“Where are the Bibles?!” A YWAM Outreach Story

All of the photos in this story were shot and developed by Tommy on 35mm film: Ilford HP 400.

Here’s How New Believers Received Bibles in Mexico.

“Where are the Bibles?!” I shouted in my broken Spanish. One of the ladies preparing dinner over the open fire threw her hands up excitedly and ran indoors. She rummaged a bit before revealing 3 Spanish Bibles that were tucked away in the corner of the shelter that doubled as a kitchen. Handing them to me, she smiled and said something in Spanish. I didn’t understand her words, but I understood her meaning: It was time for me to hurry back to the park. There were 11 new believers receiving prayer, and we didn’t want them to leave for home without Bibles. The problem was - we only had 3 Bibles. The team would have to locate the others before the night was over.

One week earlier, Tim and I were rushing to Orlando International. It would be an understatement to say we were running late. When we arrived at the airport, we had 45 minutes to navigate check-in and security for an international flight. I dragged camera equipment and a heavy suitcase full of Bibles through the labyrinth of stanchions and bleary-eyed travelers - and was relieved of my burden when the Azul Airlines attendant checked my bags and handed me my boarding pass. If we made it to our gates on time, we’d touch down in Mexico that afternoon. That was just the beginning: when we arrived in Mexico, we’d have to rent a car and drive several more hours inland to meet up with the YWAM Orlando missionaries on outreach.

Another YWAM Outreach.

The team of a dozen young missionaries had been serving in Mexico for about a month. Their outreach was shaping up to be a typical short-term YWAM experience - which was exactly what I wanted. The Lord does incredible things when YWAM’s student missionaries travel to the nations. But under normal circumstances, the only people that get to see and hear the stories are the students themselves, their hosts, and the people receiving ministry. Tim and I were traveling to Mexico to provide 2 things: a suitcase full of Bibles, and camera equipment to photograph, vlog, film interviews, and capture stories of God at work in Mexico through young missionaries.

By the grace of God we navigated the airport in under an hour, slipped an inordinate amount of camera equipment past immigration in Cancun, rented a car (while realizing our Spanish language skills were worse than we thought), drove for what felt like a brief eternity, got pulled over (ask me in person), and arrived at the church hosting our team. It was well after dark, and the team had just finished up another evening ministry time. We joined them for a late-night supper of Coca Cola and the best from-scratch tacos I’d ever had.

Tim and I tagged along with the team for the next week. We filmed short interviews and heard stories of exciting things that had happened prior to our arrival - like the story of how Aiden shared the Gospel with more than 600 Mayan-Catholics; and Lydia’s story of how the Lord healed a Mexican woman’s back, and how that healing opened the door for Lydia’s team to lead the woman from faith in witch-doctors to faith in Jesus. But our first week was pretty uneventful.

Running Out of Time.

Tim and I were scheduled to leave Mexico in less than 72 hours when the team prepared for the last major ministry event that our 2-man camera crew would be there to capture. We’d have to head even further inland. We drove along pitted roads through forests till we reached our destination: a beautiful and remote village that was a blend of old Mexico and the modern world. A quick survey revealed homes built from cinder blocks, thatch-roofed huts, and adobe dwellings. People were traveling by foot and bicycle, and occasionally by vintage pick-up trucks and motorcycles. Many of the homes didn’t have electricity. A prehistoric Internet connection could be purchased for a few pesos at the local general store. Abuelas and abuelos were busily washing jicama roots in the park at the center of the village. Over the next 2 days that park would be the epicenter of a massive children’s Bible school and a public Gospel presentation.

The team’s ministry for children was a huge success.

It ‘d been a long travel day - but before we could go to bed in our hammocks, there was work to be done. The team walked door-to-door through the small village offering prayer, and inviting families to the Bible School and the following Gospel presentation. The visits to the brightly-colored homes proved effective: about 70 children came to the Bible School that weekend, where they experienced Bible stories in Spanish, song and dance, and lively games. The success of the children’s ministry encouraged the team, but the main event was still later that evening: a public presentation of the full Gospel of Jesus. The team was eager to draw as many of the locals as possible. News of the huge Bible School spread, and interested parents and grandparents wanted to hear more.

The team travelled house to house in the village, inviting children to the YWAM Vacation Bible School and adults to the Gospel presentation.

I don’t know exactly how many people came out to hear the Gospel that night - maybe 120. The park was full of young and old. Some came on foot, others on bicycles. The atmosphere vibrated with anticipation. Guests leaned in as the team presented a drama that illustrated the life of Jesus. A student missionary shared a testimony of how Jesus changed her life. Another student presented the Gospel: he shared it in light of the parable of the lost sheep. And after he told an eager crowd about the servant Shepherd-King who came to the world to rescue his sheep, and he issued a call to repent and leave the old life behind, 11 people from the village approached the front of the crowd to receive prayer. They were ready to begin new lives as those born again.

Residents of the village gathered to wash jicama in the park.

As a local pastor and a few of the YWAM missionaries ministered to the new believers, the rest of the team spread out and began to share testimony and pray for individuals in the crowd. It was an unforgettable time of ministry. I’d flown to Mexico to document stories. A week later I witnessed first hand the start of what might be a small revival in a tiny village in rural Mexico. It was beautiful - but the work wasn’t done. It wasn’t enough for the new converts to receive prayer - they needed the Word of God.

I had no doubt it was for this moment that the Lord had prompted YWAM Orlando’s overseas ministry admin to ask me if I’d mind lugging an overweight suitcase full of Bibles thousands of miles around the world on a media trip. But now there was a new problem: many of the Bibles had been given away during evangelism, and the rest were spread out among different people on the team. I was certain there were Bibles back at camp - but I wasn’t sure how many. I’d been spending most of my time on this trip behind a camera, but there was no way I was about to miss out on helping to find misplaced Bibles for new believers in the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula.

So I set my cameras down and ran.

The 3 Bibles I’d recovered back at camp were combined with the Bibles stashed in YWAMers’ backpacks; and by the time it was all said and done we had enough Bibles for the new believers.

I didn’t get to meet the 11 new believers, or be there when they received their Bibles that night. When I got back to the park, I turned over the 3 bibles I’d found to the team, picked up my cameras, and started shooting again. I noticed when the crowd dispersed, there were stains from tears on the concrete slab where the 11 had received prayer. It was evident God had begun a work in the hearts of the new believers that night.

For a moment, I invite you to reflect with me on the woman who found the 3 Bibles in the kitchen: she and I are from different nations. We grew up in very different families. We don’t speak the same language. We’re more different than we are alike - but there is one thing we have in common - and it’s something she and I share even with you: we’re followers of Jesus, and we’re doing our part to ensure that every person on that planet has a chance to hear the Gospel and an opportunity to be discipled.

God made every person to have a relationship with him. But the reality is 2.2 billion people will live and die and never have a chance to hear the name of Jesus - unless someone goes and tells them. Four years ago our family had an outlandish notion: if we gave up our security and comfort in pursuit of reaching the lost with the love of Jesus, then God would be faithful to use us and to provide for us.

He has.

If you’re reading this article, it’s because you’ve been a part of our journey. Thank you - for everything. Together we’re sharing the love of Jesus with everyone, everywhere - until all have heard.

Love,
The Rutts

The Rutts 2022 Highlights Serving at YWAM Orlando

• More than 300 YWAM Orlando Missionaries ministered to nearly 34,000 people.

• 2,992 people gave their lives to the Lord in 10 different nations.

• Tommy visited Mexico on a pastoral care and storytelling trip.

• Emily facilitates weekly prayer and intercession groups for our students.

• Emily’s kitchen garden produced enough organic salad greens and vegetables to feed 100 missionaries twice per day.

• We took our first fully unplugged family vacation in 4 years.

• We began homeschooling Abbi and Judah. Abbi recently read her first book.

• Tommy helped to build our local church’s website.