Hands to the Work – Ron & Bonnie Winter

Dear Friends in Christ,

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore myheart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. Psalms 28:7

Camargo: The last of August we went to Camargo, Chihuahua to help Pastor Jorge at the last church we started, to deal with division in the church. Praise the Lord, there is definitely a sweeter spirit in the church now!

Hands to the Work: On average we take around 5 tons of building supplies, school desks, pews, chairs, tables, pianos, Bibles, tracts, etc. to Mexican churches every other month.

In 2022 the Lord provided a truck with 82,000 miles, which we use to haul the loads, and it now has over 200,000 miles. It has served us very well, only requiring routine maintenance and repairs, so we just repaired and upgraded several things to avoid problems on our trips.

The end of September we made a 12 day, 3,500 mile trip, going through Camargo to pick up Cristian, a young man who sometimes goes to help drive. He is a blessing! Our first stop was at a youth camp in Aguascalientes where we dropped off windows and doors for a new dorm. Pastor Pepe and his wife Cecilia were a couple of our teachers in the LAMTI missionary and language school we attended the entire year of 1993. It was a blessing to see them again and that they are still faithful!

Our last stop was Mount Zion Baptist Church in Capilla Del Refugio in the state of Jalisco. We took pews, a piano, doors and other building supplies to them and to 3 other churches under construction in the area. Pastor Juan Padilla started the church over 30 years ago and through their Bible institute have graduated 16 men who have started and are pastoring churches!

On our way out of Mexico the Pacheco brothers in Chihuahua rebuilt the front overhang of the gooseneck trailer, to fix problems we’ve been having for a long time! Praise the Lord!

Health: Bonnie and I each had a tooth worked on by a dentist in Camargo. He charged $50.00 USD for both of us! God is good! Please pray for us to have the health and stamina to continue this ministry a long time!

Prayer: Souls to be saved; Provision of and picking up materials; Upcoming trips; Good health that we can continue the trips.

Ron & Bonnie Winter

Your Co-laborers, Ministering to Churches in Mexico

Dear Friends in Christ,
 
For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.    Hebrews 6:10
 
WHAT A MONTH: Bro Darrell and his wife Bobbie from Missouri, brought their truck and trailer to haul the backs and bottoms of 75 – 18 foot pews to a church on the west side of Mexico.  We hauled the pew ends and legs, school desks, doors, windows, baby grand piano, etc.; 5 tons on each trailer. 
A special thanks to the men of our sending church, First Baptist, Del City, OK who helped us load!
     We had a problem with the temporary permit in Mexico for Darrell’s truck and trailer, that although we got part of it fixed, at each “police” check point, they still extorted money from us.
     The first day in Mexico the goose-neck hitch on my trailer broke off!  But by God’s grace, He kept us safe and a family by where we stopped called a welder who fixed it!  That night that same family insisted we stay with them and fed us breakfast before leaving in the morning!
     Because of one delay after another, one of the Mexican missionaries came to where we were stopped and picked up doors and windows, etc. for him and another church.  Then Pastor Abel in Durango met us on the highway to pick up his doors and windows.  Shortly after, our truck ran hot climbing the mountains, so we turned around and Pastor Abel not only had a place for us to park both trucks and trailers, but helped us as we spent several days trying to get the truck fixed. We attended Sunday Services at his church after which the pastor led his people to take up a special love offering for us, and the pastor’s daughter knew God wanted her to give us the money she had been saving!
    It became obvious the Lord didn’t want us going any further west, so a man from the church in Los Mochis knew a trucker who lives where we were at, that hauled the 10 tons to Los Mochis, for less than the tolls would have cost!  We sure missed not being able to fellowship and preach in those churches in Sinaloa!
     While in Durango we changed the thermostat and water pump, to no avail.  Daryl hauled our truck on his trailer to a mechanic I know in Chihuahua City. From there the Lord took us safely to Bearing Precious Seed in El Paso, and Daryl and Bobbie headed for home. We praise the Lord for their help!
The mechanic told me the truck needed a fan clutch, though our son Josh had just changed it. We picked up a replacement in El Paso, took an Uber to Chihuahua, where our friend Eber helped me put the fan clutch on and helped us drive all night to Durango, to pick up our trailer, and drive back to Chihuahua. That night, brothers Enrique, Azael, Eber and their families had a surprise birthday party for me!  What a blessing! 
     The next morning, leaving Chihuahua, a transmission cooler line blew off.  Again, Eber and Enrique came to the rescue and we made it to Ft. Collins, Colorado to pick up some pews, pianos, etc. on the only day we would have help to load them!  We drove back down to Camargo, unloaded the trailer, attended a wedding and drove up to Wheat ridge, CO to pick up more pews, pianos, etc. which we will leave on the trailer for our next trip.  We spent a few days in eastern Colorado with my family, so Bonnie could get to know them and them her, before heading home.
     Praise the Lord, though a very challenging trip, He showed Himself faithful, protecting, providing, sending help and many opportunities to witness; reminding us that He is with us always!
 
Family: Praise the Lord, Bonnie and I just celebrated our first wedding anniversary!
 
Ron & Bonnie Winter
Your Co-laborers, Ministering to Churches in Mexico

Dear Friends in Christ, 

And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.  1 Corinthians 12:6

Hands to the Work:  In January we took 250 large chairs to the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Mazatlán, Sinaloa.  It is a very active church that is seeing souls saved and is growing!  It has been there for 40 years and the solid wood pews they had were way older than the church.   They sent the old pews to 2 other mission works near there.  After dropping the chairs, we took pews to Eldorado, Sinaloa and helped assemble them.
  In February we picked up a baby grand and a spinet piano in Dodge City, KS. 
     The first week of March, two grandsons went with us to Fayetteville AR to disassemble pews that will be taken to Jalisco when the violence calms down there.  Pastor Wagahoff from Joplin, Pastor Summers and a man from the church in Carthage MO came down the second day to help finish the disassembly and to load them in the trailer.
     The last of March and first of April we took materials to the states of Coahuila and Chihuahua.
     We are so blessed to have the opportunity to serve the Lord and Mexican churches!
     We are planning to take 2 loads of pews, etc. with a couple from Summersville MO, to Los Mochis Sinaloa the middle of May.  Pray for the logistics of taking two trucks and trailers nearly 4,000 miles.
On the way back, we plan to pick up Pews, pianos, etc. in Colorado and Wyoming.

Family: We attended our first-ever marriage retreat in Branson, MO!  It was a blessing!  Bonnie and I are so thankful to have each other!
Since I moved out of Mexico, I’ve been living with kids or in a duplex,
and now after 9 months we got a house!  Praise the Lord!  There is an out-building by the house where we plan to store doors and windows, etc. that won’t fit in the warehouse, to not pay rent on 3 self-storage units.
     Pray for us to not only have the strength and health to continue this ministry for many years, but also for help hauling things to the churches and to pick up materials in the U.S.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support!

Ron & Bonnie Winter
Your Co-laborers, Ministering to Churches in Mexico

Dear Friends in Christ,
 
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.                    Ephesians 3:20-21
 
Happy New Year!  We trust you all had a Merry Christmas!  Thank you for your continual support, and special thanks to all the churches that sent a special Christmas gift!
 
Hands to the Work:  In October we took 5½ tons of Bibles, tracts, pianos, pews, doors, windows, welder, electrical components, pulpits, sound equipment and etc. to 5 churches, and several things to 2 children’s homes in the western states of Sonora and Sinaloa. I preached at two of the churches and one young man was saved!  I preached the twelfth anniversary services at the Iglesia Bíblica Bautista, the last church we started, in Camargo, Chihuahua.  Leaving Mexico, we picked up 90 school desks in Marfa TX, and 14 pews from Quinlan TX on our way home.  We drove over 4,300 miles, without incident!  Praise the Lord!
    In November we made a 3,200 mile trip to the state of Chihuahua, taking about 5 tons of tracts, pianos, pews, doors, windows, chairs, school desks, refrigerator and tools to 6 churches.  From El Paso we went to Old Paths Baptist Church in Fort Defiance AZ to pick up doors, windows, chairs, and etc.  They had great services and Pastor Ness and the church gave us a warm welcome and we ate a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with them! 
    While there we took a much needed day off, to see some of God’s handiwork.  We hiked into the Canyon De Chelly to some cliff-dweller’s ruins.
    Traveling back to Oklahoma, I got food poisoning and spent a night in the emergency room in Weatherford, OK.  Our Son, Josh brought our car and he took the truck and trailer home.
    The end of November, Tim Shepherd sent a pallet each of school glue and hand soap and Kevin Langley from NC sent us over 40 doors and several windows on Bro. Larry Adam’s semi, on its way to Navaho churches in New Mexico and Arizona.
 
NEEDS:    If you know of musical instruments, pews, tables, stackable or folding chairs, pulpits, PAs and sound equipment, tools, house wire, vans, etc. in good condition that could be donated to Mexican churches, please text me.
 
Family: The end of November into December have been very hectic, with doctor visits, recouping, working in the warehouse and shop, getting both health and Oklahoma vehicle insurances, and all the year-end things life brings.  I’m so thankful for all that Bonnie does for the ministry and our family!  We’ve also helped with the remodeling project in our church, the First Baptist Church of Del City.  We spent Christmas in MO with Bonnie’s family.
     We’re renting a small duplex until September.  Please pray the Lord shows us the house/ property we need!
 
Praise: Wonderful 2026! Souls saved; Our Union, our families, our supporters! Safety and provision for the trips,& for all the help from our church and others
Prayer: Souls to be saved; “Hands to the Work” materials and upcoming trips; House
 
Ron & Bonnie Winter
Your Co-laborers, Ministering to Churches in Mexico

Dear Friends in Christ,
 
For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.   Hebrews 6:10
 
Hands to the Work: In July and August we made trips to Eufala OK, Argoni KS, Kansas City KS, Tulsa OK, to pick up pews, pianos, pulpits, tables, etc. 
In September we made a 3,230 mile trip to North Carolina, to bring a load of 103 windows, 42 doors and other things, from Bro Kevin Langley and Tim Shepherd, to take to Mexican churches.  We visited Bonnie’s family in Missouri en route.  After NC, we went down to Bonne’s house in Alabama and picked up some things there.  Leaving Alabama, we went to Gulfport, MS to the Beams ministry that gave us 10 cases of Spanish Bibles.
     Bible Baptist Church in Carthage, MO donated a van that we need to get to El Paso, so the Mexican Missionary, who works with indigenous peoples in Durango, can import it.
 
Western Mexico: We are now making a trip to the states of Sonora and Sinaloa to take 5 tons of pews, pulpits, doors, windows, Bibles, tracts, building supplies and 2 pianos to 6 churches. We plan to leave October 14^th , then on our way up out of Mexico, the 25^th and 26th, I’ll be preaching the 13^th anniversary services of the Bible Baptist Church the last church we started, in Camargo, Chihuahua.  Please pray for all the logistics, safety, and for Bonnie on this 16 day trip, her first trip to Mexico with the Hands do the Work ministry.  She has already been and is going to be a huge asset in organizing the warehouse, the loading of trailers and the trips.  Of course, the biggest blessing is have a lady to love, who loves God and me!  The endless miles and days aren’t lonely anymore! 
 
Churches Starting: Each of the 2 churches we started are working to start a church in towns about 45 minutes from them!  What a blessing to have a part in this labour of love!
 
Health: I had an angiogram of my heart and down into my legs to check for blockages and restricted blood flow.  It appears there are a few arteries partially blocked, but the cardiologist didn’t seem concerned, because they are secondary arteries.  I have an appointment in December to determine if the only medicine that I take, is necessary.  From there, it looks like they will do annual check-ups, unless I would have any symptoms that would indicate a problem.
 
Praise: Bonnie, the blessing she is to me; Supplies for MX churches; Safety in our travels; Opportunities to share the ministry and preach in churches on our trips; Good health
 
Prayer: Trips to MX & securing materials; To find a warehouse central in MX; Safety; Bonnie on trips; Trip to Sonora, Sinaloa & Chihuahua; Van to El Paso; Souls to be saved!
 
Ron & Bonnie Winter
Your Co-laborers, Ministering to Churches in Mexico