For several years now, the families of two of our daughters have asked for the money that would have been spent on presents for their families to be used to provide a special Christmas surprise for one of the neediest families in Los Cabos. This year, Pastor Carlos chose a family with a very special story, but didn’t actually fill us in with the details until after our day of shopping and dinner.
 
The family of Luis Martinez Estrada was chosen. They had been in Cabo San Lucas for three years and had attended a church in mainland Mexico, where Luis had left a good job at a well-known hotel chain, to flee the area from fear of the escalating cartel activity (this actually is one of the main reasons for the overflow in our “squatter” areas). After arriving in Los Cabos, they had not connected with or attended a church until a unique “divine appointment.”
 
At the beginning of the time when there were few jobs in Los Cabos due to the Covid-19 shutdown and consequent lack of tourism, Pastor Carlos saw Luis walking along one of the dirt roads in the Colonia of Tierra y Libertad. Luis accepted the offer of a ride and Pastor Carlos asked how his family was doing for food. Pastor Carlos then offered work to Luis on one of the Cristo es el Camino Church’s work projects. From that point on, the church family began to disciple Luis, his wife, Hernestina, and their four children; Cristan, Madelyne, Erik and Maleny. Over time, the family began to grow in the Lord and their lifestyle changed, but Luis still did not have regular employment and the family was, and is, very needy.
 
The family does not speak any English and are not familiar with North American dialect, so we asked for a translator to go with us to help in the many details involved in buying multiple items for a family of six (with a certain dollar amount for each of them). Pastor Carlos was scheduled elsewhere that day, so we asked for his daughter, Paola. Paola was definitely a blessing from God and the nine of us had a great time.
 
As we went through several stores, the family’s need was seen in their choices; shoes, undergarments jeans, skirts for Hernestina, and other very essential items, with only a doll for five-year-old Maleny and a small pencil case for eleven-year-old Erik. Slender Erik actually picked out a belt that could have fit Richard at the first department store we were in because he wanted a belt so badly. We had to assure him that the next store had a children’s department and would have a belt that would fit him.
 
After an afternoon of helping each member of the family spend their part of the money, we headed to one of our favorite restaurants, Campestre (but we didn’t think about the fact that they are closed on Saturdays). Our next reasonable place to take them to dinner was Pollo de Oro, where one of the owners stood at their door informing us they were out of chicken and would be closing in one half hour. Finally, we gave up and ended up at our last ‘sit-down’ but reasonable option, Pizza Nostra. It was quite an eventful day!
 
But now is ‘the rest of the story’―“the amazing God story.” Several days after our shopping trip, Pastor Carlos shared the conversation we had not known about when we were out with the family. Just before he had chosen the family to be our Christmas Family, eleven-year-old Erik looked into his mother’s eyes and asked if they were going to have any presents to open on Christmas. Hernestina carefully told Erik, “yes,” because deep in her heart she was hoping God would provide something for the children. The rest is history; Pastor Carlos chose this precious family without knowing about the conversation between Hernestina and her son, and God showed how much he cares for the “desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4).”
 
For those of you who have followed our Christmas Family blog through the years, you might recall the fun pictures of the family members picking out their gifts in the stores. This year I ran into a problem. I had so much fun with Paola and the family that I forgot all about taking pictures until we were seated at Nostra Pizza.
 
As one last note―the family picture is in front of their home; corrugated steel and scrap wood on the precipice of the drop-off to the arroyo below. This is one of the poorest homes in Los Cabos, but just look at the joy and happiness on the faces of this family!

We originally came to Cabo San Lucas ten years ago to attend a conference held by Lance Wallnau. Lance, along with others, has taught about the seven mountains―or the seven areas of society that influence a nation―for many years. A vital part of the seven mountain teaching is the biblical mandate for serious believers to prepare themselves and their children for work in what we have traditional called “secular” jobs; in order to be used by God as salt and light in the sector of society God has laid on their hearts.
 
We have also attended several Transform Our World Conferences led by Ed Silvoso. These conferences are a gathering of  believers from around the world that are being used by God in amazing, if not miraculous, ways—in their divine assignments, cities, and countries. Ed teaches the principle of “marketplace ministry.” Basically, marketplace ministry is operating in your sphere of influence, similar to how a pastor with a shepherd’s heart would treat the people in his/her care. The more influential the position, the larger the effects of this type of ministry will be. Nonetheless, stories of amazing results reach down to the most menial jobs―such as Namaan’s servant girl who implored her master’s wife to ask him to go to the prophet Elisha to be healed of leprosy (II Kings 5:1-19); or a modern day testimony of the humble lady who made a living pushing an ice cream cart in Phuket, Thailand. She prayed over the ice cream treats every day as she placed them in her cart; and the rest of her story tells of the snowball effect that resulted in amazing miracles because of her faithfulness to the Lord in humble surroundings.
 
Fisherman’s Landing Restaurant
 
This brings us to a Christian brother who is a vibrant example of a marketplace minister, and just happens to be Pastor Carlos Maciel’s brother-in-law. We mentioned Victor Felipe[U1]  briefly in our blog on Neil and Lee Woollocott from January of this year, but the story is still being told. January of 2020 was our first visit to Fisherman’s Landing, where Victor is the Operational Manager of a restaurant that is built on part of the Cabo San Lucas Marina boardwalk. As Victor shared his heart with all of us, it was clear that Victor―who had never been introduced to marketplace ministry—was already ministering to his employees with the heart of God. He encourages each one of his employees individually and helps to train them in excellence. He goes out of his way for them to excel at their positions, as well as doing what he can to enable them to keep working. He prays with them, allows them to share personal problems that might affect their work, and has a God-given gift of encouragement that he faithfully uses to give hope of a better tomorrow to his employees. He creates an environment that most people would want to work in.  Victor’s story doesn’t end here, though.
 
The newest change of circumstances includes the man who owned Fisherman’s Landing, as well as several other restaurants in other cities, just died of cancer this summer. The man’s wife recently came to Cabo San Lucas to meet with Victor. She knows Fisherman’s Landing was the money maker for the family because of Victor, and is now asking him to help her make the family’s other restaurants profitable―the favor of God is definitely upon Victor and he is currently praying with his wife on what he might be able to do.
 
Richard has been stopping to pray with and encourage Victor as he makes his weekly rounds with the men who try to make a living on the boardwalk, but for some time I was burdened with the need for the two of us to pray for cleansing over the Fisherman’s Landing facilities, as well as the location itself. Just recently we were able to schedule this meeting with Victor.
 
This now brings us back to the rest of the story… In January’s blog I mentioned a “very significant word of knowledge” (I Corinthians 12:8) that was shared by one of our group with Victor, and was immediately confirmed by Victor himself. In the natural, there now is a probability of seeing this word and confirmation come to pass, but as Richard and I just recently prayed over the restaurant, the Lord spoke another word of knowledge to my heart as an encouragement to Victor. Please pray for Victor, his wife and daughter, and Fisherman’s Landing; and for the fulfillment of God’s intent and purposes for Victor that He has revealed so far.

Since we first set foot in Los Cabos in 2010, Richard has greatly enjoyed striking up conversations with the many ‘hawkers’ that flood the Marina boardwalk (especially in high season: October 15-April 15).
Richard loves bantering with them because he can usually turn the conversation to his advantage and begin to challenge them about their lifestyles. Since he is patient and persistent, many wear down and begin to talk to him about their choices in life.
 
Along with taking care of things at home, I spend many hours in front of my computer; leaving little time to spend extended amounts of time with Richard at the marina. It has always been fun when we go together but with Richard’s gift mix, this type of ministry is really his forte. This brings us to Richard’s newest outreach; pastoral-type care for the flood of―mainly men―who come from all over Mexico to work in sales in Los Cabos during high season. Many of these men have been deported from the United States, speak English, and came to Los Cabos to make a little more than the average wage elsewhere in Mexico.
 
Richard started going to the marina every Monday or Tuesday so the men would look forward to seeing him―and they do. He wears the same color shirt and shorts so they see him coming.  He carries bi-lingual New Testaments and tracts in a shoulder bag. The results were instantly amazing. The day that I went with him to take the photos for this blog, one recently-deported young man was waiting for Richard to come so that he could ask for prayer for a sister who had recently been diagnosed with Covid. Up and down the marina men were waving ahead of us to say hello to Richard and to talk with him.
 
Richard has had several accounts of how God has moved in the hearts of different men every time he goes. One such story includes a man from a very rough part of town, who was an artist. Thieves had robbed his lean-to and took his meager belongings, including his easel. The man rode a bike to the marina every day in order to sell paintings to the tourists, so Richard designed an easel that folded up and could be carried on the man’s shoulder. Another man, who is interested in ‘spiritual’ things other than a relationship with Jesus Christ, has asked to go to the barrios with Richard on a work project.
 
The name of the elderly lady in the photos is Juanita Bonita and we have prayed over her and rented her water taxis for several years. When we asked this ‘God-fearing’ lady if we could pray for her on the day I was at the marina for the photo shoot, I was led by the Lord to place my hand on her upper abdomen. I really didn’t know why until we were done praying. When I asked her if there was something wrong with her stomach she told us she had three hernias in her upper abdomen and was waiting for surgery. We have not yet heard the report of our prayer session with her.
 
God is so faithful to give His children creative ideas as to how to touch the people in their spheres of influence. Richard’s marina ministry is just one idea of how God would have each of us minister to the world around us—one person at a time. We pray that the Lord will give each of you a personalized plan to touch the many people around you with the love of Jesus Christ.