OUR STORY
Ron and Debbie Testa first met at a home Bible study in March of 1974. One year later they were married and became involved in their local church. In 1978 they felt God was leading them to become members of Good Shepherd Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where they also attended the Good Shepherd Bible Institute. Ron was a deacon and later an elder there; and they also served in the music ministry, street witnessing, and nursing home visitation.
In 1982, they felt God was calling them to the mission field and in particular, Mexico. In December of 1982, Ron quit his job at 3M Company; they sold their home and went to McAllen, Texas where they studied Spanish for a year. On January 1st, 1983, they went to Mexico to preach the Gospel and plant new churches, working primarily in the rural areas among the Indigenous population. Over the years, Ron has also preached and ministered in the U.S., Guatemala, Brazil and several countries in Europe.
OUR CHURCHES
We came to Mexico with the idea to plant "Indigenous" churches in villages where there was no Gospel witness. "Indigenous" means (in this case) Mexican churches. They are churches that have their own leadership and are self-supporting and self-propagating. God placed us with the Mayan Indians in the Southeastern part of Mexico where we started with one church and now have over 40 churches. These churches were established in the midst of very serious persecution. Many healings and miracles have taken place. From the beginning, God has blessed us with unity in each church and between the churches. Each church is autonomous but also part of the whole. The work acts and thinks like one church. They help each other, visit each other, help build all the church buildings with finances and manpower, and come together in our largest building when we hold evangelistic campaigns. This type of unity has seldom been seen in Mexico or anywhere else for that matter. It is a work of the Holy Ghost, and we are blessed to be a part of it. It has been an honor to serve them.