Ministry in a Surfing Town

The barefooted children came running down the dusty hillside path and broke through the grouping of trees at the bottom before crossing the dirt road in front of the church where we were preparing to begin VBS. A large group of children and adults gathered and patiently stood or sat around on rocks while we finished setting up. We introduced ourselves and then divided the children in to groups to play a game. And that did it! From that moment on, this was a fun place to be and the children responded with enthusiasm the rest of the week.

For one week, we (Hadingers, Chariti Parsons and I) traveled to Puerto Escondido (on the Pacific coast) and met a team of 12 who came down from Ohio. Each day the main group joined with Mexican pastors and church members, then divided into groups and went in three directions; one group to perform two different vacation Bible schools (VBS) in two churches, another group to complete construction projects at the same two churches and the third group to help with painting at a Christian orphanage in Puerto Escondido. The team worked hard and accomplished a great deal. Their flexible outlook and willingness to serve wherever needed was especially appreciated.

I had the opportunity to be a part of the VBS team. We arrived at the bamboo-sided church in Tecomate each morning to meet about 40 kids who were ready to participate in the daily activities. Their teachers, Lidia, Roberto and Chariti did a great job teaching them about Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection and how that applies to them. They had opportunities to play fun games and do a craft that were also tied in to the daily theme. The kids were very attentive and thoroughly enjoyed the event.

After we finished at Tecomate, we would stop for a quick lunch at a church member’s home and then head on to Zipolite, a beach town about an hour away, to do the VBS again. The tin church in Zipolite was on the side of a hill and up a steep, twisting dirt road. There were close to 20 children in this location and they too showed their appreciation for the games, music, flight theme, etc. It was fun to see them get interested in learning about God.

The night before the team left, the pastor and his wife came by and expressed their thanks for the work done in the churches of Tecomate and Zipolite. They shared that about 2-3 years before they had been very discouraged and were not seeing fruit in their ministry. They had asked God what to do and God encouraged them by saying that there would come a time when they would begin to see fruit. Petra, the pastor’s wife, cried as she told us that she felt like this team coming and serving their churches was the answer to the promise God had made to her and her husband during their time of discouragement. She further explained that they would be changing the way they had always done children’s ministry in their churches. They had no idea that so many children would come out to a special event like the VBS, but because of the positive response; they said they will be implementing similar techniques, like the games, crafts, music, etc. in to their Sunday morning services for the children. We also later found out that Roberto, one of the teachers, felt God stir a love in his heart for future children’s ministry. It was so exciting to hear their testimony and we praised God for allowing us to be an encouragement to them.

By the end of the week, we were all tired, but it had been well worth the efforts. God proved His faithfulness daily as He gave us the strength and love we needed for the children and the ministries we were doing. I am thankful to have been included in the team and I am grateful for the people who were willing to come all the way from Ohio to help. I am also thankful for my Mexican brothers and sisters in Christ who faithfully minister on a weekly basis to the people of Tecomate and Zipolite and for the Hadingers and Chariti who have served here in Oaxaca for quite a while now.

What a privilege to be part of such a special experience!