Shoebox Gifts Become a Turning Point For An Unreached Area of Mexico
La Laguna village in remote Mexico, home to the Nahuatl people, was once unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No one in the mountain community had ever heard the Name of Jesus. No one had ever been told that God loves them. No one had a Bible.
Now, because of one pastor’s obedience to share the Gospel and his vision for reaching children through Operation Christmas Child, the Good News has come to La Laguna and the community will never be the same.
to children in La Laguna, Mexico,
along with the message of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Jose Benitez was leading a church in a town several hours away when, through his radio broadcast, a listener from La Laguna named Eusebia wrote a letter explaining that she wanted to know more about God.
Pastor Jose traveled to the village to meet with Eusebia and he rejoiced when she became a follower of Christ. For the next 20 years, Pastor Jose made the arduous trek up the mountain, along a dangerous road that’s often flooded, to preach and teach as often as possible. But other people did not come to faith as Eusebia had done.
Yet, Pastor Jose didn’t give up. He continued praying and sharing the Good News.
When he had the opportunity to bring Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to the village and share the Gospel together with these simple gifts, dozens of children came to faith. He then taught them the follow-up discipleship course, The Greatest Journey, which is designed especially for shoebox recipients. As these boys and girls learned how to follow Christ and share Him with others, more people came to faith and a church was established in the village.
children in the remote mountain
village who have graduated from The
Greatest Journey and are sharing
God’s Word with their families.
Pastor Jose has had polio since age 2 and uses a scooter to get around since he can’t walk. He wears a glove on the one hand that he uses to push the scooter.
“This has not been an impediment in any way to take the Gospel to those who need it,” he said. “God has given us the strength to take His Word.” As a result, lives are being changed, and Pastor Jose said, “The message is spreading.”
God’s Word is being proclaimed in some of the world’s most remote and hard-to-reach
places through Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse.
National Shoebox Collection Week: November 16-23, 2020
Learn more at samaritanspurse.org/endsoftheearth