Expanding into unreached vilalges

After a week of living in Baciroa, we noticed that there were many people who were driving in from the southern, northern, and eastern roads. One afternoon, Fabian took us out to visit three (of many) villages that surround Baciroa.

The first village was Tipizuela, a fairly large ranch of about 200 people. It is called a ranch because all the people live on profits from cow ranching. There is a Catholic temple there, but no Christian church. We met one woman who knew the village well because she was born there. At 60 years old, she was the only Christian on her side of town, and could only think of four other people who claimed to have a relationship with the Lord Jesus.

The woman sent us to the next village, called El Paso, and encouraged us to search out two women who were not believers, but who enjoyed listening to the Word of God. When we found these women, they informed us of a church that came every six months to have a one-night service in El Paso. We left the village with a desire to meet those beleivers who would make a commitment to such a tiny village (El Paso consists of about 25 homes).

We visited the third village, La Cuesta, but didn't feel a burden to begin a work there. The next week, I (lacy) and Fabian practiced dilegently to make a good and simple worship set for a service that we wanted to hold in El Paso. Joshua prepared a simple salvation message based on I John chapter 1. We were ready to reach El Paso with the gospel and with fervent hearts.

When we arrived in the village on Saturday night, we were astounded! A large van was parked on a hill, and beside it were a whole group of Christians! It was a miracle that this group of believers who only came to the village twice a year had decided to come on the very first meeting that we planned on having. We immediately united with them and shared with them our desire to begin a steady work in El Paso. With tears in their eyes, the brothers and sisters shared how they had been coming for 9 years and had been praying all the time for a local group of believers to take an interest in this tiny village. We were an answer to 9 year of prayer!

The service that we held together with them was beuatiful! Fabian and I led worship, Joshua prayed over the teaching, and a preacher from the other group shared a wonderful message of salvation. After the service, the pastor introduced us to the village and gave us their full blessings and support to begin a steady work in El Paso. We could not have asked for a better entrance into a new village!

On Monday night, we carried on the same idea of an introductory service in Tapizuela. We united with two other believers to speckle the large ranch with tracts and invitations to the service. After an hour of walking door-to-door, we returned to the hill on which we had set up our equipment and begin to sing. We all looked at each other in disappointment as we sang to an audience of one, and prayed that the noise was flooding the ranch below us.

Joshua led us in prayer and we all bowed our heads. When we raised our heads, there on the back row were a group of 12 guys, ages 25 and under! It was such a surprise and delight to see them! Joshua preached simply and fervently about the understanding of repentence and forgiveness. Two men stood to pray for salvation after the service, and two others came to Joshua and Fabian for prayer over their families. The men asked Joshua, "Please, come back! We want to hear more about faith in Jesus!" We left the ranch with joyful tears, praising God for the second door that he miraculaously opened in the villages surrounding Baciroa.

As we headed back home, Joshua and I encouraged Fabian in his fervency for sharing the gospel and his own faith. When Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few," he wasn't only referring to numbers. The workers are few in numbers, but the workers who move beyond dreaming of evangelism and actually work in the harvest are even fewer! As missionaries, we often feel overtaxed and heavily burdened with such desires to reach the lost. There are many who have desires to work with us, but few who show fruition of that desire. Fabian has been such a blessing to us because he has taken up this buren with us, and in doing so, has relieved the weight on our own shoulders. He often encouraged us with his own faith and vision, and we are blessed to be working with such a zealous brother in the faith!