Making New Friends

We arrived in Hermosillo, Sonora, at 11:30 at night, and met José and Adriana Machado, pastor and wife of “Calvary Chapel Christian Center of Brotherly Love” (Capilla Calvario de Central Cristiana de Amor Fraternal), who gave us a room to sleep in for a night. It was our first introduction to household conversation in Spanish since we had arrived in Mexico, and the conversation was choppy. But their patience was welcomed, and we enjoyed their company. We fellowshipped with them on Sunday morning, and since their church was not meeting that morning, we left around 11:00 and headed further south.

We arrived in Alamos, Sonora, at around 6:00 on Sunday night. We attended service at a nearby village with the missionaries in Alamos, and then followed them to their home at “Rancho Maranatha” (Maranatha Ranch). We slept at the home of Daniel and Ana, who run an orphan’s home for girls out of their house. They currently house 15 girl orphans, one of which will be adopted by some acquaintances of ours in Tucson, Arizona. It was a real pleasure to spend time with them, and Daniel enjoyed using his English, since he’s American who speaks Spanish constantly. We wanted to spend more than just a few hours the next day with them, but had so much to do, so we left with the promise that we would return to visit with them more – a visit I look forward to. We have two women in our fellowship who wish to return with us to see the school, because they have a desire to learn more about how the missionaries are serving the Lord at the girl’s orphanage. It is very encouraging for us to see their desire to participate in small things, rather than just be observers.