Exciting Times

Dear Praying Friends,

Thank you so much for your prayers for the Saturday luncheon! Gerson kept the boys all day for me, so in the morning I was able to go to a local Barnes and Nobles bookstore, drink some coffee, and spend some much-needed time in prayer and preparation. The Lord helped me as I shared with the group about Him being our I AM. It was a wonderful reminder to me, as well. He IS all I need. He IS the same yesterday, today, and forever. Praise His Name! Thank you for praying. It was a blessed time.

Gerson will be preaching (in the same church where I spoke on Saturday) on September 4th. Please be in prayer for him as he prepares the message.

These are super exciting times as we see the Lord opening doors for ministry. In another week or so, Gerson will begin teaching PE once again at Taylor Christian School. He is also finishing up the soccer field. We are thankful the Lord has provided the last amount of money needed to put up the poles and netting around the field to keep stray soccer balls from leaving the property. Praise the Lord for HIS provision! Gerson hopes to finish up the soccer field project in the next few weeks. One the sod is healthy and has deep roots, he will be able to begin using the soccer field for ministry. Please continue to pray for rain. The sod needs lots of water at this time and it is time-consuming and costly to maintain the irrigation needed to keep the sod from dying. Many of the neighbors have stopped by to talk to Gerson about the soccer field. They are anxious to use it to play soccer! We are anxious to tell them about the Lord.

There are other things "in the works," but I'll leave those for another post as we finalize the details. We are thrilled the Lord is working and opening doors for us to reach the community. Thanks for being a part of our team and for keeping us before the throne through your prayers.

In His Grip,
The Tejeda Family

Ladies Luncheon

Good morning, Friends,

This morning I'm requesting prayer. Today I am scheduled to speak at a ladies' luncheon at a local church. Although I've prepared and, in theory, am ready, I haven't had the time I would've like to have had to prepare my heart. Between a baby and toddler, little sleep, and disruptions throughout my times of preparation, I am feeling weary and a tad overwhelmed.

The enemy has been diligent in trying to discourage me and keep me busy with earthly things so I can't concentrate on what really matters. I know when this happens it's because the Lord has something big in store. I also know that in my weakness, HE is strong.

From past experiences I know that when I haven't had time to heart prepare as I'd like, I have to depend on the Lord more than ever. He is my Rock, my Fortress, my Help. Pray HE will be glorified today as I speak to these precious ladies. Pray they will be encouraged by the Truth that we serve the Great I Am.

Thank you, my friends. How thankful I am for the Body of Christ.

In His Everlasting Grip,
Betsy Tejeda

Update and Prayer Requests

Dear Friends,

Thanks for your ongoing prayers. Gerson continues working on the soccer field. The sod needs lots of water for the roots to take hold and to stay alive. Gerson has been working hard with the city to get a faucet turned on near the soccer field. I don't understand all the details, but for some reason the faucet was locked and I believe it belonged to another property/owner. Gerson got it worked out so now we will get billed for the water used from that faucet and it has been turned on again for our use. What a tremendous blessing! Gerson will be irrigating the sod every night for the next 2 weeks, giving it the much-needed moisture to take root. Continue to pray for rain, as all the land around us needs a good soaking!

By the way, Gerson mentioned to me something quite astonishing. One of the days when the men were working on laying the sod, several men/youth from the community walked by the property. When they saw what was happening, they began to clap and yell with excitement! They are THRILLED there will be a soccer field nearby, and we are THRILLED that it is a tool we can use to share the love of Christ with them. Pray for us as we continue to foster relationships in the community and as Gerson begins organizing community activities, both in Taylor Community Center as well as on the new soccer field.

Another exciting thing that is happening is Gerson is taking English classes at South Texas College. He began on Monday, so he is only in day 3 of classes. His class meets from Monday-Thursday from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Please pray for him --- that the Lord will grant him the ability to learn and retain the English language. Also pray for the boys and me as we are home all day and much of the evening without him. Jayden especially misses the time with his daddy in the evenings. Gerson's class schedule will change every 5 weeks as he advances through the courses. We need extra strength these days as we juggle several responsibilities in the coming weeks.

On a family note, Jayden and Edson continue to grow and change. I find mothering challenging yet rewarding as I have an active 2 year old (he'll turn 3 in November) and a teething 5 month old. Several weeks ago, Jayden grabbed Edson's hands, clasped them together, and said to his younger brother, "Pray to God." What a joy it was to witness! Please continue to pray for our boys and for us as we desire to parent them in a way that honors the Lord and teaches the about His immense love for them. (See above picture -- Jayden is on the left and Edson is on the right.)

Love,

The Tejeda Family

La Cancha (Soccer Field)

Hello Friends!

We have exciting new. Gerson has spend the last week working on getting the soccer field completed. This panoramic shot shows most of the field as well as part of the neighborhood we are reaching for Christ THROUGH the soccer ministry!


The PA team helped prepare the field in March, but then we had to wait for the needed city paperwork to come through. One of the first things that needed to be done last week was the weeds needed to be killed. Gerson decided to hire a company to kill the weeds, till the soil, level the ground, AND lay the sod.

The men who he hired worked hard for about 3 long days in the hot sun. We had heat indexes up to 110 degrees last week. The men also helped Gerson dig and pull out the metal poles that were lining part of the field. Gerson will recycle these poles, and buyt 5 more, to put netting up around the field to catch the flying soccer balls.

The tilled field looked GREAT after the men used a tractor to move the soil. It only took a couple of hours. If Gerson had done it with the limited equipment we have, it would have taken him several days.

Once the ground was tilled, the men brought a HUGE truckload of sod.

They transported the sod from the truck to the field with their tractor.

Then they laid the sod square by square. I must say, they must have a lot of patience!

Now it's done and is simply a fabulous sight! We are so thankful that the Lord provided this soccer field for our ministry. Please pray the Lord will use it to bring many children, youth, and faimies to HIM.

Also, pray for rain. It is super dry here in the Valley and Gerson is having to use sprinklers to irrigate the sod. We need MORE water than we can get out of the sprinklers. We prayed for rain yesterday, and the Lord sent a few showers even though the weatherman said there was NO chance for rain this week! The God who sent rain from a small cloud in I Kings after Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal is the same God we serve. He can send the rain, no matter what the weatherman says! Pray the skys will open up and God will send showers our way.

Introducing Our Team

Today I want to take time to introduce you to our missionary team here on the Mexico field. (For those of you who are confused, WGM's Mexico field includes McAllen, Texas!) Please pray for each of us as we work together to spread the Good News of Jesus!

(Left - Right)
On the far left of the picture is Marsha Hartley. She is the 3-4 grade teacher at Taylor Christian School (TCS) here in McAllen.

Next to her is the Allhouse family. Ariel will be attending Indiana Wesleyan University in the fall. Her parents, Bill and Lydia, are our field directors and live and work in Irapuato, Mexico. They have many responsibilities, includ Lydia being our field treasurer.

On the back row beside the Allhouse family are the Tarrs. Bill and Betsy Tarr (yes, have 2 Bills and 2 Betsys on this field. It can be quite confusing!) have been missionaries on several fields. God sent them to us just at the right time for Bill to be the Director of Taylor Christian School and for Betsy to help Lydia with field bookkeeping. Betsy will also be helping with the bookkeeping at TCS. In addition, they are the hosts of the WGM guest house.

Our family is next --- Gerson is holding Jayden and I am holding Edson in his carseat.

Behind us is Tom Atkins, who was our speaker for our field retreat in June. He can be an honorary member of our team! ;)

And next to me is Chrissy Greenwell. She lives and ministers in Saltillo, Mexico with a variety of ministries including teaching English and Theology by Extension.

In addition to all of these wonderful people, the Lord has brought us some new missionaries in the last 2 weeks. I'll have to introduce them to you in another post as I haven't taken any pictures of them yet.

Please pray for each of us, that the Lord will use in our various ministries to bring glory to HIS name. Pray for unity among us. Pray for protection. Pray for strength and wisdom.

Thanks for all your prayers, support, and encouragement. YOU are also a part of this team. We couldn't do it without you!