Coming Home for a Visit

One week from today we'll be back in Illinois for a visit. We'll be in the States for just short of a month, but we'll be on the move constantly. Our flight arrives at O'Hare in the early AM Sunday morning so we'll be napping on the couches there until the first bus departs for Rockford. The plan is to make it to the 10 AM service at Rockford First. We might be a little travel-weary, but we're anxious to see everyone none the less. From there we'll be doing Poplar Grove, Big Sandy, Montana, Elgin, Lake Zurich, Rockford, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, McHenry, Woodstock and Nashville, Tennessee.


We've only been here in Huatulco for three months, but it feels like a lot longer. We have made many friends. We have to say that even though we miss the folks at home and we are really anxious to see you all, we are already missing things (the people) here. We look forward to the many regular visits, English classes and church services we attend. We are now doing English two times per week at the Red Cross. The doctor, nurse, dentist, lab tech and two paramedics are in regular attendance. Bernardo, the cab driver who comes to our house twice a week is becoming a good friend. He is really special. This morning we recieved many sincere sentiments from our friends at the Sunday morning church. It was almost sad. We will especially miss Art and Betty our special Christian friends. They have been such an encouragement.


Exciting things are happening. Last week, Pastor Damian, the missionary, asked me to preach the services at his Huatulco mission church on Thursday and Sunday nights. He has gotten so busy (TOO BUSY) that he is not able to cover everything and sleep too. I am praying about how to talk to him about not being so busy that he isn't any good to anyone. I sure don't want to contribute to his downfall by freeing up time so he can fill it with something else. 


Last Thursday was my first time in his pulpit. I was a little nervous speaking in Spanish to a non-English speaking group of about 20 people. I had been able to use Google Translate to put the message into Spanish and I had the help of a young fellow with translation. It was a simple message about God's unconditional love from the perspective of His perfect foreknoweldge. All in all, it seemed to go pretty well. Donna said they were all on the edge of their seats. I'm not sure if that was because the message was so good, my Spanish was so bad or because of the novelty of a "Gringo" preacher. I know they liked that I only spoke for about 30 minutes instead of the usual hour plus they are used to. Tonight (Sunday) is my second night. We'll see how many show up. It is really a stretch for me, but God has given me a sense of peace and confidence in the fact that it is all on Him and not on me.

We've had only a couple of good rains so far this season. When it rains here, it doesn't just rain, IT RAINS!!! In a matter of a couple of days everything turned green. It is beautiful. Everyone says it will get cooler soon. We hope so. The humidity is really oppressive. We are looking forward to the cold (under 90 degrees) weather back in the States.

Spiders and Snakes

    
It seems as if our time here so far has been one surprise after the other. This week was the top. Along about last Tuesday we experienced our first rainfall of the season. It was quite a storm. Lightning struck so close to us that the charged air made our hair (my arms) stand up. Instead of thunder, we heard a firecracker-like snap. The heavy rainfall surfaced all sorts of creatures we hadn't yet seen. The largest tarantula I've ever seen appeared near our front door. Smaller ones were in the back.


     The biggest shock came Saturday night as we were welcoming our friends for dinner.  We were just making introductions and getting settled when a 3' plus snake appeared in our midst. Needless to say, the ladies departed the area in haste. With the help of the other two guys, we coralled the thing and took it a few blocks away. There was disagreement as to whether it was dangerous or harmless. The consensus was venomous.

     Afterwards, the discussion turned to speculation about the reason for the snake's entrance into our gathering.  Our guests appeared to take the topic rather seriously. It seems that there is a belief (superstition?) that the snake is a sign that "someone" is opposed to the gathering and to the unity that it represents. I am not a superstitious person, but neither will I scoff at the beliefs of others. In this case, there is no doubt that there is an enemy in opposition to our activities. However, we stand firm on the promise that no weapon formed against us will prosper.

     Donna was/is a little unnerved by all of this and is wondering what will appear next. We are determined to learn from Peter to keep our eyes off the storm that rages around us and to keep our eyes on the One who enables us to walk on water. 

     The rain produced a couple of days of relief from the heat, but it returned with force on Saturday. We are learning to enjoy two or three cold showers per day. We are continuing to keep moving and to see God move in people we meet. Some pretty neat things are happening. We are looking forward to seeing friends and family in June.

     There is nothing like swimming in the giant aquarium called the Pacific Ocean to give you a better perspective on your own significance in the grand scheme of things. The Pacific covers 63.8 million square miles, is 12,000 miles across and 35,800' deep. The power in a single wave crashing to shore can knock you off your feet. Yet God commanded, "Thus far you shall come, but no farther. And here shall your proud waves stop." (Job 38:11). The variety of sealife boggles the imagination. Psalm 104:25 says, "There is the sea, great and broad, in which are swarms without number, animals both small and great."(NASB). The little slideshow to the left represents a tiny portion of them from about a few square yards of ocean. You can get a better look on the separate posting.    
          One of my main pathways into the presence of God is nature. When I am able to be still and observe the environment around me, I can be overwhelmed by the magnitude of His being and His creativity. When I consider myself and my individual importance on just the planetary scale, it is easy to see how inadequate I am by comparison. Being here, in an unfamiliar culture and away from the support structures and security blankets of "home", the impact is even greater. I thank God that our adequacy is in Him and that His power works through our weakness(es). We are blessed to see this principle played here out almost on a daily basis.     

     This week, we spent a day with our neighbors and friends Antonio (Tony) and Maria at one of the more distant beaches swimming/snorkeling, eating and fellowshipping. At the end of the day, Tony negotiated a very low price for us to ride home on one of the large tour boats. The one-hour ride was less expensive than the bus/cab and immensely more enjoyable. Donna got to drive the boat for a while. We saw dolphins alongside the boat for a bit.     

     Also this week we started Engish classes at the Red Cross. The doctor, the nurse, three paramedics and a volunteer were in the class. They asked us if we could come more than once a week. We will be doing Tuesdays and Thursdays. They are anxious to learn because many of the "gringos" returning in October don't bother to learn Spanish.     

     A new friend, Juan T. invited us to the Mother's Day (Tuesday) celebration at the school. Afterwards, he and I cooked dinner for Donna and his wife Norma. They seem to be a very sweet couple. We will enjoy their frienship. We have offered to help their son with his English.     

     We are still dealing with some oppressive heat. The soon coming rain will cool it down. Today was mostly overcast but very humid. It only got down to 88 degrees last night. We are looking forward to being in the States for most of June for family visits and Angela's graduation from Focus One (Thank you Rockford First!!!) We'll be in Rockford, Elgin, Lake Zurich, Tennessee and Montana.

Undersea Photos

AND THE HEAT GOES ON

     For all of you who might still envy us because we are in this warm place, don't. We could sure use some cool Spring weather. We are thankful for the breeze that blows during most of the day. We are especialy thankful for a secure house with window screens, fans and an air conditioned bedroom. When the rains begin, it will cool down a lot according to our local friends.  We are amazed by the local police who patrol by two's on a single 250cc-size motorbike in dark blue uniforms with long sleeves and pants plus full-face black helmets. Then there is the guy who is building the second floor on the house next door. He is mixing mortar with a shovel, hauling it up to the roof and laying the bricks while wearing a hoody under a long sleeve shirt and long pants, all in the full sun.We are still out and about with the help of three showers per day.      

     This week we visited the Cruz Roja (the Mexican Red Cross). We had a great meeting with Harriet, the lady who runs it. We'll be teaching English to the paramedics beginning Thursday. It is an amazing organization operating on a dirty, broken shoestring budget. Their equipment is mostly antiquated pieces scavenged wherever they can find it. Funding is almost entirely donations so they are always short. Much of the workforce is volunteer. We plan to help where we are able. We talked about the possibility of missions teams coming for things like building repairs, cleaning, painting and possibly even medical outreaches to the community.     

      Activities like this are great relationship building opportunities. We were amazed by the number of people Harriet mentioned whom we have already begun to connect with. I wish I could claim to have strategized this. However, it is all by chance as far as our input is concerned. It is obvious to us that God has a plan and a purpose for us here. We are excited to watch it unfold. The best strategy we can follow is Proverbs 3:5-6 (paraphrased) Trust God, not your own ideas. Acknowledge Him by being obedient in EVERY aspect of your life and He will move your feet along the path He has chosen.

CAN YOU SAY HOT??

EVERY day is HOT and sunny. The last couple of days have been positively oppressive. It gets down to 83F at night. We aren't complaining, but it sure sucks the physical energy out of you. This is another reason many activites take place at night.

There is another type of heat here as well. It is amazing how glaringly obvious your own shortcomings (read sin) become in the light of a radically different culture. Isaiah 48:10 says, "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction." As we continue to weave ourselves into the community here, the stark contrast between cultures brings attitudes and motives to the surface that were somehow camoflaged before. The Word has a newly sharpened edge. It is painful but, at the same time, awesome to realize that God already saw all of it and more and it is already covered. He is doing His purifying work.

One of the cultural grinding stones we've begun to adapt to is the apparent lack of committment keeping. Nothing in terms of appointments or schedules is ever set in stone here. More like Jello. Firm committments, although expressed, rarely exist. A person may call at or after the appointed time to cancel or may not show up at all. Times are very flexible. Thirty to forty-five minutes after the time is not late. We went to the 1st Baptist church for the 7PM Tuesday service. Arriving at a minute to 7, we found someone mopping the floor. The pastor showed up at 7:15. Service started at about 7:30 as people continued to arrive. This is the rule rather than the exception. No one seems to mind.


We are learning to make a plan then jump in the river and go with the flow. It's a little like whitewater rafting without a paddle sometimes. It really cuts across my grain, but we are learning to trust God and to be excited about what is around the next bend. I'm not sure how well this would work in the US, but it sure works here. Most of the connections we've made and opportunities we've had resulted from a richochet off of a derailed plan or unmet expectation.

We now have two taxi drivers coming to the house for English classes. We go weekly to three other houses to teach plus the childrens' class at one of the small churches. Including the numerous businessmen we visit regularly plus neighbors, everyone knows that we are Christians. We are planting seeds. The door opened with the young couple next door and with one of the taxi drivers to make a clear Gospel presentation. Please continue to pray that God would draw everyone we meet to Jesus.