A Sneak Peak At Sunday Night
Last night around midnight, the last of us who went to Durango, Mexico arrived home. Sure, we had some car troubles and lost eight people along the way, but it was overall an incredible trip.
Next Sunday night’s service will be entirely dedicated to trying to convey what the trip was like, but I wanted to share a few thoughts before then. You had to be there though.
No offense to the eight.
We got to Mexico City with no problems last Thursday, but the airport is so big that it is like two airports in one. After a series of unfortunate events, one group got the airplane door slammed in their face. Almost literally.
So, the eight returned home and, I suppose God knew all about it. I’m still not sure why it all happened like that, but I think the greatest response was summed up in Mrs. Erica’s text, “We know everything happens for a reason.”
For those who went, it was an unforgettable trip and a huge encouragement not only to the missionaries, but to us. I hope through the testimonies and the video on Sunday you can catch a glimpse of what God is doing in Durango. I’ll save most of the updates for Sunday, but I wanted to share two of the most spiritually impactful moments of the trip for me.
One of the highlights was when we drove to the top of a mountain that was directly in the middle of the city. We looked out over the homes of 500,000 people, and that was only half the city. We looked past the giant Catholic cathedral toward the northeast section of town where Pastor Garza has been ministering for almost 30 years, and it was heartbreaking to think that only a handful of people in that entire metropolis had ever heard the truth about Jesus Christ.
Bro. Eddie Garza (the pastor’s son working at the church) said that there are maybe five Gospel-preaching churches in the area. Maybe. For 1M people, there will never be a problem of overlapping territories.
My other favorite moment of the trip was Monday night when we went twenty minutes outside of town to a farming community. We used what little Spanish we knew to invite people to “The Dome” in 30 minutes for an event for kids… and probably 60 kids and as many parents showed up! Bro. Eddie preached “The Wordless Book” Gospel to the kids while Pastor Francisco (visiting from Iowa) preached to the adults. Twenty two adults made professions of faith, and the children heard a clear presentation of the truth.
The saddest part was when it was all done, Bro. Eddie said, “We can do this in every village around here and exactly the same thing will happen every time. The people want someone to come teach the Bible.”
It was incredible.
At the wrap-up meeting yesterday, Elizabeth Lanuzo said what we were all feeling, “I want to figure out how I could do more.”
If we took anything away from the trip, it was the reminder that our prayers and giving are not in vain. Missionaries are out there doing things like this all over the world, and when you pray for missionaries, you’re praying for the souls in little farm towns in the outskirts of Durango. You’re praying for single moms with wood-slat houses, and carpenters who are looking for truth. You’re praying for pastors who care about orphans, and for Christians who feel alone in a sea of worldliness.
Your prayers are felt by those you are praying for, and your dollars stretch WAY farther in other countries than they do here. We were told that the average income was $50 per week. Not everyone there is poverty-stricken—people still had iPhones and cars and stuff—but not like here.
Thank you for praying. Thank you from the Garzas. Thank you from the Fundamental Baptist Church of Durango, Mexico.
God bless you. Dios le bendiga.
–Pastor Ryan