Oh Mexico
“Would you go with us to Mexico?”
Unexpected outcomes often arise from simple questions.
My interest in mission work began early in my Christian journey. I can't pinpoint exactly where it originated because the church I attended early on wasn’t particularly focused on missions. Perhaps it came from the visits to the Bible college I attended by various mission organizations, but there was no specific event, sermon, or person that I could identify as the source.
What I do know for certain is that I would not be where I am today in ministry without Richard Stephens. Richard was a pastor in Norman, Oklahoma. At the time, I was pastoring a church there as well, and Richard’s daughter was a member of my congregation. Naturally, Richard took an interest in our church and in me.
Richard had already become deeply involved in short-term mission programs. He was a leader with International Commission (which, at the time, was known as International Crusades, but the term “Crusades” had fallen out of favor, so they understandably changed the name). Richard regularly led large groups on two-week evangelistic missions to various parts of the world, and Mexico was the next destination on his agenda.
He was recruiting participants for the trip, particularly pastors with preaching experience. Since I was his daughter’s pastor, he asked me, “Would you go with us to Mexico?”
Mexico seemed like an easy assignment. One of my all-time favorite deacons, Tom Randolph, had already committed to the trip and was encouraging me to join him. So, I accepted.
During our pre-trip meetings, Richard explained that we would be dividing into two-person teams, each paired with a translator. We would travel to various areas around Cancun to conduct evangelistic outreach. In some cases, teams would also hold evangelistic services in local churches during the evenings. Richard further explained that while most teams would stay in a hotel in Cancun, a few would need to travel outside the city to stay in smaller towns and villages where we would be ministering.
There’s some advantage to growing up the way I did. It made me somewhat immune to discomfort. My childhood prepared me for mission work in ways I didn’t expect. I was never pampered and became comfortable with discomfort. So, the thought of staying in a village while others enjoyed a four-star hotel in Cancun didn’t bother me. I volunteered.
After one of the planning meetings, I pulled Richard aside and said, “Brother, if you need someone to go to a remote location where things aren’t quite as nice, I don’t mind. You can send me.”
So, he did. Upon arriving in Cancun, Richard introduced me to Johnny, a young Hispanic college student from Texas, who would serve as my interpreter. He explained that, after spending one night in the Cancun hotel, we would go to a bus station, board a specific bus, and head to a fishing village along the coast. Someone would meet us at the village bus stop, and we would see him again in about ten days. Godspeed!
