The roof was just installed in March 2023, marking a major milestone in the construction of the new church building, in the desert village Hidiondilla. The Centro Cristiano Maranatha church, lead by Pastor Carlos and wife Jenny, is a young and growing church. It is in a small desert community near large scale tomato greenhouse farms. When complete the new building will be 1,800+ square foot and will replace a small existing structure made from scrap materials.

Now that the walls are up, the floor is poured and the roof is on, the congregation can begin to use the space for worship and fellowship. The electrical wiring, windows, doors, restroom plumbing, stucco and paint all need to be added, but lack of those details won’t stop Christians in the village from using the facility. They are grateful to have a large shaded place to worship.

TPM and our partner in Mexico ministry, the Iglesia Getsemani Church in Galeana, were humbled and honored to be part of the dedication of the existing structure for worship at the Centro Cristiano Maranatha Church in July 2020 (see A New Church in Hidiondilla, NL, Mexico). Construction on the new building began in January 2021 (see New Church Building Started in Hidiondilla, NL, Mexico). Volunteers installed the block walls and poured the concrete floor over the past few months (see Good Construction Progress in Hindiondilla and Hindiondilla Church Walls Building Up to the Lord). Great works of God often take time and this economically poor village has made steady progress toward completing the new building, as resources have become available.

Thank you TPM supporters for following God’s call to reach out to those hungry for spiritual food through True Path Ministry. It is our great privilege to minister in the often forgotten rural villages of northern Mexico. Beyond the building successes, we have witnessed changed lives through spiritual growth. Many have been drawn toward the truth of God’s word because of your faithful giving.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans10:14-15 ESV)

NOTE: Click on a photograph to see it larger.

True Path Ministry Inc. has had the privilege of working with some incredible Christians. One of the finest is Pastor Ruben, who turned 90 years old today February 18, 2023. Tonyia, Stephen, Pastor Reynaldo and Lourdes drove out to see Pastor Ruben and took him a coconut cake. He lives with his family in a house on the banks of La Laguna lake, a few miles out of Galeana, NL, Mexico.

Several family members had come in from out of town including his daughter from New Mexico. She spoke good English which helped Tonyia and I talk with Ruben about some parts of his life. In the last few years he has traveled with us many times, but we have not had a chance to learn more about his Christian walk until today.

He was born in 1923 in the village of the tiny palm trees, Palmito. One of the adventures he mentioned was picking cotton in Texas under the Guest Worker (Bracero Program) in the early 1960’s. He was always doing whatever he could to support his 11 kids. At the age of 56, he came to realize that God’s love was calling him into a close relationship and he professed his faith as a Christian. He felt the Lord’s calling to share the love he experienced with others.

He became a pastor willing to spend days riding horseback to reach people in the most distant places of the mountains. Villages tucked away such as Palmito, La Joya, Bueno Vista, to mention a few. In January 2020 a team from TPM and the Iglesia Getsemani Church that included Pastor Ruben traveled to the incredibly remote Bueno Vista village (see https://truepathministry.com/smiles-in-the-mountains-at-bueno-vista/). Pastor Ruben met a family that had come to know Jesus when he was a pastor there. It brought him great joy to know that their faith was still strong thirty years later.

There are many more stories about Pastor Ruben, some are captured in the photos below. But what impresses me is how the fruit of this gentle, caring Christian is so evident in the people around him.

You will recognize them by their fruits. Matthew 7:16

 Mateo 7:16 Por sus frutos los conoceréis…

NOTE: Click on a photo to see it larger.