October 2005 Email Update

Angie Velasco

Gratis is the Spanish Word for free. Comida gratis (free food), ropa gratis (free clothes), asistencia gratis (free assistance), concierto gratis (free musical concert) are very attractive words to a Mexican who only has a few pesos (or no peso at all) in his hand.

September 16 is Mexico’s Independence Day and Mexico City is packed with people on this day. Semilla de Mostaza Mexico City and Cuernavaca spearheaded a massive evangelism campaign called Festival de la Alegria September 15 – 17, 2005. We offered free food, free clothes, free counseling, free medical and dental clinic, and invited people to attend free musical concerts in the evening. During the concerts people gave their testimonies on how Christ changed their lives, and after each concert a pastor preached on how to have a new life free from drugs and alcohol.

Hundreds of people came. Many of them homeless people, prostitutes, drug addicts, alchoholics or just plain folks roaming the streets of Plaza Garibaldi (Central Mexico City) to celebrate Mexico´s Independence Day.

Hundreds of people heard the gospel through our personal evangelism, testimonies and preaching of the word. Literally HUNDREDS!!!! I have never seen nor experienced anything like this before.

The Lord moved the hearts of Mexican Christian musical artists to use their musical talents to give musical concerts to reach their own people for the Lord. The business community (non-Christians and Christians) donated milk, hundreds of tacos, pastries, bread and drinking water. Mexican Christian doctors & nurses, dentists, lawyers and hairdressers volunteered their services for free. We had one message for the people – we were doing all these things for free to share God´s love with them. We all are beneficiaries of God´s grace and mercy. We cannot help but share with them a taste of what God has done with our lives. Everything is free because salvation is free. Someone paid the price for our salvation. This person is Jesus Christ. Jesus shed his blood on the cross so we don’t have to pay for our salvation. All we have to do is receive it, enjoy it, and share it with others.

The Lord gave me the wonderful privilege and joy to share the gospel with many people during the day and to welcome, counsel and pray for new believers after each altar call in the evening. I remember during the first night (Sept. 15) after the first altar call about 50 people came forward to receive the Lord. We had 3-5 altar calls each evening. We directed them upstairs for counseling of new believers. I thought to myself, “God made me for moments like this!”

We worked from 9 am to 3 am (of the next day) eating, sleeping and resting in between. The Lord gave us energy and compassion to do the task. He also provided everything we needed from milk (including refrigerators), manpower (a total of 350 workers from several churches), water (including filters), and most of all people hungry to know the Lord. What a blessing to see all this!!!!

We now have Semilla de Mostaza – Garibaldi as a result of 3 days of Festival de la Alegria. We had 110 people for the first service!!! Way to go to start a church!!! Praise the Lord!!! I will be in Mexico City every Tuesday afternoon to help out with this new church. This help means setting up chairs, praying for people who need prayer, coming alongside a team member to drop off someone at the local Salvation Army, explaining the gospel to someone who has a question, giving a few pesos to a new brother/sister in need so they can stay at the local Salvation Army, administering first aid and praying for the preacher. Sometimes people ask what I do here, really whatever needs to be done to extend God’s kingdom. Oh yes, I am still taking Spanish classes during the mornings.

Your prayers and support enable me to help our Mexican brothers and sisters evangelize their country for God’s glory. Muchas gracias.

AV