Luke 10 Exploration Trip: A Report from Mexico

Luke 10 Exploration Trip: A Report from Mexico

The first of ten Luke 10 Exploration Trips in 2022 went out last month (April 19-29) with a team of 15 to three states in Mexico! Thank you for praying for this team and EFM’s Luke 10 Initiative as Evangelical Friends discern where to launch new mission fields as part of EFM’s Five-Year Goal! See more information here.

The following is a report from trip leaders Maria Giron (EFM Missions Mobilizer) and Trent Jacks (EFC-MAYM).

Who Was on this Trip?

We are grateful for a great team, which we are sure was formed by God. Each member brought a lot of value to the team with each of their gifts and personalities. We were especially grateful for the six young potential future missionaries (ages between 15 to 26 years old), we enjoy seeing their commitment to serve God and the clear calling each of them have. It is obvious to see in their lives. There is such great hope in our hearts on these six young future missionaries.

From Mexico
• Ernesto Ramirez- Superintendent Mexico YM
• Elizabeth Ramirez – ITA Director
• Sergio & Luisa Ayala – Pastors from Coahuila
• Israel De La Torre (Accompanied by his wife and his two children)- Pastor from Aguascalientes
• Jeremias Ayala – 15 year old Potential Future Missionary from Coahuila
• Anna Wong (and her, well behaved, 2-year-old daughter) – Potential Future Missionary from Coahuila Friends
• Angelica De La Torre- Potential Future Missionary from Coahuila Friends
• Ximena Maldonado- Potential Future Missionary from Coahuila Friends
• Camila Carrillo – Potential Future Missionary from Coahuila Friends

From U.S.
• Trent from EFC- MAYM
• Edwin and Maria Giron- EFM Missions Mobilizer
• Matt Macy- EFM Director of Mobilization
• Nathan Macy – Future Missionary

Where Did We Travel?

While in Mexico, the team explored three states- Jalisco, Nayarit, and Colima. We explored 16 towns in nine days!

Why did we decide to visit these selected places? Well, in the center of Mexico exists a zone identified as the circle of silence, this zone includes eight states: Jalisco, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Nayarit, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi. In the Circle of Silence there are 115 towns with less than 1% of Evangelical Christians. This is the place with the fewest Christians in Latin America!

In each town our team divided into three groups to go around the town, walk and talk to local people at the plaza, pray for families, go into businesses to talk to owners or employees. None of the team members missed opportunities to follow the impulses from the Holy Spirit to contact the right people, we even had opportunity to gather children in a plaza and play while other leaders of our team talk to their parents.

In most towns people were kind and inviting. They were willing to hear about gospel. In most places our team felt welcomed and, in some places, even invited to come into town and plant Christian churches.

Every place we went we could feel the great need people have to know Jesus.

Jalisco Report

Towns Explored

• Zapotlanejo
• Tepatitlan
• Ameca
• Tequila
• Tesistan*- Most of our team felt like this place is  worth  continued the exploration. Small but growing as a suburb of Guadalajara. Many young couples and young families.
• Tonala

Testimonies

• Tepatitlan- one of our groups had an encounter with a man named Juan Jose. When he found out that we were Christians, he was so interested that he even invited the group to his house to pray for his family. At his house he gathered his family members and they shared that his grandmother and granddaughter had seen spirits in the house, and they were afraid of those spirits. Our team presented the gospel to them and began to pray, it was then that a spirit manifested in one of the women present and she fainted. Pastor Luisa continued praying for this woman, until she got up reacting and saying that she was feeling liberated.
• Tesistan- Matt and his group had a conversation with a shop owner who welcomes the gospel because people want to better their lives. The shop owner invited Matt to start a church here. The entire team had similar experience.
• Maria- I was praying for people in this area and had an encounter with an old man selling funeral plans. I had a chance to ask him about life after death. 90% have no idea where they are going. He was glad to have met us and felt interested now to start reading his Catholic Bible.
• Edwin – I spent a long time in conversation with a school teacher. His wife is also a teacher. They are very interested in the possibility of having a church. We exchanged information.

Nayarit Report

Towns Explored

• Ixtlan del Rio
• Jala
• Zitacua
• Compostela
• San Blass
• Santa Maria del Oro

Testimonies

• People in different towns in Nayarit seem more open to the gospel and to the idea of having Christian churches planted in their towns.
• Zitacua- This is a Huichole community. They have their own temple where their traditional Huichole celebrations and animal sacrifices take place and spirits manifest. There is a great need of church planters and missionaries to this people. It is a very dark place and there is much spiritual warfare. The Huicholes are considered an unreached ethnic group. Our team had the opportunity to play volleyball and talk to some of the Huichole women and children.

Colima Report

Towns Explored

• Valle de Alvarez
• Comala * No Christian Churches here
• Tecoman
• Barra de Navidad

Testimonies

• Waitress in Valle de Álvarez: The morning after our team arrived in Colima, our team was having our daily devotional, when the waitress bringing coffee for everyone felt the touch of the Holy Spirit and began to cry when she saw us reading our Bibles. Her name is Rachel. Maria had a conversation with Rachel and she confessed to her that she was a Christian a long time ago and that she separated from the Lord by falling into the practice of quartz and crystals. She was feeling a strong need to return to Jesus. Our team ended up praying for her. Days after our teams returned to our homes, Maria received a voice message from Rachel giving her the news that she had accepted Jesus into her heart and made a commitment to follow him again. Having the waitress approach the group was a confirmation of the work that is needed in this place.

What’s Next? Luke 10 Exploration Trips will continue taking place during the remainder of 2022. In November, teams will present detailed reports and recommendations at the national Luke 10 Think Tank. How Can You Join? Are you interested in exploring missionary service? Do you know of anyone of any age who might be interested in exploring the idea of serving as a missionary overseas for two or more years? EFM is currently looking to contact and connect with people about opportunities to explore serving as missionaries with the Friends Church! To learn more, visit aquí or fill out this interest form!

We look forward to sharing more news about the Luke 10 Initiative and the other nine Luke 10 Exploration Trips as each prepare to embark on their discernment journeys!

Matt Macy
Director of Mobilization