The iron gate stared us down.
We craned our necks up and squinted into the sun, trying to spot someone through the open window above.
“Buenas tardes,” I called up. I hoped they wouldn’t hear the fear in my voice. A little brown dog yapped up at me.
“Tenemos una Biblia gratis para ti!” I tried again.
No answer.
We walked on, leaving the Bible on the stone wall behind the gate.
The next house looked old and cracked. We called, and a middle-aged woman shuffled out and met us through the iron bars.
“Hola,” we smiled brightly. “Comó te llamas?”
We told Marisol our mission; We’re Christians living here in Mazátlan. And we believe that the Word of God has power to change lives...
So we want to end Bible poverty through this ministry. We’ve been walking down every street, knocking on every door, giving every person a Bible and praying for them.
Marisol took the green Bible in both hands and grinned.
“¿Podemos orar por tí? ¿Hay algo específico por lo que te gustaría orar?” I asked. She told us how we could pray for her.
We reached our arms through the metal bars and took her hand. With heads bowed, we began to pray.
When I looked up, I saw tears trickling down Marisol’s cheeks. My friend shared his testimony with her, and we prayed again. Marisol asked if someone from our team could come back to visit and read the Bible with her.
She squeezed my hand tightly as we walked on to the next house.
Further up the street, we were invited in to pray for a woman’s daughter who was in a wheelchair after a serious motorbike accident. I had been quietly soaking in the conversation, letting the rapid-fire Spanish words wash over me, when I felt lead to pray for her.
I closed my eyes and asked for the words. “Jesús, te agradezco por su vida…” I began.
In one gulp, God took away my fears, helped me be bold, and gave me the words. There is something truly special about praying for someone in their own heart language.
We drove back to the base quietly. I was grinning. We had come to give out Bibles, but had given so much more.
Hope.
I had gone out with nervousness and heavy shoulders, and returned lighter and freer.
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I'll be going out into Mazátlan every Thursday for the next 3 months to hand out Bibles. I'd love for you to join me in this movement and be a part of ending Bible poverty here in Mexico!
You can help by praying, and also donating the money to buy Bibles that will touch hundreds of lives here in Mexico.
1 Bible = 40 pesos = $2.80 AUD
('Biblias Para México' is a project promoted by Youth With A Mission. The goal is to end Bible poverty in Mexico by methodically visiting every home and distributing Bibles to each.)
You can check out the ministry here:
http://www.jucummazatlan.com/biblias-para-mexico/
https://www.facebook.com/pg/BibliasparaMexico/photos/?ref=page_internal
Thanks for reading, friends!
-Madeleine x