The Lechugas
The Lechugas’ story is, in many ways, a love story.
Start with two people led by different paths to work together in Huejotzingo.
Abraham grew up in Mexico, and as soon as he became a Christian, he began to participate in each service opportunity in the church. He was hungry for Jesus, and everything was new for him. He learned how to be the man God wanted him to be. Everything began to make sense in life, and at the same time, he noticed the needs that other people have.
Rachel grew up as a missionary kid in Kenya but had no plans to enter full-time ministry. In 2007, she moved to Mexico for one year to work as a teacher in a school for missionary children, Puebla Christian School, and to improve Spanish. While there, she began to fall in love with the country. At the same time, Abraham became her Spanish tutor and friend. Her friendship with Abraham grew, and at the end of the school year, he asked if she would be willing to date him. She did not immediately agree, because she was unsure if she would return to PCS the following year.
Rachel returned to PCS, and they began dating. Abraham was studying in the Seminario Biblico de Puebla and serving in Huejotzingo with the church, Dios es Amor’s, mission.In 2009, Rachel joined Abraham in the mission work, and in the same year, Abraham and Rachel married. They moved to Huejotzingo in 2011 to dedicate themselves to ministry there full time.
As they served, they learned of the needs in Huejotzingo. The foremost need is for people to know Christ as their personal Savior. Because of their lack of relationship with Christ, there is need for the breaking of generation curses of alcoholism, drug addiction, prostitution, witchcraft, sexual abuse, physical and emotional abuse, and men who abdicate their responsibility as fathers.
For these reasons, Abraham and Rachel currently have a house church which serves around twenty people. Inspired by James 2:15-17, they seek to show God’s love to the people in a multitude of ways. In addition to pastoring the church, Abraham also teaches a weekly Bible study and disciples young men. In the summer, the Lechugas run a Vacation Bible School. In addition, they recently began to teach basic elementary school lessons to children who had no prior schooling, providing breakfast, access to showers, and a library full of books. Abraham and Rachel’s children, Abish and Lani, are homeschoolers, doing their classes alongside the other children. All the kids have recess together and share clean-up responsibilities.
The Lechugas plan to continue this work, expanding it to include tae kwon do and ballet lessons in partnership with a local dance teacher. Each of these will be accompanied by short Bible lessons and prayer.
“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”