Juan came every Monday and Wednesday night to the English classes that our Lutheran mission in León offers. Always full of energy and new phrases, he learned from the latest American movie he had watched. He would bounce into the room with, “Hello, Saving Private Ryan” on his lips. Juan loved coming to class, but as he was always busy, he was never able to stay around to chat.With a quick “Good bye, Private Ryan!” he would hop on his bike and make the three-mile trek back to his house.
One night after class in August, Juan invited Tim, the other English teacher, and me to eat brunch with him and his wife, Marina. We went that following Sunday morning to the Mexican version of Old Country Buffet to enjoy a succulent array of Mexican fruits, omelets, meats, beans, and tortillas. After a few hours of sharing our favorite movie quotes, laughing about the differences between our two cultures, and stuffing our faces with as much as a few pesos could buy, the couple offered to give us a ride to the mission, where our worship service would soon begin.
On the way there, I silently sat in the backseat of Juan’s tiny, red car, trying to think of a way to invite him and his wife to worship. Minutes passed, and when we were only blocks from the church, I clumsily blurted out, “Hey, so, well, you know, if you aren’t doing anything right now, I invite you to come to our service.” Juan looked at Marina, Marina at Juan. “Well, I guess it’s all right to learn about other religions,” Juan shrugged to Marina. And they hesitantly accepted the invitation.
That next week, Juan informed me that he wouldn’t be able to continue coming to the classes. “I’m going to be really busy these next few months with work,” he told me. Throughout the next several weeks he invited Tim and me to go to a couple soccer games to root on León’s team. He would always mention that he wanted to get back to a church service, and at the time I would nod to him in an encouraging fashion. I never expected him to show up.
Then, a number of Sundays later, Juan and Marina did attend another service. The next week, they came again. Then again and again, sometimes missing a few weeks at a time, but always coming back. Recently Juan brought his sister and her two children to church, joining our congregation for our Valentine’s Day service with 38 other visitors and regular attenders. They joined in worship with students from the English classes, people searching out a church that teaches the Bible as the true Word of God, and people simply looking for something in which to put their hope. That Sunday, like every Sunday in our mission, people heard the law and gospel taught in a simple way—a message that many had never heard before. The message that Jesus came to the world, died on the cross, and rose to save us out of pure love, pure grace, pure concern for his lambs.
And this is how God collects his sheep, even through a clumsy invitation from the backseat of a tiny, red car.
Ryan Kolander and Tim Pakota just recently returned from serving in Mexico. Joel Hering and Lucas Fricke now continue the ministry.
WELS Kingdom Workers is providing $35,000 to the English as a Foreign Language Teacher-Leon mission project in 2011.
See the list of national projects for 2011.
Contribute to support the ministry of WKW.
