Continuing Ministry

While Joshua has been stateside, I (Lacy) have been continuing the ministry here in Mexico. I have been holding children’s classes in Victoria, our village, on Sundays. Few children attend, since the Catholic Church in the village has changed their days and hours of classes to our days and hours, three times in a row. They are eagerly “evangelistic,” but not for the gospel. Therefore, I carry on the classes and invite anyone who wishes to come.

On Wednesdays, I ride my bicycle 5km (about 2.5 miles) to the villages of Toltecas and Estacion Luis, where I hold a class for children, and spend about 6 hours riding to houses in that village, and neighboring villages, to visit other brothers and sisters from other churches. It is important that the believers stay united in the villages, since there are so very few of us. The children in Toltecas love the classes, and are very excited to learn the word of God.

The children are learning memory verses and also biblical concepts. I have implemented a “point” system with the children. By coming to classes, bringing the New Testament that I gave them, and participating in the class, the children earn points. For each 100 points (which they can earn in a month if they diligently attend the class), the children gain prizes, like toy racecars, balls, and little rubber lizards and frogs. The children love the prizes, and eagerly add to their points by memorizing bible verses that I give them. I pray in each class that what they learn will stay with them as they grow, as they come to the age of making a decision to follow Christ. We weekly pray together, and I offer an opportunity to the children to decide to live their lives for Jesus, and to ask Jesus to forgive them of their sins. The children are learning little by little who Jesus is, and how they can live for him.

There are times when I feel discouraged, and I think, “This is only the children. I want to be with Josh more than the children.” I become desperate to go to the states and reunite with him. But then, a child asks me, “So if we are supposed to confess our sins to God, does it count if I confess them to the father at the church?” or “When I get baptized, then I’ll be saved, right?” These questions are two real questions that have been asked, and when I dismantled the false doctrines from which they spring, by reading straight from the scriptures and answering clearly, the children grasp onto my answers. Therefore, I see the Lord working in their lives, and He ministers encouragement to my heart. It is a sacrifice to be apart, but it is a joy to be used by the Lord.

With both village classes, I invite adults to join me before or after to sing and read the Bible with me. Right now, I have only one man who is interested in studying the word. The believers with a growing relationship with Christ are easily noticeable: when there are no preachers, when there are no teachers available, they still desire to continue their studies, even though there is no one to study with. Few believers are found like this.