Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:
I’ve just returned home after a month in Tuxtepec, and am happy to report that the new church and dormitory are both progressing well, and I am rejoicing that as a nearly 81 year old missionary, this is the largest project I have ever undertaken! While in Oaxaca this time, I pondered the phrase, “What was, what should have been, and what can be.” Take the prodigal son (Luke 15), for example. What was: a young Jewish man who squandered everything and found himself living in a pig pen. What should have been: he should have never left his father’s side, and enjoyed the blessings of home. What could be (and in this case did happen): he returned to his father’s open arms and was reconciled to his place in the family.
History is full of what was, what should have been, and what can be. Just two examples: the Navajo Code Talkers, Native Americans who were mistreated, but served their country with valor. The same for the Tuskegee Airmen, black men who were treated as second class, but gave their all for the cause of liberty.
What Was: Ulises (Ulysses), the young man in the photo on the back, was abandoned by his father at birth and never knew him; instead he was raised in abject poverty (see the photo of his mother and brother in front of their home).
What Could Have Been: Ulises could have been raised by a loving father who nurtured and provided for him until he was old enough to build a good life for himself.
What Can Be: We plan to help Ulises build a home for his family and have a blessed future.
When it is all said and done, that is what Mexico Ministries has been about for 40 years: making what should have been into what can be. This is the work of the Kingdom of God, and I am so grateful to the many partners and friends over the decades who have helped us turn around lives from what was into what can be!
God bless you,
Larry