When Brother R. L. Montgomery recently asked me to go with him to his Island in Mexico, little did I know of what lay ahead for me.  I have known him and his wife Janie for the last 15 years.  I became acquainted with them at the church where I was the business administrator in Houma, LA.  I had helped R. L. several times with the different projects he was involved with in the past.  I had always wanted to travel with him to Mexico and beyond.

When in the last few years he began to tell me about the Island mission work I really got the urge to go with them.  The first week of November 2005 I finally contacted him and made arrangements to meet them in Texas.  I left my vehicle at their relatives’ home in Rockport, TX, and piled in with them.  We had eaten a big breakfast and were ready for the road.  We got to the border and stopped to get my visa.  I needed my birth certificate and my driver’s license to do it, but all the processing went well.

The trip south was long and filled with surprises for me because of the beauty and the different scenery that we passed through.  If, like me, you have never passed through Mexico, then you are in for a real surprise.  The roads, R. L. says, are 100% better than ever but the driving is scary.  You meet someone who is being passed; he gets to the far right of the center and you get to the far right of the center and then there is someone passing in the middle.  Thank God, for his mercy endures forever!  He kept us till we were at our turnoff to get to the Island.  The turnoff is about 1½ hours south of Tampico, MX.  We left the pavement and immediately we were on a dirt road dodging potholes.  Some of these holes were full of water and you could not tell how deep they were.  R. L. was dodging in and out of the potholes.  He even had some of them named.  He said the government had come in since the last time they were there and filled in some of the really bad ones.

It took at least an hour to get to the barge crossing.  R. L. pulled up on the barge and immediately was hugging some of his friends and introducing me to them.  They were speaking in Spanish and I was just engrossed by the beauty of the Island from the far shore.  The trip by barge took about 15 minutes.  A 16’ fiberglass boat with an outboard pushed the barge.  We got to the other side and it took us a while longer to get to the village.  The road was a lot better.  It was great to finally be able to say that I was on the Island and getting ready to meet the people of the Island.

The next person I met was Juan.  He was just ahead of us carrying some wood on his back to the village.  He sells it to help pay for his necessities.  Anyway, we stopped and got him to get on the back of the van with his wood.  We got to the village and there was excitement in the air because R. L. And Sister Janie were back on the Island.  Someone even fired off a couple of firecrackers.  R. L. got Juan to play us a tune on a lemon leaf, which was really a treat.  You have to hear it to believe it.  God takes the ordinary to confound the wise.  I was introduced to quite a few of the Islanders including the mayor and his wife.  We ate fried fish with them later and it was very good.

R. L. showed me the church building and the work that had already been completed.  It was great to be able to walk around the building and imagine the end results -- a completed place to worship the Lord.  He talked to the workers and everyone was busy processing fish.  It would be Monday before we could start laying blocks again. This gave R. L. and me time to get everything organized for the work to start on Monday.  R. L. ordered blocks and cement from a local building supply house.  We got extra sand for the cement from the Island road.  Everything was set for construction to resume on Monday.

It was great to be able to finally see the mission project and to be able to help in whatever small way that I could.  Sunday we were invited to eat at a young couple’s home and to fellowship with them.  While we were there, other Islanders gathered to see and talk to R. L. and Janie.  The meal was a special meal prepared for us which takes a long time to prepare.  It was seviche, raw fish chopped up in very small pieces and soaked in lemon and lime juice.  This wasn’t the first time I had eaten raw fish but the first time ever in Mexico.  Within 24 hours I became very sick.  While in a foreign country you should always follow the rules.  Never drink or use the water unless boiled and never eat any fish uncooked.  Of course, I broke the rules and paid the price.  I became very sick and spent four days in the hospital in Ozuluama, MX, before beginning the trip back home to the USA. I came to the conclusion that in everything I went through God was in the middle of it protecting me and making sure that I was taken care of.  I thank God for the doctors and hospital staff in Ozuluama, MX, and my friends Brother R. L. And Sister Janie Montgomery for praying for me and everything they did during yet another trial in my life. I give God all the glory for my quick recovery and for the wisdom given to the doctors to know how to treat me.

Yours in Christ,

Bobby L. Gibbs

We’ll send you another newsletter very soon on the progress with the building!  Be blessed!