CLIMB, CLIMB UP SUNSHINE MOUNTAIN
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| ZONGOZOTLA TODAY ~ 1.8 miles South of Zapotitlan, an hour and a half of steady climbing to reach.Up, around a curve, up a still steeper incline, another curve, and on and on until the last curve reveals the village at 3622 ft ~1949-1960's |
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| Like Paul, Dad often set off on foot, across mountains by steep gorges, rabbit trails that used hairpin bends, entering a foreboden yet beautiful lush landscape of tropical-type rain forests with his Barnabas's , to a people eager and ready to receive the Gospel |
One of the greatest joys and delights of reflecting back on all those treks to other villages is recognizing how mightily the Lord worked in winning many to himself.
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| DAD & COFFEE DRYING IN THE SUN |
One of the founding fathers of the CHURCH in ZONGOZOTLA, a Totonac village, was ISIDRO CANO, a prominent,prosperous businessman in coffee cultivation. On a visit from DON RICARDO, Don Isidro gave his life to the Lord. His joy reflected his generosity as well as leadership abilities and a church was begun and a building erected.
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| Mother, Dad, Miguel C., Uncle Larry Puckett |
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| COFFEE BEANS |
The church was built of stone, the roof of cement, a first in that region. The work was done by volunteers, the women along with the men carrying the stone up to the building site. Dad brought the steel window frames and glass with the Jeep to the end of the road in Cuautempan and from there, the men carried the windows to Zongozotla, about a 4-hr. trek.
Church buildings at higher altitudes were generally built more solid in structure than those in the low land due to the climate difference and availability of building materials.
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| Miguel & Aurelia |
Don Isidro had a rather large family. He sent 3 of his sons to our Hostel in Zapotitlan and they followed on when it was re-located to Cuautempan. MIGUEL CANO went on to Bible School and became a pastor in his own home church. (Miguel married, AURELIA LOPEZ, Dona Maria's niece from Mecatlan.)
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| Miguel at far left as a teen before he got glasses |
"Miguel began to show leadership and teaching abilities at a young age. At the age of thirteen he self-appointed himself to teach the younger children in his village. Each day during the week, with Bible in hand, he gathers around him those who care to learn, and teaches them their Bible verses for the next class." ~excerpt from MIM news bulletin July Aug 1949 by NURSE Hazel Eby A VISIT TO ZONGOZOTLA
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| Dad next to horse |
HUITZILAN, The Aztec village where Sebastian Vasquez came from.SEBASTIAN click here
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| 27.1 miles Cuautempan to Huitzilan |
The HUITZILHAN (spellings vary) AZTEC CHURCH east of Zapotitlan also built their church. They had access to a sand stone quarry. The men and the women carried the stone up to the building site.
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| BUILDING CONSTRUCTION IN HUITZILAN |
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| THE SAND STONE CHURCH AT HUITZILAN |
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| SEBASTIAN & LUPE IN HUITZILAN |
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| HUITZILIN TODAY |
TREKKING THROUGH REMOTE VILLIAGES CLICK HERE FOR LINK
CAMOCUAUTLA CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO TO GET A PICTURE OF THE BEAUTY THAT SURROUNDED SOME OF DAD;S TREKS. This was the village from where the Gomez family originated before MANUEL GOMEZ SR was martyered on his way to Zapotitlan with the boys.
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| Benjamin, Alberto, Joaquin, Manuel Jr. The Gomez Brothers 1950' |
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| This is from a slide that Dad used in his slide presentations while on furlough. |
The key to Dad's success in the ministry lay in the fact that he possessed both a great natural ability to endear himself to the people, to develop relationships, assimilate into the culture, and his grasp of the language.
He spent time visiting from village to village and home to home, finding an anxiousness to hear the Gospel. In 1956 as reported in his ANNUAL REPORT, he visited 58 villages and spent a total of 85 days away from home. He made a total of 123 home visits and 51 personal contacts. The total attendance for the year for classes held, preaching services etc. was 6269
Dad had/has strong hopes, a tenderness of heart. His piercing brown eyes would sweep over the landscape claiming another village to visit. Many times with traveling companions ready to enter untried fields with him, guides who knew the endless paths around to yet another remote village.
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| Dad in the pith helmet, Joaquin Gomez in yellow, and Larry Puckett in back, John Giesbrecht on horse |
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