Last week we hosted a missionary family heading to the state of Puebla to begin working in an outreach to the Totonac indigenous tribe in the Sierra (mountains). The Aguirre family are working under the mission agency Pioneers and will be about 7.5 hours drive from us.
There are roughly 200,000 Totonacs and very few have ever heard the Gospel and even fewer have become believers. However, there is a village with a Mexican couple from one of our CAM-related Bible churches in Puebla (Iglesia Biblica El Camino) that have been laboring for some years there and now there is a small group of believers who have matured into disciple-makers themselves. This is a great start. The Mexican couple is older and they don’t think they have many years of ministry left so the timing is good for the arrival of the Aguirre family to begin ministry among this people group.
So, we enjoyed meeting the Aguirres and learning more about their ministry and family. The Aguirres have four children from age 10 down to age 4. They homeschool and this is a relatively new experience for them. Of course, that’s where our educational ministry comes into the picture. Beth had a long talk with Becky (the mom) about homeschooling and they perused the library and checked out a few bags of books!
Funny thing. I noticed that Miguel (the dad) had a shoe size that looked the same as mine. I was right. I discovered he only had one pair of good shoes and an old pair of tennis shoes that have been patched up a time or two over the past 4 years, so I was glad to tell him that I have a closet of 11 4Es that are in good shape but that I can’t wear anymore. I have a few leg and ankle problems that require me to switch out my shoes after about 6 months of solid use. The midsoles wear thin and I can barely walk at that point, so I have to keep new pairs ready to wear. I discovered 5 used pairs that I can’t wear anymore, and to him, they felt great! They were good New Balance shoes so it was great that he not only wanted them, he was wearing a pair when they left! Mexicans don’t often have such large feet. I’ve never found anyone who could wear them (without stuffing rags in them which some would do).
So…with shoes on their feet and books in their hands…we sent them off! 🙂 We really enjoyed getting to know them and blessing them on their way.
Knowing that we’re helping a family heading out to reach an unreached or lesser reached people group like the Totonacs is a thrill for us. We’re helping them in the education of their kids, which in turn is helping them stay on the field to reach the Totonacs! And that’s help worth giving! That’s part of why we’re here and part of how we serve Jesus in Mexico.
Thanks for having a part in our ministry through your prayers and support. Remember the Aguirres today in prayer as they spend a couple months in the city of Puebla getting to know the church there and making final preparations for ministering in a remote location in the mountains.
To get to know this family more, read Becky’s blog, This and That.
Becky’s blog post here in February tells more of how they’ve come to ministry among the Totonac in the state of Puebla with Pioneers.
Knowing Your ABCDs 