Costa Maya Newsletter July 2016

July 2016 Pedro Pablo In recent years we had welcomed many new people to our church family, but last month we had to say good-bye to one, Pedro Pablo. Pedro was a Mayan man of great stature in the community.  He had become a member of Cruz de Cristo in 2015, one of seven confirmands that day.  Pedro had studied under five different pastors, eagerly learning as much as he could in God's Word.   I came to know Pedro many years earlier as a man living on the beach, working as a caretaker. He was a man with demons and addictions that were much more than he could resist by himself.  None of us would have imagined he could become an important part of our church family.   Then a few years ago we decided to offer Bible studies in the beach community of Rio Indio. Since most people living there have no cars, I went up the beach, door-to-door, inviting everyone and offering to pick them up. The morning we went to see Pedro, he was not able to come with us, so I told him to be ready the following Thursday. I told him what time I would pick him up, but I had no idea if he would actually come. On that day when I arrived at Pedro's house, I blew the horn and waited in suspense. I could not keep a smile from my face as he came out of his house in his white polo shirt, black pants and nice sandals – Bible tucked under his arm!  God was working in many hearts that day – especially mine!  He got into the van and started his journey with us.   Almost two years later Pedro was confirmed as a member, after studying with many pastors in Bible classes, all the while grabbing every book about God that he could get his hands on. He not only learned, he shared what he was learning with his family in Chetumal, two hours away.  He and his family even discussed having classes in their Chetumal home to share the gospel with many others.    Sadly for us, he died in a fall into a well on the property where he was a caretaker. His life ended suddenly, but we know that because God allowed Cruz de Cristo to invite him to join us in our studies, he has won the victory!  Pedro (far left) will be missed by all – please pray for his family and our church family as we remember the joy he brought into all of our lives.                         ~Deb Blackburn *************************************************** Sharing God's Love in Mahahual   You never really understand the beauty of a Mahahual sunrise, the pains of poverty, or the happiness that comes from seeing a new soul brought to faith until you've experienced the beauty, seen the sadness, or felt the joy of these things for yourself. I and six others traveled to Mahahual this summer and had the opportunity to witness these things.    My group shared God's love by canvassing a nearby village called Kilometer 55. We drove down the extremely bumpy dirt road and visited homes, huts, and hammocks to spread the news. Not only did we share God's love through words, but we also shared it by helping with food preparation at the church's soup kitchen. In addition, each weekday, we taught a Bible lesson to the local children, each story with the theme, "Sharing God's Love." The highlight of these classes was hearing the roaring laughter of the kids as they watched us act out a skit of the day's Bible lesson. After each day of VBS, the kids were loaded into the church van and taken to the community center to play games. The class' favorite game was called "Drip. Drip. Drench!" Needless to say, many days I sat in the van on the way back to church feeling very soggy. If we were not teaching, we were on the beach soaking up the sun or reading in hammocks. One day we even went snorkeling!   On this trip, I learned the importance of praying for our missionaries because Pastor Valleskey's outreach in Mahahual is amazing. His humble, friendly personality makes it easy for eager ears to hear the gospel. I have been impacted by his Christian attitude, and prayers for Pastor Valleskey and the congregation are never far from my mind. It was a blessing to meet this wonderful group of people, and I look forward to the day when I will be reunited in glory with my Christian brothers and sisters from Mahahual.      ~Anna Grepo *********************************** Online donations can be made at www.Costamayaministries.org or by check payable to Costa Maya Ministries and mailed c/o Fred Starck, 1765 Natures Way, Lindenhurst, IL 60046. Copyright © Costa Maya Ministries, 2016, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 8404 Saltsberry Eagle River, WI 54521 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list **

This email was sent to costamayaministries@gmail.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Costa Maya Ministries · 8404 Saltsberry · Eagle River, Wi 54521 · USA