Pastors Ricardo and Alicia Espejo, founders of this new church, reminded me last night of how they were called into ministry. In 1995 Frances and I were visiting several small towns out in gaucho territory south of Buenos Aires, towing our living quarters with us. We called it our MMM “Mobile Ministry Module”. It served as our only home for 6 years. We were leaving one town when we were informed of a teenage girl and her family that wanted so much to go to the camp meeting that was just starting, but had no way to get there. So we offered to take them although it meant that Frances and the mother and daughter would have to ride inside the mobile house. We had to go about 80 miles out of our way on a back road filled with huge potholes. I remember having to slowly drive off the edge of the broken pavement many times with a huge drop off. It was stuff that no 8 ton fifth wheel should ever be forced to endure. When we got to the camp their preacher had not arrived, so I was invited to preach. Ricardo and Alicia were one of the young couples among the several hundred campers. That night I preached John 12:24 “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains sterile, but if it dies it brings forth much fruit.” Ricardo and Alicia responded to the call to come forward and plant the seed of their hopes and dreams in the fertile soil of God’s will. That night God called them into full time ministry. They left everything, sold their home and their car, took their family with them and rode a long distance bus to Rocky and Sherry Grams’ River Plate Bible School in Buenos Aires.
Upon graduation they felt a powerful call to San Antonio Oeste. They had nothing at all. Only a call, no backing, no money. Today they have a thriving church in a rented hall.
Pastor Ricardo is an unassuming guy that lets his wife, Alicia, do the talking. As we sat in their tiny borrowed house eating a midnight dinner at their table, she told of miracle after miracle, some last week, one the previous day. She says sometimes when her faith was very weak, her husband would make scary faith declarations.
Check out this recent miracle. There she is in the group of kids at Felipe’s feet. (See photo) She is standing on the far right wearing white shoes, a pink blouse, a big smile and a sparkle in her eye. She is a four year old whose mother is an alcoholic. Several months ago her mother gave her sleeping pills to calm her down and put her to sleep. Either her mother in a drunken stupor gave her an overdose or perhaps the little girl herself had access and took them all. The result was she did not wake up the next day. Her mother tried to awaken her but it was hopeless. She was limp as a rag doll. A lot of time passed. Much later her grandmother found her still in this condition and rushed her to the hospital. The doctors said it was too late to pump the stomach. The deadly medication was already in her blood stream. There was nothing they could do. The grandmother had been attending Ricardo and Alicia’s new church. There was no sign of life in the little child, but she carried the limp, apparently dead body to the church and interrupted the service. At her desperate pleas Ricardo stopped preaching. He took the limp body in his arms. The arms and legs dangled down. There was no indication of life whatsoever. He prayed for her and then they placed the slumped over little body in a stroller that someone had there. Pastor Ricardo announced to the church that before the service was over that little girl would walk out of there on her own. Then he went on preaching. Alicia admits she was worried. “After such a declaration, what will happen if she still lies there dead? He will be called a liar.” To the amazement of everyone the little girl awoke, climbed out of the stroller and walked around normally and with no brain damage. Everyone broke into praising God.
Last night a young lady called as she was returning home from the hospital in far away Buenos Aires. She had been suffering migraine headaches. Here in San Antonio Oeste the scans showed an ugly tumor inside her head, high in the frontal area. The doctors here were sending her to a hospital in Buenos Aires for the delicate operation. But Pastors Ricardo and Alicia laid hands on her and prayed. Then Alicia says, “He just announced to everyone not to worry because when she got to Buenos Aires the tumor would already be gone.” Again Alicia thought, “How can he dare to make such a statement?” Well yesterday this young lady called her pastor and announced that they had done all kinds of scans and x-rays and that they can find no trace of the tumor. The doctors are stymied. They have the previous scans in hand that clearly show the tumor, its size and location, but now it could not be found. They said there is no explanation and just sent her home. So now she is on the bus heading about 800 miles back to San Antonio Oeste. To God be the glory!
I’m asking the Lord to bless again tonight at our other AG church in San Antonio Oeste. Next week I am actually planning a couple of days off! I just checked and I have ministered 20 times in the past two weeks! The remarkable thing is that I still have a voice.
Ralph
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