Moving Forward with the Work
Pachuca has grown extraordinarily the last few years. It is difficult to know what the future holds, as we see more traffic jams, collapsed services, and less green land around us. Many people are trying to leave Mexico City to find a quiet and safe area to live. Pachuca is offering that way of life for now. The state of Hidalgo is one of the poorest in the country but is also one of the safest.
We have been blessed in the last year with a small group of young people that have been saved, baptized, and added to the assembly in Pachuca. Most show a good interest in spiritual matters, which encourages us to give them special way.
The assembly in Pachuca has grown since it was formed, for which we are very grateful to the Lord. Some believers seem to be more stable and mature since the assembly was formed. We are trying to encourage the youngest ones to have more exercise for the gospel. We still try to distribute literature periodically some Sundays after the Breaking of Bread. No one has come as a fruit of this effort but we trust in the Word of God that says: “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days” (Ecc 11:1).
We have seen some neighbors coming to the gospel meetings from the community of Matilde. Some of them are only looking for material help, but we are happy to give them the gospel. One special case is that of a young man named Alejandro, who was hit by a car and is paralyzed from his waist down. My wife has been trying to provide the medical attention he needs. He comes to the meetings and listens very well. May the Lord awaken him to his spiritual need!
I work with three of the brethren in Mexico City: Raul, Carlos, and Roberto. We work together in the meetngs there. Roberto’s wife is from Chile and was raised in a Christian home. They have their difficulties with their jobs and university but try as much as they can to be at the meetings.
Recently in a series of ministry meetings that we had with brother Paul Thiessen in Neza (Mexico City), one girl professed to be saved. That has been a needed encouragement for us. Marcus Cain also helped us with a series of very good ministry meetings which the believers appreciated very much. Gerardo, a man from Chihuahua, continues coming to the meetings but is not yet saved At the beginning of the month, I took him, with others from Mexico City and Pachuca, to the conference in Zamora. He seemed to enjoy the time, but afterward he did not speak a word about salvation.
Many years have passed since the work began in Neza. Many people have come and gone and several of them have professed to be saved. However, today there are just a few who remain there. Thankfully the assembly still stands for the Lord and only the Lord knows about the future. This encouraging verse has been coming to my mind often of late: “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by vision, Be not afraid, but speak and hold not thy peace, For I am with thee and no man shalt set on thee to hurt thee; for I have much people in this city” (Acts 18:9, 10). Amen!
We had rented an old hall in Mexico City for more than ten years. It was very difficult to get to the place because of the traffic, the vendors in the street, and the lack of parking. In recent years, the owner increased the rent several times, Perhaps he wanted to make us leave. The Lord in His mercy heard the believers’ prayers and, in a miraculous way, provided a hall close to the same area. We recently completed the purchase and now are more comfortable meeting in a suitable hall. “And the heavens shall praise Thy wonders, O Lord: and Thy faithfulness in the congregation of the saints” (Psa 89:5).
We have made several visits to Cotaxtla, Veracruz, lately, to support a believer that has been evangelizing there. Lucio was saved in Hampton, Iowa, and came home to take the gospel to his family. John McCandless and I had a week of gospel meetings there. We saw a very good interest from the townspeople and visited relatives of the believers in Iowa.
When we think of Paul’s Macedonian vision, we wonder if we can make the comparison and say to whom it may concern: “Come over … and help us” (Acts 16:9).
