Pastor Melquiades and his wife Salvina Garcia have a long history of community service in Maneadero, Ensenada, Mexico. Pastor Melquiades was born in a rural Mixteco peasant community in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. He was reached by the Lord Jesus Christ when he was 20 years old, in 1998. He emigrated the the state of Baja California in 2000, and began to learn more about the word of God. He came to live in a very diverse and humble community called Canyon Buena Vista, where he learned to congregate in a Christian church. It was there where the Lord Jesus Christ helped him fix his marriage and take his children to church. The Holy Spirit taught him to serve for the love of Jesus Christ. They began to give classes to preschool and primary school children classes to low-income children, so that they learn to read, write and do basic life skills. God was truly guiding their lives. God provided the resources to get ahead despite scarcity and poverty. One of his dreams was to finish a professional career. With God’s favor, he achieved it. Upon finishing his Bachelor degree in Secondary Education, the Lord called him to serve in the community, where he currently lives, as pastor of the local church. The decision was difficult, but the Lord confirmed his call by leading him to attend Calvary Chapel bible college in Ensenada. It was there that the connection was made with some missionaries from Calvary Chapel High Desert of California, who had the vision of reaching indigenous families emigrating from the southern states of Mexico, and the church was born.
Currently the Lord has guided them to work with the Mixteco, Triqui, Zapoteco and other indigenous families and reach them for Jesus Christ. They currently have 60 families regularly attending Calvary Chapel of Maneadero, Companeros. In addition to the church, they have a mission base for visiting groups from the US and Canada. By the grace of God, they now have two church plants so that families can gather and learn the word of God, and learn to live by faith. The new churches have started with people who have attended our local church for several years. Calvary Chapel, Jesus is the way, preaches the word in the Mixtec language, which is the dialect of many who lived in Oaxaca and have migrated into Ensenada. The Mixtec church is growing quickly and currently has 30 families attending. This year they opened a primary and middle school which provides basic education to boys and girls who were not attending a public school. 40 children are registered in the program. The plan is to have a building equipped for the church and the children’s rooms where they can have breakfast and also study God’s word. The other church plant is a neighboring Colonia where there are 12 families and their children gathering twice a week to learn how to put their trust in Jesus. The hope for the future is with the children who are currently being destroyed by drugs, alcohol and the struggles of living in poverty without the Lord to guide them.
