October News

                                                                                                            

     We hope all is well with you and your family. If you haven’t heard by now we wanted to let you know that we are transitioning from being Missionaries at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Mexico and moving back to the U.S. Our time here in Mexico has been most rewarding, fruitful, encouraging, hard, and fulfilling. We are blessed that God gave us the opportunity to serve Him here. We are even more blessed because He gave us a group of friends and family who have supported and prayed for us while we have been here. Thank you so much it has meant the world to us.

     We really weren’t looking to move – at least not so soon. Pilar and I started talking about possibly retiring in a few years as I am now sixty-seven years old. The day to day pressures and physical work at the Bible College as the Director of Operations has been getting a little more challenging as time goes by. But I have loved almost every minute of it and it has brought me a lot of joy and satisfaction. Not so much for what I’ve been doing, but seeing God at work in so many miraculous ways. His guidance, His provision, His working in our hearts and the hearts of the staff and students, and so much more has been incredible. I have also enjoyed teaching the students while here. As we were just talking about retirement, it’s as if God started preparing us for a new season.

     It’s been thirteen years since we moved to Ensenada. It is a long way from our family and friends, and though we have many friends here now, we have missed those we left behind. Recently while on vacation we visited friends we haven’t seen in over ten years. We had dinner and talked and laughed and got caught up with each other. We have also experienced a growth in our family and have gotten a taste of how much grandkids can grow on you. Four were born while we were here. We haven’t been able to spend much time with them and are really looking forward to that. We got to spend time with three of the four while on vacation. What a treat that was playing with little Leo, his new sister Olive, and their cousin Rex.  

     We recently bought a house in Seminary Mississippi (close to Hattiesburg) and are planning to move in October. Funny thing, we moved here in October thirteen years ago. Our house in Ensenada is still for sale. We know it’s in God’s hands and look forward to when it sells. Our Mission agency has encouraged us to ask you to continue to support us during this transition. They are willing to keep us as staff for the next six months and up to a year if we need it. We hope it won’t take that long for the transition but ask you to pray about continuing to support us as we move and get settled into this new season. We are really excited to see what God has for us.

     Though it is exciting to move and we look forward to the new, it is also hard to leave behind the ministry and people here that we have come to love. Please pray for us – for God’s guidance and provision, for safety as we move, and for wisdom and opportunities to serve Him in our new community.

God Bless You,

The Gray’s


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Summer News

Calvary Chapel Bible College Mexico

Hola!

Graduation went so well, and was both a happy and sad occasion.  It’s always hard to say goodbye at the end of the semester, and yet exciting to know God has equipped these students to go out and share with a world that needs to hear the good news of the gospel.

     It seems to be another quiet summer here at the college.  We only have three groups coming.  But there are eight students that will be on campus to help out and they’ve got their work cut out for them!  A group called Lazarian World Homes is providing the funds to help build our first building on the upper campus.  It will initially be the kitchen, dining room, and chapel. Already the foundation has been poured, the Styrofoam blocks that will make up the walls are up and poured with concrete, and the roofing is being delivered this week. It’s really starting to look like a building.

    

Lastly we have some news we’ve been wanting to share.  Leo and I will be returning to the states.  As of now we are not exactly sure when because we would really like to sell our house in Ensenada before leaving.  This is our number one prayer request. Let me give you some background on why we have come to this decision.  Around six or eight months ago Leo mentioned to me the idea of retiring when he turned seventy (he will be sixty-seven this year).  Through a series of events and conversations with some friends it seemed the Lord was moving up the timeline.  The most amazing thing is it’s as if God just put the idea in our hearts and we are watching Him make it happen!  But this isn’t the first time He has done that in our lives, and to be honest as I’m typing these words,  my eyes are filled with tears and my heart filled with gratitude knowing He always is there leading, making the path, showing us the way!  He is taking us to Seminary, Mississippi, close to Hattiesburg, where our son Elliott and his wife Kaci live.

      During this transition time we appreciate your prayers as we go back to a different culture than what we’ve become accustomed to.  Also we ask that you continue your financial support while we move and look for jobs to supplement Leo’s retirement.  This is our second prayer request.

     As I shared earlier, just like when we come to the end of a semester our feelings for leaving this place, this ministry, and these people is hard. Yet we are also excited to see what the Lord has for us in Mississippi.  Thank you for partnering with us over these last twelve years!  God has taught us so much!  We have learned to depend on Him totally.  We have seen Him supply all our needs, protect us, stretch us, and bless us.  We are so thankful that He brought us here.  We are so thankful to you for enabling us to be a part of the work in Ensenada Mexico.


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Spring is in the Air

April 2021                                                                    

Spring has to be one of the best times of the year. Everything starts turning green, the flowers start blooming, the winter weather starts letting up as the days get warmer, and the daylight hours get longer. We hope you had a good Easter Sunday this year.

Pilar and Mom working on potholders for the kitchen

We took Easter week off for Spring break to visit Leo’s Mom, Granny, in Florida this year. She lives in an older neighborhood in Pensacola called East Hill. It has a lot of older flower bushes and trees and it is just beautiful this time of year. The Dogwood trees in her neighborhood take the prize for being the prettiest this year. Living in the dessert in Baja, there’s a whole different set of trees and flowers to enjoy too. Granny is 91 years old and still walks a mile every day after breakfast. We really enjoy spending time with her. She seems to always have a project going and has a schedule to keep us busy. I think my favorite time is after supper and after Wheel of Fortune. We sit around the table and play Skipbo or some other game she likes to play. We were staying close to her home because of Covid, but did manage to visit some of our friends while we were there.

Architectural drawing of buildings for the upper Campus

We do have some good news about the Bible College this month. We have most of the work done on our lower campus – Phase I and will start building our first building for Phase II very soon. The plans are for the building to be a kitchen, dining room, and a Chapel. It’s exciting to work on the plans and put out the stakes for the building location knowing that the building will allow us to have more students and room to grow.                                  

We have a couple of needs before we can start the new building. We have to put in some of the infrastructure – the most expensive is the electrical service. It will serve our needs for all of Phase II and provide the electricity for all the buildings on the upper campus. The cost is approximately $8000. If you would like to make a gift towards the new building you can send a check to CCBC Mexico 591 Telegraph Canyon Rd. Unit 167 Chula Vista, CA 91910. You can put infrastructure on the memo line. If you would prefer to give electronically just contact me at leo@ccbcmexico.com and I will get those instructions for you.                               

Spring 2021 Students
The semester is going well. Spring Break is here and a lot of the students will be going on a Mission Trip to San Felipe over on the Gulf side of Baja. They will be working with churches and other ministries in that city for a week. We are praying for them to have a safe trip and many blessings as they serve with our brothers and sisters in ministry there.

We hope you are doing well and want to let you know how much we appreciate your prayers and support. We really consider you as partners with us in the gospel as we train the students to reach the world for Christ.  Drop us a note or email some time, we would love to hear from you. Email addresses: Pilar@ccbcmexico.com or Leo@ ccbcmexico.com or you can write us at: Leo and Pilar Gray   3621 Vista Campana South Unit 75     Oceanside, CA 92057.

If you would like to support us financially you can send a tax deductible gift by check to: Saving Grace World Missions     17451Bastanchury Road  Suite 203  Yorba Linda, CA 92886 write Leo and Pilar Gray on the memo line or click the Become a Financial Partner button on our web page for credit card or bank transfer at www.SGWM.com/gray.

God Bless You,

Leo and Pilar


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February Update

          What a whirlwind couple of weeks it has been. The final count is forty-one students this semester. The first week we got back we were getting everything ready and then we had Orientation week.  

Spring Semester 2021

Our theme this semester is Run With Endurance from Hebrews 12:1. We had a local pastor as the keynote speaker during Orientation Week and he gave us six tips for running the race that is set before us. I never thought about how God has a special race that we each must run. You cannot run my race for me and I cannot run your race for you but we are all called to run with endurance or patience. I took notes so Pilar suggested that I share the six points with you.

Here they are: 1: Look back and look around you – we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. When we look at those who have gone before us and those we know who are in the race with us we can find encouragement from them as they cheer us on. 2. You might have to let some things go – lay aside every weight and the sin that easily ensnares you. 3. Run with determination – the race has been set before us by God and we should determine to finish well. 4. Keep your eyes on Jesus – He’s the author and finisher of our faith. Take your eyes off of Him and you can get distracted and even go off course in the race.  5. Don’t get discouraged when God is correcting you. He wants to get you back on course in the race you are running. Verse 6 says for whom the Lord loves He chastens and scourges. That is how He corrects us when we go astray.  6. It’s time to get up and get back in the race if you’ve gotten discouraged or may have dropped out.

We were encouraged by his tips and hope you will be too.

When we got back from our Florida trip there was a big surprise for us . We had heard there was a fire on Christmas Eve and even saw a few pictures online. We found, living here in the dessert, that fires are not that uncommon. We have seen several fires over the years but none really close to the Bible College. It was amazing to see how much property burned in that fire. Even more amazing was where it burned. It did come on the Bible College Campus but just around the edges. Some of the staff here told us of how they prayed and the fire just stopped burning in some of the areas. What a testimony and blessing that none of our buildings were harmed at all. It has rained a couple of times since the fire and things are already turning green again.

The Christmas Eve Fire

I wanted to get this newsletter out early because we have an urgent need for prayer at the Bible College. Though we have been blessed with no Covid related illnesses on campus until now, this week several of our students and staff have had symptoms and have tested positive for the virus. Most of the cases seem to be mild and we are praying for God’s help and healing during this time. We have quarantined all the students on campus and we are working from home. I’m thankful for technology that allowed me to teach two classes this morning.

All this in the midst of some of the most exciting times that we have ahead for us that I’ll share with you next month.

God bless you and thank you for your prayers for us.


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January Update

The Grays/ CCBC Ensenada Mexico

      

     We had a wonderful holidays visiting with our boys and their families. We started out in Florida spending time with Jacob, Alex, and Oliver and their families. We have three grandkids there, so we got to watch them and give their parents a break to go shopping, go on a date night, or just be there to have a good time with the grandkids. Ollie’s wife Jenifer has a brother who passed away from cancer while we were there.   He was only thirty three years old.  Please keep them in your prayers.  Last June her father was killed in an automobile accident.  It has been a hard year for their family.   Also while we were in Florida we had the chance to visit with Leo’s mom and Sister Angie for a few of days.  Granny is doing well. She still walks a mile every day and can still play a mean game of Skipbo. 

     Last stop on our trip was Hattiesburg, MS. Our youngest son, Elliott and his wife Kaci, live there. He turned 29 this year while we were there.  His father in law took us fishing down on the Mississippi coast for a day to celebrate the occasion and we came home with a cooler full of fish.  The Lord was good to us as always.

     It looks like this semester we will have forty-four students on campus.  A handful of students arrived early and are helping to get everything looking good for orientation starting next week.  While we were gone a team from California came down, built a Pergola for outside dining.  The one we had previously was starting to cave in because the bougainvillea bushes got so big and heavy.  It was a shame to have to cut them down, but this new Pergola looks beautiful, and it won’t take long for them to grow back. 

     Leo will be leading the Operations team and teaching two classes this semester, Growing Strong in God’s Family and Bearing Fruit in God’s Family. Pilar will be working in the Campus Store and managing the students who work with her. We are both looking forward to having the students back and being a part of what God is doing in their lives.

     Thank you so much for supporting and praying for us. We really consider you as partners with us in the gospel as we train the students to reach the world for Christ.  Drop us a note or email some time, we would love to hear from you. Email addresses: Pilar@ccbcmexico.com or Leo@ ccbcmexico.com or you can write us at: Leo and Pilar Gray   3621 Vista Campana South Unit 75     Oceanside, CA 92057.

If you would like to support us financially you can send a tax deductible gift by check to: Saving Grace World Missions     17451Bastanchury Road  Suite 203  Yorba Linda, CA 92886 write Leo and Pilar Gray on the memo line or click the Become a Financial Partner button on our web page for credit card or bank transfer at www.SGWM.com/gray.


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April News

Pray for peace the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper that love thee.       Psalm 122:6

March 23, 2018

Dear friends and family,
It has been a hard couple of months for Leo and me. There’s been joy and tears.
Our middle son was married to a sweetheart on December 29th. It was a joyous occasion and we are delighted to have Jennifer as part of our family! The Lord gave them a beautiful sunset, but what made it even more special is Leo’s father officiated the wedding.
As some of you know, Leo’s father passed away in February. He was a wonderful man, and he loved large. Not only his family, but his community and those he came in contact with. He fought the good fight and was a faithful servant.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support for us and all our family. We see God’s grace in all of it. Part of that grace was being there when normally we would have been back in Mexico for the start of the semester. But the Lord gave us a trip to the Holy Land with some wonderful people from Hattiesburg Community Church and so our stay was longer. And in the midst of the turmoil he gave us time to walk where He once walked and be with fellow believers whom now we call friends. Thank you Hattiesburg for taking us and sharing in our suffering.
Leo is still in Florida helping his mom. He plans to come home in a couple of weeks. Please pray for him as he makes the drive back. I came home a couple of weeks ago because I needed to renew my Mexican visa, and I am happy to say that I now have my permanent residency card paperwork in!
The semester is at its halfway mark, and there are around forty students going on the spring missions trip next week. Please keep them in your prayers for traveling mercies and protection along with the Spirit of God to use them as they share in service and giving people the Good News.
Thank you again for all your support. Please continue to pray for us and for Mexico 😊

God Bless You,

Leo and Pilar

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Oliver and Jenifer Gray

Mom and Dad /  Ed and Agnes at the reception

 


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New Year New Semester Renewed Passion

IMG_7708 (2)We had a great time in January visiting family and friends in Florida and Alabama but when the time to come back to Mexico came around we felt like we were headed home. We had a week to get ready for the 2015 Spring Semester and the students return this week for Orientation. It is so exciting to hear what they’ve been doing during the break and it’s so good to see them return for another semester.

I’ll be teaching a Discipleship Class, Deepening Your Roots In God’s Family on Monday mornings and a Bible Study on Thursday nights. Pilar’s Tuesday morning Bible Study is starting back up too. Pray for us as we teach these studies that we will have time to prepare and that God will use us to draw others to Himself and that they grow in their walk with Him.

IMG_2767The roof is on and the shingles are the next thing to do on our latest dormitory project.This will be the last building in the Phase One of the Bible College Project. We are in the planning stages for Phase Two and are seeking wisdom in the planning process. There is still a lot to do to finish the Master Plan for that phase of the building project. Pray Pray Pray.

We are so thankful for your prayers and support. It is such an honor and a blessing to be here serving in Mexico. Drop us a note or email some time, we would love to hear from you. Email addresses: Pilar@ccbcmexico.com or Leo@ ccbcmexico.com

You can write us at: Leo and Pilar Gray   3621 Vista Campana South Unit 75     Oceanside, CA 92057.

If you would like to support us financially you can send a tax deductible gift by check to: Saving Grace World Missions     17451Bastanchury Road  Suite 203  Yorba Linda, CA 92886 write Leo and Pilar Gray on the memo line or click the Become a Financial Partner button on our web page for credit card or bank transfer at www.SGWM.com/gray.

God Bless You,

Leo and Pilar

 


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November 2014

thankful

Happy Thanksgiving from Leo and Pilar

     What a great year it has been this year so far. We have seen God move in the lives of our students and the staff here in Ensenada. With Thanks giving coming up this week we are reminded of all the wonderful things we wouldn’t have if it weren’t for God’s grace and His love for us.

Things like family and friends who love and care and pray for us. We wouldn’t be serving here without their sacrifice and help for us. We feel and know that they are partnering with us and that brings a sense of accountability to all that we are doing. The victories, the increase, the ministry opportunities, and the times we get to share with others is all because of that partnership.

Paul says in Romans 10:13 -15  “For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. How then shall they call upon Him whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” So we are all working together for the sake of the Gospel.

It is encouraging for us as two of the married couples who graduated are planning to go to other countries as missionaries. One couple to Nicaragua and the other to Spain. We are sent and now we are sending others. Both of the couples are a tremendous testimony of how God changes lives and the effect of His word on the lives of their families.

Though it has been a great year in a lot of ways it has been a really hard year too. There have been a lot of low times for us. Times when we really had to seek the Lord and beg for His help. God has been faithful in answering some of our most desperate prayers and we are so thankful for that and we are learning to trust Him for those He has not answered yet. We continue to learn that He is in control and that we can trust Him completely.

There are so many other things to be thankful for but time and space aren’t enough to be able to list them all.

We only have two weeks left after Thanksgiving week until Graduation. Please pray for the four students graduating this semester. We are confident that God will use them as they go back home to Mexico, the US, and back to Canada.

Please continue to pray for us here. God continues to teach us, and mold us, and gives us a lot of opportunities to serve Him.

We are so thankful for your prayers and support. It is such an honor and a blessing to be here serving in Mexico. Drop us a note or email some time, we would love to hear from you. Email addresses: Pilar@ccbcmexico.com or Leo@ ccbcmexico.com

You can write us at: Leo and Pilar Gray      3621 Vista Campana South Unit 75     Oceanside, CA 92057.

If you would like to support us financially you can send a tax deductible gift by check to: Saving Grace World Missions     17451Bastanchury Road  Suite 203  Yorba Linda, CA 92886 write Leo and Pilar Gray on the memo line or click the Become a Financial Partner button on our web page for credit card or bank transfer at www.SGWM.com/gray.

Check out the Calvary Chapel Bible College website at CCBCMexico.com


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July / August News

Psalm 92:13-15 “Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in their old age. They shall be fresh and flourishing. To declare that the Lord is upright: He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” NKJV

Once In a while I read a verse that just resonates with my soul and gives me such great inspiration and encouragement. These verses in Psalm 92 are like that. I feel like I was planted early in the house of the Lord, thanks to my parents, their families and friends. He has shown me much grace and favor. I am so thankful for that. My 60th birthday is this month so I really am identifying here with the concept of bearing fruit in my old age. I don’t feel like I’m sixty yet and still try to stay active and busy. I am thankful for good health. I will declare that the Lord is good, holy, and He is my rock – the one I cling to, and I put my faith and trust in Him.

IMG_7236If I want to see what we have been doing lately I just look on Pilar’s camera. She never downloads or deletes the pictures – I usually do that for her – so there’s a good chance there will be a pretty good record of what we’ve been up to. Her camera has pictures from this summer. When I looked here’s what I saw. There have been a lot of teams visiting and helping us this summer. We had to change our plans for finishing a team house that was started because a bridge for a highway is going right over the top of it. The Government will be buying the right of way for a highway that crosses the back end of the school property.  So instead of continuing IMG_0088to build there, only to have to tear it down later, we started on a new dormitory. We have the concrete poured and we are ready to start framing the walls. It has been nothing short of amazing to see God provide the funds and the labor for that building. We still need about $80.000 to finish it and I look forward to seeing how that all happens. When it’s completed we will have at least thirty two more beds for students, some office space, and an additional large classroom. In the future it will be eight apartments, four one bedroom and four with two bedrooms for married staff and students.

IMG_7208The women’s study that Pilar leads is taking a summer break but there are pictures of her last meeting. They were praying for one of the ladies who was returning to the U.S. From the pictures you can tell they have a really good time of fellowship and spending time in God’s word together. I can also verify that they eat really good snacks too because sometimes there are leftovers.

We have combined our Thursday night Bible studies and are studying Revelation. I’m glad I sat in on that class two semesters ago. It would have been tough without that class. I guess the Lord knows what’s next before we do. I think that’s the whole point of Revelation – He knows even when we don’t.

Pictures from surf school this summer are exciting too. There is a whole new group of people showing up onIMG_7254 Saturday morning for Bible study and a surf session. We miss a lot of the old crew but many have moved away or have taken up new interests. They do come by some Saturdays and say hi so that’s an encouragement to us.

If you’d like to know how to pray for us we do have a couple of requests this month. Pray for our family as we are having to deal with some tough situations with our boys. We know God is in control and will work everything out for His glory but the process of getting there is sometimes hard for us to bear. It has also been a hard year financially for us. Mexico just enacted a 16% tax on everything so prices are going up and as our vehicles age they need more costly maintenance and repairs. We don’t complain but trust Him to provide and He has always been faithful. We also have some medical and dental needs that we have been putting off for lack of funds.

IMG_0081The latest pictures on Pilar’s camera have been of a new friend she has adopted. His name is Diego and he and three of his sisters were dropped off at Casa Horizonte – the special needs home for kids that is on the Bible College property. I was giving a tour of the home for a youth group and he followed us back to the college. We brought him home with us and I was able to find homes for his three sisters. They are some kind of lab mix dogs. Now that he’s all cleaned up he looks like a picture from an LL Bean catalog. This is our first dog since moving to Mexico so we are having to make some adjustments. He’s only two months old and likes to chew on everything.

Now you have a picture of what’s going on with us.  Keep in touch send us a note with pictures once in a while and we hope to see you soon.

We are so thankful for your prayers and support. It is such an honor and a blessing to be here serving in Mexico. Drop us a note or email some time, we would love to hear from you. Email addresses: Pilar@ccbcmexico.com or Leo@ ccbcmexico.com

You can write us at: Leo and Pilar Gray      3621 Vista Campana South Unit 75     Oceanside, CA 92057.

If you would like to support us financially you can send a tax deductible gift by check to: Saving Grace World Missions     17451Bastanchury Road  Suite 203  Yorba Linda, CA 92886 write Leo and Pilar Gray on the memo line or click the Become a Financial Partner button on our web page for credit card or bank transfer at www.SGWM.com/gray.

Check out the College website at CCBCMexico.com

 


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May / June News

Junr3It’s hard to believe another semester is already over. We had a great group of students who worked hard, served with joy, and grew a lot. Our theme this semester was from 1Corinthians 6:20  that says “You were bought with a price.” It was posted in big letters on the wall of the chapel and was a reminder everyday of what our Savior has done for us.

June2We had ten students who graduated on May 23. It was quite the big event with over 200 family and friends attending to celebrate and participate in the ceremony. We seem to be growing everywhere each semester and see God using the students in great ways to share what they are learning. As we reflect on these students lives and see how God has been working in them, we are excited for their futures. Some are planning to go into ministry and the rest into different careers and jobs.

We attended a wedding just a week after graduation for two of our graduates from last year. It was outside in a lemon grove and just really pretty. This was our second wedding this year of our  former students. The two couples are in this picture and are great friends – almost like brothers and sisters.

Our aim at Calvary Chapel Bible College MexJune1ico is to be a place where believers are rooted in God’s Word and raised up by Him to reach the world for Christ. Amazingly enough the newly weds are planning to move to Spain as missionaries in January and the other couple will be going to Nicaragua as missionaries at the same time. We are so proud of them and encouraged to see our students wanting to serve the Lord in foreign countries. Please pray for them as they make plans to go to share the good news.

This summer will be busy with teams coming to help move us forward at the College. We have plans to build the last dormitory on the lower campus that will allow us to house around 100 students and staff on campus. It really is amazing to see all that God is doing here in Mexico.

We are so thankful for your prayers and support. It is such an honor and a blessing to be here serving in Mexico. Drop us a note or email some time, we would love to hear from you. Email addresses: Pilar@ccbcmexico.com or Leo@ ccbcmexico.com

You can write us at: Leo and Pilar Gray      3621 Vista Campana South Unit 75     Oceanside, CA 92057.

If you would like to support us financially you can send a tax deductible gift by check to: Saving Grace World Missions     17451Bastanchury Road  Suite 203  Yorba Linda, CA 92886 write Leo and Pilar Gray on the memo line or click the Become a Financial Partner button on our web page for credit card or bank transfer at www.SGWM.com/gray.

Check out the College website at CCBCMexico.com

 

God Bless You And Have A Great Summer!

 


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