From Glory to Glory

*October to November Update

Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. We pray that you are well. May God give you strength and peace to continue the race he has set before you. Much has changed in our lives since our last update. The past several weeks has been filled with moments of God reminding us of our purpose and why we’re here.

At the beginning of October we were asked by Pastor Tolman to travel almost 11 hours to Santo Thomas, Michoacán and check on the wellbeing of a church there. The community of Santo Thomas is one of eleven indigenous villages. The people there have different cultural practices and speak both Spanish and original tribal languages. Also, part are Michoacán are within the circle of silence, which is an unreached area in Mexico.

We gladly went and were excited to see another area in Mexico. Once we arrived we found the church to be healthy and doing well. Matt preached, the Lord moved, and

all was well. While we were there, the Lord led us to a pastor in the community. After speaking with the pastor and his family we immediately felt the urge to minister and uplift them. Afterwards, they invited us to preach and minister in their cell groups. This was a great honor for us. We had no mutual connections to them. It was all God.

While staying in the village we experienced some electrical and water issues in our hotel room. After speaking with a few people in the area, they recommended that we go and stay in Zamora, the nearest city to the village. With only a few days left in our trip we decided to stay in Zamora. The following day, Matt’s truck would not start. We tried our best to work on it and finally needed to tow it to the nearest Dealership. We’ve realized that having an EcoDiesel vehicle in Mexico is very difficult. There are no parts manufactured here for it, requiring the mechanic to order them from the states.

We immediately began to pray and asked God what else did he desire from us in Michoacán. We were now having to extend our trip almost two weeks with unplanned expenses. Everyday we met a new person and ministered to them. It was as if we were learning how to walk in the Spirit all over again. We felt a strong need and urge to stay, even though in reality we didn’t have a choice. Through prayer, God reminded us of our goals. Our first year in Mexico was to learn culture and language. After that we were instructed to plant.

As Christians, we sometimes get caught up in doing good will, that we forget what God’s perfect will is for our life. We weren’t meant to be in Nazas forever. We began fleecing the Lord all over again just as we did before we moved to Mexico. We asked God to show us a home that would meet our needs as a family and to confirm it.

The following day, we met a woman. We explained to her our car issues, and how we were exploring the area by taxi. She immediately offered to pick us up and drive us around. We thought it was a joke. She and her mother picked us up at our hotel the following day. They drove us all around for hours helping us search. At the end of the day we found a house. In Zamora the city requires a cosigner from a resident in Zamora on all rentals for people who aren’t from there. The same family offered to be our cosigner and our references. Wow! The house met our needs. however it appeared to be in a rough area.

We prayed again and asked God to confirm it for us. Within 20 minutes we met a Christian family while we were walking. They told us where they lived and it was right around the corner from the house. They had 3 children and reassured us that although the area was rough they've never had a problem.

But how would we move our belongings?

Mexico doesn’t have moving trucks to rent. We knew if we made several trips back to Nazas the cost would be more than what our things were worth. To be honest, we didn’t want to go through the process of restarting again…. We decided to put it in God's hands. If he wanted us to plant in Michoacán, then he would move our things. It was that simple.

At the end of the week we went back to the dealership. They told us they refused to order the part needed for the truck due to it’s high expense. They explained in Mexico when something is expensive, people don’t pay and leave their vehicle. We were in disbelief. It had been a week and no one even informed us that they weren't going to order the part. How were we going to get back home? Matt remained calm and began to pray. He walked over to the truck and prayed over it. It immediately started! Look at God!

On the way back, we stopped in the villages. Matt asked our new friend if he knew anyone with a trailer. It may seem strange to ask for a trailer in an indigenous village and not in the city but that’s what God wanted. He told Matt to walk with him. They walked through the village to a mans house. The man surprisingly spoke English. Matt told him our story. The man gladly let us use his work trailer so we could move our things. We felt as if we were walking the pages in the new testament. Literally going where God led us and speaking to who God led us too. We watched as all of our needs were met.

If a foreign family of strangers knocked on your door, and asked to borrow your trailer for an 11 hour journey across the country...would you trust them?

Would you co-sign for someone you didn’t know?

Would you pick up a few strangers and drive them around for hours to see a new place so they didn’t have to pay for a taxi?

Would you invite strangers in your house to eat with your family and let their children play with yours? Don’t forget we're in a pandemic and Covid is still very real.

Would you even recognize that all of this was God?

We are living examples of walking by faith. Sometimes it doesn't feel that way. Many times it feels dumb and senseless but it’s real.

We struggled a lot with the idea of leaving Nazas. In 10 short months we’ve ministered to several families. We’ve had the privilege to baptize and God filled one with the Holy Ghost. We’ve developed a sponsor program in the church for 6 kids that is still continuing and have remembered the widowed and the poor by visiting and feeding them. We have loved the people of Nazas and they have loved us. We’ve assisted and helped Pastor Sammy and Paloma at Iglesia Libertad to the best of our ability.

You may ask, Why would God desire for us to leave an area where we are flourishing?

The answer is simple...to reach more of the lost. so that they may be saved. We are thankful for the words of wisdom and our circle of Godly leadership and Pastors. We made every decision based on God and words of Wisdom. As one pastor told us. Even Paul and Barnabas had to separate. By this, they were able to do even more work for God and reach more souls.

What is God calling you to do so that more of the lost can be saved? Are you listening?

We are thankful for the journey and have a longer one to go. We’ve officially been living in Michoacán for three weeks and have already experienced great warfare but have ministered to many. Three weeks feel like three months. We see this as God letting us know that we are in his perfect will. We have also continued weekly bible studies with the family from our home group in Nazas and weekly English lessons. Technology is a blessing when used for HIS glory!

Thank you to all our family and friends that have continually supported us through prayer and finances. None of this would be possible without your support. Remember, you are a laborer in the Harvest.

Blessings,

Matt, Kiara and MJ