The Ruiz Family
Serving the Lord in Tixtla de Guerrero, Mexico
January February 2022 Update
Dear Praying Friends,
Just yesterday my husband sent out a “thank you” letter in Spanish to a few different Spanish-speaking churches who have either sent us a special love offering or have mentioned the desire to do so. Since we have not written to these churches before, Efrain gave them a brief synopsis of the ministry here in Tixtla, from the lonely beginning 19 years ago to the blessings of the present. As I read his letter, my heart sang to the Lord for His great goodness in blessing His work. Since I write to you every two months, I don’t always add up all that the Lord has done. For God’s glory, our church has been able to send out the following missionaries/pastors:
Missionary Ibzan and his wife Marta in Guatemala
Missionary Josue and his wife Areli to the high mountains of Guerrero
Missionary Fidel and his wife Zuri to Joyutla, Morelos
Brother Ramses to the mission our church started in Acapulco, Guerrero
Assistant Pastor Daniel and his wife Lucy in Cuernavaca, Guerrero
Brother Francisco starting a mission in Apango, Guerrero
Just this week, my husband sent a team of 13 workers to help Brother Fidel who just started the new ministry in Joyutla about 3 hours from here. The group went to help him evangelize and basically encourage this couple in their new ministry. They just stayed a week and are on their way home as I write.
In January we had the blessing of attending our Institute’s music teacher’s wedding. Nurith is a very sweet young lady who helped us last year in the area of music. The Lord allowed her to meet her fiancée in the middle of covid, quite an incredible story of God uniting a couple for His glory. She married an American assistant pastor from Sonora who was looking for a wife so that he could start a ministry of his own. Both of them are around 30. Although we miss her in our church, I know the Lord has great plans for them.
Efrain was invited to teach at a couple’s banquet in February in Puebla. Hannah volunteered to stay home with all the kids, allowing Efra and I to have a most refreshing 3-hour car trip there, no kids included. My girls made sure I had lots of music to listen to in the car, but Efra and I talked the entire time! I didn’t end up putting in any of their recommended CDs till the trip back. Since we didn’t take the kids, the church there put us up in a very nice hotel and took us out to eat at the most incredible Brazilian buffet. I felt so pampered by my Father. It was a most beautiful weekend, and it didn’t cost us a peso.
In February Efrain organized two different entire weeks of daily evangelism from 10 AM until 7 PM, with a two-hour break for our main meal at 2:30 PM. Our team varied from 30 people down to 15 at the end, but the Lord’s good hand was upon them. We’ve seen many visitors in every service since then. One Saturday the whole team visited a town about a half-hour from here because one of our sister’s elderly (over 100-year old) grandpa was very sick. He was saved that day with many of his family members. That very night he passed away. My heart rejoices to see the Lord using my husband and our church to reach the lost before they slip into eternity without Him.
We also organized a dinner for couples in February, and the Lord blessed us with two visiting couples, one of which has started coming to church faithfully since then. The wife was saved and baptized just last Sunday night.
In the midst of our normal activities, God allowed us to lay all of the foundations for the first part of our new building. (Writing that sentence sure was easier than all that it entailed!) We poured way more money than we originally estimated into the foundation, but it is definitely worth it, especially since we live in an earthquake zone. Every time we thought we would have to tell the bricklayers to stop, the Lord provided just a little more money. As I write, I think we only have enough for them to continue one more week. They are just beginning to put up the brick walls. Please pray with us that the Lord will supply for us to continue building. I think we need around $20,000 to finish this first stage of our building plan.
I pray that this letter comes as a breath of fresh air in comparison to all the news you have been hearing this last week. Every morning I praise the Lord for my husband, my children, our health, our home (food, water, beds, clothing, electricity, etc.), our ministry, our salvation, and our freedom. May God continue to bless you. Thank you for blessing us with your prayers and your financial support. God is good and faithful.
In Christ,
Laura (for Efra and kids: Samuel, Hannah, Grace, Lydia, Laura, Mark, Ruth, and Benji)
