04 Aug 13 Pennsylvanians and a Week in Mexico

Thirteen persons from Mount Pleasant Church (Chambersburg, Pa.) flew to Mexico City on Thursday, July 15, arriving with all of their bags except one (which was delivered to the hotel the next morning).

On Friday, they rode a bus seven hours to Zacapu in central Mexico, where they would be conducting a VBS for a United Brethren church called Iglesia Adonai. They are starting a three- or four-year partnership with this church, having just completed a partnership with another UB church in Mexico.

On Saturday, July 17, they helped the church leaders prepare the place for VBS on Monday. That included building two bathrooms—two shelter frames wrapped in canopies, a box with a hole in it, and two holes in the ground.

The Sunday worship service was held at 5 pm. The congregation meets on a loading dock in the marketplace. The 13 Pennsylvanians joined 30 Mexicans in worship. Bobby Culler, youth pastor of Mount Pleasant who was heading up the trip, talked about the partnership God was creating between Iglesia Adonai and Mount Pleasant.

VBS began on Monday  morning…and the children poured in. They had 118 people the first day, and 21 people accepted Christ as Savior. Denis Casco, Bishop of Mexico Conference, arrived that day, along with his wife Reina, daughter Pamela, and their friend Ana, to spend the rest of the week with them.

The next day, 159 people (children and adults) showed up for VBS, and 34 more people accepted Christ as Savior. That night after supper, several team members played soccer with eight young boys. When they were done, they huddled the boys together and told them the Gospel story using the colors of the soccer ball. Seven of the 8 boys asked Jesus into their hearts!

On Wednesday, attendance swelled to 216. The 6-8 year-old class had 57 kids, and the 9-11 year-old class had 73. Another 28 people gave their lives to Christ.

Thursday saw 256 attend, and another 13 people accept Christ. When VBS ended, they got organized for their “Give Away Day.” They filled about 8 tables with toys, clothing, and other gifts. The children and adults filed in and were able to pick one item. Enough items were left that everyone was permitted to make a second pass.

They ended the week on Friday just short of 300, with 286 people attending.

“The place was packed,” says Bobby Culler. “During the week, 122 people gave their lives to Christ. The seeds have been planted, they’ve been watered, and now God must make them grow.

“We came with some preconceived notions of what the week was going to be like, but when we got here, we threw all that out the window and simply followed the leading of the Lord. No wonder it was a successful week.”

He adds, “Here’s another cool thing. All of the Bibles we brought and all of the extra VBS supplies and materials were divided into 4 piles for four different UB church here in Mexico. So our ministry to Zacapu has been multiplied and expanded among four churches. The pastors of these churches were so very thankful for their gifts.”

On July 24, the group said their goodbyes to Pastor Herberto and his family. Bobby Culler writes, “We were able to give them some money for all the food that they bought for us, plus another $1000 that will go toward the construction of the church. When we handed this money to them, they broke down and began crying. This was such an emotional thing for them to realize the support that Mt. Pleasant Church is giving them.

“Now here’s the cool part: when I handed the money to Pastor Herberto, he said that this money is not his but the Lord’s. Then he held the money out in his hand and asked all of us to lay our hands on this money, and he prayed and asked the Lord to multiply it and bless it for His glory and honor! What an incredibly humble man he is!”

The group then traveled the 6.5 hours to Mexico City, and headed to Domino’s Pizza for supper. They spent a relaxing Sunday visiting the Aztec ruins, climbing to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun, and witnessing an Aztec worship service. Their final dinner in Mexico was at Chili’s. They then returned to Pennsylvania on Monday.

The Mexico group will share about the trip on August 29 during all three morning services at Mount Pleasant Church.