We may have mentioned Juan before, he's the owner of our favorite taco restaurant the Rancho. He's been coming to our church since sometime before JP and I returned from the USA last year.
The other night, we went to the Rancho with some friends after JP preached at their church. In a rare moment of non-busyness in the restaurant, Juan told us his story.
Our good friends, Luis and Sandy, had been going to the Rancho for some time when they invited JP and I (who, at the time, were engaged - circa 2008). We immediately recognized the world's best taco upon eating there, and have been regular customers ever since. Luis and Sandy had shared a bit with Juan about salvation in Christ. He was interested in spirituality and was open to hearing what they had to say. JP and I also talked a little with him about Christ.
Juan has a sister who lives in Canada, and she accepted Christ. Because her town doesn't have a church service in Spanish, she looked for sermons online and found a Mexican church that offered live-streamed services every Sunday, so she began to tune in regularly. Juan went to visit his sister in Canada, and she also told him about Christ, and encouraged him to attend a Christian church.
In 2011, our church, Horizonte Queretaro, got a new pastor. He and his wife moved up from another city, and we took them to the Rancho. They were hooked, and went frequently. They, too, began sharing with Juan about salvation in Christ.
One day, Juan's sister came to Queretaro to visit. She was in the restaurant talking with him about attending the church she tuned into online, which happened to be here in Queretaro, when suddenly that pastor walked into the Rancho! It was Kike (KEE-kay), the pastor of Horizonte Queretaro, who was by that time a friend of Juan's. Juan found all this to be too much of a "coincidence," and decided to go to church. He began attending Horizonte regularly, then accepted Christ! He now uses his restaurant as a way to point others to Christ as much as possible.
We had heard bits and pieces of Juan's story, but it was amazing to hear him tell how God orchestrated everything to bring him to where he is today!
(Just a side note: since me and another girl listening that night are from the United States, Juan piped up that he had spent some time in the US too. "But it's in a place where hardly anyone from here (Queretaro) knows of - Portland Oregon." Couldn't be closer to home for JP and I. Literally!)
JP going after the "trompo" of BBQ pork at the Rancho
My FAVORITE dish, BBQ pork and cheese taco
