Jose and Luz, with their children, were commended to preach the Good News in Arandas by the church in Tonala. When they arrived, the congregation consisted of one or two other families. Jose, a humble servant who shines shoes for a living, began to speak to others of Christ as he shined their shoes. He went into the bars to shine shoes and witness. He went into homes, where he was hired to shine all the shoes and where he was able to proclaim Christ. He shined shoes in the downtown plaza and engaged many in conversations about the Savior. At different times they were able to work with others, like Mike Ball (now in Loreto, Zacatecas), Jose Luis Barocio (now serving in North Africa with his family), but for many years they have carried the Gospel to Arandas alone.

In this city of 78,000 people, what can one humble man and his family do?

The first Christian church in Arandas was raised up principally through the efforts of this family. Let me tell you three stories:

Within months of the time Jose and Luz began to work in Arandas, they saw people come to Christ. Imagine their surprise and chagrin as convert after convert died shortly after conversion! In the first two years they saw five people come to Christ and then die from disease or accidents! It appeared the Enemy was resisting the advance of the Gospel with death. Jose, however, has a different view of what happened in those trying months. He told me how thankful he was that the Lord had sent him to Arandas when He did, that he might bring these to Christ before their deaths. What a difference when we look from a heavenly perspective!

The congregation in Arandas has its own building to meet in, and one day Jose and I were talking about the Lords' provision of that property. He told me that when they arrived in Arandas, it was difficult for him to support the family shining shoes and he began to work early mornings loading bricks into trucks. Each morning, he would arise at 4:30 and walk (Jose has one stiff leg, which causes him to limp) the long distance to where he could load bricks for two or three hours. He explained that as he walked back home, he would go through an overgrown field with a large tree. Daily, he would stop under this tree in the little "room" created by the tall grass around. There he would pray for Arandas. "And," he told me, "the property that was eventually purchased for a meeting place for the church is in the very neighborhood where I used to stop to pray!"

I made arrangements to meet with Jose one Monday and arrived from Atotonilco to find him out. I was more than a little put-out, and brought it to his attention when I saw him the following Sunday. "I'm so sorry!", he said, "I was out on my walk and was not able to get a bus back in time." It was much later that I understood that early each morning, before going to plaza to shine shoes, Jose would take a bus to the city limits. There, in his halting limp, he would continue his walk around Arandas, praying each step of the way. When time came to go to work, he would take the bus home, starting again the following morning where he had left of the day before. He took several weeks to finish the whole circle, covering that city in intercession.

Today, in addition to the church where Jose is serving, there is another church in the city and a young family that have moved there to start yet another. The two churches work, evangelize and fellowship together, fruit of the sacrificial service and prayers of this family.