SIM UK worker David Easton describes how he and his wife Maribel are always prepared to ‘put on the handbrake’ and stop what they’re doing in order to share God’s good news…
Driving in Guadalajara (Mexico’s third largest city) is something out of Wacky Racers! But to get anywhere quickly you need to drive and one day, Maribel and I were making our regular trip to the supermarket…
As we parked and Maribel got out of the car, she met two ladies wearing long gypsy skirts, who asked her if she wanted her hand read?
These ladies were begging for money. Eighty-five per cent of people live in poverty in Mexico, so it’s normal for many to resort to begging by providing some sort of service – whether it’s selling sweets, washing car windows at the traffic lights, children juggling in the road, or ‘telling fortunes’.
Maribel could have carried on walking and got on with the weekly shopping, but instead, she ‘put on the handbrake’ to talk with these ladies about Jesus – the one who knows the true future.
She told them what they were doing wasn’t honouring to Jesus and there was a better way if they repented and believed in the Lord to take away their sins. She also told them about a local church where its food bank could help them with their physical needs.
My ‘handbrake moment’ happened during my regular street evangelism ministry.
On the way to Arandas, my church pastor and I made a pit stop, ‘put on the handbrake’ and met a man called Ernesto, who was selling key rings – both the normal sombrero ones, but also ones with idols. Idolatry is engrained in the Mexican culture and we praised God for the chance to share the gospel with him.
As Ernesto looked at the key rings, he told us that he knew the Bible (Exodus 20) says: ‘Have no other gods before me ‘ but again, the temptation to make money was greater than honouring the Lord.
We encouraged Ernesto that Christ is the only one to be worshiped and the only one we need to be saved. Before we left, he promised he would read the Bible.
We believe it’s vital that everyone hears the gospel, including our children, and why we continually share God’s Word with them.
We pray other Christian parents will see how important it is to ‘put on the handbrake’ during the busyness of everyday life and to share the good news with those closest to them, as well as for Maribel and myself, as we seek to continue sharing the beauty of the gospel in this part of Mexico, where there are few evangelical churches and less than one in 100 know Jesus.
Please pray
- That David and Maribel will keep their eyes on the Lord as they continue to lead people to freedom in him.
- Praise God for David’s perseverance in learning Spanish and for the good progress he’s made after months of hard work.
- For more networking opportunities during the couple’s ministry within the ‘Circle of Silence.’