Mexico Missions with Bruce and Paula

GOD IS SO GOOD TO US

We've enjoyed our time with family and friends here in Illinois and Indiana. Our plan was to spend 5 or 6 months here, but we're heading back to Texas the first week of September. Doctors appointments and such.

Jaime, Juan, Sergio and China have held 2 food outreaches and numerous quilting classes. They also have done lots of work around the community center. They are indeed invaluable to the ministry.

Hoosier Time

Paula and I arrived just before July 4th and spent the Holiday weekend with family on the Tippecanoe River. We enjoyed the giant flotilla and the fireworks show that night.

We brought 15 boxes of beans up and delivered them to Operation Blessing in Alsip, Illinois. They are a local food bank and meet the needs of about 1000 families a month. I'll find out tomorrow if they need more, and we'll get some more from Hope Development and Elim Christian Center in Orland Park. Feeding the poor is a priority for us no matter where we are.

I met some people who also spend weekends in the park where Kristin and Larry's trailer and pontoon boat is on the Tippecanoe River. We shared about Melodys Orphanage in Mexico and they might even become partners with them. People want to donate and want to know where they give. So many scams out there.

A couple rounds of golf with the guys from church, also great to see friends and supporters at Moraine Valley Church. I attended a men's Bible study yesterday morning and the leader shared that they started meeting years ago as a result of a mission trip with us. Who knew?

We'll be getting around to visiting our friends and partners in a few weeks while here. We sure thank everyone for their support and prayers 🙏.

THE BEANS ARE FREE

We finally got access to our beans, bibles and personal belongings in our storage container. We had a shed built behind our house in Alamo to store our personal belongings. We loaded up our stuff and some beans. Thanks to Jaime, his son Andres, Sergio and Reyes for the help.

Raquenel graduated from grade school with honors and we went to the Orphanage to celebrate last Saturday. The twins also graduated from kindergarten and will be 1st graders this fall. Adel, Muriel and Carlos start college classes in the fall. It's amazing how old they're all getting. Monserate is getting so big. Some may know her, she's a 14 year old with a three year old mind. She's so 😋.

We are in Indiana now for a few months while Sergio, China, and Pastor Juan take care of things in Mexico. It's 100 degrees here and sooo humid. We're looking forward to seeing everyone up here, and plan to visit a few supporters while here.

OUR BEANS ARE STILL LOCKED UP!!

Our 5 years of using Semco Mfg fork truck and warehouse to unload, load and distribute food, toys, bibles, and other things abruptly came to an end last month. The building was taken over through a judgment entered against Semco. I don't have details, I just know we have a lot of beans. Corn, and personal stuff locked urp inside with no access. I finally got ahold of an attorney thru the Sherriffs office and hopefully I'll get access in a week or two.

Thankfully The Way of the Cross ministry in Harlingen gave us some beans to meet the demand of the ministries that depends on us to supply them with beans. We delivered them to Power Ministrys shed at Border Mission in Hidalgo TX.

We held our second food outreach in May last week. Another wonderful event. Even though we no longer have Saul playing the organ, David. Me and Andres led us in songs and Jaime brought the message to the people. Paula and the girls held the food outreach inside the community center.

We've purchased a shed to move our personal belongings into after we get them from Semco. It will be here on the 11th of June. The enemy is trying to stop us from doing God's will, feeding the poor!!

We want to head north, but we need to get thing settled here first.

A COUPLE WEEKS BACK TO ILLINOIS

After Saturdays food and celebration outreach, we started getting ready to fly to Chicago for Leas dance recital. But first we had our first Cinco de Mayo pot luck at our parks clubhouse. It was a great success. Lots of people came tha we hadn't met.

We flew to Chicago on Wednesday and enjoyed being with Kristin and Lea. It was also nice to stay at our place in Dyer, Indiana. The dance recital was very nice, which was also a great way to spend my birthday.

Sunday we were able to attend Moraine Valley Church. It was so great to see everyone. So many new faces there. Tammie gave a great Mothers Day message from Psalm 139. We then drove to Kristin and Larry's lake house to take a boat ride to the local Mexican restaurant where we could dock the boat.

Golf with the boys on Monday for my birthday. A nice day and great fellowship. The weather took a turn and it was so cold on Saturday following another 9 holes with the Bosis. A very rare dust storm blew in after golf.

A few more of Leas games in the cold, a presentation at her school the day we flew home. Her report was on Helene Rubinstein. Now we're home in the heat.

ANOTHER GREAT OUTREACH

Saturday. We celebrated the Day of the Child, Mothers Day, Father's Day, and also my birthday. It was a great time of worship, and the Word. Tamales were provided for everyone. The kids sang a few songs after thier Bible lesson.

Everyone got gifts. Even me. Thanks to all that support the ministry. Today we head to Melodys Orphanage with all the leftovers from yesterday's Cinco de Mayo celebration at our park in Alamo.

Tomorrow we head to Illinois for a few weeks, hope to see our friends while there.

ITS GREAT TO BE BACK IN THE COLONIA

After our visit to Kelly in Cerritos Mexico, we held our monthly food outreach and it was great. Seeing everyone and playing the guitar with Saul leading us in worship. We took over hundreds of boxes of mini muffins, beans, various other things to give away.

We also celebrated Paula's birthday again, since we weren't here last week. Lots of laughs and good times.

Our years of storing our beans and many other things at Semco might be over! I went there on Tuesday to get some beans only to find new owners 🙄. I explained who I was and what we do. The new owners helped me load up some beans to get us by until things can be worked out. Our prayer is that they will continue allowing us to use the facility. We might need to purchase our own fork lift if need be. God is Good and holds our future in his hands.

We attended Raquenels quincenera last week. What a joy that was to be part of this. Melodys Orphanage dodged a bullet by not being affected by the floods a couple weeks ago.

HIS STORY IN OUR LIVES

We moved to the TX/MX border in the Fall of '07 from Chicago, IL. We had been coming to Reynosa on short-term missions trips for over 10 years. Each time we left a little bit more of our hearts behind. Thru the circumstances of life Paula and I both agreed that now is the time to do that which gave us meaning and purpose in life. So we sold our home and came to the Rio Grand Valley at the southern most point of Texas. We have since joined with Mexico Missions Inc. to assist them with their childrens backpack programs in Mexico. Our mission is to reach the poorest of the poor in Mexico. We build homes, offer food and clothing to those in need, but most importantly we share the love and hope that is found in our Lord Jesus Christ. Living radical lives has expanded our vision and ministry from feeding hundreds of families to thousands.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP US REACH OUT TO THOSE IN NEED

Our ministry is totally supported by people like you.Since we did not raise our needed support before entering the mission field we continue to walk by faith that God will speak to the hearts of those of you reading our blog and joining us on short term trips to Mexico to help us help our brothers and sisters in Reynosa. If you would like to contribute to us personally, sponsor a child to attend school, give to the building of a home for a needy family, or even have us facilitate a food outreach, contact us via E-mail or send checks made out to MEXICO MISSIONS INC. and mail to our new address, P.O. Box 68 San Juan, Tx. 78589. If you would like to support us personally, put B&P in the memo column. If you would like to sponsor a specific outreach, list that as well in the memo column. All gifts are tax deductable. Child school sponsorship $400.00 per year per child, a newly designed home can be built with some help from the people in Mx. for a gift of $3800.00 or any portion thereof until enough money is raised to build one. Many houses could just use new roofing and some other fixes to make them more habitable. God Bless You as you give.