Tagged: mexico

Mission trip to Poza Rica, Mexico

Mission Trip Report to Veracruz, Mexico
January 20th – January 26th, 2011

Due

to the fact that it is harvest season for the unsaved, we didn’t want to miss any opportunity to minister anywhere God opened for us. This is our second mission trip we had in Mexico.
Last year my daughter Anna had to put her studying on hold for a year and decided to with ‘Youth With a Mission’ (YWM) in Australia. After her theoretical study with YWM, her team was appointed to a practical experience in Gospel ministry in Mexico City. When I heard of the news, I visited her on the mission field in Mexico City. In order to work for the Lord while being in Mexico, I contacted Sam and Sera Qarau, a missionary couple in Mexico from Fiji. To accomplish the work in an efficient way, I would require a Spanish translator and so after calling a few mission members, but they all had other priorities. As I was praying and asking the Lord for guidance, the Lord inspired me to call Dinu Rodila from Gethsemane Romanian Church and Cornel Ianchici from Philadelphia Church. Both of them responded and felt compelled by the Lord to take part in this mission trip.

When

we arrived in Mexico City, Pastor Sam and a pastor from Restoration Church in Mexico City waited for us and brought us to his church. As we departed the airport, he spoke of a church that he had a vision of a night before which had white pillars in front and he also described the entire perimeter of the church and the Lord said that this is a church that is mission oriented. Afterward, Cornel showed him a picture of Philadelphia Romanian Church, he was amazed that it matched the one in his vision. That night, we ministered to the Restoration Church where people were delivered and set free of addictions; others were blessed by the word of God. Dinu Rodila, translated very accurately from Romanian to Spanish. There was a great blessed night in which people rejoiced and were so happy.

This

church was located in a bad neighborhood of violence and cartel. The pastor had been attacked a few times but the Lord had miraculously saved him. He gave us testimonies of how the Lord intervened and saved him from the hands of the cartels. His father, a former police officer, was killed by the cartels years ago. His mother is now leading the church. The next day, we went through heavy traffic to visit my daughter Anna. She and her team were staying in the church apartment and during the day they had a schedule to minister to children, nursing homes and other churches. I was a little concerned about her safety, being in Mexico City, but after I met her and saw what she was doing, I gained confidence that she was under the Lord’s protection. She was very happy to see us and my team prayed for them.

That

evening, we left Mexico City together with Pastor Sam Qarau and the three of us drove by bus to Veracruz. A pastor from the area came with his truck early in the morning and drove us to the mountains of Chicontepec region in Veracruz. That Saturday morning, we ministered to a Church of God Bible School where Pastor Vicente Baez Torres is a director. At night, we ministered to the church in Ahuimol in Veracruz pastored by Vicente. This church was so open to the gospel that night and many of them repented their sin and rededicated their lives to Jesus Christ. Despite the critical situation involving crime and the cartels in Mexico, we found that the town Ahuimol doesn’t have a police station since the gospel changed 80% of the town’s people. There used to be a prison there years ago but since lots of people converted to Jesus Christ, the delinquency percentage was so low that the community transformed the prison into a grocery and material store. A Christian brother later purchased and is operating the site. Isn’t it amazing what the gospel can do when people obey and fear the Lord instead of the authorities?

“Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, “ Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.” Isaiah 2:2-4

Early

Sunday morning, a group of youth was praying and interceding for almost two hours. This is the secret action when you want to have a revival within a church and challenge the community. Intercession for the unsaved brings God’s presence to the hardened human heart and causes them to surrender all to Christ. On the same day, we ministered to the people of Ahuimol. There was also a funeral in the afternoon and we encouraged the family of the deceased with words of life.

Monday

morning, Dinu and I went to a church named La Puerta in Cristo in Tlanempa Comon pastored by Antonio Hernandez Tolentino. We arrived there a couple hours after passing through the mountain. This was a very poor area but people had a great faith in God.
“Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” James 2:5

When we arrived to Pastor Antonio’s house, we felt compelled to pray and intercede for the evening service. We prayed for an hour and I knew in my spirit that the Lord had a surprise for us that night. Even though it was not a regular church service that Monday evening; we were impressed to see a great multitude of people that could not fit inside the church and the service was held outside. The surprise from the Lord was His deep presence that touched the hearts of people and lots of them came with tears in their eyes

and confessed their sins out loud without shame. Dinu was unusually impressed to hear them confess in their language. This is really the work of the Holy Spirit at which people did not consider the public of their shameful sins because of the deeper desire to be right with God. If you confess your sin, he is just and merciful to forgive you.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your loving-kindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” Psalm 51:1-5

“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13

At the same time, Cornel ministered to the Palma Sola Church in Tlaquextla both located on the mountain. Pastor Eugenio Cruz is pastoring Palma Sola Church. Roberto Bautista Martinez has translated for Cornel. Dinu and I drove almost four hours Monday night through the mountains to find the village of Palma Sola Church.

Tuesday

Morning, we drove back to Veracruz and headed to Mexico City and attended the service at Restoration Church where a few people were miraculously delivered of unclean spirits. While I was preaching from Acts 16, I heard a noise all of a sudden caused by a woman falling down. I was a bit concerned since I didn’t know what happened but the pastor told me that she fainted after hearing that a possessed woman was delivered from a spirit of fortune-telling.

“Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.” Acts 16:16-18

The

possessed woman came to church the previous Sunday with her husband for the first time. Towards the end, we prayed for the sick and other people seeking the freedom from our Lord Jesus Christ. Our mission is to fulfill the Great commission. God has opened for us connections with individuals, churches, families and prison ministry. Our main areas of focus are evangelism, teaching, preaching, healing and deliverance, prison ministry and rehabilitation centers, feeding the needy and hungry and restoring hope in the lives that lost it.

“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” 2 Timothy 4:1-2

“The

Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1-3

Rev. Constantin Lupancu

Mission Trip to Mexico

February 8 – 15, 2010

Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We have been praying for a long time and waiting for God’s guidance for this journey. We are so blessed and delighted to inform you of our first missionary trip to the city of Monterrey in Mexico. By the grace of our Lord, we, Edgar Garza, Constantine Lupancu, Pavel Sav from Golgotha Church, form Gethsemane Church Pastor Aurel Balici, and brother Toader Dorel Stirbu were part of this missionary trip.

Monday February 8^th we arrived at Harlingen, Texas Airport. Entering the country of Mexico through the border of McAllen, Texas drove for four straight hours with Pastor Cesar, his wife Rebecca, and Edgar’s parents to the city of Monterrey. Arriving around 9:30 PM to an underprivileged neighborhood, the service took place in a local mechanical shop, where followers of Christ gather every Monday night. There was a tremendous manifestation of the Holy Spirit, we had an opportunity to pray and lay hands on many of the people. The Lord touched many hearts that night and we experienced the mighty power of God among his people. After the service we were invited to dinner by our brothers, offering us homemade tamales, ending our night around eleven p.m.

Tuesday, February 9^th we departure from Monterrey
to the town of El Carmen, about a half hour away, we where invited to the Church of El Divino Salvador “The Divine Savior” by Pastor Josue Murillo for fellowship and breakfast. Pastor Sergio Castillo and his members of the rehab center joined us. Pastor Josue showed us the installations of his church he treated us with a few worship song of his own inspiration. We then visited Edgar’s parent’s home and enjoyed one of the best fresh tangerines and oranges picked right from the trees with and unforgettable flavor. We rested to prepare ourselves for a service in the town Abasolo scheduled for five p.m.

Arriving to the (El Polivalente), the town’s outdoors event hall where the service took place, we were blessed to bring to the people the Lord’s good news and the power of the Holy Spirit. Among all the people that we ministered, there was a blind woman and a man with Tuberculosis who we prayed to our Lord to heal them; days later, after our trip, we received a phone call from our brothers in Mexico giving us notice of the great miracle of God that gave partial  sight to the blind lady and complete healing of tuberculosis to the man. Being both touched by the healing power of the Holy Spirit, we rejoiced ourselves every moment we spent with our brothers, who have such a passionate love for our Lord. God performs miracles to confirm His Word especially in the places where the gospel has not advanced to open a way for the gospel to be accepted and people to be saved. The Kingdom of God is coming in the hearts of people and people turn from rituals, and forms of religion to the true God; living a life of holiness in the fear of God Almighty.

We left that night after the service ended to spend the night at our brother Cesar’s home, spending time with him and his family in prayer and worship, this was a blessed day full of joy and happiness to be part of how our Lord moves and touches peoples heart, any where we go with a strong burning desire to serve Him with all of our hearts.

Wednesday, February 10 Invited by Pastor Sergio Castillo and his wife Silvia to visit their rehab center and their church, they prepared us a delicious breakfast with fresh baked bread, of which they sell in the streets
to support their ministry. We all traveled joined by all the rehab center members, to a close by neighborhood called “El Topo Chico” it was previously a stone query, from which they extracted stone to make cement and gravel. This same neighborhood was the home of most of the members from the rehab center; just to see them doing the work of the Lord, rescuing their own family and friends from the hands of the devil under drug and alcohol addictions, shows the love and compassion of Jesus Christ in action.

A home was visited and had a unforgettable experience, to see the work of our Lord, the people living in this home agree to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord savior and decided to destroy all the images and statues of saints separating them from a true relationship with Christ; Also visited another home of blind older couple, true servants of the Lord, we had an opportunity to bring to all the people gather together the word of the Lord, hot soup was served to everyone, prepared by sister Silvia, pastor Sergio’s wife, they both have been with this ministry for a few years, it has been a great blessing for this community, for their continues presence in this poor areas and their love for the Lord, also plenty of clothing and candies was given to the people. It was such a nice moment to see all the members of the rehab center dedicating their lives searching for more people in need of Gods presence and a better promising future.

We all returned for lunch to the rehab center, they have prepared us roasted turkey and fresh baked bread, spending great time with all
this loving servants of the Lord, after lunch we visited another poor neighborhood, where Pastor Sergio and wife have been visiting for the last 8 years, they are building a church of which they only have the walls up to four feet tall with dirty floor, we experience a unforgettable moment when all the children form this community prayed for us I will never forget their prayers with love for us, thanking God for our visit to their church, to be finish with the grace of our Lord.

A service was held that evening in the rehab center, where brother Constantin and Aurel had a tremendous message for the congregation,
many souls where touched by such empowering words that God placed on their hearts that night, we all rejoiced with his mighty presence, a lady started singing in divine angelical tones, it was such an anointed experience. Pastor Sergio, gave a warmed welcome to its newest member of the rehab center a 12 year old boy, drug addict just brought this morning from our visit to one of the poor neighborhoods, our heart was broken to see such a young being rescue by one of his own neighborhood friend, God is real, and continue to see his grace and mercy in action, everywhere we go in his mighty name, glory be to God.

Thursday, February 11 early that morning we started a
four-day seminar titled “Baptized by the Holy Spirit”, such anointed event was initiated with a breakfast at: Centro de Amistad Cristiana, by Pastor Cesar Betancurt and all his family giving all their unconditional support to the work of our Lord. Brother Constantin & Pastor Aurel initiated the event with a message that had tremendous impact, all the present congregation responded in with an enlighten presence of the Holy Spirit, as we looked around the church it was inevitable to ignore the presence of the mighty power of God touching everyone that morning, we couldn’t wait to continue with the following day with Gods call to serve him. That evening we departure back to the town of Abasolo, town located in the “Sierra Madre Occidental” in a stretch of two unique formations of mountains. Visiting the neighboring town of Hidalgo, that produces many tons of cement, extracting all the stone from their huge mountains, also visited by many professional mountain climbers from around the world, claiming to be just perfect for their passionate sport. Admiring such a beautifully scenery in this canyon of vast size of blue stone mountains, we can admire Gods lovely creation. We had an opportunity to pray for an older couple from Switzerland, that our Lord may bless and protect them from this dangerous sport. The day ended with prayer and fellowship at Edgar’s parents’ home that evening, again with the presence and anointing of the Holy Spirit filling our souls with fire and ready for another blessed day in Mexico.

Friday, February 12 after a good night sleep, we woke up by a delicious breakfast prepare by brothers Edgar’s mother, we departure to the town of Mina, being the only archaeological site of its kind with many paintings on large stones. Delighting our self’s with the serenity that the desert provides, where we all agreed to be a good place for a prayer seeking the presence of our lord. Driving another thirty minutes in to another mountain we visited an orphanage, unfortunate the children were not in campus, we had an opportunity to talk and pray for one of the staff members, leaving for the children some bags of candy. Pastor Aurel suggested he wanted to visit a spring of water in the town of Hidalgo, it was quite an adventure driving to this place, our van started to heat up and the road was a bit rough, but manage to arrive safely. It was a great experience to be high in the mountains and breathe such a clean fresh air. That evening we  returned to Monterrey to the church of Centro de Amistad Cristiana with Pastor Cesar Betancurt.

Bringing word of knowledge and encouragement to the people that attended the seminar, we where all filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit being such a blessing and encouragement for all of our brothers in Monterrey City. After the service ended we arrived at brothers Cesar’s home, spending great time of prayer and worship with all his family members. That night in Monterrey was a bit cold, since we didn’t have any heating, but with the fire of the Holy Spirit kept us warm.

Saturday, February 13 starting the day at church with a home made breakfast prepared by Rebeca  Pastor Cesar’s wife. The service started with the active participation of all the mission members, it was a great honor to serve our Lord in bringing the good news and blessings to our brothers in Monterrey Mex. During the service a young lady was mighty blessed with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in heavenly tongues as it is written in the book of Acts 2. Brother Toader Stirbu had a vision from God that a beam of light appeared onto the pulpit platform where this woman was praying and seeking fervently the Holy Spirit’s mighty power. As she was praying, brother Toader asked Pavel Sav to go onto the platform where the lady was praying in order to help her prayer because the light was shining on her. As they were approaching the side where she was praying, she started speaking in other tongues as the spirit gave her utterance. I asked brother Edgar Garza, who translated for us – what she was saying.

He told me the language she was speaking was not Spanish anymore – It was a heavenly language and she was full of Joy. That same night, Pastor Balici had words of knowledge from God to different people from the congregation. One was for brother Edgar’s parents to not look back on the old path of tradition they came from but to move forward, following the true living God, which saved them. It was such a rewarding moment to see Gods glory manifest in such a divine way, touching everyone in the congregation including all the members of the rehab center. We will never forget this mission trip, bringing to our lives a purpose to continue serving our mighty God. The seminar concluded late that night with plenty of joy and anointing that was felt amongst everyone present.

Sunday, February 14 early Sunday service initiated that morning with the fervent participation to serve our Lord. Church service and family prayer meeting were a blessing for all of us. God confirmed once again through a godly woman from Mexico City that the project of school in Romania is in God’s will. Words from Isaiah 44:1-3 were given as a reference to that project.

“1. This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

2. I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.

3. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.”

That evening we where invited for dinner to a restaurant named “El Rey del Cabrito”. They specialize on charcoal grilled tender goat meat. There is a saying that if you visited Monterrey and didn’t go to this restaurant you did not visit Monterrey (very authentic food from the state of Nuevo Leon).

Monday, February 14 we departed from Pastor Caesars home early that morning, driving back for approximately four hours to Harlingen Texas to catch our plane that would take us back home to the States.

We saw once again his mighty work as we see in every country that our Lord permits us to visit. Our thanks are to Him because he gave us the honorable privilege to plant Gods word in Churches and under privilege communities in yet one more country. We ask you brothers to please pray the lives of those who gave their own lives to Jesus that they will become light in the darkness.

Blessed be the mighty name of our Lord Jesus!