This past Friday night, we had supper with the Rocha and Garcia families. After spending several years in training and preparation, Lalo and Jamie Rocha, and their boys Liam and Jonah have recently arrived in Mexico City to begin their assignment as missionaries to the people there. They came over to spend the weekend in Guadalajara. We cooked chicken out on the grill and had homemade ice cream. Good friends and good food—a good combination!
Lalo was about 14 years old when Nancy and I arrived in Mexico City back in 1991; he and his mom and brother were being drawn to Christ and beginning their walk as disciples in those days. Lalo was part of a group of youth and university students that formed back then; Nancy and I spent much of our time and energy hanging out with this group and learning together what following Jesus in Mexico City could look like. Soon afterwards, Gerardo and Carola joined us in life and ministry with this group of jovenes—they provided leadership and mentoring for them in the years after Nancy and I made our move to Guadalajara.
Meanwhile, Jamie was an Adventures in Missions (AIM) apprentice in Lubbock, Texas in the early 90’s when Nancy and I were finishing up our preparations to move to Mexico City. We were always impressed with her good heart and desire to follow Christ. Her folks became involved in La Casa de Esperanza orphanage in northern Mexico. Somewhere along the line, she and Lalo met, married and began their family together.
Of course, these relationships have grown and changed over these 15+ years. Gerardo and Lalo developed a great friendship. The Rocha family and the Garcia family are both hot on the trail of Jesus Christ and his desire for them to flesh out Christ’s life in Mexico.
It was cool to see Gerardo and Lalo together this weekend—super cool to hear them talk about their missionary heart and desire to see God’s Kingdom come to Mexico City and Guadalajara—for their Mexico—to hear them describe what they think God wants them to do and how they think the Enemy will likely oppose. It was neat to hear them describe themselves as “fruit” of God’s work through many others in Mexico City—and to hear them describe themselves as Mexican missionaries to their own people in these cities—to hear their desire to see God’s Kingdom alive and healthy in Mexico.
It was encouraging to see the result of seeds sown in good hearts—seeds that took root and are growing into something beautiful and surely much larger than them or the ones who helped plant and water. God is good.
I wonder what will become of these Mexican missionaries and the ones they touch. I wonder what other seeds are being planted?
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