JULY, 2026: REPORTS FROM THE PASTORS

Baptisms and leadership gathering in the mountains of Oaxaca.

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

Greetings in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

After his resurrection, after breakfast on the seashore, Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” When Peter said, “Lord, you know that I love you,” Jesus replied, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21.17)

I love Jesus, and I love His sheep, and so I am committed to doing all I can in Mexico to feed them — spiritually, and in every other way. I will be headed to Atoyac in two weeks to spend time with the flock and shepherds there. Pastor Jose Zavala sent word this week that a number of people from our newest church in Junta de los Rios have had to evacuate to our church in Atoyac because of intra-cartel violence in the mountains there.

We also received word from Pastor Carlos Tovilla that last month they held their first regional conference in the mountains of Oaxaca with many baptism, worship services, and meetings to encourage the local pastors. Representatives from the various indigenous communities in the region joined them, along with a large group of believers from Tuxtepec.

Please keep all the pastors and their families in your prayers, and especially our Lord’s dear sheep in the violence torn area in the state of Guerrero. Pray for me also as I prepare to return to Atoyac. I will be there for my 89th birthday and can think of no better people to celebrate with! 

Thank you for helping me all these years and now as I continue to do my best as a shepherd of God’s flock.

God bless you,

Larry

MAY, 2026: THAT'S PART OF IT!

 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” - Matthew 6.34

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

I have had a couple of “episodes” lately that affected me physically and mentally, but I will not let that slow me down or cause me to worry about the future. I have given my entire life to the service of the Kingdom of God and I intend to keep doing that until the very end! One evening in January I was scheduled to speak to a small group at a local church and (partially because of the huge amount of road construction right now) I got lost and couldn’t figure out how to get unlost. I finally called my son Ken who came and found me and got me to the church. 

Then in March I traveled to Oaxaca and met a group of men from Louisiana who were completing a church built in honor of Mason Leal. After a three hour drive we arrived at our headquarters. I visited a while with the team members and the next morning I couldn’t stand up. For the next few days I needed help with everything - even bathing. Thank God for good friends who were there to offer support. I finally was able to go and visit the building site and then flew home.

When I got home I saw my doctor, did some tests, and changed some of my medications. I’m better, but still not tip top. As I have said so many times to my family and friends, “That’s part of it.” That’s part of getting older when the body doesn’t do exactly like you tell it to! But: I refuse to let a roadblock keep me from doing what God called me to do.

So, in July I am going back to Mexico for two weeks to visit pastors and people and to celebrate my 89th birthday with them. In the meantime I will be speaking with Mexican pastors by phone and keeping in touch with progress there. And I already have plans to spend my 90th in Louisiana with the men who came to build the church - they’ve promised me a good church service, some good Cajun food, and even a boat trip to a fishing camp. What a blessing it is to have dear friends on both sides of the border. Until God calls me to my heavenly reward I am going to “keep on keeping on.” 

God bless you,

Larry

APRIL, 2026: GOOD PEOPLE

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

Leal. That’s a family’s last name; remember it.

Several months ago Mason Leal passed away. He is from the youngest generation of the Leal family, and his grandfather is my dear friend Tom Shaffer who has labored alongside me in Mexico for over 40 years. The family asked if we could build a church in Mason’s honor and started fundraising for the project. So far they have raised almost half of the funds necessary, and we are building the building right now.

By the time you read this letter, I will have joined with a group of workers from Tickfaw, LA who come every year to help build a church, and who have never heard the name Leal. We will rendezvous in the state of Oaxaca and raise a building in the village of Mazateca. Joining us will be Pastor Carlos from Tuxtla, Chiapas, and several from Atoyac, Guerrero including Mason’s grandfather Tom.

But let me tell you more about this Leal family. They originated in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey but have been in the U.S. for a century. Jesse and Irma Leal began life in west Texas making tortillas and cooking for field laborers in Muleshoe. They turned that into a family restaurant and that grew to several restaurants, a tortilla factory, and a chip and salsa company with a presence throughout west Texas and eastern New Mexico. Their son Victor and his wife Debbie have been part of my life for over 30 years, and Victor was with me last year when we got swamped by a hurricane in Atoyac at the dedication of the church built to honor Mary Lou. Back in Texas Debbie was an angel calling hotels and airlines and helping get us out of a storm-ravaged mess.

Leal. In Spanish it means loyal, and this family lives up to its name. There’s another Spanish term that fits them to a T: buena gente: good people.  I am so very blessed by the many, many buena gente that God has brought into my life who walk beside me in this ministry to the people of Mexico. Thank you, and…

God bless you,

Larry

MARCH, 2026: THY PEOPLE, MY PEOPLE

The site where we are building a new church in Mazateca, Oaxaca

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

The story of Ruth and Naomi has been one of my favorite Bible stories throughout my entire ministry. You probably know it but I want to recount the basics. There was a famine in Bethlehem and family of four left there and traveled to Moab in search of survival. After many years there tragedy struck and Naomi lost her husband and both married sons. She heard there was food in Judah and decided to return, but her two daughters-in-law had to decide their own future. Orpah chose to stay with her people, but Ruth went with Naomi. Imagine leaving everything you have known in life — food, culture, friends, traditions — and packing up for some place completely foreign. When Naomi tried to talk her out of it, Ruth famously replied, “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.” (Ruth 1.16f, KJV) Of course, the rest of the story is that Ruth married Boaz, became the great grandmother of King David, and the ancestor of our Lord Jesus.

I think this story sticks with me so strongly because for 50 of my 88 years on this earth I have gone to a place different from my own family, culture, food, and tradition. I have made the people of Mexico “my people,” and spent my life helping them. In a few weeks I will join a group of people from Louisiana (my roots) and go to Tuxtepec, Oaxaca where we will join people from various places in Mexico and complete a new church building there. This church will be in the mountain village of Mazateca, about 5 hours north of Tuxtepec. 

Every church we build, whether in a large city or a small village, becomes part of the fabric of the hundreds of churches that have been raised up over the last 50 years. For us it is a fulfillment of God’s call and our ministry; for the people of Mazateca and other places like it, this will be a place for worship, for fellowship, for God’s people to be God’s people. 

Unlike Ruth, I won’t be buried in a place that is not my home. But my heart will always be with the people of Mexico.

God bless you,

Larry

FEBRUARY, 2026: FRIENDS IN LIFE

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

It is mid January as I write this letter. I recently returned from a visit to Atoyac, Guerrero and had a surprise celebration with life long friends there. It has me thinking about friendship as we enter this new year. I think of the friendships in the Bible, most notably David and Jonathan, but also Jesus and his disciples, Paul and Barnabas, Ruth and Naomi. Jesus told his disciples, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15.15)

My decades in Mexico have been marked by precious friendships. One of the earliest was Pastor Moises Carranza from Nuevo Laredo. We traveled all across northern Mexico together, ministering and building churches. When he passed away I was asked to speak at his funeral. I told them I couldn’t speak, but I would carry his casket to the grave. Years ago a young man and I were waiting for a bus to take us into the mountains. He turned to me and said, “You do not know how much I love you. If needed, I would give my right arm to defend you.” 

Probably close to 30 years ago a young man’s father was murdered. I flew from Texas to be with him in Mexico and he said, “My father is dead, now you will have to be my father.” To this day we are still close friends, and he is a spiritual son.

I was in Atoyac in late November visiting with pastors and congregations, and much to my surprise they had a celebration at the home of the young man who became my spiritual son. He is now in his 60s and a successful business man, and he had arranged a special celebration filled with people from the area who came to fellowship with me. So many that night told me of the impact I had had in their lives. Friends can even be closer than family. “There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother,” Proverbs tells us (18.24). 

I am so very thankful that God has raised up so many of you to be my friends. Not just ministry partners, not just supporters, but men and women who have stood with me through thick and thin, through good times and difficult times. It is one of the great blessings in my life and I thank God and you for being there.

God bless you,

Larry

JUNE, 2025: I WAS YOUNG AND NOW I'M OLD

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

“I was young and now I am old,” King David wrote, “and I have never seen the righteous forsaken, or his children begging for bread.” (Psalm 37.25)  I too am an old man and have been blessed over the years to have seen the hand of the Lord providing for his own.

I have so very many things to be thankful for and to rejoice over, but it brings me joy when I receive news from either side of the border about God providing for and blessing his children. A few days ago I received a call from a friend who shared the goodness of God in his family. He and his wife were blessed, and now all his children were with good health, good careers, and financial security. Another friend called and told me of God’s favor in the life of his family and how one son’s business which had struggled in the past was now soaring in success. These friends shared good news about the blessings of a good God.

And yet — I also share in the struggles of God’s people. In Mexico I witness the hurt, sadness, and sorrow of so many and I will spend the rest of my life being an instrument of blessing to these dear people. Back home I have visits from people in need of prayer because of setbacks in their health or struggles in their lives. In the book of Acts Peter preached about “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” (10.38) This is a simple but true statement: the devil seeks to kill, steal, and destroy, but Jesus has come that we might have life more abundantly. (John 10.10) I am honored that God allows me to play a small part in turning lives around, helping them move from the oppression of the devil to the abundant life in Christ. 

And I also am grateful that God has raised up such marvelous and faithful friends of this ministry to support me and join in this labor of making lives better, all the while keeping our eyes on that blessed hope of Christ making all things new when we will rest from our labors and spend eternity with Jesus and those we love who have gone before us.

God bless you,

Larry

OCTOBER, 2024: NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP

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Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

Greetings in the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. I have just returned from the state of Guerrero where we dedicated The Rose of Sharon church, built in honor of Mary Lou. But I’m saving that report until next month. Right now I want to pass on to you some new opportunities to help the saints in Mexico.

The first comes from Pastor Guillermo from Santa Cruz Acatepec. Santa Cruz is a village of about 1500 people in the mountains of Oaxaca. They have a church building but it needs completion, and they are requesting help with finishing the roof, and plastering and painting the walls.

Another request comes from Pastor Alberto in Tepetitlán, another village in those same mountains. This precious congregation has a tiny building that is barely adequate — no, it is inadequate — for their needs. Pastor Alberto is requesting assistance to build a new, larger house of worship.

Finally, Pastor Miguel, from the large city of Tehuacán in the state of Puebla, has also requested help with constructing a new church.

On the back of this letter I’m including pictures from all three pastors. I encourage you to put it on your refrigerator or somewhere you’ll see it often, and pray for God’s favor every time you notice.

So many of you dear friends have stood with us over the decades helping provide church buildings all over the country of Mexico. I literally could not even count how many churches we have built over the years, but it is in the hundreds and hundreds. Every building we help construct becomes a place for God’s people to gather to pray, worship, and learn. Each year we have a chance to do it again! And I am trusting God that in the coming months and into the new year we will be able to continue doing what we do, and helping our fellow believers achieve their dreams.

God bless you,

Larry

SEPTEMBER, 2024: ROSE OF SHARON

[About the pictures: Construction is underway for the Rose of Sharon Church near Atoyac, Guerrero.]

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

Greetings in the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You’re reading this letter around the first part of September, but I’m writing it a few weeks before that. By the time you get this letter I will be in Louisiana where I will spend time with Family Life Church in Lafayette, visit with my brother, and then travel on to Patterson where I will be with Word of Life Family Church. By a wonderful coincidence, Pastor Brandon from Family Life will be accompanying me on my flight down there.

A week after returning from Louisiana, I will be traveling to the Atoyac area near Acapulco where we will help finish a new mission church which is being dedicated to the memory of my precious Mary Lou. On the flight down I will be joined by a longtime friend from west Texas, Victor Leal. So on both trips I am blessed to have good friends traveling with me and assisting me. On September 26 friends will gather to dedicate the building, and it will be named Rose of Sharon. Mary Lou loved roses, and you may remember a few months ago when I shared in our newsletter the poem Rose Beyond The Wall which meant so much to me. 

It has been five months since Mary Lou passed away, and not an hour goes by that I don’t think of her and miss her. Those of you who knew her know what a vital piece of the ministry she was. In the early days she traveled to Mexico with me frequently and so loved our people there. When it became too difficult for her to travel she was still so very active in the ministry, staying in communication with supporters and overseeing the office back home. For 45 years she stood alongside me in this ministry, so I am pleased and grateful that she will be memorialized with a church, and I look forward to sharing photos with you next month.

Of  course, Mary Lou is not the only person that stood alongside me and helped make Mexico Ministries to be so effective — every one of you has been part of that team too, dear friends and supporters on both sides of the border. I never cease to give thanks to God for all of you, and I constantly pray for His favor and blessings in your life.

Pray for me in the coming weeks, that the Lord will go with me and strengthen me in his service.

 God bless you,

Larry

JULY, 2024: ANGELS UNAWARE

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

I just returned from Mexico, and although it was a very successful trip, it also may have been the toughest one I have made. I was able to meet with pastors and leaders on both sides of Mexico (with a 12 hour drive each way), and make plans for new mission churches to be built. BUT, GETTING HOME - well, THAT’S a story!

From Tuxtepec we drove to Veracruz where I flew to Houston. When I arrived in Houston they kept delaying the Dallas leg an hour at a time. I was supposed to arrive around 7 P.M. It kept getting pushed back - 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 - then it was completely canceled. I was informed that I couldn’t get a flight out the next evening at 6, that an earlier option was “impossible,” and that I would have to sit in the airport all that time. They wheeled my wheelchair down a long corridor into a room where there was no food, no water, and no restrooms. I was supposed to stay there from midnight, until 6 the next day - EIGHTEEN HOURS!

About 7 A.M. a woman stopped and asked if she could assist me. She rolled my wheelchair down the corridor to a restroom, then said she wanted to take me to get something to eat: “They gave you two food vouchers - you use one and I’ll use one!” We had a small breakfast and then she said, “I am going to take care of you.” With that, she rolled me to the ticket counter and asked when the next flight to Dallas left. The man behind the counter said, “There is one being boarded now.” That’s when I realized she was somebody! She went behind the counter, did something on the computer, got a boarding pass and took me to a gate. She said, “I’m not only going to take you to the plane, I’m going to escort you onto the plane.” When we got to the gate the boarding door was already closed. She told the guard to open it, rolled me down the ramp, and boarded me on the plane. My phone had died so she lent me her’s and I called my son Ken to let him know about the new flight. Later he texted her and thanked her for her care and she texted back, “I heard your mom passed away, maybe she sent me to him!”

The Bible tells us that we should be kind to strangers for in so doing sometimes we entertain “angels unaware.” This woman was indeed an angel to me, and I am fully aware of it!

God bless you,

Larry

MAY, 2024: BEARING THE LOAD

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

I am sure you have heard by now that on March 24 Mary Lou stepped from this life into the age to come. We were just two months shy of celebrating our 67th anniversary, and losing her is the hardest thing I have ever experienced. I have said repeatedly that without Mary Lou there would have been no Mexico Ministries. She was the behind the scenes champion that kept things organized, maintained the office and bookkeeping, and communicated with so many friends and supporters while I was away.  In the early years I would leave home to drive to Mexico and she would stand on the porch waving goodbye. When I returned I could rest assured that she would welcome me with open arms and have my favorite meals waiting for me. Mary Lou helped me bear the load of ministry in a way no other could. 

Throughout the Bible we read stories of people helping to bear the load of others: Aaron and Hur lifting Moses’ arms in prayer while Joshua fought in the valley below; the Good Samaritan carrying the injured man to safety and help; the four friends carrying the lame man’s cot to Jesus so he could heal the man; Simon of Niger carrying Jesus’ cross for him. I am so very thankful that for over 4 decades you friends have helped me carry the load of ministry in Mexico. You have supported the work financially, you have prayed, you have traveled with me to Mexico and helped minister to the people and build houses and churches. You cannot know how important and meaningful that has been for me.

With this fresh loss, you have responded with such love and concern, and that brings me comfort. But I also recognize that sometimes, such as this, there is a load we carry that no one can carry for us. Thank God that in times like this He himself is there for us. I am reminded of the song we used to sing in church years ago,

I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!

I cannot bear my burdens alone;

I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!

Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.

I am returning to Mexico in mid May and I will visit with pastors and congregations and plan several new projects. I know that Mary Lou will be praying for me in the presence of God, and I know that you too will continue to stand with me and together bear the load of ministry. For that I am eternally grateful.

God bless you,

Larry

APRIL, 2024: PRESSING ON

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Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

Greetings in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

In March, I was supposed to go with a group of friends from Hammond and Tickfaw, Louisiana, to build a new church building in Oaxaca. Unfortunately, Mary Lou had to be hospitalized and I had to cancel my part of the trip. But, thanks be to God and the good folk from Louisiana, the project went forward and went well. They finished the church building and sent a good report of their trip.

A few months ago I visited a Hispanic congregation here in Denison, and the pastor invited me to greet the people. That night I went to sleep and slept a sound and full eight hours. During that deep sleep I had a dream that I was back at that local church walking through the congregation and greeting friends. In the dream I then returned to Mexico and continued my work without using a walking cane or getting help from anyone. It was such a wonderful and peaceful dream and I still can’t figure out what it meant. Was it a premonition of something to come? I know the Bible speaks of us receiving a new body in the life to come - perhaps this is what I was dreaming. Whatever it was about, it was one of the greatest moments of peace I could imagine. How wonderful heaven will be, when we rest from our labors, are fully restored physically and spiritually, and are reunited with the Lord and those we love.

But until that day, I continue to press on in God’s calling. I plan to return to Mexico in a few weeks to oversee the building of another church. This time we will use local workers instead of a U.S. team. Then I will drive from Oaxaca to the western state of Guerrero where I will visit the church in Atoyac and make plans for new mission churches in that area. Mexico Ministries started out in this area, and we built many mission churches there. Church leaders there are asking for a new visit from me, and this will be like a homecoming, coming full circle. I will have the opportunity to speak with leaders and see their needs firsthand. Please continue to pray for me, for the work in Mexico, and for Mary Lou.

God bless you,

Larry

NOVEMBER, 2023: IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU, LORD

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

Greetings in the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. When I am in Mexico I am often met with so many positive remarks about my life and ministry that I am humbled. One of my favorite was when someone said, “Thank you for bringing God to us.” I understand I didn’t really bring God to anyone, he was already there, but I have had the privilege of helping open people’s eyes to the Good News of Jesus Christ. Others have said, “Blessed is the day we met, because of you we are saved.” Of course, I can’t claim to save anyone, any more than Paul did when he wrote, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9.22)  It is God and God alone who saves, but he does use us as his servants to accomplish that salvation in the lives of others. Which brings me to my point: enough about me. This is all about our Lord! So, this newsletter is for him.

Dear Jesus:

Lord, when the magi came and worshiped you they gave you the treasures of frankincense, gold, and myrrh. I do not have those riches, but I give you what I have. I give you my years, my energy, my abilities, and I give you the praise that others give me. I am only a conduit through which you bless your people, and I also want to be a conduit returning their praise to you.

You taught your disciples that, when they had done all you commanded them to do, not to seek praise, but to say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.” Lord, I am your unworthy servant and I pass on to you every bit of praise and honor I have received. I join with the choir of heaven singing, ““Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” With deep gratitude I remain,

Your servant,

Larry

OCTOBER, 2023: GOD'S GPS

[About the photos: Pastor Eliseo with his wife, his mother, and his new congregation and building]

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

I have a wonderful and joyous story to share with you. 37 years ago a pastor from Tuxtepec, Oaxaca showed up at our Bible school in Atoyac, Guerrero. He had driven for over 12 hours across the mountains of southern Mexico (easier done now than back then, and still a tough trip) to bring a group of young people to enroll in our school, among whom was a 14 year old girl named Maria.

Last month I was in Tuxtepec, where we have built a major ministry center and several churches, working with a team to build a brand new mission church. Now, it’s important to understand that I knew nothing at all about this congregation (although our leaders in Mexico did), and I didn’t even know who was going to be the pastor. I was simply told by Pastor Cesar, one of our key leaders, that a church was needed.

I had the blessing of meeting young Pastor Eliseo and his mid-twenties pregnant wife, and was encouraged to see God raising up a future generation for ministry.  We got the church built, and I was told the young pastor planned to build a small room off the church for he and his family to live in. I felt directed by God to instead commit to buying a lot near the church for them to build a proper house. But here is the amazing thing: when I was introduced to Pastor Eliseo, I also met his 51 year old mother, Maria. Yes — that Maria! 

And here, 37 years later, God caused our paths to come together once again. The Bible is full of stories of God guiding and directing people on their journeys: Abraham leaving the land of his ancestors and going to the Promised Land; Jesus walking through Samaria to minister to the woman at the well; Philip ministering to the Ethiopian eunuch, “Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (Acts 8.26) God has his own Global Positioning System, and it works better than my phone’s! “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3.5f)

Thank you friends and supporters for walking this journey with me for all these decades. God’s Providential Strategy - his GPS - has never failed and never will.

Larry

SEPTEMBER, 2023: NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER GIVE IN

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”  Those are the words Winston Churchill famously spoke early into World War II, a devastating time for England and the rest of the world as it was overwhelmed with shock and grief.

Job comes to mind as perhaps the prime example of a biblical character who faced devastation but never gave up. He lost everything - his possessions, his family, his health, the respect of his wife and friends, but, he never gave up. You know how Job’s story ends: he endured, and had his life restored and made even stronger.

I also think of the story of Ruth. A Moabite (not the most respected people in the Old Testament!), she lost everything including her husband, but determined to return with her mother-in-law Naomi to Judah. “Where you go, I will go. Where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” Ruth never gave up. Never, never, never. And she became the great grandmother of King David and the ancestor of Jesus Christ.

Add to these the story of my friend Jose Zavala Santos. Jose was a young man in our church in Atoyac when he was driving into the mountains with his family. He ran off the road and rolled his vehicle several times. Five of his family members died in that accident and only he survived. Devastating. Life changing. But he never gave up. Never, never, never. A few years ago I laid hands on him and set him in as pastor for the church in Atoyac, and on the back of this letter you can see a photo of him and his family in front of the church.

Never give up! In times of difficulty remember these stories of endurance in the face of hardship and devastation. God has promised to be with you. He promises to never leave you nor forsake you. Never, never, never. 

God bless you,

Larry

AUGUST, 2023: THE MINISTRY OF HELPS

{About the pictures: “I get by with a little help from my friends.”]

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

By the time you receive this newsletter, Mary Lou and I will have celebrated our 84th and 86th late July birthdays, and we are at the age now where from time to time we both need a little help. There should never be embarrassment in asking for help. In fact, Saint Paul tells us that “helps” is one of the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12.28). 

When Joshua went out to fight the Amalekites, Moses stationed himself on top of a hill and interceded, extending his staff out toward the battle. When he grew weary and lowered his staff, the tide of the battle turned against the Israelites, so Aaron and Hur sat Moses on a boulder and lifted his arms, “thus his hands were steady until the sun set and Joshua overwhelmed Amalek.” (Exodus 17.12-13)

I am still committed to being in Mexico, but now more than ever I need help to do that. I need someone with a wheelchair to maneuver me through the crowded airports, I need someone to pick me up and drive me and get me to my room. I need help making it up steep slopes or rough trails. In April we built a beautiful church on a mountaintop which the locals had leveled for the building. When we arrived the foundation and block walls were completed. From where we parked we had to follow a steep and narrow path wide enough for one person. One man went ahead of me holding my arm, another was behind, holding onto my belt. But we made it to the site and finished the work! My role was to accept help from others in my time of need.

My entire ministry in Mexico has been one of helps. Helping congregations, families, pastors, orphans, widows, the infirm, and those in need. In a few weeks I will be back in Mexico, hitching a ride in a wheelchair, being a passenger while a friend is at the wheel, off to build yet another church. I thank God for all the good help I have when I go to Mexico, and I thank Him and all our friends and supporters for helping me help others.

God bless you,

Larry

July, 2023: WE STILL NEED YOU

{About the photos: “WE STILL NEED YOU!”  We ALL still need each other as we work together to expand the Kingdom of God. (Pastor Carlos, Pastor Brandon, Pastor Alex, Pastor Jose, Dr. Lulu)]

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

July is one of the most important months in our lives. On the 25th Mary Lou will celebrate her 84th birthday, and on the 30th I will turn 86. When I turned 80, six years ago, I asked the Lord for ten more years of serving him in Mexico. He has graciously given me the past six, and I am counting on the next four too!

People frequently ask me, “How long will you continue with the missions work?” Friends question if I’m not getting tired of the flying back and forth to Mexico, of making those bumpy trips up into the mountains, of sleeping in the back of a truck, and of the general work required. So while in Mexico this past week I decided to ask my friends and co-laborers there the same question - should I hang it up, or should I keep going?

It just so happened that Pastor Brandon Miller from Lafayette, Louisiana was visiting so I asked him, and Alexandro (Chenahlo), and Cesar (Tuxtepec), and Dr. Lulu (Chiapas), and Jose (Atoyac), and Carlos (all over, and several others as well. “I’m an old man; what do you say; should I stop now, or keep going?” The same answer came from them all: “We still need you!” I am so thankful to still be needed, and I am very happy to spend the rest of my days serving the Lord and the people of Mexico. I pray he gives me four more years, but I will keep serving him until my very last day.

Whenever that day comes, the work in Mexico will continue. We have a great team of leaders throughout Mexico, and our office in Texas is in good hands. When I am out of the picture I thank God that churches will still be built, pastors will still be trained, the sick will still be ministered to.

My friends, thank you so much for supporting this ministry for all these decades. Let me echo to you what the people in Mexico said to me. “We still need you!”

God bless you,

Larry

June, 2023: THE BOND OF UNITY

[About the photos: Pastor Brandon and his family will travel to Chiapas in June to visit Pastor Carlos and Barbara and the people of God in that area.]

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

The Epistle to the Romans is Paul’s most famous letter (and biggest). Everyone also loves Ephesians. Colossians, on the other hand, is often overlooked. But I was reading in Colossians recently and was struck by this passage: “…put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also. In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” (Col. 3.12-14)

As I meditated on this text I was reminded of the various teams in the Bible that portrayed “the perfect bond of unity.” I thought of David and Jonathan, of Elijah and Elisha, of Ruth and Naomi, and of Paul and Silas. I also think of the many teams that work with Mexico Ministries. We have teams of pastors in Mexico; we have teams of builders there too. We have teams in U.S. churches who faithfully support the work, and we have teams that go to Mexico regularly to help build new churches. 

As you read this newsletter I will be in Mexico with Pastor Brandon Miller and his family from Lafayette, Louisiana. Years ago they were with me in Chenalho and a “bond of unity” was made with the people there. What a joy it will be to join them for a sweet reunion with people they met long ago. Now they will have their children with them, and their Mexican friends will also have children to meet. The bond of unity will extend to another generation!

Proverbs tells us that there is “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (18.24), and I am blessed to say that I have many such friends in life and ministry. Jesus said, “Love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15.12-13)  I am certainly not asking anyone to go that far, to lay down their life for me, but I am so very thankful to the Lord and his people that I have an abundance of friends in my life who are always there to love, care, and support me as I continue to help expand God’s Kingdom in Mexico.

God bless you,

Larry

May, 2023: LAYING UP TREASURES

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

The Apostle Paul warned that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,” and he was simply echoing what Jesus said: “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed.” (1 Timothy 6.10, Luke 12.15) Anytime we take medicine we learn not only about its benefits, but are also warned about possible negative side effects, and that’s the way with most things in life. We are constantly weighing the pros and cons in all sorts of decisions we make.  But the spiritual disease of greed is all negative with no positive outcome whatsoever. It begins with an insatiable desire for more and leads to lying, stealing, cheating, robbing, and sometimes even death. It can destroy friendships, marriages, and families. 

Jesus continued his words with a parable about a rich man greedy for more. He decided to tear down his barns and build larger ones to store his harvest, and said to himself, “My soul, you have many goods laid up for many ears to come. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” But, Jesus said, God said to him, “You fool. This very night your soul is required of you and now who will own what you prepared?” Greed, Jesus shows, is a dead end street.

God’s way, in contrast, is a path that grows brighter and brighter until the full day (Proverbs 4.18). Jesus taught us to, “lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroys and where thieves break in and steal.” (Matthew 6.19). 

The success of missionary endeavors is directly tied to the hearts of people who choose generosity over greed, and God promises great reward for such an attitude and actions, both in this life and the life to come. I keep a close watch on this heart of mine and guard against the disease of greed. My whole ministry has been one of being a conduit through which God’s people bless those in need, and I am so grateful that for nearly half a century the Lord has connected me with people of generosity and compassion who seek first the Kingdom of God. My prayer is that the Lord himself protect us all from selfishness and greed, and equip us all to continue being a blessing to his people in Mexico. Thank you for your decades of friendship and support.

God bless you,

Larry

April, 2023: ANTICIPATE BUT BE FLEXIBLE

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

I keep a card in my wallet that says, “Anticipate But Be Flexible.” That’s a lesson I occasionally need to remind myself of. 

On January 9 I was anticipating a group of ten men meeting me in Veracruz to help us build a couple of churches in the mountains near Tuxtepec, Oaxaca. The foundations and walls were finished, and we were going to be pouring concrete floors, setting in windows, painting, and roofing the buildings. Unfortunately, all the plans fell apart; the group never showed up and didn’t call to let me know! So, I had to embrace the second part of that card’s message: “Be Flexible.” We had to find enough Mexican workers to get the jobs finished on the two churches.

It also proved to be the most difficult trip I’ve experienced in my nearly 50 years of ministry in Mexico. I fell into my bathtub and didn’t have the strength to pull myself out, so I laid there, cold, and waited for eight hours before help arrived. When I finally got to the airport in Veracruz, anticipating flying home after such an ordeal, I was five minutes too late - the plane had just departed. “Be Flexible.” I rented a hotel room near the airport and fell twice in the hotel. I had to buy a completely new ticket to fly home and there was only one seat open - first class - so I had to pony up the extra money in order to get home and begin recovering from my falls. It was a very long day of traveling in pain, and I finally got home around 10 p.m. A few days later I had back surgery, which went well, and I have been recovering from that and resting up for my next trip.

On April 17 I am anticipating the arrival of a group of over a dozen men who will help me build a church on a mountaintop four hours from Tuxtepec. This will be a camping trip - pitching tents on the site and “roughing it” for a few days. I have every confidence that all will go well. But, if something goes wrong, I still have that card in my wallet and I still know how to “Be Flexible!” In my next letter, I hope to share a good report on the April trip, and with the Lord’s help it will be a great one.

God bless you,

Larry

March, 2023: NEEDED BY GOD

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[About the pictures: A few people that God “needed”: Noah, Abraham, Joseph, the Virigin Mary, Larry, YOU!]

Dear Friends of Mexico Ministries:

I have often heard that God needs no help, and on one level that is absolutely true. God, in his own nature, needs nothing. He lacks nothing. He didn’t even need to create the universe. But, on another level, God needs people to bring about his purpose, his plan, his will. Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” and God uses people to bring that about.

God created Adam and Eve “in his image,” as his representatives, and then told them to be fruitful and multiply and have dominion of the earth.” Throughout the rest of Genesis we see God “needing” people to help bring about his purposes. He needed Noah to build a boat to save the human race. He needed Abraham and Sarah to bring forth the Jewish people through whom he would bless all the families of earth. He needed Joseph, who was sold into slavery, to rescue his own family and preserve the Jewish people. In Exodus, God needed Moses, and called him to lead his people out of Egypt into the Promised Land. He needed Jeremiah, Isaiah, and the prophets to speak his words of correction, hope, and prophecy to Israel and the nations.

Perhaps the most striking example is the young virgin girl named Mary. The angel appeared to her and told her God’s plan to bring forth a savior. At first she was confused, but when the angel explained it to her she responded, “Be it unto me according to your word,” and Mary joined her will with God’s will and brought forth a son, our Savior Jesus Christ. And, God needed Jesus (who was fully God, but also full human) to “reconcile the world to himself.” (2 Corinthians 5.19)

God needed me to help bring the Good News of his love to people in Mexico, especially those who dwell in remote mountain villages where other missionaries have not reached. I am now 85 and a half and can think of no greater joy than being needed by God. And God needs YOU. He needs you to bring about his will in your family, your church, your community, and as partners with us in our work in Mexico. Let us all, like the Virgin Mary, respond to his call with, “Be it unto me according to your word.”

God bless you,

Larry