(Pictured are some of the Migrant Workers from Southern Mexico, as they listen to a gospel presentation)The dusting of snow falling on the evergreens that surround our house just west of Sundre Alberta is a big change from the desert where I have been the past 2 plus weeks. This past Wednesday Sheri and the kids picked me up from the Calgary Airport. It was so good to see them again!
Just before I left for Mexico I got a call from Greg Neufeld, my teammate in Mexico. He told me he would be coming up to Calgary to see his dad who had been hospitalized and wondered if I could delay my departure by one day so that we might travel back to Mexico together. What an unexpected blessing of God to be able to spend 3 days together getting caught up and also planning ahead! Greg’s dad has recovered and is back at home again thankfully!
My time in Mexico was profitable. It was good to be reunited with many friends from the church and to see how the various ministries had advanced in our absence. It gives me such joy and fulfillment knowing that people in the church have continued running the Soup Kitchen and the Drop in Centre and have continued to reach out these last 5 months while we have been in Canada!
One opportunity that God opened up for us just before we left for home assignment last year was to bring the gospel to various vineyards around the Hermosillo region of our state of Sonora. We have an open door into 6 different vineyards that harvest grapes and oranges mainly. Each vineyard will have as many as 1200 workers (mainly young men) at the height of the harvest. Many of these young men come from areas in Southern Mexico that are considered to be “unreached” by the gospel message. While I was there I was able to get a team together from our church to go out to one particular vineyard and present the gospel via a Christian movie and preaching. This team continues to go out to this vineyard each week, presenting the truth of the gospel.
Pray that I will be able to motivate other evangelical churches in the city to go out to the other 5 vineyards! When you think about it, we have an open door to reach as many as 7000 young men with the good news of Jesus Christ and currently we are only reaching about 1000. Matthew 9:37-38 has become more real to me than ever! “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”
Boy is that ever true! We certainly need more people to step up and get the message out to these other vineyards! I think about the wording “harvest field” and that is exactly what these young men are doing! They are working in the harvest fields! I think they will have a pretty good understanding of Jesus’s teaching about the vine and the branches!
Thank you for your prayers, we need you! Pray for more workers in the harvest fields! I will be back in Mexico for 3 weeks starting near the end of February.
