 40:29,31 - " He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak...Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint."

One day a young man, who wanted to "help" us, called through the gate where we stay, and told us that he brought these 4 or 5 children to us that needed shoes.  So Peter asked a worker to please unlock the gate.  When that happened, many more than these few children ran through the gate, bringing with them adults, neighborhood friends, several dogs (that got our dogs barking & carrying on), etc. It was such chaos, (because I wasn't prepared to put the shoes in order), that after about 15 minutes I had to ask the worker to lock the gate.  Then as those who received shoes were leaving, more squeezed through!  We worked as hard and fast as we could, and finally had to ask everyone to leave before the Hotel staff asked US to leave!
We sat back and thanked the Lord for those who actually received shoes, and a couple of Bibles that we were able to hand out.  But as much as we want to help the people, we must do this in an orderly way, so that they know the REASON we do this is in the name of Jesus, and want them to have a Bible to know our Savior and how HE can make the difference in their lives.Please pray for us as we serve Him in this way.

Peter &  I visited a family we met about 3 or 4 years ago with three little children, & were happy to see their father at home.  He speaks English, but the rest of the family doesn't.  I asked him if we could help his little 7 year old daughter, by taking her to the dentist to fix two front teeth that were badly decayed.  He was happy to get help, because he doesn't have a full time job, and they are very poor.  So, we went into a large town nearby, named Lazaro Cardenas, contacted the pastor who has a business there, and he gave us 4 possible dentist's within walking distance!  We prayed, and went to the closest one.  He looked at Rosario's teeth, gave a good price, and fixed them within about 30 minutes.  She was scared, but I stayed with her, and kept telling her she was being such a big girl.  When she was done, the dentist handed her a mirror, and the look on her face made it all worth while! When the father asked us how he could "repay" us, we told him that we'd like him to take his whole family to Church with us on Sunday morning.  When we arrived at their little house of boards and a straw roof, we were thrilled to see this father standing out in the yard waiting for us!  His two little girls were just giggling with glee, as they jumped into our truck, and soon the brother & mother joined us.  What a great morning we had, as the whole family heard God's Word, lots of singing & praising God, and treats & drinks for the whole family afterward!! The people were very welcoming to them, and invited them to come back next week.  Please pray for this family that the Holy Spirit would open their eyes and hearts to receive Christ.  (James 5:16b- ...the prayer of a righteous man has great power).  

Peter took Dave to the airport on Thurs., and it was sad to see him go.  We thank God for all his help, and we both agreed that we couldn't have kept up the schedule we had if it weren't for all he did. 

    There is a large family in the next town who invited us to their farmhouse for dinner.  They all brought their Bibles, and after a HUGE feast they made for all of us, they asked Peter to give them a lesson from God's Word.  After, they had many questions about certain things in the Bible, and Peter was quick to respond, by having them read what GOD has to say in HIS WORD!  It was so much fun to share with other Christians, and to encourage them to stand firm!  One of the family members is the head of a group of "Gideons" , and we were excited that he and his son were a part of this special ministry.  The mother of this family invited us to come to her home that next week.  What an honor to visit this mother who raised this family of 9 children to come to know Jesus!  We are excited to go.

This is Wed., the 16th, and the last full day that Dave will be with us.  He has been such a help and blessing to us! He also was a blessing and help to the young man who works here at the Hotel.  Dave gave Michael alot of our soccer balls which were donated by our Christian brother,Lou, because he wants to start a soccer team with some young boys & girls in this town.  We were able to give him 5 pairs of   soccer shoes for the kids, and some practise shirts as well.  This was a real encouragement to Michael, and I know he has a heart for the less fortunate.  Dave & I went for a little walk to show him a very poor area near the Hotel.  We discovered that a new place for rescuing the Tortugas(sea turtles) was right down this road from the place they were located two years ago.  The man in charge welcomed us in, and we saw that he had a couple hundred little babies in a child's plastic swimming pool.  He picked up about 65 of them, and motioned for us to walk with him to the beach.We got to hold the little turtles & let them loose to scurry into the ocean.  It was lots of fun, and I never cease to be amazed at God's creation!
     We got back to our campsite just in time to enjoy a freshly cooked fish "Italia" style!  Michael had cooked this over the fire at the back of the hotel just for the three of us, while he went back to work!  It was delicious!  This evening, Pastor Marciano & his wife, Norma, invited us to dinner at their home, and we enjoyed another incredible meal with them and their two sons!  What a way to end our wonderful 6 days with our brother in Christ! ! A great treat for us, & a blessing to so many!

Proverbs 27:17- "As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend".

 
     

We are still unable to print our pictures, so please be patient with our lack of power down here.

    On Tuesday, Peter, Dave & I went to town to buy some supplies & we decided to show Dave where the crocodiles hang out.  When we got there, they saw a couple of them, but best of all, we had a chance to witness to a nice young couple from Calif. who were visiting the area.  We gave them Bibles, and they seemed very interested in reading them.  Later in the afternoon, we brought all of the shoes we had left, to Pastor Marciano's Church in Playa Azul.  Many were able to find a pair to fit them. It was fun to meet up with the young girl named "Esther", who was so thrilled with her pink boots last year! She is now 12, and wanted her picture taken with us. You never know what an impact you might have on a child or adult that you take the time to speak with or show that you care.  We're thankful for this opportunity God gave us to show her God's love.

Monday evening, the 14th, a worker from the Hotel asked if we could take our shoes to a village called "Continental Azteca".  I told him we would go, but he had to come to be our interpreter.  His English is better than our Spanish, so we agreed to go!  We drove up a very steep dirt road at the top of a hill or mountain, and  the village people started to come to the truck.  After chasing a few little "rascals" off the sides of the truck, who were madly ripping the bags of shoes apart, we got the parents to help keep their children under control! ( We had some great pictures to show you, but the internet connection is poor, and won't print the pictures.)  Peter, Carole, Dave & Michael, from the Hotel, worked as quickly as we could to fit as many children as possible before the sun went down.  We tried to find shoes with flashlights, but it was finally time to call it quits. We were able to give the children our childrens NIV New Testaments, and about 10 soccer balls were thrown out to groups of kids! A group of adults came to us when we were about to leave, and said "Thank you so much".  We offered them Bibles, but they told us they were Christians & already had Bibles.  They were so gracious, and wanted to thank everyone in the USA who helped give them shoes, and to care about them.  We thank you also, because without our supporters, we could not do this work that God has called us to. God bless you.

On Monday, the 14th, Pastor Marco invited us to his restaurant in the marketplace in Lazaro Cardenas.  As we were parking our big truck, we pulled beside another small business, where we gave three men Gideon N.T.'s.  One man told us that he had been wondering what today would bring, and just then we arrived with Bibles!  He felt this was truly from God, so they listened to the Pastor & Dave, and all three wanted to pray to receive Christ.  They got a pen to write their names in the back of the N.T., to show they wanted to follow Jesus!  This was truly an "only God" moment!!  When we were finishing our meal, a group of students got up to leave, and Carole started talking to them, and gave out her last N.T.'s. Then Peter emptied his pockets, and all eight of the students received one, and Pastor Marciano spoke with them. Then Carole told them that the owner of this restaurant was not only a Christian, but he is also a Pastor, & he would tell them where they can go to hear more about Jesus and God's Word.  Pastor Marco invited them to his Church, and we were all praising God for His amazing intervention!  It sure is fun to serve the Lord!

The best part of our "shoe day" on Saturday, was that around 30 people raised their hand to accept
Jesus as their Savior!  Then, on Sunday, Peter was asked to speak at Pastor Marco's Church, and alot of the new believers came to the service, and one more lady made a decision to follow Christ!  We were all rejoicing & giving God all the glory! Thank you all for praying for us and having such a special part of  of this ministry.  God is moving among the people He has led us to, and we are looking forward to even more of what He has ahead.  Keep praying!!

The large crowd had to wait quite long for their turn
to choose their shoes, so the Pastor had food brought in  to feed the people.  It reminded us of Jesus feeding the 5,000!  But the people were calm, & there were many happy faces!

After Pastor Marco welcomed & spoke to the people, Dave was in charge of handing out the Bibles, and Carole enjoyed holding babies while the Moms helped their other children find shoes. This little one was only 22 days old, and one of seven!

On Saturday we arrived in Petaculco, Guerro, with a full truck load of shoes to Pastor Marco's Church.  His people had let the news out about free shoes, short video, and Bibles, and fellowship.  We were expecting anywhere from 50 to 100 people, and they just kept arriving!!  Most of the people were "unchurched", and those who couldn't fit in the Church, waited outside & looked through the bars.  We estimated over 300 attendees inside and out!  We had asked God to send those who needed to hear the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, and after watching the thirty minute video on the life of Christ, an invitation was given and at least 20 people raised their hand to pray with the Pastor to ask Jesus into their heart!  Great celebration was had by all of us, and we give all the glory to our awesome God!  Then the work began for over 2 hours to outfit all of them with shoes, and Bibles! Two Pastors were busy with the people, welcoming them, while the rest of the workers helped the children with shoes.

Praise God!  Dave has arrived from the U.S., and in 10 min. solved the problem with the new format!

We spent one night at each of 4 towns and now are in Playa Azul, where we will be for three weeks doing ministry with two Pastors here.  God gave us several opportunities to give out Bibles on the way down here, and today we will be taking ALL the shoes (about 500) to a Church two towns over.  We're so thankful that Dave is here to help us lug all these shoes around, and to help us in other ways. Pastor Marciano wanted us to take a picture of him holding a water bottle & wrist band from Relevant Church at his home.  He is thanking Relevant and Dave's wife for sending all of us here to help his people.  We give all the glory to our awesome God!

Praise God!  We made it through the border with no problems, and we are now in our first RV park in Mexico after driving 1,594 miles in 4 days!  Thank you so much for praying for us.  We're having some difficulty posting our pictures, but will try at a later time.
    We had several opportunities to give out Bibles to people along the way, and they were all very pleased to receive a copy of God's Word.
    We called our friends that we visited last year, and they came to our camper to catch us up on their news, and to pray together for their needs and ours.  It's great to fellowship with Christian friends!