Evangelism Trip

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Evangelism Trip

• Mexico 2007

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The Beginning
Why Mexico?
May 12, 2007
Youve Got Mail
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From Christian Sederholm   To The Coptic
Evangelism GroupDate Sat, May 12 2007 1052 pm
Subject The Miracle in Mexico!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Holy Week Miracle in the Coptic Church in
Mexico. On the Good Friday during The Holy
Week a Miracle happened.. Father Zakaria was
ending the Holy Friday after a very Spiritual
Service when the oil started ....... May God
Bless You all, my Brother and Sisters in
Christ. Somebody..
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So!!!
June 2, 2007
Youve Got Mail
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From Victor Beshir To The Coptic Evangelism
GroupDate Sat, June 2 2007 525 pm Subject
The Miracle in Mexico!!!!!!!!!!!!

• There is a great field there that is waiting for
  workers.   The harvest is so great but there is
  only one worker there.  
• Would you join the missionary work trip in
  August to share in this harvest?
• The only qualifications you need to have is a
  heart full of love to God and a desire to serve
  His Holy name

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June 13, 2007
June 14, 2007
Dear Beloved, I am happy to tell you that I
received the first respond to go to
Mexico..Victor
Dear Beloved, This morning I received a request
from another person to go to Mexico. Victor
Dear Beloved, We have now 10 persons joining the
trip to Mexico Victor
Dear Beloved, We are very happy that Father
Timothy will join us Victor
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The power of prayer

• From MARIA MANSOUR  
• Date Wed, 30 May 2007 205324 -0700 (PDT)
• Local Wed, May 30 2007 1153 pm
• Subject Prayer Vigil " time slots"
• Dear Brethren We need YOUR help to make this
  mission a success. No matter how hard we work to
  make it as beneficial as possible, we need your
  prayers to really make it touch people's lives.
  For this reason, we are hoping that we all
  participate in a 24-hr prayer vigil.

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Getting Prepared
The group members worked diligently and
tirelessly for months to prepare for this trip.
Preparations included

• Collecting geographical, cultural and religious
  information about the country we are visiting,
• Translating materials into Spanish,
• Inquiring about health, accommodation, travel
  requirements, costs, etc.
• Preparing the group Bible Study lessons,
• Constant communications with our church in
  Mexico,
• And a lot more.
• These were all compiled into a Mission Trip
  Reference Book that was provided to all members.

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Mission Trip Reference Book
General InformationWhat is this about? Why a
Missionary Trip to Mexico? Thanks to God for
establishing a Coptic Orthodox Church in southern
Mexico.  The church was established in an area
where many people still dont worship God
instead, they are occupied with spirit worship.
  So, we are going to Mexico to do missionary
work to people who are not Christians, to show
them the love of God and to preach the gospel of
salvation.  In this kind of missionary work you
will vividly see the hands of God, and before
other peoples lives change, your life will
dramatically be changed.   If youre eager to
give a great boost to your spiritual life and to
offer God a few days of your time, then join us
and witness the work of God.  It will be an
unmatched experience that you will never forget
it will deeply touch your heart and will leave a
joy and inner peace in your life for years to
come.   Who May go? You need to be a steward of
God, with a deep love for God and a desire to
evangelize.  The trip is for persons at least 19
years of age.  Since Spanish is the spoken
language there, we would greatly appreciate to
have some people who know some Spanish or are
ready to learn Spanish before the trip using
software or the Internet.   The Cost You are
responsible for paying for your own plane ticket.
 The cost of food, internal transportation,
sightseeing, and lodging is only 200.00   How
to Register Visit the following web page to fill
out the registration forms and mail them before
July 25, 2007.   www.suscopts.org/evangelism/mclas
s.html   then click on Missionary Trip to Mexico
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August 10, 2007
A group of 11 servants from Canada, USA and
Sweden arrived to the Mexico City Airport to
spend 10 blessed days of service
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August 13, 2007
We were blessed by the Arrival of Fr. Timotheus
Soliman, the priest for St. John the Baptist
Coptic Orthodox Church, Miami, FL. Fr. Timo (as
we loved to call him), spent four blessed days
with us, that were enriched by his spiritual
lessons.
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The Story of Our Coptic Orthodox Church in
Tlayacapan Mexico

• On the way from the Mexico City Airport to the
  Blessed Village of Tlayacapan, The Group was told
  the amazing story of our First Coptic Orthodox
  Church in Mexico

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The Story

• God used the longing of an Egyptian Immigrant,
  (Mr. Looka), whose heart desire was to build a
  house of God, to build the first Coptic Orthodox
  church on his own on a small piece of land
  adjacent to his house.
• The Church was used for Sunday School and Bible
  study for the two Egyptian families residing in
  this area.
• Later on, Gods plans for a true working Church
  led Mr. Looka to tell Father Mikhail E. Mikhail,
  Cleveland, Ohio about the church. He told Abouna
  We have a Church that needs a Priest.

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• Abouna told H. H. Pope Shenouda III, who was
  delighted to see the seriousness of this project.
  He recommended they find a bigger piece of land.
• Mr. Looka started on this mission, doubting he
  could find any land in this expensive area.
• A lady approached him one day, saying she had a
  piece of land for sale.
• Price negotiations ended up with the unbelievable
  price of 40,000 for a land thats worth much
  more.
• The Lady was thrilled to know that her land would
  be used to build a house of God.
• The church was named St. Mary and St. Mark
  Coptic Orthodox Church.

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• The church is located in Tlayacapan, Mexico,
  about two hours from Mexico City.
• It is surrounded by green mountains, situated in
  a quite area.
• The Church looks like a monastery.. it is indeed
  a big Church.. As what H. H. Pope Shenouda hoped
  for..

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On the first floor to the left there is a big
future clinic and a big kitchen. To the right
are two bathrooms.
The hall in between the two sides has been used
for the Agaby gatherings after every Divine
Liturgy.
The church is built on the second floor. It has
a crying room at the right side, also used for
Sunday School, and a baptismal room at the left
side. The nave of the church is big and has
beautiful Coptic icons chosen by Fr. Zakaria
Albramousy.
Outside the church there are two small
buildings. One is a guest house, and its second
floor is the residence of Fr. Zakaria.
The second building has rooms for visitors,
(where we stayed). It consists of three rooms,
each can accommodate up to nine persons.
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Consecration of the Church

• The church was consecrated by H.H. Pope Shenouda
  III in February 2007.
• The Divine Liturgy is prayed in Spanish.
• It is such a blessed church that holy oil poured
  from its icons.
• Many indigenous people get baptized in the
  church.
• The evangelistic efforts of the church continue
  to attract many natives to the faith.

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The Father of the Church
The calling Father Zakaria is from Albaramous
Monastery. A scholar of Coptic Antiquity who has
published many papers and articles in
international Coptic societies. He never wanted
to leave his monastic life. However, when the
bishop of the monastery told him that H.H. Pope
Shenouda wants him to go to Mexico., Fr. Zakaria
knew in his heart that this was a calling and he
agreed. When Fr. Zakaria arrived in Mexico,
the church building was not finished and there
were no people attending church services. He was
saddened to feel that he left his spiritual
service in the monastery, taking care of about
400 youth every year to come to a church whose
congregation consisted only of Looka's family and
his friend.
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The Language of Love
Fr. Zakaria decided to go back to Egypt when he
received a comforting message from St. Mary
asking him to stay and witness the glory of God.
On the Good Friday of 2007, all the icons of the
church started to pour oil.
Fr. Zakaria didnt leave the church. He loves
the entire congregation as his own children. Even
though he doesn't speak Spanish fluently, he uses
the language of love. God used him to baptize a
lot of people, and the work of God is manifested
in the miracles taking place in the church.
Father Zakarias love touched each one of us in a
special way. He welcomed us with roses from the
church garden, but the love and the warmth he
showed to us during our stay was more beautiful
than a rose garden.
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God sends a deacon to his Church
Gods miracles didnt stop at the oil and the
icons The church was in need of a
deacon Joseph, from El-Menya, Upper Egypt was
living in USA. He was married to a true Christian
Woman from Mexico. Adriana wished they could live
together in Mexico among her family, But it was
impossible for Joseph to live in a place that has
no Coptic Orthodox Church.
And behold, A car problem stops Adriana's family,
while traveling between two Mexican towns, and it
stops right in front of the new Coptic Orthodox
Church in Tlyacapan. The family was delighted to
inform Joseph and Adriana that God has solved the
problem and that they can move to Mexico and live
by the Coptic Orthodox Church. Joseph now serves
in the church and teaches the congregation the
Spanish Hymns of the Divine Liturgy. His Blessed
wife serves with him with all her heart. This
couple showed great love and dedication to the
service and to us during our visit.
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• The Group from USA, Canada, and Sweden was joined
  by servants from Mexico.

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What did we do???
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We Offered and received Love!!
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We Taught and Learned
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We Witnessed the work of God
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And were witnesses for God
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We played
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And we prayed
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We Ate. Mmmm A lot
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We evangelized
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And we went places
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By the way, Would you like to come and see one of
Mexicos most important religious places?
Come on!!! It is a free tour
Take your place in the line and watch your step!!
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Our Lady of Guadalupe
The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, In the
Guadalupe Cathedral is a 16th-century Mexican
Icon of the Virgin Mary. It is Mexico's most
popular religious and one of its most famous
cultural images.
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The Story
Juan Diego was an indigenous Mexican who had a
significant impact on the spread of Christianity
within Mexico.
On December 9, 1531, he heard the sound of
someone calling his name. He ran up the hill, and
saw a Lady, dressed like an Aztec princess. The
Lady spoke to him in Nahuatl, his native tongue
and asked him to tell the bishop of Mexico, a
Franciscan named Juan de Zumárraga, that she
wanted a sacred little house, to be built on the
spot where she stood.
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Recognizing the Lady as the Virgin Mary, Juan
Diego went to the bishop, but the Spanish bishop,
was doubtful and told Diego he needed a sign.
Diego returned to Tepeyac hill and explained to
the Lady that the bishop did not believe him. The
Lady insisted he return to the bishop. On
Sunday, Diego did as the Lady directed, but again
the bishop asked for a sign. Later that day, the
Lady promised Juan Diego she would give him a
sign the following day. He returned home to
discovered that his Uncle is seriously ill. Juan
Diego decided not to meet with the Lady, but to
find a priest who could administer the last rites
to his dying uncle.
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When he tried to skirt around Tepeyac hill, the
Lady stopped him, assured him his uncle would not
die, and asked him to climb the hill and gather
flowers. It was December, when normally nothing
blooms in the cold. He found roses from the
region of Castille in Spain, former home of the
bishop. The Lady placed the roses carefully
inside the folded robe that Diego wore and told
him to open it only before the bishop.
When he unfolded his robe before the Bishop roses
cascaded and icon of Virgin Mary was miraculously
impressed on the cloth, bringing the bishop to
his knees. The bishop acknowledged the miracle
and within two weeks, ordered a shrine to be
built where the Virgin Mary had appeared. The
bishop then entrusted the image to Juan Diego,
who chose to live, until his death at age of 74
in a small hermitage near the spot where the
Virgin Mary had appeared
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And this is how the place looks like now!!
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Back to where we started What else did we do???
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We Became Best Friends
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Ahhhhh We left our hearts in Tlayacapan
We Learned a lot about the true meaning of Love!!
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Whats Next??