Texas-Based Ministry Plants Churches, Offers Relief in Mexico

Founded in 1982, Mexico Ministries runs two Bible schools, two medical clinics and a missionary training center
More than 25 years ago, Larry Myers resigned his pastorate at Evangel Temple Assemblies of God in Denison, Texas, and headed south of the border.

He spoke no Spanish and knew little about Mexican culture, but in 1982 he launched Mexico Ministries, an outreach that helps build churches and train indigenous pastors, as well as offer medical and humanitarian assistance.

“I saw the tremendous needs there,” said Myers, 67. “Every little town of 10,000 in this country has 20 churches or more, but in Mexico there are thousands of villages without a church at all. I realized I was needed there more than in the States.”

Today Mexico Ministries runs two Bible schools, operates two medical clinics and conducts a missionary training center. But the Louisiana native is quick to credit God with the ministry’s accomplishments.

“God put a love in my heart for Mexico, but the vision developed over time,” said Myers, whose ministry is based in Denison. “Rarely does God show a vision to more than one person at a time, and rarely does God show a complete vision.

“Others have to believe the one who saw the vision. I had no idea when I started if it would be one trip, two trips or five trips.”

Myers learned to speak Spanish after spending time with the Mexican people and working in villages throughout the nation. Although the method worked, Myers recommends formal schooling for those who minister in foreign countries.

However, his inexperience in speaking Spanish and understanding Mexican culture provided some humorous moments during the ministry’s early days.

Myers stopped at a remote village late one evening and spent the night in his car. When he awoke the following morning, he discovered he had parked in front of a small restaurant and went inside to order breakfast.

“The waitress came over and asked me a question I didn’t understand,” Myers recalled. “I responded, ‘Dos huevos [Two eggs].’ That was about all the Spanish I knew.

“She brought me two raw eggs floating in some kind of liquid. Everyone else was stirring them up and drinking it, so I did too. It was terrible. I laid some money on the table and just walked away.”

Despite the humble beginnings, awkward moments and financial difficulties, Mexico Ministries grew and expanded through Myers’ diligent efforts. He has taken the gospel by boat along the Mexico-Guatemala border and by horseback deep into the mountains of Chiapas. These days, he alternates between raising funds in the United States and ministering in Mexico.

“I was once asked what my budget was, and I said, ‘Everything I raise,'” Myers told Charisma. “There is never enough to meet the needs. We have so many young men going out and evangelizing that there’s always a waiting list. As we have the funds, we build the churches, then do it over and over and over.”

Although he said every aspect of Mexico Ministries excites him, Myers said his passion is to share the gospel and build churches. His organization quit counting the number it has constructed years ago.

“The greatest call for me is taking the gospel to an unchurched people, building a church, walking away and duplicating it again,” he said. “Last year we completed a church almost every three weeks.”

Since Mexico Ministries began, the outreach has helped thousands receive medical and dental care, blankets, a place to worship and most important, the message of Christ. But Myers gives sole credit to God for the organization’s accomplishments.

“When people ask who I am, I tell them that I’m a 6-foot piece of PVC that was cast aside,” Myers said. “One day, God reached down, blew the filth away and began to use it. I am nothing but a conduit for Him.”
John Hillman in Denison, Texas