I’m back from another trip to Monterrey. As always it was short, but sweet. But also, full of surprises especially with the travel.
We missed the departing Tuesday morning flight therefore arriving late on Tuesday night. We also got bumped one whole day returning home, gaining an extra day in Renacimiento.
As a reminder, these trips are planned and organized around Casa Samuel, a local Mexican ministry of ladies who belong to a lower-middle class church in a neighboring town called Santa Catarina.
These ladies focus on the women and children of Renacimiento by providing after school programs, support groups, education classes, career development and training, and every Thursday, they provide food hand-outs comprising of bread, fruits, vegetables, and sometimes items like diapers, etc. And beginning in October, they will be starting the first-ever community church in Renacimiento.
Over the past two trips, I have spent over six hours leading eight men in a small group setting. These men are from the same church that Casa Samuel operates from in Santa Catarina. Most of these men are the husbands of the women who serve in Casa Samuel.
Like other men’s groups, in the U.S., that I have led, these men are hard-working men providing for their families and supporting their wives in their calling to ministry in Renacimiento.
Pastor Eva, the director of Casa Samuel, has been diligent in making time on these Gringo Mission Trips for me to meet with this group of men. Our time in these meetings has been focused on studying/discussing scripture and what it means to be intentional to lead for Christ.
In just two meetings (each meeting lasting 3+ hours), I can honestly say that I have bonded with these men and consider them brothers in Christ.
I wish I could accurately share the excitement that I felt when they let me know that they are the ones leading this new church in Renacimiento, scheduled to have their first worship service in October.
It is such a privilege to be a “small and remote” part of this Kingdom Building.
I encouraged these men as we discussed Luke 5: 1-11, not to pass up the opportunity to follow Jesus when called into “deep waters”. Taking these leaps can be life changing as we’re molded to be fishers of men.
