LMCO Day 4: Mexico City Team

When you’re a team of 12, how do you even start to reach a city of more than 28 million people? That’s a question Todd Beel’s team in Mexico City asks itself a lot.

He and fellow IMB missionaries in the megacity hail from places ranging from Colombia to Cuba and from Korea to Tennessee. They represent a diverse collection of backgrounds and skillsets all working together. Some work with young families, others with theological training, and others with university students. And they have one vision—to see the world worship Jesus and for it to start right where they are.

This is a massive city, there are unreached people

and places within it, and we want to take the gospel

to those places.

“This is a massive city,” Todd said. “There are unreached people and places within it, and we want to take the gospel to those places.”

Todd’s team is seeing it start to happen already, and they’re seeing new believers catch a vision for reaching the nations. That’s exactly what they pray for. “Because this is a world-class city, it has connections around the world and people are coming and going every day, so this city has a reach worldwide,” Todd said.

• PRAY for churches to be planted in the unreached neighborhoods of Mexico City.
• PRAY for God to call out among His people in Mexico those that He would like to go into the most unreached pockets of the city, of the country, and out into the nations.

Week of Prayer: Day 6

Called as a Church Family in Mexico

“Wherever you go, we go.”

First Baptist Church in Oxford, Mississippi, made this commitment to Jeff and Liesa Holeman long before they began serving as IMB missionaries in 2008.

Investing in young lives has come full circle. The Holemans now mentor dozens of students and young adults from across the United States each year, many who return to the missions field for extended terms of service. 

“That’s who first invested in me — my church,” Liesa says. “We want other churches to do the same. … God called the church to do this. And we as missionaries have a responsibility to help our churches touch, feel and understand our stories … to help them understand the importance of going to the nations.”

In the three years since the Holemans began serving as cluster strategy leaders in Oaxaca, Mexico, the Oxford church has adopted the Tlacolula Valley Zapotec.

“We have a huge support group behind us … they don’t let go of us,” Jeff says. “That’s a two-way street. We value our relationship with one another. Just because we’re out of sight, we’re not out of mind. We know this because of the way they love us.”

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PRAYER POINTS

» Pray for the Holemans as they reach people groups in Mexico, some who have no access to the gospel.

» Pray for more churches to send missionaries to the nations, and thank God for the Holemans’ partnership with the Oxford church.

Click HERE to read more & watch videos

Oh, How Blessed We Are

We may be the "trailblazers" for those to come in after us in our area of Mexico, but there have already been many that have come before us to soften the path. 

Throughout our time here, we've heard our fair share of stories from the villages of what it was like for the first believers in the villages: many of which came only 20 or 30 years ago!

Some villages beat people who turned to Christ. Others doused them with alcohol for not drinking with them during their fiestas. Some got thrown in jail for days without reason. 

Even worse, one village burned down the only evangelical church in the town and killed all the believers in it! This is the remnants of that church:

Sound familiar? "Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea." (2 Corinthians 11:25, NIV)

This is the persecution the early church endured, and this is the same persecution the early church in rural Mexico endured not too long ago. 

Luckily, we haven't experienced any persecution to this magnitude in the villages, because people have gone before us and paved the way for the gospel of God's grace. 

We have been blessed to serve under local churches in many of the villages we have been working in. However, the village that burned the church down several years ago still doesn't have an active church body, to our knowledge. 

Pray for this village, that God would raise up Christians to bear his name. 

Pray for the other villages, that their churches would reach others in their village with the message of God's love. 

Pray for those coming after us, that our work would pave the way for them, just like others' work had paved the way for us.

Softening the Soil through Sport

Last week, we got to host a soccer tournament in one of our villages -- one of our most difficult villages. 

The climate their is very cold and people aren't very welcoming -- The men work during the day, the children attend school and the women stay inside. There is no Zocalo (central area) for people to hang out in and meet people. 

We found out that many of the families are distrusting of foreigners because there were rumors of them robbing homes. The soil was hard and we needed something to soften it. 

We talked with the local believers there and they said while the nationals may be cold towards foreigners, the children aren't and once the children warm up to you, the parents will also. 

We decided to host a soccer tournament for children ages 6-12 in the village and we had a great turnout -- around 60 children showed up to play soccer and hear Bible stories.

We had four teams: two played at a time, while the other two played games and listened to Bible stories. 

We got the opportunity to share the story of David & Goliath, which some kids were familiar with but many had not heard. At the end of the tournament, when the champions were crowned, we got to share about the true champion, the one called Jesus who conquered death and gave us life!

Joseph got to share Creation to Church and told the children that the reason we were there was because Jesus had changed our lives and we want to share the joy he's given us with others!

Many children came up and thanked us not only for the tournament, but also for the Bible stories. Several parents were there throughout the day and they got to hear the stories also and see why we wanted to connect and build relationships with their children. 

Pray that the stories would sink in with the children, and that their curiosity would lead them to ask their parents questions about Jesus. 

Pray for the national believers we partnered with, that this tournament would help soften the soil for them. 

Divine Appointment, Local Church

We've had the pleasure the summer of working with some amazing local churches, many of which have started recently.

In one church, the first believer in that village still attends. Now, there are well over 30 members who attend regularly, including our Nehemiah Teams group for this summer. 

When we attended church last Sunday, they invited us to a time of fellowship that Friday. We expected that we would sit around, talk and eat -- but we were in for a big surprise. 

When we arrived at the church, there were over 30 people we had never seen before, some of whom were taking bucket showers next to the church. They were all changing into suits and elaborate robes. 

We found out that it was a traveling choir from the opposite side of Mexico -- an 18 hour drive! This choir group had tried to visit our church last year, but the plans were cancelled. This time, when they were headed our way, they decided to make a surprise visit. 

We spent some time talking with the choir group before they went to perform, getting to know them and learning about their walks with the Lord. 

When they finally went up to perform, we were in awe. The way they worshiped the Lord in unison made us want to worship with them, even though we didn't know the words to any of the old hymns in Spanish. 

This divine appointment was not only a blessing to be a part of, but it truly lifted up the local church as they could bond with other national believers and develop a heart of service to host them at the last minute. 

Pray for the local church, that they would take leadership in the village community. 

Pray that as we prepare to leave, they would take over where we leave off in sharing the hope they have in Christ. 

The Bread of Life

This week, we got the opportunity to follow a family from the church in our village who has been baking specialty bread for years, learning from them along the way about more than just bread. 

The family wakes up at 5 a.m. to start making the dough for their bread. They then proceed to soften the dough to perfection and form it into their correct shapes. After each type of bread (there are about five in all) is prepared, they wait for the dough to rise. 

Finally, they heat up their brick oven with a flamethrower and cook each batch of bread for about 30 minutes. 

The most amazing part of the day was sitting down with them after the work was done and hearing their story of how the encountered the true bread of life. 

The father was one of the first believers in the entire village, and he came to faith in Christ through a team of American missionaries in the 1980s. 

However, at the time there was heavy persecution for Christians and he was thrown in jail for his faith for three days. It took his wife one whole year to come to faith and follow in her husband´s footsteps. 

Now, his whole family follows Christ and they help lead a church in the village. By making bread they can sell all across the village, they get the opportunity to testify to the real Bread of Life.

Pray for the family of believers and for their church, that they will be bold and effective in reaching their village. Thank God for providing the freedom to share their faith in the village without formal persecution. 

Church Planting

This week, we got to be a part of a church plant in one of our villages. The church we go to is doing some work in many of the villages we are working in, so we have gotten the opportunity to serve under them. 

This church is currently under construction -- all that stands now is support beams, a tin roof and flooring. But that didn't stop us from sharing the Word of God with over 20 children. 

We started with some fun games to get the kids excited about the evening, similar to youth group in the US. 

Then, we played some songs that included some dancing -- the kids loved that. Alex Kate played the guitar, Destinie held the lyrics for the children, and Ali led the dance. 

After the songs, Bailey shared a story from her children's story book: the story of Moses. Some of the kids were familiar with the story, since many of them go to our church in the nearby town... but many of them had never heard it before. 

It was amazing to see the children completely engaged in the story, and in the ensuing activity, where they chose the correct words that corresponded with the events in the story in a word-search puzzle. 

The night continued past the lesson, however, playing games and making conversation. The hardest part was telling the kids we had to leave and see their sullen faces. They didn't want us to go and most of us didn't want to either. 

Luckily, we have two more weeks to help out with the church plant's youth group. 

Pray that we would be faithful to engage the children in spiritual conversations.

Pray that God would place a desire in their hearts to seek Him and serve Him. 

Mexican Fiestas

This week has been a week of fiestas. This month is notorious in our area for its fiestas. The infamous Guelaguetza will take place at the end of the month, boasting an assortment of Mexican culture -- everything from authentic food to song and dance. 

This week, we got to experience a series of birthday parties and a special fiesta for a village. 

One fiesta celebrated the "cumpleanos" for a nine year old. Another for an 87 year old. 

What was amazing to me is the generosity and excitement that surrounds fiestas here. For one of the fiestas, we had met the family for the first time that day. We got to share the Word of God with them in their heart language -- an indigenous language that varies between villages. 

Then, they told us about their daughter's birthday and the fiesta they were having, which they proceeded to invite us to. 

We found that going to fiestas is a great way to live out 1 Corinthians 9 and "become all things to all people." Not only are fiestas fun, but they are a huge part of Mexican culture. In addition, it's a great way to witness to the fact that we don't need parties or alcohol to sustain our joy -- it is solely found in Christ!

Our friend who just turned 87 encountered a near death experience only a few months ago and never thought he would reach this point in his life. He has been Catholic all his life and he thanks God for it. Through this experience, we were able to share the Word of God with him. 

Pray that he would be able to reflect on his life and all that God has provided for him and that he would wholeheartedly worship and praise Him. 

Pray that God continues to provide opportunities for us to share the Word of God and "become all things to all people. 

Creation: Mexico Trailblazers

Mexico is very geologically diverse. There are roaring oceans, calm fresh water lagoons, soaring mountains and a vast assortment of both animals and plants we've never seen before.

We've tried fruits we've never heard of and vegetables we've never seen. We've walked on dirt roads next to goats, sheep, cows and even donkeys. 

This amazing abundance of creation inspired me to write this poem. 

Creation

Mountains stretch from east to west, 

Trees scrape the horizon,

Waves crash on sandy shores,

And winds guide their paths.

Dolphins emerge out of the depths,

Critters peering from below the surface.

Turtles make homes on dry land,

And seagulls swerve back and forth in flight. 

Who controls the patterns of the waves,

Or tells the sun when to rise?

Who alone can number the stars,

Or hold the galaxies in His hands?

You sit in the heavens and do as you please,

Painting the glorious picture before us.

Your swift strokes create the landscape, 

Your sketch brings life to the creatures. 

You mold us together like clay,

Hold us over the fire and form us.

Before we were formed,

You knew us entirely. 

Who else is like you, O God,

Your praise you give to no other. 

Let us bring glory to your name, 

Lest the very rocks cry out! 

Pray that the people here would also see the magnificence of God's creation. 

Pray it would lead them to worship the Creator, not the creation itself. 

Children's ministry bears fruit

Last week, we had a team from Tennessee come in to help with our partnership at Casa Hogar.

They stayed at the children's home for a week and did everything from teach arts and crafts, share Bible stories, teach worship songs and play games. 

Check out the week wrap-up video here: http://youtu.be/FxR11WGygrY

The team had an experienced painter with them, who has been sharing the gospel through art for nine years. He has a special presentation called the "Big Picture," where he weaves his personal testimony into the gospel as he paints the scene of Jesus' death. 

After the presentation last week, one little boy came forward to receive Christ into his heart. 

The following day, an 18 year-old got into a gospel conversation with one of the church members from Tennessee and he realized that he was just going through the motions -- he went to church, but he was not submitting his life to Christ. 

Steven, the man who was able to led this man to receive Christ, said, "I started talking about his faith and I noticed some red flags -- he gave me really subtle answers. I went over the ABCs -- admit, believe and commit. He said he was ready at that moment."

Steven added, "You feel like you have to save hundreds of people. But just two people getting saved makes the whole trip worth it -- the money, the tiredness, the long plane rides, everything."

Pray that more would pray to receive Christ like these boys.

Pray that our ministry at Casa Hogar continues to flourish. 

Bonding through Sport

One of the ways we've been able to bond with the people in our villages is through sport. Whether it's soccer, basketball, hiking or some new game we've never heard of, it's one of the many ways we try to bridge the language barrier and create a platform to share the hope God has put in our hearts.

Here are some pictures from our adventures through sport. 

Pray for continued opportunities to share through sport. 

Pray that we would have the Holy Spirit on our hearts when we play and that we would be bold to share. 

Liter of Light follow-up: Mexico Trailblazers

This week, we followed up working on our Liter of Light project, which in Spanish we call "Lata de Luz," which translates as canister of light. 

We practiced our project on a shed at John and Jenny's house, local IMB missionaries we are working with, who have the same tin roofing as the houses in the village we are working in. 

Here is a link to our video of making the light. (Note that subtitles are in Spanish because we are using the video to show the people how to make the light so the project can continue after we leave).

http://youtu.be/f5ZWWs2Xw_M

The project was very successful at the McLamb's house. We were able to successfully install the light, which worked surprisingly well as you can see in the video, and we used sealant to fill any gaps to prevent rain water from coming through.

We've already had some positive responses from people in our village. We have people that are very interested in the light. They even went on to explain how hard it is to find stuff in their house because of how dark it is.

Please pray that this project would bless this community and meet some of their physical needs tangibly. 
Pray that it would allow them to see the real Light of the World and that they would trust in Him. 

Story Time: Mexico Trailblazers

Today, we got an amazing opportunity to share some Bible stories with children -- one was planned, the other was impromptu. 

In the morning, we spent time at the children's home with the church from Tennessee. In addition to playing with the children, we shared the story of the Good Samaritan and lead the children in an arts & crafts activity that corresponded with the story. 

The children there are always very receptive to hearing the stories -- almost as receptive as they are to playing soccer, drawing with us, or being held. 

However, in the afternoon we had an unprepared story time -- one that was ordained by God and commissioned by the Holy Spirit. 

When we went into our village, we met up with some of the kids there who expressed an interest in playing soccer with us. Once we agreed, they gathered all the kids on the street -- about 15 in all -- and went to the field.

On our way to the field, one of the kids came up to us and started reciting the story of the demon possessed man from Mark 5, a story we shared with him last week. When he finished telling us all he remembered, he politely asked, "Can you share some more stories with us today?"

We couldn't miss out on an opportunity like that! After we finished playing soccer, we told the kids we were going to share a Bible story. They all gathered around, sat down and listened intently as we recounted how Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave. 

Please pray for more opportunities to share Bible stories with these children.

Pray that God would move in their hearts to receive these stories through the Holy Spirit. 

Embracing Children

One consistent ministry we have had throughout our time here is ministering to children at a children's home called Casa Hogar. 

We typically go once a week, hang out with the children -- which includes everything from card games, sports, coloring and more -- and share a Bible story with them. 

Here are some pictures from our time with them. 

We have a team coming in next week that will live at the children's home and minister to them. 

Pray that God would show His love for these children through them this week and through us this summer. 

Pray that the Bible stories we share would change their hearts. 

Redefining Church

This week, we got the opportunity to participate in some Bible studies and house churches in the villages. Most of these meetings were very different to what we would call "church" in the US. 

In most cases, there were no big buildings. No acoustic sound systems. No group leader or pastor (which means "shepherd" in Spanish, which is pretty interesting given the Biblical metaphor). 

The people merely gather in houses, worship the Lord, and study the Bible as a community. We may not be used to this impromptu system in the US, but the Bible is used to it. 

All throughout the book of Acts, this is what a church was -- merely a group of people who believed in God, his love for us and our need for him, and gathered together to learn more about this God, who created the heavens and the earth. 

I was also surprised at how happy and gracious the people were to have us there -- we were asked continually what we thought about the passages and if we had anything to add to the conversation. 

Whereas in the US we may greet newcomers with a half-hearted "Hey," these people greeted us with open arms and were genuinely thankful and glad to have us there. When they said, "Gracias para ti, gracias a Dios" they meant it. 

When asked to share something at one of the house church, we were able to share a short message from the previous Bible study about John 9 when Jesus heals the blind man. In another instance, we were able to share a special project we are working on to translate Bible stories in the local, indigenous language. 

The best part about these experiences was gathering together afterwards as a group and sharing the church experiences. They all varied to some degree in organization, but we all left with the same feeling of encouragement. After weeks of working in the villages, it was nice to meet in peace with some of the believers to worship the Lord together. 

It allowed us to see the truth behind Ephesians 4:4-6 "There is one body and one Spirit ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." We may be from different languages and cultures, but we worship the same God, who created heaven and earth and lives in each one of us. 

Pray that God would continue to provide opportunities to share encourage the local Christians, and that they would continue to encourage us with their kind, open hearts, where Christ dwells.

Liter of Light

In one of our nearby villages, the houses are made out of the cheapest material possible: flimsy siding and metal slated roofs.

The village resembles a typical slum or shantytown and because most of the siding doesn't have windows and the roof cannot allow for holes (it is rain season after all here), most families are without light in their homes. This can prevent them from doing things we often take for granted in America, like having house guests or even reading the Bible inside. 

However, there is a project called "Liter of Light" that we are trying to implement in this community to provide the light they need in their homes. 

Check out this video for more information: http://youtu.be/o-Fpsw_yYPg

In essence, the project is to create light bulbs out of soda bottles filled with water, since the sunlight with transmit through the water and refract through it, creating an abundance of light. However, the challenge lies in how to implement this on a mass scale and how to install the light without creating holes for water to seep through. 

We began the other day assembling necessary materials for the project and doing a trial run to see what obstacles could arise. While we are a while away from being able to implement this project in the village, we got a lot of beneficial information and most of the materials. We hope to be able to implement the project in at least one home in a week or two. 

• Pray that God would provide us wisdom and discernment in this project. 
• Pray that the families in the village would be wiling and eager to be a part of it. 

Dwelling Place

Mexico is a place filled with beautiful Catholic temples -- they fill the streets and draw in many tourists. Even the smaller villages boast some elaborate temples.

Surrounded by so many places of worship, yet at many times void of true surrender to the Lord, I was struck by this passage in Acts 17 where Paul speaks before the Athenians. 

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else." (NIV)

This passage and the environment we are surrounded by inspired me to make this photo and write this poem. 

Grand buildings, beautiful temples,

We've built them all for you to dwell in,

So where have you gone, O Father?

We long to see you be with us again,

Stand by us and walk beside us,

Touching our cheeks with the tip of your finger. 

Why haven't you returned for your children?

Is our praise not what you wanted?

Are our sacrifices not pleasing to your sight?

We scramble separately in disarray,

Hoping to conjure up something worthy of your presence,

Perhaps a tower to reach the sky or a stained-glass palace.

If only we could hear your soft voice calling in the night,

"I do not live in temples built by man,

nor am I served by human hands."

What then can we do, O God?

Is there anything that can satisfy your justice,

And fan the fire of your mercy?

Perhaps you desire a different dwelling place,

One that cannot be seen by the human eye,

And dwells within our very hearts. 

Sports Camp Recap: Mexico Trailblazers

Check out the recap of our sports camps with the children this week. (Click on the image! )

We had more than 100 children show up with many parents accompanying them -- they got to learn new sports, make friends and hear some great Bible stories.

The president of the village even came out one night and said how thankful he was for what we were doing. A few of the parents asked if we were going to do a camp for adults! God is moving here and your prayers are appreciated. 

Pray that God would move in the people who came out to the camps and that he would use relationships that we established to continue our work. 

Sports Camp: Mexico Trailblazers

This week we've been working a lot with a church from North Carolina who came to town to conduct a children's sports camp.

There have been two sessions each day: a morning session for the children at Casa Hogar -- the home for children whose parents can't take care of them -- and an afternoon session at a nearby village. 

We have been mostly involved in the sessions at the village and had the opportunity to invite children from our villages to come. 

We've had a great turnout too -- roughly 100 children split into three age groups learning soccer, basketball and football. The children have had a great time!

In addition to teaching sports, we've also been able to share interactive Bible stories, like the story of the Prodigal Son. The children have been very receptive to the stories and seem to enjoy hearing them. 

• Pray for continued opportunities to minister to these children through the camps.
• Pray for opportunities to minister to their parents and form lasting relationships with the people in our villages. 

Village Voyage: Mexico Trailblazers

After getting to know the culture and participating in various ministry projects, we finally got to go into our villages this week.

The night prior to our first day, we gathered together for prayer and praise, asking God to go before us and bless our time in the villages. And He was so faithful. 

Many of us got plugged into local village churches, serving under the body there. Where there were no churches we found kind families and people who welcomed us into their homes, offered us meals and treated us like family. 

We learned so much from our first few days. We've been practicing our Spanish mucho with the nationals, who also speak their native indigenous language, and learning about the culture and their daily lives. 

One day, we learned how to make tlayudas, large tortillas about twice as large and much harder than the ones we're used to in the US. 

Please pray for continued relationship with the nationals and opportunity to share the story of how God has transformed our lives.