Christmas Mission to Mexico December 2010
Praise God from whom all blessings flow! I was so humbled by the overwhelming response from all who participated in GMSM’s shoe drive. Just like the blankets last year, I was beginning to wonder if I had set the bar to high. As God continued to supply the resources for the shoes, I soon realized that maybe we did not set the bar high enough. God provided what we prayed for. As weak as I can be at times, I know that He would have provided what would bring glory to Him no matter how many pairs of shoes we wanted to take to Mexico.
Many thanks must go out to PayLess shoes for providing us with a killer deal and discount on the shoes. As I spoke to the man in charge of making this happen he shared with me that he was a believer and was very stoked to be a part of this.
Once again most of this would not have been possible without assistance from the wonderful folks at Westside Baptist Church in Ponchatoula, La. They always seem to champion the mission efforts in Mexico and they not only believe in the ministry of GMSM, but they also have a true heart for those who live in Mexico. I can never thank you all enough for your obedience to God.
I would also like to thank my brother in Christ Mike Whitfield who is always ready and willing to donate his time and talents to GMSM. Mike and I set out the weekend before Christmas for the drive to Mexico in a truck lent to us by my brother Steve Phillips. Our first stop was in Ponchatoula to pick up the shoes which were then loaded into a trailer for the ride to Mexico. Fellow believer Wormie had the trailer ready for us which was a huge blessing.
When we arrived at Primera Bautista Iglesia Church we were met by Rueben, his family and Pastor Felipe. We unloaded some of the shoes to start our preparation for the border crossing. This whole endeavor was bathed in prayer and put into God’s hand. We did deliver some shoes to the colonias along the border state side, along with beans, rice, flour and oil. These are areas where Rueben is working to start home groups. These colonias have the same problems as the ones in Mexico and are probably equally as dangerous due to drug and gang activity.
After buying the food supplies for the distribution we started our sojourn to an area of Mexico whose people I have grown to love, Nuevo Laredo. Unfortunately, we ran into the same problem we have been experiencing recently while trying to go into Mexico, uncompassionate border guards who could care less about their fellow brother and sisters. We were sent from one end of the border to the other only to continue to get the same old lame excuses. As frustration started to set in I had to remind myself whose hands we had put this trip in. My true desire is to glorify my Lord and Savior and if was not His will at this time to see these shoes cross the border then who am I to question Him who sent me?
As we were trying to get the shoes across in Nuevo Laredo at this very time, unknown to us, there was a prison break where over 200 inmates, some very violent, were loose and on the run in town. Had we been granted approval to get our shoes across we would had traveled right through the heart of this mass exodus of prisoners. Think God was protecting us or was it just coincidence….? I do not believe in coincidence I believe in God’s providence. He will get the shoes across and they will get into the hands of the ones who need them. I will keep you all updated on the progress.
Eventually, we did manage to get all the food across and some of the shoes. We left the bulk of the shoes at the church in Laredo until things once again cool down In Mexico
We also took some shoes down to Chacho and Marc in Los Fresnos Tx. and from what I hear they were successful in getting them across, praise God!
We are learning so much as we continue to minister in this part of Mexico. I know God has a much bigger plan for us and these difficulties are just things we have to persevere through. One goal for 2011 is to start a non-profit GMSM in Mexico.
Kenny / GMSM
