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