It's already been a week here in the district Atizipan, neighborhood Mexico Nuevo. We've ridden buses, Omar & Richard have been to the amazing market, played football, performed our skits, visited with Israel (our new friend we met at the Wednesday market) and gone through 2 huge packs of toilet paper! What an adventure!!
Our host church family is amazing, Pastor Xavier is so helpful and passionate to lead his fellow countrymen to Christ. This week we cleaned a local park and hung up signs around that said, 'A clean park is good but a clean heart is best! 2 Cor. 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."' Pastor Xavier was able to talk with two men that passed by and were wondering what and why we were doing this. Then on Wednesday we met Israel at the market, we went to perform our dramas and after walked around starting up conversations and asking if we could pray for people.
Israel was especially excited because he knew a fair amount of English and could practice with us. Later that afternoon we visited him at his house, spent 3 hours hearing about his life and showing him different scriptures in the Bible. He was in a car accident when he was 21 years old and had nerve damage, so he now talks with short pauses and walks on and off between a wheelchair. He was especially excited to have visitors as he expressed how he was lonely often and he desired to get married but "no woman wants me," as he said. Telling his story, he expressed that he was often treated badly by others, they think that if he can't walk he's not good for anything. Earlier that day, he was proud to speak English with us because after the ones around him were impressed at his knowledge. It was a good time of encouraging him but even more we were encouraged and blessed. This accident hasn't hindered him from living, he just desired friends among him.
Another highlight has been going to a high school. There are so many young people here that they have school schedules in shifts- the first shift is 7am-2pm and the other is 2pm-9pm. We visited outside the school campus right before one shift was released and the other started. Renisse and I met Thelma and Daniela, 16 and 15 years old. They were full of energy and totally interested in what we were doing there. They were waiting for one of their boyfriends to be released from school. The cloud of navy blue uniforms appeared shortly after 2pm and Thelma quickly found her boyfriend, small greetings and they pulled back from the group and began kissing. That's a normal occurrence here, we were shocked the first couple sightings. A couple of their friends came and we met Miguelangel. A high student with a cigarette in hand, the rosary hanging around his neck, laughing...and the question came, "what's that in your hand?" I was holding some tracks and the Gospel of John and Romans in booklets. Renisse began to share some of her testimony with Miguelangel. He was attentive and a few times we had some blimps in translation to Spanish but it was powerful. We ended sharing Jesus with him...he said that it was a lot to think about. We pray over that seed that was planted deep in his heart, that it would sprout and he would believe.
Please be praying that Mexicans would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, not religion but Him in relation. Please pray for the health of our team too. The cooler weather has taken a toll and also Charles has an infection. A minor "surgery" was performed last night by Dr. Richard, Nurse Mike came to the rescue. Charles is okay just wanting the infection to heal up quickly that we could complete what we came here to do.
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