Sorry I haven't blogged lately for all of you who've been waiting with bated breath for my next post (ahem...riiight). I just thought I'd post an update to my last blog about what I've been up to lately.
I went to the meeting in Godfrey the day after Thanksgiving. It was my first time there. I got to see my little buddy Levi from Jerseyville (he's like 2 or 3 years old) and asked him if he remembered my name. To my surprise, he answered "Brother Jonathan DURR!" What a cute little guy! I couldn't believe he remembered my whole name. He's probably going to be a politician some day! Bro. Hughes left the meeting early due to an infection from a spider bite on his hand, and he ended up not able to go to the meeting in Mexico due to a follow-up doctor's appt, so I didn't head out of town with him early Sunday morning as originally planned.
Since I didn't have to get back to Paducah in time to get to bed early, we decided to go to Jerseyville for service Saturday night. I'd never been there either. I really enjoyed spending the afternoon with Sam and Gina before service that night. It was worth the trip to hear Bro. Steve Wilkinson (who was also visiting Jerseyville) play the piano and sing. Wow, he is really talented!
We got back to Paducah very late Saturday night and I was able to attend services at home Sunday before heading toward Texas Monday evening. I stopped over at some friends' in Paragould, Arkansas and visited a bit with them Monday night, then drove most of the day Tuesday until I got to Tomball, north of Houston, where I stayed with a really nice couple, Bro. and Sis. Mier, and had a great service there in Bro. Gary Wright's church.
Wednesday I drove the rest of the way to Brownsville and had church with them there. I must say, it was a bit bittersweet being in Brownsville again. For those who don't know, I spent 2 months there when I was 18 while Bro. Jack Lewis was still alive. Seeing Bro. Lewis's old house and the new sign on the small building next to the church that said "The H.J. Lewis Youth Building" was a bit sad. I hadn't been to Brownsville to visit since before he passed away. It is good though to see that his work is continuing.
Bro. Lewis felt called to go to Brownsville to start a mission work in Mexico when he was already well into his sixties. He'd pastored a few small churches but had never really had what most would consider success, but yet he yielded to that call and went with his wife to Brownsville with no contacts in the area, no fluency in Spanish (in a town that is probably 90% or more Spanish-speaking) and started preaching on the street corners. Before long he had his first convert who started translating for him and they eventually started having house meetings in the trailer where Bro. Lewis lived. Fast forward to 1996 when I first came in contact with him, and he had the big church built in Brownsville and probably 10 or 12 churches in Mexico.
Now Bro. Rodriguez is pastoring in Brownsville and Mission, TX and there are probably a total of 15 churches that came out of Bro. Lewis's work. His vision was to someday take the gospel all the way to the southern tip of the South American continent, and he instilled a desire to always be looking for an open door to establish a new church. Bro. Johnny Budd oversees this work now, and they also fellowship regularly with the churches that began from Bro. Frayer's mission to Mexico as well, which are now overseen by Bro. John Wright.
Ok, so there was the background for where I was headed. Before Bro. Lewis died, he spoke with Bro. Memo Cano about starting a work in Veracruz, Mexico. Bro. Memo started going down there from time to time, just every 6 or 8 weeks or so to start with. He started out with only a couple of people who were hungry for more truth, but as time went on, he started going more and more often. Now, as I understand, there are 40 people or so meeting regularly and Bro. Memo goes every other week to be with them. This is about an 18-hour trip by car. I'm not sure how often he drives and how often he flies, but regardless, that's quite a sacrifice. It makes me wonder what more I could be doing for the Lord!
This was the first meeting that was hosted in Veracruz. They invited all of the churches of Mexico as well as several from the U.S. and expected about 200 people to attend. As it turned out, there were nearly 400 there. It was touching to see how hungry the people were for the things of God. I believe the last I heard, there were11 people who received the Holy Ghost as well as 30 who were baptized in water. God is really working in Mexico! Anyone who gets discouraged with things in their life should go see a mission work in person. It will change your perspective.
We got back to Brownsville Sunday afternoon and I went to service there that night. I decided to head out and drive for a few hours after church and stop somewhere whenever I got sleepy. I actually drove for nearly 7 hours, all the way through Houston, before I stopped to sleep awhile at about 5:30 in the morning! I stopped at a gas station/truck stop and slept for about an hour before I woke up with the sunrise. I slept another hour and a half later on, but drove most of the day till I got to Jonesboro, Arkansas where I got my first good night's sleep in about a week.
I drove back to Paducah Tuesday and was only there for a few hours. You'd think I'd have had enough driving, but I called Bro. Encil and asked if he was at the ministers' meeting in Louisville to see if I might be able to get a place to stay if I went. He actually hadn't left yet, but asked if I'd drive him up, so I did. We didn't leave until after 10pm! It was really great traveling with Bro. Encil and staying in the hotel with him. I really enjoyed all of the one on one conversation time with my pastor.
We came back Thursday, and I actually stayed put for a couple of days! Then Saturday I got in the car and went to visit Bro. Truman Benfield's church in Memphis. I must be either really good or really bad to need that much church! lol Seriously though, I have really enjoyed being able to visit so many different places over the last few weeks. That was my goal when I decided to take a few weeks off, and I think it's been really good for me. That trip to Texas was the first time I'd ever taken a long road trip by myself, and you know, I found out that I'm pretty good company! LOL I kept myself entertained by playing CDs and listening to the radio and singing at the top of my lungs. (I may have even been seen car dancing on some of those long lonely stretches of Texas highway!) : )
So that pretty much concludes my reeeeaaaalllllyy long blog post. If anyone has actually stayed with me till this point, send me a comment and I'll know that you are a real trooper to sit down and read all of this! Sorry to inflict such minutia on you! LOL Comment me and maybe I'll make it up to you by buying your lunch or something some time. LOL
Until next time,
Jonathan
Thursday, December 14, 2006
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