Mazateco (April 2012)
“I thank God because you have been such a great help to us. We have been praying for the villages surrounding ours, especially for Pablo Nuevo, a little village with few inhabitants but they still need the gospel. There are no Christians there. Thank you for your ministry,” said Pastor Leonor Rubio Martinez, of the Llinaje Escogido de Dios church in Chilchotla when the Mazateco church planting team visited his church.
The following week, the team, composed of Gonzalo Alvarado Peña and Eleuterio Martinez Peña, conducted training on the JESUS film strategy in this church. It was attended by nine people, including Pastor Martinez himself. These attendees formed an action group committed to follow up new believers and plant churches in different communities after showing the JESUS Film.
This action group showed the JESUS Film in Pueblo Nuevo, Chilcotla, a very isolated village of 22 people. People said it was the first time they had a chance to watch a movie in their own language especially on a screen that big. “It is so nice to watch this movie,” said a new believer. “It makes a difference to actually see how Jesus suffered and died for our sins than to just listen to the words.” Everyone in Pueblo Nuevo had a chance to hear the gospel.
Another action group training was held at the church being pastored by Gonzalo A. Peña himself. He praised God for being part of this project. “My vision for my church and for myself as a pastor is to plant more churches aside for our congregation. Praise God my church is very involved in spreading the gospel using the JESUS Film and the Road to Life tract. Glory to God, we got a couple of seminary students who will do their internship for five months with us. It will be a very good time to look for someone to take over the leadership of this new church we are planting.”
Eight people were trained to become church planters. One participant said they really enjoyed the way they were trained to disciple others. “We have not done this in the past so we did not know how to do it. The training was a real blessing. Before, we took too long to share our testimony. Now we have learned to do it in three minutes. We were also taught to use the Road to Life tract which we can use as we go to other places. We want our church to grow. Thank God for this project.”
After the training, the action group went to a community called Reforma MPO de San Mateo Yoloxochitlan to start a church plant. When the team arrived at about 5pm and began setting up the screen and projector, people milled around and asked questions. The JESUS Film was shown there two days in a row and all the people were very happy to watch the movie in their own language. A total of 22 adults professed faith in Christ.
