Spanish Mission Team
Week 1 Update
June 2
The team left around 7 a.m. from Bob Jones University. We had a 15-hour trip planned on paper, but we did not arrive at our destination in Houston, Texas until 2 or 3 a.m. The Lord revealed His mercies in providing safety and a great attitude by everyone on the team. We stopped to eat our lunches at a gas station in Alabama, and they allowed us to use their little snack area that included tables, chairs and air conditioning for all to enjoy. “Little” mercies like these have been our constant experience throughout our travels.
June 3
We traveled from Houston to Laredo, Texas, for our border crossing. All was going well at the Mexican customs office until we had to register our vehicles for driving deep into the country of Mexico. Two of the three vans had one wrong digit on the registration cards. Despite the fact that permission had been granted last year, that at least a couple of other documents had the correct VIN #, that they had a record of the permits from last year, and that the same people who gave the permits last year were there this year, we were not granted the permits for the vehicles.
We decided to head back to Texas and try to obtain permission the next day. God’s plans were about to make themselves known in a powerful way. Our choice in returning to Texas included the decision to send more than half of the team ahead to Monterrey and have the other half return to Texas. It “just so happened” that one team member has grandparents who live in Laredo. It “just so happened" that they had been missionaries to Mexico more than 50 years. It “just so happened" that they had a large house that is almost entirely set apart for the purpose of housing missionary teams that pass through. It “just so happened” that there was a vacancy. We settled in for the evening and were grateful for the Lord’s provision.
June 4
We made a second attempt to cross the border. After talking with BJU’s transportation department, we found that not only were the registration cards faulty, but also the titles on both vehicles were faulty. In order to fix the error, our vans would have to be physically present in Greenville, S.C. Since no one on the team was up for a drive back to Greenville at this point, we decided to try obtaining the permission again — perhaps we would get different people who would be more understanding. That was not the case. It quickly became evident that there was nothing that would get them to give us the permits. While at the permit office, it “just so happened” that a fellow American from Wisconsin had the exact same problem that we were having, but he had somehow found a solution. Within a matter of minutes he gave us some contact numbers to a business in Laredo that would help us obtain the necessary paperwork to obtain the permits. We would have to acquire a temporary registration card and license plate from the state of Texas in order to get the permits. We “rushed” back (bumper to bumper traffic on the bridge) across the border, trying to make it to the offices before they closed. It did not happen. It “just so happened” that it was Wednesday evening around 5:30 p.m. The pastor who was keeping us was hoping we would be able to be with them for the Wednesday evening service and had been saddened by our departure that morning. When we arrived back at his house, he rejoiced — the Lord had given him the desires of his heart. Since he was an unknown missionary with a small work among a humble people, he never had the courage to ask BJU to send a team to his church. Little did he know that the Lord changed the plans of 23 people in order to minister to his heart and to the members of his church.
The team learned some great lessons during this first part of the trip. Pastor Billy Cummings had great testimonies and stories of how the Lord provided from him and his family during his 50 years in Mexico. A veteran of WWII, Pastor Cummings attended BJU during the era of Bob Jones Sr. He and his went to Mexico with little money and no promise of future support. But they never lacked a meal or a place to stay, and now they gladly give their house to do the same for others!
God’s sovereignty and wisdom were clearly seen in many of the details of this unplanned stop. 1) One of the last students who was chosen to return to Texas was our piano player for the Wednesday evening service. 2) We had all the parts necessary to sing our songs. 3) The offices where we needed to go in order to obtain the permits were nearby. 4) The testimony of Billy Cummings and his wife was a huge blessing to all of us. Pastor Cummings said of his missionary service in Mexico, “If I had it to do all over again, I would not change one thing!”
June 5
We quickly obtained the necessary permits from the now extremely familiar permits office and made our way to Monterrey, Mexico. When we arrived, we headed straight for our first youth rally in a poor and small community called Las Arboledas. Dr. A.J. Gibson leads a small church in this community, and the team enjoyed working with the Mexican children and young people. Our team was together once again, and it was exciting to share what the Lord had done for and with the Laredo team.
June 6
The team spent the morning canvassing and evangelizing in the Arboledas community. A few team members helped Dr. Gibson build some much-needed benches for his church. That evening we held our second youth rally in Arboledas.
June 7
The team enjoyed going out on Saturday morning visitation with the young people of Iglesia Bautista Genesaret. The church sends out large groups of young people to hold Bible clubs and help in the church planting efforts. In the evening the team mingled with the dorm students of the Christian University of the Americas (UCLA) in a planned college and career activity.
June 8
The team ministered in Iglesia Bautista Genesaret during the morning and evening services. Dr. Saldivar preached the morning message on the sovereignty and compassion of God in the book of Jonah. Jeremy Patterson preached in Dr. Gibson’s church in the morning service, and several students accompanied him as they ministered there in Arboledas.
All in all, we’ve had a great start to our trip. During the next part of the week we plan to minister with Jonathan and Wendy Latham and help them in the church planting effort in Los Bosques de San Pedro. Monterrey is full of little communities like this one and Arboledas that are often without running water and are comparatively impoverished.