"I Got Saved!"

Since the day we found out I was expecting Little Andrew, we began to pray that God would save him at an early age.

Our prayer was answered on January 13.

We were having school together, and he suddenly began to cry and said, “Mommy, I need to be saved!” He had been asking me questions for several months, and I knew that the Lord was dealing with him. I took him to our bedroom, and I read salvation verses to him,

and he prayed and asked God to save him.

What a joy that was! All day long, he would come up to me and just HUG me and say, “Mommy, I am so happy now!”

We were in our second day of our Missions Conference, preached by Bro. Luis Ramos, and that evening, when Andrew saw his Uncle Philip, he said, “Uncle Philip, I got saved!” That night, during the service, Philip called Andrew to the front, where Little Andrew publicly told the church that he had been saved.

He got baptized the following Sunday, January 16. It was such a special blessing to me to see him follow the Lord in believer’s baptism.

It is so refreshing to be with a new convert. His love and enthusiasm for the things of the Lord are so contagious!

We are rejoicing over this sinner that’s been saved. We continue to pray for him, that God would use Little Andrew for His honor and glory, and that Little Andrew would fulfill the purpose for which he was created.

Rejoice with us….God is so good!

Little Andrew Jonathan

Pastor/Uncle Philip letting him tell the church about his salvation.

Little Andrew with Bro. Luis Ramos and Uncle Philip



Thank the Lord for such a good pastor!
Aren't these such sweet pictures?!

Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings on our family!

God Did It For Me! (Conclusion!)

Mexico or United States?

So now the questions arise: Which do you prefer? Mexico or the United States? Which is home? Do you miss the States when you are in Mexico?

My answer is as follows: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

In Mexico I have: A wonderful, loving husband; my precious children; an excellent pastor-brother and family; an amazing church, ministries, church family whom I love dearly; friends (both saved and lost) for whom I pray. Most of my earthly treasures are in Mexico…so naturally that is where my heart is.

While we had the most wonderful visit to my beloved United States of America, and I wouldn’t trade that time for anything, Mexico is HOME to me. I love Mexico.

In my heart, I feel thankful that I get to share the best of two worlds. That is the way I see it.

“Thank You, Lord, for providing the way for us to make this trip, and for lovingly laying out every detail to make this trip most enjoyable.

“Help me never to put my eyes on earthly things, which do so easily corrupt; but help me to lay up treasures in Heaven… May I ever be ready to give any earthly possession I have that Your Holy name may be glorified in my life.”

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

From a very grateful lady!
--Mrs. López

God Did It For Me! Part 5 (Extended Family)

From the beginning of our trip to the States, we saw how God provided for us in special ways. A few days before we left, my cousin Tammie (Ashcraft) González and her family, who are missionaries in El Salvador, came through on their way to the States. It was such a special blessing to be able to see them and to spend some time with them.

It had been about 10 years since I had last seen Tammie.

While they were here, I mentioned to Tammie the great desire that we had to go to the States, and she said she’d be praying that it would all work out.

(At that point, we weren’t sure if we were going or not.)

We got our tickets on Friday, to leave on Sunday…. That afternoon, I excitedly called Tammie and told her, knowing that she, too, would be excited.

Henry and Tammie Gonzalez and their children

On Sunday afternoon, a couple of hours before our bus left, Tammie called me and said she had arranged for us be picked up at the airport in Monterrey by a couple in my Uncle Tommy’s church (our plane got in at 11:00 p.m.!); and that we were to stay in Uncle Tommy and Aunt Brenda’s house. (!) I couldn’t believe it. We were touched by Tammie’s interest in our trip, to have made these special arrangements. “And…” she continued, “I have arranged for you to have a ride across the border. You will be riding with Mrs. Suhl and her son, who want to go to the States for Christmas, but need someone to travel with them.” How good the Lord is! Not only would Mrs. Suhl be a blessing to us, but we could be a blessing to her in return! I thanked Tammie over and over for taking time to work out these arrangements.

Things worked out so nicely! (They always do when the Lord arranges them, don’t they?!) The very sweet couple (Bro. Francisco and his wife) picked us up at the airport; we enjoyed a sweet time of fellowship all the way to Uncle Tommy and Aunt Brenda’s house. (Uncle Tommy and his family had left that morning to go to the States for Christmas. But they had left clean sheets on the bed! And everything was so clean!) We all enjoyed nice, hot showers; and fell into a nice, soft bed. My prayer that night was, “Thank you, Lord, for the extra-special things You do for us!”

Uncle Tommy and Aunt Brenda

Our trip the next morning with Mrs. Suhl and her son was so much fun! It was a special blessing to have gotten to ride with them all the way to Austin. (“Thank you, Mrs. Suhl!”)

While we were in the States, we also got to have a very special visit with my Aunt Pam and Uncle Lanny (Mom’s brother); and we also go to see their daughter, Rebecca, and their beautiful granddaughter, Madison. It had been ten years since I had seen Rebecca, and I had never met Madison. It was very special to get to see them again.

Mom and Aunt Pam


Rebecca with Sarah and me



Rebecca, Madison and Aunt Pam


I am an adult now, but looking back, I can see how my aunts have had a godly influence in my life. I remember as a child, when we would go visit my Aunt Brenda I loved to watch her in her home; and when my sister Sarah and I were still single, we took a trip to a conference at Uncle Tommy’s church, and Aunt Brenda was such a wonderful hostess!

I admire her and thank the Lord for this godly example that I have.

And I will always remember how LOVED my Aunt Pam made me feel. She has always expressed her love for me and an interest in what I do and what is going on in our lives. To a child, that means a lot, and even now as an adult, it is encouraging to know she is praying for me.

A special THANK YOU to my aunts. I love you! As I think about my own nephews and nieces now, I pray that I can be a godly influence and example to them!

I hope they can love me as much as I love my aunts!

God Did It For Me! Part 4 (Find Us Faithful!)

On this trip to the States, (definitely one of the high-lights!) we also got to meet the daughter of Missionary John Beekman, who led my father-in-law to the Lord, and with whom he worked for several years. Mrs. Judy and her husband, Steve, were such gracious hosts! We enjoyed a delicious meal in their beautiful home. We talked for several hours, mostly about Andrew’s parents and their connection with Mrs. Judy’s parents. Then Mrs. Judy brought out four zip-loc bags, each with photos which Mrs. Elaine Beekman had neatly organized into each bag. It was so neat to see photos that the Beekmans had taken of their life and ministry among the Ch’ol Indians. One of the photos is of Mom and Dad López, when they were very young. In the photo, Dad López is holding 2-year-old Magdalena (who is now 52 years old!) and Mom López is holding a new-born Samuel (who is now 50 years old!)

Mrs. Judy gave us some things that belonged to Mrs. Elaine Beekman to take as gifts to my mother-in-law: she gave us a set of canisters and some bead necklaces. What treasures these will be, especially for my mother-in-law, who loved the Beekmans so much!

It was sweet to hear Mrs. Judy sing a song in Ch’ol to us;

and then our children sang in Ch’ol for her.

Mrs. Judy’s younger brother, Gary, came as well and we were able to meet him and his lovely wife, Julie. What a blessing to have been able to sit and have fellowship with these dear Christian people! Our hearts were knit to theirs at once!

Andrew talking to Gary and Julie Beekman

(Notice the canisters on the table between Andrew and Bro. Gary)

Debbie and Andrew playing in Mrs. Judy's livingroom

“Thank You, Lord, for the example of faithfulness we have in the lives of these missionaries. May those who come behind us find us faithful.”

Julie and Gary Beekman; Judy and Steve Van Rooy


One reason we went to the States was to buy a car. (We had been praying for a 2001; Andrew especially wanted a 4-cylinder with a manual transmission.) When we were at Mrs. Judy’s house, Andrew mentioned to Bro. Steve that he was looking to buy a car. Bro. Steve said, “I have a friend who sells used vehicles; he used to be a Wycliffe missionary, he is honest, and has never sold a ‘lemon.’ Let me call him up and see what he’s got.” Bro. Steve called him; he said: “Yes, he has a 2001 Toyota Camry. It’s a great vehicle, but it’s a 4-cylinder and has a manual transmission.” Andrew and I looked at each other and laughed. Andrew said, “That’s exactly what I’m looking for!”

A few days later, we got in touch with the salesman, and within a few minutes of seeing the car, Andrew said, “This is the one!” Praise the Lord. HE gave us this car; and He used Bro. Steve to help us get it!

Our beautiful car. "Thank You, Lord!"

God Did It For Me! Part 3 (Spiritual Encouragement)

Another great blessing of having been in the States was the spiritual encouragement we received. Besides being able to be at the Beacon Hill Baptist Church, we were able to visit three other churches who have been a blessing to us over the years…the Petra Baptist Church, Pastor W.N. Bond, who was Dad’s pastor when he was only 19 years old, and attending medical school; the Family Baptist Church, Pastor Kelle Hein; and the Immanuel Baptist Church, Pastor Louis Horton. In 2000, I was blessed to have been a part of that church by working as a teacher in their Christian school. The people there feel like family to me, and it was such a blessing to me that Andrew and I were able to be there.

I don’t know if supporting churches in the States realize what it means to missionaries to be able to be able to visit their churches and receive encouragement. As a missionary, one often feels spent physically and emotionally, for the glory of God; and to be able to be in churches and sit and listen and to enjoy hearing the preaching is refreshing.

It means everything to a missionary to hear, “We are praying for you and your family every day.” One battles with everything from criticism and discrimination to literal demons from hell nearly every day, and to know that someone takes the time to pray specifically for me

means a lot.

One man told us: “I have your family picture in my Bible, and every time I read my Bible, I look at your picture and pray for you. And I read my Bible at least three times a day.” What encouragement and strength we have drawn from the fact that people are praying for us!

Don’t forget about your missionaries. Pray for them, and let them know that you are praying. When a missionary comes to your church, remember they have spiritual and emotional needs. God meets every need, and He supplies according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus; but He uses people to encourage, to uplift, to say, “Just keep on keeping on!"

Bro. and Mrs. John Manning...

"Thank you for ALL you did for us!!! We love you!"

Miss Laquita Brown and Mom

My Lovely Mother

Bro. Manning, Bro. Jim, and David

Andrew got to bring the message on Sunday night at Beacon Hill....

The Sloan Kids singing

David's family singing


The López Family singing


The Knabb famiy singing

The Lopez children singing

Our family with Bro. and Mrs. Bond...
What a blessing they are to us!

Bro. Manning telling about his golfing experience with Andrew...his first time to go golfing!

Thank you, Bro. Manning, for your tender heart toward the missionaries!

Andrew gave his testimony and I translated

Another Sloan children special
Bro. Louis Horton

Sloan children singing at Immanuel Baptist Church

The Hortons took us out to I H O P....
"Thank you for EVERYTHING!"

We were able to go visit Bro. and Mrs. Riley...

who have always been such a blessing to all of our family!
Tom's children sang for her...
...as did Andrew and I

We love you, Bro. and Mrs. Riley!

What a blessing to have been at the Family Baptist Church with the Waldrops and the Heins!

Thank you for all you did for us while we were there! We love you!

God Did It For Me...Part 2

F A M I L Y

F- Feeling right at home!
A- All about loving each other!
M- Making of Memories!
I- I am accepted!
L- Laughter
Y- Yesterday's sibbling...today's best friend!

By far, the best thing about our trip to the States was getting to be with family. There is nothing in this world like being with family. You can just let your hair down and act crazy, if you like, or sit in the corner and be quiet and watch everyone else act crazy (I'm usually in the OTHER group!!!) and you're still loved and accepted! We were able to be with Tom and Mona; and David and Jolene; and Sarah and Jason; and Mom...the most wonderful lady in all the world! It was great being around my nephews and nieces and being able to love on them. There is no way I could describe what fun it was being together....

Tommy and Mona have 5 children, ages fourteen to two; Jason and Sarah have 6 children, ages seven to eleven months; and David and Jolene have 3 children, ages eight to four. I love watching Tom and Mona with their children, and admiring the way theirs have grown into lovely young people. Every time I am with them, I try to learn all I can as I watch them...14 seems very far away from now, but I know before I know it, that my 7-year-old will be 14! (That's hard to imagine!) And when I am around Jason and Sarah, I can't help but ADMIRE how they handle their little ones, because they are all so little! It is a testimony to me to see how calmly and sweetly Sarah deals with her children...so close in age, many times all of them demanding her immediate attention at the same time...but she sweetly and tenderly cares for each need, as if there is only one child in the room! I want to be a mommy just like her! And David and Jolene are an example to me in the way they do things by routine...order and never chaos. How do they do it? They inspire me to want this in our home, too!

And among all this family fun, I got up each morning to the smell of coffee in the church kitchen, and to the sight of my mother reading her Bible. Everyone had to go through her bedroom to get to the washing machine or to the shower or to the nursery (Tom and Mona's bedroom!); but she stayed focused. What a blessing and testimony to me!

I was thinking just today: If you have nothing in the world besides family, you are BLESSED! What a blessing family is! To each of my sibblings...today my true friends who love me JUST as I am...I say: I love you; I cherish the relationship we have; and I am so thankful God put us in the same family!

(I apologize for the dates on some of the pictures...the camera somehow got that all messed up!)

Tom and Esther and Elisa

Brother-in-law fun!

Who does he belong to?

"This is my first candy ever, Aunt Anna!"

Cousin love....

Good ol' Gospel singin'! I love it!

The girls thought I needed a new hair style....

...like it?!

Belated birthday gifts for Little Andrew

Little Miss Esther Joy

Can we open the gifts now?

Helpful big sister...Gabriela and Elisa Faith

Singing Christmas carols...there is nothing like family harmony, is there?

"Look what I got!"

Mimi's gonna read us a story! Gather 'round!

The "grandchildren" book that Jolene had made for Mimi!

I love all the little heads gathered around Mimi's chair!

Figuring out the Construction Game

Andrew carving the turkey...yummy!

Christmas dinner

Childrens' Mad Santa

Brianna got balls....

...and Stewart got a bead necklace set!

Mama trying to win something good for her Little Esther

Adult Mad Santa

Remember: The biggest gifts aren't always the best!

O Holy Night...sung by the Sloan Ladies...

...and David and Mom playing a piano duet.