TBC’s mission is to Proclaim Christ and disciple those who claim Christ, all for the glory of Christ! One of the many ways this church has always lived this belief is through our commitment to local, state, national, and international missions. Every year, members at TBC faithfully and sacrificially give to support missions near and far. But it’s not just giving money, for over the years men, women, boys, and girls have physically served near and far to present Christ to a lost world. From back yard Bible Clubs at an apartment complex in Amarillo to building pigpens in China. From replacing roofs in Colorado to leading pastor’s conferences in Nigeria, Peru, and Cuba. From sending teams to Poland, Belarus, and Suriname to finishing construction on a house in the Rio Grande Valley. From building churches in Montana to partnering with ministries in Taiwan and Thailand – our church has literally been living the Great Commission for decades.
When thinking about how to remind ourselves of this great heritage for missions, I thought about asking some of our present members to share about their experiences working “on mission.” During a recent visit with long-time TBC members, Don and Libby Elms, they shared about how God used them for several years to bless people in Mexico. For a fifteen-year span they built churches, parsonages, a clinic, and other structures while at the same time loving the people with whom they served. Here is their story, as shared by Libby…
Don and Libby Elms’ Missionary Journey
In 1994, we bought a little house trailer with the intention of going to the Rio Grande Valley for the winters to live in the sunshine so Don could play golf.
Before we left Amarillo, a friend suggested we go to Cone Oasis Baptist Encampment to park our trailer, it was a staging area for missions to Mexico. It would be a place where we could fellowship with other Christians and do physical labor to help with the maintenance of the camp.
We arrived at the camp on a Friday, and the camp manager announced that he was going to drive the old school bus the camp owned the next day, so we could visit mission points in Mexico. He told anyone who wanted to go to bring a sack lunch and meet at the cafeteria at 8:00 a.m.
We thought this would be a great opportunity for us to get acquainted with other campers as well as see how God was working in Mexico.
We visited 20 churches that day! The poverty there was heart breaking, yet the sweet spirit of the people was amazing. The last church we visited that day was next to the Matamoros City Dump and whole families were scavenging to earn a few Pesos just to survive. The church building was about the size of a one car garage, it had a dirt floor, no electricity, and they were using tree logs for chairs. The missionary, Martha, told us that the building was for sale and the owner was allowing her to use the building as a preaching point until it sold. She also told us that the building could be purchased for $1500. Then it could become a permanent preaching point.
On the way back to camp, Don turned to me and said, “I think I’m sensing the Macedonian call to come over and help these people… how about you?” It thrilled my heart for him to say this, as I too was feeling a strong desire to minister to these people. We had just come through a seminar featuring Henry Blackaby’s teaching, where he said, “when you see GOD at work, we should join HIM.”
After much prayer, we wrote to our Sunday School Department (Merrell Bibby was our Director) and told them about this building and its costs. Almost immediately the class sent the $1500, and that was the first church building TBC provided through our contacts.
The next year, four lots became available in the same general area for a cost of $4000. This was a GREAT bargain, even by Mexico standards, and again we wrote our friends at TBC, who quickly sent the money we needed. Years later, we partnered with a Georgia church and built a church building, medical clinic, and a modern two-bedroom parsonage for the pastor and his family.
The following year, pastor David Evans suggested that the Missions Committee put Mexico Missions in the budget, and we were given a $25,000 budget. Because we were VOLUNTEER missionaries, we did not receive a salary or money for expenses. Therefore, every dollar we received from TBC went toward the missionary projects. The money was deposited to the Rio Grande Valley Baptist Association, and they wrote the checks for ministry projects, which gave a good accounting of how the church's money was being spent. In the beginning, the $25,000 budget provided for a 30’X50’ sanctuary with permanent materials; concrete blocks, plastered walls, tiled floors, and concrete roofs. By the time we finished our service in 2009, the cost had increased to approximately $35,000.
Many groups from other churches in the USA built structures in Mexico. However, because of time constraints and urgency (only having a week or two to complete what they built) those structures were more temporary, made primarily from wood. The elements and termites prevented such structures from standing the test of time. We realized from the beginning from visiting older church structures, that termites damaged even the church pews themselves. We knew that we had to use permanent materials to build something quality for GOD. Since it took time to build a 30’X50’ structure, we would start one year and finish when we returned to the Valley the next. We would include men from the local church body to assist us and found that many of them were very good masons.
We were put in contact with two Mexican pastors who were major leaders in the Matamoros area. These two served as interpreters and made us aware of the major church needs. They also helped us function in the business world when purchasing materials, etc. for our projects.
From 1994 to 2009 we were able to build nine church buildings and seven parsonages. We tried to carefully use our resources to meet needs wherever we saw them, repairing leaky roofs, providing electricity, installing flushing toilets, building baptisteries, digging septic systems, etc. In each case, we used volunteer labor from each church, as the Mexican men are GREAT craftsmen, and their help allowed our money to go much farther.
Every winter we would leave Amarillo in late December and return home in early April. During our time as missionaries, we worked inland in the areas of Tempoal Veracruz, Monte, the State of Durango, and other interior areas. We also worked in or near border cities such as Reynosa, Matamoros, and other smaller cities.
Let me say that these fifteen winters were the happiest and most rewarding years of our lives! We are eternally grateful for the joy and privilege our LORD allowed us to serve in this way, and it is the prayer of our hearts that many will come to Christ as a result.
In a letter to the church at the end of Don and Libby’s service in Mexico they said, “It has been the prayer of our hearts that every project we have been involved with would result in souls coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their personal Savior."
We at TBC are blessed to have such faithfulness demonstrated by our members. Thank you, Don and Libby, for your testimony of faith and service!