2005 News letter!

Five Fold Ministry Mexico 2005
Revs. Larry and Jimmie Lu Smallwood

In July 2004 while returning from Mexico we were crossing Texas and we felt the Lord speak to us asking us to return with a team to “Build Mexico”.
Slowly the Lord started to build our team, we lost a few along the way but the end results were a team that God called and ordained to be on this project. We choose to work with Chris and Deanna Clark of Life Giving Outreach Ministry (LGOM) in Reynosa Mexico. This is a newsletter of the events that happened while we were building a home for Maria Garcia and her son Luis and his wife and 2 children 2yrs and 6 months.

Our team members were: Larry and I, Joe Chiaretti, Dwight Reading, Rob and David Mullin, Denim McDemus, Jonathan Moore.

Friday April 15, 2005
We woke up early this morning for our drive to Philadelphia, to catch our flight. We were very early and had to spend some time in the Airport terminal. This would be the first time Larry ever flew and I was nervous from not flying in a very long time. It happened that a man named Christian sat next to us in the terminal and we started talking about where we were going and being a little unsure of boarding. It turned out that he helped us through the boarding process and was seated right next to us in the plane. When we got to Dallas Fort Worth he even stayed with us until we were sure what and where we were going and doing. He was sent by God that is for sure. After catching the connecting flight and arriving in Laredo Texas we met up with Danny Cummings for to get the van. Again this was another blessing of God. We started our drive to McAllen, the van had a few problems and we were faced with having to rent a van in McAllen.

Saturday April 16, 2005
We had to get the rental van and be at the airport to pick up Joe and await the other team member’s plane for noon. After everyone was landed we went to the nearby mall to get some lunch. Then we went food shopping and we still had time until we met up with the Clarks. So everyone agreed that Fun Zone would be a good thing to do before crossing into Mexico. There everyone enjoyed miniature golf, go karts, and batting cages. At 9pm we met with Chris and Deanna and crossed the boarder. The guard opened the van but choose not to search all of our stuff and we were on our way. After we all got settled into the churches social building we talked some and headed to bed.


Sunday April 17, 2005
Woke early this morning and everyone had muffins for breakfast. We decided as a team to not go to the Sunday school but attend church. Pastor David of the “El Camino” church spoke a great message. Later in the day we went into three groups and had a prayer walk. At this time we handed out Bibles, tracks, and many care bags and children’s bags. We also invited many to the revival on Tuesday thru Thursday nights. This was a great experience for the team members to get into the community. Sunday night the ladies in the colonial made us a delicious dinner.

Monday April 18, 2005
This is the first day of construction. Larry led morning devotions then Chris and Deanna met us at 8am.Larry and David mixed cement. Joe and Rob were on the saw. Denim, Dwight, and Jonathan were laying block along with some Mexican guys. Me well I was the only girl along and it was my job to paint the ceiling beams and the doors. Realistically we should have laid about 7 rows of block by the end of the day however we laid 10-11 rows and set the windows. Chris talked with the team at the end of the day and said that we worked longer and harder than most large teams. It’s not about the house is what the program is called and we found this out on the first day. Dwight shared with us later that he noticed Mari (Maria’s Daughter-in-law) carrying buckets of water to do the laundry. This moved him very much, and when he shared this the other team members were also moved. I shared how I saw Maria come out of her wood home and bury her face and cry at the site of the new home going up right before her eyes. It is true that no one had to look very hard to see what poverty Maria and her family had been living in.


Tuesday April 19, 2005
The second day of construction. Dwight led devotions and we met with the Clarks at 8am. We finished the walls and got most of the forms in place today we are preparing to pour the roof tomorrow. The roof will be the hardest job because we have to lift 5 gallon buckets with cement to the scaffolding and then to the roof. A man named Hector was helping at the site today when we were digging for the sewer. A good neighbor was Hector when he took off his boots and went into the sewer hole filled with “water” to finish digging. Not many of us here in the US can say we would do that for our neighbor. We finished a little early today and got showers, cold showers. Then we went into Reynosa to a super store that is equal to a Super Wal-Mart here. We got a few supplies and really got to experience shopping in a Mexican grocery store. There were rows upon rows of pastries and they do not refrigerate the eggs. No one spoke English and our Spanish was limited. We were even a little surprised to see guards on towers in the parking lot. After dinner Joe asked the group to go together to get some toys for the children. The Pastor has breakfast each morning for the children in the Colonial. This was apparently moving on Joe to do some thing for the children and so we did. After another delicious dinner we had revival services. I was the speaker the first night and spoke about Christ’s love thru the cross. God moved on a dozen hearts for salvation that night and God really showed up for the prayer and alter time. After church everyone was to excited to sleep so we sat and talked about the service a while.


Wednesday April 20, 2005
This is the third day of construction. Rob led the morning devotions and we were off at 8am once again to start working. By the end of today the roof will be poured and all we will need to do is pull the forms off tomorrow and dedicate the house. We had a near accident when some scaffolding kicked out from under Rob and Luis. They were hanging from the roof form until the team was able to set the scaffolding again. It could have been a nasty fall but God’s hand was upon them and no one was hurt. I can see they guys are tiring some but they seem to be driven by a higher power giving them energy. I am also noticing their eyes are changing and there hearts and lives as well. I am sure it is happening to me as well because I can feel the difference. I was able to get onto the scaffolding and help Deanna smooth the concrete being poured on the roof. However I slipped a little and panicked some and needed to get down. David stepped right through a ceiling block, again God was with us protecting us and keeping us safe. The roof is poured and the hard part of the construction for us is finished. The ladies once again cooked us a fantastic meal. Tonight at church Larry spoke and God moved on 17 hearts for salvation 12 of those being children. Once again the alter was full of those needing a touch from Christ and they were testifying of receiving just that touch. Jonathan was truly touched in this service and rededicated his life to Christ. After the service the team handed out the toys to the children. The little girls were very excited about the hair bows and the little boys really liked the hand held games. Today was a very tiring but exciting day!


Thursday April 21, 2005
Fourth day for construction. Denim led morning devotions. I was particularly surprised at how Denim was showing such love to the Pastor’s dog. His name was Blacky but his nickname was tripod. Someone shot this dog in the leg and his front paw was lame. It sort of became the team mascot. This day will be a light work day consisting of pulling off the forms and washing them. At noon we had the house dedication led by Pastor David. He spoke of how he wished we can come back and build again as there is a great need in the colonial. As I looked around everyone had tears in there eyes. As Maria thanked us for the home we were all moved with compassion. We presented Maria with a loaf of bread, container of salt, bottle of water and a brand new Bible. She also received a house warming basket and a box of supplies. We gave a box to Luis’s 2yr old daughter and one for their new son as well. The Pastor’s wife wanted to cook for us so she made us lunch. After lunch everyone basically napped. For the evening meal we requested the ladies sit and eat with us. This is not their custom so we said that it would be an honor if they joined us and they did. After the meal, we were treated to a huge cake from Luis and ice cream from the Clarks. What a nice treat for all our hard work. This night was the last night of revival. Denim was the speaker. After the Pastor introduced him, the pastor shared that he was looking for a Christian wife. I’m not sure if he got any offers or not. He had a great message of God’s love and dozens of people came to the alter that night. So for us to put a total on how many gave their lives to Christ in a three night period I would have to say 50+. Then the Pastor called the team back up to the alter and the church prayed for us. This was very intense and all the team members were emotional. After prayer the praise team played some songs and everyone was dancing and enjoying the moving of the Holy Spirit.


Friday April 22, 2005
This morning we woke and packed up the van. Jimmie Lu led morning devotionals. Then we said good bye to Pastor David and he prayed for us. Then we were off to Progresso Mexico for a little shopping. We would also meet up with Chris and Deanna for lunch. As we were entering Progresso Dwight pointed out that a horse was crossing the road. This is not any sight we would normally see here in the states. The guys were very quiet as we drove over to Progresso, I truly think we were all glad to be heading home to see our children and the guys their wives. We met the Clarks at 11am and enjoyed lunch with them. After eating we enjoyed a duet by 2 Mexican guys with guitars. Larry asked where he could get a strap like theirs and they sent us to a store. Well we never found the store but Larry did get a strap from another guitar player right off the street. One more thing we did before heading to the states, Larry and I renewed our marriage vows with a ring ceremony. Chris led the ceremony while the team all gave us there support. We were off to the airport to get the guys on their flights. Larry and I had flights for Sunday and wanted to change them, as did Joe. Joe was able to change his flight first and Larry and I did the same. We would all be heading home to Pennsylvania in the morning. Joe, Larry and I had a delicious steak dinner before retiring to bed. One thing we can all agree on is the hot shower felt fantastic.



Closing
Larry and I truly believe this trip was called of God. We had 8 people that barely knew each other and we finished the house in 3 days. What a testimony to the love of Christ. We were asked to return next April and build a home. We have the dates set and the team has increased in size already. As many of you know we have sold our home so we are enclosing our cell phone # for you to reach us at. We would love to come to your church and share what God did in Mexico. Please pray on how you can help Build Mexico next April.


Sincerely in Christ,




Rev. Larry & Rev. Jimmie Lu Smallwood
Five Fold Ministry.



We wish to thank the following Churches and supporters for there help in making this Mission trip a success.

Good Will Book Store
Auburn Church of God
Larry & Diane Schwenk
Bob Weaver Chevrolet
Living Waters Church of God
Anchor Christian Fellowship
Dudash excavation
Christ Community in Tremont
Drehrsville Methodist
New Ringold Zion United Methodist
First Cong. Church Minersville
Bethany in Cressona
On-line Angels
Kathy Zimmerman
Hlvaty’s plumbing
Zoar House of Prayer West Va.
Danny Cummings in Texas
Dot Mattern
Maureen Vanic
Jackie Dorian of Prudential
AMVETS Ladies Aux. Post #17
Send Me Ministry
Girard Ville New Life Community
Joe & Rose Chiaretti
Barbra Thompson
Carl & Jackie Kneice
Ethelyn Moore
Bonnie McDonald

A special Thank you to Chris and Deanna Clark of LGOM. Visit their web site at www.lgom.net to see photos of our trip.
Thank you to the team members and their families for sacrificing a lot to be a part of this trip.

2004 News letter!

Mexico Trip 2004

Dear Friends in Christ,
On June 23rd we left from Pottsville and headed west! Twenty-three days and almost 5,ooo miles later we have a lot of stories to share. I hope this letter will bless you as much as we were blessed on the mission field.

On June 27th we were honored to visit Overcomers church in St. Louis, Mo. We were truly blessed by the worship time we had there. After the church service we passed out some of the children’s bags to the little children there. Pastor Melvin’s wife Thelma liked them so much that she also enjoyed getting one. What a blessing it was to be with all the lovely brothers and sisters there.

June 28th we arrived at the Atwood’s farm in Walnut Grove, Mo. We set up the puppet stage and Larry went with Mike to pick up the 55&1/2 lbs bags of dry milk (14 in all) to take to Mexico.

June 29th Karen and I started to pack the gifts for the children in Mexico. We packed 20 bags in all. Larry and I packed all the goods into the motor home. Larry also had to do some minor repairs to the storage compartments. Later that night we got to visit with some friends from PA. Gary and Andrea Fehr, who had moved out to Springfield a few months earlier, spent some time with us while we were in Springfield area.


June 30th We had been invited to speak at Fresh Oil Ministry in Springfield, Mo. The Praise and Worship was a wonderful time in the Lord. Larry ministered the word of God and Elizabeth was accompanied by John Weaver and sang a special. After services Gary took us to the Assembly of God M.A.P.S. RV headquarters. Thursday morning we were blessed to meet and pray with some of the wonderful people who work there.


July 1-3rd we spent traveling south through Oklahoma and Texas. We arrived in Westlaco Texas Sat. We were hosted by Tom and Shelia Shidler who also were our guides and interpreters. Saturday night Larry and Tom picked Shana Atwood up from the airport and our mission team was complete.


July 4th Independence day for us was spent in Reynosa, Mexico. We started the day by driving across the boarder, and into a small boarder town and met up with Chris and Deana who are the “Build Mexico” missionaries. From there they took us to meet the pastor of Iglesia Metodista De Mexico A.R. He could not speak English and we could not speak Spanish. We had to rely on an interpreter to communicate. The pastor was a very sweet spirited man who had the joy of the Lord on his life. Shana taught the children’s Sunday school class and Jimmie Lu gave a testimony on how she came to Christ in the Adult class. Before the church service began the pastor was kneeling to pray and Larry joined him. There was a language barrier there but not a spiritual one. Praise the Lord! Praise and worship began and even though we could not understand the language we were still blessed. Larry ministered the word of God. It was a little different speaking with an interpreter but God’s love was shown. We opened the alter and almost the whole church came for prayer. After church the people began to greet us with smiles, handshakes, and even a kiss. We then were taken to a family’s home for a meal of tamales, beans and lettuce. They had made homemade tamales for their guests. The children were offered a special frozen treat that resembled freeze pops here however they said it didn’t taste the same. The families in this community by our standards are very poor. They build their homes out of what ever wood they can find. When it rains in this community the streets flood and most of the homes are flooded. So a home made of wood will after time become rotten or infested with termites. Chris and Deana are building concrete homes for some families. We are feeling the Lord lead us to build a home with them. We will be putting a team together to go sometime in March/April. (Details will follow). We had the opportunity to do some shopping and we bought the piñatas for the next day and family camp. That night Shelia, Jimmie Lu, and the children all stuffed the piñatas. The team also prepared the things to go in the next day.
July 5th Again we arose early and headed across the boarder. This day was especially important to get a green light in as we were bringing in a lot of toys and clothing for the orphanage and Praise the Lord we got right in just as He promised us we would. We got to the Casa Hogar Corazon Grande A.C. orphanage and were greeted by some children and the missionaries, Gator and his wife who run the orphanage. The children of this home are not adoptable they all have one parent but certain circumstances have given them the right to be in this Christian run facility. As we were setting up the puppet stage and getting the gifts ready some children from the street began watching us through the gate. When we were all set up they brought in 17 children for a fun time. Three children had returned home. We started out by introducing everyone and playing some games. Shana had put together a game with squirt guns and shaving cream. The object was to clean your partners face. The winner received a water balloon set for a prize. Then Jimmie Lu passed out the bubble gum for a bubble blowing contest. The winner of that got a bucket of bubble gum. The children really had a fun time and so did a few of us grown ups. Shana and Jimmie Lu then put on a puppet show. Equipped with a camel, a yellow bird, and a few other fun characters they shared a message about God’s love. After they show Shana led a Salvation bracelet project with the children. I was surprised at how well the children knew the Word of God. Then it was piñata time. The children had a lot of fun with the Sponge Bob piñata we filled with candy and toys for them. Our time at the orphanage was very rewarding. We ended our time with the children with a group photo on the jungle gym on the grounds.
We then were taken to see a home that Chris and Deana had helped to build. Then we were treated to an authentic Mexican meal at a street restaurant. It was very a very different experience to what we are use to being “Mexican” food. We truly understand what God has called us to do while we were there and when we once again return. Graces to all our new amigo’s that helped make our first mission to Mexico such a success.
July 6th – 8th we made our return trip back through Texas and Oklahoma into Springfield Mo.
July 9th and 10th Disciples Fellowship’s yearly family camp in Houston, Mo. Friday night we set up camp and began a time of fun and good Christian Fellowship. Mike and Karen’s children’s band led worship and Pastor Melvin Parker was the speaker. What a mighty move of the Holy Spirit. I just know that many people’s lives changed forever that night, including my own. After services everyone enjoyed some swimming and fellowship.
Saturday morning was another time of great worship and prayer time. A few of us had the opportunity to sing and share testimony. Saturday night we drove up to Licking, Mo. and prepared for services the next day.
July 11 Larry enjoyed an adult Sunday school class led by Delmar Miracle and Jimmie Lu helped out in the children’s class. Larry got to be a part of the worship team for praise and worship. Jimmie Lu was able to share some testimonies of Mexico and Larry ministered the Word of God. We then enjoyed a bar-b-que at Pastor Everett and Lottie’s home. We then headed for a little R&R.
July 11th through the 13th we spent at Merimac State Park. There we camped next to a wonderful couple that does a lot of outreach ministry. How God takes care of us?? His ways are higher than ours.


July 13th we drove over to High Ridge to do the evening service at Disciples Fellowship there. Once again as I stated before the Praise and worship time was just wonderful. Elizabeth and Larry did a special song and Jimmie Lu ministered the word of God. We had a miraculous alter time one lady was healed and many lives were changed. It was so good to visit with Pastors Keith and Pat Hemmingway. We were able to share a lot of what God had done in Mexico.
Homeward bound!!!! We arrived home on July 15th. The things we were able to deliver to the Mexican people are as follows. Diapers, sanitary napkins, baby scale, 20 gift bags of toys, 101 personal care bags, 45 hand sewn children’s bags, a case of Spanish new testaments, Spanish bible tracks, 20 bags for the orphans that included socks, underwear, sandals, clothing, a stuffed toy, crayons, coloring books, and a personal care bags,14-55&1/2lbs bags of dry milk, and most importantly, the loving salvation message of Jesus Christ.
I want to take a minute to share a story of God’s protection with you. We were leaving San Antonio, TX, headed to our destination for the night that was just on the other side of Waco, TX. We decide to get of the interstate to get some supplies we no sooner got off the exit and our right front tire blew out. You see we were traveling the speed limit which is 75mph in Texas. Had we not got off we would have been in a terrible accident. Larry immediately through his hands up to God and said “Thank you God, Thank you Jesus”. God had protected us. Not only did He protect us He also guided us to the right place to have new tires put on. We went to a Sam’s club where we are not members. The man working in the tire area waved the membership fee sold us a the tires for a good price then mounted and balanced them in the parking lot and was very nice to us. God protected and provided for us.



We have a lot of stories to share. We would like to come and share our photos and testimony at your church. To schedule a date for us to come you can call us at (570) 544-3982 or email us at fivefold_5@hotmail.com
We really appreciate all of you who gave into our ministry and for those of you who prayed for us.





Thank You
Five Fold Ministry