“There’s no place like home,” has never been truer to me than it has in the past few days. The months of April and May found me, for the most part, away from my beautiful mountain home. But I will say, I made some mighty precious memories, and lots of new friends! God is so Good to me!
It was my honor to have been part of the Ladies’ Conference in the Montecito Park Baptist Church, Pastor Ezequiel Salazar, in Ontario, CA on April 5th and 6th. I enjoyed speaking twice to the huge audience of ladies. And Mrs. Miriam Salazar as always, was the perfect hostess.
I returned to Chiapas on the 8th, and instead of coming home, Ulises and Elizabeth Martínez drove me to Ixtapa, where I enjoyed a few days with them before coming home. I covet your prayers for them, as they are planning to return to Israel shortly. I am managing to spend special time with them between my travels. I attended a Bible study that Ulises started in the home of Claudia Fierro, a single lady who works in Israel. She attended our Banquet last year. She and her family are Christians, and although she has already returned to Israel, her family invited Ulises to hold Bible studies in their home.
Now for a Mimi Moment: my grandson, Thomas Gregory, the son of Andrés and Anna, was saved on April 14, after my granddaughter, Sophie, Ulises and Elizabeth’s daughter, gave the invitation in her children’s class. The following Sunday, Ulises baptized him. I don’t know if a 6 year old can be filled with the Holy Spirit. But I have never seen an adult rejoicing like that little boy did during his baptism. I pray the Lord will use his life in a very unusual way.
Then on May 1, I flew to Orlando, Florida, where Karina Armendáriz met me at the airport, and drove me to the beautiful 5 bedroom-house that would be my home for the next 5 days. I was there for a ladies’ conference, the 2nd – 4th. I was honored to speak 5 times. But the special thing about this conference, and the reason for my huge home away from home, was that my daughter, Sarah Knabb, and her husband, Jason, and their 6 children would be sharing it with me. Sarah was also one of the conference speakers. Because they are doing deputation to return to México the first of next year, Jason spoke the following Sunday for Pastor Jorge Armendáriz, and presented his burden for Quintana Roo.
Upon my return home, I spoke at our Mother-Daughter Banquet here in my church. I was happy to see one of our former First Ladies present, who was saved a few years ago.
Two days later, I drove a group of ladies from the church to a town about 45 minutes away, and spoke at another Mother-Daughter Banquet.
On May 14, my daughter, Anna, and her daughter, Debbie and I flew to Mexico City, where a young man from the Mount Abarim Baptist Church in Cuernavaca picked us up. Pastor Alejandro Ramírez, and his wife, Rosie, treated us royally. There were about 300 ladies who attended the three-day conference. In one of my invitations, I noticed one of the ladies in the church speaking to a girl who raised her hand for Salvation. I was honored to speak 5 times, including the ladies’ Sunday school class the following Sunday. And once again, the Lord provided family time, with my daughters, Anna and Ruthie, and my daughter in law, Liz, Philip’s wife, who were also speakers. Debbie participated in the special music.
The girls returned home on Saturday, but I stayed until Sunday afternoon, when a couple of young men from Iguala picked me up, and drove me two hours to the Faith Baptist Church. I was invited to speak 7 times in their two-day ladies’ Conference. I have not stopped talking about that amazing work since I returned home. The young pastor, Pastor Ivan Sotelo, and his beautiful wife, Eunice, have four precious children. They have taken in three more children, who are siblings. Their parents are serving time in prison, and to rescue them they took them into their own home. They call them “Daddy and Mama.”
On the plane coming home, I sat beside a very friendly lady. I discovered that she works in government, and was returning home from a meeting she had the day before with our lady mayor. I invited her to our ladies’ events, and she has kept in touch through texting.
During my absence, our church here had a three-day conference. Twenty people were saved, and another 20 came forward for special service for the Lord.
At our Prayer Breakfast May 29, there were three ladies present from the police force; one of them accepted Christ; another one was at church that night.
May God fill your life with amazing unexpected blessings!
Your friend,
Billie Sloan
Nahum 1:7
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