The Roads
Dust kicking up behind us…The rattle of the vehicle over every bump…What would have felt like a long trip flew by as we listened to the stories told by the president of the Mexican pastors’ association. We drove for what seemed like endless miles, passing town after town. Each time you reached a new town it seemed to be the end of the long bumpy road. But every time there was a turn or curve, and a little path appeared taking you onward to the next town.
The First Stop
At our first stop, the president shared his vision. A sanctuary with a metal gate for a door, Theater seats, and plenty of room for the regional communities. A place where all the little town churches can come together and worship Jesus as one body.
Going Farther Out
After another long, dust filled, windy drive we came to a old, worn church building, and a larger incomplete building. The bigger building is fruit of the long seasons of sowing and watering that are represented in the old, worn church.
Mexican home missionaries did the hard work of going into these small towns, planting churches, and discipling the pastors. Who now in turn are harvesting the fruit of those labors. The stretching of the tent pegs is being seen.
Images like these, in small towns, tell the story of the arrival and growth of the gospel through missions to these isolated communities.
Our Final Stop
Two aged, overgrown rock buildings, fixtures with an almost forgotten reason to exist, stand opposite each other around the community gathering hole. The pastors of the local church invited us to their house after our service. Their home was just across the dusty path, with a small fenced in area out front and dirt floors as smooth as river rocks. They put together a typical meal and hosted us late into the evening, playing guitar and singing worship songs.
Mexico Home Missions
Tula is the product of Mexico Home Missions, which has its own story. Many of these towns are actually hostile to the word of God. In many areas, they worship a mix of “saints” and idols like “santa muerte.” But, even against such opposition, the good news and Gods work continue to move forward, reaching and changing these remote towns.