Our Work
 The
state of Querétaro is one of the oldest colonies of Mexico. It was
actually the third capital of Mexico during the turbulent times of
revolution and civil war. The city of Querétaro is also one of the
most beautiful cities in Mexico. My name is Rich Fleming. My wife
Jody and I are International Mission Board missionaries working in
Querétaro. This web site has been developed to show the great need
the Queretanos have both physically and spiritually. Our task is to
present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone we encounter. It is
not an easy task, but it is an important task. Thank you for
stopping at our site and let me tell you a little about our people.
The state of Querétaro has a population of about 2 million
people. Approximately one half of this population live in the
capital city of Querétaro. Our assignment points us to the
non-urban population and another missionary family ministers in the
urban center of Querétaro. The non-urban field consists of 17
municipalities that encompass an area about the size of Connecticut.
This is not a real large area but the entire northern half of
Querétaro is covered with the Sierra Madres Mountains. Thus
traveling becomes difficult and slow when we work in the north. On
our first journeys through the northern half of Querétaro we
marveled at God’s beautiful creation. Also we were touched by the
difficult and rugged lifestyle of the Mexicans who lived there. They
do not have an easy life as they work the ground and hope for rains
to water the dry, hard soil.
Currently we have focused the majority of our efforts in the
southern half of Querétaro. Our ministry is based in the city of
Tequisquiapan. This is why we have adopted the name “team tequis.”
From Tequisquiapan we have entered communities to the south and west
sharing our testimony with the residents. As doors open to us we
begin Bible studies with the intent of starting a house church.
Something that may be of interest to you is some of the statements
we hear as we work in these small communities. While most of the
people we talk to are Catholics our message from the Bible is a “new
word” to their ears. At times this is good news and at times the
message is rigidly rejected. Many ask us what we believe about Mary
the mother of Jesus. We always respond that Mary was blessed by God
to be the earthly mother of Jesus Christ. In addition to this, we
show the scripture that Mary recognized Jesus as her Savior. Also we
hear; “What version of the Bible do you use.” Our response is
simple, we say bring us your Bible and we will read to you verses
that are very important to your life. Our desire is not to argue
about versions or extra books but to show that the Bible contains
the Word of Hope for their lives. And sometimes we are told that
they cannot talk with us because their priest has warned them about
us. We simply respond that is fine we don’t want to offend you or
your priest but before we leave do you have a special prayer request
that we can pray about for you? If we receive a request we will pray
right then with the people and also return to get updates on their
prayer needs. As you can see we encounter all different kinds of
questions from all different kinds of people. But the most important
thing we realize is that our people need to hear the truth of the
gospel and the truth about exactly who Jesus is.
You can help us make a difference in the lives of the Queretanos.
Our motto is Planting, Watering, and Harvesting in Querétaro. While
you may not be able to visit Querétaro and work along side of us,
you can pray for the ministry in Querétaro. Please visit our prayer
page and look at the urgent prayer needs of team
tequís. Maybe you
enjoy travel and would like to come and spend a week or two on our
ministry field. This would be a huge blessing to us and also a great
blessing for our people. Please visit our opportunities page and see
how you can become involved.
 In
closing I would like to share a little about ourselves, and how God
has called us to Querétaro. The International Mission Board is the
sending agency to international missions of the Southern Baptist
Convention. We have been appointed to Querétaro because the
evangelical rate is only about 1.37% of the population. Our deepest
gratitude goes out to all Southern Baptist churches who give
generously so that we may continue working daily. In addition to
this we recognize many Great Commission churches across the United
States whose members give faithfully to the ministry of team tequís.
Thank you for visiting our site. God bless you as you serve Him in
the United States and thank you for praying for the Queretanos and
the ministry of team tequís.
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Querétaro
para Cristo
Catholicism
is intertwined in almost all holidays and activities of the Mexican
people. People are catholic because their parents or grandparents
were catholic, not because they practice Catholicism. They feel that
changing their “religion” would be like changing their
nationality, and you can’t do that. This is one of the main
reasons that the statewide evangelism rate is less than two percent.
Pray that the people want a relationship with Jesus Christ, not a
religion. There is much work to be done.