January, 2022: TOGETHER WE CAN, TOGETHER WE WILL

[About the photos: the village of Santa Cruz, Oaxaca, where we will soon build a place of worship for these dear people.}

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

Greetings, and Happy New Year! In a few days I will be back in Tuxtepec, Oaxaca, and on the 22nd of January we will have a celebration to mark the completion of the stadium there. A special thank you goes out to all of you who helped make this dream a reality. The following day I will join a crew of Mexicans and head into the mountains of Santa Cruz where we will remain until we have completed two new churches we began in October. Upon our return we will meet together and strategize for the new year that lays before us.

Isaiah prophesied, “the people will say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us concerning his ways, that we may walk in his paths.” (Isaiah 2.3) Isaiah knew what he was talking about. He saw the Lord sitting on his throne. He heard the voice of the Lord asking, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us.” He heard God’s directive, “Go, tell the people.” Isaiah encountered the living God and understood his will, purpose, and plan. He prophesied a coming Messiah whose Spirit-anointed mission would be, “to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.” (Isaiah 61.1,2).

Of course, you know that these are the very words Jesus used that Sabbath morning when he read in the synagogue and began his earthly ministry. “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,” he told the people after he finished the reading. (Luke 4.21) This was what Jesus was called to do.

And this is precisely what God has called Mexico Ministries to do. It is the very reason for our existence: to keep doing what Jesus did, all throughout Mexico, from the bustling cities to the primitive villages. Our theme for 2022 is, “Together We Can, Together We Will!” That “Together” includes all the teams with boots on the ground throughout Mexico, and all the wonderful supporters in the U.S. who join the effort through their prayers, giving, and spiritual support. It also includes all the heavenly hosts - the angels who minister with us, and the people of God who have gone before us. We are ALL in this together. And we will continue this labor of love until we hear those beautiful words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” (Matthew 25.21)

God bless you in this new year,

Larry

December, 2021: I CAN ONLY IMAGINE

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

     I can only imagine the reunion in the air when Christ brings with him those who have fallen asleep in the Lord and, “we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4.17)

     I can only imagine how the prodigal son felt at the reunion with his father who ran and embraced him. (Luke 15.11-24)

     I can only imagine the emotions shared by the brothers Jacob and Esau at their reunion after long years of separation, anger, and mistrust. (Genesis 33.4)

     I can only imagine how Joseph felt at his reunion with his brothers, and later Benjamin, reunions marked by embraces, kisses, and tears. (Genesis 45)

     I can only imagine how the pastor and her congregation felt a few weeks ago when we visited their village and I said, “We will build you a church.” Again, a holy moment marked by tears and warm embraces. She wept, the people gathered with her wept, and I wept.

     You can only imagine how I felt when a young Bible school student asked if she and I could read the Bible together. I asked what she wanted to read and she replied that her favorite book was Romans and her favorite passage was chapter 8. I smiled and told her that back home on my living room wall is a deep frame holding my old worn out preaching Bible, opened to Romans 8.8.

     I just returned a week ago from a month in Mexico where these reunions and meetings happened. We were all blessed by our time together, and by what God continues to do in, with, and through our ministry together. At the age of 84 I am both amazed and delighted that now is our most productive time in ministry ever!

     I can only imagine, as the celebration of Christmas approaches, the deep love that God has for all of us, for all of the world, that he sent His only begotten Son to forever unite us to the Father. “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).” (Matthew 1.23).

    May a deep awareness of the presence of Jesus Christ be with you and your loved ones during this holy season. And as we dwell in this world between Christ’s first coming and final coming, may we all live and serve Him and hasten the day of that great meeting in the air when when we shall “forever be with the Lord.” 

Merry Christmas,

Larry

November, 2021: NAVIGATING STORMS

[About the photos: The new stadium in Tuxtepec is taking shape and coming together!]

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

I will be leaving home in 3 days to spend nearly a month in Mexico, and it will be a very busy month indeed. I will spend some time visiting with families who have lost love ones due to a variety of causes, including Covid. I will visit with several pastors who have all requested help to build churches. By the time I return home we will have also completed the stadium in Tuxtepec, and will be making plans for a dedication service sometime early in the new year. I promise to send photos of the completed stadium in the December newsletter!

In Acts 27 the Apostle Paul and 275 other souls found themselves on a ship in a ferocious sea storm. First they threw all their cargo overboard to lighten the load, the next day they tossed the ship’s gear. Finally, Luke wrote, “all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.” That’s when Paul stood up and exhorted everyone to, “take heart,” to “keep your courage.” God had spoken to him about his future, and he knew his life wasn’t going to end by drowning at sea. It seems that in our own time there are many storms we face: chaos in government, pandemic disease, financial setbacks, not to mention the personal and family storms we all endure from time to time. The Spanish word for storm is tormenta, and sometimes people are so tormented by the storms of life they blame God, or others, or even the whole world. But how we respond to these storms can have a huge impact on how we get through them.
I suppose it must have been easy for Paul to have hope, because an angel spoke directly to him. But those other 275 people? They had to trust Paul and his word. They did trust him, and every single one of them reached the shore and survived.

I see angry storm clouds forming on the horizon. In our own nation, clouds of division, partisan talking points, skewed news reporting, politicians vying for your vote and many being untruthful. My prayer is that God guide us through these storms, and that in the midst of the tormentas we respond in a Christ-like manner, loving our neighbors as ourselves, loving the Lord with our whole being, and seeking first the Kingdom of God.

I am committed to continuing the work in Mexico until my dying day, because together you and I are offering these dear people a faith that withstands the tempests; houses built on the solid rock so that when the storms come, they endure.

God bless you,

Larry

October, 2021: REMEMBER

{About the photos: remembering the past, building for the future.]

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

Greetings in the love and life of our Lord Jesus. By the time you read this letter I will be back in Mexico overseeing the completion of our new stadium, helping with new church buildings, and meeting with various pastors. This past month I was scheduled to minister at churches in Louisiana, but just as we arrived there we received word that Mary Lou’s only sibling, Ronnie, had passed away unexpectedly at the age of 77. We hurried back to be with the family, to mourn and to remember, and I had the honor of preaching at my brother in law’s funeral. I have known Ronnie since he was 11, and we shared much life together. I have spent a lot of time lately remembering him.

Even before Ronnie’s death, I wrote the basics of this newsletter, about the importance of remembering. Jesus and John the Baptist were cousins; their mothers were pregnant at the same time; they shared family, and they shared God’s call on their lives. John was the “forerunner” for Jesus, preparing the way and announcing Jesus would “take away the sins of the world.” When Jesus learned of his cousin’s murder at the hands of Herod, he said, “Truly I say to you, that among those born of women, there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” When Jesus withdrew to a place of solitude to pray, I’m sure he also spent time remembering John.

Sometimes I withdraw to a place of quietness and spend time remembering. I remember old friends. I remember my mother and father and their family of ten children; now there are only four left. I remember friends and supporters who have traveled the path of ministry with me in Mexico but who are no longer with us: Dr. Romero and the medical team from Lafayette, Louisiana who helped establish the clinic in Atoyac; Lee Lamury, Francis Martin, Moises Carranza - men from both sides of the border who gave so much to help the poor in Mexico and have now crossed that other borderline into the heavenly realm.

Hebrews tells us that we are surrounded by “a great cloud of witnesses.” I believe with all my heart that this great cloud includes Ronnie, Lee, Francis, Moises, Mom, Dad, Vertis, Johnny, Teenie, Poncho, Jean, Mack, and a host of others whom I have loved in this life. They are cheering us on and waiting for us to join them. But our work here is not yet done; there are churches to build, people to reach, sick to heal, souls to save, and future leaders to raise up, so that when I do join that heavenly crowd, I will still continue in the work of missions by cheering on those who follow after me. In a way, like John, my job is to “prepare the way” for those who follow and do greater things than me.

God bless you,

Larry

September, 2021: A NEW FOCUS, A NEW FIELD

[About the photos: The planting, the watering, and God giving the increase.]

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

When the time came for Abraham and Lot to go their separate ways, Abraham said to his nephew, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen. For we are brothers…The whole land is before you.” Then Abraham told Lot to choose any direction he desired. Lot chose the valley of the Jordan River, which the Bible described as looking almost as beautiful as the Garden of Eden. Abraham then chose the land of Canaan as his habitation (cf. Genesis 13).

Last month I wrote, “I went to Mexico alone and now we are many.” Those “many” work in many areas of Mexico, and a significant number focus on the beautiful valley of Chenalho where a gorgeous river runs through the lush mountains and the people dress in their colorful traditional attire. Over the years we have built all the facilities needed for a base of ministry operation, and compared to the Tuxtepec area, it must look like the Garden of God.

While I have always worked all throughout Mexico, for the last 20 years or so Chenalho and Chiapas have been such a major focus for me. Now that focus once again shifts. While I will always stay connected and involved with Chiapas, the Lord has impressed upon me to turn my eyes toward Tuxtepec and Oaxaca. Since I turned 80 four years ago, in the Tuxtepec area we have already built 11 churches, two houses, a stadium that seats 1,500 people, facilities for a new Bible school, and we currently have petitions to help with seven new church buildings! Everything is poised for great and rapid growth, just like it was in Chenalho when we entered there in 1989.

In Tuxtepec, we are not dependent on work groups from the United States to build new churches (although they are certainly welcomed and appreciated) - we now have capable groups of local people standing ready to serve when needed. How our brothers and sisters from the U.S. make such a huge impact is by standing with us in funding these new projects, helping with purchasing the building materials as needed.

I so appreciate our supporters in the U.S. I so appreciate our co-laborers throughout Mexico. I so very much appreciate pastors Carlos and Diego, who travel back and forth between Chiapas and Oaxaca and are instrumental in helping this new region of labor to blossom into another Garden of God. We all plant, water, and nurture these fields of the Lord. But MOST of all I so appreciate God, for though we all labor together, “it is God who gives the increase.” (1 Corinthians 3.6)

God bless you,

Larry

August, 2021: E PLURIBUS UNUM

[About the photos: WORKING TOGETHER: Teams from Mexico and the U.S. building the new stadium and church, ladies preparing food for the workers, graduating students from our Bible schools.]

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

In 1979 I went to Mexico alone. One man, one calling, one mission: to do the will of Him who sent me. More than four decades later I can thankfully say that I am not alone. I was one, now we are many. And though we are different, we are one. We are united.

Our precious Christian faith is built on the truth that God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is one God. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one. (John 10.30) And this unity flows out from the very nature of God into his Church. Jesus prayed, “Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” (John 17.11) On the Day of Pentecost, “they were all with one accord in one place.” (Acts 2.1). 

In the United States we have one nation but 50 states. In Mexico there is one nation but 32 states. These are two singular nations, but the traditions, dress, food, culture, and habits of people in the various states are so very unique. The Mayan food in the Yucatan is worlds apart from the ranch food in Nuevo Leon. The gumbo in Louisiana would seem out of place in Chicago, just like Chicago’s pizza won’t be found in Melville, Louisiana. We are all so different, but we are one.

I went to Mexico alone, and now we are many - men and women from both the U.S. and Mexico serving the Lord and being faithful to that singular call to serve the people of Mexico. We each do things a little differently, we may use different methods and means, but we are still one, united in a common calling, and in, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all.” (Ephesians 4.5,6)

I returned just yesterday from spending a month in Mexico. In Tuxtepec we are building a very nice church and an outdoor stadium that will be used in ministry, for praise services, concerts, and other opportunities for God’s people to join together in unity. I am about to get on the road again in the U.S., sharing the ministry in Mexico with our many partners, and planning how to respond to the many requests for more churches to be built.

King David wrote, “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity.” (Psalm 133.1). I am so thankful that, even though we are all different, we are united in God’s call. And I am thankful that you friends have worked together in unity to bless God’s people in Mexico. By His grace, we will continue TOGETHER!

God bless you,

Larry

July, 2021: HOW GOOD IS YOUR WORD?

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

When Thomas Edison’s laboratory burned down in 1914, his close friend Henry Ford loaned him enough to rebuild it, two and a half million dollars in today’s dollars, on nothing more than a handshake. Both men were good for their word.

In 1955 when I was 17 and three days away from joining the military, my grandmother asked me to promise her I wouldn’t drink alcohol. I have kept my word for 67 years now. Mary Lou and I were 17 and 19 when we promised, “till death do us part,” and in May we celebrated 64 years of keeping our word.

Two years ago a church in Tickfaw, Louisiana promised to help build a church in Mexico. Then the pandemic hit and no one could go anywhere. But the church kept its word and sent $10,000 to me to forward to Mexico so the locals could construct a place to worship.God is good for his word too. “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it, or has he spoken, and will he not make it good?” (Numbers 23.19). He promised to make a great nation from Abraham, and that through his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Through his seed, his SEED (singular), through Jesus, indeed all the nations of the earth are blessed, and the Good News of His salvation continues to spread and bear fruit in every corner of the world. God kept his word to Abraham, to Sarah, to Isaac and Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Hanna, and his chosen people throughout the Old Testament. In Christ, He kept his word to the disciples, promising to be with them in their ministry to the end of the age. God is still in the business of keeping his word. His Word.

How good is our word? When King David asked God who could abide in His presence, the answer was, “he who walks in integrity, who swears to his own hurt and does not change.” (Psalm 15.2f). God’s people are called to imitate our Father in heaven, whose word is “right and true. He is faithful in all He does.” (Psalm 33.4)

Space forbids more, but soon I am going to preach on this in greater detail. Thank you so much for your wonderful support for these many years. Thank you for being people who stand by your word, and stand by this ministry, that the Gospel of Jesus may continue to spread throughout Mexico.

God bless you,

Larry

June, 2021: SHEPHERDS AND SHEEP

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

“What do you do when you’re not building churches in Mexico?” That is a question I am often asked, and my answer is, I visit the shepherds and the sheep. Just building corrals is not enough.

My first commitment is to see that the needs of the pastors and their families are met. By the way, did you know that “pastor” literally means shepherd, and is the Spanish word for it? Jesus is, “el buen pastor” - “the good shepherd.” From my experience I know that good shepherds put the needs of their flocks above their own - the sheep must have food, water, and shelter, and a good shepherd sacrifices his own comfort to care for them. In the same way, I am called to make sure the shepherds are cared for.

The Apostle Paul spent his life visiting and revisiting the sheep and raising up and tending to the needs of the shepherds. He would go into an area, share the Gospel, raise up leaders, and then on a return trip he would “confirm” or “strengthen” them (Acts 15.41), and this is our same commitment today.

The Apostle Peter saw himself as a shepherd caring for fellow shepherds, all called to imitate our Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ:

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder...shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. (1 Peter 5.1-4)

Thank each and every one of you who have stood alongside Mexico Ministries for over 40 years, making sure the shepherds and the sheep in Mexico are loved, guided, and cared for.

God bless you,

Larry

April, 2021: AN INCREDIBLE TRIP

[About the photos: What a wonderful trip! Down a river and through a forest of rubber trees, camping in unfinished churches, and building in most unlikely places. All for the glory of God!]

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

I have just returned from an incredible trip to Mexico. We were able to finish a church that was started on our last trip, and we also built two new churches, both in very unusual locations in the state of Oaxaca. The first church could be reached only by boat. All the building materials - the steel, cement, blocks, sand, gravel - had to be transported by boat! The second church was in the middle of a forest of rubber trees. We had to travel through cane fields, then down a small dirt road that went through thousands of rubber trees, and then to the end of the road where a congregation of people was waiting for us. In the same area lived a pastor and his wife who labored for 25 years to build a church, until his death five months ago. We met with his widow and people from the church, and promised to finish what they had begun on our next visit.

Pastor Carlos and his wife Barbara were with me the first week of my visit, but both tested positive for the Coronavirus and had to return to Chiapas. Please pray for them, they are of utmost value in the ministry there. Before leaving, Carlos and I were able to select a site on the Tuxtepec church property to build an outdoor stadium where our many remote congregations can come together for fellowship, worship, training, and teaching. Twenty years ago we built a similar stadium in Chenalho, Chiapas that seats 4,000 people. It has been a blessing to thousands of believers who walk for days from the surrounding mountains to worship Jesus together. This new stadium will seat 2,000, with room to expand in the future. I hope to finish this stadium and more churches before year’s end, and we welcome your help and partnership. I have never begged for support in the letters I write, and I am not doing that now, but I do rejoice that God has never failed to bring men and women alongside this ministry who believe in the work and help make the vision become a reality.

I appreciate all of you so much. In closing, I would like to ask you to pray for Mary Lou. Her health is not the best, and I will be in Mexico much of this year. And please continue to pray for me, that God’s favor will be with me and all the Mexico Ministries family on both sides of the border, and that we can answer to his call in this exciting year of opportunity. St. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” and I am confident that we can say the same today.

God bless you,

Larry

March, 2021: A WORD FROM KEN

[About the photos: CONTINUITY: Nabor, whose life we changed as a little boy, now with a wife and daughter of his own; Shirley, who we lost too soon; Carlos, our faithful leader in Chiapas; Ken, teaching; Larry and the future generation; Larry and Mary Lou. ]

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

   Hi. I’m Kenneth Myers, and I’m a pastor’s kid. Well, I used to be a pastors kid. And then I became a missionary’s kid. But I’m 62 now and no longer a kid. For the last 43 years I have spent my life in pastoral ministry and teaching. And for the last four I have worked in the background with my father, Larry. Many of you knew and loved my late wife Shirley, who was also a missionary’s kid and spent nearly 30 years managing the office for Mexico Ministries and being a point of contact for folk on both sides of the border.

   My father asked me to write you this month and let you know a few things. First, he is once again in Tuxtepec, Oaxaca (and headed to Atoyac, Guerrero), meeting with pastors and people, overseeing new projects, and planning for future ministry. He is 83, but he isn’t slowing down. 

   Second, this isn’t a passing of the baton letter, and there isn’t one planned! This isn’t a Moses and Joshua moment; not an Elijah and Elisha moment. Dad intends to keep doing what God has called him to do until God tells him to either slow down or stop; there is much ministry still to be done in Mexico. 

   And third, when the time comes that God does tell him to slow down or stop, that doesn’t mean the work of Mexico Ministries stops. No, the ministry goes on and there are good teams of leaders both in the U.S. and Mexico to insure that it does. Churches will still be built, pastors will still be trained, needs will still be cared for, the sick will still be ministered to, the Gospel will still be proclaimed.

   Throughout scripture God works from one generation to another and there is always continuity. “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come,” David wrote (Psalm 71.18). And again, “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145.4). The Kingdom of God is bigger and more wonderful than any one person, any one generation, any one denomination, or any one ministry. We are all called to work together in our own day and pass it on to those to come. Thank you for standing with Dad and Mexico Ministries in this day, and may the Lord bless us all to continue our part in expanding the Kingdom until Jesus comes again.

God bless you,

Ken Myers

February, 2021: A HELPING HAND

[About the photos: Mexico Ministries isn’t just about building churches. It is about caring for the people, loving them, and helping them in every way we can.]

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

Greetings in Jesus’ wonderful name. The Bible describes all kinds of spiritual gifts and ministries, from apostles, prophets, and evangelists, to miracles, healings, and prophecy. And these are all from the Holy Spirit and so very important in the life of the Church. But I believe the spiritual gift that God has given to me and to Mexico Ministries is one Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 12.28. Tucked into his list that includes miracles, prophecy, and tongues, is the seemingly less glamorous one: “helping.”

In a single word, that is precisely what Mexico Ministries is called to do. The Lord told the people of Israel, “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land,” (Dt. 15.11) and Jesus repeatedly taught his disciples to care for the poor and those in need: “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14.12f)

Helping those in need is exactly what we do. Nothing more, nothing less. From the deserts of northern Mexico to the sprawling cities in the central and southern states to the indigenous mountain villages in Chiapas and Oaxaca, we help. To begin with, we, “proclaim good news to the poor,” (Lu. 4.18) sharing the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Then comes teaching. For 38 years we have had Bible schools operating in Mexico to train pastors and church leaders. And then there are the medical clinics, the doctors, the dentists, the healthcare teams who provide medical help free of charge. And of course, we help by building churches for worship and homes for living. We help financially. We help with vehicles. We help with food. We help in times of crisis. We help individuals in need, and we help the thousands. And sometimes we help by carrying caskets to the graves and weeping with those who mourn.
I keep saying “we,” because I do not do this alone, nor do the many workers and pastors in Mexico. I say “we” because you who support this ministry through prayers and financial gifts are also operating in this spiritual gift. Thank you. Thank you for helping. 

God bless you,

Larry

January, 2021: GOD'S PURPOSE

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

[About the photos: Look at what God and his people have accomplished in the last two and a half years!]

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

“You’re 80 now, maybe you should think about retiring!” That’s what folk said to me two and a half years ago. 

Since then we have built ten new churches (with more being planned), drilled a water well for the central church in Tuxtepec, and built a new home for Pastor Sabani’s family, including their very first refrigerator and gas stove. We are also finishing a parsonage for Pastor Jose in Atoyac, have provided a pickup for Pastor Cesar, and supplied a 4x4 3/4 ton pickup which will be used in the mountains of Oaxaca.

The reason I didn’t retire two and a half years ago because I didn’t hear God tell me to, and I knew His purpose for me was still alive. When Isaiah heard God ask, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us,” he responded, “Here am I, send me.” That same prophet would later pen the words of purpose that Jesus quoted about his own ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to prisoners, to comfort all who mourn.” (Isaiah 61 and Luke 4)  I believe every one of us have a similar purpose, to join with Christ in his ministry of bringing and expanding the Kingdom of God to the people of the world. And until we have played our part, we keep on keeping on.

Moses was sent by God to set His people free, and when his time came, he knew he had fulfilled his purpose: “I am 120 years old today, I am no longer able to come and go, and the Lord said to me, you shall not cross the Jordan.” (Dt. 31.2) Moses’ purpose had been accomplished. 

Until the Holy Spirit makes it clear that my work is complete, I’ll keep striving to fulfill God’s purpose in my life. I’m not saying I’ll still be at it when I’m 120, like Moses, but I will keep doing what God has called me to do until, “I am no longer able to come and go.” Thank you, every one of you, who has stood with us these last 41 years and joined with us in fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives and in Mexico. May the Lord bless our labors in the years to come!

God bless you in this new year,

Larry

December, 2020: JESUS IS ENOUGH

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

Merry Christmas! We still have a few weeks before the Christmas season officially arrives, but I want to wish you a Feliz Navidad, and remind you that JESUS is the focus, and Jesus is enough.

I was sitting next to a pastor waiting for my time to preach when he whispered, “What do you preach in Mexico?” When I replied that I preached Jesus Christ, he asked, “Is that enough?” Is Jesus enough, or do we need to add something else? It seems that all too often in churches these days the singular focus on Jesus gets overshadowed by many other things; the newest gimmick, the current religious fad, and the frequent message that if we will just add this one thing or that other thing to our spiritual walk, it will somehow impress God and cause him to bless us. I get tired of the TV preachers who beg for money and say if you send them $1,000 it will unlock God’s favor in your life. At the bottom of all this extra religious baggage is the idea that we need to do something to manipulate God to have favor toward us. But isn’t Jesus enough? Isn’t his life and ministry enough? Isn’t his birth, death, resurrection, and ascension to the Father’s right hand enough? Isn’t the sure hope of his coming again enough? Isn’t Jesus proof that God loves us and doesn’t need us to twist his arm to bless us?

Jesus was enough when the sick woman touched the hem of his robe. Jesus was enough when Lazarus heard his voice and came out of the tomb. Jesus was enough when Paul encountered him on the road to Damascus. Jesus was enough for the apostles who spent their lives and went to their deaths proclaiming his Gospel. Jesus was enough for the missionaries through the ages who have given their years to sharing him with the lost. Jesus was enough for the martyrs to go to their deaths singing his praises. And Jesus is enough for me.

I just returned home from my first trip to Mexico since the pandemic hit, and I will be going back soon. I will leave the fads and the extra baggage here in the United States and take my place with the poor in Mexico who can’t afford to play the religious games or pay for the religious gimmicks, but who have a faith that is richer because it is simpler. These dear people know: Jesus is enough.

Merry Christmas, and God bless you,

Larry

November, 2020: UNIQUELY CALLED TO SERVE

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

Please don’t take what I am about to say as boasting. There isn’t one drop of pride in it. I’m boasting in the Lord, not myself.

The older I get the more often I am asked, “Who will take your place?” And my answer is, “No one can take my place.” Throughout Scripture men and women were particularly chosen by God, even from their mother’s womb. God said to Jeremiah, “before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” John the Baptist; the Virgin Mary; the Apostle Paul - men and women with unique callings for unique purposes.  At my house we regularly see both bald eagles and hummingbirds. So very different, both are beautiful in their own rights, and one certainly does not take the place of the other. Each has its purpose, its beauty, its design by the Creator.

I believe I was prepared from childhood for the ministry God called me to. As a boy I learned to survive, to sacrifice, to do without. I learned to eat foods which most people would turn away. I learned to sleep in cold and hot conditions, along rivers, in woods, and under stars. This prepared me for a life in Mexico doing things others simply couldn’t (or wouldn’t) do - building churches by hand while pitching my tent next to them, eating whatever was available, bathing in rivers, lodging in my vehicle in a gas station parking lot because I couldn’t afford a hotel room, going without creaturely comforts. But God also gave me a heart of compassion, a deep desire to help others, especially those in need. I am uniquely formed for the task God has called me to.

This doesn’t make me special, it makes me called. You too are called to a unique purpose. Everyone is “fearfully and wonderfully made,” as the Psalmist wrote (Psalm 139.14). And when I am gone, someone else will pick up the baton and continue the race set before us, a different part of the race (and perhaps one that I couldn’t run myself) , and that person will also be uniquely called “for such a time as this.” Elijah passed his cloak on to Elisha; they were two very different men with very different ministries, but both called by God for the task set before them.

It has been a long journey of over 40 years in missionary ministry, and at times I have felt weary, as Jesus felt when he sat by the side of the well, and as Paul sometimes felt with, “the daily pressures of concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11.28). I have also experienced times of pure joy and rejoicing in seeing victories won, projects completed, souls saved, lives changed. My prayer is that God give me many more years of serving in His Kingdom, uniquely formed for the ministry I offer Him, and that after that, many others will rise up, not to “replace” me, but to continue the work, to spread the Gospel, to build up the Church, and to expand God’s kingdom. Thank you, too, for your own unique role in helping this ministry succeed in God’s call.

God bless you,

Larry

October, 2020: A TIME TO WEEP

[About the photos: Covid-19 is impacting Mexico just like it is the rest of the world. But that does not stop God’s people from being His hands extended to those in need. Here is a series of photos of Barbara, the wife of Pastor Carlos, leading a caregiving ministry in Chiapas.]

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

“Can you help?” I received a call a few weeks ago from a mother in Mexico asking for help with her daughter’s medical needs. Today, I received a call from a pastor explaining how difficult it is in his church and city because of the coronavirus, and wanting to know if I could help with a couple of hundred dollars. I immediately thought of what the Bible teaches: “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” (James 2.15f). I then read 1 John 3.17: “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

I wept and thought how miserable my life would be without God’s abiding love. My prayer is, Lord let me never be like the man “dressed in purple and fine linen” who lived in splendor every day and never once considered or had compassion on Lazarus, who laid at the gate longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table (Luke 16). I am moved with compassion for our brothers and sisters in Mexico, whom I carry in my heart, but cannot embrace in my arms.

The Bible tells of more than once when Jesus wept. He cried at the death of his friend Lazarus. He sat on a hill and looked down upon Jerusalem and wept over the city’s coming doom. I wonder in those times when he went alone to the mountain to pray, how often those prayers were accompanied by tears.

Today I am hurting and weeping as well. Because of the travel restrictions and the rampage of the virus I cannot yet be in Mexico. I am praying that God open doors for me to be there again very soon (by faith I have purchased tickets to return to Chiapas in the middle of October). Until then I continue to do what I can from here at home. I am constantly in communication with the pastors and people in Mexico, sharing pastoral counsel, planning new works, and overseeing the ministries there. And we continue supplying finances for new church buildings and ministry projects and caring for those in need. But there will be tears until I can plant my feet on the soil of Mexico once again, and then I’m sure there will be tears of joy.

Know how thankful to God I am for your continued faithfulness to this ministry during this season. But it is just that - a season - and it shall pass. So rejoice in hope with me that, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30.5)

God bless you,

Larry

September, 2020: MORE THAN BRICK AND MORTAR

{About the photos: From the U.S. we were able to help with financial care, and in Mexico our leaders provided the human touch. Clockwise from top: Pastor Sabini and family, Luis Alegria and family, and Pastor Polo and family; he and his son were both hospitalized with the coronavirus.}

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

Greetings in the Lord during these difficult times. In the last 45 years we have built literally hundreds of church buildings in Mexico, but that is not the only, or even the most important, work that missionaries do. Sharing the Good News of Jesus includes telling others about Jesus, but also doing what Jesus did. Jesus, the Bible tells us, was “a friend to sinners.” Sometimes being a friend in a time of need is the most important ministry a missionary can do - a comforting embrace, a word of encouragement, a companion in sorrow, a helper in time of trouble.

The man who fell among thieves needed help. That help came from a Samaritan stranger who bandaged him and paid for his care. The Prodigal Son desperately needed help after wasting his inheritance on riotous living. That help came from his waiting Father: physical care, a path toward recovery, a healing embrace, celebration, acceptance, restoration.When Jacob and Esau parted ways Esau vowed to kill his brother; when they finally met again Jacob had no idea what to expect, but Esau met him by embracing and kissing him, and they wept together. When Paul left Ephesus, bound by the Spirit to go to Rome where he would die, he and the believers knelt and prayed. They embraced and wept together.

People in Mexico need an embrace right now. Luis Alegria and his family just lost a newborn baby who lived only two hours. We sent finances to help with the funeral, and Pastor Carlos was there to embrace them, pray for them, and comfort and encourage them. Pastor Sabini and his family needed that same embrace as they waited for surgeons to remove a tumor from their 11 year old daughter. Again, Pastor Carlos and Pastor Cesar were there for them.

There is a story about a little boy who was frightened by a late night thunderstorm. His father came into his room to check on him and encouraged him that God was in the room with him. The little boy replied, “Right now I need someone with skin on.” Think about it - that is exactly who Jesus is: “God with us,” God with skin on.

Buildings are made of stone, block, and cement. They have no feelings, they suffer no pain. It is the people who live and gather in them who concern us the most. If you know someone who is hurting, who needs an embrace or a word of encouragement, please take the time to reach out to them. Be that extension of “God with skin on.” 

God bless you,

Larry

August, 2020: THE NEXT GENERATION

[About the pictures: Nabor came into our lives when he was only four years old and suffered from a severe cleft palate. Volunteer surgeons, doctors, and nurses were able to invest their time, talent, and treasure and forever change his life. Now Nabor is a grown man, committed to the Lord, faithful in church, and married with a child of his own!]

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

When the disciples tried to keep a bunch of children away from Jesus, he rebuked them and said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven,” then he laid his hands on them and blessed them. (Mt. 19.14) 

Every life is precious. And God uses the aged and the young alike. The elderly Simeon and Anna were among the first to adore the infant Jesus. To reach an older person with the Gospel of Jesus is of great importance. But to reach a young person with the Good News is to help save a life that has yet to be lived.

Think about it. God works with, for, and in the young. All great women and men began their stories as children. Joseph and David were teenagers when we first read of them; the prophet Samuel was just a boy. Mary was a teenage virgin when she said, “Be it unto me according to your word,” and gave the tiny space of her womb as a place for Jesus to come into our world. And the Gospels don’t begin with the ministry of Jesus, but with his infancy and childhood.

Over the years so many of you have come to Mexico to minister to the children and youth through children’s crusades, youth gatherings, helping with the orphanage, and so many other ways. Now a great many of these children are grown, married, have children of their own, and are well established in the churches. Thank you to all who came to minister. Thank you to the pastors and youth leaders who had the confidence to send teams. Thank you to the people who helped with finances so they could come.

I want to especially thank all of those friends and supporters from the older generation who, like John the Baptist, were forerunners for the generation that God is raising up now. Proverbs 31 describes a woman of virtue and tells us, “Her children shall rise up and call her blessed.” May the children of this generation rise up and call blessed all of you who have come before them and invested your time, finances, prayer and energy into helping establish them in the faith of our fathers and mothers.

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145.3,4)

God bless you,

Larry

July, 2020: JUST A LITTLE BIT LONGER

(About the photos: All of Mexico is under a “red alert,” but the ministry continues. In Nuevo Laredo, we were able to rebuild the roof of a church blown off during a recent storm, and help with building rooms for children’s ministry there.)

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

Greetings, brothers and sisters in Jesus. As you know, my heart yearns to be in Mexico, but I simply cannot be there yet. I have to wait just a little bit longer. I am, however, in constant contact with the leaders there, and am helping from afar in every way I can.

Pastor Carlos called and told me to, “please wait, we are one month behind the USA…” He told me that we have lost our “first brother, a musician from our church in Chetumal,” who died from the virus in early May. He was 50 years old, and a close friend to Carlos. The hospitals in Tuxtla are nearly full, and Dr. Paco reports that he lost three patients to the coronavirus in one day. Carlos informed me that in one family very instrumental in helping build the church in Tuxtla, both the father and mother have died from the coronavirus, and one grown son is now on the ventilator. 

Mexico has adopted a red, yellow and green light system for gauging the impact of the virus, and right now the entire nation is designated red. I am hoping and praying that the light changes to at least yellow so I can return in July. In the meantime, I am checking in several times a week with all the regions we serve, sending monthly operating money, and sending extra offerings to help the needy survive these difficult times. In addition to the regular support, last month we were able to reroof a church in Nuevo Laredo that was damaged by a bad storm. In other words, though I am not “boots on the ground” in Mexico, the work and ministry there continues to move forward. I want to give a special thank you to all of you who continue to support the ministry. Clearly the pandemic is affecting many businesses and families, and your faithfulness is very appreciated.

Mary Lou and I are being careful to protect ourselves by not getting out in public areas much, and following all the precautions being recommended by doctors. In my daily prayers I always pray for God’s blessing and favor on you who stand with us in this ministry, and now I am also praying for relief and restoration from this awful plague. 

I ask that you also pray for me, for the work of Mexico Ministries, and for the people of Mexico. “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.” (Psalm 82.3). “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.” (Isaiah 1.17) Thank you for joining with us in bringing the Good News of Jesus to the people God loves.

God bless you,

Larry

June, 2020: WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

[About the photos: While I am unable to return to Mexico during the lockdown, the churches are in the capable hands of the many leaders there. Here are some of them: Carlos Tovilla, Alejandro Hernandez, and Cesar Osario.]

Dear friends of Mexico Ministries:

I pray that all is well with you and your’s as our nation and world try to slowly return to normal. Of course, that will take hard work, time, and prayer - and we aren’t sure what the new normal will look like exactly. Now is a time for some personal reflection on how we have lived, are living, and will live our lives. Are we totally satisfied with who we are, or if we could do it all over again, would we make any changes?

As a younger man, my answer to that question was always, “I wouldn’t change a thing!” Of course, that was pride speaking, not wisdom. Now that my hair is whiter and thinner, my answer is, “I would change almost everything!” I have been reflecting on my life, and on the life of men in the Bible, and have asked myself the question, if I could do it all over again, who would I most like to imitate. The obvious answer is Jesus - he is the one we all strive to be like. But I think Joseph would also be my choice. Think of all he went through: losing his mother at a young age, as a teenager being sold into slavery by his half brothers, falsely accused of attempted rape by his owner’s wife, tossed into jail for two years and forgotten by those who promised to remember him. And then the glorious things: elevated to second in command under Pharaoh (at the ripe age of 30!), reunited with his treacherous half brothers and saving them during a time of famine - not filled with anger, but with love: “Be not angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.”

Joseph had two sons; the first he named Manasseh which means “to forget,” because, Jospeh said, “God has made me forget all my troubles and my father’s household.” The second he called Ephraim, which means “fruitful,” and he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my afflictions.”

Joseph lived to be 110 years old, and I can find NO PLACE in Scripture where he ever blamed God or anyone else for the difficulties he endured. Instead, he trusted in God through the bad times and the good. Oh that my own life would reflect that trust and lack of complaining. I am an old man now, but Joseph is my model now! May the Lord grant me his qualities as I serve Him for the rest of my days.

And may God grant those qualities to you too - that through this difficult time, we not lose trust in the Lord, nor place blame on Him or others. Instead, let us look for His hand at work in our lives. And while we are at it, never forget the poor, the hungry, and those in need - in Mexico, in our own communities, and throughout the world. May the Lord raise up among us new Josephs who will forget all our troubles and be fruitful in His Kingdom!

God bless you,

Larry

MAY, 2020: SPECIAL LETTER

MAY 25, 2020

[About the photos: Pastor Carlos Tovilla; Pastor Alejandro and his family, including his daughter Esmirna; Doctor Paco and his wife]

Hello friends. This is a special “online only” newsletter that I felt compelled to write and send to you. As you know, I can’t be in Mexico right now because of the coronavirus shut down, but my heart aches to be with the people there, and I often find myself literally weeping with compassion for my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ.

When the Holy Spirit sent the Apostle Paul to Jerusalem (in Acts 20) he called the people of Ephesus to himself and said, “You yourselves know from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and tears and with trials which came upon me from the plots of the Jews. I did not shrink from declaring to you anything…Now, behold, bound in the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.”

On the one hand, Paul’s heart was with the people in Ephesus, on the other, he was called by the Spirit to Jerusalem. I too am being pulled in two different directions - I am being pulled in one direction by passion (or compassion) and in another direction by wisdom. Do I go, or do I stay?

Some might think I am not doing much during these days of lockdown, but I am in constant communication with the leaders in Mexico. Last Friday I received several calls from all over the nation, with very important news and very important decisions to be made.

From the northern part of the country, I received news that Pastor Samuel’s church roof was destroyed by a strong storm. From Tuxtla, Chiapas, Pastor Carlos informed me that our Doctor Paco, who has lost three patients to the coronavirus, has now himself tested positive. 

In that same call Carlos told me he was leaving immediately for Tuxtepec, a six hour drive, to be with Pastor Alejandro Sabini, whose 11 year old daughter, Esmirna, underwent an emergency appendectomy, during which a tumor was discovered. The tumor was removed, along with an infected ovary. We are waiting now for the results of the tumor biopsy.  

We are helping with replacing the roof. I have sent money to help with the surgery costs. We are all praying for Dr. Paco. The strong pull of compassion in my heart is to go and be with these dear people. The strong pull of wisdom is to be cautious for a while more, because contacting the virus and exposing it to my dear wife would be fatal for her.

And so, I am torn between the two, and I covet your prayers for the clear direction of the Holy Spirit. I do plan to return in July. 

God bless you all,

Larry